My May 2011 Reading List:

Finished -

1. "HEARTBREAK FALLS" by Emily March (Eternity Springs #3) (A+) Married for more than twenty years and with her children out of the nest, Ali Timberlake has come to Eternity Springs alone. She's looking for answers to heartbreaking questions and searching for something that's missing deep within herself. Taking a lease on the Bristlecone Cafe in pursuit of a lifelong dream, Ali feels revitalized as she becomes part of this charming mountain town. But a big piece of her is still back in Denver with her husband, Mac, a successful judge - and a man who isn't going to let the woman he loves leave without a fight. When Mac shows up in Eternity Springs - sexy, seductive and determined to win his wife back - he experiences the wonder of the place that has given Ali such feelings of happiness and belonging. He wants that for her, but even more, he wants that with her. Ali has found a special place for her heart. But is there still enough room left in that heart for him?
2. "SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER" by Barbara Freethy (Angel's Bay #1) (A) In the California coastal town of Angel's Bay, an old legend says that sometimes, when they're needed, angels from an old shipwreck appear and good triumphs over evil. -- Jenna Davies flees to the close-knit community of Angel's Bay with a seven-year-old child, a dangerous secret and a heart full of pain. She wants nothing more than to live a quiet life, but when she sees a teenager plunge off the pier, she doesn't hesitate to dive in after her. But saving the desperate girl's life thrusts Jenna into a spotlight she can ill afford. Suddenly everyone in town wants to know her story - a story that could cost her life. Reid Tanner was a tough reporter until a shattering incident changed everything. Now all of his instincts are on alert. Who is Jenna and what is she hiding? He wants answers, but his quest for the truth could put them all in danger. They say love is a miracle - but can it keep Jenna safe in his arms?
3. "BODY CHECK" by Deirdre Martin (New York Blades #1) (A) This game's going into overtime. Janna MacNeil is a publicist on a mission - to change the image of the bad boys of hockey: the Stanley Cup Champion New York Blades. Ty Gallagher is a captain on a mission - to get his team to win the Cup again...at any cost. His determination is legendary, as well as his unwillingness to toe the corporate line. When the persistent publicist and the stubborn captain butt heads, it's hard enough to crack the ice. But they may end up melting it instead.
4. "A CHESAPEAKE SHORES CHRISTMAS" by Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shores #4) (A) After years apart, Mick and Megan O'Brien are finally ready to make it official...again. Most of their grown children couldn't be happier about their rekindled love and impending marriage this holiday season. Only Connor is a holdout. Driven to become a divorce attorney after what he views as his mother's abandonment of their family, Connor's not about to give his blessing to this reunion romance. The last thing Megan wants to do is hurt her family again. After all, is she really sure she and Mick can make it this time around? And when an unexpected delivery causes chaos, it seems only a miracle can reunite this family. Of course, it is Christmas - the season of miracles.
5. "BLACK JACK" by Lora Leigh (Elite Ops #4) (A) Too hot to handle. The Secret Service can't control him. The British government can't silence him. But renegade agent Travis Caine is one loose cannon you don't want to mess with, so his commanders cut him a break - and cut him loose. His new HQ is America's top intelligence force, Elite Ops. His new code name is "Black Jack." And his new assignment is to die for. Too hard to resist. She's smart, sexy, scintillating - and one of Elite Ops' savviest agents. Lillian Belle's code name is "Night Hawk," and Travis certainly wouldn't mind flying a few midnight maneuvers with her. But when their mission turns into a red-hot game of danger, deceit and double-crossed signals, Travis begins to wonder: Can he trust her? Can he resist her?
6. "DRIFTWOOD COTTAGE" by Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shores #5) (A+) Single mom Heather Donovan's dreams of home and family are tantalizingly within reach when she settles in Chesapeake Shores. The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O'Brien clan embrace her and her son. But accepting their support seems to further alienate her son's father, Connor O'Brien. His parents' divorce and his career as a high-powered divorce attorney have left him jaded about marriage. Then everything changes. Will the possibility of a future without Heather make Connor look at love and his career differently? Heather's just about given up on her old dreams - of love, of family and especially of Driftwood Cottage, the home she secretly wishes were hers. It's going to take a lot of persuasion - and some help from the O'Brien family - to make Heather believe that some dreams are worth fighting for.
7. "A SLICE OF HEAVEN" by Sherryl Woods (Sweet Magnolias #2) (A) The perfect recipe for new beginnings...Dana Sue might run the best little restaurant in Serenity, but when you're feeding a small town of neighbors, busybodies and best friends, things can get a bit hot in the kitchen. Never mind that she's putting on too many pounds (an occupational hazard for a chef) - she's worried about her too-skinny teenage daughter, Annie, who has been slowly starving herself since the loud, suitcase-tossing, name-calling fit on her front lawn that left Dana Sue minus one cheating husband. But sometimes life picks strange ways to mend fences. When Annie lands in the hospital, Dana Sue reaches out to the man she loves to hate: Ronnie, the husband who took her heart when she tossed him out. Ronnie is still Annie's white knight, even if he's decidedly more tarnished in Dana Sue's eyes. But he still looks good enough to eat, and maybe, just maybe, to forgive. Once, Ronnie made the mistake to go without a proper fight. But now Dana Sue is about to get another taste of sweet devotion from a man tired of feeling like a fool, hungry for that slice of heaven he found with her. 
8. "MOONLIGHT COVE" by Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shore #6) (A) Jess O'Brien has overcome a lot - the challenges of attention deficit disorder, the near bankruptcy of her beloved Inn at Eagle Point and her self-perception as a screwup in a family of overachievers. Now she's ready to share the future with a man. Her friends persuade her to join a dating service - but she gets no takers! Which is fine with her childhood friend, psychologist Will Lincoln, who's already chosen the perfect man for Jess: himself. Will has loved Jess practically forever. He knows her faults and her strengths. But for all Will's sincerity and charm, Jess fears he views her as some psychological case study. With her family and the town of Chesapeake Shores behind him, Will finally makes his case. But is it enough to convince Jess to take the risk of a lifetime?
9. "WELCOME TO LAST CHANCE" by Hope Ramsay (Last Chance #1) (A) Welcome to Last Chance, South Carolina. Dear Reader, Yes, our town is way off the beaten path, but strange, wonderful miracles happen a lot around here. I've owned the Cut 'n' Curl beauty shop for years and I've seen folks comes for a visit, then stay for a lifetime. Take Jane - that pretty firecracker of a girl who just arrived in town. I would swear she's running from something. She came with only five dollars in her pocket but she's worked real hard to make a fresh start. She's turned my son Clay's life upside down without even realizing it. And thank goodness for that! Ever since Clay left his country western band, he's played everything to safe. He needs to take a chance on Jane. Besides, the more he tries to keep his distance, the more he'll realize that he and Jane are singing the same tune. But I should quit ramblin' and go check on Millie's permanent wave. Next time you're in Last Chance, be sure to swing by. We've got hot rollers, free coffee and the best gossip in town. See you real soon, Ruby Rhodes
10. "SHIVER" by Lisa Jackson (New Orleans #4) (unabridged Audio CD) (A++) A twisted psychopath's very presence makes his victims shiver...Detective Reuben "Diego" Montoya is back in New Orleans. Thanks to years of working with the dark side of society, his youthful swagger is gone, replaced by straight forward determination. He'll need it, because a serial killer is turning The Big Easy into his personal playground. The victims are killed in pairs - no connection, no apparent motive, no real clues. His only lead is the ex-wife of one of the victims. Twenty years ago Abby Chastain watched in horror as her mother, a patient at the Our Lady of Virtues Mental Hospital, plunged through a window to her death. Abby has always dreaded that she too would one day go insane...especially now, back in this town, where she's begun to feel watched. As more bodies are found, Montoya's in a desperate race to find a killer whose crimes are getting more terrifying and closer all the time. Plunging deep into a nightmare investigation will uncover a shocking revelation - a deadly onnection between Abby and Montoya and an asylum where unspeakable crimes were committed. For the past is never completely gone. Its sins must be avenged, its wrongs righted. And this time Detective Reuben Montoya may pay the price.
11. "KILLER HEAT" by Brenda Novak (Hired Guns #3) (A++) Too hot to handle...the bodies of seven women have been discovered in Skull Valley, Arizona. Jonah Young, a private security operative from Department 6, has been hired by the Yavapai County sheriff to assist in solving these murders. But Jonah's not prepared for the complications that arise when he's forced to work with a woman from his past, private investigator Francesca Moretti. Jonah betrayed Francesca ten years ago. She hasn't forgiven him and she's pretty sure she never will. But the woman she was hired to find has been murdered in exactly the same way as the seven in Skull Valley, so, Francesca has to work with Jonah. They quickly zero in on the most likely suspect - but questions remain. Questions they have to answer. Because if they bet on the wrong man, it might be the last thing they ever do.
12. "HIDDEN AGENDAS" by Lora Leigh (Tempting SEALs #4) (A+) Saving lives is his mission. Tough-as-nails Navy SEAL Kell Kreiger is the best there is at searching, rescuing and taking no prisoners...yet even the rush of ever-more dangerous missions isn't enough to satisfy him. Haunted by a tortured past, Kell seeks distraction in a secret world of dark intimacies. But when Emily Stanton, the one ray of life in Kell's shadowy existence, is pursued by a ruthless drug lord, the rules of the game suddenly change - and Kell will have to go deeper undercover than he's ever imagined...Saving her is his passion. Emily has loved Kell ever since her father, a prominent politician, rescued him from a brutal life on the streets. They were kids then, too young to act on what was growing between them...but now that Emily is ready, the handsome, headstrong SEAL has decided he's no good for her. Ever since he rescued her from Diego Fuentes' compound, Kell's only duty has been to keep Emily safe. But Fuentes isn't finished with Emily - or Kell. And to protect Emily, Kell has no choice but to lay himself - body, soul and secrets - bare...and fight against evil with his heart.
13. "NAUTI BOY" by Lora Leigh (Nauti Boys #1) (A) Too weak to resist young Kelly Salyers's attempts at seduction, Rowdy Mackay left home eight years ago. Duty as a U.S. Marine put a safe distance between him and the temptation of the nubile Kentucky vixen. Now Rowdy's back home and ready to engage in the kind of erotic games that have earned him and his two cousins a Nauti-boy reputation. Once it was Kelly's dream, too, to feel the heat of the boy she desired. But an attack from a stalker still on the prowl has left Kelly terrified of a man's touch. Now as fear and desire converge, Rowdy fights to save her from the deadly threats of a stranger, to rid her of her demons and to satisfy a hunger more powerful than either can imagine.
14. "HARD EVIDENCE" by Pamela Clare (I-Team #2) (A+) After the murder of a teenage girl, a mysterious man in a black leather jacket was seen lurking near the crime scene. Investigative reporter Tessa Novak has him in her sights as the culprit. The man was Julian Darcangelo, an undercover FBI agent working with the Denver police. He's closing in on the trail of a human trafficker and killer. Tessa's accusations could blow his cover and he wants her off the investigation. But just as Tessa has made Julian a target of interet, she is now a target of the killer. As they are forced to trust each other, their physical attraction escalates as intensely as the threat from a ruthless murderer who wants to see both of them dead.
15. "BLUE FLAME" by Jill Shalvis (Firefighters) (A+) After San Diego firefighter Jack Rawlins is injured in a heroic, high-profile rescue, he decides to hide from the media and recover in solitude. So he retreats to the Blue Flame, the Arizona guest ranch he inherited from his father. The remote oasis under a clear azure sky might seem a bit like heaven, but Jake finds himself longing to return to the city, where he can be lost in a crowd instead of alone with his thoughts - or his spread's tempestuous manager. Callie Hayes has put into the Blue Flame her heart and soul - both of which are shaken when her wildly sexy employer returns, rekindling memories of the stormy past they shared. But Jake's a different man and soon he's setting off sparks that could lead to a love hot enough to change both their lives.
16. "ANGEL'S BAY" by Barbara Freethy (Angel's Bay #2) (A) The California town of Angel's Bay has had its share of troubles: from the long-unsolved murder of a teenage girl to the young police officer recently left in a coma after being shot. But miracles also have a way of happening...as if angels really do keep a watchful eye there. Lauren Jamison hasn't been back to Angel's Bay since she was a teenager...when her sister Abby was murdered and Lauren's boyfriend, Shane Murray, was accused of the crime. When Lauren reluctantly returns home to assist her ailing father, the old attraction again flares between Lauren and Shane. But the terrible days after Abby's murder still stand between them, as well as the secrets Shane has yet to unveil. Finding the truth could bring closure...but at a cost. For there are people who don't want old mysteries brought to light - people whose fear makes them very dangerous.
17. "FEELS LIKE FAMILY" by Sherryl Woods (Sweet Magnolias #3) (A+) Life can be full of surprises...Helen Decatur spent a lifetime setting goals - getting through college and law school, opening her own practice, becoming financially secure and establishing herself as one of the most highly respected matrimonial attorneys in the state of South Carolina. Achieving those goals was a breeze compared to the one she's faced with now. The moist driven - and cynical - of the Sweet Magnolias, Helen is forty-two, single and suddenly ready for the family she's put on the back burner for all these years. Unfortunately, having a child at her age comes with lots of complications, not the least of which is the absence of a serious relationship in her life. But Helen's not the type of woman to wait around for fate to step in. Taking charge of her own destiny puts her at odds with her two best friends, sets sparks flying with a man who doesn't want a family and leads her straight into the most unexpected complication of all...love.
18. "RUN TO ME" by Christy Reece (Last Chance Rescue #3) (A+) Driven by grief and fury, Shea Monroe, an operative for Last Chance Rescue, goes deep undercover, vowing vengeance against the man who killed her husband. Instead, she ends up a captive and the unwilling weapon of a vicious human trafficker. But then she is rescued from her den of terror and shame by her husband's best friend, Ethan Bishop, a man Shea feels irrevocably drawn to, despite her having lost all memory of her life before she was captured. Having saved Shea from a madman, Ethan will do anything to keep her safe, but he can't allow the feelings he once had for her to resurface. While recovering from her ordeal and regaining her lost memory, Shea begins to fall for Ethan. But the treachery and tragedies of the past won't leave either of them alone. And from Mexico, a monster has sent his foot soldiers to seize Shea - using a weapon beyond anyone's worst nightmare.
19. "SHOW NO FEAR" by Marliss Melton (Navy SEALs #7) (A) Fear has a way of getting you killed. Lucy Donovan always gets her man. As a fiercely independent CIA agent, she's survived hundreds of death-defying missions. But her latest may just get her killed. Weighed down with a secret she's desperate to keep, the last thing Lucy needs is to be sent undercover with a man who brings out the best - and the worst - in her. Navy SEAL Gus Atwater never turns down an assignment, even if it means working with the only woman he's ever loved and lost. So with a volatile mix of desire and distrust, Lucy and Gus confront their tangled past. Pretending to be man and wife is risky enough, but now the clock is running out. As their mission escalates from desperate to deadly, will Lucy's secret expose them both?
20. "NAUTI NIGHTS" by Lora Leigh (Nauti Boys #2) (A) James "Dawg" Mackay has lusted after sweet Crista Jansen for years. Just as many as she's spent running from - and from the dangerous attraction that shot like a spark through her whole body. But for Crista, running isn't an option anymore because Dawg's got a plan. It's kind of low-down. And kind of hot. Blackmail is a dirty word, but Dawg will use it if that's what it takes to get Crista where he wants her. His hungers are too hard and fierce not to. He doesn't realize that Crista has a longing, too. She knows what he's up to, what he's capable of. He didn't get that nickname for nothing. And before the night is through, Crista's making him work for it.
21. "ALMOST HOME" by Mariah Stewart (The Chesapeake Diaries #3) (A) When she was young, Steffie Wyler knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life: 1. Make ice cream. 2. Marry the coolest boy in town. 3. Live happily ever after. These days, Steffie is the proud owner of One Scoop or Two, a wildly popular ice cream parlor. But the cool guy left town right after high school, before they could scratch the surface of their mutual attraction to see what, if anything, lay beneath. Steffie's made a great life for herself in St. Dennis, but true love has never come knocking. Wade MacGregor left for college in Texas and remained there to start a successful business with his best friend, Robin Kennedy, but he's always felt that something was missing. Then life throws him a curveball: a third partner has robbed the company blind and Robin has died - but not before entrusting Wade with a precious secret. Now back in St. Dennis, Wade's determined to do whatever it takes to protect his friend's legacy - and to figure out, once and for all, if the sparks that fly whenever he's with Steffie are just temporary fireworks or the lights in the window leading him home.
22. "TAMING CHARLOTTE" by Linda Lael Miller (Quade #2) (A) Kidnapped and confined in a harem - that's not the scenario Charlotte Quade envisioned when she prayed for just one grand adventure before sailing home to Washington Territory from Europe. While exploring the ancientr, exotic island kingdom of Riz, Charlotte foolishly lost her way. In a dizzying moment, she was snatched, bound up in a sack and unceremoniously dumped - completely naked! - in the ship's cabin of the very same man who had caught her fancy as a young girl in Seattle: Captain Patrick Tevarran. But Charlotte's dream lover turned out to be no gentleman! He had once gallantly fetched her, as a mischievous teenager, from the riggings of his ship, but now he appraised her with exasperation and quickly packed her off to the harem of a Sultan friend. When they were reunited - as much by mercy as by fate - it was clear that Patrick wished merely to tease and trifle with this pretty, rebellious American. But, through their adventure, Charlotte had discovered a provocative man torn between recklessness and devotion, between storm and calm. Now, with all the strength and passion she possessed, Charlotte would chart a course that would sweep them at last to their destiny - a glorious and resounding love.
23. "THE CHRISTMAS CLOCK" by Kat Martin (C) Teddy Sparks was eight years old that Christmas, too young to understand all the undercurrents swirling around him in the tiny Michigan town of Dreyerville. He wasn't able to value that Christmas for the miracle it truly was. Teddy only knew he wanted to buy the beautiful Victorian clock in the window of Tremont's Antiques as a gift for his grandmother, Lottie Sparks, a woman desperate to find him a home before her rapidly progressing Alzheimer's left him an orphan. Teddy didn't know that in trying to buy the clock he would meet Sylvia Winters and Joe Dixon, a couple, once in love, desperate to overcome the past. He didn't know he would form a friendship with his neighbors, Floyd and Doris Culver, two people struggling to revive their long-dead marriage. He didn't know that these people would fill his Christmas with magic and hope; that the love of his friends would change his world and that he would forever change theirs.
24. "A GIRL NAMED SUMMER" by Julie Garwood (B) Summer never meant to lie. She just wanted to keep the most perfect guy she ever met interested in her. She had been surprised when David began hanging out with her every day...and dizzy with happiness when he kissed her. David seemed to like her unconventional Irish family, even her eccentric Grandpa. Everything was going great - until Ann entered the picture. She collected boys like trophies. How could Summer compete with someone like that? Before she knew it, Summer was boasting to David about her passion for long-distance running. She never dreamed he'd enter them in a six-mile race. Summer dreaded the moment when he would discover the truth: she couldn't run six blocks. And the flirtatious Ann was already working David. Then Summer's Grandpa came up with a plan that was just crazy enough to save the day.
25. "YOU SLAY ME" by Katie MacAlister (Aisling Grey Guardian #1) (B) I'm Aisling Grey and I have the job from Hell...Literally. My prior career as a courier began when I traveled to Paris to deliver a six-hundred-year-old golden dragon statue and learned I was a Guardian. That's a Keeper of the Gates to Hell to you mere mortals. This I found out from Drake Vireo, a scrumptiously sexy (in human form at least) real-life dragon. Then he stole my artifact out from under my nose - and from under the dead body of the person I was supposed to deliver it to. After tracking Drake down to a local bar, I discovered I'm also a wyvern's mate. And wouldn't you know Drake is a wyvern? He couldn't be just some underling - he had to be head dragon. But the fact that he's the prime suspect behind the murders in Paris's immortal underworld - murders I must solve in order to clear my suddenly soiled name - means it will take some convincing to get me to partake of the sensual pleasures he offers. Just because I'm naive doesn't mean I'm easy. Other than being a murder suspect, conjuring up a demon in the form of a shaggy Newfoundland and fending off the advances of a horny dragon, I'm having a wonderful time in Paris. Wish you were here.
26. "CONSPIRACY GAME" by Christine Feehan (Ghostwalkers #4) (A) Jack Norton is a Ghost Walker, a genetically enhanced sniper with a merciless sense of justice, a phantom welcomed by the anonymity of the night. But a mission to rescue his brother in the jungle has left him vulnerable to rebel forces. His only salvation is his power of telepathy. Then he meets Briony, an unusual beauty on a mission of her own. But they share more than the sweltering heat. Briony shares the GhostWalker powers. Yet she's different. She doesn't know what she is, or what she's capable of. But her enemies do. And Jack and Briony's flight will take them into a frightening conspiracy of mind and body - across the globe and into the heart of darkness, where the shocking truth is something neither of them could have foreseen - or can escape.
27. "DANGEROUS GAMES" by Lora Leigh (Tempting SEALs #2) (A) It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play...Navy SEAL Clint "Iceman" McIntyre didn't earn his nickname by being a coward. Or a quitter. Having crushed an infamous drug cartel in Colombia, Clint was nothing short of an American hero. Now he's home, on a much-needed leave, but instead of some R&R, he finds himself neck-deep in trouble with his best friend's little sister, Morganna Chavez - the only woman who has the power to bring him to his knees. Morganna has been secretly working with the DEA to uncover a thriving date-rape drug, which leads her to a shadowy faction that is more deadly than anything her team has ever encountered. Now it's up to Clint to keep this beautiful, determined agent out of harm's way, even while the passion between them threatens to consume them. Soon Clint's greatest mission will be not just keeping Morganna alive, but getting her into his arms and never letting go.
28. "KILLER SECRETS" by Lora Leigh (Tempting SEALs #5) (A+) The fight of his life, stirs her desire for living. As the illegitimate son of Diego Fuentes, Ian Richards faces danger at every turn. Neither his father nor his fellow Navy SEALs knows which side he's fighting for - or against. Which is exactly how the game must be played...until Agent Porter enters the picture. Kira Porter, undercover agent for the Department of Homeland Security, shadows Ian on his journey. She thinks she can see the real man beneath Ian's bad-boy exterior...but the ever-elusive Ian keeps her guessing at every turn. Is his goal  to protect the Fuentes cartel from French terrorists? Or to do his father in for good? The only thing Kira does know is that her attraction to Ian is a time bomb waiting to explode. With time running out on the Fuentes mission, she and Ian are drawn ever closer to the edge of desire - and even closer into the line of fire.
29. "CHASING PERFECT" by Susan Mallery (Fool's Gold #1) (A+) Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Welcome to Fool's Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There's lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there's just one tiny problem in Fool's Gold: the men don't seem to stick around. Maybe it's the lure of big-city life, or maybe it's plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, bast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it. Charity's nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down and she immediately falls in love with all the story book town has to offer - everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she's not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he's perfect just the way he is. But maybe that's just what he needs - someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he's just chasing perfect.
30. "SOMEONE LIKE YOU" by Susan Mallery (Los Lobos #1) (A+) Sometimes even a city girl needs the comforts of home...Jill Strathern left town for the big city and never looked back - until she returned home years later to run a small law practice. It turns out her childhood crush, Mac Kendrick, a burned-out LAPD cop, has also come back to sleepy Los Lobos. Even though Mac rejected her back in high school, Jill can't deny the attraction she still feels for him. Now Jill and Mac are tangled in enough drama to satisfy the most jaded L.A. denizens - Mafia dons, social workers, angry exes and one very quirky eight-year-old make even the simplest romance complicated. And it all goes to prove that when it comes to affairs of the heart, there's no place like home. An unlikely pair...but a perfect match.
31. "TOO HOT TO HANDLE" by Elizabeth Lowell (A) Tory Wells arrived at Sundance Ranch with only a battered suitcase and a letter from a friend that promised employment. Recovering from knee surgery, Tory desperately needed this job. And Ethan Reever was her only hope. But Reever wasted no time in telling Tory he wanted nothing to do with some city-bred stranger. In his opinion, a woman like Tory knew nothing about ranch life and he'd decided long ago that he had no use for pretty, useless women. Especially one who looked at him as innocently as Tory did - no matter how much he desired her. Tory knew one thing for certain. Determined to show him she could make it on her own, she vowed never to ask Reever for anything ever again. Not a job. Not money. And definitely not his love.

Currently Reading -

1. "Battle Cry" by Ken Englade (Tony Hillerman's Frontier - People of the Plains Saga #4)
2. "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts

 Currently Listening To -  

1. "The Best of Friends" by Susan Mallery (unabridged Audio CD)

To Be Read - Alphabetically by Author not reading order 

1. "Exposure" by Susan Andersen
2. "Here to Stay" by Catherine Anderson (A Harrigan Family Novel #4)
3. "Pieces of My Sister's Life" by Elizabeth Joy Arnold
4. "Wish You Well" by David Baldacci (abridged Audio CD)
5. "Four Play: Pillow Talk/Her Fantasy Men" by Maya Banks/Shayla Black
6. "Sweet Persuasion" by Maya Banks (Sweet #2)
7. "A Lion Called Christian" by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall
8. "Body Work" by Fiona Brand
9. "Next Comes Love" by Helen Brenna (Mirabelle Island)
10. "Tempting Evil" by Allison Brennan (Prison Break #2)
11. "Breaking the Rules" by Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooters #16)
12. "Force of Nature" by Susanne Brockmann (Troubleshooters #11)
13. "Tough Customer" by Sandra Brown (unabridged Audio CD)
14. "Where There's Smoke" by Sandra Brown (abridged Audio CD)
15. "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo
16. "Queen of Babble" by Meg Cabot
17. "Comanche Trail" by Will Camp (Tony Hillerman's Frontier #7)
18. "The Good, the Bad and the Sexy" by Emily Carmichael
19. "Mind Tryst" by Robyn Carr
20. "The Wedding Party" by Robyn Carr
21. "Sworn to Silence" by Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder #1)
22. "The Bay at Midnight" by Diane Chamberlain
23. "Running Blind" by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #4)
24. "Summer at Seaside Cove" by Jacquie D'Alessandro
25. "Shadows From the Past" by Ashley Dawn 
26. "Days of Gold" by Jude Deveraux (Edilean #2)
27. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by Susan Donovan (San Francisco Dog-Walking Group #1)
28. "Mystic Horseman" by Kathleen Eagle
29. "The Stylist" by Cai Emmons
30. "Brother's In Blood" by Ken Englade (Tony Hillerman's Frontier #5)
31. "Full Speed" by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes (Max Holt #3)
32. "The Christmas Box Colletion: The Christmas Box/Timepiece/The Letter" by Richard Paul Evans
33. "Dark Desire" by Christine Feehan (Carpathians (Dark) #2)
34. "Dark Peril" by Christine Feehan (Carpathians #21)
35. "Deadly Game" by Christine Feehan (Ghostwalkers #5)
36. "Causing Havoc" by Lori Foster (SBC Fighters #1)
37. "The Winston Brothers" by Lori Foster
38. "Lowcountry Summer" by Dorothea Benton Frank (Lowcountry Tale) (unabridged Audible)
39. "In Shelter Cove" by Barbara Freethy (Angel's Bay #3)
40. "Once in a Blue Moon" by Eileen Goudge
41. "Ghost Night" by Heather Graham (Bone Island #2)
42. "The Seance" by Heather Graham
43. "The Summons" by John Grisham (unabridged Audio CD)
44. "East of the Mountains" by David Guterson
45. "My One and Only" by Kristin Higgins
46. "Black Silk" by Metsy Hingle
47. "Keeping Company" by Tami Hoag (Rainbow Chasers #2)
48. "Jubilee" by B.J. Hoff
49. "Blood Ties" by Kay Hooper (unabridged Audio CD) (Bishop Special Crimes Unit #12) (Blood Trilogy #3)
50. "Loving Frank" Nancy Horan
51. "Kill and Tell" by Linda Howard (John Medina #1)
52. "MacKenzie's Heroes: MacKenzie's Pleasure/MacKenzie's Magic by Linda Howard
53. "24 Hours" by Greg Iles (abridged Audio Cassette)
54. "Absolute Fear" by Lisa Jackson (unabridged Audio CD)
55. "Fatal Error" by J.A. Jance (Ali Reynolds #6) (unabridged Audible)
56. "Failure to Appear" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #11)
57. "Fire and Ice" by J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady #13 & J.P. Beaumont #19)
58. "Blood Game" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan #10)
59. "Eight Days to Live" by Iris Johansen (Eve Duncan #9)
60. "A Stranger's Game" by Joan Johnston (Bitter Creek) (unabridged Audio CD)
61. "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon (Father Tim #1)
62. "Too Hot to Handle" by Robin Kaye
63. "A Thousand Tomorrows" by Karen Kingsbury
64. "A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog" by Dean Koontz
65. "In Too Deep" Jayne Anne Krentz (Arcane Society #10) (unabridged Audible)
66. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larrson (Millennium #1) (Audio MP3)
67. "XXX Marks the Spot" by Kathleen Lawless
68. "Home on the Ranch" by Allison Leigh (Home on the Ranch - Men of the Double-C Ranch #6)
69. "The Prodigal" by Beverly Lewis (Abram's daughters #4)
70. "Already Home" by Susan Mallery
71. "Accidentally Yours" by Susan Mallery
72. "The Sparkling One" by Susan Mallery (Marcelli Family #1)
73. "Season of Strangers" by Kat Martin
74. "Tin Angel" by Kat Martin
75. "Flat-Out Sexy" by Erin McCarthy (Fast Track #1)
76. "Slow Kill" by Michael McGarrity (Kevin Kerney #9)
77. "Don't Look Now" by Linda Lael Miller (Look Book #1)
78. "At Home in Stone Creek" by Linda Lael Miller (Stone Creek)
79. "The Man From Stone Creek" by Linda Lael Miller (Stone Creek #1)
80. "Last Light Over Carolina" by Mary Alice Monroe
81. "Ragged Rainbows: Ragged Rainbows/Miracle Baby" by Linda Lael Miller/Janice Kay Johnson
82. "Deception" by Selena Montgomery (Faraday Trilogy #2)
83. "Remember Me" by Laura Moore (Redwood Trilogy #1)
84. "365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy" by Charla Muller with Betsy Thorpe
85. "Cold Ridge" by Carla Neggers
86. "Kiss the Moon" by Carla Neggers
87. "The Angel" by Carla Neggers
88. "This Heart of Mine" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
89. "Sing Me Home" by Jodi Picoult
90. "Midnight Cactus" by Bella Pollen
91. "The Perfect Poison" by Amanda Quick (Arcane Society #6)
92. "The Third Circle" by Amanda Quick (Arcane Society) (unabridged Audio CD)
93. "Becca's Baby" by Tara Taylor Quinn (Shelter Valley #1)
94. "To Mother With Love" by Cheryl Reavis, Robyn Carr, Linda Howard
95. "No Chance" by Christy Reece (Last Chance Rescue #4)
96. "Fox River" by Emilie Richards
97. "Indulgence in Death) by J.D. Robb (In Death #30)
98. "Treachery in Death" by J.D. Robb (In Death #31)
99. "Mysterious: This Magic Moment/Search for Love/The Right Path" by Nora Roberts
100. "Get a Clue" by Jill Shalvis
101. "Demon's Kiss" by Maggie Shayne (Wings in the Night #1)
102. "Lover's Bite" by Maggie Shayne (Wings in the Night #2)
103. "Beautiful Boy" by David Sheff
104. "Xin Loi, Vietnam: Thirty-one Months of War: a Soldier's Memoir" by Al Sever
105. "A Little Trouble With the Facts" by Nina Siegal
106. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (unabridged Audible)
107. "Amazing Grace" by Danielle Steel
108. "Family Ties" by Danielle Steel
109. "Honor Thyself" by Danielle Steel (unabridged Audio CD)
110. "Legacy" by Danielle Steel
111. "Blacker than a Thousand Midnights" by Susan Straight
112. "Hot Flash Club Strikes Again" by Nancy Thayer (Hot Flash Club #2)
113. "Rewriting Monday" by Jodi Thomas
114. "The Missing" by Shiloh Walker
115. "Good In Bed" by Jennifer Weiner (Cannie Shapiro #1)
116. "The Irish Devil" by Diane Whiteside (Devil #1)
117. "Addicted to Love" by Lori Wilde (Wedding Veil Wishes #3)
118. "All of Me" by Lori Wilde (Wedding Veil Wishes #4)
119. "There Goes the Bride" by Lori Wilde (Wedding Veil Wishes #1)
120. "Blood Orchid" by Stuart Wood (Holly Barker #3)
121. "Orchid Beach" by Stuart Wood (Holly Barker #1)
122. "Orchid Blues" by Stuart Wood (Holly Barker #2)
123. "Harbor Lights" by Sherryl Woods (Chesapeake Shores #3)
124. "Honeysuckle Summer" by Sherryl Woods (Sweet Magnolias #7)

Starting off finishing up 3 books I didn't complete in April--all are about half done, and all are quite enjoyable albeit in very different ways: The Prodigal Son by Kate Sedley (Roger the Chapman medieval mystery series) The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series) in audio, and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

Cheryl

Salt by Adam Roberts and Port Hazard, a western in a series about a federal investigator named Murdock, written by Loren Estleman.  Pope Joan for my Historic Fiction challenge.

Here's my TBR list for May --- in no particular order, but as the mood hits.  I'll be adding more books to this list as I decide which ones I want to read.....so many books, so little time!!

Everything to Gain by Barbara Taylor Bradford --- It took me longer than usual to finish this book. I couldn't seem to relate to the main female character until about 3/4 of the way through, than I began to empathize with her.  I don't read a lot of Bradford's books, so maybe that's why I couldn't get into it.

 The Mercy Rule by John Lescroart --- Took awhile to finish, not because it wasn't a good book [it was], just too much going on this month to get a lot of reading done. Excellent book, as are all of Lescroart's books.

The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy -- I'll get to this one, but since it's such a lengthy novel I'll probably read several others along with it and finish them first.

A Time to Die by Beverly Barton --- This has been a slow reading month for me, too much going on. I did finally finish this book by Barton, it was fairly good, even timely in that it dealt with a Muslim terrorist wrecking havoc on innocent Americans. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read other books by her that apparently preceeded this one.

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen --- This is one scary novel!! The possiblity of what can happen to our astronauts on the space station. A tense, nerve-racking read that makes me wonder why anyone would want that job. However, a really great read, as are all of Gerritsen's books.

Such Devoted Sisters by Eileen Goudge --- still reading

Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown ---One of Sandra Brown's better mysteries, excellent characters, interesting plot.... a good read.

Stone Kiss by Faye Kellerman --- Faye Kellerman knows how to write a page-turner! Stone Kiss is a continuation of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. While each is a stand-alone novel, it sometimes helps to have read the previous ones, so you know the background. 

 New authors this month:    

Reading Black Echo by Michael Connelly. I read one of the later Harry Bosch books and decided I wanted to read the series in order.

Listening to Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan in the car. Honestly, if I would have had another audiobook lined up, I would have stopped listening already. Almost all of the characters are unlikeable and the story is slow moving. But who knows, it may surprise me in the end.

I'm reading 13-1/2 by Nevada Barr right now. I usually like kind of strange books but I haven't decided on this one yet.

Finished:

1. Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, Bk 1) by Ariana Franklin
2. Dying for Dinner (Cooking Class Mystery, Bk 4) by Miranda Bliss
3. Nantucket Nights by Elin Hilderbrand
4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer 
5. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
6. Deeper by Megan Hart 
7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova 
8. The Last Child by John Hart 
9. Calypso Magic (Magic Trilogy, Bk 2) by Catherine Coulter 
10. Natural Law (Nature of Desire, Bk 2) by Joey W. Hill

Reading Now:

1. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Finished

1. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
2. The Language God Talks by Herman Wouk
3. River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins
4. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
5. The Unbelievers by S.T. Joshi
6. The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
7. The Dawkins Delusion by Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath
8. Sabella by Tanith Lee

Reading

1. The Stand by Stephen King
2. Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith
3. Youngblood Hawke by Herman Wouk
4. God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
5. Live From Golgotha by Gore Vidal

Up Soon

1. Messiah by Gore Vidal
2. The Improbability of God edited by Michael martin and Rick Monnier
3. The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
4. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
5. The Pregnant Widow by Martin Amis
6. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

@ Kim W - great book!  I can't believe I let that sit on my TBR so for long!  I have the 2nd one in the mail to me now.

I am reading "Nefertiti" by  Michelle Moran , but I am not loving it. ETA - skimmed to the end, done with that one.

I plan to pick up Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume , from the library today.   ETA - loved this, great collection of essays, read it in 2 days.

Also reading  Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, Bk 1) by Ariana Franklin.

Finished  

• Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
• The Death of Sweet Mister by Daniel Woodrell

Currently Reading

• Bent Road by Lori Roy
• The Watery Part of the World by Michael Parker

Listening To

• The Private Patient by P.D. James

Right now the only thing on my list for May is Lucifer's Flood by Linda Rios Brook

*Listening to The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens (woman' s husband leaves her).  A little repetitive as she obsesses about her weight continually, but intriguing story.

**Reading The Wonder Spot by Melissa Banks  (woman analyzes her life but with humor)   and   Women of the West  by Cathy Luchetti  (stunning true stories and photos of women who helped populate the frontier)

***Just finished Dixie City Jam  by the incomparable James Lee Burke.  Even the brutality in his books is written lyrically, and his characters' exclamations and expressions are like natural, but funny, conversations.

****Recommended oldie:  The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin.  You've probably heard of it or the movie...but a quick read and rather suspenseful.

I didn't love The Mistress of the Art of Death but by the time I got to the end, I did like it a bit more than when I started.  Took me a while to get into the medieval time period, I think.  I have ordered the second one too, so it must not have been too bad!

Moby-Duck- the True-Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes- True Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession

If Chins Could Kill- Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

HOT MONEY BY Dick Francis ( a re-read) but loved anything Francis wrote THIS IS FOR A CHALLENGE AND CANNOT WAIT TO RE-READ

LOST RIVER  by Stephen Booth ONE OF MY FAV AUTHORS & JUST RECEIVED BOOK FROM UK

THE DEVIL'S EDGE  BY Stephen Booth  ONE OF MY FAV AUTHORS & JUST RECEIVED BOOK FROM UK

Currently reading Out by Natsuo Kirino and The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow.  The latter isn't my usual kind of reading, but I've been reading all of the currently translated books by Natsuo Kirino and the Koslow book looked like light, fluffy fun.  Next up Little Vampire Women. *g*

Currently reading: Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Will be reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and The Help by Kathryn Stockett next. That may take me all of May to read but if not then I have plenty at the house to choose from.

I got into a funk in April and apparently it hasn't left...

I'm still trying to finish Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden that I started in early April. It's actually a really, really good book but I haven't been in a reading mood for a while now. I'm also listening to The Beach House by Jane Green in the car and it's been a fun listen so far.

Someone slap me out of this! I have too many fantastic books laying around, begging to be read!! What is my deal?!

ill be reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and The Help by Kathryn Stockett next.

Both great books!  Lucky you getting to read them for the first time.

Currently reading:

• Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
• Fate by Amanda Hocking
• 13 1/2 by Nevada Barr (audio)

Just finished Epilogue by Anne Roiphe.

Currently reading: Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

And my TBR pile is as follows (in no particular order):

1. In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
2. Happens Ever Day: A Memoir
3. Gonville: A Memoir
4. Girl, Interrupted
5. The Virgun Suicides
6. Shes Come Undone
7. Bel Canto

and many others I cant think of at the moment. haha :)

JUST RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THE LATEST CHET AND BERNIE AUDIO BOOK IS WAITING FOR ME. WILL START AS SOON AS I CAN PICK IT UP FOR THE DRIVE HOME.  I JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN LITTLE ROCK TODAY.

YEAH!!!

THANKS TWILL, YOU MUST HAVE RETURNED IT.

MARY

I'm reading Kate Vaiden, by Reynolds Price, for my book club.  I like it and see the potential to love it, but I don't love it yet.  It's not the kind of book you can skim, so it feels a little bit like work.

I can't read more than one book at a time, but on my list of possible next selections for this month are:

Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin

The Invisible Wall, by Harry Bernstein

Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos

And earlier this month, I read How to be an American Housewife, by Margaret Dilloway, which I loved, loved, loved.

Finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer this morning.  Did not enjoy it at all.  Wouldn't recommend, but that's just my opinion.  Others seem to have loved it.