Review: Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1) - Kelley Armstrong

Elena Michaels is a werewolf. She tries to be human, but the man whose bite changed her existence forever, and his legacy, continue to haunt her. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elena must reconsider who and what she is.

Something a bit new for me today on the blog, coinciding nicely with the start of the adaptation currently airing in North America on SyFy (Ok, so it actually started three-ish weeks ago, but you can't blame me for being behind, the UKs not getting it for a while). While Bitten has been on my to read list for some time I've never quite managed to get round to it.

Review: The Unpredictable Consequences of Love - Jill Mansell

When Josh Strachan, newly returned to his home in north Cornwall from sunny California, first meets Sophie Wells, he's immediately smitten. Sophie's pretty, she's funny, she has lots of friends and she clearly loves her job as a photographer, despite the sometimes tricky clients. There's just one problem: Sophie has very firmly turned her back on love. It's nothing personal, she tells Josh, but she just doesn't do dates. And no one - even Sophie's scatty best friend Tula - will tell him why. Josh is sure Sophie likes him, though, and he's just got to find out what's put her off romance. And then put things right.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that Jill Mansell's latest was featured prominently in my most anticipated reads of 2014 and, as I predicted, I greedily devoured it within 24 hours of release. Ooops...

Bargain Read: What a Rancher Wants - Sarah M Anderson*

When it comes to the Texas Cattleman's Club, what a rancher wants, a rancher gets...

Nothing's come easy to Chance McDaniel since his best friend betrayed him. And when the deception explodes into a Texas-sized scandal, his best friend's sister, Gabriella del Toro, shows up to pick up the pieces. Now Chance's luck is about to change. He wants this innocent beauty, and seducing her has become his top priority. 

Gabriella's sheltered upbringing has always left her wanting more. Now, with this rich rancher, she sees a chance to break free. But will the web of deception her family has woven ensnare her yet again?

Firstly, an apology, I've been so bogged down with my degree and my job that I haven't had much time to blog or even to read this last month, but I'm back and I'm making it up to you with a bargain read. Aren't I the best?

Most Anticipated Romances of 2014 (so far)

I am so excited about the upcoming year in terms of book releases so I thought I'd share some of my most anticipated reads of 2014 (so far). I decided to be quite disciplined and not pick anything that comes out in the latter part of the year as it is just too long to wait! Maybe you can look forward to a part two...

Top 5 Romances of 2013

Ok, admittedly I am still in a Christmas induced food coma and haven't had that much time to do any reading or reviewing, but I thought that it'd be a nice way to wrap up the year with a quick overview of some of my favourite romances of 2013.

Bargain Read/Review: Here's Looking at You - Mhairi McFarlane

Anna Alessi – history expert, possessor of a lot of hair and an occasionally filthy mouth – seeks nice man for intelligent conversation and Mills & Boon moments. 

Despite the oddballs that keep turning up on her dates, Anna couldn’t be happier. As a 30-something with a job she loves, life has turned out better than she dared dream. However, things weren’t always this way, and her years spent as the ‘Italian Galleon’ of an East London comprehensive are ones she’d rather forget. 

So when James Fraser – the architect of Anna’s final humiliation at school – walks back into her life, her world is turned upside down. But James seems a changed man. Polite. Mature. Funny, even. People can change, right? So why does Anna feel like she’s a fool to trust him?

I loved Mhairi McFarlane's first novel You Had Me at Hello and I couldn't wait to read her next, so much so that I bought it myself as an early Christmas treat.

Bargain Read: Goodness, Grace and Me - Julie Houston*

When Harriet’s husband, Nick, throws in his safe, but boring job in order to set up a new business during the current recession, Harriet is distraught. More so when she realises Amanda, her and best friend Grace's old enemy from school is back in their lives. Amanda, it turns out, is Nick’s new boss’s wife and, because of her legal and language skills, will be accompanying Nick on his business trips to Italy. How will Nick not succumb to the ruthless charms of the utterly gorgeous Amanda once he’s away from Yorkshire and in glamorous Milan? 

Knowing Nick is being seduced is bad enough, but when Grace falls madly in love with Sebastian, Amanda’s precious, much younger son, it can only mean trouble ahead. Determined to fight for her man, Harriet’s seduction techniques go into overdrive. Unfortunately she is hampered in her attempts by two bolshy teenagers, an increasingly eccentric mother and a job teaching horrible children. Not to mention something very strange going on at the bottom of her garden! Can Harriet save her marriage, and also her friendship with Grace? And what will happen if Nick’s new venture fails, especially now that the one thing Harriet has not even considered in all this mess appears to be staring her right in the face…?

Let's be honest, Christmas isn't the cheapest time of year but I'm here to the rescue with a new bargain read.