Contents of blog copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2023
I've been gone a while. I started reading fanfiction to escape and I got sucked in an abyss.

I have no idea if someone else is hosting similar challenges. I just grabbed some of what I have hosted before.

Here's to a happy year of great reading
Jan2023: Not much has changed. Writing a fanfiction now O_o as well as reading but I bought 7 new books in December and hope to get those read soon. Crossing fingers about adding challenges (late!)

Monday, January 2, 2017

Happy Monday - December edition


Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.  ;-)

Don't forget to link up your list






~ The newest review book in my house ~
Gertrude and Toby Meet the Wolf by Shari Tharp
Gertrude and Toby series, 2017, paperback

Gertrude the Goat and Toby the Tortoise are going fishing at Trout Lake today for their Friday adventure. On their way to the lake, Gertrude and Toby meet a new friend, but unfortunately he is carried off by a hungry wolf! They follow the wolf and rescue their new friend, but the wolf doesn't give up. He goes after them, determined to get his “lunch” back!







~ The newest books in my house ~
Holiday Heat bundle
The Men of Starlight Bend, 2016, ebook

Starlight Bend is a cozy Montana town nestled between glacial lakes and snow-capped mountains. This Christmas, holiday magic is in the air and wishes can come true--all it takes is believing. Visit us in Starlight Bend and meet five sexy, heartwarming heroes and the women who steal their hearts...

Snowbound in Starlight Bend by Jennifer Ashley
The Grinch of Starlight Bend by Jennifer Probst
The Long Gone Girl of Starlight Bend by Erin Quinn
His Angel of Starlight Bend by Calista Fox
Ropin’ the Lone Cowboy of Starlight Bend by Mary Leo


Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson
ages 8-12, 2016, ebook

Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget. Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile. Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don’t even see in yourself. Who you never want to disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.

Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that she won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan—more of a quest, really—to give Ms. Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them—and what the three of them mean to each other.


With Love bundle by Jennifer Ashley/Allyson James/
paranormal romance, 2016, ebook

Hard Mated from the Shifters Unbound series

Nightwalker from the Stormwalker series

The Calling from the Immortals series

Each novel is a standalone and tells an entire story in its series



Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson
The Klaus Brothers, 2012, ebook

What if the legend of Santa Claus is in fact, true? What if Santa has five big strapping sons who help him run his empire? Five single, sexy sons looking for romance...

Nicholas Klaus is a master pastry chef, a strict disciplinarian, and the eldest son of the legendary Santa Claus. One look at café owner Lucy Brewster sends him into an unexpected tailspin of lusty desires. When Lucy is injured, Nicholas makes a decision that catapults both of their lives into turmoil.

Lucy Brewster, the free-spirited proprietor of Sweet Inspiration, has a flair for concocting sugary confections but no time for adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she awakens in the North Pole...rambunctious elves, a fitness-obsessed Santa, and the man of her dreams. Does she have what it takes to become the next Mrs. Klaus?

William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow
picture book, 1972, paperback

More than anything, William wants a doll. "Don't be a creep," says his brother. "Sissy, sissy," chants the boy next door. Then one day someone really understands William's wish, and makes it easy for others to understand, too.






A Wedding for Christmas by Lori Wilde
Twilight, Texas, 2016, mass market paperback

The whole town is ready for the holidays: The Cookie Club is baking, Main Street glitters with lights, the carolers sing . . .There’s even a Christmas wedding.

When bodyguard Ryder Southerland sees his best friend’s sister Katie at an L.A. Christmas party, he mistakes the slinky blonde for a celebrity stalker and tackles her. Then they tackle each other . . . at his place. The next morning, Katie’s gone, and Ryder tells himself it’s for the best. It isn’t. Now, one Christmas later, Ryder’s falling for the woman he’s been missing in the town he hasn’t missed at all . . .

Katie Cheek’s outgrown the romantic fantasies she had about Ryder when she was fifteen. Katie’s packed their hot night away in a box labeled “fling”—or tried to. But Twilight’s bad boy is the best man in her brother’s wedding. And up-close and personal, Ryder’s impossible to ignore. So Katie can either go into hiding—or surrender to Christmas magic.


The Missing by Caroline Eriksson, translated by Tiina Nunnally
psychological thriller, 2017, ebook

An ordinary outing takes Greta, Alex, and four-year-old Smilla across Sweden’s mythical Lake Malice to a tiny, isolated island. While father and daughter tramp into the trees, Greta stays behind in the boat, lulled into a reverie by the misty, moody lake…only later to discover that the two haven’t returned. Her frantic search proves futile. They’ve disappeared without a trace.

Greta struggles to understand their eerie vanishing. She desperately needs to call Alex, to be reassured that Smilla is safe, or contact the police. But now her cell phone is missing too. Back at her cottage, she finds it hidden away under the bedsheets. Had she done that? Or had someone else been in the cottage? But who, and why? As Greta struggles to put the pieces together, she fears that her past has come back to torment her, or she’s finally lost her grip on reality…


Stuff by Randy O. Frost and Gail Stekett
non-fiction, 2010, hardcover

What possesses someone to save every scrap of paper that’s ever come into his home? What compulsions drive a woman like Irene, whose hoarding cost her her marriage? Or Ralph, whose imagined uses for castoff items like leaky old buckets almost lost him his house? Or Jerry and Alvin, wealthy twin bachelors who filled up matching luxury apartments with countless pieces of fine art, not even leaving themselves room to sleep?

Randy Frost and Gail Steketee were the first to study hoarding when they began their work a decade ago; they expected to find a few sufferers but ended up treating hundreds of patients and fielding thousands of calls from the families of others. Now they explore the compulsion through a series of compelling case studies in the vein of Oliver Sacks.With vivid portraits that show us the traits by which you can identify a hoarder—piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, houses that can be navigated only by following small paths called goat trails, vast piles of paper that the hoarders “churn” but never discard, even collections of animals and garbage—Frost and Steketee explain the causes and outline the often ineffective treatments for the disorder.They also illuminate the pull that possessions exert on all of us. Whether we’re savers, collectors, or compulsive cleaners, none of us is free of the impulses that drive hoarders to the extremes in which they live.

For the six million sufferers, their relatives and friends, and all the rest of us with complicated relationships to our things, Stuff answers the question of what happens when our stuff starts to own us.

Switching Hour by Robyn Peterman
Magic and Mayhem, 2015, ebook

Released from the magic pokey and paroled with limited power is enough to make any witch grumpy. However, if you throw in a recently resurrected cat, a lime-green Kia and a sexy egotistical werewolf, it’s enough to make a gal fly off the edge.

Not to mention a mission…with no freaking directions.

So here I sit in Asscrack, West Virginia trying to figure out how to complete my mysterious mission before All Hallows Eve when I’ll get turned into a mortal. The animals in the area are convinced I’m the Shifter Whisperer (whatever the hell that is) and the hotter-than- asphalt-in-August werewolf thinks I’m his mate. Now apparently I’m slated to save a bunch of hairy freaks of nature?

If they think I’m the right witch for the job, they’ve swallowed some bad brew.


The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold by Maureen Fergus
picture book, 2016, hardcover

Santa has a problem. This kid? Harold? Santa doesn't think he's real. He WANTS to believe in Harold - after all, Harold is one of the most magical parts of Christmas. Getting Harold's letters, eating the cookies he leaves out, feeding his carrots to the reindeer...what would Christmas be without that? But Santa's just not sure. Some of his friends are telling him that they think Harold's not real. And the Harold that sat on his knee last Christmas looked AWFULLY different. Santa comes up with a plan to find out once and for all if Harold really exists ... with hilarious consequences


Sign off by Patricia McLinn
Caught Dead in Wyoming, 2015, ebook

Top network news journalist Elizabeth “E.M.” Danniher committed two major mistakes—she didn’t stay young, and she made an enemy of a powerful network executive—her ex-husband. So now she’s working out her big-city broadcast contract in rugged Sherman, Wyoming. She used to break national news. Now she’s the Helping Out consumer affairs reporter for tiny KWMT-TV. Her hard-hitting stories? Helping a senior citizen get a refund for a defective toaster and uncovering a travel scam. But Elizabeth won’t fade to black without a fight. Tough, funny and determined, she wrestles with her evolving self-image, the challenges of keeping her professional edge, her sudden isolation and the fear of never being in the spotlight again. Can she make Wyoming–the land of cattle, cowboys, tumbleweeds and less than six people per square mile—home, or is her first stop on the road to obscurity?

She doesn’t have much time to dwell on her fall from grace. Soon she’s in a battle of wills with an ex-football player turned journalist, who sees her as a handy rung on his ladder to fame. And then there’s the matter of a missing deputy sheriff—was he murdered? E.M. finds herself investigating the case at the insistence of a little girl who’s set on proving that her enigmatic father had nothing to do with the crime.

The Leger by Lacey Dearie
Cat Sleuth Mysteries, 2014, ebook

Meet Leger McInnes, not just a handsome black tomcat but also Glasgow's resident feline sleuth. Not content with naps and climbing, he sought a purpose in life and a creative outlet. However, his sculptures were not appreciated by his owner so he used his time to solve crimes in his area.

This contains the first five titles in the series.




Mistletoe at Moonglow by Deborah Garner
Paige MacKenzie Mystery, 2015, ebook

The Timberton Hotel has always provided a perfect Christmas retreat for regular guests, as well as newcomers. But the small town of Timberton, Montana, hasn't been the same since resident chef and artist, Mist, arrived, bringing a unique new age flavor to the old western town. When guests check in for the holidays, they bring along worries, fears and broken hearts, unaware that Mist has a way of working magic in people's lives. Old-fashioned time spent together, exquisite food, conversation and a snowball or two offer guests a chance to trade sadness for hope. One thing is certain: no matter how cold winter's grip is on each guest, no one leaves Timberton without a warmer heart.



Her Texas Cowboy by Debra Clopton
New Horizon Ranch, 2014, ebook

Cowgirl Maddie Rose has never belonged anywhere but she’s just inherited part of the fabulous Horizon Ranch—along with four heart-stopping, extremely capable cowboy partners. In awe of being included, she’s out to prove herself worthy of the honor of her inheritance. Loving her new life in the small Texas town of Mule Hollow, she’s determined that for the first time in her life, she’s going to finally belong somewhere… Professional Bull Rider Cliff Masterson has been chasing his dreams for years—or has he been running from his past? Searching for more in life, he’s ready to dig his spurs in and put down roots deep in the heart of Texas. Rescuing a beautiful cowgirl from being trampled by a bull has him dreaming of romance, home, hearth, and that first kiss… But Maddie’s had enough people in her life leave and she’s not willing to risk her heart on a cowboy with wanderlust in his veins—Sparks fly as this cowboy is determined to prove to the feisty cowgirl that the only thing he’s chasing now is wedding bells with her…


The Dalai Lama's Cat and the Power of Meow by David Michie
The Dalai Lama's Cat, 2015, paperback

His Holiness’s Cat (“HHC”) is on a mission: to think less, to experience more, to live in the moment. She soon learns the proper phrase for this, being mindful, or, a concept better known to her as the power of meow. What ensues is a journey to discover her own true nature, to gain a deeper understanding of her mind, and to experience life’s greatest joy, the here and now.





The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden
young adult, 1999, hardcover

When Wilson High Telegraph editor Jamie Crawford writes an opinion piece in support of the new sex-ed curriculum, which includes making condoms available to high school students, she has no idea that a huge controversy is brewing. Lisa Buel, a school board member, is trying to get rid of the health program, which she considers morally flawed, from its textbooks to its recommendations for outside reading. The newspaper staff find themselves in the center of the storm, and things are complicated by the fact that Jamie is in the process of coming to terms with being gay, and her best friend, Terry, also gay, has fallen in love with a boy whose parents are anti-homosexual. As Jamie's and Terry's sexual orientation becomes more obvious to other students, it looks as if the paper they're fighting to keep alive and honest is going to be taken away from them


The First Rule of Ten by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay (series website)
A Tenzing Norbu Mystery, 2012, ebook

"Don't ignore intuitive tickles lest they reappear as sledgehammers." That's the first rule of Ten. Tenzing Norbu ("Ten" for short)-ex-monk and soon-to-be ex-cop-is a protagonist unique to our times. In The First Rule of Ten, the first installment in a three-book detective series, we meet this spiritual warrior who is singularly equipped, if not occasionally ill-equipped, as he takes on his first case as a private investigator in Los Angeles. Growing up in a Tibetan Monastery, Ten dreamed of becoming a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. So when he was sent to Los Angeles to teach meditation, he joined the LAPD instead. But as the Buddha says, change is inevitable; and ten years later, everything is about to change-big-time-for Ten. One resignation from the police force, two bullet-wounds, three suspicious deaths, and a beautiful woman later, he quickly learns that whenever he breaks his first rule, mayhem follows.


The Most Wonderful Time anthology
holiday fiction, 2016, mass market paperback

“Christmas Passed” by Fern Michaels
Three years after her husband’s death, Brandy Heyers still finds that celebrating the holidays without him is anything but jolly. Then handsome widower Ryan Rogers shows her that moving on is possible, and her frozen heart begins to melt…

“A Glory Junction Christmas” by Stacy Finz
When Hannah Baldwin hears her ex is getting remarried, she’s ready to give up on Christmas, not to mention love. But the best gifts come in unexpected packages, and old friend Josh Garner is just the man to convince her that the coming New Year is going to be the happiest yet…

“Moonshine and Mistletoe” by Sarah Title
A holiday fling is all Emma Fallader expects when she meets gorgeous fiddler Abe Tate at her friend’s wedding—but after just days together, it isn’t all she wants. Can the spirit of the season work its special magic for two people separated by more than miles?

“An Apple Valley Christmas” by Shirlee McCoy
Now that her beloved dad is gone, Emma Baily is facing the holidays alone—until her ex, Jack McAllister, shows up to help her close her father’s estate. After four years apart, only the magic of Christmas will show Emma that joy is a gift meant to be shared…


The Man From Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller
A Stone Creek Novel, 2007, mass market paperback

There was trouble in Haven, Arizona, and Ranger Sam O’Ballivan was determined to sort it out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrived posing as the new schoolteacher, and discovered his first task was to bring the rough ranchers’ children under control. So he started with a call on Maddie Chancelor, the local postmistress, and older sister of a young boy in firm need of discipline.

It never occurred to Sam that Maddie would turn out to be a graceful woman whose prim and proper stance battled with the fire in her eyes. Working undercover to capture rustlers and train robbers was a job that had always kept him isolated and his heart firmly in check—until now. But there was something about the postmistress that had him unwittingly tempted to start down a path he’d sworn he’d never travel.



The Third Twin by CJ Omololu
thriller, 2016, paperback

It started as a joke.
When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Alicia was always to blame for everything.

Now the game is all grown up.
The girls are seniors, and they use Alicia as their cover to go out with guys who they'd never, ever be with in real life. But sometimes games just aren't worth playing. A boy has turned up dead, and DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect—Alicia. The girl who doesn’t exist.

Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects.
Ava insists that if they keep following the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But Lexi isn't so sure. She must find the truth before another boy is murdered.

Because either Ava is a killer . . . or Alicia is real.

Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery
Blackberry Island, 2014, mass market paperback

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside she's still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle return to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she find the owner's suite occupied by the last person she wants to see-Carly Williams. She and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn's cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered enough rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with her life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it. To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It'll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

The Loners by Nancy Garden
teen, 1974, mass market paperback

Jenny was Alice in Wonderland and Paul was her Mad Hatter-until she persuaded him that they should take a trip through the Looking Glass together.

Sugar and spice and everything nice. Acid and smack and no way back.

A story of tenderness and terror, of caring and hurt, of a boy and girl in search of themselves-one of them with very little chance of making it.

(not what was used as a description on the author's website, don't think I would have gotten it if I'd read the back of the book!)

Showing Off by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins
Upside-Down Magic, 2016, hardcover

Some people in school are afraid of the kids in the Upside-Down Magic class. Others just call them flops. But Nory and her friends in Upside-Down Magic won't let that stop them. Not with a school-wide talent show coming up!

Except... Nory's afraid her fluxing magic will go wonky and upset her father. Pepper is worried that her abilities as a Fierce will make all the animals in the show run wild. Bax has some extreme new magic skills, but they can also be extremely embarrassing. And Elliott suspects there's a Sparkie spy who's looking to uncover UDM's talent-show secrets-and to use those secrets against them.

In order to take the stage and make some magic, the Upside-Down Magic kids are going to have to band together... and find the right combination of talents to steal the show!


~*~*~*~*~
I haven't received any review books, won any contests or received any books as a gift. I have added a couple a day from amazon's free bestseller lists. I've pinned some here.





What are you Reading?


A weekly Monday meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Post what you read last week and what you're planning to read this week then link to Shelia's post. Then visit others and be prepared to add to your TBR pile!

Not sure she's still doing this but here's my list of books finished this week/month. I've never sure what I'll be reading next.

Finished:
My Heart to Keep by Bailey Bradford
Harey Situation by Bailey Bradford
William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow
Not Every Princess by Jeffrey Bone and Lisa Bone
King and King by Linda de Haan
King and King and Family by Linda de Haan
The Wedding Date by Sean Ashcroft
Under One Roof by Diana DeRicci
The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold by Maureen Fergus
Defrosting Jack by Susan Laine
Wolfe and His Bunny by Susan Laine
Leger's Winter by Lacey Dearie
Leger's Gift by Lacey Dearie
Home at Last by Tymber Dalton
Safe Harbor by Tymber Dalton
Hot Mess by Stormy Glenn
Hot Mess 2 by Stormy Glenn
Hot Mess 3 by Stormy Glenn
Dangerous Curves Ahead by Tymber Dalton
The Hunter's Wolf by A.M. Halford
Midnight Romance by A.M. Halford
Gertrude and Toby Meet the Wolf by Shari Tharp
Lock and Key by Z. Allora
Chocolate Cupcakes and Mythical Creatures by DeShaun Walker
Dragon Ours by Joyee Flynn
Their Dragon by Joyee Flynn
The Lion's Baby Bunnies by Lorelei Li
Puppy, Car, and Snow by Amy Lane
Michael & Sean by K.C. Wells
Two Fangs and a Hoof by Joyee Flynn
Sweet Inspiration by Penny Watson
Myth and Mischief by Gabrielle Evans
Fang and Fur by Stormy Glenn
Fantasy, Legend, and the Guardian by Gabrielle Evans
White Paws and a Dream by Stormy Glenn
Spells and Bananas by Joyee Flynn
Fur and Flightless by Joyee Flynn
Officer and a Gardener by Joyee Flynn
Two Wiggles and some Fur by Joyee Flynn
Leader and the Writer by Joyee Flynn
Spits and Bellows by Joyee Flynn
Hot and Cold by Gabrielle Evans


Happy Reading!


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2016

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Disclaimer

In accordance to the FTC guidelines, I must state that I make no monetary gains from my reviews or endorsements here on Book Dragon's Lair. All books I review are either borrowed, purchased by me, given as a gift, won in some kind of contest, or received in exchange for an honest review.