ROMANCING THE BLOG - please stop by!

Once again, I'm the columnist at Romancing the Blog today - I hope you'll all stop by and leave a comment! http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/

Have a great weekend!

Thanks,
Laurie

FALL TELEVISION - WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?

Ok, reading was the topic last week - this week I'm interested in what everyone's watching on television this fall. Kelsey and I watched Dancing With the Stars last night - we saw the tail-end of last year's season, cheering loudly for Apollo, but we weren't sure we wanted to watch it this year. We enjoyed it bunches and will probably end up watching every week. I'm cheering for Marie Osmond and Jane Seymour, who are probably underdogs - behind the supermodel, that is (her name escapes me) - she was a little weak.
You know, I've always prided myself on not being much of a television fanatic, but this week alone there's something on every single night that I want to watch. Last night CSI: Miami was new - never miss it. Tonight brings the two we've waited for the most anxiously - Bones and House - woohoo!! I think tomorrow night is CSI: NY and then Thursday is Earl followed by the original CSI, which ended with a serious cliffhanger last season so we absolutely have to watch it. Friday starts Moonlight, a new vampire show that I think looks very good. My fingers are crossed that I won't be called to do halftime snacks for the marching band at this week's football game so I can watch! Shame on me.
Please give a shout and tell us what you're watching, or on the flip side, what you refuse to watch. The show whose success stumps me the most is The Office. Everyone, including my best friend and several relatives, absolutely love it and think it's hilarious. I like to think that I have a good sense of humor, but I think it's just stupid and I don't see the appeal. Oh well, to each his/her own.
Hope you're having a great week!
Laurie

READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?

Let's talk books - what have you been reading? Which releases are you especially looking forward to? I have been reading a lot lately, and I'm loving every minute of it! I'm taking some time off from reviewing for Romance Junkies, not an official hiatus, but a month or two just for a little break.

Here's my list of recent reads:
CURVEBALL by Kate Angell - this one is great fun with three stories wrapped up in one.
PERFECT KISSES by S. Johnson, S. Day and N. Mack - a historical anthology of steamy tales - I enjoyed them all, but Sylvia Day's Mischief and the Marquess was my fav.
MY IMMORTAL by Erin McCarthy - a totally different taste from Erin, brilliantly written - scroll down for an earlier review.
OVEREXPOSED by Leslie Kelley - Leslie's latest Blaze sizzles.
KIDNAPPED by Jo Leigh - Enjoyable, but not my favorite from Jo Leigh. I love Jo's Blazes, but I'm dying for her to write a big, fat, full-length romantic suspense.
BORN TO BE WILDE by Janelle Denison - continued "Wilde" fun - scroll down for earlier review.
THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE by Jill Shalvis - Another fun romance from Jill, with passion and suspense, it's especially good - scroll down once again for an earlier review.
TROUBLE by Sasha White - Needs only one word: Excellent - scroll down for an earlier review.
A TASTE OF HONEY by Jami Alden - a steamy anthology with realistically written characters - my first by Ms. Alden, but not my last.
IMPROPER ETIQUETTE by Janice Maynard - a mix of steamy sweetness - again, scroll down for earlier review.
TANGLED UP IN YOU by Rachel Gibson - Very, very good - heck, I would recommend reading Rachel's grocery list, she never fails to entertain.
COMING UNDONE by Susan Andersen - the fourth in her "Marine" series was long-awaited and very good, but still not my favorite of the series. It took me a little while to warm up to the heroine in this one, but it did eventually happen.
AT THE EDGE by Cait London - This one was sheer excellence until somewhere past the halfway point, where I felt that it started to drag - by the last couple of chapters I was almost anxious for it to be over - I was disappointed. That said, I would note that this is the first of a three-book series, and I'm still curious about the next two and will most likely give at least the next one a try.
WHITE HEAT by Cherry Adair - Another author who could write Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and I'd be glued to the page - no disappointments here.
There might have been other books in there somewhere, but these are the ones that come to mind.
I'm about to start a paranormal by the very talented Denyse Bridger titled A WHISPER OF HUMANITY, and that will be followed by PASSIONATE KISSES, also by Denyse. If you haven't read anything by Denyse, I would highly recommend that you do - she has a wonderful voice, and a vast assortment of books, definitely something for everyone. I'll be writing reviews of these very soon.
Other books that I'm looking forward to - some I have and the rest have been ordered:
DOUBLE DATING WITH THE DEAD by Karen Kelley
SERVANT: THE AWAKENING by L.L. Foster (aka good pal, Lori)
SUCKER BET by Erin McCarthy
WICKED and SEXY DEVIL by SASHA WHITE
DELICIOUS and PRIVATE PARTY by Jami Alden
MOVING TARGET by Cheyenne McCray
EXCLUSIVE by Lisa Renee Jones, Jaci Burton and Eden Bradley
THE BEAST WITHIN by Lisa Renee Jones
I'M YOUR SANTA by Lori Foster, Dianne Castell and Karen Kelley
THE MORGUE THE MERRIER by Dianne Castell, Rosemary Laurey and Karen Kelley

Please chime in and tell us what books we should be checking out - or your thoughts on any of those named above.
Laurie

MY JILL SHALVIS CONTEST WINNER!

Okay, it's Friday, 9/21 - almost a week has gone by and I still haven't heard from Rachael - if I don't hear from her by this Sunday (the 23rd) I'll draw a new winner in the evening, so check back!

The winner of my Jill Shalvis contest is RACHAELFROMNJ!! Rachael, please email me at ljodamron@gmail.com with your name, mailing address, and two or three choices from Jill's backlist.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and entering the contest - and huge congratulations to Rachael!!

Laurie

COMING TOGETHER WINNERS!

I HAVE WINNERS!! I know, I'm a day late and for that I apologize - The winner of COMING TOGETHER FOR THE CURE is Barb V., the winner of Dianne Castell's I'M YOUR SANTA is Lisa F., and the winner of Dianne Castell's THE MORGUE THE MERRIER IS Laurie (no, not me!) If the winners will email me with their addresses at ljodamron@gmail.com, their books will be mailed out soon - I haven't received the CD copy of COMING TOGETHER yet, but will send it as soon as I do. Thanks to everyone who stopped by - I hope you'll be tempted to get your own copy of this book and support breast cancer research!!

CONTESTS!

I currently have two contests for free books running - scroll down and you'll find them both - one ends Saturday, September 8 and the other will continue until Sunday, September 16. Please check them out!!
Laurie

Janelle Denison's BORN TO BE WILDE

The first Janelle Denison http://www.janelledenison.com/ book I read (many years ago) was FORBIDDEN and while I haven't read every single one of her books, I've read the biggest share. Readers have devoured her "Wilde" series; the most recent addition to this popular series is BORN TO BE WILDE, releasing September 7, 2007. This book tells the story of Joel Wilde and Lora Marshall, and it's a winner!
My review of BORN TO BE WILDE:
Lora Marshall is a hard working young woman, a masseuse in a spa by day and a bar waitress at night. Having a broken engagement in the not too distant past, Lora initially resists the irresistible Joel Wilde, although she finds herself undeniably attracted to him. Lora doesn't realize that their meeting isn't purely coincidental; Joel is secretly watching out for Lora as a favor to her brother Zach, who has gotten himself into a deadly chase with some vicious thugs over unpaid gambling debts. Lora's life has been threatened as a result of this debt. When Lora is unexpectedly attacked at work, Joe's protection intensifies and he refuses to leave her side. Lora soon discovers the truth about their meeting, but her initial anger quickly dissipates when she discovers and appreciatively understands the reasons behind Joel's secrecy.
Joel owes a huge favor to Lora's brother, a former fellow Marine, after Zach saved his life in Iraq. His unquestionable sense of obligation, however, isn't the only reason Joel doesn't balk at Zach's request. Lora is a beautiful young woman and watching over her is hardly a hardship. It isn't long before the wall that Joel has solidly kept around his heart begins to crumble in response to Lora's gentle, loving nature.
Janelle Denison has once again given her readers an intriguing continuation of the Wilde family with Joel and Lora and and their story. Both are driven characters who possess unwavering devotion to family and friends, both ever conscious of who they are deep within themselves and never losing sight of their personal desires and goals. Joel's determination to succeed in helping his friend Zach get his life back on track is heartening. A blossoming relationship between secondary characters, and the pain and soul-searching that plays between them, is excellently written and is a wonderful addition to this book. While I would encourage readers who haven't enjoyed the previous books in the "Wilde" series to do so, I would also point out that each of them, including BORN TO BE WILDE, capably stand on their own.
Janelle and author Leslie Kelly (http://lauries-laudanum.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html) have a fun contest running where readers have to find the shared scene in their books, BORN TO BE WILDE and OVEREXPOSED (Leslie's newest Blaze). How fun! The prize is a generous $50. Amazon gift certificate - tell me, who doesn't have at least $50. worth of goodies in their shopping basket at Amazon at any given time? Please see their websites for more details.
I hope you'll check out Janelle's book and let yourself get lost in Joel and Lora's tale!
Thanks as always,
Laurie

THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE - the latest from Jill Shalvis

Jill is generously offering a book from her backlist to one lucky reader - how exciting! I will draw one name from everyone who posts here between now and Sunday, September 16. The drawing will be around 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) on the 16th. Please tell your friends to stop by - if they mention you, you'll be entered an additional time for each mention.

I know I've chatted on here before about how much I enjoy the work of Jill Shalvis http://www.jillshalvis.com/ but it bears repeating - she's one of my absolute favorite authors and is just plain nice, to boot! Jill has a new book releasing in October '07 (which means it could be available by the end of this month, I'm guessing) - THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE - and it is bunches of fun. Be sure to take a minute to stop by Jill's blog and read about the escapades and antics of Jill and her family. It is one of my first stops every morning. I was fortunate enough to review this book for Jill on behalf of Romance Junkies - this is my (4.5 blue ribbons!) review:

From Shop Mart in Los Angeles to sandy white island beaches, THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE follows the adventures of a young woman who’s certain that true love will forever elude her. It takes a shipboard accident, a baseball player, a French doctor, and murder and mayhem to prove her wrong.
Dorie Anderson is biding her time working a dead-end job at Shop Mart, working day by day for a nasty, inconsiderate boss while dreaming of someday selling her own designs. When she wins a free cruise to Fiji, things begin to look up. That is until she takes a spill over her luggage the very first day of the cruise, which catches the attention of not one, but two eligible guys. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the sort of attention Dorie has in mind for this cruise. Andy, a professional baseball player who is a consummate ladies’ man, and Christian, the ship’s dark and intriguing doctor, both make their interest known. The worry of which guy might be right for her takes a flying leap when bad things begin to happen, like a dead passenger and a shipwreck on a deserted island. All thoughts of romance are soon overshadowed by the threat of an unknown killer.
Typical of a Jill Shalvis heroine, Dorie is absolutely adorable and readers will find her irresistible and will champion Dorie’s simple wish for happiness, someone to appreciate and love her, and her own clothing design business. THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE does have touches of trouble as well as paradise, but it is also written with the trademark wit of Jill Shalvis, and just the right touch of passion and sensuality.

Don't forget to check out Jill's website for more of her upcoming books, and take a peek at her blog while you're there! Here's a link to Amazon for anyone who wants to pop over and snag a copy of their very own! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0425217191/authorjillsha-20
Thanks as always for stopping by!
Laurie