One Stitch At A Thyme

The Truth About Leo by Katie MacAlister
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

If you need a book to help you fall asleep this book will do it. That's about all it has going for it.

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Me and My Shadow by Katie MacAlister


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hey what can I say.... I LOVE IT!!!!! Started reading it at 6pm wed and finished at 4am thurs a 10 hour reading marathon... there were just so many good scenes in the book, but I gotta say Magoth "stole the show". The scenes in the woods getting whacked with May's tail and the nakid "butt cheek" leather pants/chaps... Oh and him and Drake's mom talking kinky sex toys... LOL

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The Witches of Dixie by Laura Stamps


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The book in my opinion should have be named “A Witches’ View on Life” for the 4 separate but intertwining stores of the 4 witches by any other name is in fact the author. These stories are not totally fiction but in reality the interests and loves of the author, Laura Stamps. After reading her LiveJournal blog for so long and then finally getting around to reading her first book, which she recommended long ago (sorry it took so long – L.). It was as if I were reading yet another facet of her quite interesting life. This book is not so much an urban fantasy as it says on the back cover; but in my view more a collection of thoughts, and inspirational messages. I found several spells, chants, and rituals that I liked and plan to tweak them to my needs.

The only down side to the book is that the first two sections were written in 3rd person view point; and for some reason that grated on me and I had to push myself to read past that and finish the book.

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Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Tall, Dark & Fangsome made my all night page turner list. I’d been trying to savor the book, only reading a few chapters a night to make it last. But last night when I was in the middle of the book I just couldn’t put it down; and did an 8 hour marathon read to finish it. Poor Sarah blocked, or should I say staked, at every turn to try and rid herself of her nightwalker curse by Gideon Chase. The desperate, manipulative, and now dieing vampire hunter is hell bent on having Sarah sire him. In the end he gets what he wants, and more to his dismay. But alls well with the world of Sarah and Thierry for as with all romance novels they get their HEA. A very good series even if it is romance without sex scenes.

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Darkness Revealed by Alexandra Ivy


My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I don’t know what happened to the authors muse, but this book just didn’t excite me the way the first 3 in the series did. I think she should have stopped with the last one, because the storyline for this book was just tolerable. I like a romance with liberal love scenes and the descriptive telling of how the vampires and their mates marry/bond with each other. This had little to none of that. Hopefully the next book in the series will redeem itself.

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Weigh In Update: I seem to be losing ground with the weight loss ever since I went back to work. I doesn’t seem to matter how little I eat or if I do a 1 mile workout on the treadmill during the weekdays. It's been another 2 months and now I'm 7 pounds fatter, it just keeps creeping back on and I don’t know what to do……

Primal Needs by Susan Sizemore


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The last of the Prime’s loose end love interests are tied up into a proverbial love knot. An unspoken war and conspiracy plots are bubbling to the surface remain as a secondary plot that needs to be answered. But will it? It’s been 2 years between Primal Desires and Primal Needs. Will this be the end of the series? Will the author leave this threat to the vampire clans, and werefolk unresolved? By the looks of her website it will. She has a Primes #8 “Dark Stranger” coming out Oct. 27, 2009 but its set in the distant future on a starship. And since I’m not into spaceship/sci-fi romance I’ll be checking it out from the library but I doubt I’ll be buying it.

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The Scot, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Annette Blair


My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A cute lighthearted romance. PG 13 rated in the sexual dialog between Rory and Vickie. A time filler read for those 15 minute breaks at work and during lunch. I liked it but not enough to read books 1 and 2 in the series about Vickie’s sisters finding love and marriage.

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Wanting Something More by Kathy Love

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars


Basically a hometown girl who is bullied in high school because of her tall lanky looks; comes back home as a supermodel to fall in love with a reformed guy, the chief of police, who use to tease and bully her in high school.


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Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


OK after reading the 4th book in this series I finally get it …. The author likes to write romance without sex scenes. Which really kind of irked me, cuz I was use to the writing styles of Katie Macalister and Alexander Ivy. Moving past that, I have to say I really enjoyed reading about the trials and tribulations of one Sarah Dearly, vampire. Yes, I’ll be quite happy when Sarah and Thierry get their HEA and the bad guys get staked; in the 5th and final book in the series…. Tall dark and fangsome.

It took the first 2 books to really get into Michelle’s version of her Toronto vampire world. Where the vamps can walk in the sun and tolerate human food and drink. Of course they do have the general vampire traits….. No reflections, fangs, and need for a pint of O negative when they get thirsty.

If you’re into sweet romance with equal amounts of humor and implied behind closed doors sex scenes then give this series a try. Like me, it just may grow on you.


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Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang
by Katie MacAlister

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


I only have one complaint - not enough sex scenes between Pia and Kristoff. *LOL* Loved the fact Katie brought back a few old character favorites from previous Dark Ones books. Allie and Christian, Sebastian, and Esme the ghost. Just wish they had a little more page time.


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Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars


As always Butcher does it again with another "mystery/who done it" that left me guessing up to the last 1/4 of the book. Not as bloody and violent as his previous books, but just as entertaining. I was hoping to have more with the character of Thomas Raith (Harry’s halfbrother), but oh well…. Maybe I’ll get my wish in the next book.


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Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love this series even if the sex is implied and behind closed doors. What can I say I live in the Tri-Cities. It's fun reading about vampires, werewolves, fae, and a shapeshifting coyote that live right outside my front door.


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Other stuff: Had to get the prescription on my glasses re-ordered again!!! Man this is getting old. Hopefully the third time they'll get it right. At least it's not costing me anything more. The dieting has hit the wall big time. I haven't lost any weight since January. I keep hovering between 177 and 180 pounds, which sucks big time!!! No stitching to speak of thanks to my prescription woes. At least I can take my glasses off to read.

That's all for this blog blurb folks!!!

First Blood by Susan Sizemore (and others)

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cave Canem By Susan Sizemore (rating 4 of 5 stars)

A story of the theft of 2 hellhound puppies and what happens to them.

I’ve been waiting almost 6 years for her to resolve the cliff hanger she left in the last Laws of the Blood book “Heroes”. I was disappointed in that of the 4 characters – the situation between Valentine, Geoff, Char and Jebel – only Valentine’s issue gets resolved.



I still have to read the other stories in this Anthology.


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Backup by Jim Butcher

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Backup” is a novelette (70 pages) written in a first person perspective not from Harry but his older half-brother Thomas Raith, a White Court Vampire.

Thomas faces a problem. Harry is investigating a child's kidnapping, but, what Harry doesn't know is that the purported mother is actually a centuries old demon. Thomas knows all about the demon but is unable to tell Harry of the demon due to an even older pact amongst the demon-hunters that he's apart of. Thus, Thomas has to find a way to help Harry without letting Harry in on what he's doing.

Thomas does an awful lot of "I'm a monster" agonizing and he's really very whiny, more so than when written from Harry's POV. Still, it was really interesting to see things from Thomas' POV. His admiration for his brother comes through quite clearly and that's the real pleasure in the read. As Harry doesn't usually portray himself as one of the most powerful living wizards, good, but not on that level, so Thomas' view of him shines a whole new light on just how powerful Harry really is.

The story comes across as a “day in the life” kind of scenario. Way too short for an avid Butcher fan like myself. I highly recommend it if you can get your hands on a copy; and as this was a limited print run by Subterranean Press costing $20 you'll be lucky to find it new, let alone used.

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I read this book a week and a half ago and only now have gotten off my ass for it's write up. I've been really distracted the last two weeks and been kind of depressed because my weight loss has had a setback.


Lyon: The Lords Of Satyr (Book #3)
by Elizabeth Amber

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars


The date, November, 1823, Paris, France, and Lord Lyon Satyr youngest of the Satyr brothers searches for his FaerieBlend bride as his two elder brothers, Nicholas and Raine, did before him.

Because King Feydon had sown his seed where he should not have, Lyon would soon find himself yoked with a bride not of his own choosing. One whose name and face are unknown to him, but whom he nevertheless has journeyed from Tuscany, Italy to find.

Lyon not only finds one, but two potential brides – sisters. One has the outward appearance of a Nereid, a sea nymph or mermaid, named Sibela. The other a courtesan who has a unique talent for haute cuisine, named Juliette. Trouble in the form of a nights enchanted sleep not only robs Lyon of almost a weeks worth of memories but nearly his life as well.

The story was well paced, but for me drug at times simply because I was impatient for the sex scenes, which I must also complain about because there wasn’t enough of them either. {grin}

This time the story was more a straight to the point scenario and had little to no side twists or turns. The author seemed to be treating it as a horse race impatient for it to be over. Even her writing style was somewhat subdued this time around as her very vibrant and descriptive visualizations of the sex scenes were somewhat lacking. Which was not the case in the first two books, Nicholas & Raine. The book in and of itself was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it as a continuation of a multi-story arc. But if you are looking for something strictly for arousal purposes I would give it a pass, or find it in the used section of a book store and save yourself the cost of a new book.


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Halloween Day:

Not much happened around here today. I was planning on dressing up like a swashbuckling vampire complete with my red and black floor length (6ft.) hooded cape, taking my niece and nephew out trick or treating again this year. But due to my massive weight loss (75 lbs.) my old SCA costume didn't fit me anymore. So I ended up asking my nephew what I should dress up as, and with out batting an eye he said Witch. Well thank goodness that wasn't a problem. I simply put my floor length hooded cape on and hung my silver sabbath pentacle around my neck and I was good to go.

Trick or treating with my nephew lasted all of 2 houses and that was it. My niece on the other hand had her poor mother going around several blocks in the neighborhood.

Here’s a couple of pics. Jesse is a pokemon named meril and Sarah is a dementor from Harry Potter.




Stitchery Update:

Well this is my end of the month update for Musical Bell Pull ( by Donna Vermillion Giampa ). This is the banjo and the bottom picture of the 4 instruments. This month I just couldn’t seem to get any sort of stitching enthusiasm jump started with this project. I think it has to do with that time of the year and my seasonal depression is rearing it’s head for the holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). So with that in mind I think I’ll put away all my stitching until well after the beginning of the new year. Here’s the latest picture.




SURPRISE!!!!!:

Well the biggest and most unexpected surprise came in the mail on Thursday the 30th. A personally autographed ARC (advanced reader copy) of Katie MacAlister’s Zen and the Art of Vampires. I had entered a random drawing contest hardly thinking I would win – and what’da ya know miracles really do happen. Because this is my very first ARC. {grins} The dedication page was for all the loyal minions that virtually live at her message board and of course I’m a card carrying member. I don’t know if this is coincident or not but my name was used as one of the fodder characters for two pages near the end of the book. It was however used as a male name, so ( Jan ) was pronounced like Yan ( as in yawn ). What’s really going to drive me crazy is the fact that I’m sworn to secrecy about what’s in the book and I have to keep my mouth shut until December 2nd when the book is officially released. I managed to read, or I should say rip, through it in an 11 ½ hour marathon read. From midnight Friday Halloween to 11:30 am Saturday. I still as yet haven’t had any sleep and I have this over whelming urge to read it all over again tonight. Yea, I know I has it bad addiction wise. {chuckle} Anyway here’s a pic of it in my hot little hands. My precious, My own, Bawhahahahha……





Weigh-In Update:

Wahoo!! I made double my weight loss goal again with another spectacular 10 pounds shed. That puts me 40 pounds closer to my tentative goal of 150 pounds. If I can keep up with this 10 pound loss consistently I think I may lower my final goal to 130 pounds!!!

Man one of these days I’m gonna have to get my hair cut and have a new {skinner} picture taken of me for the blog. {Grin}


For the next few months I’ll be catching up on my authors and writing book reviews.

That’s all for this blog blurb………..

Wild Wild West by Charlene Teglia

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars



As the back page blurb says… 3 girls from Seattle, 3 cowboys from Montana. All pair up at a coffeehouse called Lemon Espresso. Each story is told as a separate novella.

First I want to say that the stories in and of themselves are readable, but I find that I’m just not into cowboy erotica. Guess I like my stories with more of a paranormal plot. That and the fact I’ve been to Missoula and the only thing populating coffeehouses are the college students from Univ. of Montana where the campus just happens to be. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been around real ranchers and I just can’t wrap my imagination around the fantasy cowboys in this book. Shrug… who knows for sure, anyway.

A man’s word is his bondage, Gabe and Willow’s story. Willow’s a (Sub) and wanna be book author. He’s a (Dom) an english teacher and into bondage. Gabe is very quite spoken and sweet. He always tells Willow exactly what he going to do to her and then politely asks for permission. The story itself was OK, but really I'm really not into bondage. So meh, I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5 stars.

Ready to play, Chet and Jolie’s story. Jolie is a recent graduate from law school. Chet is an ex rodeo rider turned horse breed rancher. The story basically involves a budding (but accelerated) relationship with straight vanilla sex (mission style) with a little voyeurism thrown in. A sweet simple story and an easy read on the comfort scale. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. I would have given it a higher rating, if it hadn’t been for the annoying fact that the author kept letting Chet call Jolie “baby” most of the time. I’m sure she thought of it as an enduring term from Chet’s P.O.V. but to me it just came off as sounding condescending. It would have sounded much better if he had used a special pet name instead.

Reuben’s Rules, Reuben and Laura’s story. Laura is the owner of Lemon Espresso the coffeehouse that is the focal point of the three stories. Reuben is an ex army ranger turned sheep rancher. Laura’s fantasy is BDSM with her as sex slave to Reuben’s master. There was no bondage, pain, or rough discipline involved. Just a fun fantasy of slave/master sex with a couple of first-timer sex toys and a little voyeurism thrown in. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I liked it the best for the sheer enthusiasm the author put into writing this story. This novella was obviously written first and her forte is clearly this sub-type of erotic/fantasy writing.


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Up In Smoke (Silver Dragons, Bk. 2) by Katie MacAlister

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars



As always Katie you were brilliant !!! I did a 13 hour cover to cover read.



HEADS-UP THIS POST HAS SERIOUS SPOILERS AHEAD..... BEWARNED!!!!!

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The scenes that made me snort with laughter…

Aisling in the kitchen after getting a muscle cramp. Gabriel prodding her belly convinced she’s going into labor. Drake roaring at him to keep his damn hands off his mate. The whole house in a uproar with Istvàn wanting to boil water and Pàl bolting out of the house to get the midwife. All the while Aisling trying to tell them without much success that they’re over reacting. It was funny thinking of Jim as the squeamish type wanting to leave the scene to avoid the “baby juice, blood and guck”. Considering he’s a centuries old demon, he’s must of seen it all at some point. {snicker}

In the clothing shop in Paris with May on the mobile phone with Cyrene. Who informs her twin that because May is a mate to Gabriel, she must be mate to Kostya. And she being very attentive looking after this very needy dragon for the 6 weeks Mays been gone.

Thank you so much for hooking these two ( an airhead & control freak ) up. It’s so much fun seeing Kostya tortured like this. I dare say it won’t last for long as Cy will probably get distracted by some other needy/insane dragon.

Sally, Sally, Sally… for some reason I got it in my head that she was the 20 something version of Dolores Umbridge of Harry Potter ilk, puke pink pepto bismal outfit - attitude and all. Ha!

I loved Katie's knowledge of surfer speak 101. I snorted with laughter and lost my place so often I had to read that passage in the book twice. It was just so gnarly dude!!

Katie's really got me shaking my head over Magoth buck naked in a church fountain getting randy with a statue. I guess if he doesn’t have powers to create havoc, then the next best thing would be to cause wide spread disgust (ie thumbing your nose at the court of divine blood). Either that, or he’s up to something and Katie's going to spring it on us in book 3.

I loved all the dragon sex scenes between Gabriel and May. Especially that one with the gold dust and Gab trying, but without much success, at foreplay. As for May, I think she should just give into the shard and become a dragon for the time being. Who knows the key to her being freed from Magoth might be in turning into a dragon and braking the bond he has over her. I’ve heard Katie state several times dragons cannot be minions of demon lords.

Now what's up with this white dragon that’s also an archmage…. Hummmm interesting…. Or being white and therefore ouroboros without a sept? Even more interesting….. So who can he be? Baltic, Constantine Norka, some other ancient dragon or Dr. Kostich. And why is he helping Fiat trying to kill off all the other wyverns?

Oh man, I’m going to burst from curiosity/frustration before November 2009 gets here!!!

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Dark Hunger (The Brethren: Book 2) by Sara Reinke

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars


[Update: Oct. 4, 2008 Important Notice at bottom of post]



Dark Hunger the second book in a three book trilogy, gave me a rollercoaster ride for my emotions. I wanted to laugh, cry, giggle with anticipation, and stomp my foot in frustration, in this page turner of a book. As with the first book, Dark Thirst, it sucked me into the world of Brandon, Lina, Rene & Tessa and wouldn’t turn me loose until I finished the book 14 hours later.

This second book concentrates on the burgeoning love interest between Rene and Tessa. As they, along with Brandon and Lina, travel across country to Nevada in the quest to escape the Brethren, a prominent family of vampires.

For more character info read the review by Terra57 She’s done an excellent review.

If you missed the first book, not to worry, the author pulls information from it to let you know what’s going on in the developing plot. There’s also a lot of flashback/background information that’s new to the characters of Rene and Tessa. That’s what this book mainly focuses on - character development.

The one thing that the author, Sara Reinke, did which wins her high praise from me. Is that whenever Rene, the Cajun part human part vampire, spoke french she immediately repeated the words or phrase in english. I always found it frustrating when romance authors liberally laced their dialog with foreign languages and I not knowing what was being said. Unless, of course, you had an french-english or some other dictionary at hand.

The end of the book left you with one hell of a cliff hanger. In that Rene did something completely out-of-character. It left you with a twist to the plot that I never saw coming and it’s got me wondering – how in the hell is Sara going to write herself out of this!

2009 can’t get here fast enough when the third and final book in the series, Dark Passion, hits the stores.



Important Update:

I have just read via Sara Reinke’s e-mail announcement list that of Oct. 1, 2008 Kensington publishers have dropped the Brethren series due to sales on the first two titles.

I as a loyal reader of Ms. Reinke’s I am severely disappointed in Kensington for not, at least, letting the author finish with the 3 story line arc. To leave a reading audience hanging that way shows that Kensington is more interested in the bottom-line dollar wise then to satisfy it loyal customers.

I fervently hope that Ms. Reinke finds an e-book publisher so that the question of what happens to Brandon, Lina, Tessa, & Rene is resolved.

The outline for the proposed third book in the Brethren Series, Dark Passion is now available at her forum. IT CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE PUBLISHED BOOKS. Hopefully it will answer any lingering questions readers may have about the events set up in Dark Hunger; You'll find it here….. http://sarareinke.activeboard....


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