Stacking the Shelves - August 2, 2014

Stacking the Shelves is an awesome meme hosted by Tynga's Review.

Bloggers share the books they've received, bought, borrowed - and I collect more and more books for my 'must acquire' list.

This week I'm focusing on books that I've received for review over the last two weeks:

The Wager by Lily Maxton

London, 1818
 Anne Middleton never plays by the rules. She is willful when she should be obedient and unabashed when she should be decorous. Worse still, she can never resist a good wager... or a very naughty book. And Confessions of a Courtesan is about as sensational and risque as a book can be. Michael Grey - Earl of Thornhill - had once courted Anne's sweet and modest sister. But whilst Anne is certainly no lady of decorum, her bold impulsiveness slips through his armor, and propriety is forgotten. Now he too is immersed in the book of forbidden delights, where each page is an invitation to sin and a guide to pleasures unknown... Roused by heady desire, Michael tempts Anne in a way she cannot resist - a wager. Thus begins a game of chance, where coins have been replaced by a currency that is far more illicit. And the stakes of seduction are dangerous indeed... A Scandalous Novella

Chelsea's Thoughts: I like Entangled, who published this one, and any story that involves a book deserves at least first (and probably second) look.

Exchange of Fire by P. A. DePaul

 Faking her death was easy, living with her past is harder, but nothing is more dangerous than falling in love… 

Sandra Walsh was a deadly sniper for the Sweet Briar Group, a covert agency with assassins for hire, until her last mission went horribly wrong, accidentally killing an innocent girl. Knowing she’s a danger to her team, Sandra goes off the grid, becoming a Shade—an agent declared dead but secretly hiding among the living. She intends to honor her vow never to pull another trigger or have contact with the spy world again. Until she meets Casper Grady…

Grady is a former Marine with a troubled past and a debt to pay. His life mission has gone from protecting the nation to helping local children and their families. The moment he meets Sandra, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye, but he can’t help but be drawn to the mysterious femme fatale. And when Sandra’s past suddenly catches up to her, Grady is determined to protect her at all costs, no matter how dark and dangerous her secrets are.

As the danger increases, so does their intense attraction. But when they’re forced to choose between each other and the people they’ve sworn to protect, their growing love might not be enough to keep them together—or alive…

Chelsea's Thoughts: A 'Shade' who meets and falls for a guy named Casper? Come on! I have to check it out. Plus there's something about the cover that really calls to me - maybe it's the fading on the colours, or just that sweaty/shiny chest....

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga 

 What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Chelsea's Thoughts: You might have read that description and wondered, Gee, that doesn't sound like To Each Our Own Reviews' normal fare - and you would be right! I picked this one up on a complete whim, and I've already read it (review on August 5th!). Spoiler alert: I *LOVE* this book. 

The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell by Stacy Reid

With a longing for adventure, the last thing Phillipa Pippiwell wants is to marry. After a painful betrayal by a man she trusted, she is wary when she unwittingly catches the attention of roguishly handsome - and sinfully tempting - Lord Anthony Thornton. Forbidden desires she secretly yearns for threaten to crumble her icy facade and reveal a past scandal best kept buried.

Dissatisfied with his empty life, Lord Anthony seeks a deep and lasting connection... and finds himself intrigued by the Ice Maiden of the haute monde. Undaunted by Phillipa's aloof nature and her distaste for the idea of matrimony, he sets out to thaw the bewitching beauty by enticing her with adventures of the most sensual type. But he, too, hides a scandalous secret... and if it's discovered it could rip them apart.


Chelsea's Thoughts: A woman with a reputation she's cultivated but probably doesn't deserve intrigues me. As long as Miss Peppiwell turns out to be a strong character and the determined Lord Anthony isn't a jerk, I could really enjoy this one. Plus, again, Entangled. I've had good luck with this publisher...

Love Bites by Ophelia London

Falling in love is like swimming with sharks…

Sharona Blaire is only in Australia for a business audit, but she’s determined to make the most of her one free night. So when she spills her drink on a handsome stranger and they end up flirting, she does something completely out of character—she kisses him. But the prospect of taking it further totally freaks her out…almost as much as discovering the next morning that the man she’s auditing is the sexy, tanned stranger she left with zero explanation. 

An audit during his crew’s most important expedition yet is a complication marine biologist Jeff Cruz doesn't need—especially when the auditor is the gorgeous, fascinating woman from the night before. Out at sea with nowhere to run, he’s forced to admit Sharona draws him in like a shark to blood. But Jeff's one passion is his job, and nothing—not even love—will get its hooks in him...

Chelsea's Thoughts: I read and reviewed Ophelia London's delightful Pride and Prejudice adaptation Definitely, Maybe In Love last November and loved it. I'm always intrigued by the question of what happens when you have to face your one-night stand - whom you still lust for! - in a more normal setting.

Summer at Castle Stone by Lynn Marie Hulsman

This summer, lose your heart in Ireland…

Shayla Sheridan’s a New York native born into big city luxury, but she’s never really fitted in with the “it” crowd. Desperate to make it as a writer and to finally step out from her famous father’s shadow, Shayla decides to take on a tricky assignment across the pond…

Swapping skyscrapers and heels for wellies and the heart of the Irish countryside, Shayla must go about ghost-writing a book of recipes by the notoriously reclusive and attractive head chef of Castle Stone, Tom O’Grady.

The only problem? He has no idea that she’s writing it.


Chelsea's Thoughts: This one looked like some fun chick lit fare. I'm reading it at the time of writing this post and it's mostly living up to that charge (as contemporary romance, it's very, very slow, so chick lit seems the better genre fit).  I'm a huge fan of Ireland conceptually, and while the implication of deception in the blurb makes me a bit nervous, a ghost writer combined with a sexy chef sounds pretty darn good to me.

I'll be back next week with books I've picked up this past week and next (hint: mostly Amazon freebies!). 

What have you picked up in the last week? Link me your STS post and share your most treasured addition in the comments!