What Did I Receive?

I never thought this day would come... But it has! What day is that, you may be asking? Well, I'll enlighten you, shall I? (If you can't tell, I am just a wee bit excited, if that clues you in any!) From the first day I started this blog, I dreamed of it one day becoming as grand as a lot of my favorite blogs that I visit: a place where readers come to visit and chat, to read my reviews and rambles and just have fun. But not only that, I dreamed of a day when I too would be able to post and say 'Hey, look what I won/received to read!'. And I am proud to say that that day has finally arrived! Yes, my friends, today I received a big brown package on my doorstep. And what should be inside of that wonderful box? Why, four newly released romance novels for me to review! Now, if I had bought this books, well, it wouldn't be quiet so big of a deal for me. But no, these books came to me...FREE OF CHARGE. I won't go into details, but to briefly explain, I contact a publisher and asked if they would be interested (and kind enough!) to send a few books my way to review. I wasn't expecting a reply back, little loan one that said anything besides 'Sorry, but no!', so you can imagine my surprise when the very next day, someone answered back and said that they had a few books that were either coming out or that had just came out and wanted to know if they could send them my way. Needless to say, I wrote back quickly with my answer: YES! So here is the first of (I hope) many posts showing what books I received to review this week. I realize that this may be a fluke, at least until I get a bigger following, etc, on here where more publishers would be willing to send free books my way, but still, it's a step up, even if it's only a small one! What I Received:

Flirting With Temptation by Kelley St. John (Chick Lit)

Babette Robinson changes careers and lovers as easily as she changes hairstyles. But after losing her last job, she's beginning to see that her feather-to-the-wind mentality can be unsatisfying in the long run. She's been helping a string of friends solve their relationship problems, and when one pal points out to Babette that she could make a career out of curing people's romantic ills, she decides to dub herself "The Love Doctor" -- a match-mender-for-hire.

Living in Birmingham, Alabama, with its elite class of wealthy women, Babette has access to the ideal clientele, including the well-known Birmingham socialite Kitty Carelle. Having unceremoniously dumped her lover, Kitty now regrets her hasty decision and wants him back. Trouble is, the man Kitty seeks to recapture is none other than Jeff Eubanks -- Babette's ex! The carefree Babette of three years ago had written him off with a shrug, yet now she can't help remembering that he did give her the absolute best sex of her life...not to mention his charm, good looks, and brains

Kill for Me by Karen Rose (Romantic Suspense)

Five teenage girls have been murdered. One survived, and only she can reveal the secrets of a disturbing ring of people who kidnap and sell teenage girls on the black market. But those responsible for the crimes will do whatever it takes to maintain her silence.

Susannah Vartanian and Luke Papadopoulos have both sworn to stop the murderers for their own reasons. Susannah, the sister of the hero in SCREAM FOR ME, suffers from a mysterious past that is connected to the sinister black market. Luke is an investigative agent and a computer expert who refuses to let another child predator get away.

Susannah and Luke are instantly attracted to each other, but their troubled pasts prevent them from immediately acting upon their feelings. The case will lead them to the shady realm of Internet chat rooms, where anyone can mask their identity. As Susannah and Luke draw closer to the criminals, they discover a chain of deception so intricate they don't know who to trust. Susannah and Luke find comfort in one another's arms, but the killers are ruthless and determined, and will take extreme measures to insure their anonymity and keep their business intact.

Marked by Passion by Kate Perry (Paranormal Romance)

In this sexy but frustrating paranormal romance, the ancient and powerful Chinese scroll of Earth couldn't have found a more unwelcoming new Guardian than Gabrielle Sansouci Chin, a San Francisco free spirit who tends bar to support her painting career. Unfortunately, her title is inherited, so upon her father's death she gets the scroll. In spite of a sudden infusion of scary, unfocused power, the appeals of her dead father's spirit and the arrival of sexy treasure-hunter Rhys Llewellyn, Gabe dodges responsibility until nearly the end of the book, repeatedly-and repetitively-ignoring clues about the danger closing in on her and the patently obvious machinations of the villain. Perry's breezy writing style and steamy love scenes may carry some readers along, but most will feel like they're driving a car that's stuck in first gear

Seeing Red by Susan Crandhall (Romantic Suspense)

When teen Ellis Greene's cousin Laura was kidnapped and assaulted, Ellis bravely defied family who wanted to blame Laura's impoverished would-be boyfriend, Nate, and testified against the real culprit, Hollis Alexander. Now out on parole, Hollis bribes journalist Wayne Carr into reinvestigating the case and attacks the emotionally fragile Greene family. Nate comes back to sleepy Belle Island, S.C., and is drawn to Ellis, now a schoolteacher who's unable to open up to her longtime boyfriend, Rory. Yet the chain of events is not as obvious as everyone once thought, and the discoveries Ellis and Nate stumble on are likely to get them killed. Crandall keeps the tale taut and twisty, drawing a persuasive picture of a family distorted by unhealed grief and unrevealed secrets

Wow. Pretty good haul, for my first time!

Thanks again, Hachette Book Group!

Also, just thought I mention that either tomorrow or early next week I am expecting two more books, both of them are ones that I won in contests this past week. (I must be having some amazing luck, winning two contests so close together! One thing's for certain, I doubt it will happen again for a loooong time!). Those two books are:

Eternal by Cynthia Leitch Smith (Young Adult Fantasy)

and

Ride the Fire by Pamela Clare (Historical Romance)

Thanks again, Cynthia and Barbara for hosting those contests!

Okay, okay, enough 'subtle' bragging/happy time for me. I've got to run, get dinner started, and while the meat's cooking, I'm going to hurry and finish my current read, Desperately Seeking a Duke by Celeste Bradley so that I can start on Flirting Temptation. Chick Lit/Contemporaries are not usually my type, as I've said before, but I figure that I'll start there. Expect a review for it sometime this weekend or, at the latest, next week.

Hope everyone has a weekend. Thank God Tomorrows Friday!

~TBQ~