Oooh! Check out BAD BOYS SOUTHERN STYLE!

Every summer it seems as if we are inundated with excellent reading choices! I always debate with myself over which books to take with me on vacation, typically taking about four or five. Sadly, I usually don't even finish one book while I'm gone. We seem to keep unusually busy when we are relaxing on vacation! My hubby is one of those people who can't relax and is constantly on the go, keeping us all busy and on the run, all in the name of the family vacation. I have to go back to work after to slow down and catch my breath! Oh well, he means well and we love him!
This anthology, BAD BOYS SOUTHERN STYLE, is great fun and I would encourage everyone to have it at the top of your summer reading stack!! You all know how much I adore Jill Shalvis - her characters are always great fun - sometimes quirky, or strongly independent, or maybe slightly damaged, but they are always unknowingly in need of just the right partner, and Jill always comes through for them. JoAnn Ross and E.C. Sheedy are no slouches either! Their contributions are wonderful and serve to make this a well-rounded, enjoyable summer read!
Here is my review of BAD BOYS SOUTHERN STYLE:
LOVE POTION #9 by JoAnn Ross--Roxi Dupree, the owner of Hex Appeal in the heart of historic Savannah, reluctantly agrees to give Hollywood filmmaker Sloan Hawthorne a little history lesson about the main character in his latest movie. The two immediately realize that they have shared the same intimate dream. Their relationship needs no magic or witchcraft to force an attraction. Roxi is fiercely independent and is reluctant to share herself with Sloan. Sloan finds himself bewitched by Roxi and wants much more of her than her standard three date rule will allow. Convincing her that his feelings for her are very real may require more patience and effort than putting together a blockbuster hit.******* MIDNIGHT PLANE TO GEORGIA by E. C. Sheedy--Tracy Allson decides that helping her uncle run his B&B in Georgia will give her the break she needs before setting out on a fresh career path. Little does she know that she will end up hooking up with the gorgeous guy she locks eyes with across the crowded airport. When she arrives at the B&B, her uncle is gone, leaving the house in her hands, which also places Colson Jones in her care, seeing how a change in his travel plans has given him several free days and he decides to stay at the B&B. After the two work on sprucing up the dilapidated house, spending every moment - waking and otherwise - together, they effortlessly strike up an affair hotter than the Georgia sun. When Colson has to leave to continue on his business trip, he finds it's not business as usual trying to convince Tracy to take a chance on a future with him.******* FALL FROM GRACE by Jill Shalvis--Janie Mills starts a new life as a librarian in Grace, Georgia, after witnessing her brother murder her cousin over a bad drug deal one year ago. When PI Ryan Patrick shows up at the library at closing time, sneaking up behind her, the frightened Janie attacks him with a dictionary, fearful for her life. When the two stop scuffling, they hear a gunshot and find one of the town's most beloved men lying dead on the floor. After all of this excitement, Janie's apartment is found to have been ransacked, causing Ryan to take Janie to his island home. These two are immediately on the fast track to spontaneous combustion, completely helpless in their attraction for each other. Despite one surprise after another involving some of the most esteemed members of Grace, Ryan is hopeful that Janie will agree to begin her life anew one more time, this time with him being a permanent part of it.******* This is a wonderfully fun anthology. Being a huge fan of the south, I especially enjoyed the Georgia settings. I highly recommend including these bad boys in your beach bag - you won't be disappointed in this fun summer read!

Hugs as always,
Laurie

We love our troops - and it shows!!

Look at all of those beautiful boxes!! They are crammed full of goodies that were collected at the Reader/Writer Get Together together in Cincinnati to be sent to servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is double the amount of boxes that we've ever shipped out at one time before. Romance readers are without a doubt the most beautiful bunch of women you could ever want to know! Those who preferred to not bring tangible items donated cash and checks to assist with shipping, and I have no doubt that every penny will be used to ship these bad boys!! If not, I'll use any leftover funds to shop for more goodies and ship another box.
Lindsay helped me pack the boxes on Saturday and Sunday and we both had fun doing it together. We talked about how good it feels to do something nice for others and how fortunate we are to live in the wonderful country we do and how thankful we are for everything that we have.
This effort has nothing to do with politics. I don't care about anyone's choice of political party or who agrees or disagrees with our leaders, I simply want the young men and women who are fighting this war to know that their fellow Americans love them and support them as they work, fight and sacrifice to keep us safe and to make our world a better, safer place.
Thanks again to everyone who generously opened their hearts and wallets!

Hugs,
Laurie

CONTEST - Two free copies of CLOSER by Jo Leigh up for grabs!!

Author Jo Leigh is offering two copies of her newest Blaze entitled CLOSER, to those bloggers who wish to make them available to their readers. If I have two readers who comment to this post before 11:00 EST tonight (6/21/06), I will provide your names and addys to Jo Leigh for your books. If I should happen to have more than two comments, probably not very likely as I'm not a big draw in the blog world, I will draw two names.

I have read most of Jo Leigh's books and while I haven't read this one, I will be doing so and I am certain that it will be excellent. Check out the blurb below and if you are interested, just say so!!


Closer…by Jo Leigh

A stalker has ruined Christie Pratchett’s life. He’s stolen her job, her friends and her freedom. The police can’t help, nor can the FBI. Now with a single call for help, it’s all up to ex-Delta Force Boone Ferguson.
Boone lives under the radar…with a secret that could cost him big. But he’s going to train Christie to become a warrior princess — and his lover. Together they’re going to risk it all, on the street — and in the bedroom.

Have you read Sydney Somers?

I recently read WATCHTOWERS: EARTH by Sydney Somers and am very pleased have found a new (to me) author to anticipate releases from! This book is a breathtaking futuristic/paranormal, with heartfelt emotion, steamy eroticism and sweet romance, all experienced by a hero and heroine that you will gladly embrace.
Sydney Somers is incredibly talented and while this is my first read of her published books (so far, that is), she has earned a place amongst the several authors who are autobuys for me. I hope that you will check out Sydney's website http://www.sydneysomers.com/home.html, all of her available books, and read what others are saying about her writing.
Below is my Romance Junkies review for WATCHTOWERS: EARTH:

Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5
Thane Denton has spent centuries in search of his true identity; little does he know that Shania Blackfoot, a woman with special powers gifted to her from the Earth itself, will help him discover who he is and much more.
Shania Blackfoot accepts that she is different, and has always used that difference to positively help others. The busy clinic she runs with the assistance of her mother keeps her going at a hectic pace, a far cry from the quiet sanctuary of her home. Shania has sought the calming effect of the Earth's energy and warmth from the time she was a child. Her ability to heal others forces her to share their pain and suffering, often inducing debilitating fatigue. A gorgeous stranger comes to visit her and tries to explain that she is the final of four Watchtowers, women who have been given various natural powers to fight an evil sorcerer, Amidurah, who is trying to take over the world. Shania isn't convinced that she's strong enough to succeed in such a fierce battle.
Thane Denton has lived for several centuries, struggling to find his true purpose, desperate to remember his past. He successfully found the previous three Watchtowers and witnessed their powers surface fully once they found their soul mates. Thane has been dreaming of Shania and fighting his deep attraction to her. He feels an inexplicable pull towards her, but he doesn't share her power to control the Earth. Or does he? Could he be the final link, her soul mate, the one who will bring all of the Watchtowers together for the final showdown with Amidurah? When Thane suddenly begins to remember unthinkable tragedy and pain from his past, it appears that the crushing memories will be more than he can bear.
Sydney Somers has put forth incredible imagination and immense creativity in this final WATCHTOWERS installment. Shania and Thane are intelligent, driven characters, written with intense emotion and determination. The secondary characters are equally well written and a pleasure to have in the story; at no time do they monopolize the story, despite their irreplaceable presence in it. I have to admit that I have come into this series at the tail end, and WATCHTOWERS: EARTH is my first read in the series. I intend to get the previous books in this series very soon as I'm anxious to read the stories of the other characters and discover just how their relationships began. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys futuristic paranormals with heightened passion and tender romance.

Big hugs,
Laurie

After the party!

I'm a little behind in posting about the wonderful time that was had at the Reader/Writer Get Together last weekend. Between my oldest daughter coming home from college for the summer, getting my youngest daughter ready to leave in the morning for NC on vacation with a friend, and helping my boss get things in order so he can leave for a three week vacation tomorrow, my life hasn't been my own. I'm so far behind on book reviews that it isn't funny. The powers that be at Romance Junkies are probably about ready to sever all ties and set me free.

Back to the get together, the top pic was taken after breakfast Sunday a.m. as we all prepared to head home and the bottom one was taken during a little down time on Saturday afternoon. We spent a great deal of time visiting, talking books, movies, men (be they hunky or not), children, and of course there was the requisite amount of laughing and giggling. Attendees came from as far away as Nevada, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Some were fortunate enough to live minutes away; I had a two hour drive, very comfortable for me.

There were several excellent causes benefiting from the weekend. First and foremost was the Battered Women's Shelter at the YWCA of Hamilton County, Ohio, for which (I believe) close to $3,000.00 was raised (I haven't heard the final numbers). Donations were also taken for the Eyes for Josh program http://www.eyesforjosh.com/ - Josh is a two year old boy who was born without his left eye; his right eye has had to be removed due to glaucoma. Josh's mother is raising money for prosthetic eyes for him; their insurance company won't pay for them, deeming them to be "cosmetic" - I believe that over $400. was raised and boxes and boxes of books, etc. were contributed by various authors in attendance. Josh's mother, Christie, is taking monetary donations as well as autographed books, totes, or any other item that she can sell on eBay. I hope you'll take the time to check this special little boy out. The third outstanding cause is near and dear to me as it is the program that I typically run, and that is troop donations. Attendees brought an abundance of items, so much that my car was loaded to the gills with bags and boxes and I have about $200. for shopping/shipping. I have a feeling that given the amount of goodies I have piled up in my dining room right now, I'll be using all of the money for shipping.

Anyone who wasn't able to attend, I do hope that you might attempt to attend next year. It is a very casual weekend filled with friends, old and new, many very patient and kind authors, and it is all done in the guise of helping others. I personally found that it helped me too, providing a couple of much-needed mental health days!

xo,
Laurie

Reader and Writer Get Together, 2006

This coming weekend is the Lori Foster/Dianne Castell Reader and Writer get together in Cincinnati http://lorifoster.com/community/readergettogthr.htm, with approximately 150 attendees expected, almost 50 of whom are authors. I went last year and had an absolute blast. It was so much fun meeting other readers, many of whom I've "talked" to on several loops, and some who have become very dear friends. The authors were all so very kind and more than happy to sit and talk about their books. It was a great time and although registration is closed for this year, I would encourage everyone to check out the information, look at the pictures from last year's get together, and consider attending next year!

I'm anticipating a great time and am excited to see everyone again. Lori and Dianne put an incredible amount of effort and expense into making this event a success and it shows. Please think about attending next year if at all possible; I would love to meet more of my online friends!!

Hugs,
Laurie

Time Marches On . . .

Tim and I celebrated our 27th anniversary yesterday. Geez, the years have flown by. We were incredibly young when we married, he was 20 and I was 19, but we persevered and, despite a few rough spots early on due to youth and immaturity, have (almost) raised two beautiful daughters who appear to be on the road to being happy, productive citizens. They're not on the road quite yet. Lindsay has one more week of school at Ohio University and is cramming like mad for finals this week. This second year has been a difficult one with some tedious history and anthopology classes. Kelsey has approximately four hours left of her sophomore year, she could probably cite the number of minutes and seconds as well. Thankfully, she passed the Ohio Graduation Test (necessary for graduation), so she is excused from exams in those classes.

I would brain my daughters if they wanted to get married so young. While I'm very happy and more in love with my husband than when I married him all those years ago, I want them to finish their education, find their happy place, hopefully very successfully, before they settle down.

Life is good!