Waiting on Wednesday: The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

I absolutely adore fairytales, so the cover of this book immediately caught my eye. The synopsis sounded fun, so even though I don't normally have children's books as my WOW picks, The Land of Stories is a delightful exception :)

Title: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
Author: Chris Colfer, Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 17, 2012

Book Description (from Goodreads):

Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairytales.

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about.

But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

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Jill Shalvis Book Order

Click on series title to jump to a particular reading order:

Lucky Harbor
Colburn Brothers
Sunrise Cove
Wildstone
Heartbreaker Bay
Cedar Ridge
Animal Magnetism
Wilder
Pacific Heat
Sky High Air
American Heroes
Firefighter
South Village Singles
Stand Alones

Lucky Harbor

1. Simply Irresistible
Jax Cullen and Maddie Moore
My Review

2. The Sweetest Thing
Ford Walker and Tara Daniels
My Review

* Heating Up the Kitchen: Recipes with Love from Lucky Harbor

* Christmas in Lucky Harbor (Omnibus of books 1 and 2)
My Review

2.5. “Kissing Santa Claus” (in the Small Town Christmas anthology and in Christmas in Lucky Harbor)
Logan Perrish and Sandy Jansen
My Review

3. Head Over Heels
Sawyer Thompson and Chloe Traeger
My Review

4. Lucky in Love
Ty Garrison and Mallory Quinn
My Review

5. At Last
Matt Bowers and Amy Michaels
My Review

6. Forever and a Day
Josh Scott and Grace Brooks
My Review

* Lucky Harbor (Omnibus of books 4, 5, and 6)

6.5. Under the Mistletoe (available as a standalone and in Christmas in Lucky Harbor)
Nick and Mia
My Review

7. It Had to Be You
Luke Hanover and Ali Winters
My Review

8. Always On My Mind
Jack Harper and Leah Sullivan
My Review

9. Once In a Lifetime
Ben McDaniels and Aubrey Wellington
My Review

10. It's In His Kiss
Sam Brody and Becca Thorpe
My Review

11. He's So Fine
Cole Donovan and Olivia Bentley
My Review

12. One In a Million
Tanner Riggs and Callie Sharpe
My Review

12.5. Merry Christmas, Baby
Sawyer Thompson and Chloe Thompson
My Review

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Colburn Brothers

1. He Falls First
Ryder Colburn and Penny Rose
My Review

2. Free Falling
Caleb Colburn and Emma Sumner
My Review

3. Falling into You
Tucker Colburn and Hazel Pierce
My Review


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Sunrise Cove

1. The Family You Make
Jane and Levi
Charlotte and Mateo
My Review

2. The Friendship Pact
Tae and Riggs
My Review

3. The Backup Plan
Alice and Knox
Lauren and Ben
My Review

4. The Sweetheart List
Harper and Bodie
My Review

5. The Bright Spot
Luna and Jameson
My Review

6. The Summer Escape
Anna and Owen
My Review

7. Better Than Friends
Olive and Noah
My Review

8. The Love Fix
Lexi and Heath
My Review

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Wildstone

1. Lost and Found Sisters
Quinn and Mick
My Review

1.5. The Good Luck Sister
Tilly and Dylan
My Review

2. Rainy Day Friends
Lanie and Mark
My Review

3. The Lemon Sisters
Brooke and Garrett
Mindy and Linc
My Review

4. Almost Just Friends
Piper and Camden
Gavin and CJ
My Review

5. The Summer Deal
Brynn and Eli
Kinsey and Deck
My Review

5.5. Mistletoe in Paradise
Hannah and James
My Review

6. The Forever Girl
Maze and Walker
My Review

7. Love for Beginners
Emma and Simon
Alison and Ryan
My Review

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Heartbreaker Bay

1. Sweet Little Lies
Finn O’Riley and Pru Harris
My Review

2. The Trouble With Mistletoe
Keane Winters and Willa Davis
My Review

2.5. One Snowy Night
Max Stranton and Rory Andrews

3. Accidentally on Purpose
Archer Hunt and Elle Wheaten

4. Chasing Christmas Eve
Spencer Baldwin and Colbie Albright
My Review

4.5 Holiday Wishes
Sean O’Riley and Lotti Hartford

5. About That Kiss
Joe Malone and Kylie Masters
My Review

6. Hot Winter Nights
Lucas Knight and Molly Malone
My Review

7. Playing For Keeps
Caleb Parker and Sadie Lane
My Review

8. Wrapped Up in You
Kel O’Donnell and Ivy Snow
My Review

8.5. Twist of Fate
Diego and Daisy

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Cedar Ridge

1. Second Chance Summer
Aidan Kincaid and Lily Danville
My Review

2. My Kind of Wonderful
Hudson Kincaid and Bailey Moore
My Review

3. Nobody But You
Jacob Kincaid and Sophie Marren
My Review

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Animal Magnetism

1. Animal Magnetism
Brady Miller and Lilah Young

2. Animal Attraction
Dell Connelly and Jade Bennett

3. Rescue My Heart
Adam Connelly and Holly Reid

4. Rumor Has It
Griffin Reid and Kate Evans
My Review

5. Then Came You
Wyatt Stone and Emily Stevens
My Review

6. Still the One
AJ Colten and Darcy Stone
My Review

7. All I Want
Parker James and Zoe Stone
My Review

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Wilder

1. Instant Attraction
Cameron Wilder and Katie Kramer
My Review

2. Instant Gratification
Stone Wilder and Emma Sinclair
My Review

3. Instant Temptation
T.J. Wilder and Harley Stephens


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Pacific Heat

1. Double Play
Pace Martin and Holly Hutchins

2. Slow Heat
Wade O’Riley and Samantha McNead


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Sky High Air

1. Smart and Sexy
Noah Fisher and Bailey Sinclair

2. Strong and Sexy
Shayne Mahoney and Dani Peterson

3. Superb and Sexy
Brody West and Maddie Stone


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American Heroes

1. Flashpoint
Zach Thomas and Brooke O'Brian

2. Flashback
Aidan Donnelly and Mackenzie Stafford


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Firefighter

1. White Heat
Griffin Moore and Lyndie Anderson

2. Blue Flame
Jake Rawlins and Callie Hayes

3. Seeing Red
Joe Walker and Summer Abrams
My Review


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South Village Singles

1. Roughing It With Ryan
Ryan Alondo and Suzanne Carter

2. Tangling With Ty (reissued in Kiss Me, I’m Irish)
Ty O'Grady and Nicole Mann
My Review

3. Messing With Mac
Thomas “Mac” Mackenzie and Taylor Wellington


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Stand Alones

Naughty But Nice (in the Bare Essentials duology)
My Review

Her Sexiest Mistake
My Review

Time Out
My Review

The Trouble With Paradise

The Heat Is On

Born on the 4th of July

“Bah Handsome!” (in the Kissing Santa Claus anthology)

Storm Watch

Aussie Rules

“All He Wants for Christmas” (in the Heating Up the Holidays) anthology)

“Finding Mr. Right” (in the Too All a Good Night anthology)

Get a Clue

Shadow Hawk

“Together Again?” (in the Jinxed! anthology)

“Ms. Humbug” (in The Night Before Christmas anthology)

Out Of This World

Just Try Me

“Fall From Grace” (in the Bad Boys Southern Style anthology)

Room Service

Velvet, Leather & Lace anthology

“Captivated” (in the Beach Blanket Bad Boys anthology)

“Nothing to Lose” (in the Dare Me anthology)

Free Fall

“Perilous Waters” (in the Men of Courage II anthology)

“Stranded!” (in the Men of Courage anthology)

Seduce Me

“The Road Home” (in the Mother, Please! anthology)

Come Fly With Me

Bared

Back in the Bedroom

Hero for Hire

“The Bachelor’s Bed” (in the In Name Only anthology)

Natural Blond Instincts

The Street Where She Lives

Trade Secrets

For the Love of Nick

Luke

“Love is In the Air” (in the Paris or Bust! anthology)

Serving Up Trouble

A Royal Mess/Her Night to Remember

Her Perfect Stranger

A Prince of a Guy

Aftershock

Blind Date Disasters/Eat Your Heart Out

Chance of Counter

Kiss Me, Katie!/Hug Me, Holly!

Out of the Blue

The Detective’s Undoing

New and…Improved?

Yours 2 Keep

Who’s the Boss?

The Rancher’s Surrender

Long-Lost Mom

Lean on Me

Hiding Out at the Circle C

Lover Come Back

The Harder They Fall

Show Me the Way

Ultimate Surrender

Tell Me No Lies

Charmed & Dangerous

Forgotten (written as Jill Sheldon)

Revenge is Sweet (written as Jill Sheldon)

Time to Trust (written as Jill Sheldon)

Summer of Fire (written as Jill Sheldon)


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Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://jillshalvis.com/

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Review: Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
Series: Lucky Harbor, Book 3
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780446571630
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
Jill Shalvis Reading Order

Of the three Traeger sisters, Chloe has always been known as the “wild child.” Trouble just seems to follow Chloe wherever she goes, but now that she lives in Lucky Harbor, every little mistake she makes lands her in the path of Sheriff Sawyer Thompson. Sawyer should be far too straight-laced to appeal to Chloe, but everything about the oh-so-sexy sheriff makes her want to wind up cuffed — to his bed, anyway. Has the wild child finally met her match?

Opposites attract in the energetic, charming Head Over Heels. Jill Shalvis set the bar high with her first two Lucky Harbor books, Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing, but Chloe’s story is every bit as good as her sisters’ books. I absolutely loved the free-spirited Chloe. She grew up constantly on the move and has a somewhat different take on life, love, and what it means to live than her sisters do. Almost nothing can slow her down (except for her asthma), but people tend to take Chloe at face value and not look any deeper, which made my heart break for her. It was a joy to watch Chloe come into her own in Head Over Heels — it was almost as fun as watching her fall for Sawyer. The sparks that fly between these two are red-hot and entertaining to boot. How could they not be, with as sexy a hero as Sawyer? The man may seem serious on the surface, but boy, oh boy, do still waters run deep. Sawyer is caring, considerate, and he truly sees Chloe. He’s almost too good to be true, but Ms. Shalvis never lets him enter into what I call “cardboard hero territory.” Sawyer’s got real flaws and has made plenty of mistakes, but his virtues outshine all that. He and Chloe fit like lock and key, which is one of the things I love about Head Over Heels. In fact, pretty much everything about Head Over Heels is delightful. It’s (at the risk of borrowing a different book’s title) simply irresistible.

Head Over Heels is the third book in Ms. Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, I dare readers who haven’t read Simply Irresistible and The Sweetest Thing to read Head Over Heels and not rush to read the first two books. In the Lucky Harbor series, the world Ms. Shalvis has created is so bright, so full of joy, laughter, and zaniness that it’s impossible to resist. I’m head over heels in love with the Lucky Harbor series and I can’t wait for the next book!

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Waiting on Wednesday: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

I love Julia Quinn's books and since reading book 1 of Smythe-Smith quartet, Just Like Heaven, I've been waiting for book 2, A Night Like This.

And if you like historical romance and haven't read Julia Quinn, definitely give her Bridgerton series a try!

Title: A Night Like This
Series: Smythe-Smith Quartet, Book 2
Author: Julia Quinn
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Julia Quinn Reading Order

Book Description (from Goodreads):

Three years ago, Daniel Smythe-Smith shot a man in a duel and was forced to flee the country. He used to be a devil-may-care charmer, but after three years of being quite literally hunted, he is wary and on edge. Now he's back in London and, on the night of his arrival, attends the annual Smythe-Smith musicale, where he notices that the young woman at the piano is definitely not his cousin. Anne Shawcross made a terrible mistake at the age of sixteen. Ruined by the son of the most important family in the district, she changed her last name and left home, eventually becoming the governess to the Earl of Pleinsworth's three daughters. When Sarah Pleinsworth takes ill the night of the musicale, Anne is asked to step in. Could Sarah be the woman to save Daniel and his wounded heart?

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm in the middle of a couple of books at the moment, but the two I'm switching back and forth between tonight are Zoë Archer's sci-fi romance, Collision Course, and the classic murder mystery, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

"Ambient light from the restless, lurid city filtered into the room. It traced the curves of her body, the angles on her face, finding a kind of poetry." - Collision Course by Zoë Archer, 53% on Kindle

"A startled look came into Tom's small eyes. Spade moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue and asked: 'Is that the hot tip that brought you here at this ungodly time of night?'" - The Maltese Falcion by Dashiell Hammett, page

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Review: A Clockwork Christmas by Stacy Gail, PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz, and JK Coi

A Clockwork Christmas by Stacy Gail, PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz, and JK Coi
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Steampunk Romance
ISBN: 9781426892752
Blue Ribbon Rating: 3 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link




CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET by Stacy Gail

Cornelia Peabody is the consummate thief. But after stealing a Fabergé egg from Roderick Coddington’s house, Cornelia finds herself in a world of trouble. She has seven days to retrieve the egg or she’ll die. The threat of death doesn’t rattle the professional thief, but the fact that Roderick may steal her heart most definitely does.

Author Stacy Gail brings a dark edge to the Christmas holiday in CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET. Roderick may toe the line close to villain territory at the beginning of the story – threatening the instantly likeable Cornelia with death isn’t the most endearing of introductions for a hero – but Ms. Gail slowly brought me around as I learned more about the clever professor. Cornelia and her inventions do tend to steal the show though, which is perhaps appropriate with a thief for a heroine. A healthy dose of sensuality rounds out the enemies-turned-lovers plot, making CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET a sexy seasonal story.


THIS WINTER HEART by PG Forte

Eight years ago, Ophelia’s husband Dario sent her back to her father after discovering that she wasn’t entirely human. Now that her father has died, Ophelia has no choice but to turn to Dario for aid. Dario’s anger at her return intensifies when he learns that Ophelia has a seven-year-old son she never told him about – one he doesn’t believe can be his. Ophelia knows that Dario once loved her…before he found out about her mechanical parts and started viewing her as a machine incapable of returning his love rather than a woman. Can she convince him that she’s far more human than he believes?

Estranged spouses and secret babies may be tried-and-true romance plots, but author PG Forte gives them her own dazzling, unique twist in THIS WINTER HEART. Ophelia wound her way around my heart almost immediately; and I found myself emotionally invested in her story, wanting Ophelia to find happiness. Dario, in turn, is a bit harder to like since he thinks of – or tries to think of – Ophelia as a thing, rather than a person, but Ms. Forte was able to make me follow his logic, even if I didn’t agree with it. I enjoyed watching Dario become the man worthy of Ophelia’s love, and ultimately I found THIS WINTER HEART to be a satisfying, original tale.


WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL by Jenny Schwartz

Australian heiress and suffragette Esme Smith needs a man. And not just any man, but a respectable scoundrel she can hire to represent her political party, the Women’s Advancement League. American inventor Jedediah Reeve seems to fit the bill perfectly. But as the political intrigue that Esme and Jed are involved in heats up, so does their connection. Will Esme fall for her scoundrel who may or may not be all that he seems?

WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL is light on both steam and steampunk devices, but it’s an interesting tale. Esme is a smart woman with a spine of steel, ready to go after what she wants. She doesn’t seem to want to depend on anyone, but thankfully, she’s not the type of heroine who turns away help just to make a point. Esme and Jed fit each other well on a number of levels, and the dynamic between them keeps WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL afloat when the plot slows down in a couple of places. I enjoyed the Australian setting; it was a nice change of pace since almost all of the steampunk stories I’ve read have taken place in England or America. All in all, WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL was an entertaining story.


FAR FROM BROKEN by JK Coi

Colonel Jasper Carlisle fell fast and hard for prima ballerina Callie and courted her until she agreed to be his wife. Their happiness comes crashing to a halt when Jasper’s enemies kidnap and torture Callie. By the time Jasper is able to find her, only a number of experimental surgeries can save her. But the surgeries leave Callie with a mechanical eye, hand and legs, making her feel like a stranger in her own body. Her anger at Jasper and his guilt at leaving her unprotected threaten to tear them apart. However, Jasper’s not about to give up on Callie or their marriage. He’ll prove to his wife that his love hasn’t changed, and he’ll regain her trust. But Jasper has to move quickly – his old enemies are back, and they’re determined to finish what they once started.

FAR FROM BROKEN is a heartbreaking story about two people finding each other once again. Callie has been through an unbelievable trauma that has left her physically and emotionally injured. Both Jasper and Callie’s true strength shows in how they come to connect with each other and the world around them. Though author JK Coi almost made me cry while reading FAR FROM BROKEN, I absolutely loved the story. The romance, character building, danger and steampunk elements all worked together flawlessly to create one fabulous story. I could go on, but suffice it to say that readers looking for a different kind of romance – one rich in both joy and tragedy – should read FAR FROM BROKEN.


A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS contains a quartet of unique steampunk romances. Each story is very different from the others, and I liked not knowing what to expect from one story to the next. The Christmas holiday isn’t really a big element in any of the stories in A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS, so readers are sure to enjoy this anthology all year long. Stacy Gail, PG Forte, Jenny Schwartz and JK Coi are all talented authors, and I look forward to reading more of their work.
Note: All the stories in A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS are also for sale as individual ebooks.

Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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Review: Slaves of Love by Opal Carew

Slaves of Love by Opal Carew
Publisher: Smashwords
Genre: Erotic Sci-Fi Romance
Blue Ribbon Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Original Review Link
Book Purchase Link

Having finally returned to his home planet, Keern didn’t expect to find a naked woman swimming in a pond on his land as a homecoming. Shena was almost too perfect to be real, and Keern found himself falling in love with her from the start.

And then she betrayed him.

Now Shena is being sold as a sex slave, and Keern has the perfect opportunity for revenge. He’ll buy her, use her and rid himself of his desire for her. But from the moment he sees her again, nothing goes according to plan. Keern finds that he can’t harm Shena, no matter what she’s done. Yet how can he trust the woman whose lies wrecked his family? Perhaps there’s more to Shena’s story than Keern knows...

Lust, betrayal, heartbreak and second chances are at the forefront of the erotic adventure, SLAVES OF LOVE. Shena and Keern are two people who are clearly made for each other, but the treachery of others threatens to ruin them both. While SLAVES OF LOVE is clearly a romance, author Opal Carew definitely had me guessing as to how things would work out for Keern and Shena.

In SLAVES OF LOVE, Ms. Carew isn’t afraid to go dark – something I appreciated given the gravity of Shena’s situation. Shena’s been victimized her entire life, but it never breaks her spirit and in showing part of what she has to deal with, Ms. Carew only increases my respect for Shena. Keern, in turn, could have easily entered villain territory. Yet, at his core he’s a good person, and I was able to trust that his character and his love for Shena would pull him away from the darkness.

Ms. Carew’s signature sensuality heats up SLAVES OF LOVE, which should make the story a delight for fans of erotic romance. Aside from one scene which seemed out of place, I enjoyed the sizzling encounters in SLAVES OF LOVE. But most of all, what drew me to SLAVES OF LOVE were Shena and Keern. I adored these two together, and their love story made SLAVES OF LOVE a genuinely satisfying read.


Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here with permission from Romance Junkies.

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