The Monthly Herd--October 2015-- It's a long one. I'm sorry. lol

So. I'm just gonna put it out there but I was a total fucking blogger goddess this month. I'm not even gonna lie. lol October was brutal on the blog front but I tackled Blog Ahead full force and wasn't messing around! It'll make life the coming year so much easier for me even if it did result in numb fingers a couple days and maybe a few tears and a few pounds of chocolate. Maybe. lol

But! As of now I'm ending October with 144 blog posts scheduled (76 done for blog ahead) for this blog and a new blog I started up for the services and events I plan. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. lol

If you'd like to be notified of event sign ups in 2016 be sure to sign up HERE! There are some great challenges and awesome hops set up for 2016 :D

Other than that...I spent a lot of time at the USO which was fun. Got to meet a group of Spanish Paratroopers that were coming through our center (damn they were HOT). *curses not keeping up with her high school Spanish* lol

Tag: The Cat Herder [Edition:12]--pervy dessert, kiss practicers & Halloween smiles

 

#CountdownToChristmas: Hot Holiday Nights (Play-by-Play #10.5) by Jaci Burton

Hot dayum! Hot Holiday Nights brought the heat! Best way to spend Christmas vacation? A hot holiday fling with one very sexy younger man. How to make it even better? Add his older best friend into the mix.

Whew, boy! I was expecting hot, sexy, fun romance with a little Christmas spirit. I was NOT expecting a menage. <yes, yes, non blurb reading struck again lol> But oh it was a nice little treat that rocked so many of my favoritest things. Sports, Christmas, menage, sexy heroes and a strong heroine spending time in an exotic locale. Oh yeah. I was a happy happy reader-girl watching Victoria snag herself a couple hunky surfers during her holiday getaway to Hawaii.

4 stars--Hope Springs on Main Street (Briar Creek, #3) by Olivia Miles

Single mama v. scummy ex's best friend. Who adores her daughter too. Pajama parties. Amazing families. And the feels. All the feels. #LovelyRomance #BringOnTheSwoon

---

Olivia Miles' books always give my heart a little squeeze. Beautiful and touching. Hope Springs on Main Street was the perfect read for a Fall afternoon and a lovely second chance romance as childhood friends finally realize they may have been meant for more.

The quick of it is that Jane's ex-husband is a complete fucking asshole and Jane is trying to move on and keep it together now that she's a single mom. And her life has just gotten even more complicated when the scummy ex's best friend comes back to town to deal with his own demons and despite calling it quits on the male population sparks start to fly...

Cat Thursday-- Cats In Scarves

Because they're just too cute and it's Fall and it's gotten a spot chilly ...and...yeah. That's all I got. lol

Insta-Wednesday! Pie, Cheese, Halloween Cat...

Because I love Instagram and fun pictures. The Herd's week ala Instagram :)

4 stars--The Art of American Whiskey by Noah Rothbaum

So a different type of book today but an interesting one! The Art of American Whiskey. I saw this and couldn't resist. I love history. I love design. And a book exploring both as it looked into American Whiskey and it's labeling over the decades sounded so interesting to me.

4 stars--Dragon on Top (Dragon Kin 0.4) by G.A. Aiken

Cocky, arrogant, snarky, blood-thirsty bastards! Gah, how I missed them! Dragon on Top was everything I love about the Dragon Kin. Action, adventure, some good lovin' and all with a gloriously snarky bite.

The quick of it is that Bram needs to visit another dragon sect to get a stack of paper signed and his queen has decided he needs a keeper for his trip and has tasked Ghlenna--one of her Captains--with making sure he gets there and back with all scales intact. Only problem? He's been totally in love with her since they were kids and she...pretty much has no idea he even exists. lol

Buy The Book: New Releases (10/27), Free & Cheap Reads

Buy All The Books!!
Seriously. Today's releases are freaking ridiculous!

Roni Loren's novella was fantastic. Dragon on Top a hoot. Sabrina Jeffries' anthology.
Olivia Miles (way more than fluff), Shannon Stacey's was great. Gah. <pets all the pretties>

Yall read any of these authors? Have a favorite?

Quote-tastic/Review-- Whew, Prickly!--Defending Heartsby Shannon Stacey

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and toss up your post :) You can share via FB as well! Just make sure the post is set to Public.

No blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section. 

Shannon Stacey today! Defending Hearts is out tomorrow and it's one I really enjoyed. Small town romance *sigh* Okay so the heroine in this one. Loved her. Gretchen is a bit on edge around the hero. She's a pretty tough cookie and change isn't easy for her exactly and, well, prickly happens...

Tasty Delights--Midnight Moon Brie

So this recipe is a kinda special one to me. Years ago, gah, 8 at this point?, my granddad wasn't doing well and I ended up going back home to FL to help my mom and grandmom who were exhausted and frazzled. For a bit over two years I was...the social director. lol I helped with other things but my main goal was to lift everyone's spirits. So I cooked family meals, did Friday get togethers with the family/nurses who came to the house and neighbors and we celebrated every. single. holiday. I was relentless :D So I tried a LOT of recipes. It's actually how I found my love of baking and cooking. For Halloween one year I found this recipe. Midnight Moon Brie. I think it was in one of those little recipe books that's by the cash registers. Anyways. I made it and it disappeared before you could blink your eyes. Even my granddad--who had become very picky about food at that point--enjoyed it. It's incredibly easy but totally gives that fancy feel too :)

Rock the Blog: SEO, Photo tagging & Blogger

Rock the Blog is a "How To" for bloggers!

From graphics to html and all kinds of bloggery goodness!

Since I'm based on Blogger most posts will revolve around the Blogger platform though some ideas may apply to Wordpress as well.

Hey guys! We've actually got a guest blogger today! Yall have seen her here before :) Sharon from I Smell Sheep. We got together at a book signing a couple months back and got to talking about blog stuff..naturally. lol One of the things was SEO (something that makes my eyes boggle!) and tada! Sharon is here to talk to you about it :D This is basically a way to up your rankings and chances of finding you based on search engines and such. Anyways. Passing off to Sharon. Yall check it out and hit those comments! ~Anna

Countdown to Christmas-- A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas by Kim Redford

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas (Smokin’ Hot Cowboys #1) by Kim Redford

A Cowboy. Firefighter. That loves cats.

I'm...I'm just gonna need a minute here. Whew boy! *fans self* lol

A Cowboy Firefighter for Christmas was a sweet holiday romance full of spirit, heart and quirky small town charm! I had a good time with this one. It was an easy read as Trey and the citizens of Wildcat Bluff gear up to celebrate Christmas, battle fires threatening their lands and welcome a curious outsider into their midst.

4 stars--Wild Ride (Playing for Keeps #2) by Cathryn Fox

Holy freaking sizzler! Wild Ride was a scorcher! *giddy squee* Whew boy! Cathryn Fox upped the heat in the most delicious way with Wild Ride as two childhood friends get a hedonistic weekend away to explore a delightfully explicit list of fantasies and see if maybe they were always meant to be together.

Insta-Wednesday

Because I love Instagram and fun pictures. The Herd's week ala Instagram :)

1 star--Playing Hard to Master (Masters Unleashed, #2) by Sparrow Beckett

Playing Hard to Master was one of those books where I feel like I've read a completely different version than everyone else.

The quick of it is that Ambrose has gone in for a haircut and the stylist...totally catches his eye and in a slip of the tongue he finds out that she's just as kinky as he is. Woohoo! And he is in and the woo-ing is on!

While I liked a couple things there were just so many others that didn't work for me and they bothered me enough that I'm gonna break it down.

4.5 stars--Break Me Down (Loving on the Edge, #8.5) by Roni Loren

This. Lotta this. I can't even with an actual review. So we'll do what we must for this review and hope yall don't think I'm crazy. lol Break Me Down... reading it...went something like this.

Buy The Book: New Releases (10/20), Free & Cheap Reads

Oh some very very good ones. I totally lurved The Billionaire Takes a Bride. Wild Ride and Hot Holiday Nights were both scorching hot novellas. Noms!

Yall read any of these authors? Have a favorite?

Quote-tastic/Review-- I'll cuddle you so hard! --The Billionaire Takes a Bride by Jessica Clare

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and toss up your post :) You can share via FB as well! Just make sure the post is set to Public.

No blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section. 

I've really been enjoying Clare's billionaire series. They're fun, sexy and have quite a bit of depth too. Alright so this first quote (yes I suck and picked three this week!) had me snorting. I so want a friend like Gretchen <wink>

Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway!

Halloween is just around the corner and it's time for the 4th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway from Laughing Vixen Lounge. 7 wickedly fun shops have come together to create one spooktalcular Prize Pack ($225+) full of Jewelry, Perfume, Clothing, Accessories and more! All shops are offering Gift Cards or your choice of item(s) so there will be something for everyone. Many of the shops have items perfect for any book lover along with lots of other unique, handcrafted and custom designs. You can enter via the Rafflecopter below or visit the Main Giveaway Page on the Laughing Vixen Lounge Blog

Rock the Blog: Blog Health Checkup! 9 Things Every Blogger Should Do This Week

Rock the Blog is a "How To" for bloggers!

From graphics to html and all kinds of bloggery goodness!

Since I'm based on Blogger most posts will revolve around the Blogger platform though some ideas may apply to Wordpress as well.

A Blog Health Checkup!

Not a "how to" this time but a bloggery reminder of sorts. 

Eight things I think all bloggers should check in on every handful of months.

A blog health check if you will :D These aren't in any particular order...

#CountdownToChristmas-- Snowbound at Christmas (Christmas, Colorado #5) by Debbie Mason

Loved. It. Snowbound at Christmas was an absolute delight! Hot hunky hero, stellar heroine, the magic of Christmas and danger around every corner. The perfect read to snuggle down with on a cold day with a hot cup of chocolate in hand.

The quick of it is that someone is trying to kill Cat's sister Chloe who is an actress. And Cat's determined to find out who's behind all the "accidents" her twin keeps having. Everyone is a suspect. Including the hottie British actor who's suddenly come to town and is now working with her sister. He's hiding some secrets that's for sure but maybe not the one's Cat thinks...

Interview w/ Jennifer Faye- Cookies, Cupcakes & Make You Swoon Heroes...

Hey guys! Jennifer Faye is joining us today to talk about her newest...A Moment on the Lips. A Bakery owner. A coffee shop guy. I mean. There's yums all over the place with these two. Anywho. Come check out our chat then hit the comments and leave her some love! ~anna

Insta-Wednesday!

Because I love Instagram and fun pictures. The Herd's week ala Instagram :)

LOL Wed was a BUSY day but I got the post up with 40 minutes of Wednesday to spare.

It still counts! lol

4 stars--Against the Ropes (First to Fight, #2) by Jeanette Murray

Sweaty half nekkid Marines getting hosed down. Seriously. You need this book. #ThatIsAll






dammit. do you really expect more of a review?? *flails*

Buy The Book: New Releases (10/13), Free & Cheap Reads

A handful of releases today! Plus some good deals!
I'm totally eyeing Bella Jewel. She's one I've wanted to try for ages. Hrms...

Yall read any of these authors? Have a favorite?

Quote-tastic/Review:--a morning what??-- All I Want by Jill Shalvis

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and toss up your post :) You can share via FB as well! Just make sure the post is set to Public.

No blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section. 

I'm not even gonna pretend to just give one quote today. It's Jill Shalvis. Yall are lucky I stopped when I did. lol So this first one. They've just met. She's putting him up at her house as a favor to her brother who he's best friends with...

Word from the Herd: Well that's Awkward-- Reader/Author Friendship and an Unfavorable Review

With social media and book conventions friendships between readers/bloggers and authors are pretty common these days. But sometimes. Whew. Sometimes...the awkward...it happens.

A not so favorable review happens.

It's bound to happen. Even with favorite authors.

Aaaaaand I need your help! Yall are getting to interview me!

Hey guys! Just a quickie post for today. Every Dec I do a big author event-- Authors for the Holidays--and part of that is that on Christmas yall actually get to interview me :D 

So. If you've ever had a question or anything you were curious about this is your chance!

It can really be anything. The number of people who asked about pierced peckers last year just cracked me up. But really near anything goes and I try to answer them all ;)

#CountdownToChristmas--A Bad Boy for Christmas (Second Chance #3) by Jessica Lemmon

Best Christmas book I've read all year! A Bad Boy for Christmas was everything. Heartfelt, sexy, full of humor and good friends, falling in love with all it's yummy bits and pieces. Holidays, family, make you sign sweetness and lots and lots of dessert. Total win from page one to the very last word.

The quick of it is that Faith is over men. <and whew I can't blame her. her ex was a piece.of.work> And this is a problem for Connor since he totally has a thing for her and wants to get real close to her. A couple scary movies with the girls and a creepy noise outside her door and BOOM! he's got his chance and is totally taking it. He's gonna stick to her like glue...you know...just in case there really is danger a brewing :D

Blog Ahead Updates? #BlogAhead2015

So! How is everyone doing??
I've done a crazy ton of posts so far this month but most of them have actually been for October. Like 30 posts done at this point and only half-ish for the challenge. lol But stuff is getting done even with taking a couple days off with no work towards the challenge. How are YALL doing? Any exciting progress? And plans in place for this week? My plan for the week is to finish all reviews for Oct that I've already read (took on a few recently so haven't read those yet) and work on Dec event posts.

Insta-Wednesday!

I've seen a few blogs incorporate Instagram into their blogs and yay so fun! 

(sorry yall I can't remember who all does that!) 

I love playing on Instagram and thought I'd bring that over to the blog each Wednesday.

So...the herd's week ala Instagram!

Buy The Book: New Releases (10/6), Free & Cheap Reads

Ooop! I so forgot to set this one to go live this morning. OOps!

Seriously. So many pretteh pretteh books this week.
Shalvis, Shayla Black, Murray, Madeline Hunter, Lauren Layne. I mean!
Ahhhh want all the books! lol

Yall read any of these authors? Have a favorite?

Tall, Dark and Wicked (Wicked Trilogy, #2) by Madeline Hunter

Oh how delicious! Tall, Dark and Wicked was an absolute treat! Sexy, fun and just a little bit wicked too.

The quick of it is that Padua's father has been carted off to prison--charges unknown--and in desperate need of help in saving his life she seeks out a man known for his talents in the courtroom. Only to find out that the man she'd hoped to have on her side is the enemy himself and the man charged with prosecuting her father. Dum..dum..dum!!!!!! Even worse...he's gorgeous, sexy and completely intriguing and those feelings aren't one sided. Oh yeah. All in all...trouble for both of them.

Quote-tastic/Review--Well, if you insist...--Wicked for You by Shayla Black

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed ya for one reason or another.

Everyone's welcome to join in. Authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and toss up your post :) You can share via FB as well! Just make sure the post is set to Public.

No blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section. 

Ahhh delicious erotic suspense from Shayla Black. I love this series. It's all kinds of goodness. Has that pulse pounding passion twined with edgy suspense. So good. Anyways. This was from one of the hotter scenes. I just loved her response. Gave me a little chuckle because really..yeah, pretty much...