It's Monday! What I'm reading...

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. It is a time when we share what we've read, currently reading, or what is up next on our reading list.

Finished:


Slave (Finding Anna #1) by Sherri Hayes. See my review.

Stephan has lived the lifestyle of a Dominant for five years. After several rebellious teenage years, it gave him the stability and control he had been seeking after his parent’s death.

As president of a not-for-profit foundation, he knows what his future holds and what he wants out of life. All that changes when a simple lunch with his college friend and Mentor, Darren, leads him to buying a slave.

Thrust into a situation he never thought he’d be in, Stephan can’t walk away. He is compelled to help this girl in the only way he knows how.

Brianna knows only one thing, she is a slave. She has nothing. She is nothing.

Can Stephan help Brianna realize that she is much more than just a Slave? From Goodreads.com

 


We, Robots by Sue Lange

Avey, a personal robot purchased as a companion for a child, must learn how to think like a human. From Goodreads.com

Currently Reading:


Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister #1)

Joan Sanderson's life is stuck.

When a hunky young doctor moves in next door, Joan sets out to catch his eye. But it won't be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly, and Joan is sure that she can't compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, Joan begins to find her way out of this rut and into the life she's been hiding from.

Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family, and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is stuck at home with Mom and her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement--or romance.

Book 1 of the Sister-to-Sister series, Stuck in the Middle combines budding romance, soul searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry that is sure to make you smile. From Goodreads.com

 
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens (Completed by David Madden)

Too Tempting: Slave

Slave (Finding Anna) by Sherri Hayes
paperback, 267 pages
Published July 2011 by The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
ISBN 9781612130484
Read November 2011

The publishing house I work for sent me some of their damaged stock to see if I could figure out what to do with it. I knew some of the books are missing pages and I have a cool idea for them (I just hope it turns out as well as it does in my head). So I was flipping through the books in the box to see which ones where cosmetically damaged and which where missing pages. Slave was in the box. And it was too tempting not to sit down and read it. So that's what I've done for the past 5 hours. (It's Saturday; I can be lazy!)

I first learned of Sherri's writing in our online writing community about 2 years or so ago. She was working on this story. I was intrigued because as you know I have an affinity for books about troubled people - if the character has been kidnapped, abused, suffers from mental illness, then I have to read it. Sherri took an extra step with hers and placed her troubled heroine in the world of BDSM. I'm a bit fascinated with the lifestyle. Not so much for the kinky sex, but the deep emotional connection the partners have with one another.

Outside of some kissing and a few mentions of masturbation, there is no sex in this romance novel. It was all about the two main characters learning to communicate and connect with one another. However, this is just book one of the series, so I can imagine that it could get rather steamy in future books.

Like I said I read a draft of this story through our writer's group, but as it is meant to be a forum to explore your creativity and hone skills often the finished product is quite different than where it started. Though the general back bone remained in tack, the fleshing out of the story was quite well done. Many of the questions readers in the writing group where left with were addressed in this published version. Like I said, it's a series and so not everything was answered. But I was quite satisfied. I was happy to see a particular part near the end. It was something that was not included in the original draft and many readers were upset about it.

As it is the publishing house I work for who published Slave, I have read many reviews. Some readers seemed upset about the ending. I thought that it was a great ending. It it tied up some of the story lines presented in the book, while at the same time setting the stage for the next chapter in Brianna's and Stephen's lives.

GoodReads Choice Awards 2011

Yesterday Goodreads.com announced their nominees for their 2011 Choice Awards. A few books that I have reviewed made the shortlist in their respective categories and many more that I've not read but want to! I'm also excited as a book published by my publisher made the short list in Best Romance.

The winners are chosen by public vote and you can even do a write in vote if your favorite isn't listed.

See my reviews of shortlisted titles:

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

My write in vote for Favorite Book: Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Now go vote for yours!

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Favorite Book of 2011 Vote now for your favorite books!