I haven't entered my books yet, but I don't think I've done as well this week either.  I have tennis elbow and was wearing a brace on it. About a week ago, it started itching really bad and looked like I had a heat rash, so I quit wearing the brace.  Then a few days ago, my entire body started breaking out in an extremely itchy rash.  I've been walking around my house scratching like crazy.  At first I thought it was hives because the rash would come up in the area where I scratched, and then it would go back down after about 30 minutes, but then more areas started itching and the rash remained until about 1/2 of my body was covered. I was going to go to the dr. about it today, but we already have a cream that I've been using on it, I've been taking Claritin, and it's finally starting to subside.  

It's the weirdest thing, and I've never broken out like this before.  I haven't changed detergents, soaps or anything like that, and I'm not allergic to any foods or anything (that I'm aware of).  The only thing I've done differently is drink a brand of grape juice that I've never had before, and I started drinking it about the time the all-over itching started, so I quit drinking it yesterday.  It's either that or the histamines being released in the rash on my arm started spreading throughout my body.  Anyway, it's made it really hard to concentrate on reading while I'm gouging my skin!

Renee, hate to mention it, but your allergies can change at any time.  I developed an allergy to penicillin last year, after having taken it my whole life.  Hope your rash goes away and you feel better soon!

Today's Kindle Daily Deal, all 5 Sullivan books by Bella Andre, for $1.99 each.

Thanks for posting about the Sullivan books Susan.  I often forget to check and I would have hated to miss that.

Renee, that sounds miserable!  hope you find some relief soon and figure out what caused it so you dont' have to suffer again.

JIC, I'm going to switch to the detergent without any additives.  I already use the most basic Ivory soap, so that's not it.  Still itching like crazy today.  Hoping it's not shingles, but it's not painful or dark red (DH had it a few years back).   I really think it's hives that came from the histamines that were targeting the rash where I was wearing the tennis elbow brace.

If it's not a lot better by Monday a.m., I'm going to our local dr. down the street that will fit you in at a moment's notice if you're miserable!

I've got to finish reading my last book for the week and start reviewing and posting them, but after that, I have to tell y'all about this great erotica series I've been reading the last few days that written by a MAN (and it's M/F!--with a little m/f/m here and there)  No time to get into it all now, but I'll tell you the first book (novella) was a Kindle freebie a week or so ago--Inappropriate Thoughts by Ian Dalton.  More later....

ETA:  Sorry, I was mistaken--the novella that introduces the series is Desperate Thoughts.  It was free, but I don't think it is anymore, and it's the first one of the series that I read.  It's listed as a prequel (Victoria Wilde, Bk .5).  Inappropriate Thoughts is Bk 1 of the series.

I've been doing some research when I remembered that I'm allergic to sulfa (sulfonamides) and the last time I broke out like this was when I took a sulfa drug for a bladder infection.  I found that Furosemide (generic Lasix) contains sulfonamides but doesn't usually¹cause a reaction to those, like me, who are allergic to sulfa.

I've been taking Furosemide for 8 or 9 years, and I've never had a reaction to it, but I noticed this month that I had a different pill than I've been getting (it's thicker, so I assumed my pharmacy changed to a different manufacturer). I know that different manufacturers may have different amounts of various additives in their pills, so I started wondering--could I possibly be having a reaction (hopefully isolated) to the different brand of Furosemide?  I took it for a good 3 weeks before the all-over itching started, but the itching/break out on my arm probably started pretty soon after I started taking it.  I know I'm grasping at straws (especially since when I took the sulfa antibiotic years ago, I broke out within hours), but I thought someone here might know something about it or have experience with it.  If no one knows, I can call my pharmacist and ask if it could be a possibility.

Oh, and I checked the food list for sulfites in food (which aren't usually¹connected to a sulfa allergy), and grape juice is on the list, but I checked the label of my grape juice and no type of sulfites are listed.

¹usually--I'm one of those people that more than one doctor has told me that if it's going to happen to someone (1 out of 500,000 people has a problem with this medication, surgery, etc.), I WILL be that 1.

So, I just submitted my last two books for the week. That only makes 3.  

*sigh*   I just couldnt do more than that this week.

I did very much enjoy Diving In Deep and Collision Course. I will be starting No Souvenirs in the morning.

another good one in my opinion by Mitchell is Life Over Easy

I made a correction in my post above--Desperate Thoughts is the name of the novella that's the first book in the series by Ian Dalton. I put links in the previous post. 

I'll only finish one more tonight. I hope I can get one long one and a whole bunch of shorties in next week.

I worked my ass off to get my final novella finished and all my submissions in by midnight est last night, and then I just realized that I could have done the submissions today--duh!  This itching has my brain scrambled, but it's nice to know I've already got them all done!

I took an oatmeal bath last night and it helped SO much.  I put my Kindle in a baggie and just read in the tub for about 45 minutes while the oatmeal did its thing.  Afterward, I was completely itch-free for about 5 hours.  I also started using Caladryl and it's awesome!  The rash is still hanging on but its coverage area seems to have shrunk a bit today--PTL!!!

Glad to hear you got some relief, Renee!

Did you notice we get extra time to read this week? We can count everything read through the end of the month.

I read a little prequel today, now I am reading the third Arcana story, King of Clubs by Bianca D'arc. It's really good!

I finished what I'm pretty sure is my secret bonus book,  Club Shadowlands, which lived up to the hype!

I'm still stuck on that Victoria Wilde series (the one written by a man).  I FLOVE it and cannot put it down!  I'm on the 5th and final book now, and I can't wait to see what happens to all the couples in the book!

I missed out on Desperate Thoughts as a freebie, but if you have Amazon Prime it is in the lending library so I borrowed it. I think most of the others are as well, although you can only borrow one a  month.  I may not get to it until after the challenge or towards the end.   I can borrow my next book August 1, so if I get addicted I can get then next or the one after quickly.  I'm also going to try and read some of the books that would qualify for the lending bonus, although I can't always remember which I bought because they were on someone's MWL or if I just already had them.

Loved No Souvenirs also!!  I cant seem to get enough KA Mitchell....lol. But i need to switch from the m/m after three in a row.

Im finally going to start The Reluctant Dom though....yay!!!!  Im looking forward to it!

Desperate Thoughts is free right now.  Link

Thanks Anne!

Ive heard that a lot Courtney. Im taking my Kindle to work with me tonight so hopefully i'll be able to get into it some. And not be bawling my eyes out. LOL

Thanks Anne since I stalk Renee's reading habits I have been dying to start this series since she mentioned them the other day...lol

This is probably different from what you saw, Courtney, because it was on a book outside of the V. Wilde series, but I saw one comment he left where someone complained about him using the "P" word for vagina (which he definitely does A LOT) and she alluded to the fact that he was male and that's why he did it (and she was kinda snotty about it), so he answered that he had read many female authors who used it in erotica as well.  It didn't sound mean, but I was thinking "he should probably just keep his mouth shut", especially with the shit storm brewing lately on GR and Amazon about authors commenting on reviews.   Another thing he writes about A LOT is oral sex and anal play/sex.  If you don't like reading about those 2 things, don't read these books!  He does, however, write astoundingly hot sex scenes and quite a few of them!

I think he just shouldn't say anything. It makes him look whiny and immature, IMO.

I SO agree.  Reviewers should not have to be concerned that the author might leave a comment on their negative thoughts.  I don't even like when authors "like" my reviews.  I think they should stay completely away from them.