Bad romance covers get a lot of attention, so I’ve decided to recognize covers I like. Here’s one that catches my eye every time I see it–the author is Amelia Elias and the publisher is Samhain.

I can’t think of a thing I don’t like about this cover. The woman is terrific, and I love the muscular man in the background. And the string of lights adds a unique touch. Just fabulous!

Here’s my first layout for my scrapbook challenge.

I didn’t buy anything new for this layout. I have an insane amount of supplies, so there was no need to make a purchase. I used acrylic paint for the title (my first time using it on a page), and I was delighted to find flower stickers in just the right size in my stash.

When I decided to accept the TBR challenge, I first looked at the series books that I’ve had a while. I selected Third Sight by Suzanne McMinn.

When an accident left him near death, the PAX League saved Riley Tremaine’s life . . . by transforming him into a terrorism-fighting superagent with a special gift for sight. To protect the future, Riley cut all ties with his past–and said goodbye to the woman he loved, anthropologies Nina Phillips.

A year later, when Nina called him in distress, the secret that destroyed their relationship could be the only thing to save her from the frightening plot of a madman. In a race to recover a missing artifact, Riley and Nina would have to believe the unbelievable and trust in a love they’d thought lost forever–or the world would pay the ultimate price.

I’ve enjoyed McMinn’s books in the past, but I was a bit ambivalent about this one. I like reunion stories, and I loved the mystery of the stones. It was fascinating stuff. But Riley was a little frustrating–he never quite transcended his I-left-to-protect-you persona. I never felt like I really got to know him.

Nina is more complex, but she was put in a story that was all too familiar. One scene toward the end of the book made that clear–it played out exactly as I thought it would. I don’t mind some predictability, but there was too much here. On the other hand, the story with the stones played out differently than I thought they would. And the ending was nice.

 Third Sight is a solid story, if also a rather predictable one: 3.5 out of 5.

I’ve read a few of J.R. Ward’s books and thought I’d try one by Jessica Bird (same writer, different publisher). I’m very glad I did. It’s got all the emotional punch of J.R. Ward with none of the lessers: 4.5 out of 5.

Take-no-prisoners deal-maker Sean O’Banyon ate Wall Street financiers for lunch. So why was he losing sleep over a fresh-scrubbed nurse in old jeans and a too-big T-shirt? Maybe it was those warm green eyes. Or the way she blushed when he got personal. There was no denying the serious chemistry between them. But sooner or later Lizzie would learn his deep, dark secrets: First, he had trust issues. And second–he’d rather not go into the whole family thing.

He didn’t do relationships . . . but amazingly, Lizzie made him want one anyway.

When Sean learns that his father is dead, he goes to his father’s house to settle the affairs. That’s when he discovers that Lizzie lives in the building. Her view of his father conflicts with his, which initially puts him off, but he can’t get her off his mind.

This book puts Jessica Bird on my autobuy list. I loved the focus on the characters. Sean’s a wounded character, and it’s pretty clear why. Seeing Lizzie discover it added an element of suspense to the read, but it was, in large part, a sweet romance.

Which brings up a point–how similar in style is the book to Ward’s? The answer: it’s not as gritty, there aren’t multiple storylines, and she avoids harsh profanity (which I suspect is a Silhouette requirement). I loved the way she got around that a little with this scene:

A phone started ringing by the bed, but it wasn’t one of hers.

As it went off again, Sean froze then cursed and squeezed his eyes shut.

She cleared her throat. “Ah . . . do you want to get that?”

His answer was a straight, to the point expletive followed by the word no.

Sean jumps to conclusions, which were understandable given the circumstances. I liked that the resolution took time–there’s no quick fix. Lizzie has a few too-good-to-be-true moments. She’s really going to volunteer to work at a shelter on occasion when she needs a paying job? But for the most part, I liked her.

The Billionaire Next Door kept me turning the pages. That’s all I need.

When I finish a scrapbook page, I do one last thing: stamp my name on the back and add the date. It’s like writing The End at the end of a story–it puts the final touch on the page and makes it complete.

As you can see, I have different stamps for this. I had two made last year for this purpose.

The sad thing is I haven’t used them since I bought them in the middle of last year. Soon–very soon, because I plan to fulfill my scrapbooking goal–I’ll be putting 2008 on pages I create.

I checked out Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why from the library based on another blogger’s recommendation. (I wish I could remember who!) It’s a young-adult book, not a romance, but it’s one I believe will stay with me for a while to come: 4.5 out of 5.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice explains that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s plan, and learns the truth about himself–a truth he never wanted to face.

Hmm. Where do I start? This is a gripping story from the very first page. I started reading it in the evening and continued reading late into the night.

Clay is a good kid who is struggling with the fact that his schoolmate committed suicide. When he gets the tapes and learns that everyone who is listening is one part of why she took that step, he listens to find out his part in the story. This keeps the reader wanting to know, too.

Likewise, Hannah seems like a regular girl. She struggles with things that many teens struggle with, then she’s hit hard. She is a girl without a support system. One scene that stands out as memorable for me is the one with the paper bag. You’ll know it when you get to it.

This is a story that makes you think about the ways your actions affects others. It reinforces the idea that even small things have an impact. It’s a tale of sadness and hope. And it’s a young man’s journey of self-discovery. If the concept of the story interests you, I invite you to find a copy and read it.

I’m in my new home, and I’m so excited about it! Celia at LS Designs updated the site for me, and I have to give her a shout-out. She’s fantastic. Visit her site to check out more of her work.

The main content changes are the headings at the top. You can find out more about my scrapbooking and eventually I will have links to all of my reviews for The Romance Reader.

Even better, I can set up frequent blog entries without having to get in blogger every day. I’m going to start with a couple of posts a week, then increase.

That’s it for now. Thanks for following me over here, and welcome!

Michelle M. Pillow’s Along for the Ride has been getting some good buzz. Even more importantly, the story sounded intriguing, so I picked it up at the bookstore. It was a terrific find: 4.5 out of 5.

New York City police detective Megan Matthews is cursed with always being right. Her instincts are good, her deductive reasoning even better. She’s found her hard-headed ways to be too much for most men, so she’s given up trying to find Mr. Right and has settled for arresting Mr. Wrong.

Easy on the eyes crime-scene photographer Ryan Lucas has had a crush on the sexy detective since he first took her photograph by accident at a crime scene. That picture became headline news, and she hasn’t talked to him since. He’s tried everything to get her attention, but when nothing works he’s left with only one option. But is blackmailing a cop into marriage really a good idea?

I’ve been craving a solid, character-driven romance, and Along for the Ride had just what I wanted. Megan and Ryan are well-drawn characters, so realistic I felt like I knew them. Ryan is a wonderful example of the appeal of beta heroes. He’s smitten with Megan from the start, and I loved watching Megan’s journey to the realization of her feelings toward him. It was a nice role-reversal from the norm.

This is how erotic romance should be, with love scenes that are always relevant and revealing, and characters who are always engaging. I loved the way Pillow spread the character revelations throughout the story–it kept me turning the pages, anxious to find out what happened next.

I’m on the hunt for more of Pillow’s books in the Cheek line. Along for the Ride is apparently part of a series, so I’m going to track down the other books.

This blog will soon be moving. I recently moved my author site to WordPress, and now I love it. I’m especially fond of the ability to schedule posts in the future. So I’m moving this blog over in a week or so. The look will be similar to this one, with a few added flourishes. I’ll post a link once it’s ready to go.

That means I’ve been going in and adding labels to the posts I hadn’t gotten to. I don’t know if that means these posts will show up again on blog readers. If they do, you’ll know why.

I’ve also decided I need a challenge to get me scrapbooking again. So my goal will be simple–a two-page layout every two weeks. That should be doable, and maybe it will help me get my craft room straightened up a bit as well. I’ll post the scrapbook pages here, so this will be my scrapbooking and reading blog.

I’ve been plodding my way through true-crime book Murdered Innocents, by Corey Mitchell. I think it could have been shortened considerably. Sometimes condensing is a good thing. I’ll decide whether to finish it. Maybe I’ll just skim to the end.

I’ve read Jaci Burton before, so I decided to try the first book in her latest series. Surviving Demon Island turned out to be a very nice read: 4 out of 5.

What’s America’s top female action star doing on a tropical island shrouded in secrecy? To Gina Bliss, competing in a survival-type reality show is a nice change from fending off on-screen villains. Until she meets real-life action hero Derek Marks. A survival specialist in a tight black T and sexy stubble, he’s arousing every bad-boy fantasy she’s ever had . . . and testing her survival skills to the max.

Martial arts, jungle warfare—Derek’s done it all. But his latest mission is more dangerous than a stick of dynamite. Try telling that to the sexy, adrenaline-pumped acress who’s got his libido racing off the charts. As the heat rises between them and real-life violence erupts, suddenly Derek and Gina are on the run . . . and when they uncover a secret so explosive it could blow the lid off their so-called reality show, these two unlikely heroes are about to discover what surviving’s really about . . .

In a subgenre—paranormal romance—where you see a lot of the same old thing, Surviving Demon Island offers a fresh look at a demon world. The book starts out simply enough: Gina is offered a chance to participate in a new reality series. We see her desire to do something new and exciting. What she gets is a world different than she ever expected, one that’s turned inside-out.

She also gets Derek.

It’s clear from the beginning that Derek is in on the secret, that he knows what’s going on behind the scenes. There’s also the classic man-and-woman-at-odds attraction between them. Still, the story offers some interesting surprises: two in particular toward the end notch up the conflict. And I loved the way Derek and Gina’s relationship heats up.

This is my favorite of Burton’s books (those I’ve read, anyway), and it’s built on a fascinating premise. I’m very excited to read the next book in the series.