Why Parents Drink

Another wonderful and much needed email from my husband! How is that this man knows exactly what to send at exactly the right moment? If you are experiencing or ever had problems with your teenagers then you really want to read this. It will hopefully lighten your spirit and take a step back and appreciate the problems that you have and know that you will get through this bump in the road! A friend of mine recently gave me some great advice (or maybe it is wisdom)... When your children are little you want all this great stuff for them, by the time they reach the dreaded teenage years you just want them to grow up to be good people. That too couldn't have come at a better time!

 (my daughter and her best friend---who I claim as well)

the email~~Why Parents Drink!
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up.  Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed  to "Dad."

With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you.  I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.  I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.  But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am.

But it's not only the passion... Dad she's pregnant.

Stacy said that we will be very happy.  She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.

We share a dream of having many more children.  Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.  We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby, for cocaine and ecstasy.

In the meantime, we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better.  She deserves it.  Don't worry Dad.  I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.  Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, Your Son John

PS.  Dad, none of the above is true.  I'm over at Tommy's house.
     I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a report card.  It's in my center desk drawer.
     I love you.  Call me when it's safe to come home.

Hard to Hold by Stephanie Tyler~~DIK Challenge

Maximum danger.
Maximum desire.
And holding on for dear life…

The Special Ops hero feared nothing
-until he met a woman too hot to hold…

Lt. Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: Smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter —and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert…
If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The Special Ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart — until danger throws them together again…and nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot….

My Thoughts:
I have to admit, I purchased this book for no other reason than Lea (closetwriter.blogspot.com) wrote an excellent review a while back.  I had never heard of Stephanie Tyler or her SEALs series, and I have yet to read the back of the cover. So when I decided to throw my hat in the ring for the DIK challenge and saw Hard to Hold on the list of optional books, I took the bait! I rarely read contemporary romance... there are a select few CR authors that are on auto buy. I pick up a CR when I need a change of pace or I am in a reading slump and HR is just not cutting it for me.

Hard to Hold opens in the Jungles of Africa. On their way to the rendezvous point (forgive me here, I can't remember the ranks) Jake Hansen, our SEAL, and his best friend Nick get a call that an American woman was kidnapped and believed to be located in there general vicinity. These guys hump it over to the location where the woman was seen left for dead. Upon their arrival they find Dr. Isabel Markham, a Senator's daughter, badly beaten and abused. They make quick work of stabilizing Isabelle, when she tells them that she can't be moved. With their communications down and rebel fire closing in, Nick runs for help. Jake does everything possible to ensure Isabel of her safety with him and that they will get out of Africa alive.

Dr. Isabelle Markham is a plastic surgeon who has decided to work with Doctors without Borders instead of practicing in the safety of an American hospital and marrying her fiance. In all of her previous stints with the organization things have been perfectly fine, until her mother is elected into Senate. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree... both of these women are head strong, feisty, and stubborn...real go-getters. Despite being betrayed by her bodyguard Izzy is getting on with her life, in almost the capacity that she wants. It is only going to take a few more months before she can go back to Africa and do what she loves most.

Jake Hansen is a tortured hero. After a childhood of abuse he enlists in the Navy at 15 years old with the help of forged documentation and becomes a highly trained SEAL. He is stubborn, loyal, and is able to take charge in any situation no matter how chaotic.

Two months after her ordeal in Africa, Isabelle has signed on, with the help of her "Uncle" Cal (an Admiral), as a civilian consultant for the Navy. She is assigned to the same base as Jake and the Admiral. Cal asks a favor of Jake, who is on restricted duty due to a gun shot wound. "Keep her safe" Without Isabelle's knowledge and with a lot of bucking Jake becomes her "personal body guard". There is definitely a connection between Jake and Isabelle. Jake believes that it is a hero syndrome, you know the one I mean, the one where the girl is attracted to her rescuer because he rescued her. Isabel isn't sure what the connection is that she feels but insists that it is not the hero syndrome.

Hard to Hold was exciting to read, never losing steam. The battle of wills that ensues between Izzy and Jake, while not funny, was extremely fun to watch unfold. The pushing and shoving to release the bottled up emotions and deal with the past so they could face their futures, fighting the strong sexual desires, and the overall caring between Izzy and Jake made for a very intense romance and not so normal romance. Jake understood Isabelle's limits and pushed her past them emotionally while respecting her need to stand on her own two feet and take back control of her life. I loved that Jake not only respected those boundaries, but that he understood that Isabelle was in no way ready for a sexual relationship.

Hard to Hold definitely earned the hype that I have heard, and a 5 star rating!!! I am looking forward to the other to novels in this trilogy, Too Hot to Hold and Hold on Tight.

Outlaws: Rafe by Connie Mason

He is going to hang.

Rafe Gentry has committed plenty of sins, but not the robbery and murder that has landed him in jail. Now, with a lynch mob out for his blood, he is staring death in the face...until a blond beauty with the voice of an angel steps in to redeem him.

She is going to wed.

There is only one way to rescue the dark and dangerous outlaw from the hanging tree is to meet in Pueblo. But Sister Angela Abbot never anticipates that she will have to make good on her claim and actually marry the rogue. Railroaded into a hasty wedding, reeling from the raw, seductive power of Rafes kiss, she wonders whether she has made the biggest mistake of her life, or the most exciting leap of faith.


My Thoughts:

I am currently reading one of my all time favorite authors, Connie Mason. It has been while since I have read a book by her, excluding the reread of Tears Like Rain that I did a few months ago. I am about a hundred pages from the end and I am wondering why I fell in love with this author. Why did her books draw me so much. I know that the rules of a good romance have seemed to have changed, but this book is not all that old, being published in 2000.

The actual story is decent. You have a man on the run for a crime he didn't commit. A woman on her own trying to discover the truth behind her father's unexpected death and attempting to claim her inheritance while ditching her conniving stepfather and chosen fiance at the alter. I don't think that the heroine, Angela (Angel), is "too stupid to live" but she does definitely seem to keep getting herself in some predicaments that you would think she was smart enough to avoid and Rafe has the worse luck possible. He is already running from the law when he is mistakenly taken for a murderer and later charged with another.

I am all about falling in love quickly, but can a couple really fall in love within days of meeting each other and having a marriage forced on them due to their own actions? Am I reading too much into the romance and shadowing the story with today's views? And there seems to be something in the dialogue that keeps throwing me off.  I am loving the story as long as the characters aren't speaking. I am going to hold my final judgment until I finish, but I am seriously thinking of going into my closet and getting rid of all of the older books that I have been hoarding. Right now I am thinking the rating for this book will be between a 3 and 4, but as I said before I am reserving final judgment until I have completed it.

3/24/2010

I finished reading Rafe shortly after writing the above post. I was still thinking about the book and wracking my brain trying to figure out what was throwing me off with this particular book when I picked my daughter up from her track meet last night. (The girls came in third in the 4x400, not bad for a bunch of freshman running against Juniors and Seniors) It hit me while driving... Rafe is not an Alpha male!!! He had, in my opinion, some wishy washy tendencies and came across kind of weak at points. I know I love my Alpha males, but I didn't know that I loved them to the point where not having one could potentially ruin a book for me. I love a strong heroine but I would like to see the man take it upon himself to do something to get himself out of trouble once in a while. Don't get me wrong Rafe didn't depend on Angel to get him out of his predicaments that is just the way it happened and unfortunately Rafe ended up coming across as weak.So now that I have finished reading and really thought it all through I am ready to give a Rating: 3.75 stars. I liked this book, but didn't love it. Into the bag it goes headed to the library for donation!

I just finished...

I just finished Hard to Hold by Stephanie Tyler... And OMGosh!! But y'all are going to have to wait until the end of the month to read My Thoughts!! I actually enjoyed going back and writing my "My Thoughts" on it.

What I have been up to and Some of the books I have read this month!

Gee... it has been  a while since I have come to blog land. I have absolutely no excuses. I have only read three books this month and I have no desire to write a "My Thoughts" on them. They were not awful books by any means. I rather enjoyed all of them. I miss blog hopping and chatting with a few of you wonderful ladies. I have said it several times over the past few months that I am going to make a conscious effort to be around more, but for some reason that is just not happening. And as I said a second ago, there are no excuses...well maybe that I have just been too lazy to do it!! I don't believe that my sporadic posting will get any better, not with Track meets, baseball, and tumbling.  I gave my daughter an ultimatum, either she tries out for cheerleading or no more tumbling. So in April she will be trying out for Cheerleading. She did put a condition on the cheering and I guess I am a push over because I allowed it. She's stipulating that she will cheer for basketball not football, but I am still pushing for both and maybe even competition.

These are the books that I have read so far this month:

I have heard many wonderful things about Tortured but after winning a copy from Ms. McIntyre I didn't get around to reading it. I finally made a point to make it a challenge book. I really enjoyed the dark romance. Am I wrong, or did I read somewhere that there is going to be a follow up to this one? I am definitely looking forward to reading Torin's story, if he gets one!!  Rating: 5 stars

I am not liking this cover. The cover on my version is much prettier! I am not overly fond of books where the heroine is raped. I give it to the author that she had her drugged before it occurred and it wasn't brutal (if you can say rape is not brutal), but it still took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. One other issue I had with it was that the heroine was too willing to stand idly by while her husband, who she was falling in love with, did what ever he wanted. She never demanded explanations and was never a burden to him. Get a back bone woman!! I did give An Arranged Marriage a 4 star rating, because other than those two issues I enjoyed the book and I do have to remember that the book is older and rape seems to have been the thing to write about.





I just finished Simon Says by Lori Foster. I know that this is only the second book in the SBC Fighter series, and only my second Lori Foster book, but I am really enjoying them. I have just ordered Hard to Handle from PBS and Simon Says is definitely going to my keeper shelf... that is if I don't pass it off to my mother to read.
I know Barber is not a fighter, but I wonder if Ms. Foster is going to give him a book of his own? I have some high hopes for him. All through the book I was thinking that Dean and Simon would some how convince Barber to become a competitive fighter and was saddened to see that it didn't happen.









So that is what I have been reading! Up next will be my first Stephanie Tyler book, Hard to Hold. I am double dipping with this book, using it both for the Readers of Romance Spring Challenge and DIK challenge. And because it is a DIK challenge book, it will definitely get a "My Thoughts" post all of its own, however it will not be posted until the end of the month.

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley~~DIK Reading Challenge

 The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family--rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn't be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround them--of tragic violence, of their mistresses, of their dark appetites, of scandals that set England and Scotland abuzz.

The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he is decidedly odd. He's also hard and handsome and has a penchant for Ming pottery and beautiful women.

Beth Ackerley, widow, has recently come into a fortune. She has decided that she wants no more drama in her life. She was raised in drama--an alcoholic father who drove them into the workhouse, a frail mother she had to nurse until her death, a fussy old lady she became constant companion to. No, she wants to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband.

And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.

My Thoughts:
As much I as I wanted to read The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, I put it off for reasons unknown. I think maybe because there was so much hype about this book and I read so many great and promising reviews I was scared to read it. Fearing that I would be disappointed in reading my first Jennifer Ashley book, because I was expecting so much out of it.

Ms. Ashley did a wonderful job portraying Ian's idiosyncrasies  associated with the not yet known diagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. Ian was considered the Mad Mackenzie, having spent his part of his childhood suffering the various tortures called medical science in an insane asylum. His older brother Hart wasted no time in getting him released immediately after their father's death. As an adult Ian is unable to make eye contact, is easily distracted, and has an amazing mind that remembers every detail of everything he reads, sees or hears.

Beth is a widow from the work house who was fortunate enough to land herself a position a Lady's companion to the dear old Mrs. Barrington, who upon her death leaves everything to Beth. Her first encounter with Ian leaves her breathless and questioning her own sanity along with his. Circumstances see Beth leaving for Paris and having Ian chase her there.

Beth lands herself smack dab in the middle of a murder mystery that is swirling around the Mackenzie brothers. Not only is Ian bound and determined to keep Beth safe and separate from the ordeal, he wants Beth for himself always. Beth having already turned down one proposal from Ian , he is need of a way to convince her to stay with him.

I fell in love with Ian and all of his little craziness. His protective nature and the inability to share feelings or understand emotions, his love of porcelain bowls,  everything about him. Beth was perfect for him in all ways. Neither of them fit into the box that Society has for all of the upperclass, but they fit together perfectly.

Ms. Ashley certainly didn't disappoint, and all of the rave reviews I read were completely true. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie is certainly a 5 star read!

Raunchy Romance and Steamy Covers?!?!?---got a clue?

I am kind of wishing that I did my blog hopping yesterday. I didn't and now I am a day late in reading the latest criticism to the Romance genre and the avid fans. Thanks to Heather posting "What A Load Of Crock" yesterday, I was able to not only read the current criticism but also some of the responses that have been directed to the author of this ridiculous so called review.  The Berkley Beacon decided that they were going to Judge a raunchy book by its steamy cover.

I have to say that I definitely agree with Heather... what a load of crock!!! Did this person read the novels or did she/he do just what the title of the article say... judge the book by its cover and subsequent blurb? This drivel definitely doesn't deserve the attention that it's getting. To say that she/he has riled the fans of romance is an understatement. Nora fans every where are going to want to scratch this one's eyes out!! All of the commenters to the article have definitely done a superb job in letting the author of the article know just how far she/he has over stepped in stereotyping all of us who read these books.

I am not a single woman with a house full of cats. I am happily married, a stay at home mom with two kids, two dogs and yes I do own a cat. My cat would take offense to being a called a cat...she is more dog than my Westie. OK I know that Lancelot is not going to appreciate that comment, but hey what can you say...
I read romance because I enjoy it, just like I enjoy sitting down and watching an excellent movie. However I have found that I enjoy the book much more than I enjoy the movie.

OK lets get back to the title of this article for a moment...Judging these books by their steamy covers The Beacon reviews raunchy romance novels from Danielle Steel to Etherington's NASCAR sagas

The books chosen for this article are:
Full Throttle by Wendy Etherington 
Her Colorado Man by Cheryl St. John
Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts
Toxic Bachelors by Danielle Steele

Is it just me or is there nothing racy or steamy about these covers. They are surprisingly mild, and IMHO kind of boring!! Nora Roberts book is the only one that is showing being published before 2000, being published in 1981.

I am not going to break down this article piece by piece. Let it be known that it is blatantly obvious that this columnist didn't do her homework/research. She must have been in a hurry to meet a deadline with nothing better to write about. While romance books are not every ones cup of tea they do appeal to a very large group of people that come from all walks of life and are very diverse in professionalism and education. To insult these readers and the authors who write these books shows us just how ignorant and self absorbed, not to mention small minded, that this person really is.

And by the way I have never bought a book from the grocery store!!! My books come from book stores, Wal Mart (because there is not a bookstore in my town), and Amazon!

My Newest Endeavor!

I have been pretty absent from my blog of late. I have checked in and done some blog hopping over the last few weeks, commenting occasionally. Now not only am I letting my blog fall to the wayside I am not reading. It really is aggravating!! I want to read. I have two books started, not to mention the task that I have set for myself of reading the Bible. Now my husband and I have started taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class through our church, this comes with more reading. I don't feel like I have to read, although I know I am suppose to read his book along with the class assignments...can't I leave that to my husband? I mean I just don't feel like reading anything.

And on top of the "required" reading I am suppose to help with the budget. Yeah Right! I haven't paid a bill in over eight years. Ron handles it all. He is a little bit of a control freak when it comes to that, and I just kind of let him have his way. Less headaches for me, right. It was really very hard for me to relinquish that control. I mean I had been working since I was 13 (in the family pizza place) and had complete control over my money. Yes I made some huge errors in judgment, not once but twice, when it came to allowing the person I was in a relationship have access to my credit card and bank account. I learned my lesson well the second time around. So letting my husband take over all of the bills was hard. I still have issues with it. I just dealt with it a little differently... I don't have anything in my name. I refuse to have anything in my name... I don't want that worry. Granted yes I know I am married and his debt is my debt, but it was just a little easier for me to say put the car in your name or no I don't want that credit card in both of our names. I do have a credit card in my name, but we never use it. OK never is too strong of a word. I use it occasionally and he makes sure that it is paid off when the bill comes in. Let me get back on track---BUDGET---Now in this class Dave Ramsey says that opposites attract and that means there is most likely a Nerd and a Free Spirit in the marriage... I immediately said my husband is the Nerd!! He is the one that likes the spread sheets, budgets, everything has its place and should be in that place. I am more of the free spirit. I am not organized at all! Nothing has a place...well except things like toilet paper and trashbags---you know what I mean the toilet paper goes on the holder and there should be a trash bag in every trash can!

The Nerd is suppose to make the budget and the free spirit is just suppose to show up to the budget meeting and make one change. My husband and I were discussing this this morning. He told me he doesn't think he can let me make one change. He can't relinquish that control. However for the Financial Peace to work we both have to be involved in the decision making of where we put the money and what name each dollar gets. I am a very easy going person, and would rather not fiddle with all of the hard work that it takes to make and maintain the budget, so I told him fine... give me an allotment of money each month that I can do with what I please, no questions asked and no bitching later. Of course he jumped at the opportunity.

But as I sit here this morning going over the conversation and the last two classes... I am thinking "You know, I am a Nerd!" I may not be into Excel spread sheets, graphs, and charts the way my husband is. But I don't spend willy nilly either. I only buy what I know is needed for the house and the kids. The only exception to this is my book habit. Which I really don't spend much on. Right now I think I am down to buying two books a month. Yes I get more than that a month, but I am trying to get all of this under control. With over 200 books to read I don't need to spend the money to buy new books. I only buy the ones that I have had on radar for over a month. If they slip from the radar then they don't get bought.

So in an attempt to take a more active role in our financial state I am going to make myself sit down and read a book on Money! I am going to go to the website and I am going to print out the budget forms. And I am going to take all of this very seriously. Which means I might actually have an argument with my husband over money in the coming months. I might actually go out and get a job waiting tables. Why waiting table and not something else, well because it is an easy job with flexible hours and its quick money!! Plus I love the interaction with all the different people. I have always enjoyed working in the restaurant. I am thinking this came from working in the family Pizza place for so many years, I mean when I had Michaela I took her to work with me in her car carrier and set her on the shelf behind the register...She was on display not hidden somewhere dark. lol As she got older she would tag along behind me either in the kitchen or in the dining room. --OK rambling again-- But most importantly I want to blog about my adventure into my finances, the ups and downs of it, the aggravation of spread sheets, the creating of a weekly menu so I know exactly what to buy at the grocery store and what we will be eating that week, etc.

I am hoping that with this Financial Peace class and the two book challenges I am indulging in will give me the gumption to come back and blog on a regular basis again!

I Need Help!!

I am trying to choose which picture to use for the ROR Spring Challenge. I like both, but I am a little partial to one . I don't know how to do a poll so would you just comment and tell me whether you like the fountain or the tree more. Thanks, I really appreciate the help!!

All Night With A Rogue by Alexandra Hawkins

IT BEGAN AS A FAVOR

Seduce Lady Juliana Ivers and then cast her aside: Those are his sister’s instructions. Alexius Braverton, Marquess of Sinclair--known as Sin to the ton--is happy enough to oblige, especially when he catches a glimpse of his target. Juliana is completely unlike the empty-headed chits who barely hold his attention for a week. A true gentleman would leave her to find a worthy suitor. But then, a Lord of Vice would never claim to be a gentleman.

WOULD IT END IN FOREVER?

Juliana is expected to marry well to improve her family’s finances, even if she secretly longs to make a living through her musical compositions. A dalliance can only complicate matters, though not even practical Juliana can help succumbing to the aptly named Sin. But one unforgettable night will draw her into a scandalous affair and a seduction begun as sport will soon become deliciously, dangerously real.



My Thoughts:

First let me start with saying that this cover is totally Awesome! I am loving all the red and the sensually posed couple.

The lovely Juliana finds herself in quite the predicament after she flees her dinner escort's unwanted advances. Stuck in a tree she has no choice but to bite her tongue when Sin and his lady of the moment wander into her view for their lovers' tryst. Sin comes to Lady Juliana's rescue and becomes completely enchanted with her. Leaving him standing in the back gardens without giving her name, he has vowed that he will find his lybbestre again and make her his...for the moment.

Sin's sister, Duchess Belinda, has taken a dislike to Juliana. She feels that Juliana has effectively taken Lord Kyd's affections, the one man that she is in love with, and she wants revenge. The spiteful Belinda has asked her notorious brother, in a Cruel Intentions (you know the movie I am talking about) sort of way, to not only seduce Juliana but to publicly dispose of their relationship and in turn effectively ruining Juliana and any chance of her making a good match. Not that Juliana has any intentions of following through with her mother's desires to marry... she has her own agenda which definitely contributed to the bulls-eye that has landed on her back.

All Night With A Rogue has a plot that is full of twists and turns creating a story that will hold your attention and keep you turning the pages. My only concern with this book was that the author, in my opinion, did not dedicate enough time (pages) to the love affair between Sin and Juliana. Their is definitely plenty to keep the story's flow moving, but I would have loved to see a little more between the couple. How  Ms. Hawkins would be able to accomplish it without having to take away from the side plots is beyond me... I certainly would not want to lose any of them. Juliana's mother was something to behold, I wanted to reach in and wring her neck quite a few times... I mean what was she thinking! I thoroughly enjoyed the tangled web that was weaved in All Night With A Rogue, and I look forward to reading more from the Lord of Vice series.

Rating: 4.5 stars