Hello, all you lovely, gorgeous people! I was doing so good posting and then…well, then life got in the way. I had to take an unexpected break from the blog for a couple weeks because of deadlines and school coming to a close tomorrow (ack!). (I feel like this would be a good time to let you know that this isn’t the only place I blog, and if I’m absent here, it’s probably because I’m running my mouth at either Bad Girlz Write or Writing With the Mentors!) But I wanted to pop in quick and give you a little recommendation, because I always love hearing about fabulous new reads, especially as we dive headfirst into summer!

If you know even a little about me or follow me, well, anywhere, you probably already know Jill Shalvis is my favorite contemporary romance author. When I read one of her books, I know I’m in for a good time. She is my palette cleanser and my guaranteed happy read. There’s going to be a hot alpha, a relatable heroine, great side characters, banter, laughs, swoons, and sex. I was a diehard Lucky Harbor fan, and I was excited for Jill to dive into a new location with new faces we got to meet. I’ll admit I wasn’t won over quite as quickly with Cedar Ridge as I thought I’d be. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first two books in the series, but I didn’t love them like I usually love Jill’s novels. I thought maybe the time had finally come and, after reading over 50 of her books, the sparkle had faded. And then came NOBODY BUT YOU. This book, you guys. This book was everything I’ve come to love about Jill’s books all rolled into one delectably sweet and sexy package.

Don’t believe me? Fine. Make me pull out the big guns…

“Your shorts,” she managed. “You’re still wearing them.”

A wicked smile crossed his mouth as he stripped free of them in a single economical movement.

Before she could get a look at the goods, he wrestled her onto his bed. “I fantasized about this last night,” he said, crawling up between her legs and pinned her with his delicious weight.

“About me going commando?”

He smiled, intense, dangerous. “About you beneath me on my bed,” he said, and then rolled so that she now straddled him. “And over me. Scoot up, Soph.”

“Um, what?” Scoot up? To where?

Jacob didn’t repeat himself, just slipped his arms beneath her thighs and physically lifted her farther up his chest and then…

Oh God, and then.

His hands were on her ass, his mouth on ground zero.

Yes, that’s exactly what you think it is. And it’s at 27%. Jill, I’d like to take this time to thank you, from the bottom of my pervy heart.

If you haven’t read Jill yet, what are you waiting for?!

What’s on your TBR list this summer? Or what amazing book did you just finish? Because, you know, I don’t already have enough sitting on my virtual and real bookshelves… 🙂

This post is gonna be quick and dirty…kind of like my rec. Heh. This week, I’m reading Tessa Bailey’s Thrown Down, which is part of the Made in Jersey. I’m about 60% into this one and loving every minute of it.

The heroine is a single mom, which I absolutely love (as Tessa Ever After will attest). And while sometimes books that feature kids, especially in the romance genre, utilize those kids only for very specific plot devices, that’s not the case with this one. Marcy is a great, three-dimensional character, and totally true to form. And then we have the hero—Vaughn. Also known as jdkfjakdshfkjdsahkljclks. He’s a dad who didn’t know he was a dad, and man is he trying to repent for time away. Oh, yeah, did I mention he’s a dirty talker? Ahem.

If you’re in the mood for a hot, dirty, quick read, check this one out!

Earlier in the week, I wasn’t sure what I was going to talk about for the Whatcha ____ Wednesday blog. And actually, as I opened up a new post to start writing, I intended to chat about what book I’m reading and loving right now (side note: Tessa Bailey’s Boiling Point). But then I remembered what I did last weekend and thought it might be better to touch on something else that I’m loving right now: writer friendships.

I’ve said before a thousand times that this career is lonely at the best of times, isolating at the worst. This, of course, may be different depending on your personality type, but for me? As an ENFJ(-A), I gain energy from being around people and find this job to be extremely taxing in that aspect. I like to joke with my CP that all that energy she’s drained of at conferences, I suck it all up. Because of that, it’s important for me to find outlets and ways to connect with others, whether that be through dinners out, meetings, workshops, social media, or just plain old texting.

Last weekend, a group of seven of us headed to beautiful Galena, IL for a writer’s retreat. The plan was tentative and loose—show up on Friday, leave on Sunday, and do whatever we wanted in the time between.  And we managed to cram a lot in. Between workshops, plotting chats, discussing our processes, working, and, of course, drinking, our weekend filled up before we even knew it. We had a nice mix of people who attended, writing in different genres and categories, and at different stages in their writing careers. Because of that, conversation never waned, and each of us had something different to offer the others in the group. We had such a great time, we’re planning to make it a yearly event.

As I’m sitting here this week, on the downhill slide from my high of the retreat and also #NotAtRT and feeling pretty bummed about it, I’ve been chatting with my CP and good friend Jeanette Grey about other ways I can get that fuel when it’s just not possible to attend a retreat or conference. Because let’s face it—that shit gets expensive. The thing she keeps telling me (and, to be fair, the thing she’s told me at least seventeen times a year for the past four years) is to go to my local chapter already, god. (So she didn’t say it like that because she’s much nicer to me than I am, but still the gist was the same.)

I’ve been a member of my local-ish chapter for a while, but timing hasn’t ever worked in my favor. I say local-ish, because I actually have three chapters close to me, but by close, I mean they’re all about an hour away. That’s made it challenging to find the time in the schedule to go, but I think it’s about time I figure out a way to make it work. Because in this isolating career where my brain and my spirit run on connections, it’s time I made some more.

It’s Monday (boo), but that means it’s time for another #ListifyLife post! This week’s challenge was Books I’d Want to Live In For a While. And it was actually harder than I’d anticipated to come up with some books for this. I read a lot of books. I read a lot of great books. But I’m not sure I’d want to actually live in the worlds I read about all that much. For instance, Elle Kennedy’s Killer Instincts series. I love the books. I love the world. But being in constant danger every second of the day? I’ll pass, thanks. Same with several of the paranormal books I’ve read and loved. Hell, even the books I read the most—contemporary romance—are hard to pick which world to live in, because they’re already set in my world. That’s the beauty of the contemporary novel.

So I sat and thought about this topic this morning, wandered over to my bookshelves and took a gander at my books, reminiscing about old favorites. And I plucked out three worlds I would absolutely love to visit.

Jill Shalvis’s Lucky Harbor Series

Jill is my favorite author, hands down, because I know exactly what to expect with one of her books. I’m going to get an alpha male, a relatable heroine, a side-cast of fantastic characters, and a quaint town I’m going to want to live in. In the Lucky Harbor series, she gave me the homesick feels the same way Gilmore Girls did for Stars Hollow. How can I feel homesick for a fictional place? I don’t know, but it happens. I’d love to get transported to this idealistic little town and live for a bit (or forever).

Stephanie Perkins’s Anna & the French Kiss

Anna is one of my favorite reads, and definitely in my top 5 YA books. Yes, it’s contemporary, but it’s set in Paris! While I wouldn’t love going back to school, I think I could tough it out for a chance to see Paris in all its splendor. Plus, Etienne.

Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight

How could I leave out the book that started me on this crazy, fantastic journey? Twilight is the book that got me reading and writing again, and I’d love to spend a while in this world. (So long as I was a vampire and had some sort of cool power… I don’t want anything lame like sensing emotions.) It’d be like catching up with old friends. To be honest, it’s why I still read fic. It is and forever will be my happy place.

That’s it for this week’s #ListifyLife post! And I actually won’t be posting until Wednesday next week, as we are off for a little Spring Break vacation. See you then!

*This post contains affiliate links. In plain English, that means if you purchase something from these links a small percentage of the sale comes back to me (at no cost to you!). It’s Amazon’s way of saying, hey, thanks for mentioning this product! Here’re some pennies. I promise I will never post about things I think suck. I’ll only ever recommend items I really, truly love!