FREE/BARGAIN - Romance + Discussion - 2016

[ScalyFreak]

Establishing boundaries that tell someone when they have gone too far, is nowhere close to the same thing as rudeness. (Though people who bully others tend to see it that way - they think it's rude of you to try and stop them from stepping all over you.)

Since I don't know your family situation, this is probably a good time for me to exit this conversation. I will leave one last comment though:

I have family members who no longer talk to me, because at some point in the past they went too far, and I made that clear to them. They took offense, and are now avoiding me. And I am perfectly fine with that. If I have to let them bully me in order for them to like me, I don't need them in my life.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ScalyFreak

Establishing boundaries that tell someone when they have gone too far, is nowhere close to the same thing as rudeness. (Though people who bully others tend to see it that way - they think it's rude of you to try and stop them from stepping all over you.)

Since I don't know your family situation, this is probably a good time for me to exit this conversation. I will leave one last comment though:

I have family members who no longer talk to me, because at some point in the past they went too far, and I made that clear to them. They took offense, and are now avoiding me. And I am perfectly fine with that. If I have to let them bully me in order for them to like me, I don't need them in my life.

I came from a very abusive home. 15 years I was far away living my life, doing what I want being free. Then last year here I am again back in the mess I swore I never be in again. I have cut my biological father out of my life since last year due to what he tried to do with my husband but I'm stuck with my mother, my sister and their social circles.

I have to rely on them for almost everything. My word is treated like trash most of the time. I get interrogated constantly. I have no privacy anymore. My husband has been ill and aloof leaving me to deal with everything myself. He's just starting to work again. I look forward to the day I can just walk away and not have to deal with the crap anymore.

Sent from my XT1528

[Hemmi]

I always used to carry a book around with me, long as I can remember. I'd get comments all the time because it was always a romance book. That's when I learned not to let it bother me.

Love the invention of the ereader. I can carry hundreds of books, no one can see the covers and comment on what I'm reading. If they ask what I'm reading, I just say I don't remember the title of the book but it's a romancey book, which is true. I rarely remember the title and the ereader doesn't tell me the title unless I go out of the book.

[ScalyFreak]

Originally Posted by Hemmi

Love the invention of the ereader. I can carry hundreds of books, no one can see the covers and comment on what I'm reading. If they ask what I'm reading, I just say I don't remember the title of the book but it's a romancey book, which is true. I rarely remember the title and the ereader doesn't tell me the title unless I go out of the book.

I read on my phone a lot, for the same reasons, since I read during my breaks at work. The covers of certain kinds of romances would completely alter the way my co-workers perceive me, in a negative way.

And when asked what I'm reading, I typically mention one of the sports blogs I follow.

[worktolive]

Blossom, I hope things improve for you. It's terrible to feel like you are trapped in a situation and can't improve it just by your own efforts.

I also tend to hide my romance addiction because I hate being put on the defensive about my reading choices. I'm in a bookclub that reads mainly LitFic or Nonfiction so whenever anyone asks me what I'm reading, i always have a couple of mainstream books that I can mention. Either that or I tell them I love vampires and werewolves and start talking about UF that I love. Why is it that no one makes fun of you for reading about vampires, yet everyone mocks romance?

[Blossom]

I know right. I do mention UF titles when thy asked what I like to read that and Cozies.

Hubby is working again so that is the main thing. It's good pay too when he works. Rent is Paid so that is a huge load of stress off me. I've lost six pounds due to lack of food before he started working so my back is doing so much better. Trying to diet to continue to shed the pounds. No more emotional eating! I'm still the biggest I've been in my life but not for long. Stress won't win. I'm a fighter. I'm a survivor. There are some things I can't change but I'm focusing on what I can. Thanks for your kind words and understanding.

Sent from my Nexus 7

[ScalyFreak]

A couple of Amazon freebies, one of them also on Kobo:

The Christmas Mail Order Bride, by kit Morgan (Amazon only)

Spoiler:

Sheriff Clayton Riley asked for a pair of boots for Christmas, not a mail order bride! Unfortunately for Clayton, his brother and mother figured a bride would look better on him than a new pair of boots! After all, he'd been sulking around long enough after the death of his wife, and his family decided it was time to take matters into their own hands and see to it Clayton had a very merry Christmas!

Summer James was young, she was beautiful and, an impoverished orphan. Who would want such a woman? Obviously no one. For here she was, eighteen and now of age to set out on her own. But New Orleans was full of men with evil intent for one such as herself, and she saw no other choice but to take the only offer for survival she could find and become a mail order bride. What she didn't count on was becoming Sheriff Clayton Riley's Christmas present!

Heartthrob Series Scottish Weddings Box Set (Volumes 3&4), by Sophia Knightly. Amazon and Kobo

Spoiler:

HEART TAMER

She's the last person he expects--or wants-- to see again. But this time, can he resist?

Alec MacLeod is shocked to find Kate Hayes at his sister's wedding, but damn he's missed her. His ex-wife's unforeseen arrival in Scotland makes him suspect she's up to something.

There was a reason they parted the first time and Alec is determined not to get pulled in, but seeing her again ignites a desire so intense, he's tempted.

Kate wants something so desperately, she’s willing to swallow her pride and plead with her formidable ex-husband for help. With time running out, she must convince the dominant Highlander to agree with her unusual request.

They need each other more than they know, but can they put past hurt behind them, even if it could change everything in their world as they know it?

In this fiery battle of love, whose heart will be tamed?
_____
HEART HUNTER

Infamous UK celebrity playboy, Cameron "Heartbreak" Hunter is everything bridal fashion designer, Evangeline Parks knows she should avoid. However, when fate intervenes and the gorgeous whisky tycoon is her mystery date for her best friend Kate's wedding in Scotland, Evie won't relent to his charm. Smart enough to know that a man like Cameron only brings heartache and tears, she's determined to avoid becoming another notch on his belt--no matter how incredibly attracted to him she is.

Cameron Hunter has never encountered a woman who dismisses him upon sight--until he meets Evie. The more the opinionated beauty tries to steer clear of him, the more desirable he finds her. But when Cameron's hidden past is discovered, obstacles pile up as he sets out to win Evie and prove that he is far more than just tabloid fodder. Has the bad boy billionaire finally found the one to end the hunt for his heart?

THE HEARTTHROB SERIES:
Book 1: Heart Raider (Nick and Veronique)
Book 2: Heart Melter (Ian and Natasha)
Book 3: Heart Tamer (Alec and Kate)
Book 4: Heart Hunter (Cameron and Evie)
Book 5: Heart Tempter (Leo and Teddy)

[library addict]

Weekly Report:

Read:

• Love in the Morning (Salt Box Trilogy #2) by Meg Benjamin (B/4 stars)
• House of Payne: Rude (House of Payne #4) by Stacy Gail (B/4 stars)
• The Trouble with Mistletoe (Heartbreaker Bay #2) by Jill Shalvis (A/5 stars)

Purchased:

[library addict]

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (Psy/Changeling #1) is on sale for $1.99

Spoiler:

THE FIRST PSY/CHANGELING NOVEL from the New York Times bestselling author of Shards of Hope, Shield of Winter, and Heart of Obsidian...The book that Christine Feehan called "a must-read for all of my fans."

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation"--the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion--and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities--or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation...

Kobo

Google Play

Amazon

Still showing as $7.99 direct from Penguin Random House

I love this series and the couple in this first book is one of my favorites.

[library addict]

Saint's Gate by Carla Neggers (Sharpe & Donovan #1) is also on sale for $1.99

Spoiler:

Two people, isolated by their pasts. An obsessive killer who will force them together. Welcome to Saint's Gate.

Emma Sharpe is summoned to a Maine convent, partly for her FBI art crimes work, partly because of her past with the Order. At issue is a mysterious painting of Irish lore and Viking legends. But when the nun who contacted her is murdered, it seems legend is becoming deadly reality.

Colin Donovan is one of the FBI's most valuable deep-cover agents. Back home in Maine after his latest mission, a contact clues him in to an intrigue of murder, international art heists and long-held secrets that is too tempting to resist. As danger spirals ever closer, Colin is certain of only one thing-Emma Sharpe is at the center of it all.

direct from Harlequin (MIRA)

Kobo

Google Play

Amazon

I love this series too. The herop and heroine continue to be the main characters throughout the series, but this works as a stand alone.

[ScalyFreak]

Hired, by Lily Harlem. AllRomance, DRM-free, many formats. For fans of hockey players.

Spoiler:

I’m not expected to talk to Logan “Phoenix” Taylor. I only have to hang out with him in a luxurious villa on a private beach while I study. Simple, right? The money would make my dreams of going to nursing school possible.

I haven’t counted on Logan being so deliciously bad—he is oh so good. When the temperature cranks to a boiling point, he knows just how to satisfy the deepest, darkest part of my soul and give my body exactly what it needs. We transport each other to an exquisite world of pleasure where only we exist among the sand and waves, only we matter.

But, the heady mix of emotions and lust can’t keep things from spiraling out of control and back to reality, where I have to keep the secret that I’ve been hired to entertain him…even if it shatters my delicate heart. Even if it costs me my destiny.

[Blossom]

Checking in:

I'm reading Where Passion Leads by Lisa Kleypas

No purchases.

We said goodbye to Maisy yesterday. Hubby took it really hard crying all night. I've never seen him like this. I did my bawling while he was at work. I prefer to fall in pieces in private.

I slept uninterrupted for the first time in months. Ten wonderful hours. Sweetpea doesn't understand what is going on. I found her hiding by the water heater. She left a hairball in Hubby's chair. I plan to give her lots of love and start the switch to canned food which she loves. Next week I will buy a new litter box smaller and with a hood. Sweetpea is a small cat unlike Maisy who wasn't. I gave mom Maisy's pet taxi for her cat. I'm going to be okay. I'm sad but relieved we are both no longer suffering. Now it's just learning to live without her.

Sent from my Nexus 7

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Checking in:

I'm reading Where Passion Leads by Lisa Kleypas

No purchases.

We said goodbye to Maisy yesterday. Hubby took it really hard crying all night. I've never seen him like this. I did my bawling while he was at work. I prefer to fall in pieces in private.

I slept uninterrupted for the first time in months. Ten wonderful hours. Sweetpea doesn't understand what is going on. I found her hiding by the water heater. She left a hairball in Hubby's chair. I plan to give her lots of love and start the switch to canned food which she loves. Next week I will buy a new litter box smaller and with a hood. Sweetpea is a small cat unlike Maisy who wasn't. I gave mom Maisy's pet taxi for her cat. I'm going to be okay. I'm sad but relieved we are both no longer suffering. Now it's just learning to live without her.

Sent from my Nexus 7

I"m so sorry! My two pups are getting along in years. I know this is something I will have to face sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, I think I will handle it more like your hubby.
I hope his new job distracts him enough to allow him time to heal. We get so darn attached to our fluff babies.
S

[copyrite]

Sorry about your kitty. Always hard to say goodbye to our friends that give us so much pleasure and ask so little of us.

[library addict]

Sorry about Maisy, but you made the right choice. It's always difficult when a pet makes the journey over the rainbow bridge. *hugs*