Thursday 13 #9: Random books from my TBR pile

I love to read... a lot.... I need it, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Today's Thursday 13 is Thirteen Random Books From My TBR Pile. Not many of these are Erotic... simply because the in my pile are virtual books. I'll give you a sampling of those ones another day.

1. Just A Taste by Deirdre Martin Since his wife's untimely death, Anthony Dante has thrown himself into his cooking, making his restaurant, Dante's, a Brooklyn institution. So far, his biggest problem has been keeping his retired hockey-star brother out of the kitchen. But now, a mademoiselle is invading his turf. And you know what they say: Too many chefs spoil the neighborhood...

Stunning Vivi Robitaille can't wait to showcase her taste bud-tingling recipes in her brand-new bistro, Vivi's. Her only problem is an arrogant Italian chef across the street who actually thinks he's competition. The table is set for a culinary war - until things start getting spicy outside of the kitchen...

2. The Hell-Raiser by Rhonda Nelson Sarah Jane Walker was ready to kiss her inheritance goodbye once her greedy stepmother hired security expert Mick Chivers - aka the Hell-Raiser. Sexy Mick was bound to figure out that his new assignment wasn't above breaking a few rules - or laws - in her desperate plan to recover her family legacy. Yet even with the cell door practically slamming, Sarah's knees felt like jelly whenever she looked into Mick's old-soul eyes.

Those baby-blues told her the daredevil was a law unto himself. They said he'd overcome incredible odds to win.

And they dared the smart-mouthed Southern belle to take her best shot - and raise a little hell with him!

3. Midnight Rising by Lara AdrianIn a world of shadows and dark, cosuming hungers, desire is the deadliest weapon...

For journalist Dylan Alexander, it began with the discovery of a hidden tomb, thrusting her into the center of a gathering storm of violence and secrets. But nothing is as dangerous as the scarred, lethally seductive man who rises from the shadows to draw her into his world of dark desire and endless night.

Fueled by pain and rage over a shattering betrayal, the warrior Rio has pledged his life to the war against the Rogues. He will let nothing stand in his way—least of all a mortal woman with the power to expose the entire vampire race. For an ancient evil has been awakened, and a stunning darkness is on the rise. Suddenly Dylan is powerless to resist Rio’s touch, even as she uncovers a shocking link to her own past. And now she must choose: Leave Rio’s midnight realm, or risk it all for the man who has shown her true passion and the infinite pleasures of the heart. . . .

4. The Demon's Daughter by Emma HollyInspector Adrian Philips keeps the peace between demons and humans in Avvar, a city not unlike Victorian London. To do his job, he's allowed his strength to be enhanced by demon technology, a choice that's cost him his wife, is family, and - some would say - his humanity. Rejected by both races, he hungers for a woman's touch.

Roxanne McAllister is an outcast, too: the illegitimate daughter of an infamous chanteuse. One fateful night brings Roxanne and Adrian together, and though the border between human and demon is treacherous, these two may be just the ones to cross it. The question is, will the exquisite pleasure they find together be worth the risk...

5. Unleashing the Storm by Sydney CroftFeel the heat. Hear the roar.
The fever has begun...

There’s a storm rising. Electricity crackles in the air. For Kira Donovan, it’s that time of year again: when the need floods her flesh, when almost any man—the bigger and the stronger the better—will do. For Kira, an animal psychic, the heat is a matter of life and death, and this year it has come at just the right time. Tom Knight, a natural-born predator, has arrived at her isolated Idaho farm—for reasons all his own. . . .

At first Kira isn’t interested in Knight’s motives. She only needs him—his body, his hands, his scent. But soon, through a daze of desire and distrust, Kira discovers Knight’s world—the world of a covert operative, one man among dozens of secret agents waging an astonishing global war. Knight’s mission is to bring Kira—kicking and screaming if necessary—into the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives and harness her extraordinary gift. He never expected the powerful emotions she would ignite in him, or the fierce desire to keep her safe from harm. For as darkness gathers around them, Kira is feeling the heat once again, leading them both on a wild ride of delicious thrills . . . and terror beyond imagining.

6. Fallen by Erin McCarthyNew Orleans, 1840s. Sent to watch over the decadent city, the angel Gabriel loses himself in the liquid pleasure of absinthe. So when his mistress, Anne, is murdered - and all evidence points to him - a foggy Gabriel cannot be sure he didn't do it. His penance: to be forever denied love. Should he seek pleasure with a woman, she'll suffer the depths of despair...

New Orleans, today. Hoping to unlock that unsolved murder mystery, forensic scientist Sara Michaels, Anne's great-great-granddaughter, meets the ageless, tormented Gabriel. To work together will mean suppressing their mutual attraction - he can't allow himself to touch Sara, for her own sake. And for Sara, already familiar with the dangers of addiction, Gabriel poses the ultimate threat to her self-control. But will the desire burning between them turn into their salvation - or lead them both to destruction?

7. The Darkest Kiss by Keri ArthurDanger turns her on.
Desire turns her dangerous...

Riley Jenson hunts evildoers—and does it with a style all her own. With vamp blood coursing her through her veins, and a werewolf’s uncanny instinct for danger, Riley wears snakeskin stilettos and pure, in-your-face attitude when she plunges into her latest case: hunting down a killer whose victims are high-society strumpets—and the rich and powerful men they’ve dated.

But for Riley, the case takes a chilling turn when a second killer starts trailing mutilated bodies of his own: a crazed young vamp choosing victims from a past marked by tragedy. Riley knows she’s got the skill and cunning to catch two serial killers at once…until one of them strikes inside her own tight-knit clan—and a sexy beast of a vampire reenters her life to aid in the hunt. His name is Quinn. He’s lived forever, shed blood, and shared pleasure…and he’s the only man over whom Riley has absolutely no control….

8. Man of My Dreams by Kenyon, Shayne, Forster and KantraMagic Of The Night... Every woman dreams about meeting the perfect man - the one whose power will spark her fiery passion and make her tremble with desire. Now, in this spellbinding collection, today's hottest authors present four devastatingly handsome heroes who can possess a woman's heart and satisfy her late-night yearnings. Let yourself indulge in their mesmerizing stories, and travel into a seductive world where - when it comes to love - anything is possible...

9. Holy Smokes by Katie MacAlisterI'm Aisling Grey, but you can call me "frustrated."

The dragon of my dreams - ubersexy Drake Vireo, wyvern of the green dragons - has finally decided to make an honest woman of me. That is, if we ever make it to the wedding at the same time! Being left at the alter may have cooled my jets, but not my passion... a good thing when Drake disappears and it's up to me to find him.

Most brides just have in-laws to worry about. Me? I have warring demons, ticked-off demon lords, eternal damnation, and a mage who wants to challenge me for an otherworldly position I don't want. At least Jim, my doggie demon, is always at my side. He's never let me down... yet.

10. Damien by Jacquelyn FrankThey are the Nightwalkers, mysterious beings who dwell in the shadows of our world, and Damien, the Vampire Prince, is among the most powerful of them all. But one woman will tempt him with a desire unlike anything he has known, and together they will face a terrifying and relentless foe.

HE'D NEVER LOVED.

BUT SHE WAS IRRESISTIBLE.

As reigning Vampire Prince, Damien has tasted every pleasure the world has to offer-consorting with kings and queens and delighting in sensual adventure. Now, tired of such pursuits, he devotes his energies to protecting his people. The war between human necromancers and Nightwalkers has escalated, and when the enemy makes a daring move, kidnapping Syreena, a Lycanthrope Princess, Damien boldly follows. He succeeds in rescuing her, but is unprepared for the erotic longing her lush sensuality awakens in him.

Gifted with rare abilities, Syreena grew up in a cloistered setting and was forbidden to form attachments to others, yet the connection Damien feels with her is immediate, intoxicating, and impossible for either to resist. But claiming Syreena as his mate could have shattering repercussions for every Nightwalker-and leave their enemies more dangerous than ever before.

Temptation tastes sweetest at night.

11. Dagger-Star by Elizabeth VaughanShe is a mercenary trained in ways of war and the blade - nothing more. A woman known only as Red Gloves has come to the land of Palins in search of work. What she finds, however, is the torched fields and razed farms of a land defiled.

If you see her without the gloves, run... This is all Josiah knows about the mysterious woman - until he catches a glimpse of the dagger-star birthmark, a sign that she is destined to free his people from a ruthless usurper's reign of terror.

But she is more dangerous when following her heart... Red doesn't believe in gods. Nevertheless, she finds herself drawn into the rebellion - not by the prophecy or the chance to win the throne, but by the pain of untold loss in Josiah's eyes...

12. The Darkest Night by Gena ShowalterAll her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member - a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger that calms their torments... and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction - and a soul-shattering test of love...

13. Into the Shadow by Christina DoddBlessed—or cursed—with the ability to change into a sleek panther, and driven by a dark soul he's accepted as his fate, Adrik Wilder abandons his family and his honor to pursue a life of wickedness. He excels at every vice, including kidnapping Karen Sonnet to use for his selfish purposes.

But Karen's spirit and passion make him question the force of his family's curse. And when a new evil emerges, Adrik must choose whether to enact revenge on his enemies and redeem his soul, or save Karen from a fate worse than death…



Yes, yes, I know... they're almost all paranormal. What can I say? I love paranormals.