My TBR List ~ March ~ Polling is Open!

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. I think it's a fabulous idea because it gets y'all in the game and it helps me knock off some of the many, many books on my TBR list. You're more than welcome to join in the fun! I've included the basic rules below but you can click on the graphic above to hop over to Michelle's site where you can find all the details. 

Here's how it works:
On the first Saturday of each month, I will make a post with three books from my TBR List (these books can be already on your ereader or bookshelf OR books you might want to purchase) and add your link on the linky that will be provided on Michelle's post. Y'ALL will help me choose which book I will read next. The following Saturday, I will announce which book won. Then the last Saturday of the month, I'll post my review.

Fun, right?!?

***

I'm continuing my quest, and working at one of my Bookish Resolutions to catch up on series (since I'm behind in 148 series) I'm once again having y'all decide which series I'm going to work at catching up on this month! :D

FYI, this will be my theme all year. And since I'm letting random.org choose from the list of series I'm behind in, you might see books show up more than once. ;)


Your Choices Are:


Embraced by Darkness
Riley Jenson #5

Synopsis
She's hunting a killer--and shattering every boundary she's ever known...

Part vamp, part werewolf, Riley Jenson plays by her own rules, whether it's her stormy love life or her job as a guardian. But when her family's alpha male demands that she solve the mystery of a vanished girl, Riley can feel a trap closing in around her. Because the job comes with a catch: if Riley fails, her own mother will die.

Now the stakes are raised, the hunt is on...and when more women vanish, Riley is caught between a lover who demands that she give up her work, a serial killer who knows no boundaries, and a club where humans and supernaturals mix--at their own peril. Thrust into a realm of seduction and violence unlike any she could have imagined, Riley has to battle to save everything she holds dear. But the ultimate hunt has only just begun...



The Duchess War
Brothers Sinister #1
(I started this series with #0.5, The Governess Affair)

Synopsis
Sometimes love is an accident.

Time time, it's a strategy.

Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.

But that is precisely what she gets.

Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...




Crash into You
Pushing the Limits #3

Synopsis
The girl with straight A's and the perfect life--that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker - a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.



Okay, now vote! And thanks! :D


Create your own user feedback survey

#COYER & #ShelfLove Review ~ The Governess Affair ~ Courtney Milan

The Governess Affair
Brothers Sinister #0.5
Release Date: April 21, 2012
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Purchased on B&N
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
She will not give up...

Three months ago, governess Serena Barton was let go from her position. Unable to find new work, she's demanding compensation from the man who got her sacked: a petty, selfish, swinish duke. But it's not the duke she fears. It's is merciless man of business--the man known as the Wolf of Clermont. The formidable former pugilist has a black reputation for handling all the duke's dirty business, and when the duke turns her case over to him, she doesn't stand a chance. But she can't stop trying--not with her entire future at stake.

He cannot give in...

Hugo Marshall is a man of ruthless ambition--a characteristic that has served him well, elevating the coal miner's son to the right hand man of a duke. When his employer orders him to get rid of the pestering governess by fair means or foul, it's just another day at the office. Unfortunately, fair means don't work on Serena, and as he comes to know her, he discovers that he can't bear to use foul ones. But everything he has worked for depends upon seeing her gone. He'll have to choose between the life that he needs, and the woman he is coming to love...

I read this book as part of Lexxie's COYER Mini-Challenge 3 Historical Romances in 3 Weeks. I'd had it on my shelf since March, 2013.

***

Ah, I believe I have developed a tendre for Mr. Marshall. What a sweet, tender man, in the body of a cunning and ruthless man. And Serena - how could you not pull for this plucky young woman? A woman determined not to let circumstances, those beyond her control, dictate her future.

Serena and Hugo meet under duress. Serena has found herself in a predicament compliments of the Duke of Clermont. She demands he make amends for a transgression. However, the Duke doesn't want to concede, as his Duchess is already out-of-sorts over his behavior. Hugo works for the Duke--he solves his problems--by any means necessary. In this case, he doesn't wish to resort to his usual ruthless ways. So he sets about getting rid of Serena in a more pedestrian manner. The problem for Hugo is, in Serena he's met his match.

This story was delightful. Although only ~100 pages, Ms. Milan did an excellent job in setting up the world and developing her characters. The banter between Hugo and Serena was so playful. I did a lot of cheering and sighing. This was my first read from Ms. Milan and I enjoyed the introduction. I'm eager to see if all her stories are as captivating as this one.

~~Favorite Quotes~~

"Mr. Marshall, she wrote, I am delighted that you are delighted that I am delighted with my new home. Can I predict the substance of your next missive? That you are delighted that I am delighted that you are delighted, et cetera. I have saved up both a great deal of postage and awkward conversation. If we keep this up, we shall quickly run through our ink." -Serena

***

"You are too kind."
"No, I'm not," he contradicted. "I'm deliberately confusing you out of a desire to assuage my own meager excuse for a conscience. To add to my sins, defiance of all society's rules, I wish to become better acquainted with you. Don't imaging there's anything akin to kindness behind my selfish behavior." -Serena & Hugo