Jill Shalvis: FLASHPOINT

The link for this picture leads you right to Amazon.com!

Jill Shalvis
FLASHPOINT
Harlequin
216 pages
ISBN: 978-0-373-79414-0

After having met Christina and Dustin in the anthology Heating Up The Holidays, Jill Shalvis brings us back to the brave men and women of the fire department of Santa Rey. This time, Zack Thomas and Brooke O'Brien are dealing with arson *and* the fire that is burning between the two of them, to say it in a rather cheesy way.

Once again Shalvis managed to work her magic with a cast of awesome characters that made me laugh, shake my head and want to pound it on the nearest table at the same time. I don't know how she does it, but I always have fun reading her romance novels!

Rating: 4.5/5

summary for June through August

If I keep going at that rate I'll really need an apartment with two rooms for me - one bedroom and one library! At least, I got some nice reading done during the past 3 weeks! :-)

Added
89) Lawrence Kaplan: House Of Ghosts (review book)
90) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 6
91) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 7
92) Natsuo Kirino: Real World
93) Jean Hager: Blooming Murder (Bookcrossing)
94) Nadine Dajani: Cutting Loose (review book)
95) Sally Koslow: The Late, Lamented Molly Marx (review book)
96) Susan Crosby: The Rancher's Surprise Marriage
97) Sarah Dunn: Secrets Of Happiness (won - thanks Beth)
98) Robert Fate: Baby Shark's Jugglers At The Border
99) Allison Leigh: A Weaver Wedding
100) Jeanine Frost: Halfway To The Grave
101) Dirk Bernemann: Ich hab die Unschuld kotzen sehen Teil 2 (German)
102) Patricia Davids: A Military Match
103) Kristan Higgins: Fools Rush In
104) Jill Shalvis: Double Play
105) DD Barant: Dying Bites
106) Rachel Caine: Glass Houses
107) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unpopular
108) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Uneasy
109) Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games
110) Nick Sagan: Idlewild
111) Haruki Murakami: A Wild Sheep Chase
112) MaryJanice Davidson: Undead and Unreturnable
113) Kristan Higgins: Too Good To Be True

Read
42) Maju Sakai: Rockin' Heaven Vol. 2
43) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 16
44) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 17
45) Gosho Aoyama: Case Closed Vol. 18
46) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 6
47) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 1
48) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 2
49) Maki Minami: Special A Vol. 3
50) Yuna Kagesaki: Cheeky Vampire Vol. 7
51) Lawrence Kaplan: House Of Ghosts
52) Yuna Kagesaki: Cheeky Vampire Vol. 8
53) Jong Eun Lee: Shi Hwa Mong Vol.1
54) Susan Crosby: The Rancher's Surprise Marriage
55) Jacqueline Baird: Marriage At His Convenience
56) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 7
57) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 8
58) Maju Shinjo: Kaikan Phrase Vol. 5
59) Tomoko Hayakawa: Perfect Girl Vol. 9
60) Kristan Higgins: Just One Of The Guys
61) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 6
62) Tachibana Higuchi: Alice Academy Vol. 7
63) Karen Tei Yamashita: Tropic Of Orange
64) Allison Leigh: A Weaver Wedding
65) Janice Kay Johnson: Snowbound
66) Cormac McCarthy: The Road
67) Jill Shalvis: Flashback
68) Merline Lovelace: A Question Of Intent
69) M. Reufsteck/J. Stoeckle: Die kleine House-Apotheke
70) Charlotte Douglas: Mystique
71) Elizabeth Young: Asking For Trouble
72) Jill Shalvis: Instant Attraction
73) Carly Phillips: Hot Property
74) Dani Sinclair: Secret Cinderella
75) Julie James: Just The Sexiest Man Alive
76) Donna Kauffman: The Cinderella Rules
77) Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Heaven, Texas
78) Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Lady Be Good
79) Nalini Singh: Visions Of Heat
80) Rachel Caine: Glass Houses
81) Patricia Davids: A Military Match

DNF
4) Dirk Bernemann: Ich hab die Unschuld kotzen sehen 2

I have the feeling I left out at least one DNF, but I just can't remember which one it was *sigh* (Not counting the many books I have not yet finished, but plan on finishing!)

Beth Andrews: A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST

Beth Andrews
A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST
Harlequin
305 pages
ISBN: 978-0-373-78301-4

When Dillon Ward returns to the town he grew up in, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. After all, he spent some time in prison and is generally known as the bad boy. He is close to being evicted when someone crashes into the bakery that is in the same building as his apartment. He offers Nina, the owner of both the building and the bakery, to help rebuild her bakery. While Nina and her kids are happy about his offer, everyone else keeps telling her to stay away from him.

Rating: 3.5/5

playing catch up

As I have 29 not yet reviewed books on my stack of read books, I will post a few short reviews over the next few days. After all, I have read those books weeks if not months ago, for a good part!

So, I apologize for the shorter reviews during the next days, but I promise I will give you longer reviews again in a few days only! After all, I read quite a bit during the last 4 weeks.

giving up on a couple challenges

I have come to the conclusion that I can't complete all challenges I have signed up to do.

The challenges I'm no longer trying to finish are:

* 999 challenge - because I can't possibly read 10 books or more until Sept 09
* Montgomery Mini-Challenge - haven't even read one of the books yet and it ends Sept 30
* Non-Fiction 5 - I once again won't be able to finish that one in time, but I'm always hoping for next year
*

I might add one or two challenges within the next few days, but this is it for now.

Yuna Kagesaki: CHEEKY VAMPIRE Vol. 7 & 8

Somehow, I'm not lucky with my search for pics of the mangas I've been reading. I couldn't find a cover pic of volume 8.

Yuna Kagesaki
CHEEKY VAMPIRE Vol. 7 & 8
Carlsen Manga
338 pages

Well, I can't possibly sum up what has been happening in those two volumes without spoiling everything, so let me give you a short rundown on the premise of the series.

Karin Maaka is a vampire. She's the middle child in a vampire family that left Europe for Japan long ago in order to lead a safer life. Only Karin is not what you'd expect from a vampire. She does not drink blood, she produces more than her body can take and unless she gives it to someone else, she has massive nose bleeding. This leads to hilarious situations in school, because, yes, Karin has to attend school as she still is not allergic to light.

Karin is a loveable character who at first sight doesn't have much support from her family, but once you take a closer look you can see that her family feels slightly overwhelmed with her "abnormalities" and try to help her as much as possible. She also makes friends at school, which complicates her life further.

This is one hilarious manga series about vampires with some serious twists...

Rating: 4.5/5

Tomoko Hayakawa: PERFECT GIRL Vol. 6-9

I couldn't find volumes 7 through 9, sorry! But the link for volume 6 leads you right to the Amazon.com page.

Tomoko Hayakawa
PERFECT GIRL Vol. 6-9
Tokyopop
675 pages

What happens when the four best-looking guys in school move in with the least popular girl in school who can't stand beauty or being touched? Especially when those four boys can live in the girl's aunt's mansion for free if they succeed in getting her to dress in pretty clothes and stop watching and reenacting horror movies practically 24/7?

That's the basic premise of the series and Tomoko Hayakawa's results, twists and turns are hilarious! Unfortunately, it's hard to get all the volumes out so far, but if you have a chance, take it!

Rating: 4/5