The Wolf Who Loved Me

What The Wolf Who Loved Me is about:


Lady Madeline has money problems...specifically she has so much of it that she's dogged by fortune hunters, including her bewildering attractive, penniless neighbor, with his wild nature and uncouth manners.
Weston Hadley has an identity crises....specifically, he's just turned into a wolf while Madeline was watching. Now it's up to the regal lady to tame the wild beast...if she can...

When Lydia Dare (writing team of Tammy Falkner and Ava Stone) released her newest creation, I knew that I had to read it because I loved the Regency Vampyre Trilogy so much!! I was not disappointed one bit with this story and gobbled it up in just a few days! I love the characters that this duo brings to the pages and I honestly can say that it was very easy for me to conjure up specific images of them in my mind while reading about their fantastic adventures!! The male leads are always these strong and virile men, but they also have that hint of vulnerability that makes you immediately fall in love with them!! Madeline is sassy and starts to really come into her own during the book and I love her innocence when she and Weston finally become "married"!

Recommend? If you're looking for a fun paranormal regency romance then look no further than Lydia Dare's entire booklist!! Even though this was number five in the Westfield Wolves series, I really feel that it can be a stand-alone without having to start at the beginning! (I know..I never read out-of-order! and truth be told, I had no idea this was number 5 until I was done!!).

Author: Lydia Dare
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  April 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.

Review Book #14
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission. 

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

What Mariana is about:
The first time Julia Beckett saw Greywethers she was only five, but she knew that it was her house. And now that she's at last become its owner, she suspects that she was drawn there for a reason. As if Greywethers were a portal between worlds, she finds herself transported into seventeenth-century England, becoming Mariana, a young woman struggling against danger and treachery, and battling a forbidden love. Each time Julia travels back, she becomes more enthralled with the past..until she realizes Mariana's life is threatening to eclipse her own, and she must find a way to lay the past to rest or lose the chance for happiness in her own time.

I can't begin to adequately put into words how much I loved this book! Kearsley rivals Gabaldon's skills when it comes to time travel written so eloquently. I started this book early on a Tuesday morning and couldn't stop reading it until I had finished the final sentence later that evening. Every part of me was rebelling against finishing it because frankly, I did not want it to end...EVER! I loved all of the characters in this story and the setting was something that just screamed ENGLAND and history! I was captivated by the plot and how effortlessly the two stories were intertwined to make such a cohesive and compelling read. I found myself sighing more than once when it came to the romantic parts of the story. The author gives you just enough to savor and left me totally satisfied with the ending. There wasn't one part of this book that I didn't enjoy.


Recommend? Absolutely..YES times one hundred gazillion! Okay...I'm a bit crazy, but how else can I convey how wonderful this book is to my fellow book lovers? Kearsley is easily a favorite author of mine and she just can't write fast enough for me. Each book she has written has been outstanding and she amazes me again and again with her imagination and uncanny ability to ink characters and places that I instantly fall in love with! Treat yourself to this book...you will not be disappointed!


Author: Susanna Kearsley
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Historical fiction/Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  April 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

Review Book #13
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly

What Mr. Darcy Forever is about:
Estranged sisters Sarah and Mia Castle have spent a lifetime fighting over the men in their lives. They finally begin to make amends at the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England. During the festival, the sisters realize that they can't bear to be apart. They discover that their sisterhood forms a bond stronger than their mutual connection as Jane Austen addicts. And in true Jane Austen fashion, they each begin to lose their hearts to dashing gentlemen

"I think you're right,' Shelley said.  'Why is life a constant disappointment?' "Because we read fiction,' Mia said, and Shelley nodded, knowing it was true.~location 780 on my Kindle

This has to be one of the most enjoyable P&P variations that I've read in a long time. I was captivated by the contemporary feel of the story, yet at times I felt as if I was back in Austen's day walking alongside her while she was in Bath.  The sister's storyline was almost parallel to Marianne and Elinor's from Sense and Sensibility which was another added bonus to reading this book because S&S has to be one of my absolute favorites of Austen's works. There wasn't a dull moment and I found myself laughing, sighing, and every once in a while a bit sad.

Recommend? For those that love Austen and can't get enough of the variations of her books this is a must read! But I also think it's a great story about sisters and that bond that can never really be broken. It really is a good choice for anyone who loves a great love story and who wants to just get lost in the pages of  the lives of likable characters!

Author: Victoria Connelly
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: P&P Variation/Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  April 1, 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.
Book Review #9
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission. 

Irish Lady by Jeanette Baker

Synopsis:
A successful attorney in a posh London neighborhood, Megann McCarthy thought she'd escaped the slums of Belfast forever. Until Michael Devlin needs her help. Years before, her love for the Irish charmer had nearly torn her apart, but not he's part of a past she never wants to revisit. However, she an't leave him defenseless against a murder charge-even if uncovering the truth puts her life in danger too.


She'll risk everything to save Michael- and she's not the first of her family to put it all on the line for a man she loves. As Meghann delves further into Michael's case, further in the history that binds them so irrevocably, she slips into the unfolding drama of centuries before...of another woman's desperate fight to free her rebel husband from the clutches of Queen Elizabeth. Stakes are high, but the reward is the love of a lifetime. And the Irish never give up.


I love anything Irish and this book is no exception! I was held captive within the pages of this story over the course of a week and each time I had to close my Kindle I was anxious to get back to these characters. I thought Baker did a beautiful job using  the supernatural element within the context of the story. I believed that a past ancestor, Nuala, came forward to the present through the mists to help guide Meghann as she fought for the freedom of Michael. It made perfect sense because Ireland is steeped in mystery and folk-lore.  I loved the history lessons within the pages and found myself making so many notes and then looking up the information. The love story unfolded gently and that too was very real and believable. 


This author has not steered me wrong yet and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her books and especially this one to any of my friends. I would, however, tell you to read the glossary terms in the back of the book before you start! I am not knowledgable at all in regards to the struggle between the Catholics , Protestants, and the British state. Nor did I know much about the IRA, Sinn Fein,  and Belfast RUC.  And believe me, you have to know a bit more than U2's Bloody Sunday song so getting a little background information doesn't hurt. 


Author: Jeanette Baker
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical fiction/Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  January 1, 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

Review Book #3
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

My first DNF in over two years!

Synopsis:
Joe has a beautiful house, a great job, no commitments - and he likes it like that. All he needs is a quiet house-sitter for his rambling old place by the sea. When Tess turns up on his doorstep, he’s not sure she’s right for the job. Where has she come from in such a hurry? Her past is a blank and she’s a bit of an enigma. But there’s something about her - even though sparks fly every time they meet. 
And it looks like she’s here to stay


Well, this one sure didn't go as planned. The synopsis sounded great and the setting was one that I would like to run off to. But the book in action was just not working for me. When I went back over to Goodreads to mark it as a DNF, I started to read what others thought about this book and I found out that the author just writes organically without a plan. Um, I wish I would've known that earlier because then the crazy writing would have actually made sense. She doesn't use tenses correctly and sometimes she shows up as the narrator. All in all, it boils down to confusing and frustrating.

I haven't given up on a book in over two years, friends! But lately I've been feeling that I'm reading too much for others and not enough for myself. So, I put it down because I have so many other great books waiting for me and I had already given this one 3 days that I can never get back! Ugh!

I may pick it up again....maybe this summer? maybe not, but guess what? I feel absolutely no stress about not finishing it. That in and of itself is progress baby!!!

Author: Freya North
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: British Chick Lit
Pages: 498
Published:  January 1, 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Landmark/NetGalley for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

Review Book #1
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.