Oh, my goodness. I’m sorry that I haven’t been blogging as much as usual over the past few weeks. My day job isn’t directly connected to the election, but things always become almost overwhelmingly busy during election times. So despite starting this blog right around this time last year, I don’t have nearly as much time to read this year. Let me tell you, I can’t wait for November 7th. Hopefully Obama will still be in the White House and I’ll have time to read again.

And wow, do I have a list compiled. But before I get into that, let’s go over the books I didn’t end up finishing from my last list.

1. THE DOCTOR’S SECRET BRIDE by Ana E. Ross. I don’t have a concise explanation for why this book didn’t hold my attention, but I put it down after a few chapters. However it is very well-reviewed on Amazon, and a big seller, so definitely judge this one for yourself.

2. THE MARK OF KANE by Nadia Aiden. I had very high hopes for this book and what I read was very well-written. But the situation became too bogged down in plot for me, with the mystery/adventure driving the story as opposed to the romance.

Now for the books I hope to get read before the end of the year:

1. SHIRA by Tressie Lockwood. I love a heroine with baggage to overcome and a grumpy hero. This story has both.

2. TAKEN BY MOONLIGHT by Violette Dubrinsky (pictured). I’m super-excited about this one. A shifter who doesn’t like humans and an uptight heroine who might not be quite what she seems. The sample was really good and I can’t wait to read the rest.

3. THEY SAY LOVE IS BLIND, BEAST and BABY GIRL AND THE MEAN BOSS by Pepper Pace. I’m a huge Pepper Pace fan, so I count myself lucky that she’s so prolific. I can barely keep up!

4. CARNAL KNOWLEDGE by Celeste Anwar. Well, I love vamps, and I especially love a spunky hero. But I’m a little concerned that this story will fall flat despite the solid sample, since it’s yet to be reviewed on Amazon.

5. BLOOD ANGEL by Anastasia Rabiyah. This book has a very intriguing premise and sample, but like no sales and one review. Curious. But I’m hooked. Let’s see if the rest of the story is as good as the sample.

6. BROWN SUGAR by Lena Matthews (pictured). Lena Matthews is one of the authors that made me want to start writing IR, and I’m always happy to read what she’s whipped up. I also love the historical aspect of taking it back to the key parties of the 70s.

7. TAMING LONDON MACKENZIE by Jordan Bell. White girl with a bad attitude gets tamed by a Latino blue-collar worker. Normally this wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but the sample was surprisingly well done. Hmm, let’s see how it goes.

8. NEGOTIATING SKILLS by Laurel Cremant. Ms. Cremant dropped me a note about her book, and I really liked the sample, which combines two of my favorite tropes: business and pleasure!

9. STEALTH HONEYBUN by Sam Cheever. A small town IR that revolves around a grocery store stick-up. Say what? The sample was good, but I’d probably read this on premise alone.

10. STRANDED BUT NOT ALONE by Cora Blu. I love IRs set in foreign locales and this one takes place in Austria. Also the hero is Russian. Ooh-la-la!

11. PRISONER OF DESIRE by Sophia Rhodes. I’ve been wanting to review a lesbian IR for forever. And this one is set in prison, so I’m already intrigued. No Amazon reviews, though, so let’s see.

12. DESERT OF DESIRE by Wynter Daniels. The hero is a gardener, which is a profession I haven’t read before in IR, so I’m in!

13. DREAMS, DECEPTIONS AND DESIRES by Barbara Sheridan (pictured). Another historical IR romance, and this one is a western ensemble. Must be my lucky season!

14. HIGHLAND HIJINKS: GREAT SCOTS by Shara Azod. The cover is TERRIBLE, but the sample was pretty intriguing. An American stranded in Scotland gets ambushed by two Scottish brothers, who also happen to be gods. Well, hello!

15. LUSH CURVES by Delilah Fawkes (pictured). Plus size Hawaiian heroine gets offered the modeling deal of a lifetime by a handsome Scot. It’s been a while since I read a BBW romance, so this had me at hello.

16. CYBORG 2150 by Charisma Knight. What would you do if your dead husband was returned to you as a cyborg? This intriguing premise had me clicking the download button.

17. BABYSITTING THE BILLIONAIRE by Nicky Penttila (pictured).Well, I went to a tech school and ended up marrying a techie, so how can I resist a romance involving an artist and a tech billionaire hero? Answer, I totally can’t. The only issue is, though this showed up on my interracial romance search, I’ve yet to figure out the race of the heroine. Hmm…

18. COSMIC FORCES by Tatiana March. Again, I went to a tech school, so how am going to resist a romance featuring two awkward, introverted astronomers. Again, I was powerless not to download.

19. SPECIAL KIND OF WOMAN by Jamillah Bergman. A story about a playboy who ends up looking more than twice at a very introverted plain jane. Though, I’m hating the hero from the start, his possible redemption is enough to keep me turning me pages.

Have you read any of these books? Are there any books you think I should have included? Let me know your thoughts!