FAOM: We Recommend...

The very first romance novel I read was a historical romance I stole off my older sister’s shelf when I was a teenager. I fell in love with the characters of that book and the somewhat madcap, sort of heartbreaking, but totally enchanting story that was told. I was always an avid reader and dreamer but that book was quite possibly the first time I was left with a HEA that simply melted my heart. When I first read that book I was on the verge of first love, I had a basic understanding of relationships and what they entailed (I was a teen after all, and it was the ‘90’s), but romance wasn’t really something I’d spent a lot of time thinking about in detail.

Throughout my remaining teenage years, I found myself searching the shelfs for books which would leave me feeling a similar warm-heartedness upon finishing the last page. It wasn’t until my early 20’s (and after having my first child) that I put forth a concerted effort to find the kind of books that provided that feeling and gave me a brief mental escape from my daily life. That moment, or period in my life is really when my obsession, for lack of a better word, with the romance genre came in to being. I went back to that very first book and read it again, then I haunted the library and bookstores exploring the shelves. I used the internet to the best of my ability to discover other authors and books that would be similar to what had hooked my interest in the first place. In those early days of my romance reading, historical romance was my go-to and my collection of books (these days in the Corner Table House referred to as “Mom’s Love Library”) has grown and grown and grown.

It’s no longer just historical romance on my shelves, but the books and stories from those early days are still some of my favorites to turn to when I need a break from my normal chaotic life, or when I want a romantic story that offers a glimpse into a way of life entirely different from today, or when…. Well, you get the point. Even today I still love historical romance.

So, when I started working with Kelly for this month’s FAOM posts I decided to ask her if she’d help me out with a new kind of post for the blog. A kind of recommended reading, top 5 in a genre, my favorite stories kind of list post. And that’s what we have for you today. Each of us scoured our minds, our bookshelves and our hearts, and have come up with 5 historical romance novels that we recommend to you…

Twice As Much Wonderful with a Two-Week Round Up

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As you may have noticed (or maybe you didn't) there was not a review of the books featured during the week preceding Easter last Sunday. Which means today's post is long because I've got all the wonderful Featured Books of the Day from the last 2 weeks for you!!! So lets go...

NAUTI BOY by Lora Leigh

Book 1 of the Nauti Series

Too weak to resist young Kelly Benton's attempts at seduction, Rowdy Mackay left home eight years ago. Duty as a U.S. Marine put a safe distance between temptation and the nubile Kentucky vixen. Now he's back home and ready to engage in the kind of erotic games that have earned him and his two cousins a Nauti-boy reputation in three counties.

Once it was Kelly's dream too-to feel the heat of the boy she desired. But an attack from a stalker still on the prowl has left Kelly terrified of a man's touch. Now as fear and desire converge, Rowdy fights to save her from the deadly threats of a stranger, to rid her of her demons, and to satisfy a hunger more powerful than either can imagine.

When you need something to read with just the right amount of heat, NAUTI BOY is a perfect choice – get your copy now.

Friday's For You - Show and Share

On my Facebook page I will quite often invite Authors, their PA’s, other bloggers and even fans to share books that they want people to know about. There isn’t always a schedule or there hasn’t been in the past, and I haven’t previously thought to do something similar on the blog as I’m not sure that it would really work.

But I think it’s worth a try – all things considered, especially the abysmal way that FB visibility seems to be working lately, anything we as bloggers, authors, PA’s or fans can do to help promote our favorite books is a good thing…

So let’s see what happens?

What book/reading suggestions do you have for us??

And of course - if you have something to share, share it here, share it on the Facebook page (people do see it), share it on Twitter with @apalusa_light and I'll re-tweet... 

Round-Up of This Week's Daily Featured Books

The week of March 7-12 was a good one. It included a new release from a debut author, a couple contemporary favorites, some paranormal favorites, and, in honor of the time change this weekend, a couple time-traveler favorites too.  You even ended up getting a couple extra recommendations out of me during Thursday’s double-double-header features (2 sets of First- and Last/Most Recent- in a series) after I forgot to post a featured book on Wednesday.

So let’s get to the round-up of this week’s daily featured books!

This Reader Recommends...

I don't know about anyone else but I am always looking for the next book to read. Whether it's something new, new-to-me, or an old favorite, I am constantly scrolling through reading lists, recommended new releases and looking through my own digital and hard-copy libraries…  So this week, to get myself back into a book blogging mindset after a couple months of hard times (wondering WTF? See here.) I’m sharing with you some of my reading recommendations. Some will be books that I’ve read and loved for years – my all-time favorites. Others will be ones that I’ve read, loved, and/or reviewed in more recent times. And finally some will be new and (possibly) up-coming releases that I’ve heard wonderful things about.

Here we go…

Just One of Those Readings, Well Two...

Alright... Taylor Lavati is an author I only discovered in the last month and a half. I've read two of her books now and have added several others to my TBR pile. 

The first book I read was A RELIANT LOVE. (http://amzn.to/1L3FC57) The story of a young, but desperate to be independent and adult Nathalie, as she embarks on her college experience. She's bubbly and optimistic, and as soon as she meets Sam, he's all she wants. But Sam hasn't had an easy life and he's made more mistakes than he can count. And he's not done. 

He wants Nathalie too and he loves her more than he can say, but he's just not done screwing up and making mistakes. Nathalie helps him and because of her, despite what he believes is his curse, he's able to overcome so many things. 

In the 2nd book FINDING SAM, Sam ends up running and ends up in a small town in the middle of no where. (http://amzn.to/1jIqm7M) He's determined to keep running but as he spends time with the people of the small town while waiting for his truck to be fixed, he discovers that running and hiding doesn't save him from caring or being cared for. And he learns that sometimes forgiveness is something you have to give yourself. 

I don't want to give away too much of the stories, I don't want to spoil the reading for anyone but these two books are ones that I recommend to every body. The story is timeless and sucks you in. The first left me in tears but the second showed me hope, and left me with a smile... and a (happy) tear in my eye.  So here's hoping you a fabulous read and that the remainder of your weekend is excellent.