My Books - Day 1 - Katie Reus

I’ve already done my ‘about me’ day so I hope y’all remember! In case you need a reminder, the only thing you need to know is that I think Hugh Jackman is all sorts of sexy (after my hubby of course), and chocolate is definitely one of the major food groups.

It’s damn near impossible to pick six books to take with me, especially since I’ve discovered so many new authors this year, but here are my current island books:

All the Queen’s Men, Linda Howard. John Medina *sigh* I don’t know what to say about this man. He’s the kind of hero you either love or hate. And I LUV him. He left Niema alone for five years, giving her time to grieve for her dead husband (a death which he inadvertently played a part in). Always in the background, he had people looking out for her, making sure she was okay, but he hadn’t allowed himself to see her. When they got the chance to work together again (thanks to his not so subtle boss), her seduction is on. I totally fell in love with him during their first meeting since her husband’s death. She’d only known him as Tucker five years before (though she was fairly certain it was an alias) and when they reconnected, he blurts out his real name at the shock of seeing her. For a man whose life is cloaked in secrecy and deception, I loved this real side to him. When he decided to claim Niema, he didn’t do a half ass job. She was his, and that was it. Gotta love those alphas. I think the real reason he’ll always have a special place in my heart is because this is the book that introduced me to romantic suspense AND to my favorite author. (Linda Howard fan girl right here!)

Everything and the Moon, Julia Quinn. Boy falls in love with girl at first sight. Meddling fathers break them apart. Seven years later, boy has a chance at love again. Too bad he has a very, very difficult time convincing girl that he’s the one for her. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he offered her a position as his mistress instead of his wife. Hmmm, ya think? I’d never read a story about love at first sight until this and Ms. Quinn did an excellent job making it believable.

Pursuit, Elizabeth Jennings. This was an action packed story I couldn’t put down. As a fan of Lisa Marie Rice (Ms. Jenning’s erotic pen name) I wasn’t sure what her non-erotic writing would be like, but she definitely didn’t disappoint, making this one of my picks. Both characters are wounded, and you just can’t help but cheer them on. I love the way Matt courted (yes, I’m using that word) Charlotte from afar for months without ever saying a word to her. Be still my heart. Their story was incredibly romantic and I loved that when they met he didn’t have more than a couple bucks to his name (maybe I’m exaggerating a little).

Raintree: Haunted, Linda Winstead Jones. Second book in the Raintree series, this was my first book by LWJ and I fell in love with her voice. The only reason I started this series was because Linda Howard wrote the first one. Thanks to the DIK ladies recommendations I’ve been reading a lot more paranormals, but this is the first one that’s stuck with me. Gideon and Hope are both equally bad ass. Sure, Gideon can control electricity and talk to ghosts, but Hope can definitely hold her own! I love it when she threatens to kill him (after some crazy ‘spontaneous’ orgasms he inflicts on her)

Midnight Angel, Lisa Marie Rice. A modern day beauty and the beast story. Seriously can’t go wrong with that. Former Navy SEAL Douglas Kowalski is scarred (literally, not figuratively) by war. He knows what he looks like and he assumes no beautiful woman would ever want to be with him. His first meeting with Alegra broke my heart. After hearing her play the harp at a function, he’s mesmerized. He’s already having a hard time adjusting to the civilian world and the way people avert their eyes when meeting him. When they’re first introduced he shakes her hand, not realizing she’s blind. He’s dying inside that she’s staring at his chest, not even willing to look him in the eye. When he speaks though, her head snaps up at the direction of his voice and he realizes she can’t see. This was a smoking hot story, but also incredibly sweet.

Midnight Run, Lisa Marie Rice. Yes, I’ve got two books by Ms. Rice going to the island with me. (Well, technically three if you include Pursuit). This book is simply hot and that’s why I’m taking it. Hot sex and likeable characters. This is my ‘go-to’ book on a rainy Saturday afternoon. There’s a previous connection between Bud and Claire that neither are aware of until later in the book, (he’s the cop who saved her when she was a scrawny, fifteen year old hostage years ago) and it solidified their whirlwind relationship for me. I believe in fate and since I’m a total romantic, this book worked on all levels.

Until tomorrow!!