In My Mailbox (33)

This weekly meme that gives you a look at my latest book haul is all thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren, the host, and Alea of Pop Culture Junkie, the inspiration.

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I got a ridiculous amount of books this week (mostly because I went ebook and audiobook crazy!) so, instead of tediously listing and linking to all of them, I'll just feature one from each category.

Bought:

How to Woo a Spinster by Kasey Michaels (ebook)

How to Woo a Spinster -- a Daughtry family prequel

Still unmarried at twenty-eight, Lady Emmaline Daughtry has resigned herself to spinsterhood. Then Captain John Alistair arrives at her door--the very image of the perfect lover of her most private dreams. But can a man with a secret and a woman who's never known love find happiness when they least expect to?

I had previously bought this one but I recently lost the ebook file. This novella is very sweet and sensual - definitely worth the re-buy.

Won:

A signed copy of How to Knit a Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway (from Christie Ridgway and RR@H Novel Thoughts)

The beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe is the perfect place for L.A.’s hip young crowd to enjoy colorful yarn and intimate conversation. For personal chef Nikki Carmichael, it could be the softest place to land if her new job falls through. Working for magazine writer Jay Buchanan has come with some strange conditions—like pretending to be his girlfriend. As for Jay, he finds himself drawn to the kitchen, where he’s intrigued by his sexy cook’s ability to withstand the heat between them. And now he thinks it’s time to turn up the flames.

I'm particularly excited about this one because I've been craving a good contemporary romance and I've heard good things about Ridgway.

For Review:

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex

In this wonderfully transporting novel, award-winning author Karen Essex turns a timeless classic inside out, spinning a haunting, erotic, and suspenseful story of eternal love and possession.

From the shadowy banks of the river Thames to the wild and windswept Yorkshire coast, Dracula’s eternal muse, Mina Murray, vividly recounts the intimate details of what really transpired between her and the Count—the joys and terrors of a passionate affair that has linked them through the centuries, and her rebellion against her own frightening preternatural powers.

Mina’s version of this gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into Victorian England’s dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and asylum chambers, revealing the dark secrets and mysteries locked within. Time falls away as she is swept into a mythical journey far beyond mortal comprehension, where she must finally make the decision she has been avoiding for almost a millennium.

Bram Stoker’s classic novel offered one side of the story, in which Mina had no past and bore no responsibility for the unfolding events. Now, for the first time, the truth of Mina’s personal voyage, and of vampirism itself, is revealed. What this flesh and blood woman has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than the Victorians could have expressed or perhaps even have imagined.

Another take on Dracula, but I'm liking the sound of this one.

Free:

The Hunter by L.J. Smith (audiobook)

He sold her the game, and Jenny Thornton walked out mesmerized by Julian, the gorgeous cyber-punk with electric blue eyes and frost-white hair. When she and her friends open the plain white box at her boyfriend Tom’s birthday party, she chills to the warning: “Entering the Shadow World can be deadly. Do so at your own risk.” Spellbound, they piece together the rooms with their darkest nightmares. Suddenly the game is real! They’re in the house of horrors, running from The Shadow Man – Julian himself, who forces them to confront their worst nightmares or be lost in a private hell. It’s Julian’s game, and Jenny is the prize he’s stalked for years. He’ll do anything to win her as she bargains desperately for her body – and soul . . .

I must confess: I've yet to read anything by L.J. Smith! In fact, this will be a double-first for me - my first Smith novel and my first (personal) audiobook.

What did you guys get this week?

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Each synopsis was found at Amazon.com. I'm an Amazon Associate. Feel free to use my links to purchase items - the commission will go towards paying the shipping costs on giveaways.

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