Going Back To My PnR Reading Roots With J.R. Ward's, The Story of Son

If I tried to count all the books that I have read in the last 5 years I would probably lose my mind, and that's putting it mildly. I've always had a passion for reading, but life got in the way. Being a full-time wife and a mother of four, working full-time, trying to go back to school and finish my degree...all of it left no time for the relaxation and solace that a great book has always provided.

But then my life changed, my husband at the time decided that he was leaving, leaving me, leaving us. Please don't feel bad about it, I don't any more, but at the time, I was a broken mess. Suddenly I had a need to be able to find a safe place, that safe place was between the pages of books.

One of the first authors that I picked up was J.R. Ward, and the book was from her Fallen Angel series, book one, titled Covet. I will never forget the day. I had left work and was wandering through the Gallery Mall in Center City Philadelphia, while making my way to the train and I stopped at a book store called Books-A-Million. There was this super, super helpful employee whose name sadly escapes me. I told her that I was looking for something good to read. She asked me if I knew what kind of genre that I was interested in and I simply said I have no clue. She looked at me with a glint in here eye and said, "I think I have just the book for you." She showed me the display that contained all of the Fallen Angel books that were out at that time and she hands me the book. She said, "This is book one in the series, the author is AMAZING! Her name is J.R. Ward and I promise you will fall in love with her."

She asked me to stop back by and tell me if I liked it or not. Now this was before my fascination with e-readers so I was still buying paper backs. I made my way to my train, found my seat and started reading. By the time I reached my stop I was hooked!. I think I read through Covet in about two days. Needless to say I made my way back to Books-A-Million and went in search of the young lady that helped me, I didn't think she would remember me but she did. She smiled at me and simply said, "Well...."

She knew I was hooked just as she had said. Well, to make a long story short, I read through that series, then polished off all that had been published the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. (I have also read The Bourbon Kings as well.) So about little less than a week ago I was browsing through my Kindle app and I came across a title of hers that I wasn't familiar with it was called The Story of Son, which was originally published in 2008. It's a stand alone read that was originally included in the Anthology Dead After Dark, which also includes works by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Squires, and Dianna Love.

The Story of Son blew me away...there's something to be said for picking up a read by an author that you know will not fail to pull you into what lies between the pages. Even though I am never with out something to read, there are times when I don't want to start something by an author that I've never read. I want warmth and familiarity, it's like coming home. I curled up on my couch with my blanket and my steaming cup of coffee and let me self be swept away.

All I can say is thank you J.R for always giving me what I need, when I need it. Beautiful story. Maybe there will be a sequel? Just a thought.

Much Love,

Pandora

New Year, New Great Reads

In less than 48 hours the world will be ringing in the new year, readying themselves to write down this years list of glorious resolutions, hopefully this year one of your resolutions will be, "read more". THIS is a resolution that is easy to manage, fun, and will help to expand your horizons.

As you know, I'm a hot and steamy romance kind of gal, but I also enjoy fantasy and fiction. There is a plethora of literature out there so there's definitely something for everyone. Reading expands the mind in a way that very little else can. Through the well written word we can be transported through time, space, and emotion.

With 2016 just a few hours away, I already have a list of favorite authors and books that I'm psyched to start the year with, so here you go!

1. J.R. Ward - One of my all time favorites!! J.R. ward has had me hooked for years. While there is plenty of hot and steamy romance in her writings, romance in not the central focus of her writings. Currently J.R. has three series of books out there, "The Fallen Angels", "The Black Dagger Brotherhood", and "Bourbon Kings".

2. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Another of my serious go to authors. I do have to warn you though, Sherrilyn has several series to choose from and many of them actually intersect with one another. Before you pick up one of her books, do your homework and make sure that you start with book one, not book one of a particular series, but her very first book and then go from there. The "Dark Hunter" series is where you want to start.  Her website has a downloadable reading list booklet to help guide you Sherrilyn Kenyon Reading Guide . I actually printed the list and worked my way through, that's what's worked best for me over the years.

3. Rebekah Weatherspoon - Rebekah was a great find for me in 2015 and I'm looking forward to her 2016 release "Soul to Keep", which will be the newest edition to her "Vampire Sorority Sister" series. I will say that my favorite series from Rebekah thus far is her "Fit Series" 10 thumbs up for this series.

4. LeTeisha Newton - LeTeisha is another bright and shining star in the making, and I'm bringing in February 2016 with her up coming release "One Hour Girl". Yes, LeTeisha has proven herself a force to be reckoned with, but with "One Hour Girl" she is taking the next steps in her evolution. This is not a release that you want to miss! If you already read her work you will be awestruck, if you've never read any of her work you will immediately become I fan.

So there you have it, my top picks to start 2016 off with a bang....pun very much intended.

Much Love and Happy New Year!

Pandora