Laurie London, Author

Keeping track of books, my own and the ones I read

The Summer Garden (The Bronze Horseman, #3) - Paullina Simons An amazing, beautiful love story. I'm not a crier, but I broke down several times while reading this book. I think I need to reread all three books now that I know what happens, because I'll be able to really savor the emotional intensity rather than flying through it like I did.
Tatiana and Alexander (The Bronze Horseman, #2) - Paullina Simons Tatiana and Alexander went through so much in this book, almost all of it heartache. Although I loved it, it killed me that they spent so much time apart. Their present lives during the book were filled with such anguish that there were times when I wasn't sure I could endure any more. But I did. Just like the characters did. What kept me going were the flashbacks, promises that things would get back to better times. The ending was spectacularly big and over the top, and I loved it. Can't wait to read the third and final book.
The Bronze Horseman (The Bronze Horseman, #1) - Paullina Simons A powerful, impossible love story between an innocent Russian girl and a young Soviet soldier during the Siege of Leningrad in World War 2. It's a story I won't soon forget. After I finished the last page, I took two breaths and bought the second book.
Shocking True Story - Gregg Olsen A great, convoluted story within a story, within a story, reminding me a little of Inception. What's real? What's just the story? And could it actually be real-real? It's not normally a genre I read, but Gregg Olsen is a local author and I was hooked when I read the sample. It's a strange Mary-Sue-like tale because the protag, Kevin, is a true crime writer just like the author. Because the author's note at the beginning is actually from the main character and the book is dedicated to a character in the story as if she's real, it reads like a fictional memoir. At least I think it's fictional... Who knows? Is Gregg really Kevin? Did these events really happen? I think Gregg has twin daughters, just like Kevin. And they both live on the Peninsula. And they're both true crime writers. Hmmm. I laughed a lot at the caricature-like depictions of the various players and events in the publishing world: agents, editors, other authors, book signings, publicity people, etc. The book switches off between chapters of the book the main character is writing and the actual story events. Very clever story telling with a few graphics interspersed throughout the ebook. This is the first book I've read by this author. I loved his writing style and voice, so I'll definitely be reading more of his work.

Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book Six)

Hunted - Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels One of my favorite series! Have listened to all the books on audio. The narrator, Luke Daniels, is amazing!
Stay with Me - Elyssa Patrick Just finished reading an early copy and LOVED it.
Painted Faces - L.H. Cosway An amazing and beautiful love story! I'll try to come up with something later that's more intelligent than a bunch of mindless gushing, but having just finished it, that's what I'm feeling right now. Honestly, I've never read anything like it before. Just know that I loved this book and that I can't wait to read her next one.
Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles Series #3) -  Luke Daniels, Kevin Hearne Luke Daniels, the awesome narrator of the audio version, does not disappoint. Just like the first two books, he's fantastic. This installment is a little darker than the other two, and much of the action takes place in various mythical planes, rather than in Arizona. (I really love the Arizona setting, so I did miss it.) Like the other two, I laughed out loud so many times. My friend and I were texting our favorite lines back and forth. Seriously, if you can find a friend to listen the series at the same time as you, it's hilarious. HAMMERED introduces a ton of bizarre new characters. The Frost Giants, anyone? The ending was brutal and sad as we lose a few beloved characters. However, as soon as I finished listening, I bought the next book, Tricked, on Audible. Can't wait to get started! I love this series.
Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles Series #3) -  Luke Daniels, Kevin Hearne Luke Daniels, the awesome narrator of the audio version, does not disappoint. Just like the first two books, he's fantastic. This installment is a little darker than the other two, and much of the action takes place in various mythical planes, rather than in Arizona. (I really love the Arizona setting, so I did miss it.) Like the other two, I laughed out loud so many times. My friend and I were texting our favorite lines back and forth. Seriously, if you can find a friend to listen the series at the same time as you, it's hilarious. HAMMERED introduces a ton of bizarre new characters. The Frost Giants, anyone? The ending was brutal and sad as we lose a few beloved characters. However, as soon as I finished listening, I bought the next book, Tricked, on Audible. Can't wait to get started! I love this series.
Temporary Arrangement - Karen  Erickson TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT is the prequel to Karen Erickson's new Renaldis series, which comes out in just a few short weeks. I loved it! It's emotional and sexy, just enough to get me frothing for July. Matteo is a total Italian hottie. I'd nanny for his kid and cross that employer/employee boundary any day...if I weren't married. ;-) Can't wait to read the continuation of the story!I did find the back matter that the publisher put in a little confusing, which may be the cause of some readers' frustrations when they get to the end of this free story. Note: it's the publisher, not the author, who is in charge of this. Even though I knew this was a prequel, there's an excerpt from WORTH EVERYTHING that's NOT the book that continues THIS story. (There's also an excerpt from another author's book.) From the publisher's back matter, I wasn't quite sure which book continues Matteo's and Paige's story. I had to do some searching (aka author-stalking) to find out. TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT is the prequel to TEMPTED BY HER BOSS, which comes out July 2013.TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT is a great intro for what promises to be a great new series!
Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson It's a pretty intense read, not for the faint of heart. My teen daughter and all her friends LOVED this book. Being a mom of a girl the same age as the main character, it was hard for me to read what happened. It does end on a hopeful note, though.
Breaking Her Rules - Katie Reus What a great read! This is the 6th book in the Red Stone Security series by Katie Reus, and although I haven't read the other books in the series yet, this totally stands on its own. Other characters from the series appear in this book, but you won't be lost at all if this is where you start. Which tells me that the other books are probably the same way. You can probably start with whatever one you feel like. And in a fun departure from other romantic suspense books, it's the heroine, Iris, who is the bad-ass agent hired to protect Wyatt, not the other way around. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, fast read. This series is perfect for the reader who wants their romance dangerous and sexxxxy!
Hounded - Kevin Hearne I listened to the audio version and loved it! There's a pretty large cast of characters, which normally isn't my cup of tea, because I have a hard time keeping everyone straight. I don't know if it's because I listened to it and the awesome narrator made all the voices sound different (Irish old lady, East Indian woman, several werewolves, a dog, some cops, various gods/goddesses, a Polish witch, etc.), but I knew exactly who was who and what was going on without having to flip back and go, huh?
The Muse Is In: An Owner�s Manual to Your Creativity - Jill Badonsky This is one of those books you don't just "read." You keep it close and thumb through it to get some fun, creative inspiration, or if you need a boost when you're doubting yourself. I loved the illustrations and the pictures.
Pushing the Limits - Katie McGarry My library check out time expired, so it poofed from my Kindle before I finished. I did read enough of it to know I enjoyed it, though. :-)
Losing It - Cora Carmack Love is possible even for awkward people. (She wasn't that awkward, she just thought she was.) Great read!