Special thanks to Leontine from Leontine's Book Realm for the super header.


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Hump Day

Sigh. This has been a long week and it's only half-way over. 12 days and I'll be on my first me-only vacation since ..... 13 years I think. I've kind of done mini-vacations surrounding a business trip but this is the first time I'm heading out on my own. I'm going to Virginia to meet up with some internet friends of mine and celebrate one friend's 40th birthday. I'm looking forwarding to meeting some new ladies in person, seeing some friends again and seeing a few other friends along the way. So maybe that's why work is sucking. I'm kind of in a hurry up and get here mode. Anyway, I've done a bit of reading along the way.

The Cop and the Drifter by Christiane France (55 pages)
Cop Brad is out camping in the woods while he waits for an internal review of a screw-up at work. Out of the woods stumbles, what he assumes is runaway teen, Davie. After a rough start they share a meal and Davie tells his story. His father basically prostituted him out and then sold him to another man who did the same thing and he managed to escape and is looking for a job. Brad hooks him up with a guy who runs a shelter and needs help and despite being attracted and a quick hand-job in the woods, he's getting over his partner who died a few weeks ago so they lose touch. A year later he runs into Davie who is now working and they start to spend more time together at the shelter and .... well, you can imagine. It's a good story and I liked that there was a year to give Davie a chance to get his life together and for Brad to grieve his partner (although you don't read about it, it just hops - might have been nice to see how things went and make it longer). I did think Davie just spilling his guts about his abuse to a total stranger and cop seemed a bit out of the norm, but hey, I guess to him it was just a fact of life. No details are given but you get a good idea.

Wishing for a Home by T.A. Chase (93 pages)

Derek is a famous country singer whose life sucks. He's taking tons of pills and alcohol to function and his health is not great. Following his tour his doctors say 3 months minimum so his step-brother Edward arranges it so he can go to Tony and Brody's ranch in Wyoming. (Those of the Home of his Own and No Going Home). They are going to be out of town but Max the foreman is tasked with watching over him. He's not thrilled but they are both attracted and eventually give in even though Max knows Derek will leave eventually. Derek is deep in the closet because he's been told he needs to stay straight to keep his fans. It's a typical sweet romance of TA Chase, which I needed desperately the night I read it. It's kind of fun to see Les and Randy and the characters from the other books. I liked Max and his gruff non-talking side and it was funny to see everyone's reactions when he came out of his shell after hooking up with Derek. So if you're looking for typical Chase cowboys it's a nice addition to the series. Lots of other characters I presume will get their books eventually.

The Back Stairs by KC Kendricks (94 pages)
Fallon is a frazzled cop who is called to a murder scene of a young man. He talks to a young girl who claims not to know anything but eventually she tells him to go a boarding house and up the back stairs (great book cover tie-in). There he meets Sundown, a super hot guy who he assumes is a prostitute. He asks some questions and get evasive answers and before he knows it he's getting a blow job. He keeps being drawn back and there is also this dog that keeps showing up everywhere he goes. When another murder takes place, Sundown shows up and tells him to follow the dog. Fallon starts to think he's nuts, but he does and they manage to catch the murderer who claims the murdered boys were shape shifters (trip to the nut house for him). Fallon was injured in the capture and decides to take early retirement and tracks down Sundown to find out what the hell is going on and decide if they can have a relationship or not. The paranormal part was an unusual twist. I found Sundown's evasive answers as frustrating as Fallon did but I think that was part of the charm if you will. So if you want to try a shifter with a twist it's a good read. Oh and Fallon's partner, his beliefs and their relationship added a touch of humour to the book.

16 comments:

Chris said...

I haven't read any of these, although I did win The Cop and the Drifter at Wave's, so I should get around to that soon.

Tam said...

So you basically skipped my entire post didn't you? LOL It was a good read, although you'd think with the word "cop" in the title it would be more policey but it's a relationship book, not a crime book.

Chris said...

I know you're counting down the days until vacation and have total vacation brain going on at work. :)

Erotic Horizon said...

Good god woman it's only Wednesday - and you are burned out...

I know the feeling...

I liked the TA book - not as angsty as the first two in theseries - but no less enjoyable..

Not read the other two yet..

E.H>

Erotic Horizon said...

P.S.

Have a great Vacation - lots of photo please....

First one in 13years - hey you need all the photo you can take...

E.H>

Tam said...

LOL Yay you Chris. :-)

I hope to get a few photos EH. I've been on vacation, but always with my daughter (which I enjoy muchly but not the same). The TA book was not quite as angsty which was what I needed at the time.

Jenre said...

Hope you enjoy your hols. I'm looking forward to my trip to SF for the same reason. I've never been away on my own for longer than 2 nights.

I've not read any KC Kendrick before and that one looks good. I think I'll add it to the list of potential buys. Thanks for the review :).

Tam said...

I am looking forward to it Jen. (Of course you'll be stuck with my kid in SF but not quite the same as your own.) And one friend's husband manages a liquor store - wholesale prices baby. LOL

It was a twist and kind of a paranormal vibe to the story. Quite different from other stuff I've read by the author which tends to be straight contemporary.

Lily said...

I've got Wishing for a Home on my TBR and read the other two. I liked them both.

The days before a vacation can be incredibly long and stressful. You want them to rush by and then time to slow down so the vacation last longer. Hope you have a fab time!

Tam said...

Oh the vagaries of mankind and our desire to control time Lily. LOL

I did enjoy the other two, nothing too taxing to read but enjoyable entertainment.

Average Reader said...

Sounds like The Cop and the Drifter is the one for me. That's super that you're going on a vacation soon! It's true that getting it set up and organized can be a stressor, but it's sure to be worth it once you're there!

Tam said...

Things are certainly different as my daughter has gotten older when I have to go away. I used to have to make detailed plans for her to stay somewhere, make sure she had things packed, etc. Now she will figure it out on her own, I don't have to supervise her. So that helps take some stress but the pets are always there.

Kris said...

*scratches head over The Back Stairs*

Tam said...

My vague review or he book? LOL It was ... different, but on the whole I enjoyed it since it was different. Unrealistic? Totally, but different.

Tracy said...

Have a wonderful YOU holiday, Tam. I'm sure you'll have a great time. Take lots of pictures!

The Chase book sounds like a good cowboy read.

I really like the freaky-deakyness sound of the Kendricks novel - thanks for the heads up.

Tam said...

I'm not sure everyone wants to see tons of pictures of a bunch of women drinking large quantities of alcohol around a pool. LOL If I get into DC I'll take some pics though and some scenery.

It was freaky-deaky. LOL Great description.