Quote-Tastic & Review - Maybe This Christmas by Sarah Morgan

Publisher: Harlequin
Series: O'Neill Brothers #3
Format Read: egalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

This winter, ex-skiing champion, reformed heartbreaker and single dad Tyler O'Neil has only one mission—making sure his daughter, Jess, has the best Christmas ever. The fact that his best friend, Brenna, is also temporarily moving into his chalet at the overbooked Snow Crystal resort is a delicious distraction he's simply going to have to ignore. Theirs is the one relationship he's never ruined, and he's not about to start now.

Ski pro Brenna Daniels knows all about the perils of unrequited love—she's been in love with Tyler for years. But living with him is absolute torture…how can she concentrate on being his friend when he's sleeping in the room next door? Then when Tyler kisses Brenna, suddenly the relationship she's always dreamed of feels so close she could almost touch it. Could this be the Christmas her dreams of a happy-ever-after finally come true?

Quote-Tastic All I Want for Christmas Is You by Jessica Scott

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Sharing from a new novella by one of my fave authors, Jessica Scott. That woman makes me cry every damn time; her books are so emotional and heart-breaking. This story, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was released individually a few weeks ago and tomorrow it will be released as part of a duet, "Home for Christmas". The other story in the duet is by JoAnn Ross.

Come back tomorrow to join in the celebration - there will be a guest post by Jessica, a mini iPad giveaway, and more!

She was his best friend.

And he kissed her like he was dying without her.

Because he was.

He wanted his Samantha back. The warrior goddess who'd laughed when they'd been at the range and she'd outshot him. The fierce lover who took her own pleasure while driving him wild. 

The woman who didn't take shit from anyone.

He kissed her like it was his first taste of pleasure in months. 

Because it was.

Quote-Tastic The Princess and The Bodyguard by Morgan Ashbury

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"The Princess and The Bodyguard" is part of a trilogy about a royal family and a common middle class family who get involved. There's a light sprinkling of fantasy but mostly it's a contemporary romance. This scene occurs after the titular bodyguard has kissed the titular princess. The princess, Rachel, enjoyed the kiss, to say the least, but not what happened afterward. I think they need to have an honest talk.

That kiss had eaten away at Rachel all afternoon.    

Dinner had been nearly impossible to get through. She'd been painfully conscious of Peter sitting across the table from her, trying to act like he hadn't kissed her brains out that very afternoon.

All right, so she'd practically begged him to do it. But that had been no do-it-for-king-and-country kind of kiss he'd laid on her, either. His tongue had been down her throat, he's pulled her so tight against him that her nipples had stood at attention. She had caught the telltale sign of his erection, despite the excellent cut of his suit. 

And then the rat bastard had the nerve to apologize?  

Heh, I think that man is in trouble. :D

Quote-Tastic #60 You Have No Shame or Guile

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Another month, another J.D. Robb quote. :D I do love her In Death books. While this one wasn't my favorite, it had some good quotes. Eve is a sneaky, clever woman who understands how people think. In this scene, she is telling her police partner, Peabody, how to get her grandmother to mail her some homemade chicken soup. 

"I'm totally charged up again. Maybe I should go buy a gallon of that soup. No! I'll e-mail my granny, and I'll sweet-talk her into sending me some."
 "You have no shame, or guile." Eve led the way out, still sipping her soup. "You e-mail her and tell her you just had some soup that's as good as hers - subtext, maybe better - and it made you think about her, blah blah. How good it was, on a cold, crappy day in New York, yadda, yadda. She'll cook up a batch and ship it out to prove hers is better."
Peabody slid into the car, stared at Eve. "Have you met my granny, because that exactly what she'd do. That's brilliant."

Related articles

• Quote-Tastic #58 If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
• ARC Review + Quote-tastic(6): Sturdy poles and hairless peaches - Slow Hand by Victoria Vane
• Recommend JD Robb's Festive In Death

Quote-Tastic #59 You Look So Respectable, You Know.

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Another oldie but goodie this week; this one is a cozy adventure story. I have mad love for the Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman. Mrs. Polliifax was a widow and grandmother who was bored with her life so she applied to join the CIA. Through a series of mix-ups, she gets hired and proves herself to be amazingly resourceful. She's eccentric, wise, compassionate, level-headed, and clever. Most of the earlier books are quite dated now but their mix of zaniness, wisdom, and gentle satire keeps me coming back. "The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax" is the second book in the series.

In this scene, set in Turkey, Mrs. Pollifax and her new friend Colin are trying to dispose of a body, another CIA operative, that they've temporarily stored in Colin's uncle's van.
.

"Cemetery!" exclaimed Mrs. Pollifax thoughtfully.
Colin looked at her. "You can't possibly-"
"But we must find somewhere appropriate to leave Henry."
He groaned. "You look so extremely respectable, you know." 
"I have a flexible mind-I believe it's one of the advantages of growing old," she explained. "I find youth quite rigid at times. Why not a cemetery?" 
Colin sighed. "I daresay there's a certain logic there. You're not-uh-thinking of burying him as well?"
"That would be illegal," she told him reproachfully, "and scarcely kind to Henry."

Quote-Tastic #58 If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O

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I've had this book since 1990; it's a bit warped and battered but still legible. McCrumb has been a favorite author since I was in college a million years ago. D: This was the beginning of her second series, the Ballad books, which she's still writing. In fact, I'll have a review of the newest book, "Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past" on Thursday. "Peggy" is solidly mystery while later books in the series have a mystery in them but are more Southern literary fiction.

Quote-Tastic #57 When Men Were Worth Marrying

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This quote is from The Little Things by Moira Rogers. It's a paranormal romance with werewolves, lots and lots of werewolves. Have I mentioned lately that I love werewolves? :D The quote is pretty hot too. :)

"I have a different question. What's a courting gift?"

Gavin rubbed his hands over his face. "Let's sit over here." He led the boy to the bench in the hallway and sat. "A courting gift is something you give someone you want to spend more time with, or maybe marry. Like the darkroom for Sam."

"So the darkroom is a courting gift? Mom said it was and Dad said no one gives people courting gifts anymore and Mom said they did back when men were worth marrying."

Quote-Tastic #56 A Step Up from Being An A**hat

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I have a review of this book up today and I wanted to share a bit of it. It was hard to pick one scene but I went with this scene between one of the lead characters and a major secondary character. Both are important to the story. The asshat in question is an ex-boyfriend of the lead character, Eva. Nate and Grace are at school talking in between classes; they live in a small town. I have to say, I do not miss high school or the social politics. I do live in a small town but at least I'm an adult now.

Quote-Tastic #55 Reckoning by S.J. Harper

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This is from an urban fantasy mystery, "Reckoning", by S.J. Harper. It's the second book in the series. Emma and Zack are FBI partners and former lovers. In this scene, they're on their way to arm themselves for a rescue.

You can read my review of "Reckoning" here. 

"Betty?"
"Sweetest custom tactical you'll ever see."
"You named your rifle Betty?" I can't help myself, laughter breaks through my shell of anxiety and bubbles out. "Why do men insist on naming things-cars, guns, their junk?"
Zack shakes his head, "Couldn't tell you. Although. I can say that Mr. Peebles objects mightily to the term junk."
"Mr. Peebles?" Now I'm laughing so hard I can hardly breathe and can barely see. "Mr. Peebles?"
"I'm pretty sure laughing at a guy's...junk...constitutes harassment." He's grinning from ear to ear.
I try to catch my breath. As soon as can manage it it I say, "It's just 
I would have thought you'd pick something more, I don't know, manly-like Conan, Thor...Hugh Jackman."
"Wolverine? Seriously?"

Quote-Tastic and Review of The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire

Publisher: DAW Fantasy
Series:October Daye #8
Format Read: paperback
Source:  the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Toby thought she understood her own past; she thought she knew the score.

She was wrong.

It's time to learn the truth.

Review & Quote-Tastic: Limelight by K. Ball

Publisher: K. Ball 
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 15, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Love…in the spotlight.

Anna Lainey is a successful author who values her privacy. The last person she would imagine herself dating is a movie star–yet when she meets Benjamin Worthington on the set of a major motion picture, sparks fly–and before she knows it, she’s caught up in a very public whirlwind romance.

But Anna has kept herself distant from others for a reason–she has a secret, crippling panic disorder. When Ben’s fans turn against her and begin stalking her, her worst anxieties have come to life. She doesn’t want to live without Ben–but she can’t live in the limelight either.

Quote-Tastic #54 Kindred in Death by JD Robb

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Time for more quotes from the In Death series by JD Robb aka Nora Roberts. This book had so many good quotes it was hard to choose. Most of these are from early on in the book and involve Eve and Roarke's cat Galahad.

 

She'd died and gone to heaven. Or better, because who knew if there was really good sex and lazy holiday mornings in heaven. She was alive and kicking...Eve Dallas, murder cop and ass-kicker, sprawled naked across her husband, who'd just given her a nice glimpse of heaven. She figured she'd given him a good look at it, too....

***

She felt the thump on the bed that was their pudgy cat, Galahad, joining them now that the show was over. 
She thought: Our happy little family on a do-nothing Sunday morning. And wasn't that an amazing thing? She had a happy little family -- a home, an absurdly gorgeous and fascinating man who loved her, and -- it couldn't be overstated -- really good sex.

***

He managed to get around the cat to draw her down for another kiss, then hissed.
"Why the hell doesn't he go down and pester Summerset for breakfast?" Roarke nudged away the cat, who kneaded paws and claws, painfully, over his chest.
"I'll get it. I want coffee anyway."
Eve rolled out of bed, walked -- long, lean, naked -- to the bedroom AutoChef.
"You cost me another shag," Roarke muttered.
Galahad's bicolored eyes glittered, perhaps in amusement, before he scrambled off the bed. 

***

"If you're not already what he wants, why is he making over you?"
"That's logic -- and self-confidence, and just doesn't apply to that first rush of romance, especially at sixteen. Just think back to when you were that age."
"I didn't care about any of that when I was sixteen. All I cared about was getting through the system and into the Academy."

Have you read any of the In Death books? What did you think?

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• Quote-Tastic #53 Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice
• Bea Reviews Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

Quote-Tastic #53 Midnight Man by Lisa Marie Rice

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

This was a erotic romantic mystery I'd had sitting on my Kindle for a while and I decided to read it. Although it's from 2009, it has a 1970s Old Skool romance feel.

He was going to have to get through this evening. And probably a few others evenings after this one. Asking her out to dinner-out on dates-was necessary. There had to be something between meeting her and having sex. He couldn't just say, "Let's go to bed." It didn't work that way, not with ladies.

***********************

Sex with John has been nothing at all like that. It had been earth shattering, so intense she had thought she would faint while climaxing. She'd barely slept since then and had hardly eaten. That wasn't at all what modern sex was about. Modern sex was about flirting and keeping it cool.

***********************

Some primitive instinct told her that in calling John to come to her aid, she'd crossed a dangerous, invisible line. She'd given herself over to his care. She'd given herself over to him.
Something important had changed.

***********************

They were bound by the most ancient law of all. 
He had fought and killed for her. She was his.

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Quote-Tastic #52 Three Gods, Two Druids, and A Selkie Walk Into A Bar

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

This scene from Shattered by Kevin Hearne had me laughing so hard, I was wheezing. It's silly and yet Perun has a point, the American expression really makes no sense. Warning, swearing ahead!

Perun, who had been waiting patiently after managing to wear Oberon out, broke into a wide grin and boomed, "Is settled, then! Let us go into this town at bottom of mountain and get shitbuttered."
Our collective jaws dropped and stared at him (Who knew jaws had eyes for staring? :D ~  Bea). "Excuse me?" I said.
'is this not word? How you say someone is drunk?"
"Oh, you mean shit-faced."
P:erun threw up his hands, thoroughly exasperated, "How is shit on face any better than my word? And why would English-speaking peoples ever think that putting shit on face is like drinking good vodka?"
"Well, I'm not here to judge-"
"Good. Then we go get shitbuttered."

Review & Quote-Tastic: Fast Track by Julie Garwood

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"Fast Track" is a romance, with a mystery sub-plot. Aiden and Cordie have known each other for years, and she's had a crush on him all that time. In this scene, Cordie is recovering from some injuries while staying at Aiden's place; in her boredom, she's taken to watching a show about fishing. I could completely relate to poor Cordie and this scene made me laugh.

"I have to get out of here for a little while."

Aiden shook his head at her. It wasn't the thing to do at the moment. She turned to him and grabbed hold of his shirt. "I'm losing it," she said. She let go of him and took a step back. 

"Stop smiling. I mean it. I'm really losing it." She raised her hand in front of his face and put her finger and thumb close together until they were almost touching. "I'm this close to writing Larry a fan letter, for God's sake. This close Aiden."

"Who the hell is Larry?" Alec asked.

She whirled around to face him. "Larry the fisherman." Her tone suggested he should already know that.

Publisher: Dutton Adult
Series: Buchanan-Renard #12
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A corrupt congressman, a mother’s secrets, and a sizzling romance ignite passion and suspense in the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood.

Cordelia Kane has always been a daddy’s girl—her father raised her alone after her mother died in a car crash when Cordelia was just two years old. So when he has a serious heart attack, Cordelia is devastated, and the emotion is only intensified by the confusion she feels when he reveals the shocking truth about her mother.

Cordelia can’t suppress her curiosity about the woman who gave birth to her, and when she discovers the answers to her questions lie in Sydney, Australia, she travels there to get them.

Hotel magnate Aiden Madison is Cordelia’s best friend’s older brother. He’s oblivious to the fact that she’s had a crush on him for years. When he gets railroaded into taking her along to Sydney on his company jet, he unknowingly puts her life at risk. He’s recently angered a powerful congressman by refusing to purchase overvalued land. Congressman Chambers is not a man to let such an offense slide, and he has the resources to get even and to get what he wants.

In Australia sparks are flying between Cordelia and Aiden, but multiple attempts on Aiden’s life are made while Cordelia is with him, and he realizes he must put a stop to the madness before he loses the thing he values most.

Quote-Tastic #51 Hot Sex, A Sweet Little Lady, and Kicking Ass

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

Several years back, I discovered and binged on paranormal romances by Moira Rogers. I haven't read any since my binge ended but I did enjoy the ones I read. These quotes are from "Crux", the first book in their Southern Arcana series. I still have a few in that series that I haven't read yet.

"I'm not going to pin you down and force you to have hot sex with me, but I'm more than willing."
He rolled away. "If I don't go now, Mahalia will whip my ass. Hell, she might do it anyway."
Mackenzie laughed. "You're scared of a sweet little lady. That's cute."
He stared at the ceiling fan and willed his heart to slow its pounding. "She is sweet. Until she thinks you're taking advantage of some pretty young thing in trouble."
Her fingers trailed lightly up his arm. "Want me to tell her I took advantage of you?"

"God damn it, Jackson, if you tell me you're not going to violate me in about ten different ways, I'm going to use my newly discovered superstrength to kick your ass."

Quote-Tastic #50 Kings, Queens, and Love

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One of my favorite series and one that's overdue for a re-read is Mary Stewart's Arthurian saga. It was a different re-telling for it's time though it contains classic elements and elements that went on to become classics. Stewart took a different approach to Mordred. While he still ends up in the role of the villain, he's a good man who makes choies that put him at odds with his friend King Arthur. This scene shows Mordred's feelings for Queen Guinevere and hint at his feelings for Arthur and what's to come.

Review & Quote-Tastic: Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire

Publisher: DAW Fantasy
Series: October Days #6
Format Read:  paperback
Source: owned by the reviewer
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

It's been almost a year since October "Toby" Daye averted a war, gave up a county, and suffered personal losses that have left her wishing for a good day's sleep. She's tried to focus on her responsibilities—training Quentin, upholding her position as Sylvester's knight, and paying the bills—but she can't help feeling like her world is crumbling around her, and her increasingly reckless behavior is beginning to worry even her staunchest supporters.
To make matters worse, Toby's just been asked to find another missing child...only this time it's the changeling daughter of her fellow knight, Etienne, who didn't even know he was a father until the girl went missing. Her name is Chelsea. She's a teleporter, like her father. She's also the kind of changeling the old stories warn about, the kind with all the strength and none of the control. She's opening doors that were never meant to be opened, releasing dangers that were sealed away centuries before—and there's a good chance she could destroy Faerie if she isn't stopped.
Now Toby must find Chelsea before time runs out, racing against an unknown deadline and through unknown worlds as she and her allies try to avert disaster. But danger is also stirring in the Court of Cats, and Tybalt may need Toby's help with the biggest challenge he's ever faced.
Toby thought the last year was bad. She has no idea.

The Friday 56 #29 The Sweetest Summer by Susan Donovan

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

I'm reading a romance, "The Sweetest Summer" by Susan Donovan. The quote is from 56%  in the ebook. I'm reviewing this for Romance at Random.

But he really shouldn't have said he could go out with her tonight to watch the reenactment. He just didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her think he wasn't into her. Because he was. He was seriously into Evie.

Quote-Tastic #49 The Cheating Husband, the Slut, and the Clueless Wife

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

This is a longer quote but I wanted to use the whole thing. It's a fantastic, no slut-shaming look at two women who meet and discover they're sharing a man. It's funny, shame-free, and a rocky start to a strong friendship; it also provides insight into both women. The book is "The Collector" by Nora Roberts; read my review here.