My March reading list:
Finished -
- "INTO THE FIRE" by Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooters #13) (A+) Vinh Murphy - former Marine and one time operative for the elite security firm Troubleshooters Incorporated - has been MIA ever since his wife, Angelina, was caught in a crossfire and killed during what should have been a routine bodyguard assignment. Overcome with grief, Murphy blames the neo-Nazi group known as the Freedom Network for her death. Now, years later, Freedom Network leader Tim Ebersole has been murdered - and the FBI suspects Murphy may have pulled the trigger. To prevent further bloodshed, Murphy's friends at Troubleshooters scramble to find him and convince him to surrender peacefully. Murphy himself can't be sure what he did or didn't do during the years he spent mourning and lost in an alcohol-induced fog. He does know he occasionally sought solace from Hannah Whitfield, a former police officer and the very friend who'd introduced him to his beloved late wife. But finally, Murphy is ready to rejoin the living. As always, he finds himself knocking on Hannah's door, and as always, his longtime friend welcomes him back into her home. Yet even as Murphy slowly rebuilds his splintered life, he continues to fight his growing feelings for Hannah. Then he learns of Ebersole's murder and comes to believe that the Freedom Network has targeted him - and Hannah - to avenge their leader's death. Now Murphy must face the terrifying prospect of losing another woman he loves. As the Troubleshooters desperately search for him, Murphy races toward a deadly confrontation with the Freedom Network and the ultimate choice: surrender his life in hopes that Hannah will be spared, or risk everything to salvage whatever future they may have together.
- "CHRISTMAS LETTERS"by Debbie Macomber (Blossom Street #4) (A-) Katherine O'Connor often spends her days at a cozy cafe on Blossom Street in Seattle - where she writes Christmas letters for other people. She's good at making their everyday lives sound more interesting. More humorous. More dramatic. But for Dr. Wynn Jeffries, who also frequents the cafe, Christmas means lies and deception. In fact, the renowned child psychologist recommends that parents "bury Santa under the sleigh." Katherine, however, feels that his parenting philosophy is one big mistake - at least, based on her five-year-old twin nieces, who are being raised according to his "Free Child" methods. She argues with Wynn about his theories, while he argues that her letters are nothing but lies. They disagree about practically everything - and yet, somehow, they don't really want to stop arguing. As the days - and nights - move closer to Christmas, Katherine and Wynn both discover that love means accepting your differences. And Christmas is about the things you share.
- "A ROYAL MASQUERADE" by Arlene James (Royally Wed #6) (B) In denim and rawhide Roland Thorton looked every inch a stable hand. But his bloodlines ran as blue as the Montagues, age-old enemies of the Thorntons, whose palace the prince infiltrated, searching for his kidnapped half sister. Yet it was another woman whose image consumed him day...and night. Lily claimed to be a lady's maid, yet her grace rivaled any royal princess's. Initially Roland thought to use Lily to expose the Montagues' deceit. Instead, it was his guarded heart that this fair maiden broke open with her innocence. Then he discovered he wasn't the only royal masquerading.
- "DAMAGE CONTROL" by J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady Series #13) (A) Sheriff Joanna Brady and her staff face a host of challenges while her husband, Butch, tends their infant son. A woman shoots a home intruder, an elderly couple drive their car off a cliff and a mysterious fire kills an older man and leaves three homeless. Were these accidents or something more sinister? When Detective Jaime Carbajal's nephew discovers a body in the desert, the investigation leads to a shady organization that operates halfway houses for troubled and disabled persons. Meanwhile, Joanna must deal with her interfering mother, who exhibits a sudden personality change, and the discovery of family secrets about her late father and late first husband.
- "IN TOO DEEP" by Cherry Adair (Men of T-FLAC #4) (A) Tally Cruise has come to Paradise Island for a long-awaited reunion with the father she never knew. But when she arrives, he is nowhere to be found. Still, she is so thrilled by the seductive beauty of the island that she doesn't see the danger that is boiling right below the surface - until a mysterious explosion nearly kills her. She is rescued by an enigmatic man whose intensity is as undeniable as his sex appeal...a mysterious stranger who is not what he seems. Michael Wright is on Paradise to settle an old score with Tally's father, the man responsible for the accident that ended his Navy SEAL career...and killed his best friend. But even though he hopes to use Tally to reach his target, Michael cannot deny the deep feelings she inspires within him, or the fact that her life is in serious danger. Paradise Island is a place full of hidden intrigue and peril, as deadly as it is beautiful, and Michael will need every skill he learned as a SEAL to ensure that he and Tally escape alive.
- "VIRGIN RIVER" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #1) (A+) Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River. Population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included. When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning. But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans...and a former marine cements them into place. Melinda Monroe may have come to Virgin River looking for escape, but instead she finds her home.
- "MAGIC HOUR" by Kristin Hannah (A++) Until recently, Dr. Julia Cates was one of the preeminent child psychiatrists in the country, but a scandal shattered her confidence, ruined her career, and made her a media target. When she gets a desperate call from her estranged sister, Ellie, a police chief in their small Washington hometown, she jumps at the chance to escape. In Rain Valley, nothing much ever happens - until a girl emerges from the deep woods and walks into town. She is a victim unlike any Julia has ever seen: a child locked in a world of unimaginable fear and isolation. To Julia, nothing is more important than saving the girl she now calls Alice. To heal this child, Julia will have to understand that she cannot work alone and must look to others - the people in the town she left long ago, the sister she barely knows, and Dr. Max Cerrasin, a handsome, private man with secrets of his own. Then a shocking revelation forces Julia to risk everything to discover the truth about Alice. The ordeal that follows will test the limits of Julia's faith, forgiveness, and love, as she struggles to ascertain where Alice ultimately belongs.
- "SHELTER MOUNTAIN" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #2) (A) John "Preacher" Middleton is about to close the bar when a young woman and her three-year-old son come in out of the wet October night. A marine who has seen his share of pain. Preacher knows a crisis when he sees one - the woman is covered in bruises. He wants to protect them, and he wants to punish whoever did this to her, but he knows immediately that this inclination to protect is something much more. Paige Lassiter has stirred up emotions in this gentle giant of a man - emotions that he has never allowed himself to feel. But when Paige's ex-husband turns up in Virgin River, Preacher knows his own future hangs in the balance. And if there's one thing the marines' motto of Semper Fidelis - always faithful - has taught him, it's that some things are worth fighting for.
- "RILEY IN THE MORNING" by Sandra Brown (B) She had left him seven months earlier without even an explanation. Now, with the caterers bickering over the table settings, the bartender missing in action, the guests about to arrive, and herself barely dressed for the biggest dinner party of her life, who should show up unannounced on her doorstep but her handsome estranged husband, Jon Riley. As the former producer of the popular morning television program "Riley in the Morning", Brin Cassidy had not only worked with the temperamental and charismatic blue-eyed star, she had also fallen in love with and married him. Their tempestuous, passionate affair was the stuff romances were made of. So why did Brin leave him? She knew in her heart that she owed Riley the explanation he had come for. But did he have to come on this of all nights? From dusk until dawn the two relive their first explosive meeting, their sensuous courtship, their impetuous elopement, and their blissful marriage. It is an emotional and eventful roller coaster of a night filled with passion, seduction, and deep revelation. And only when the final secret is revealed will there be an answer to the question of whether or not there will be a future for Riley in the morning.
- "THE STANISLASKIS" by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #3 & 4) (A) "FALLING FOR RACHEL" - Landlocked in Manhattan, rugged seaman Zack Muldoon needed a tough, no-nonsense lawyer to save his kid brother's delinquent hide. Public defender Rachel Stanislaski was not what he had in mind - until he discovered there was a lot more to the beautiful, coolheaded attorney than met the eye...and found himself falling for her, hook, line and sinker. "CONVINCING ALEX" - When Alex Stanislaski mistakenly arrested daringly bold soap-opera writer Bess McKnee for soliciting, she decided the sexy detective was absolutely perfect for her research and for herself. Now all she had to do was convince him she was right.
- "THE STANISLASKIS" by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #1 &2) (A) "TAMING NATASHA" - The first time single-father Spence Kimball set eyes on Natasha Stanislaski, he was floored by her exotic beauty. But the former ballet dancer turned toy shop owner had a fiery temperament that kept men safely at bay. Sensing a hidden wound, Spence and his little girl joined forces to find a way into her closely guarded heart. For Spence realized he'd do anything to tame Natasha's fears...and show her how to love. "LURING A LADY" Nothing in Sydney Hayward's background of wealth and privilege prepared her to take the helm of her family's corporation, and her new responsibilities left no room for complications. Mikhail Stanislaski was definitely a complication. Earthy and entirely masculine, Mikhail came from a world utterly different from her own. But the way she felt when he put his strong, work-hardened hands on her was wreaking havoc with Sydney's resolve.
- "THE PAGAN STONE" Nora Roberts (Sign of Seven Series #3) (A) Years ago, after their blood brother ritual, Gage, Fox, and Caleb emerged from the woods, each with a piece of bloodstone. Now, it will become their weapon in the final fight against the demon they awakened. Winner take all... Shared nightmares, visions of blood and fire, and random violence plague the longtime friends and Quinn, Layla, and Cybil, the women bound to them by Fate. None of them can ignore the face that, this year, the demon has grown stronger - feeding off the terror it creates. But now the three pieces of the bloodstone have been fused back together. If only they could figure out how to use it. A gambling man like Gage has no trouble betting on his crew to find a way. And though he and Cybil share the gift of seeing the future, that's all they have in common. Were they to take their flirtation to the next level, it would be on their own terms, not because Fate decreed it. But Gage knows that a woman like Cybil - with her brains and strength and devastating beauty - can only bring him luck. Whether it's good or bad has yet to be determined - and could mean the difference between absolute destruction or an end to the nightmare for Hawkins Hollow.
- "THE THIRD WIFE" by Jasmine Cresswell (A-) On her wedding night, seventeen-year-old Anna Langtry stole her husband's car and fled into the darkness, racing toward freedom. She felt only desperation to escape the nightmare of her Colorado home - an isolated rural community that condoned her forced polygamous marriage to become one man's third wife. Fifteen years later, Anna is working as a federal probation officer in Denver. A fighter for the underdog, even she cannot escape the cynicism of her profession. She doesn't expect much from her newest parolee, just the usual sob story about being innocent and misunderstood. But Joe Mackenzie is different. A white-collar criminal convicted of embezzlement, Joe is tough, quiet, determined...and innocent. Now he's looking for justice. And he's about to pull Anna into his world, one that will lead her back to the past she'd left behind - one that will reach out to ensnare them both in its dangerous secrets and deadly schemes, where the passion between them is threatened by the grim reach of murder.
- "KILLJOY" by Julie Garwood (B) Avery Delaney has tried to put the past far behind her. Abandoned by her rapacious, conniving mother when she was only three days old Avery was raised by her grandmother and beloved aunt Carolyn. Then, when she was ten, she saw her grandmother murdered in cold blood, before Avery herself was shot and left for dead. Miraculously, she survived. The killer was soon caught, convicted, and is currently serving a life sentence in Florida. This traumatic experience propels Avery into a life in law and order. But soon she will have to use every one of her skills on a case that hits painfully close to home. Avery's workaholic aunt, Carolyn Salvetti, is sent to the posh Utopia Spa in the mountains of Colorado by her soon-to-be ex-husband. But Carolyn never makes it to Utopia.
- "SALVATION IN DEATH" by J.D. Robb (In Death Series #26) (A++) In the year 2060, cutting-edge investigative tools can help catch a killer. But there are some questions even the most advanced technologies cannot answer... At the most solemn moment of a Catholic funeral Mass, the priest brings the chalice to his lips. Seconds later, he is dead on the altar. For the mourners packed into the pews, Father Miguel Flores's sudden demise is an unimaginable shock. When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained enough potassium cyanide to kill a rhino, she's prepared to plunge in and find out why, despite her discomfort with her surroundings. It's not the bodegas and pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her; it's all that holiness flying around St. Cristobal's that makes her uneasy. The autopsy reveals scars from knife wounds, a removed tattoo, and evidence of plastic surgery, suggesting "Father Flores" may not have been the man his parishioners thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that suggest identity theft, gang connections, and a deeply personal act of revenge, she hopes to track down whoever committed this unholy act. Until a second murder - in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers - knocks the whole investigation sideways. The way Eve sees it, vengeance may be the Lord's business, but if there's going to be any earthly justice in this case, it's up to her.
- "AFTERLOVE" by Robert Rosenblum (B-) Kate Weyland's life is good: a solid marriage, two children, a satisfying career offering new and better opportunities. Until she finds herself on the other side of a tragedy that changes her world. Suddenly alone, she feels she's afloat on an endless and empty sea, and her despair threatens to pull her under. But then she grabs on to a lifeline - the belief that a psychic may be able to put her in touch with the dearest parts of what she has lost. Her first attempts to fulfill this belief lead only to dead ends. In time, though, Kate's quest brings her to the doorstep of a rugged, reclusive man who lives on an empty stretch of coast on the island of Nantucket. Initially, he turns her away. Then, softened by her pleas, he lets her in. And together they explore the realm of afterlove, a place of seeming miracles, where Kate finds her questions answered in ways she never dreamed .
- "MERCY" by Julie Garwood (A) Like his FBI-agent brother Nick, Theo Buchanan is devoted to his crime-fighting career. Only Theo works the other side of the desk as an esteemed Justice Department attorney. At a gala ceremony in New Orleans, he is suddenly struck ill and is rushed to a hopsital where a brilliant and beautiful surgeon, Dr. Michelle Renard, saves his life. It is not the only life-and-death crisis that will ensnare Theo - for he about to uncover a ring of criminals bent on preserving their secrecy at any cost.
Currently Reading -
- "Sleeping at the Starlite Motel and Other Adventures on the Way Back Home" by Bailey White
- "Out of Sight" by Cherry Adair (Men of T-FLAC #5)
- "A Stone Creek Christmas" by Linda Lael Miller
Currently Listening To -
- "Creation In Death"by J.D. Robb (In Death Series #28)
To Be Read - In alphabetical order by author not reading order
- "Hot Ice" by Cherry Adair (Men of T-FLAC #7)
- "White Heat" by Cherry Adair (Men of T-FLAC #11)
- "Twilight Child" by Warren Adler
- "A Royal MIssion" by Elizabeth August (Royally Wed #8)
- The Expectant Princess" by Stella Bagwell (Royally Wed #?)
- "What We Keep" by Elizabeth Berg
- "Embraced by Love" by Suzanne Brockmann
- "Dark of Night" by Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooters #14)
- "The Kissing Game" by Suzanne Brockmann
- "Scenes of Passion" by Suzanne Brockmann
- "The Legend" by C.J. Carmichael (Cooper's Corners)
- "Deep In the Valley" by Robyn Carr (Grace Valley #1)
- "Down by the River" by Robyn Carr (Grace Valley #3)
- "Second Chance Pass" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #5)
- "Temptation Ridge" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #6)
- "Just Over the Mountain" by Robyn Carr (Grace Valley #2)
- "A Virgin River Christmas" by Robyn Carr (Virgin River Series #4)
- "Her Mother's Shadow" by Diane Chamberlain
- "Turn My World Upside Down - Jo's Story" by Maureen Child
- "A Royal Marriage" by Cara Colter (Royally Wed #8)
- "Heart of the Family" by Margaret Daley (Fostered by Love #2)
- "Family Ever After" by Margaret Daley (Fostered by Love #3)
- "SEALed with a Kiss" by Mary Margaret Daughtridge
- "Prodigal Daughter" by Patricia Davids
- "People of the Plains" by Ken Englade (Tony Hillerman's Frontier)
- "Show No Mercy" by Cindy Gerard (Black Ops Inc. #1)
- "Building Dreams" by Ginna Gray
- "Hannah's Dream: A Novel" by Diane Hammond
- "The Dark Wind" by Tony Hillerman
- "House Calls and Hitching Posts" as told to Dorcas Sharp Hoover
- "Until Proven Guilty" by J.A. Jance ( J.P. Beaumont Series #1)
- "Body of Lies" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #3)
- "Blind Alley" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #5)
- "Countdown" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #6)
- "Final Target" by Iris Johansen
- "Quicksand" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller #7)
- "The Official Nora Roberts Companion" by Denise Little and Laura Hayden
- "Double Homicide - Santa Fe/Boston" by Jonathan & Faye Kellerman
- "Dead Irish" by John Lescroart
- "The Betrayal" by Beverly Lewis (Abrahams Daughters #2)
- "The Covenant" by Beverly Lewis (Abrahams Daughters #1)
- "A Cedar Cove Christmas" by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove #9)
- "8 Sandpiper Way" by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove #8))
- "Small Town Christmas" by Debbie Macomber
- "Chasing Stanley" by Deirdre Martin
- "Mexican Hat" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #2)
- "Tularosa" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #1)
- "Perfect" by Judith McNaught
- "A McKettrick Christmas" by Linda Lael Miller (McKettrick #10)
- "Dylan" by Linda Lael Miller (Montana Creeds #2)
- "Logan" by Linda Lael Miller (Montana Creeds #1)
- "Springwater" by Linda Lael Miller (Springwater #1)
- "Springwater Seasons - Rachel" by Linda Lael Miller (Springwater #2)
- "The Last Chance Cafe" by Linda Lael Miller
- "The Widow" by Carla Neggers
- "Code Name: Prince: by Valerie Parv
- "You've Been Warned" by James Patterson & Howard Roughan
- "A Man Named Dave" by David Pelzer
- "A Teenager's Journey" by Richard B. Petzer
- "Blood Canticle" Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles #10)
- "Merrick" by Anne Rice (Vampire Chronicles #7)
- "Blue Moon" by Luanne Rice
- "Firefly Beach" by Luanne Rice
- "Light Of The Moon" by Luanne Rice
- "Stone Heart" by Luanne Rice
- "Summer Light" by Luanne Rice
- "His Winter Rose" Lois Richter
- "Suite 606" by J.D. Robb (In Death Series #27)
- "First Impressions" by Nora Roberts
- "From The Heart" Nora Roberts
- "Reflections and Dreams" by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #7 & 8)
- "The Stanislaskis" (Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate) by Nora Roberts (Stanislaski series #5 & 6)
- "Tribute" by Nora Roberts
- "Winner Takes All" by Nora Roberts
- "A Wedding at Cooper's Corner" by Kristine Rolofson, Muriel Jensen, Bobby Hutchinson (Cooper's Corners)
- "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks
- "For Her Son's Love" by Kathryn Springer
- "The Kiss" by Danielle Steel
- "The Long Road Home" by Danielle Steel
- "The Other Twin" by Katherine Stone
- "Black Ice" by Anne Stuart (Ice Series #1)
- "Cold As Ice " by Anne Stuart (Ice Series #2)
- "Ice Blue" by Anne Stuart (Ice Series #3)
- "Ice Storm" by Anne Stuart (Ice Series #4)
- "Drifter" by Susan Wiggs
- "Fireside" by Susan Wiggs (Lakeshore Chronicles #5)
- "Lakeside Cottage" by Susan Wiggs
- "Passing Through Paradise" by Susan Wiggs
- "Summer by the Sea" by Susan Wiggs
Last Edited on: 4/1/09 8:51 AM ET - Total times edited: 62
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