Haunted

Have you ever been in the middle of reading a book and felt... haunted? Haunted by the characters? Haunted by the story? They follow you into your dreams. During the day, while innocently working at your job, they will burst full force into your mind. You dwell on what has already happened and ponder what is yet to come. You feel submerged in the world they inhabit. You can see their surroundings, taste the food, feel their emotions.

If you have experienced this phenomenon, then you have experienced a Good Book. This is the book that you will remember after the final page has been turned. Once finished, this book will find a permanent place upon your bookshelf, never to be given away or sold to a UBS. You will reread this book in an attempt to recapture the magic of that first time. And if it lives up to the wonder of your memory, then it is not just a Good Book, it is a Truly Wonderful Book.

Being capable of reading quickly is a blessing and a curse. Your TBR pile will "shrink" (or at least not grow) at a faster rate. You can quickly move on after a less than fabulous book choice. You are able to plow through an author's backlist to completely immerse yourself in their writing. There are drawbacks, however. When a person is capable to reading 3-7 books a week, stories begin to blur together. Through the sheer quantity of books you read in a month, the reader can begin to get burned out on a particular genre or author, the condensed quantity of novels underlining a sameness or formula you might otherwise have overlooked.

Then along comes one of those Good Books that make you simultaneously want to read faster so that you can find out all the secrets the book is hiding, and want to slow down to savor each turn of phrase. This is when you ask yourself if it is more important to finish your entire TRB pile or to slowly focus on only the best of the bunch.

I suffer from an on-again-off-again reading ennui. I become burned on on Historicals or Contemporaries. I float around, unsure what to read next. Nothing seems to satisfy my reading palette. I had a yen for something a bit darker after reading All Through the Night and The Lost Duke of Wyndham. From my TBR pile I pulled Rachel Vincent's Stray. I... just can't get into it. I'm trying. I really am. I just can not connect with the heroine. She is unfocused, does not know what she wants in life (other than escape from her family), and apparently has every male werecat panting after her. Eh. I had to put it down. I still wanted my dark story. I was worried that I would not be able to connect with any book. This has happened. I have had to force my way through the ennui. It can be painful.

Then it happened. I became haunted. Rhage is following me around at school. He sits there in the corner of my room, gazing at me with his teal eyes. "What are you doing? Why aren't you curled up with my story? I am trapped in Mary's house. Don't you want to know how I will get out, how I will keep her safe? Don't you want to read what is certain to be a meltingly hot love scene?" I look at him, trying to give him my most stern teacher look. "This is highly inappropriate. I have young children in here. Impressionable minds and all that." He just gives me a burning look. Damn. I am well and truly hooked into the crack that is BDB. Why did I think it would not be my flavor of fun? That it caught me unaware makes it all the worse. Ms. Ward has ensnared me with her men. I am haunted. And I am loving it.

Now I must go home and find out how he gets out from behind Mary's couch. This craziness must end. Seriously, Rhage can not follow me to school again tomorrow. How do you explain to your principal that the gorgeously huge man in the back of your classroom is a vampire from a Truly Wonderful Book? Do you think she will believe me if I tell her he is a student observer from the local college?

All Through the Night

My friends, I have been reading. Oh yes I have. I am just going to give you a snapshot review of one of the most recent books I have read. This is the most recent installment in the Troubelshooters series. I just had to read it this month. How prefect is that?

Title: All Through the Night

Author: Suzanne Brockmann

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Back Cover:

It’s Christmastime in Boston, and this year the silver bells will be wedding bells as FBI agent Jules Cassidy ties the knot with the man of his dreams, Hollywood heartthrob Robin Chadwick. The pair plan a quiet, intimate ceremony, to be witnessed by family and close friends from the FBI, SEAL Team Sixteen, and Troubleshooters, Incorporated, including Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke. But the holiday season brings more to the happy couple than they expect. A waterfall coming through their kitchen ceiling, a bat colony in the attic, old family tensions…even an international incident can’t dampen their spirits. But add to that a parade of unexpected guests, including a reporter looking for a scoop, an ex-lover hell-bent on causing trouble, and a dangerous stalker, and suddenly the wedding is poised to unravel in chaos. But nothing will stop Jules and Robin from getting their happy ending, because along with a guest list featuring the most elite counterterrorism force in the world, they have their own secret weapon - true love.

Jules and Robin finally get a book that is nearly all their own. Ok, they have to share it with Dolphina, but that is just a little (not quite fleshed outed enough) side story. This book is not like any of the previous Troubleshooters books. For one, the whole plot revolves around a wedding. Not just any wedding, but a gay wedding. I love it. The whole point is not OMG THESE GUYS ARE GAY! Not at all. The whole story is about the fact that these two individuals are so incredibly in love that they want to pledge their lives to one another. The scenes between Jules and Robin are realistic. The road to happily ever after is not smooth sailing. Hell, it's quite bumpy, starting with the fact that Jules gets food poisoning on the night he plans to propose! Through it all the couple os dealing with new house woes, Jules' jealousy issues, Robin's alcoholism recovery, and the fact that the President has decided to attend the nuptials. There are numerous cameos by previous Brockmann heroes, which tends to make sense since they all have worked with, and become friends with, Jules. It was great to see the friendship between Jules and Sam that has developed over the course of the past 11 books.

All that being said, I felt that the scenario with Adam and the stalker was completely unnecessary. Seriously, why even add that in? It felt tacked on. The love story between Dolph and the reporter was also a distraction from the Jules/Robin lovefest. Yes, I liked his involvement in the situation when Jules was in Afghanistan, but I just did not buy the chemistry and love. This is a novella, so maybe if they had been given a full novel I would have like them more. I kind of feel like Dolph got cheated out of a full length HEA.

Jules/Robin= lovelovelove

Everything else= Go away! I want more Jules/Robin!!!!

Grade: B

My local grocery store was a bit premature and put out The Lost Duke of Wyndham on Friday. AND I GOT A COPY! I finished it last night. I was going to give you all a 2-fer review here, but I think Ms. Quinn's book deserves it's own post. Keep your eyes peeled. It is coming soon!

Battle, the final skirmish

OY! No Internet access since Friday at 3ish. This is a new form of hell, I tell you!

We have reached the final installment of the Battle Royale! It is down to three heroes, each wonderful for their own reasons. I must say I was surprised by the outcome. I am crying tears of sadness over the loss of Stan. Then again, I have him in my DIK hut, so I guess only you all have lost him. And what is with the Kenny/Max upset??!!??! ehem... anyhow.

So here they are, the final three:

Tom Paoletti vs. Ken "Wildcard" Karmody vs. Sam Starrett

Who will you pick?

Book Club: Unsung Hero

Title: Unsung Hero

Author: Suzanne Brockmann

Genre: Romantic suspense

Today is the day! BC Day (Blook Club Day.) It is time to let your opinions be heard.

What is your overall opinion of the book?

As the first book in a series, how do you feel Ms. Brockmann did at world building? Did this book make you want to continue on with the series?

How do you feel about the secondary WWII storyline?

Any other thoughts you would like to share?

Any other questions you would like to pose to us all?

Brockmann bash is nearly over!

The end of May is in sight. That means that the Marvelous Men of May: Brockmann Boys is nearly over.

Voting for this round of the Battle Royale ends tomorrow!

No one has entered my contest :( I'm so sad. Brockmann's boys are feeling no love. Come on! You still have about five days to develop your ode to Alphas.

Now I need to go read All Through the Night.

Book Club deadline is tomorrow! Unsung Hero!!!!

Brockmann contest ahoy!!!

Oh boy! The Battle Royale is intense. Two of our match ups are tied at 4 votes a piece. Come on readers, it is time to vote. Here in Chicago we have a motto, "Vote early and vote often!"

Alright, now for the contest. This will be the first ever book contest on What Women Read. You know you want to be part of this historic occasion! I mean, come on, hot heroes and a free book? What is not to love? Interested? Here are the details:

What to do: Write an ode to your favorite Brockmann hero. Can't choose just one? Why then, write and ode to the wonderous Ms. Brockmann, herself! Entertain me please. Work is... stressful. I can use the laugh.

When to do it: By this time next Tuesday night (May 27th)

What you get: A paperback copy of the Brockmann book of your choice. Wooo! Free book!

Why to do it: Because it is fun! Also, this fine gentleman says you should...

Gawd! Hmm... could this be Sam? Perhaps Cosmo? Wildcard? Jenk? Guh!

Organization? Really?

I figured if anyone would know the answer to this it would be all of you fellow readers. Is there a website somewhere on this here interweb to help a reader stay organized? Perhaps a place to list the books in my TBR and TBB plies/lists? Is anyone currently using one and can give me some first hand advice? I really need to get my lists up-to-date and organized!!!

The Battle Rages on!

Holy cow! (to quote my favorite long-dead sports announcer) Where has May gone? It is more than halfway over! Oy! I better get a move on with our BofB Battle Royale.

The competition was fierce. Some heroes won by a landslide, others squeaked in a last minute victory (thank god!) So now we move on to round 2. All these men are a bot battle scarred, but that is how we love them. As you peruse the new match ups I will be in my hut comforting the losers ;)


Round 2 match ups:

Stan Wolchonok vs. Tom Paoletti vs. Ric Alvarado

Ken "Wildcard" Karmody vs. Max Bhagat

Jules Cassidy vs. Sam Starrett


Oh! The pain!!! That last match up is going to kill me! I think the losers may need to comfort me.

I am a bad, bad kid

On Tuesday I was delighted to open my mailbox to find my tax refund! I can pay some big bills. I can put away some savings. I can take a class this summer. I can head straight to Borders and take advantage of their "Buy 4 get the 5th book free" deal they have going on for romance novels.


Yup, I bought books.


Five books.


You all would be proud. I think I picked up some books that you have rec'ed. What did I purchase? Well...

1) Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
It is the book for my book club this month (deadline May 23rd!!!), yet I realized that somewhere along the line, after I had read it, I must have lent out the book. And it is gone!!! This is why I am very selective about what books I lend out and who I give them to. Oy.

2) Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Everyone has said such fabulous things about it I felt it was a must. This nay be one of my next reads. It just sounds so... intriguing.

3) Stray by Rachel Vincent
This has been on my list for a while. I may read this next. Looks fun.

4) The Undead Next Door by Kerrelyn Sparks
Dude, a vampire fashion designer? For real? Yes!

5) Awaken Darkly by Gena Showalter
I have heard her name bandied about. I thought she may be worth checking out. (Especially since it was the 5th, free book.)


Yay! Now off to find the rum and enjoy the DIK!

Dark Lover

Title: Dark Lover
Author: J.R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal romance

After hemming and hawing over whether or not to take a chance on another vampire series and risk walking into a LHK-type disaster (sorry gals, I loved the first few but just couldn't make it past book 5), I finally bit the bullet and bought Dark Lover by J.R. Ward. I had heard so much buzz about these books. The BDB has more than a few rabid fans ::ehem::ripmybodice::ehem:: I figured what was I to lose if I just buy the first book. What could I lose? My sanity, that's what! Oh Wrath! How you haunt my dreams. Rhage, Butch, V, Z... I long to read your HEA! I have to admit, I was completely sucked in by these big badass vamps. Wrath and his feelings of worthlessness. Rhage and his inner torment. V and Butch... BroTP!!! And Z. Damn, he is nasty. I want to hate him, but his singing voice and those tiny, subtle signs of respect. You know there is something special beneath all that vitriol.

Ms. Ward has taken a familiar theme (vampires) and has given it an interesting twist. Vampires are not made, they are born. Yet, when they are born they are fully human. It is not until they are approximately 25 years old that they "Transition". Translation: vampire puberty. Oh baby, this is not pretty. Poor Beth does not realize her life is about to change. Her mother died after giving birth and her father purposely stayed away to allow Beth to live a "normal" life. You see, as a half-vampire, half-human offspring there was a chance that Beth would never go through the Transition. Darius wanted to give his daughter a chance to live life ignorant of the darker, dangerous vampire world in case she never changed. Luck was not on his side. Beth was about to Transition and Darius' life was about to explode. Literally.

Enter Wrath, blind vampire king. He is one badass, motherf***er. He is not just a warrior, he is the head honcho, ass kickin', death dealing, take no prisoners warrior. Even the other vamps are a little afeared of him. He does not want the responsibility of helping Beth transition, but Darius was the closest thing he had to family. Taking care of Beth was the last thing Darius had asked of Wrath before he went boom. So wrath tracks down Beth at her apartment. Yup. She is going to transition soon. He can smell it. When he enters her apartment to introduce himself for real... holy hawt sex, Vampman! The chemistry between the H&h is steamy. Day-um!

Putting the hot sex aside (if I must) I really enjoyed this story. Ms. Ward did a solid job of building her world in this first book. The relationships between the different members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood is established. The big bad villain is sufficiently creepy. So often, vampire hunters are portrayed as either good guys or misguided/ignorant humans. Not so in the BDB world. These vamp hunters, lessers, are the baddies. Big time. The lessers are men who have long had violent, even homicidal, tendencies. They have given up their souls (put in ceramic jars) so that they may remain ageless and sexless, hunting down vamps for the pure joy of the kill. Here's the thing, Ms. Ward's vampires DO NOT BITE HUMANS. They must drink the blood of thier own kind to survive. They do not prey on humans. Why kill them? See? Lessers are eeeeeevil!

So often I have heard these books referred to as the "BDB crack". Oh yes, it is.

Hello, my name is Shannon, and I am a BDB addict.

Grade: A-

Battle Royale continues...

The first skirmish in the Boys of Brockmann Battle Royale concluded on Friday. The winners were:

Sam Starrett (duh!)
Tom Paoletti
Ric Alvarado


The Battle continues today with four more pairs of men facing off to see who will reign supreme as the ultimate Brockmann hero. Cast your votes ladies and gentlemen (if any gentlemen actually read this here blog), for you shall help determine the winner.

Who will it be?

Jimmy Nash (Flashpoint) or Ken "Wildcard" Karmody (Out of Control)

Max Bhagat (Breaking Point) or Mark "Jenk" Jenkins (Into the Storm)

Jules Cassidy (Force of Nature) or Cosmo Richter (Hot Target)

Stan Wolchonok (Over the Edge) or Mike Muldoon (Into the Night)

Can I haz, plz?

Today is a monumental day. A day ripe with importance and deep meaning. It is a day during which you should stop and ask yourself.... oh, wait, nevermind. It's just my birthday.

So on this day I am asking for a gift that only you all can give me: recommendations.

On my birthday tell me please, what are the top 3-5 books that you think I should read during the next year of my life?

Who's that boy?

It's that time again. Name that Brockmann Boy!

I feel as though I have been ignoring my Bodacious Boys of Brockmann this week. DIk has been keeping me busy. Then again, I have now chosen three of my seven heroes, and two of them are Troubleshooter men: Max and Sam. ::sigh:: I am considering one more of her heroes for my DIK harem, but I will have to ponder this a bit more.

In the meantime, I give you another male specimen to match up. Which Troubleshooter could this be?

Oh! And don't forget to vote in the BofB Battle Royale. One more day for round one. Round two will be up tomorrow with four pair of men!

DIK can be hard

OMG. I am obsessed! Obsessed with DIK. Yes, you heard me. I can't help it. All day, the only thing I can think about is DIK. Thank God I am not the only one.

I am one of the crew of crazy women stranded on a lovely desert island with a huge library of books. We can't live on coconuts, rum and books, alone! So now we are populating our island with hot, sexy men. Each gal gets to choose seven heroes. We have to be polite ::coughcough:: and take turns. Once a hero is chosen, he is no longer available. Currently my hut harem includes Sam Donovan of Mr. Perfect and Sam Starrett of (what else?) the Troubleshooter series. How could I create my harem without Brockmann Boys? There are actually a few more of her boys that I am considering. They are just.... yum! This is hard, though! How do you narrow down your list to only seven men? There are so many fabulous heroes out there. I tell you, DIK is hard.

Interested in checking out our island population? The next (3rd) round is going to commence shortly over on lisabea's site. That is, if she ever wakes up and gets posting.

Hey LB!!! Wake up!!!! ::Shakes her hut until palm fronds begin to fall upon her rum soaked head:: :D

Resistance is futile!

I have finally bowed to the pressure, I mean wisdom, of my book blogging buddies. I know that many of you (much like the ladies at ripmybodice) have "The BDB 4eva" tattooed on your asses. There is a reason that I did not battle you to the death to be allowed to bring one of the BDB books along to the desert island. I have an excuse for not choosing a BDB vamp as my first pick for my desert island harem. I have not yet read the books. I am starting Dark Lover by J.R. Ward tonight. Since May is all about Brockmann Boys (who are absolute Alpha material) and the past few new-to-me books I read left me kinds meh, I thought I would take a shot at Ward's world of Alphas. I shall let you know what I think.

Also on the topic of zero resistance, but having nothing to do with books, I am eating pizza. This may not be a big deal to most of you. For me this is a BIG FREAKIN' DEAL! Due to an auto-immune issue, I am on a gluten free diet. It is not a big deal most of the time since I love to cook, but pizza is something I don't often get to eat. I have to make my own crust and it is rarely the same as my fav Chicago pizza places. Well, a lovely person recently told me about a local restaurant that is now offering their pizza gluten free. I am too tired and lazy to cook tonight (and my kitchen has surpassed dirty and is now a toxic waste dump). I called up Marcello's and ordered a GF pizza. The verdict. OMFG!!!! Amazing. Not just amazing gluten free pizza, but just damn amazing pizza. Wow. ::sigh::

Pizza and Wrath. This looks to be a good evening.

A 2fer review

I have been reading quite a bit lately. I seem to arrive home and immediately stick my nose in a book. Hey! Work is not a fun place to be lately. I need some escapism. Oh wait, I don't have to justify my reading habits to this group. You guys get it. :) So here are two books that I read this week. I'm not going to go into much detail with my reviews today. Just a quick drive-by opinion.

Title: Nobody's Baby But Mine

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Genre: Contemporary romance

From Ms. Phillips website:

The Plan: Genius physics professor Dr, Jane Darlington desperately wants a baby.
The Target: Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars' legendary quarterback, seems like the perfect choice. But his champion good looks and down-home ways are deceiving.
The Explosion: A brilliant, lonely woman who dreams only of motherhood . . . A take no-prisoners tough guy who'll settle for nothing less than surrender . . . Can passion and physical attraction propel two strong-willed yet vulnerable people to a totally unexpected love?

I wrote a bit about this book a few days ago. NBBM is my second Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. I first read Match Me If You Can. I thought it was cute and fun, with a great setting. (Yay! Chicago!) I had high hopes going into this book.

I still can't decide if I liked it. For much of the book I found the two main characters, Jane and Cal, to be very frustrating. Jane set out to get pregnant. She felt that what she did to Cal lacked morals and walked around under a cloud of guilt for most of the book. I had a difficult time sympathizing with her. She got herself into this mess through her own decisions. She knew they were wrong, but did it anyway. Her whole "my baby's daddy needs to be stoopid!" argument held very little water with me. Cal, while justifiably angry, created the horrible situation by forcing Jane to marry him. They did not have to marry, he made that decision, yet he blamed Jane and struck out at her constantly. Of course, this is a romance novel, so there is a HEA. I'm just not sure that it was entirely believable. The animosity? I completely believed. (Oh man, what Jane did to Cal's Lucky Charms was priceless. Yes, I mean the cereal!) The HEA, "we are so in love" part at the end? Also could be believable. How they got from point A to point B? Not so much. It just happened too fast. The story was good. Most of the writing was very good. It just did not gel for me.

I did love the secondary characters. Cal's grandma, Annie, was a hoot. Best character in the book. Kevin Tucker? He has potential as a future hero. (I should check to see if that happens.) Jodie, the gal who helped set the whole "get Jane pregnant" scheme into motion? Completely despicable, as she was meant to be. Because of all this, I can't say it was awful, but it was not great.

Grade: C+

Title: Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues

Author: LuAnn McLane

Genre: Contemporary romance

From Booklist

Abilene thinks it a mean joke when her brother signs her up as a contestant for a new reality show called Dancing with the Rednecks until she hears about the $50,000 grand prize. That kind of money would really help her Kentucky family out. Why, there might even be a little left over to finance her own dream, not that she minds waitressing. Tall and gangly, Abliene has two big left feet, and she's more than a bit intimidated by her tall, dark, and brooding celebrity dance partner. Rio Martin isn't happy about being involved in a spoof. He was hoping his appearance would be good publicity for his chain of dance studios. So the two do not get off on a good foot, but Rio is not immune to the leggy blonde who is too naive to realize she's a beauty. It's her spunky, down-home personality, though, that wins him, and the reader, over in McLane's comical and poignant modern-day rags-to-riches romance.

This book sounded totally cheesy, but I am a sucker for shows like Dancing With the Stars. This was a reread for me. (I had to read it one more time before I give it to my other DwtS obsessed friend.) I bought it when it first came out and I seemed to remember thinking it was sweet. If nothing else, I could read it, imagining that I am Abby and Maks is Rio. (Can I just say how sad I was that Maks was not one of the pros on this season of DwtS? It is just not the same without his hawtness!) I loved Rio Martin. I though he was a sexy character who had more depth than I was expecting. He is the Latin heart throb dance instructor that Abby is assigned to work with when she signs on for Dancing With the Rednecks. He did not realize that the show he agreed to take part in was really a spoof on reality television. Rio es no muy happy. Abby is a small town gal who helps her mom run their greasy spoon diner. How could she pass up the chance to win $50,000? That could mean sending her brother to college and making needed improvements at the diner. She is fun, but the whole "I'm a country girl who's not very smart" bit wore thin. Aside from that slight irritation, the book was just like cotton candy: sweet, fluffy, and makes me smile. If you are in the mood for an incredibly lighthearted read and are hooked on DwtS you should make it a point to check this book out.

Grade: B

Name that hero!

After hours of strenuous work looking at photo after photo of gorgeous manhood, I have finally found a selection of specimen worthy to be considered a Brockmann Boy. It was hard work, but I have survived. They all exude strength, intensity, and a certain something that inspires trust. Each man possesses these qualities, but my question for you is this:

Which Brockmann Boy could this be?

Help me cast the Boys of Brockmann during the month of May. I have not found enough men to represent every BofB, so if you stumble across an example of manliness that you feel truly embodies one of our heroes, please let me know.

Let The Battle Begin!!!

And so it begins, a legendary battle of heroes. We pit SEAL against SEAL, Alpha against Alpha. Name have been put in a hat and pulled at random. The pair ups have been completed. We begin with two tough showdowns:

Grady Morant, aka. Jones vs. Tom Paoletti


Robin Chadwick vs. Ric Alvarado


Huh, OK maybe this battle is not as tough as future battles. If you love any of these men make sure you clicky-click on the polls!

**Update!!!**
I the interest of time (I don't want this showdown lasting until August!), I have added one more pair for the BofB face off. I know you will all be interested in voting for this one.

Hear ye, hear ye!!!

**Trumpets sound a fanfare. Fireworks explode in the air above us all**

"It's May, it's May, the lusty month of May!"

I feel the need to let the sentiments of Camelot ring true this month at What Women Read. The Lusty Month of May. A month full of hot heroes, glorious sex, twue wuv, and one brilliant author. Therefore let the opening ceremonies begin. We start off with a parade of heroes so intense, so passionate they can only be called Alphas: Tom, Stan, Sam, Max, Jenks, and all of their team members.

**More fireworks light up the sky as they perform a 21 gun salute. (Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? Please be happy to see me!)**

Next we have the sassy, the strong, the intrepid. The heroines: Kelly, Gina, Jane, Terri, Allysa.
This bevy of fantastic femininity is followed by a contingent of WWII veterans dressed proudly in their old uniforms. The stories of these brave men and women makes our hearts swell with pride.

**A hush falls over the crowd**

Then we see it. The float carrying our guest of honor. The women who breathed life into this cavalry of characters, Suzanne Brockmann. There she sits upon her throne, clad in jeans and a t-shirt that proudly states "I ate dinner with Joss Whedon!" (Lucky bitch!) Despite our burning jealousy, we still love her. We cheer her on, ready to kick off...

Marvelous Men of May: Brockmann's Boys

That's right, an entire month devoted to the men of Team 16 and the Troubleshooters. How are we going to devote an entire month to Brockmann? Well, let me count the ways:


1) The book club title for May is... Unsung Hero.
Haven't read a Brockmann book? Now is your chance to start. Are you an avid Brockmannaholic? Reread and remind yourself of how this devotion began. Go to you bookshelf, TBR pile, library, Amazon, or local book store and pick up a copy of this book. On May 23rd I will open up discussion for Tom and Kelly's story. Come along, join us! You know you want to.

2) Name that SEAL/Troubleshooter
This is the mancandy portion of the month. I shall spend countless hours scouring the Internet for photographs of men that have that certain something, that strong sexiness inherent in the Boys of Brockmann (BofB). I will post said photos and let you decide. Which hero is he? Which BofB does each specimen embody? (I know it will be a strenuous job searching through photos of beautiful men, but a girl does what one must.)

3) The Boys of Brockmann Battle Royale
Which hero shall reign supreme? I shall be posting a poll each week pitting one hero against another. So as not to play favorites, I will draw the names from a hat to chose the opponents. It is up to you to cast your vote and make sure your favorite hero is not cast off the island. In the end, only one man will remain standing. At which time I will be dragging him off to my lair to have my wicked way with him....er, I mean, we can all cheer or lament over the winner.


4) I am going to keep this a secret. I have not gotten the details ironed out just yet.



So let the festivities begin! The first showdown in the Battle Royale will be posted tomorrow. Each Friday a new battle shall commence. Cast your votes, let you voice be heard. Which hero will reign supreme?

It's contagious!

I have been felled by the malaise of genre ADD. That horrible malady where a reader is unable to determine what genre to read next and is unsatisfied with each reading attempt. I started three books with no success. I went to the library yesterday and wandered around for an hour. I just couldn't figure out what I had a taste for. Urban fantasy? Historical romance? Mystery? Romantic suspense? After much dithering I finally chose three new titles. Huh. Silly contemporary romances and a Brockmann. That sounds great! I started a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book with much hope. The thing I love about her football series is that it takes place in Chicago and the surrounding areas. So often Chicago is overlooked or misrepresented as a setting. She is a local, so she gets it right. In Match Me If You Can she even highlights my own neighborhood! She is spot on accurate. Yet, I will admit that I am getting a bit frustrated with the H/h of this new novel, but I will stick it out and see how Ms. Phillips gets them out of the corner into which they have been painted. I hope it works out convincingly. It would be a sad waste of a good setting if I end up hating the ending (especially since the heroine lives in the town in which I attended high school!) I will not give up. I will not give in. I will shake off the malaise and stomp this genre ADD into submission!

My month long celebration of all things manly is starting today. Hopefully it will kick start my reading habits. I will post the details this evening once I leave school (such a bad teacher posting about romance from my classroom!) Here are a few more clues as to the focus of this festival of fantasticness.

Terminology and locations you would encounter along with our Alpha hotties:

Tango
Wheels up
goat fuck
OUTCONUS
RECON
Coronado
Khazakstan
cluster fuck
Extraction
Helo

Who/what do you think we are going to be celebrating?