Stacking the Shelves - Episode 4, 2015

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 apparently binged on freebies from Amazon, plus a few extra paperbacks and maybe one or two more books for review....

Note: All blurbs are straight from Goodreads.

 If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries

The heir presumptive to the Viscount Rathmoor, Dominick Manton once had his heart’s desire within reach—a bright future as a barrister and engagement to Jane Vernon, a wealthy baron’s daughter. Then a shattering betrayal by his vindictive brother George snatched away Dom’s inheritance and his hopes of offering Jane a secure future. Brokenhearted, and attempting to end their engagement without destroying Jane’s reputation, Dom staged a betrayal of his own to convince her that he’s not the husband-to-be that she thought.

Now George is gone and the viscountcy restored to Dom, since his brother’s widow, Nancy—Jane’s cousin and closest confidant—never bore an heir. But when Nancy goes missing, a panicked Jane calls on her former fiancé to track down her cousin. Dom knows the mistakes of the past may be unforgiveable—but now, entangled together in mystery and danger, will they rekindle a passionate longing that was never lost to begin with?

Chelsea's Thoughts: I cannot resist Jeffries.

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancée, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn'tlove her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him. 

Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.

Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . . 

Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . . 

Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

Chelsea's Thoughts: I cannot resist James. Also, I'm going to host a week of Cinderella-themed books (February 9-13) and needed to fill out the roster....

River Road  by Jayne Ann Krentz

It’s been thirteen years since Lucy Sheridan was in Summer River. The last time she visited her aunt Sara there, as a teenager, she’d been sent home suddenly after being dragged out of a wild party—by the guy she had a crush on, just to make it more embarrassing. Obviously Mason Fletcher—only a few years older but somehow a lot more of a grown-up—was the overprotective type who thought he had to come to her rescue.

Now, returning after her aunt’s fatal car accident, Lucy is learning there was more to the story than she realized at the time. Mason had saved her from a very nasty crime that night—and soon afterward, Tristan, the cold-blooded rich kid who’d targeted her, disappeared mysteriously, his body never found.

A lot has changed in thirteen years. Lucy now works for a private investigation firm as a forensic genealogist, while Mason has quit the police force to run a successful security firm with his brother—though he still knows his way around a wrench when he fills in at his uncle’s local hardware store. Even Summer River has changed, from a sleepy farm town into a trendy upscale spot in California’s wine country. But Mason is still a protector at heart, a serious (and seriously attractive) man. And when he and Lucy make a shocking discovery inside Sara’s house, and some of Tristan’s old friends start acting suspicious, Mason’s quietly fierce instincts kick into gear. He saved Lucy once, and he’ll save her again. But this time, she insists on playing a role in her own rescue . . 

Chelsea's Thoughts: I also cannot resist Krentz. I grabbed this in paperback and already read it - quality-wise, I'd say it's in line with books being pumped out by this super-prolific romance authors: not amazing, but solid, slightly familiar but comfortable for it rather than boring.

Now, all the books I grabbed as freebies on Amazon (with links to Amazon.ca pages rather than Goodreads):

Teacher Beware (A Grace Ellery Romantic Suspense Book 1)
Charlotte Raine

Love Handles (A Romantic Comedy) (Oakland Hills Book 1)
Gretchen Galway

Leather and Lace (Lonesome Point Texas Book 1)
Jessie Evans

Maids of Misfortune: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery (Victorian San Francisco Story Book 1)
M. Louisa Locke

Tuesday's Child (Psychic Visions)
Dale Mayer

Someone Else's Fairytale
E.M. Tippetts

Damian (The Heartbreaker, #1)
Jessica Wood

Before Midnight: A Romantic Retelling of Cinderella (Blood Prince Series Book 1)
Jennifer Blackstream

Obviously most of these were freebies because they start a series and the authors are hoping to hook readers. Fine by me - I'm always looking for new authors to binge read!

Now my books for review:

Jinn and Juice by Nicole Peeler

Cursed to be a jinni for a thousand years, Leila nears the end of her servitude—only to be bound once again against her will. Will she risk all to be human?

Born in ancient Persia, Leila turned to her house Jinni, Kouros, for help escaping an arranged marriage. Kouros did make it impossible for her to marry—by cursing Leila to live a thousand years as a Jinni herself.

If she can remain unBound, Leila's curse will soon be over. But Ozan Sawyer, a Magi with the ability to See, Call, and Bind jinn has other plans. 
Oz needs Leila to help him penetrate Pittsburgh's steel-soaked magic, a juice potent but poisonous to supernatural creatures, in order to find a missing girl with her own mysterious connection to Kouros. Unfortunately for Leila, becoming Bound to Oz may risk more than just her chance to be human once more—it could risk her very soul...

Jinn and Juice is the first in a new series by fantasy writer, Nicole Peeler, set in a world of immortal curses, powerful jinni and belly dancing.

Chelsea's Thoughts: I requested this one a little bit impulsively, and then it took so long for my request to be approved that I figured I was being turned down. My fingers are crossed that this is an awesome book. The cover reminds me of Johanna Lindsey's books from the early 90s which makes me feel nostalgic....

Not a Fairy Tale by Romy Sommer

And the award goes to…

Not Nina Alexander that’s for sure. With her best gracious loser face firmly in place, Hollywood’s hottest starlet is hoping to end her evening of disappointment with a graceful exit stage left. Only an unexpected proposal and an awkward wardrobe malfunction mean that this is certainly going to be a night to remember… for all the wrong reasons! So what girl would resist the gorgeous Dominic Kelly coming to her rescue?! Especially when he’s whisking her out of the paparazzi’s prying eyes on the back of his motorbike – and wearing a tux to rival James Bond!

Nina soon realises that the only way to recover from such a scandal is to toughen up and snag the role of the decade in the year’s hottest YA screen adaptation. Who better to train her than her very own professional stuntman? Getting up close and personal with Dom will take Nina well out of her comfort zone – both professionally and in her closely scrutinized private life. But this A-list couple know only too well that’s it not all happy ever afters in Hollywood…

Chelsea's Thoughts: Have to say that with all my hunting for Cinderella adaptations, seeing a book called Not a Fairy Tale made me chuckle, so I had to request it!

I'm already up to 26 books read for 2015, so I don't feel so bad about picking up so many books this week.... At least most of them were free?

That's it for me this week. What's on your list this week?