Sheila's Reads

Will is lost in a snowstorm when he sees someone else on the road waving at him to come to the estate that is near. Once in the estate, a blanket is thrown over him and he is kidnapped. A voice appears which does not belong to the man that brought him here. The voice commands Will do submit. Will knows all he can do is submit. What happens with his submission?

I liked this story. It is quick and hot. Will thinks he knows who it is but he's not quite sure. He knows he needs to learn how a sub feels so he allows his kidnapper to dominate him. He has certain beliefs which are changed as he submits. He gets a Christmas present he wants while the woman who he is to make a match with also gets the Christmas present she wants. I would like to see what happens in all their futures.

Aubrey works security for her Cast. Her uncle, head of the Cast, has been murdered. The Coalition has been called in to investigate. The head of the Bird shifters investigators is Cody, Aubrey's former lover. He tells to butt out, but she does not listen. She finds the perp but ends up in trouble. Will Cody be able to rescue her?

I liked this couple. They are strong separately and together. They butt heads a lot but learn to work together. The world building is good. It sets up the series well. The story is weak as there are more questions than answers. How did the murderer get as far as he did? Why was no alarm raised from where he came? How did he get away with it? Why? There were a few lines about his motive and opportunity, but they felt throwaway at best. I do look forward to reading more of the series.

There is so much in here to be scared about on climate change.  I listened to this book but had to get the e-book because he was going over so many facts and statistics that I was having a hard time understanding it and keeping up.  I liked that he broke the crisis into smaller pieces.  I liked that he spoke of who would be most affected by the changes as well as how they would be affected.  We all will be affected eventually but those in poorer countries and those who are poor will be affected earlier and more than those who are wealthy.  I did find it interesting that as he was talking about wildfires, he explained that those who are wealthy, and living in those areas, are being affected as much as those who are poor.  The increase of weather changes, floods, and fires was amazing, and it all happened within the last 50 years.  He did not give solutions but shared who was doing what when it came to that.  He lays out a convincing argument for climate change and what will happen to the planet and humans and how we have contributed to it in the past and today.  Worth the read.

Ember, a wolf shifter, is ready to tell Max, a bear shifter, that they are mates when she overhears him tell his friends that he does not like fat women. Devastated she leaves. On Christmas day her brother who is also her alpha locks her in a cabin with Max where they need to work things out. Once they overcome their pride and egos, they do work it out.

I liked this book. I loved Ember. I could identify with her. I liked that the story is told from her point-of-view. Max is a little too smug and needs the uncertainty that Ember brings into his life. It took a while, but they did begin communicating which led to a satisfying ending.

Ron Luciano tells of his experiences as an umpire in the minors and the American League then as a color analyst with the Game of the Week.

I have had this on my shelves for 39 years. I kept saying I was going to get to it. I have now finally gotten to it. And am I glad I did! It was so funny as he talks of being a talker on the field. I liked how he broke the chapters into playing positions. I loved the photos in the middle of the book. With baseball season coming up, and hearing about these players at the time and watching them on games and the news, I enjoyed myself. I liked how he talked of the changes in the game; and I even remember talk of orange baseballs. This is a trip down memory lane through the eyes of an umpire. It is still worth reading!

Dakota has loved Colby since she was 10. He sees her as a friend, someone to protect and watch over. When he sees her sharing a laugh with her neighbor, he is not happy but he does not want to make any commitments since he believes he ruined a woman's life years ago. When Dakota finally gets him to see her as more than a friend, the woman from his past returns. Dakota is devastated. Will the woman stay? Will Dakota and Colby have a future?

I enjoyed this story. Colby is a silent cowboy. He does not give much away. Though his friends tell him to let her know his feelings, Colby stays silent. Dakota is bright and breezy but when she gets mad look out. When Colby breaks her heart because of how she learns of his past, I cannot say I blame her. He needs to open up. But in the end, I got the ending I wanted so I was happy but the mystery of his past and the woman kept me reading. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Abigail believes Jordan wants to use her to get into her friend's orbit. Jordan tells her he is interested in her. She takes him home where he leaves her hanging. Eight weeks later she runs into him again and gives him an ear beating for leaving as he did. He tries to apologize but she's not having it. She's also not feeling good. In fact, she passes out on him. Taking her to the hospital, they discover she is pregnant. Now what?

I loved this story. I could not put it down. It was funny. Abigail was so funny and uncensored. Jordan never knew what hit him. Both have scars from childhood and past relationship. They get everything "bass-ackward." I had so much fun watching them mess up then have to fix things. There are other story arcs. Jordan's nephew's story brought tears to my eyes but Abigail is good for him also. I look forward to more of this series.

Virginia's aunt has found a governess position for her. She must be given a medical exam to ensure she is free from illness and depravity. Dr. Talbot conducts the exam and Virginia is worried that the doctor and her aunt's maid will be able to tell how into the exam she is. What can she do since she wants the governess position?

I enjoyed this quick read. Virginia is afraid of being exposed as a wanton, but she likes what the doctor and the maid are doing to her. She wants to go to the Hayes' home. She wishes that Mr. Hayes had stayed. I liked that Virginia, though naive, had some inkling of what was happening to her. I liked Virginia. I'm not so sure I liked the doctor. I look forward to reading what happens next to Virginia.

Parker, while on patrol, is called to go to the scene of a crime. He finds a young male sex worker there and feels an attraction. He wants to help the young man get out of the life but the guy escapes from him. Later he gets a call about an attack, and it is the same guy. The young man goes to the hospital where Parker visits him. Parker receives a lot of flack for visiting the guy named Slade, real name Lonnie. Parker invites Lonnie to move into his apartment until he can get his life together. Both men are attracted to each other. Will they get together?

There is a lot going on here. Slade's pimp is fighting with the Russians for control of the sex trade in Vegas as well as sex trafficking which is one story arc. It is an interesting one as Lonnie gets involved through his insecurities. There is also another love story between a female prostitute who is Lonnie's friend and one of the Russians. Then we have Parker and Lonnie's love story. All the story arcs were interesting. I could not put this book down. I am loving this series more and more though I am reading them out of order. I like these characters and stories. These are flawed people who find love where they least expect it. I look forward to reading more of them.

26 different princesses for each letter of the alphabet.  I liked that they were diverse.  I appreciated that none of them looked alike.  I also liked that their names were not the usual names.  Each had an interesting name.  Perfect for your 1-4 year old.

Mika is a Manx Cat of whom the other cats are jealous as she walks down the street. They come up with a plan to make her humble. Will they carry out their plan? Will Mika let them hurt her?

I liked Mika. She was a cat--proud as them all. I cannot believe the cruelty planned for her by the other cats. I loved that she had a strong self-esteem. I also liked that her self-esteem saw beyond her appearance. This story was too realistic in dealing with jealousy and self-esteem. I'm glad Mika overcame the others.

In Paris in 1924, Hector is part of the Lost Generation. He spends time writing in bars or meeting Ernest Hemingway and others there or at salons at Gertrude Stein's place. A string of murders of literary magazine editors occurs. Stein has decided to have the mystery writers gathering at her salons discover who is committing the murders especially since one murder occurred at one of her salons. Who did it? Who finds the murderer?

I enjoyed this book. It started slow for me since it is part of a series and was not the first story so I had to do a little catch up. It picked up a lot as the story started going with the murders and the Nada movement getting involved. I liked how Hector started following clues and how he checked with Hemingway on his (Hector's) love life. That was a bit messy. Hector's train of thought was interesting to follow as he was putting the clues together as to who was guilty. He looked at everyone. The police followed his line of thinking as well as Simon, the detective, who consulted with him.

I liked the mixture of real people with fictional ones. I liked Hector and Brinke. Molly was a little aloof. Hemingway and Stein gave flavor to the story as Hector and Brinke were very involved with them. As the story concluded, I did not figure out who did all the murders until most of it was explained to me. With the last scene of the book, I wonder what happened with Hector. Did he fulfill his promises?

What if dogs could do chores!  This book shows what dogs can do--all our chores.  There is also a section in the back for how dogs do help us.  The drawings were fantastic!  They fit the story well.  Very well done!

Jennifer discovers that a man who terrorized the clinic where she worked has been paroled. She is afraid and Nathan, her client, can tell something is wrong. Because she trusts him, she tells him. He will protect her because he is a cop but also because he has come to love her as his Domme. Trouble follows for more than Jennifer. Hooded Pleasures is pulled into the problems. What comes out? Will Nathan be able to save Jennnifer?

I enjoyed this story. I was upset when my phone needed to be recharged while reading this. I was hard to put down. I wanted to know what happened. I liked Jennifer and Nathan. They were good together. Nathan had to decide what to do about Jennifer once the story was out.

I liked the story. I liked how Jennifer cared for Nathan and also the reputation of Hooded Pleasures. I'm sorry this series is over. I would like to see where all these characters are in 10 years.

Interesting book that gives basic information about Poison Dart Frogs.  They are found mainly in Central and South America.  The brighter the color the more poisonous they are but they are small.  Their poison was used by natives on their arrow tips.  Poison Dart Frogs are protective of their young.  They also are different in captivity than in the wild.  Some are very aggressive.  They live in different environments.  No two are much the same.  Worth the read.  I like learning new stuff.

Mr. and Mrs. Horse want a colt. Finally a baby comes but it is a ladybug. They have no idea how to care for a ladybug so they go to the doctor who explains the difference between horses and ladybugs. The horses are sad but their little ladybug tells them it is okay. When they realize he is right, they enjoy life with him.

This is adorable. The drawings are perfect for the story. I liked the horses and how they took care to learn about the ladybug. They shed tears when they realized what they expected was not what they got but then they saw the bright side and turned their tears to smiles and living.

At the end of the book is the story that was the inspiration for this book. It is beautiful and is shown through the story.