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The Cuddle Sutra by Rob Grader

About the book:
Cuddling is more intimate than a candlelit dinner, more than a joint tax return and yes, even more than sex. With the simple act of an embrace, two people can be joined together in such an intense bond that words no longer serve a purpose. The cuddle says it all.

The Cuddle Sutra is an all-encompassing resource for the act of cuddling, filled with detailed descriptions and illustrations of all the ways to express affection, whether you’re in the privacy of your own bedroom or walking down Main Street.

Tell me more, tell me more!
This book is just so dang cute! I love the illustrations and honestly, love the fact there are over 50 different types of cuddle positions shown in this little pink book.

The author does not set out to dissect what the perfect cuddle requires in terms of acrobatic proficiency. Rather this is a look and help guide to creating something more meaningful than just sex...intimacy and closeness. I know there are many people who've told me over the years they aren't "touchy-feely" and I've always felt sad for them. I love a hug or pat on the arm from my friends. But when the lights are low and the world has gotten me down or I'm feeling sleepy, there's no place I'd rather be than with my hubby, just, well, cuddling. Those moments are more meaningful because we are both seeking that connection which can't be rushed or overlooked. We build those moments into our relationship to help us when we can't see each other for days at a time or when life starts throwing us rotten eggs. That emotional currency we build up and earn together is very powerful my friends!

The author highlights teh 3 T's of Cuddling:
Talk
Touch
Togetherness

After going thru the various positions in the book, I have several favorites...thought I'd share!
68 1/2
Cherry Popsicles
The Husband.

This is a great gift to give the one you love...to celebrate the gift of intimacy and love. Just in time for Valentine's Day!
You can get it from Source Books!

Grade: A
Sandie

Heart of Fire by Kat Martin

About the book:
As a viscount's daughter, vivacious Coralee Whitmore is perfectly placed to write about London's elite in the outspoken ladies' gazette, Heart to Heart. But beneath her fashionable exterior beats the heart of a serious journalist.

So when her sister's death is dismissed as suicide, Corrie vows to uncover the truth, suspecting the notorious Earl of Tremaine was Laurel's lover and the father of her illegitimate child. Corrie infiltrates Castle Tremaine posing as a wide-eyed country relation whose charming figure— and reduced circumstances—make her irresistible to the confirmed scoundrel. But Corrie finds the earl is not all he seems…nor is she immune to his charms, however much she despises his caddish ways.

Far from a society column, Corrie's life soon reads more like one of Mr. Dickens's serials. But the danger of her ruse is hardly fictional: someone is bent on ensuring Corrie's questions go unanswered—and unasked.

Tell me more, tell me more!
Well, I won't lie...I put this down after a chapter. Just couldn't get into the book.

The plot has been well written and I honestly wasn't captured by the plot or the writing.

Let's hope I have better reading!

I'm off to read LoS again!
Grade: DNF

Sandie

Never Deceive a Duke by Liz Carlyle

About the Book:

They call her the porcelain princess...

With her fragile beauty and regal bearing, the Duchess of Warneham knows how to keep her admirers at a distance. Twice wed and twice widowed, Antonia has vowed never again to marry; never again to surrender her freedom. But when her husband’s death is deemed suspicious, and his long-lost heir returns to seize control of the dukedom, she finds that fate has placed her future in yet another man’s hands—but not just any man.

They call him a cold-hearted bastard . . .

Deep in London’s docklands, Gareth Lloyd runs Neville Shipping with an iron fist. Unrecognizable as the starving orphan who was abandoned by his family and sent an ocean away from home, Gareth has put his troubled past behind him. That is, until the Duke of Warneham is found dead, and Gareth turns out to be the dynasty’s last living heir. Wrenched from his solitude, Gareth neither wants nor needs the honors and obligations of nobility—especially the Duke’s all-too-tempting widow... Or does he?

Tell me more, tell me more!
This is book 2 in what I'm calling the Neville Trilogy. Book 1 dealt with Xanthia Neville's romance. I am coming into the series with Book 2...truly seems to always be my luck to find a good series a book late. *sigh*

Book 2 deals with Gareth's story. In effect he is the adopted brother of Lord Rothewell (Book 3: Never Romance a Rake) and Xanthia who was rescued by their dead older brother from continued torture and abuse by a group of perverted pirates. Gareth's story was pretty darn heart-wrenching.

Antonia, the Duchess of Warneham, is a grieving widow caught in the swirl of gossip that she murdered her 2nd husband. Emotionally and physically fragile, she seems to fill the void in Gareth's life that's he's not sure he really had inside. He seems to have had a love affair with Xanthia...something to look for when I read Book 1.

I enjoyed the book...and I am looking forward to catching up with Book 1 and hopefully will find out what the heck is up with the other brother, Rothewell!

Story was well paced, some parts had me wondering where the story line was going but overall, I enjoyed this book!

Grade: B+
Sandie

reading isn't making me happy right now.

moar funny pictures

Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros

About the Book:

Gabriel Fairchild's valor during the Battle of Trafalgar earns him the title of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancee he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights.

Prim nurse Samantha Wickersham arrives at Fairchild Park to find her new charge behaving more like a beast than a man. After their first fiery confrontation, she engages the arrogant earl in a hilarious battle of both wit and wills. Although he pronounces her a "tart, vinegary creature without an ounce of womanly softness about her", he is secretly intrigued by her dry sense of humor, her lack of pity, and the bold way she brooks no nonsense from him. Whenever she is near, he feels the stirrings of a desire he never thought he would feel again.

As Samantha begins to let the light back into Gabriel's life and his heart, they both discover that some pleasures are best explored in the dark.

Tell me more, tell me more!

Well Samantha comes into Gabriel's life and makes him get over his self-imposed pity party. Good for her! I'm so tired of whiny hero's who apparently can't see beyond the tip of their nose after something happens to them that makes them realize that they aren't superhuman. oy!

The book was ok. It wasn't very a book that made me forget time by any stretch of the imagination. However, it was a pleasant read. The plot kept bopping around merrily and then something seemed to change with the characters. Not sure when they got new personalities but ok, I'll go along for the ride.

Surprise ending wasn't terribly surprising. But I'll say that I thought Sam had a guts and wit and that is what kept me reading this book.

Grade: C

How cute is this baby?!

This is Sandie...named after MOI!
Isn't she adorable.

Proud Puppy Mama....









She is tired, has had a long day of playing with younger puppies at puppy daycare.

Scandal Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee

About the book:

Love Is Sweetest When It’s Unexpected

Nell Anslowe and Julian, Earl of Wyndham, are an unlikely couple in every respect. Injured in a riding accident ten years ago, Nell was left with a fiancé who abandoned their engagement, a slight limp, terrifying nightmares, and the firm belief that she will never marry. The abrupt end of Julian’s unhappy marriage formed his resolve to remain a bachelor until the end of his days. But as Julian chases down his reckless stepsister, he seeks shelter from a summer storm in a cottage—and finds it occupied by Nell, who has escaped from a fortune-seeking libertine bent on carrying her off to Gretna Green. Discovered together by Nell’s family, the couple’s hasty wedding is the only way to save Nell from scandal—but the polite union each of them expects blossoms into something much more powerful…

Tell me more, tell me more!
I adore Regency romances. I have for years and Shirlee Busbee books were amongst my very first reads, years ago. I have missed her rich, detailed ladened voice in recent years. I will pull out a few old friends when I yearn for paragraphs longer than two very non-descriptive sentences for solace, that at one time, writing was a high art form.

That being said, this was a good book. Not a great book, in my opinion. The story had me from the beginning but about a 1/3 of the way into the book I felt like the plot simply wasn't vibrant enough to command 362 pages of book. I just couldn't believe that our hero, Julian, would strong-arm Nell into a semi-rape/seduction scene. Didn't set well with me.

Prepare to have an interesting twist in the plot that well, everyone can see coming a mile away.

Grade: B-
Sandie

Gideon by Jacquelyn Frank

This is the 2nd book in the Nightwalker Series.

About the book:
They're called the Nightwalkers—proud, ancient beings who live in the shadows, existing just beyond the human world. But there are also dangerous humans who hunt them—necromancers who use the blackest magic to manipulate them. And for a Demon named Gideon, the battle against these evil forces will soon be all too personal.

AS A HEALER, HE KNOWS HER BODY. BUT IT'S HER HEART HE WANTS.

For a thousand years, Gideon has healed his people. And as the oldest surviving male of his race, his wisdom has always been respected without question. But Gideon knows that even he is vulnerable to the powerful, primitive desires that befall his kind during Hallowed moons—and nine years ago that truth was hammered home when he found himself claiming Magdelegna, the Demon King's sister, in a wild embrace.

Horrified by his lack of control, he left her wanting and furious—and then exiled himself for the better part of a decade. Now, with necromancers threatening his people—and Magdelegna nearly their victim—Gideon must face another truth. He and the beautiful, stubborn Magdelegna are destined to be together, to share a love as deep and old as time itself. But first he needs to regain her trust. Then he'll have to save her life. Every night holds secrets.

Tell me more, tell me more!
You know, the biggest question, probably the silliest too...why was his hair silver? That was never explained. I guess because as the Ancient life had been sucked right out of him. I dunno.

I hoped Gideon would hawt. Like steamy scenes and lots of romance. However, the book focused more on the war and attacks on Jacob's mate, Isabella. Also the book helped set up the next book in the series, Elijah and his future mate, Siera...Queen of the Lycanthropes.

Am I the only one who'd like to be surprised in a sequel? It seems the authors are sketching in the next book outline and shorting the before!

I liked the book and the author's writing style kept me reasonably happy. I just wish the plot had focused more on the hero and heroine. Gideon and his mate, Magdelena. She is sister to the Demon King, Noah. They form a very intimate psychic link...thought that was very cool actually. I am going to read the next book in the series. I hope the story focuses more on the characters and not the war that is growing.
Grade: B
Sandie

The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

Ok, I tried folks. But this is a HUGE DNF!

I just couldn't.

Sigh....

Sandie

Love...she is fair!