The Harlequin/Silhouette 2011 Reading Challenge

I signed up for this challenge in 2010 but did not post the books I read so I am making a gallant effort to blog more in 2011. This is a great challenge with just 5 book that Yvonne is hosting http://harlsilreadingchal.blogspot.com/2010/11/harlequinsilhouette-2011-reading.html

Here's the info:

Rules:

1) Challenge is from Jan 1, 2011 to Dec 31, 2011.

2) All of the books must be from the Harlequin family of imprints (includes Mira books as well)

3) Read one book for each of these requirements:

1. A relationship in the title (mother, father, brother, sister, etc.)
2. A weather condition in the title (rain, snow, storm, etc.)
3. An occupation in the title (cop, nurse, doctor, etc.)
4. A book with the author's first or last name beginning with "C"
5. A name in the title (Mary, Sam, etc.)

Other information:

1) You can join the challenge by signing up with Mr. Linky at http://harlsilreadingchal.blogspot.com/2010/11/harlequinsilhouette-2011-reading.html. The link must be the one announcing your participation on your blog - not just the link to your blog in general.

2) You can grab the button above and post it on your site.

3) A list ahead of time is not necessary and may be changed at any time

4) Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebook

5) Books may be used for other challenges

6) Go to eHarlequin for book information, anything you can purchase there counts for the challenge

Its been a while

Its been a while since I reviewed but I promise, I will have some good stuff on here real soon!

2010 Harlequin/Silhouette Romance Reading Challenge

This may be my only romance reading challenge for 2010! It's being hosted by Yvonne and Gina at Harlequin/Silhouette Romance Reading Challenge.



Rules:

1) Challenge is from Jan 1 to Dec 31

2) All of the books must be from the Harlequin family of imprints

3) Read one book for each requirement


Requirements:

1) Read 1 book with a weather condition in the title (i.e. storm, rain, snow)

2) Read 1 book with a person's name in the title (i.e. Mary, John)

3) Read 1 book with a title in the title (i.e. King, Prince, Princess, Sheik)

4) Read 1 book with a color in the title (i.e. red, blue, white)

5) Read 1 book by an author whose last name begins with the letter "R"

6) Read 1 book with an element in the title (earth, water, fire, air, spirit)

Other information:
1) Please join the challenge by commenting with a link to your post (I'll start a participant blog roll)

2) A list is not necessary and may be changed at any time

3) Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebook

4) Books may be used for other challenges

5) Go to eHarlequin for book information, anything you can purchase there counts for the challenge.

Happy New Year

May the New Year bring you all the Peace and Prosperity your hearts can handle!
Evy!

The Virgin Secretary's Impossible Boss by Carole Mortimer

Linus Harrison's masculinity is a little too much for his sensible, bespectacled assistant, Andrea. He makes her heart beat like crazy! And the last thing Andi expects is to have to spend a weekend alone with her wild, irrepressible boss….

Billionaire Linus loves a challenge and relishes his chance to undo Miss Prim and Proper's buttoned-up exterior. It only takes one snowbound Scottish night to ignite the flames of the devilishly handsome businessman's desire. With sparks flying, how can Andi resist?

So here's my take on this book: It had the makings of a great read but I think there was just too much focus spent on Linus and Andi's road trip and not much else. A bit disappointing for me since I like to read office romance and would have liked to see more "variables" thrown in!

BBAW Interview Swap

For BBAW's Interview Swap, I had the pleasure of partnering with Yvette Kelly of True Crime Book Reviews. Our blogs are like night and day: I blog about romance, chick lit and some classics while Yvette is a True Crime book junkie at heart. I found her blog fascinating and mysterious. I would bet there is a review from every author who every wrote a "crime" story. Here are the questions I asked her:

When did you start blogging and how did you get into it?

I started blogging in February 2009. I order a lot of books from my local online bookstore and they contacted me about doing a blog on the books I read.They also offered to pay for an internet marketing course which I started in November 2008. I started blogging about true crime books in February.

When did you start reading books about Crime?

This passion started in 2007 after I watched a program on the Crime & Investigation network. Right after that I went online to find the book Life With Billy and I have not stopped reading true crime since then

How has the books you read, inspired you?

The funny answer would be I am now a serial killer but jokes aside,these books really motivate me to look more closely at my personal relationships and to make them better. There is such a thin line between sanity and insanity. I have also become far more appreciative of the good people in my life,and believe it or not,I firmly believe that there are more good people on this earth.

Do you read any other genre?

I love medical and psychological thrillers. I also enjoy autobiographies and biographies.

Other than reading, what do you do for fun?

I enjoy gardening,hanging out with friends but my biggest passion is white water rafting which is not really something I can indulge in often as the best rivers are far away.My best experience so far has been on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe but the scariest was on a much smaller river called the Sabie which is in South Africa.I ended up grabbing everyone's toes to try and avoid being sucked downtiver by the strong currents.

Benny & Shrimp, Katarina Mazetti

Thanks to the folks over at FSB Associates for sending me this book.



Blurb
It started in a cemetery, where they begrudgingly share a bench. "Shrimp," the childless young widow and librarian with a sharp intellect and a home so tidy tat her jam jars are in alphabetical order, meets Benny, the gentle, overworked milk farmer who fears becoming the village's Old Bachelor. Both driven by an enormous longing and loudly ticking biological clocks. they can't escape the powerful attraction between them..........

This is a quirky, down-to-earth love story between Benny and Desiree (Shrimp) with an ending that I didn't expect. Shrimp is very neat and has a plan for her life. On the other hand, Benny's life is mostly a series of reactions. He would eat if hungry, shop if supplies are low and milk the cows if they needed milking. I empathized with Benny since he worked so hard for very little while Shrimp refused to lend a hand!

I thought Katarina Mazetti's choice of writing in alternating "character" was brilliant. She did a great job of analyzing events from a man's perspective and really zeroed in on their differences. I was totally emersed in the story. This book is a must read.....the characters are interesting and story...unpredictable.