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Welcome to the REBEL Romance Readers message board! We are not sponsored by ANY authors & ALL authors are welcome to join the fun! We LOVE "newbies"! If you share our love of romance reading, have a great sense of humor, and are NOT of the "faint of heart", we'd love to have ya join the "FAMILY"!


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RBL Back-up Board

"THE RBL/HUGHIE RATINGS!!!!"
Use them to let us know what you think of your latest read!!!!!
STORY RATING
1- Don't waste your money.
1 If you have it, it's worth the read but goes back to the ubs.
2 Good story, but probably goes to the ubs.
3 I like everything this author writes, but they've done better.
4 This is a keeper.
4+ Rare find, must find everything this author has written.
5 THERE ARE NO WORDS FOR THIS BOOK!!!!!

SEX/LOVE SCENE RATING
Limp=> Bad, little or NO SEX AT ALL!
Erect==> Good sex toward the end.
Boner===> Good sex half-way through and thereafter.
STIFF====> Good sexual tension throughout the book, and when it happens, you feel you've been there already.
HUGH=====> GREAT SEX in the first 1/4 of book and throughout the book.

• Erik, Bill, Sam or Quinn -- Libby, Saturday, June 21, 06:27:39pm
  I just finished reading the latest in the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris and I'm looking to chat about it with interested folks. What did you all think? Who should Sookie end up with?
  
  For me, it's all about Erik :)
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • I say Erik too, I loved the way they were when he was hurt, and he's not a game-player. I loooved the last book and didn't want it to end. The thing with Hunter was a cool way to end it! (NT) -- Aimee, Saturday, June 21, 06:41:14pm
    • I've been hearing it wasn't as well liked as the others but I thought it tied up a few loose ends. The thing with Alcide was going nowwhere, Quinn came out of nowhere and Bill...needs to move on. But Erik, he needs to move in :) (NT) -- Libby, Saturday, June 21, 06:52:13pm
      • Libby I like the way you think! I have always liked Erik, but I have a feeling that Quinn won't go away as quietly as it appeared. This book wasn't as action packed as the rest but sometimes the stories need to be tied up a bit. I liked the end with Hadleys little boy and Sookies great grandfather will be a future major player I'm sure. (NT) -- debbieo, Saturday, June 21, 07:55:52pm
        • Are you looking forward to the TV show? I saw a clip on Youtube and I'll give Anna Paquin credit. She does a fine Sookie. The guy playing Bill's good too (British, but has a good southern accent). They made some changes that I'm not sure about, but I'll give it a go. The guy playing Eric's been named Sweden's sexiest man for something like 4 years running. LOL (NT) -- Libby, Sunday, June 22, 05:42:59am
  • I loved the last Sookie book! One of my favorites in the series. So satisfying for the way it tied up so much stuff. As for men, I'm torn between Erik and Bill (he's so repentant!) at the moment, but--you know--Sookie hasn't given Sam a real tumble yet. I'm thinking maybe CH is saving him for last . . . (NT) -- Emma Holly , Sunday, June 22, 07:24:03am
    • Sam is just so sweet (and wait till you see the guy playing him in the TV show!) and sometimes I think he's exactly what Sookie needs. But then again, she wouldn't go back to a normal life (although, Sam isn't normal). I do think Bill loves Sookie, but does he deserve a second chance? (NT) -- Libby, Sunday, June 22, 02:01:37pm
  • Hmmm....I keep meaning to try and give these books a go...What's the first one in the series called? (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 09:54:16am
    • They are very good books. I"ve enjoyed them right through. The first one is called Dead until Dark. I highly recommend the series (NT) -- Libby, Sunday, June 22, 02:02:44pm
      • Great...thanks...I'll have to pick it up and see how it goes!!! (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 06:25:08pm
  • I haven't had a chance to read the latest one yet but I totally plan on it. I love this series and based on previous books I'm all about Eric. I love him although I'm curious about her and Sam also I think Eric and her have connection. (NT) -- Leiha, Sunday, June 22, 09:42:43pm
  • Erik, Erik, Erik!!! (NT) -- , Monday, June 23, 08:22:16pm

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• *Clim/nk* -- , Sunday, June 22, 11:09:31pm
  BORDER=0>
  
  A day late & a dollar short - As usual - *g* -
  
  But......
  
  Celebrate!
  

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  Replies:

  • A bit rusty on those icons but you get the gist *G* (NT) -- , Sunday, June 22, 11:14:06pm
  • Vic! It is so good to see you. Hope that everything is well with you. Please come more often. (NT) -- Frances, Monday, June 23, 04:07:33am
  • Vic so good to see you back. Hope all is right in your world. (NT) -- CindyO, Monday, June 23, 06:49:55am
  • I'd recognize that lucky clover anywhere! I miss you!!!! Hope everything is going well with you, Vickie! (NT) -- P.C., Monday, June 23, 07:38:11am
  • Hey, Vic!!! (((Hugs))) (NT) -- Beth, Monday, June 23, 02:43:50pm
  • Wonderful to see you Vic!!! Come visit some time! (NT) -- Susie, Monday, June 23, 02:58:11pm
  • Vickie!!!!! It's GREAT to 'see' you, Kiddo! Miss you! Isn't that a nice ass? *VEG* ((((HUGS)))) (NT) -- Beaty, Monday, June 23, 07:04:37pm
  • Hi Vic, I'm late too but it's lovely to see you here as well. Come back more often. (NT) -- , Monday, June 23, 08:14:06pm

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• NAME THAT SCENE -- Robin, Sunday, June 22, 09:08:03am
  D__________ raised her hand to the screen door then lowered it again. Her heart pounded in her chest and her stomach twisted into one big knot. Rain beat against the porch all around her, and water ran from the down spout and into the flower beds. The garage behind her was lit up, illuminating every nook and cranny surrounding Parrish Brother Classics. But where she stood was pitch black, as if the light didn’t dare creep any further into the yard.
  
  The garage was new, rebuilt since she'd seen it before. The yard surrounding the garage had been cleaned up. The old cars towed away. From what she could see, the house was exactly the same though, bringing a memory of a nice summer breeze lifting her hair and carrying the sent of roses. Of the nights she'd sat on the porch where she now stood, wedged between Steven and Jack, laughing at their stupid jokes.
  
  Thunder and lightening boomed and lit up the night sky, shattering the memory. An omen that she should leave and come back again some other time.
  
  She wasn't good at confrontation. She wasn’t one of those people who liked to face problems head on. She was better at it than she used to be, but... maybe she should have called first. It wasn’t polite to just show up on someone’s doorstep at ten 0'clock at night, and she probably looked like a drowned cat.
  
  Before she'd left her mother's house, she'd made sure her hair was brushed smooth and flipped under just below her shoulders. Her make-up looked perfect and her white blouse and khaki pants pressed. Now she was sure her hair had frizzed, her mascara run, and her pants were splattered with mud from the puddle she’d accidentally dashed through. She turned to go then forced herself to turn back. Her appearance wasn’t really important, and there was never going to be good time for what she had to do.
  
  She raised her hand once more and nearly jumped out of her skin when the wooden door swung open before she could knock. Through the screen and dark interior, she could make out the outline of a man. His shirt was missing, and a light from deep within the house cast a warm golden glow from behind, pouring over his arms and shoulders and halfway down his naked chest. Maybe she should have called first.
  
  "Hello," she began before she could give into her trepidation. "I’m looking for Jackson Parrish."
  
  "My my," his voice drawled in the darkness, "if it isn’t D__________ L_____Brooks."
  
  It had been fifteen years and his voice had changed. It was deeper than the boy she'd known, but she would have recognized that nasty tone anywhere. No one could pack as much derision into their voice as Jack. She'd understood it once. Known what lay behind it. She didn't kid herself that she knew him anymore.
  
  "Hello Jack."
  
  "What do you want D__________?"
  
  She stared at him through the screen and shadows, at the outline of the man she'd once known so well. The knot in her stomach pulled tighter. "I wanted too... I need to talk to you. And I thought..." She took a deep breath and forced herself to stop stammering. She was thirty-three. So was he. "I wanted to tell you that I was in town before you heard it from someone else.”
  
  "Too late." The rain pounded the rooftop and the silence that stretched between them. She could feel his gaze on her. It touched her face and the front of her yellow rain slicker, and just when she thought he wasn’t going to speak again, he said, "If that’s what you came to tell me, you can go now."
  
  There was more. A lot more. She'd promised Steven that she'd give Jack a letter he'd written a few months before his death. The letter was in her purse, now she had to tell Jack the truth about what had happened fifteen years ago, then hand over the letter. "It’s important that I talk to you. Please."
  
  He looked at her for several long moments, then he turned and disappeared into the depths of his house. He didn't open the screen for her, but he hadn't slammed the wood door in her face either. He'd made it clear that he was going to be as difficult as possible. But then, when had he ever made things easy?
  
  Just as it always had, the screen door squeaked when she opened it. She followed him through the living room toward the kitchen. His tall outline disappeared around the corner, but she knew the way.
  
  The inside of the house smelled of new paint. She got an impression of dark furniture and a big screen television. The outline of Mrs. Parrish's piano pushed against one wall, and she wondered briefly how much had changed since she'd last walked through the house. The light flipped on as she moved into the kitchen, and it was like stepping into a time warp. She half expected to see Mrs. Parrish standing in front by the almond colored stove, baking bread or D__________’s favorite, snicker doodle cookies. The green linoleum had the same worn patch in front of the sink and the counter tops were the same speckled blue and turquoise.
  
  Jack stood in front of the refrigerator, the top half of him hidden behind the open door. His tan fingers curled around the chrome handle, and all she could really see of him was the curve of his behind and his long legs. One pocket of his snug Levi's had a three-corner tear, and the seams looked like they were about worn through.
  Adrenaline rushed through her veins, and she balled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. Then he rose to his full height, and everything seemed to slow, like someone flipped a switch on a movie projector. He turned as he shut the refrigerator door behind. He held a quart of milk in one hand by his thigh, and her attention got momentarily stuck on the thin line of dark hair raising from the waistband of his Levis and circling his navel. She lifted her gaze up passed the hair on his flat belly and the defined muscles of his chest. If she’d had any lingering doubts, seeing him like this removed them. This was not the boy she'd once known. This was definitely a man.
  
  She forced herself to look up passed his strong chin, the etched bow of his tan lips, and into his eyes. She felt the back of her throat go dry. Jack Parrish had always been a good-looking boy, now he was lethal. One lock of his thick hair hung over his forehead and touched his brow. Those light green eyes and long black lashes that she remembered, that had once looked at her so full of passion and possession, looked back at her as if he were no more interested in seeing her than a stray dog.
  
  "Did you come here to stare?"
  
  She moved further into the kitchen and shoved her hands into the pockets of her rain coat. "No, I came to tell you that I’m in town visiting my mother and sister."
  
  He raised the milk and drank from the carton, waiting for her to elaborate.
  
  "I thought you should know."
  
  His gaze met hers over the carton then he lowered it. Some things hadn’t changed after all. Jack Parrish, bad boy and all around hell raiser, had always been a milk drinker. "What makes you think I give a shit?" he asked and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
  
  "I didn’t know if you would. I mean, I did wonder what you'd think, but I wasn’t sure." This was so much harder than she'd envisioned. And what she'd envisioned had been pretty dang hard.
  
  "Now you don't have to wonder." He pointed with his milk carton toward the other room. "If that's all, there’s the door."
  
  "No, that's not all." She looked down at the toes of her boots, the black leather spotted by the rain. "Steven wanted me to tell you something. He wanted me to tell you that he's sorry about... everything." She shook her head and corrected herself. "No... was sorry, I mean. He's been gone seven months and it's still hard for me to remember him in the past tense. It seems wrong somehow. Like if I do, he never existed." She looked back at Jack. His expression hadn't changed. "The flowers you sent were really nice.”
  
  He shrugged and set the milk on the counter. "Penny sent them."
  
  "Penny?"
  
  "Penny Colten. Married Leon Cribs, she works for me now."
  
  Well, Penny hadn't sent them and signed his name without his knowledge. "Thank Penny for me."
  
  "Don't make it a big deal."
  
  She knew how much Steven had once meant to him. "Don’t pretend you don't care that he's gone."
  
  He raised a dark brow. "You forget I tried to kill him."
  
  "You wouldn't have killed him, Jack."
  
  "No, you're right. I guess you just weren't worth it."
  
  The conversation was headed in the wrong direction and she had to turn it around. "Don’t be ugly."
  
  "You call this ugly?" He laughed, but not with pleasure. "This is nothing, buttercup. Stick around and I'll show you how ugly I can get."
  
  She already knew how ugly Jack could get, but while she might be a coward, she was also as stubborn as ragweed. Just as Jack was not the same boy she'd once known, she was not the same girl he'd once known, either. She'd come to tell him the truth. It had taken her fifteen years to get this point, and he could get ugly all he wanted, but he was going to listen to her.
  
  A flash of white caught the corner of D__________'s eye a second before a woman entered the kitchen wearing a man's white dress shirt.
  
  "Hey y'all," the woman said as she moved to stand by Jack.
  
  He looked down at her. "I told you to stay in bed."
  
  "I got bored without you."
  
  Heat crept up D__________'s neck to her cheeks, but she seemed to be the only embarrassed person in the room. Jack had a girlfriend. Of course he did. He'd always had a girlfriend or two. There had been a time when that would have hurt.
  
  "Hello D__________. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Gina Brown."
  
  It didn't hurt any longer, and D__________ was a bit ashamed to admit to herself that what she mostly felt was an overwhelming relief. Like an axe had been lifted from her throat. She guessed she was more of a coward than she thought. D__________ smiled and moved across the kitchen to offer Gina her hand. "Of course I remember you. We were in American Government together our senior year."
  
  "Mr. Simmons."
  
  "That’s right."
  
  "Remember when he tripped over an eraser on the floor?" Gina asked as if she weren't standing there wearing Jack's shirt and, D__________ would bet, nothing else. "That was so funny. I just about--"
  
  "What the hell is this?" Jack interrupted. "A damn high school reunion?"
  
  Both women looked up at him and Gina said, "I was just being polite to your guest."
  
  "She isn't my guest and she's leaving." He pinned his gaze on D__________, just as cold and unyielding as when she'd first walked in the door.
  
  "It was nice to see you, Gina," she said.
  
  "Same."
  
  "Good night, Jack."
  
  He shoved his hip into the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.
  
  "See you two around." She walked back through the dark house and out the door. The rain had stopped and she dodged puddles on her way to her mother's Caddie parked on the side of the garage. Next time, she would definitely call first.
  
  Just as she reached for the door, she felt a hand on her arm, whipping her around. She looked up into Jack's face. Security lights shined down on him and the angry set of his jaw. His eyes stared into hers, no longer cold, they were filled with a burning rage.
  
  "I don't know what you came here looking for, absolution or forgiveness," he said, his drawl more pronounced than before. "But you won’t find it." He dropped her arm as if he couldn't stand the touch of her.
  
  "Yes, I know."
  
  "Good. You stay away from me, D__________ L______," he
  said. "You stay away or I'll make your life a misery."
  
  She looked up into his dark face, at the passion and anger that had not abated in fifteen years.
  
  "Just stay away," he said one last time before turned on his bare heels and disappeared into the shadows.
  
  She knew she would be wise to heed his warning. Too bad she didn't have that option.
  
  Although he didn't know it yet, neither did he.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Hmmmm...I'm thinking, Rachel Gibson "Daisy's Back in Town"...at first I was thinking "Jackson Rule" by Dinah McCall....but then the whole age thing didn't jive because JR was a teacher/former student thing...then when the letter thing came about...that's when I figured it out. Of course...I could be wrong...but regardless...I know I've read it!!! :) (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 09:44:04am
    • This sounds like Daisy to me too, Heather. Loved that book ... (NT) -- Judy, Sunday, June 22, 02:59:30pm
  • oooh gotta know. . . im heading to the book store in a bit, so i gotta know ! :-) (NT) -- norma, Sunday, June 22, 10:23:08am
  • Yes, Heather and Judy are right! Good job! (NT) -- Robin, Monday, June 23, 07:11:41pm

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• Thank you, thank you, thank you! -- Liz C., Sunday, June 22, 08:01:07am
  I just got back from a long trip to find a lovely surprise in my mail. My Hughie Certificate! It is just gorgeous -- so totally frameworthy and elegant. Thank you ladies again for the honor. On a different note, sorry I've been so AWOL lately. Gawd, I just can't come up for a breath, work wise. I hope everyone here is well and getting ready for a summer of fabulous reading.
  
  Hugs,
  Liz
  

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  Replies:

  • Liz, it's GREAT to see you & as always the pleasure is ours to read your work!!! (NT) -- £inda, Sunday, June 22, 09:43:28am
  • Hi Liz...a worthy award, for sure!!! Thanks for writing such great books that everyone loves so much! (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 06:22:05pm
  • Yay, I'll let Lina know. Karen had hers framed and it looks beautiful. Your books are definitely award worthy! I hope that you get a break soon. (NT) -- Leiha, Sunday, June 22, 09:39:58pm
  • Hi Liz - We ReBeLs do love your books! (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 23, 04:01:58am

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• -- Beaty, Saturday, June 21, 12:39:34am
  
  Using our computers,
  Keyboards, mice and screens,
  We came to RBL
  Romance book reviews to see.
  
  What we found were women
  Conversing coast to coast
  On topics we found touched us
  Where we felt it most.
  
  Coming together daily
  For our RBL fix
  We've formed a family
  Out of the converse mix.
  
  
  
  A toast! To the ladies of RBL Romantica! Thank you for your support, your never-ending generosity, your assistance with finding the perfect story to read and, most of all, for being there when I needed you. Happy Birthday, RBL!
  
  
  
  
  
  

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  • YAYYY! Happy Birthday!! This is my home on the net, and I'm so glad to have so many lovely ladies to share it with. Thank you RBL ! (NT) -- Robin , Saturday, June 21, 05:44:59am
  • RBL -- Pamela W, Saturday, June 21, 06:02:06am
  • Happy Birthday RBL! Proud to have you as Sisters. :-D (NT) -- Auntie Frannie, Saturday, June 21, 06:47:29am
  • Happy Birthday, RBL! Big hugs go out to those of you -- both those who are still here and those who no longer visit the board — who put your minds together and created this message board all those years ago. And hugs to my RBL sisters. I've met some of my closest friends on this board. And may I say, Wallpaper Fairy, that this is a particularly fine and appropriate choice for RBL's Birthday wallpaper! Julian! Yum! (NT) -- P.C. , Saturday, June 21, 08:07:07am
  • I can't believe it's been this long, it seems like yesterday!! Happy Birthday everyone & lets hope for MANY more!!!*G* Now about this WP, Just where did you get NEW pic's of Julian??? I haven't seen this one before!!*EG* (NT) -- £inda, Saturday, June 21, 09:06:01am
    • Gosh - I didn't get it from you? *G* I really don't remember. I thought I'd used it here before. He does have a VERY nice ass...... (NT) -- Beaty, Saturday, June 21, 07:19:13pm
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY RBL!!!!! What great fun this has been! And what great people I have met - friends, all!!! (NT) -- Judy, Saturday, June 21, 02:22:05pm
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY RBL. Wow I've met the greatest women here. It sure has been fun! (NT) -- debbieo, Saturday, June 21, 07:59:43pm
    • Happy b-day RBL! -- Sarah, Sunday, June 22, 01:57:07am
  • Too cute! And so deserved. Happy Birthday, RBL! (NT) -- Liz C., Sunday, June 22, 07:53:46am
  • Good gravy, another year gone by already?? Happy, happy day, RBL! (NT) -- Merry, Sunday, June 22, 10:34:12am
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY RBL!!! I LOVE this place and the great women I've come to know and love!!! (((((RBL))))) (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 06:23:43pm
  • Wow, I missed our birthday! Dang it! Happy birthday to RBL, my first online home. You've changed my life in so many ways. The women on this board are my family and I can't imagine what my life would be if I hadn't found RBL! (NT) -- Leiha, Sunday, June 22, 09:44:39pm

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• I-Team Trivia -- Pamela Clare , Sunday, June 22, 09:40:20pm
  I just wanted to let you all know that I'm playing a few rounds of I-Team Trivia on my blog for the next several days. There will be a prize for the person who gets the most answers right, and I don't want to leave my RBL sisters out of the fun! You can join in at pamelaclare.blogspot.com.
  

  [Edit]
  

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• New to me authors -- Beaty, Saturday, June 21, 07:17:50pm
  I've been trying some new-to-me authors since my TBR isn't calling me like it should. It's not that I don't have a bunch of books to read in my TBR - believe me!
  
  I've tried Robert K. Tanenbaum's No Lesser Plea. OK, but I won't be reading another.
  
  I've tried Brenda Novak's Trust Me and I'll be definitely watching for her next one.
  
  My favorite of my new authors was Jessica Anderson. The story was Nightkeepers. Not really romance. I'd stick it in the fantasy section. But a new and interesting world with lots of new characters to learn and love.
  
  Anyone else reading any of the above or trying out new-to-them authors?
  

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  Replies:

  • I read Brenda (a local Sacramento area author) when she first came out & I liked her but not as hot as I like them..*EG* (NT) -- £inda, Sunday, June 22, 12:45:23am
  • I tried Elizabeth Jennings 'Pursuit" and it was okay, but it won't find a spot on my keeper shelf.... (NT) -- Robin, Sunday, June 22, 07:46:22am
  • I'm in the middle of buying my first house, & corting through my worldly possessions prior to packing the apartment and arranging the move, so really I haven't read anyone new. *lol* But I did get the Elizabeth Jennings book from Heather when I stopped by her place to get boxes last night, and since Elizabeth Jennings writes as Lisa Marie Rice - one of my favorite E-Book authors, I will try to make time to read her before the move and let you know what I think. (NT) -- Ann , Sunday, June 22, 08:54:02am
    • Well, I have some definite thoughts regarding this book, so I'd be glad to hear your opinion, and to hear how this book compares to her other books under the pseudonym....congratulations on the new home! How marvelous for you! (NT) -- Robin, Sunday, June 22, 09:10:23am
  • The good thing about not reading for 2 years, is you get to try a bunch of new authors. So I've tried quite a few in the past few months...Lucy Monroe, Tara Janzen, Kate Angell, Nancy Warren, Elizabeth Jennings (Robin, I didn't care for "Pursuit" either...I mean it was awful, and I finished it...but I don't think I'll be running out to get her next one...but I do have her ebooks, as Lisa Marie Rice, yet to read, so I'll try those since I have them). As you all know, I loved MOST of the Tara Janzen books, and I've really enjoyed Lucy Monroe, Kate Angell, and Nancy Warren's books...very light and fun reads. (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 09:49:05am
    • Whoops...meant to say is WASN'T awful. (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 22, 06:20:26pm

  ---

• NAME THAT SCENE -- Robin, Saturday, June 21, 05:42:42am
  "Why, you clumsy oaf! Look what you've gone and done now!"
  
  M_____'s gaze automatically dropped to his hands. A jagged shard of glass protruded from his palm. Warm blood trickled down his wrist and forearm to puddle on one of Elizabeth Cameron's precious rugs. Before he could quench it, the old shame flared. Shame for being a M_______. Shame for being such a crude ox. Just as quickly on its heels followed rage--the crushing rage that shielded his tattered pride from every blow. But before he could unleash it on the hapless girl, she dropped the sword and rushed to his side.
  
  Tossing the splintered remains of the rose away, she cradled his hand in hers and dabbed at the wound with a wad of her nightdress. Her hand was warm, soft, and silky-smooth beneath his own.
  
  "You really should take more care," she chided him. "Had you struck your wrist, you might have bled to death."
  
  M_______ was too dumbfounded to point out her illogic. Had she cut off his head, he most certainly would have bled to death. Still scowling over his hand, she dragged him toward the pale arc of light at the window.
  
  "Be very still," she commanded. "I'm going to fish out this piece of glass. It's bound to be painful. You may scream if you like. I shan't think any less of you."
  
  Since she'd never thought much of him to begin with, M______ wasn't concerned. He didn't even flinch when she pressed his palm with her thumb and snagged the sliver of glass between the polished crescents of her fingernails.
  
  Thoroughly bemused, M_____ studied her in the moonlight. The top of her head barely came to his breastbone. The spiral curls he used to yank with such relish now tumbled down her back in inky waves. Her skin was fair except for the faintest hint of color, as if God had brushed rose petals across her cheeks and lips. A fringe of ebony silk shuttered her eyes.
  
  Her scent filled his nostrils. He was shocked to feel his throat tighten with a primal hunger. She smelled like her mother, but fresher, sweeter somehow. Some primitive male instinct warned him this was a bloom still on the vine, fragrant and tender and ripe. He scowled. She might be nectar to another man, but to a M_________, Dougal Cameron's daughter would be more deadly than nightshade.
  
  Her teeth cut into her lower lip as if to bite back a cry of her own as she drew forth the shard of glass and staunched the bleeding with another wad of her nightdress. M______ feared there might soon be more of it twined around his arm than around her body. But an intriguing glimpse of a slender calf silenced his protest.
  
  Grimacing, she laid the bloody splinter on the windowsill before glancing up at him. His hand was in moonlight, but shadows still hid his face. "A rather ignoble end to the Belmont Rose, wasn't it? Perhaps when King James gave it to my English grandfather for his loyal service, he intended it as a weapon, not a trinket. If he'd have realized it would end up in a Highlander's hands, I'm sure he would have tipped the thorns with poison rather than gold."
  
  S________'s baby fat might have melted and realigned in a very enticing manner, but one thing hadn't changed. She still loved to chatter.
  
  A low chuckle rumbled from his throat.
  
  S_______frowned. The sound was unfamiliar to her--rich and deep, a mere octave above a growl. Yet if she were a cat, every hair on her head would have bristled in warning.
  
  At that moment he cocked his head to the side, giving her an unobstructed view of his face. Moonlight melted over its harsh planes and angles, etching its alien virility in ruthless lines. He was a stranger, yet so hauntingly familiar she couldn't stop her hand from lifting, her fingertips from brushing the stubborn jut of his jaw. His eyes were guarded like the forest at dusk.
  
  "Hello, brat," he said.
  
  S________felt that old familiar kick in her stomach and realized she was standing face-to-face in the moonlit tower with M_________ M________, his boyish promise of masculine beauty come to devastating fruition.
  
  Mortified by her boldness, she snatched back her hand, remembering the first time she had touched him in tenderness and been rebuked in anger.
  
  A wry grin quirked his lips. "I suppose if you'd have known it was me, you'd have let me bleed to death."
  
  Terrified that she was going to revert to a stammering six-year-old, she snapped, "I'd say not. You were dripping all over Mama's Flemish rug."
  
  To hide her consternation, she lowered her gaze back to his hand. Another mistake. She could not help staring, fascinated by the blunt size of his fingers, the warmth of his roughened skin, the rhythmic throb of his pulse beneath her thumb. She had the absurd thought that it must take a mighty heart indeed to fuel such a man.
  
  "You've grown," she blurted out accusingly.
  
  "So have you."
  
  His low, amused tone warned her. She looked up to find his gaze taking a leisurely jaunt up her body, finally coming to rest with bold regard on her face. A splinter of anger twisted in her heart. She had yearned for so long that he might look at her with affection. Why did he have to choose now, when she sensed his admiration might be even more lethal than his enmity?
  
  Hardly aware of her actions, she tore a strip of priceless Chinese silk from her mother's drapes and wrapped it around his palm. "So what were you doing up here? Plotting a massacre? Trying to find a way to lower the harpsichord out the window? Searching for a mouse to stuff into my bed?"
  
  Lucky mouse, M_________thought, but wisely refrained from saying so. "If you must know, lass, I was searchin' for a moment's peace."
  
  "Ha!" She knotted the bandage with a crisp jerk that finally drew a flinch from him. "Peace and the M__________ hardly go hand in hand."
  
  "Noble sentiments from a lass who just burst in here threatenin' to carry my head to her papa on a platter."
  
  S__________could hardly argue with that.
  
  He nodded toward the door. "Why aren't you down there with the rest of your kin, lordin' your noble gestures over the peasants?"
  
  M_________'s size might have changed, but he still had the uncanny knack of making her feel ashamed of who she was. She snorted daintily. "Peasants indeed. Barefoot savages, the lot of them. Mama would have been better off serving them at a trough."
  
  M________'s voice was quiet, its very lack of emotion a rebuke. "If their table manners aren't to your likin', it might be because most of them won't see that much food again in their lifetimes. And their feet are bare because they're savin' the rotted soles of their boots for the cold winter months. They don't lose as many toes that way."
  
  Shame buffeted S________. M________ had always brought out the worst in her. She dropped her gaze, then wished she hadn't as it fell on the stark lines of M_________'s bare feet. Golden hair dusted his muscular calves. His soles must be as tough as leather to bear the stony soil of the mountain without protection. Her own toes curled sheepishly into the plush cashmere of her stockings.
  
  "If you must know, I begged Mama to let me join the festivities," she confessed.
  
  "Why didn't you appeal to your dotin' papa? Are your pouts failin' you? As I recall, he never could resist a flutter of those ridiculously long lashes of yours."
  
  S__________'s gaze shot to his face. M________ had never given her any indication that he'd noticed her lashes, or anything else about her. "Even Papa was adamant this time." A soft chuckle escaped her. "It seems your reputations for lechery preceded you. He was terrified one of you might hit me over the head and drag me off by my hair."
  
  M________ was silent for so long that she feared she'd offended him again. Then he reached down and lifted a skein of her hair into his uninjured hand, rubbing it between thumb and forefinger. A dreamy languor stole across his features. The cadence of S________'s heartbeat shifted in warning.
  
  He let the stolen tendril ripple through his fingers in a cascade of midnight silk before turning the dusky heat of his gaze on her. "I can't say I blame him, lass. If you were mine, I'd probably lock you away too."
  
  If you were mine...
  
  The words hung suspended between them, far more awkward than the silence. In a breath of utter lunacy S________ wondered how it would feel to belong to a man like him, dared to ponder what came after being dragged off by her hair.
  
  Caught in the same spell of moonlight and solitude, M_________'s gaze dropped to her parted lips. His starving senses reeled, intoxicated by the scent of roses that flared his nostrils and the cling of her hair against his callused knuckles. He'd long ago resigned himself to the harsh life of a Highland warrior. But this girl's softness awakened old hungers and weakened his resolve. He hadn't touched a drop of wine, yet he felt drunk, reckless. What harm could it do to steal one taste of that tender rosebud of a mouth? Resisting the temptation to plunge his tongue between her unwitting lips, he leaned down and touched his mouth to hers.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • OK someone come figure this out so I know if I have it or not..LOL (NT) -- £inda, Saturday, June 21, 10:33:45am
  • It reminds me of Arnette Lamb, but I have no idea which book! (NT) -- Beth, Saturday, June 21, 01:47:54pm
  • I finally got it. Whisper of Roses by Teresa Medeiros, I love this story. Very sweet (NT) -- Amy, Sunday, June 22, 04:24:42am
    • You got it Amy! One of my all time favorite 'punch in the gut' reads! (NT) -- Robin, Sunday, June 22, 07:45:08am

  ---

• RBLs UNITE!!! -- ChrisMM , Wednesday, June 18, 01:08:28pm
  I don't know if many of you are aware of it, but MSNBC is doing a poll on the number of people who actually READ romances. And, horror of horrors, the numbers are low in the YES! category. I'm sure it doesn't help that they defined them as "bodice-rippers", and I'm also sure that there are plenty of people who were shamed into answering "only on vacation or at the beach" by this whole "bodice-ripper" label. I think we should gang up on them and show them just how many people out there DO read romance novels and aren't afraid or ashamed to admit it!
  
  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25195786/
  
  I sure hope I'm not the only one irritated that they are trying to slant the vote by making it sound ridiculous or shameful to read a romance. I don't mind the term "bodice-ripper"... it actually makes me laugh, but I don't like when it's used to make us feel bad about our reading choices. I'd like to see any one of them write a plausible, enjoyable romance. Okay, I'm done with the soapbox for now... anyone else want to use it?
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • OH YEAH!!!!! I voted.. You know one thing is for sure, the numbers are pretty close to even for yes & no but I think they must add the "when on vacation" numbers to the yeses because I have friends who would answer that because, that is the only time they can read. They do not read any other time. (NT) -- £inda, Wednesday, June 18, 01:39:32pm
  • I voted and commented with my real name. They can eat my shorts. Thanks, Chris! We should inundate them with comments, too. (NT) -- P.C., Wednesday, June 18, 01:42:20pm
    • Hey PC, I picked up your latest book the other day! Looking forward to reading it!! (NT) -- Bobbi, Wednesday, June 18, 04:06:32pm
      • I hope you enjoy it, Bobbi! And it sounds like those poll numbers are climbing! WTG, RBLers! (NT) -- P.C. , Wednesday, June 18, 05:10:07pm
  • I voted!!!! I get amusement out the the "bodice ripper" term. I kinda like it frankly. Looks like the numbers are good on the yes side now. 40% When I voted. (NT) -- Bobbi, Wednesday, June 18, 04:05:14pm
    • I have a blog, and about 3 weeks ago I wrote one regarding romance novels. Inside if you'd like to read it >>>> -- Bobbi, Thursday, June 19, 07:07:28am
  • ChrisMM, did it! I agree with everything you said. (NT) -- Frances, Wednesday, June 18, 04:16:13pm
  • Take a look at what the smartb!tches say http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/the-more-things-change-the-more-i-want-to-rip-a-bodice-in-anger/ (NT) -- Reny, Wednesday, June 18, 05:28:36pm
    • I love how they call the people at NBC f#cknuts (NT) -- Reny, Wednesday, June 18, 05:31:02pm
    • They crack me up. I love some of the comments left for them too. (NT) -- , Thursday, June 19, 07:08:46am
  • I voted and I agree with Kris/Cynthia who posted comments on the voting site. I read romance books and am not afraid to admit it. I also like a clinch cover too! Terms like 'bodice rippers' go with the stereotypical view that some people have of romance books and of the people who read them. Among many other things (like those listed in the commentary), romance books can also be clever, witty, and full of information. I can't tell you how many questions I've gotten correct while watching "Jeopardy" because of things I learned while reading a romance book! I'm glad that we can pick up a 'fluff' book that is all for fun, and also pick up a book that deals with a personal victory after some devastating event, or injustice that is made right, etc. We have a lot to choose from! Viva la Romance! HUGH HUGH HUGH. (NT) -- Robin, Wednesday, June 18, 07:51:25pm
    • Chanting right along with you! HUGH... HUGH... HUGH (NT) -- ChrisMM, Friday, June 20, 12:28:41am
  • I voted and we are winning!!! Robin, I am with you on the learning things too. I often pick up little bits of information I can put in my "Wow, I never knew that!" basket. We don't get jeopardy though, I just have to make do with amazing my friends! *grin* J xx (NT) -- Joanie, Wednesday, June 18, 08:11:22pm
    • I thought I had commented yesterday, but my comment wasn't there, so I had to do it again. NOW it's there. Dorkwads at MSNBC. I took a swipe at their journalistic integrity. :-) (NT) -- P.C. , Thursday, June 19, 05:21:15am
  • I voted and posted a comment - it takes a few minutes to do so (they verify that you're not a spammer by sending an email so you can register to post comments), but it was worth it! (NT) -- Judy, Wednesday, June 18, 08:40:04pm
  • I voted and emailed them. How dare they!! (NT) -- Lucy, Thursday, June 19, 10:10:19am
  • God bless you RBLs and ChrisMM. I love seeing a hornet's nest stirred up. *G* I loved all your posts. The problem now seems to be that Newsvine is not a part of MSNBC. How do we make sure that the shirts see the posts? (NT) -- Auntie Frannie, Thursday, June 19, 02:09:07pm
  • I voted and the poll is now 'yes' as the majority with over 8000 votes! Cool! :) Thanks for posting about it Chris. (NT) -- Melanie, Thursday, June 19, 03:00:40pm
  • See, now I just KNEW my RBL sisters would get cranky about it too! It's been all over the reader/author loops I subscribe to. They bit off WAY more than they can chew... not too bright if you ask me. Us Romance readers are a bit rabid when it comes to defending our love. You should go read this article by Barbara Vey at Publisher's Weekly... she blasted them: http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/460028246.html ... And Auntie Frannie, I do so love stirring up that nest. LOL (NT) -- ChrisMM , Friday, June 20, 12:27:23am
  • Considering the backlash this has caused, I have a question for those who are familiar with MSNBC's polls in general: Do they ever comment on the results, or just scuttle on to the next loaded question? I would love to know their reaction. (NT) -- Beth, Friday, June 20, 11:38:16pm

  ---

• Wish me luck... -- Merry, Thursday, June 19, 04:32:39pm
  
  Going on an expedition tomorrow... only the fourth time out of the house (well, except for practicing on the steps and walking up and down the drive) in the car tomorrow. GS Aiden is graduating from eighth grade tomorrow a.m., and Gramma's going to do her best to be there. Long walk up into the school, and may have trouble with low seats in the auditorium (I can't yet rise from a standard-height chair without WOW-type pain). Plan to take my Big Fat Pillow to sit on...
  
  I'll let you know if I live. Tomorrow makes 7 weeks to the day since my surgery. Talk about counting the hours...
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Hugs and Major luck your way, Merry! And Congrats to GS Aiden!!!! Seven Weeks already? Wow!...Hang in there...we're pulling for you! HUGS!! (NT) -- Michele N, Thursday, June 19, 08:00:35pm
  • (((((Merry))))), Congratulations to Aiden. Best of luck to you. (NT) -- Frances, Thursday, June 19, 09:02:46pm
  • Good luck, Merry! We'll be thinking about you. (NT) -- Beaty, Thursday, June 19, 09:15:43pm
  • Absolutely, :::crossing fingers::: that you'll be able to get out of the seat. (((hugs))) and congrats to your GS. (NT) -- ChrisMM , Friday, June 20, 12:22:07am
  • Best of luck Merry! Hang in there - this time next year you will be sooo glad you had the knee fixed! Rehab is just a great big ole pain though ! (((((((Merry))))). (NT) -- Colleen, Friday, June 20, 07:46:46am
  • Well, I made it - sort of. Hiked from the parking lot (HP space, so fairly close), up the ramp, into the building and all the way to the gym. Perched on pillows on the molded plastic chair from 9:30 a.m. 'til 11, when I couldn't stand it anymore and had to leave. *sigh* Did see Aiden receive the President's Award for Academic Excellence, though... what a great kid! But I made it back to the car, into the car (an athletic feat - it's taller than I can get into easily yet) and home, up the steps and inside. Then I had a nap attack! Tomorrow I'm gonna try the store for a couple hours. This is soooo slow. I want it all healed and back to normal NOW! (NT) -- Merry, Friday, June 20, 10:04:49pm
    • Now if only I'd been allowed to march up front and beat the assistant principal over the head with my cane... there he was, an hour into the ceremonies, supposed to present two simple awards, and had to digress with w long-winded story about education being the key to a better future. Boiling hot gym, sweaty kids and adults, and on and on he yammered. Bless his pea pickin' heart. Doncha just love a speaker who can't *read* the crowd???? *G* (NT) -- Merry, Friday, June 20, 10:05:43pm

  ---

• Got a Problem, and need some RBL Smarts -- Frances, Monday, June 16, 10:01:59am
  I have a problem and need help deciding how big it is and what to do about it.
  
  I seem to have developed an allergy to apples. The last three times I ate an apple, I got deathly ill about eight hours later, and it lasted for about 24 hours. Now before you scream, Don't eat them dummy, let me tell you that this has happened over the last four years. I've eaten apples all my life, and loved them. After a year or more of not eating them, I forget. Now I get sick. Go figure.
  
  The only thing that I can figure is that commercial growers have started using a different pesticide. Organically grown apples don't do me in.
  
  This is what I would like for you to do: 1) Think back over the last few years. Have any of you had unexplained, extreme belly aches. 2) Keep a watch out for said, extreme belly aches after consuming apples. 3) Advise me on what to do.
  
  If you don't want to clutter up the board, e-mail me. I can see this as a possibly huge problem in the food supply. Saturday, by mistake, I had one tiny bite of apple and paid the penalty all Saturday night and Sunday. If it gets me this badly, think what it could do to a child or older person. I refuse to admit that I may be one of the above.
  
  Thanks everybody for you help.
  
  Frances
  http://frances-writes.blogspot.com/
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Frances - I wouldn't assume it's the pesticides - maybe you should be tested by an allergist. (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 16, 11:55:51am
    • Judy, I am seeing my Dr. Thursday. But like I said, organic apples don't get to me. This really worries me. Thanks. (NT) -- Frances, Monday, June 16, 04:46:39pm
      • Does it happen if you peel the apples? (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 16, 08:21:56pm
        • Judy, I have been avoiding all apples, until Saturday when they were cut up in the fruit salad. The peelings were on, and the pieces were mixed with strawberries and grapes.. I think applesauce is ok. (NT) -- Frances, Tuesday, June 17, 04:22:10am
  • Apples are the #2 fruit with high pesticide levels (Peach is the top, apparently.) Washing & peeling are supposed to help, but you lose nutrients. If organic apples aren't affecting you, I'm defnitely agreeing with your pesticide theory. The most used pesticide on apples is AZM, which can cause dizziness, vomiting, numbness of limbs, and occasionally death. (They're phasing it out by 2012.) Hope that helps. (NT) -- Cathy Yardley, Tuesday, June 17, 11:53:04am
  • My son had a terrible reaction after eating an unwashed non-organic apple. We now eat only organic apples (and produce of all kinds when we can afford it) and we wash them with a special fruit-veggie wash. (NT) -- P.C., Tuesday, June 17, 03:11:21pm
    • Then it's not just me. I didn't know what was wrong until the third apple. I have been scrubbing everything with Dawn detergent. I really thank you all for your help. I will let you know what my doctor says. (NT) -- Frances, Tuesday, June 17, 03:53:46pm
      • My brother uses Dawn, too. LOL! We use something we picked up in the veggie aisle called FIT. No it's not just you. I've heard of other people, too. In Ben's case, he felt sick and broke out in hives everywhere on his body -- HUGE itchy hives. Poor kid! Take care, Aunt Frannie, dear! (NT) -- P.C., Tuesday, June 17, 06:15:31pm
    • I scrub apples with dish soap too - I also wash tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, pears, and potatoes (for baking) if I'm going to eat the skins - and I scrub melons before I slice them, too. I know some people who wash broccoli in soapy water before eating/cooking it. I do worry about pesticides on fruits like berries that you can't really scrub. And, of course, being a sort-of meat eater, I also am concerned about the pesticides on the food/grains that the animals eat - to say nothing of the hormones and antibiotics that they are given! (NT) -- Judy, Tuesday, June 17, 08:29:33pm
      • If you use that FIT stuff, they tell you how to wash berries. You just pop 'em in a bowl with a solution of the soap stuff, and swish 'em around. Works like a charm! (NT) -- Cathy, Tuesday, June 17, 10:14:57pm
        • Do you buy it in the grocery store? If so, which section - fruits, soaps ...? (NT) -- Judy, Wednesday, June 18, 04:25:17am
          • Check inside for Cornell University's advice. Department's of Agriculture agree with this. -- Reny, Wednesday, June 18, 08:05:32am
            • In my store, it's by the fruit, usually a little hidden... like on a low shelf. (NT) -- Cathy, Thursday, June 19, 08:38:03am

  ---

• DarkHunter Sweepstakes -- Robin, Tuesday, June 17, 06:05:02pm
  Everyone probably already knows, but I got an email tonight about a DARKHUNTER sweepstakes!
  
  If you go to dub dub dub dot year of acheron dot com, you can win all 12 books of the series autographed by Ms. Kenyon.
  
  I know we have some big fans of the DH books here, so I wanted to let ya know.
  
  Good luck!
  Robin
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Um, sorry, I guess I should have said "you can POSSIBLY win" (its a contest). There are official rules, etc, that you can check out and read as well. (NT) -- Robin, Tuesday, June 17, 06:06:48pm
  • Thanks for this! I just rushed over and entered. Also putting it on my blog. I've had a hard time finding all of them. It'd be so cool to win! (NT) -- Cathy, Tuesday, June 17, 10:17:40pm
  • Aw I can't enter, I don't live in the US bummer! Good luck to everyone though (NT) -- mandy, Wednesday, June 18, 03:25:41am

  ---

• Releases.... -- Beaty, Tuesday, June 17, 07:10:00pm
  

  
  
  

  June 17th Releases... Return to Summerhouse - Jude Deveraux Fearless Fourteen - Stephanie Plum - Janet Evanovich No Choice But Seduction - Malory Family - Johanna Lindsey

  
  

  [Edit]
  

  ---

• -- Beaty, Sunday, June 15, 10:00:10pm
  
  
  
  
  Caught you at the last game.
  Lookin' GOOOOD, Soccer Mom!
  Got you a little gifty.
  Loved the van on the front. *G*
  Happy Happy Birthday, Mich!
  Hope it's a maaaaaa-ve-lous day!
  
  
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Have a GREAT DAY Mich. (NT) -- £inda, Sunday, June 15, 11:45:23pm
  • Happy birthday, Mich! (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 16, 06:01:04am
  • Hey sweetie! I haven't talked to you in ages! We need to catch up! I love you and hope that your birthday is fantabulous! Mwah mwah mwah! (NT) -- Leiha, Monday, June 16, 07:25:29am
  • Thank you for the birthday wishes! (NT) -- Mich "-), Monday, June 16, 09:14:03am
  • Happy Birthday Mich. (NT) -- Frances, Monday, June 16, 09:22:51am
  • Happy Birthday, Mitch! (NT) -- Reny, Monday, June 16, 12:49:52pm
  • Bestest Wishes Mich! Miss you chickie! (NT) -- Lina, Monday, June 16, 02:38:15pm
  • Happy Birthday Mich! (NT) -- Robin, Tuesday, June 17, 06:01:26pm

  ---

• Catchup and Q about MP3s -- Melanie , Sunday, June 15, 10:07:45am
  Hi Ladies!
  
  Seems like ages since I was here! Spent a couple of hours reading back through the archives to catch up with everyone, the NTSs and any other important recommends I may have missed!!
  
  It doesn't look like the incredible flooding near CindyO will be sorted out very quickly, unfortunately Hope you and your family are ok, CindyO. Beaty - I have to say it's nice to see you back on the board a bit more. Glad you are going healing post your op, Merry, and pleased that PC's Ben and Merry's shop both look like they are going to be ok are after their respecitive 'accidents'. Sounds like it was a pretty stressful time, PC. Hope Ben is healing up well too.
  
  I guess my absence is largely due to me and the friend I'm sharing a house with moving house 2 months ago and then not having intenet for 3 weeks. By then I'd gotten out of the habit BUT 'old habits die hard' as they say, so here I am again! :D
  
  Was thinking about what I'm looking forward to most after reading the posts further down and realised that the next Nalini Singh and the next Laura Adrian are now very high on my list (Ash's book and Faefever go without saying! LOL). I am loving both worlds and (dare I say it) I think Lara Adrian's vampire world is starting to give JR Ward's a real run for her money. I am loving LA's heroines - strong, likeable and very real to me (and the hero's arn't half bad either ;) ). The world Nalini Singh has created is fantastic. This is definitely my favourite paranormal series at the moment. I'm also really looking forward to Patti O'Shea's new one as I really enjoyed In the Midnight Hour!
  
  A fair way back down the board Heather mentioned that she had purchased some audiobooks of the In Death series and I'm wondering if anyone would recommend a particular site(s) as I'm doing a lot of driving for work these days and would like to start getting some audioboks. I've seen a few sites but the audiobooks are often pretty exensive so any guidance will be greatfully received!
  
  Mel x
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Hi Melanie...welcome back....I first recommend you go to your local library...you can get books on CD there, but you can also get them online, without even going to the library. Most librarys have an association with "Overdrive" which allows you to download audio books for free. If you don't have that option, then I believe Linda uses a rental company...kind of like a Netflix, that seems pretty reasonable..I'm sure she'll come and tell you about it. Most people who don't have the library option, use Audible.com for purchasing audio books....plus I know they have a great selection. Good luck...and happy reading!!! (NT) -- Heather , Sunday, June 15, 10:31:17am
    • YEP I rent 2 at a time from Bookfree.com. on MP3s they have others but I found it worth installing an mp3 player in my old car before buying my new one last year. I like them they deliver quick & no time limit. it's $18.99 a month I think. (NT) -- £inda, Sunday, June 15, 10:40:23pm
      • Thanks Heather and Linda - will look into these options and am also going to check out my local library as that looks like it has a few audio books too! (NT) -- Melanie, Tuesday, June 17, 12:09:36pm
  • Hey, Mel - Good to see you today! (NT) -- Beth, Sunday, June 15, 02:19:24pm
  • Melanie, I read In Twilight's Shadow and really enjoyed it. It's Rhyne's sister, Maia's story. (NT) -- Leiha, Monday, June 16, 07:30:38am
    • I'm sure I'll enjoy it too Leiha - will see if I can get it via Amazon - keep your fingers crossed for me! :) (NT) -- Melanie, Tuesday, June 17, 12:07:28pm
      • Amazon.co.uk has it listed but not in stock! *grumble grumble* (NT) -- Melanie, Tuesday, June 17, 12:42:07pm

  ---

• LOVER ENSHRINED -- £inda, Sunday, June 15, 11:43:00pm
  Loved the spoiler info at the chat board & added a comment even though I just started the book but thought maybe the topic I hit on would be better brought up here...
  
  Do any of you feel that some authors are trying to use Romance Readers to get us hooked & then drag us into a whole different genre? As mentioned by Leiha, Bo & Chez, it's fine for a romance author to move into a different area, as long as she's honest with her readers. (Like Karen & Emma have been)
  
  But some make me feel used when they write such great love stories & then slowly move away from the romance & into a whole other realm? It makes me feel awful because if I don't like it & quit reading the series it's as bad as TV when they get you hooked & then cancel the show & you never get to know how any of the story line ends... (Like Moonlight & Men in Trees!!) Then there's the whole Desperate Housewife's ending this year, that I'll never get over.. Well this is turning into a RANT so I'll shut up.. LOL
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • I'm totally ok with authors changing genres but changing it mid-series without saying anything is a disservice to us. Why not write another series if you want to write urban fantasy? You can still incorporate the world you've already created. I love the world she created but I do feel jipped when I'm expecting to read a romance between who I thought were the h/h of the book and instead I'm more invested in the bromance, LOL. I do plan on still reading the series to see where it goes. I just have less expectations now on the romance end of things. (NT) -- Leiha, Monday, June 16, 07:24:16am
    • Yep, I'll probably keep reading too, because I'm one of those idiots who watches a horror movie (which I NEVER watch) because the DH turns it on & then goes to sleep... I just HAVE to know the end!!!LOL (NT) -- £inda, Monday, June 16, 09:38:05am
  • I dislike that too,Linda. It has happened in two series this mointh that I read. I want the HEA ending. Iwant the heroine and hero to interact. The Urban fantasy genre seems geared to product placement. I hate it when I have to read an infomercial or endorsement of a product instead of a love scene. Several books this year have left me feeling the advertisers owed me my money back. So I have gone back to historicals and am finding several new great authors. (NT) -- Reny, Monday, June 16, 08:22:33am
    • I'm not crazy about the infomercial stuff either, kind of takes me out of the book & your right I've noticed that lately. Wonder if the authors at least get some extra $$ like they do in movies & TV when they have product placement?? (NT) -- £inda, Monday, June 16, 09:40:00am
    • Hey Reny - Who are some of the new historical authors that you like??? And also - I tried to email you to get some recommendations of some Elizabeth Thornton titles - I think I remember you recommending her highly to me at one time. (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 16, 11:59:25am
      • I will email you. I have been doing doctor's tests lately so I have been away from the internet a bit. (NT) -- Reny, Monday, June 16, 12:45:37pm
  • Rant on Linda. Seems to me that you are only saying what the rest of us are thinking. (NT) -- Frances, Monday, June 16, 09:24:54am
  • I understand what you're saying, but I wouldn't say it's a conscious choice by JR Ward. She has her vision and goes with it - her world started out as straightforward paranormals, but the characters she's writing are nothing like old-fashioned heroes, and the changes were signposted quite early on. We start with V, an unabashed Dom with a few Bi tendencies, onto Phury the drug addict and next to Rehv, a drug-dealing pimp - how do you even begin to redeem him? I'll be interested to see. As a relatively new author, I'm not sure how, at the start, she was supposed to warn anyone. Who knew the series would be so huge and create such expectation? I do have issues with some of her choices, and it's not romance as we know it, but I still find the books compelling, so I'll stick with them. (NT) -- Beth, Monday, June 16, 03:04:22pm
    • Incidentally, Mel and I were having a conversation just yesterday on how the romance genre is changing and evolving. I think it's a fascinating question and a very hot topic (and not just because of JR Ward). (NT) -- Beth, Monday, June 16, 03:10:28pm
      • I agree with you that it's compelling & will probably keep reading it, as even after all the comments I just started it yesterday. *G* I also agree that the romance genre is changing & some things I like but some I'm not so sure about. I still HAVE TO HAVE my HEA!!!*G* (NT) -- £inda, Monday, June 16, 04:24:40pm
        • Oh, yeah, I'm right with you there! Without the HEA, it'll hit the wall. LOL (NT) -- Beth, Monday, June 16, 10:21:05pm
          • I watched a net interview with JR and although I agree with the comments about her novels moving into Urban Fantasy more than Romance, she is still describing her novels as Romance. I haven't given up on her and enjoyed LE more in many respects than LU BUT if this is romance I'd like to see more development of the romance if it's Urban fantasy then I'd like a bit more of all of the other characters ie Mary, Rhage, Butch and Marissa (as we discussed Beth!) (NT) -- Melanie, Tuesday, June 17, 12:04:15pm

  ---

• Would you ladies help me with a riddle of sorts? -- Ronlyn, Sunday, June 15, 01:07:37pm
  A few weeks ago I was at a bookstore searching the racks and reading the descriptions of various books and authors. During that spree I picked up a couple books by Karen Rose (a new to me author) and read several descriptions before picking out a couple of her books to purchase.
  I went today to grab one book in particular that I've been thinking about reading. I thought it was "Mr Perfect" by Karen Rose, with the H/H names as Abe & Kristen. I was wrong. Abe & Kristen are in a diff. book (which I now own). I read the descriptions of every Karen Rose book on the shelf and none match the description I remember. I searched for other authors books called "Mr Perfect" but couldn't come up with it.
  Description is something along the lines of: Group of women meet up weekly and decide to make a list of what would make the perfect man. Suddenly women of the group are turning up murdered so H turns to her reclusive cop neighbor for help.
  Any ideas?
  Thanks so much.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • The Mr. Perfect I'm thinking of is from Linda Howard I believe. Check amazon it's listed there to be sure. (NT) -- Tammy, Sunday, June 15, 01:17:39pm
  • That is MR PERFECT by Linda Howard. It's older, but has been reprinted, so it should be pretty easy to find. (NT) -- Ann , Sunday, June 15, 03:24:37pm
  • Thanks ladies!! I thought I was going crazy in the bookstore this morning. LOL (NT) -- Ronlyn, Sunday, June 15, 05:19:56pm
  • answer to the question -- Rae, Sunday, June 15, 11:42:26pm
    • Hey Rae - It's good to "see" you on the board again! (NT) -- Judy, Monday, June 16, 12:01:07pm

  ---

• Name that scene -- Beth, Sunday, June 15, 10:34:59am
  
  Hmmm. Obviously way too easy yesterday, but I do love Smith and Honey trapped together! A much tougher challenge today, so a few clues. 1990 Regency by a classic author who writes at least three different genres under three different names...
  
  
  
  
  Victoria briefly considered the odds on getting out of the nasty business altogether by claiming to be still indisposed from the effects of the scientific experiment, but the pragmatic side of her nature interfered.
  
  May as well get the thing over and done, she told herself as she got slowly out of bed. She scowled as a faint headache flared behind her eyes. At least her stomach was stable again. When her maid appeared with tea, Victoria drank the entire pot and felt somewhat better.
  
  She chose the brightest yellow and white morning gown in her wardrobe and dressed as carefully as if she were going out for a formal visit before she headed reluctantly downstairs.
  
  Lucas rose from behind his wide desk, scanning her face carefully as she entered the room.
  
  ‘Please sit down Vickie. I must admit you are looking none the worse for wear. I congratulate you on your excellent constitution. I know several men who would be in a much less viable condition after the sort of ‘experiment’ you engaged in yesterday afternoon.’
  
  ‘Scientific progress exacts a certain toll,’ Victoria said with dignity as she sat down. ‘I am proud that I have made some small contribution to the welfare of mankind.’
  
  ‘A contribution to the welfare of mankind?’ Lucas’s mouth twitched. ‘Is that what you call it?’ You come home, thoroughly cup-shots in the middle of the day and you tell me it was all in the name of intellectual enquiry?’
  
  ‘I have done far more risky things in the name of intellectual enquiry,’ Victoria retorted meaningfully. ‘Only consider the fact that I am married to a man who will not even let me spend my own money as I see fit. And all because I fell victim to the dangers of another sort of experiment.’
  
  His mouth hardened into a grim line. ‘Do not try to deflect me by hurling old accusations here. It is your behavior yesterday that is under consideration here. What, precisely, were you doing at the Vicar’s?’
  
  ‘Sampling medicinal drafts in order to log their various effects,’ Victoria informed him, her chin at a haughty angle. Just let him dare to find fault with such a pure scientific investigation, she thought wrathfully.
  
  ‘And those medicinal drafts were all based on brandy?’
  
  ‘No, of course not. Some of the herbs were dissolved in ale and not a few were infused with sherry and claret. We were not certain which spirits mixed best with the herbs used, you see.’
  
  ‘Good Lord. How many glasses of this experiment did you drink?’
  
  Victoria massaged her temples. The headache was getting worse. ‘I do not remember precisely, but I am sure it is all carefully recorded in Doctor Thorn’s book of experiments.’
  
  ‘The vicar and his wife were involved in this?’
  
  ‘Well, actually, I fear Mrs Worth dozed off quite early on,’ Victoria said placatingly. ‘And the vicar had a rather a large dose of one of the concoctions and went into a corner to sit facing the wall for the duration of the experiment.’
  
  ‘I dread to ask what concoctions you swallowed.’
  
  Victoria brightened. ‘Oh, I stuck with pure spirits the entire time, Lucas. Mine was the standard by which the effects of the other mixtures were judged. It was a very important part of the experiment.’
  
  Lucas swore softly and fell silent. The ticking of the tall clock grew very loud in the room. Victoria began to get restless.
  
  ‘I fear I shall have to lay down yet another rule for you, madam,’ Lucas said at last.
  
  ‘I was of afraid that.’ She wanted to fight back, but her head was hurting too much. She could not seem to generate any enthusiasm for the conflict. She just wanted to retreat to her bed and lay down.
  
  Lucas ignored her morose expression, but his voice was surprisingly gentle when he explained the new rule. ‘Henceforth, you will not engage in any further scientific experiment without my approval. Is that quite clear?’
  
  ‘As usual, you have made yourself excruciatingly clear, my lord.’ Victoria rose, her head high. ‘Marriage is a rather dull business for a female, is it not? No adventuring, no intellectual inquiry, no freedom to spend one’s money as one sees fit. I wonder how women survive it for a lifetime without expiring from boredom.’
  
  She got up and went out the door.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Sounds like an Amanda Quick, but I dont have the books handy so I"m not sure which one. (NT) -- Tammy, Sunday, June 15, 01:19:59pm
  • I think it is SURRENDER by Amanda Quick (I'm moving soon so I am going through my books as I pack, and I just finished the "K's" which is where I have Amanda Quick filed since she is Jayne Ann Krents) (NT) -- Ann , Sunday, June 15, 03:33:37pm
    • Krentz. *lol* (NT) -- Ann , Sunday, June 15, 03:35:30pm
  • I agree its Amanda Quick, but I can't remember which one it is.... (NT) -- Robin, Sunday, June 15, 06:36:33pm
  • Well done - Surrender by Amanda Quick (NT) -- Beth, Sunday, June 15, 10:07:53pm
  • Dang, I read this yesterday and it didn't ring a bell. I should have known! (NT) -- Leiha, Monday, June 16, 07:28:01am

  ---

• Waiting for Tuesday! -- Robin, Sunday, June 15, 07:19:20pm
  Lesson #1 for bookstore publicists (or promotions directors or whatever name they have)
  
  Just because a book has a Navy SEAL in it - does not automatically mean that you can compare that to a Suzanne Brockmann book, and try to get people to buy it based on that recommendation!
  
  Okay, lesson time is over. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. LOL
  
  In the past two weeks I've read three brand new books that were not what I was hoping for...2 of them by favorite authors that I automatically buy, so it has been a little disappointing lately.
  
  Usually, when I feel like I'm in a slump like this, I go to a J.D. Robb book or an older 'keeper'. Since I only have 2 more Robb books to read until I'm caught up, I'm trying to savor those and NOT run to them everytime I need a guaranteed good read....
  
  The good news is that the new Janet Evanovich "14" comes out Tuesday and I believe I saw the new Malory novel by Lindsey got moved up and is coming out on Tuesday, 17 June as well. Not sure about that, but if not, it will be out by the 24th.
  
  Bobbi: I don't have those Fiona Brand books anymore, I already took them to the UBS.
  
  Bo: I haven't forgotten about you! I'll email you this week.
  
  I hope everyone has a great week ahead!
  
  Robin
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • It's sad when a book that you're really looking forward to is a disappointment. Hopefully your next few reads will be winners! (NT) -- Leiha, Monday, June 16, 07:26:42am

  ---

• Dogs -- Bonnie Vanak, Friday, June 13, 08:49:46am
  Hi everyone, hope the start of summer has been good to you. I was going through old photos and found this one of my dogs, Tia and Tiger from 2006. Tiger is still around, but I miss Tia, even though we have an adorable new adoptee named Dolce.
  
  Fur babies have brought much love into my life. I'm so thankful we had Tia for 11 good years.
  
  Hope this works.
  
  
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Awwwwww! What beautiful babies. They look so soft and cuddly. Thanks for sharing Bonnie. They're beautiful! (NT) -- Beaty, Friday, June 13, 02:36:06pm
  • Oh Bonnie, they're so precious. (NT) -- BAM, Friday, June 13, 04:17:04pm
  • Bonnie, they are adorable. I don't know what I would do without my Pasha Zack. :-) (NT) -- Frances, Friday, June 13, 06:34:04pm
  • Awwww...to cute...furbabies are THE BEST!!! (NT) -- Heather , Saturday, June 14, 11:11:38am
  • Thanks Beaty, BAM, Frances, and Heather. God bless the furbabies! (NT) -- Bonnie Vanak, Sunday, June 15, 05:54:56am
  • They are so cute, Bonnie, and I know you miss Tia. (((HUGS))) (NT) -- Pamela C., Sunday, June 15, 09:06:17am

  ---

• Name that Scene -- Beth, Saturday, June 14, 03:01:51am
  “Men: Should We or Shouldn’t We? Vegetative Deities of the Male Pantheon” okay, S-- was going to skip that chapter, the same way he’d skipped “Sacred Blood: What It Means to You - Transformative Powers of Menstruation.”
  
  Chapter Four, “Post Orgasmic Mindstate: Getting There Is Half the Fun - Enlightenment Through Bliss” looked promising, but he wasn't putting a nickel on finding any shameless sorority-girl sex games in it.
  
  He closed the book and turned it over in his hand, looking at the cover one more time. Talk about a marketing scam. This thing had probably been thrown against the wall in every fraternity house in America.
  
  He had figured out why there wasn't a ring on her finger, though. Chapter Six. “Marriage: Why and Why Not? Sanctioned Oppression in Patriarchal Societies.”
  
  He'd been married once, briefly very briefly, apparently just long enough to oppress the woman he’d loved, before she’d thrown him out on his ass.
  
  “So what do you think?” she asked, bending over her foot where they were sitting on the bed with their backs propped against the wall with pillows. His Sig was cocked, locked and loaded. There had been some gunfire coming from the Palacio’s courtyard earlier and he was ready to rock and roll if the party started to move to the third floor. She, on the other hand, had a tiny brush in her fingers and was ready to dab a little polish on one of her toes.
  
  Apparently, at some point during the evening, she’d chipped a nail.
  
  He hadn't noticed, and for the love of God and everything sacred and feminine in the Universe, he didn't know how in the hell she had, either. With all the shit that had hit the fan since he’d seen her out in front of the Hotel Palacio, how in the mother-loving hell had she noticed a chip in the polish on her toenail?
  
  It was the biggest goddamn mystery of the whole friggin’ night as far as he was concerned.
  
  Sanctioned oppression - God that ate at him.
  
  “It’s good. Really good,” he said. “Inspiring, actually. I'm thinking of writing a book of my own now.”
  
  “You are?” She looked up with a warm smile, which almost instantly turned wary. Smart girl. “What kind of book?”
  
  “I haven't thought of a title yet, but I've got the first chapter heading – Women: Should We or Shouldn't We? And How Many Should We Before We Don’t Anymore?”
  
  “Jerk.”
  
  Whatever.
  
  “Did anybody ever write you and demand their money back?”
  
  Her silence was answer enough.
  
  “So what do you do? Send them a money order?”
  
  “I don't think you actually read the text.”
  
  “Well, I’m going to, right after I finish writing my own chapter on marriage.”
  
  “Go ahead and tell me,” she said with a long-suffering sigh, dabbing an extra bit of lacquer on her baby toe which as far as he could see had already been adequately covered with candy-apple red polish, the whole freaking square quarter inch of it. “I can tell you've got something you’re just dying to get out.”
  
  “’Marriage,’” he said: “’Collusion or Delusion?’”
  
  She put the brush back in the bottle and looked up again. “Rough divorce?”
  
  How incredibly insightful.
  
  “She took my socks. My socks.” He still didn't understand that part. “I came back from Panama to an empty house and an empty sock drawer. So you tell me who was oppressed.”
  
  “How long ago did this happen?”
  
  A legitimate question, but he kind of hated how calm she was about it. He was still pissed about his divorce.
  
  “Sixteen months and two girlfriends ago.”
  
  “Whirlwind courtship?”
  
  A hurricane.”
  
  “Read Chapter Seven, ‘Hormones and Pheromones: Love or Lust? Emotional and Biological Responses to Sexual Stimuli,’ and every place it says ‘woman,’ put the word ‘man,’ and every place it says ‘man,’ put the word ‘woman.’”
  
  “Men and women are not interchangeable.”
  
  “Oh, pul-lease,” she said, rolling her eyes at him.
  
  Oh, pul-lease. God, what gall.
  
  Even worse, now that they were both on the bed, and it would be most helpful for her to be looking her sex-kittenish best, she was coming damn close to actually looking like a feminist. She was wearing his clothes, for crying out loud, men's clothes, and they were sagging and bagging and practically falling off, but not nearly falling off enough to suit him.
  
  Biological Responses. He knew a little about biological responses. He was suffering through a biological response and it wasn't doing anything to improve his mood.
  
  Love or Lust?
  
  No contest, it was the lust all the way, baby. Dammit.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • LOL!!! I love it! Must tell soon dammit... Heh! (NT) -- Aimee, Saturday, June 14, 09:37:58am
  • Oh oh! I know this one. Just can't pull it out of my head at the moment. He just rescued her and is not sure what to do with her. ARGH!! I hate not being able to remember any more. Great scene, Beth! (NT) -- Beaty, Saturday, June 14, 10:40:04am
  • YEAH....FINALLY...one I know...and knew when I read the 1st sentence...I think this is probably the 1st NTS I've ever gotten....Crazy Sweet, Tara Janzen...and I probably only got it because I just read it about a month ago!!! (NT) -- Heather , Saturday, June 14, 11:05:34am
  • I knew that was my man C. Smith Rydell!! (Okay, he is about 6th in line to be my man, with Creed being first...then Superman....LOL) (NT) -- Robin, Saturday, June 14, 01:22:01pm
    • Honey, you'd have to FIGHT me for Superman... love love LOVE that tattoo! (NT) -- ChrisMM, Saturday, June 14, 03:58:10pm
  • I knew I knew it too - loved this whole series by Tara Janzen! (NT) -- Judy, Sunday, June 15, 04:59:35am

  ---

• -- Beaty, Thursday, June 12, 08:42:25pm
  
  
  
  
  Happy Birthday, Jennah!
  Hope it's a GREAT one!
  
  
  
  
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Jennah - Happy birthday! Hope it's a great one! (NT) -- Judy, Friday, June 13, 05:37:31am
  • Have a GREAT DAY & do LOT's of FUN stuff!!! (NT) -- £inda, Friday, June 13, 08:18:20am
  • Have a wonderful day!! (NT) -- Lucy, Friday, June 13, 12:04:21pm
  • Happy Birthday, Jennah. (NT) -- Frances, Friday, June 13, 06:18:00pm
  • Happy Birthday!! (NT) -- Robin, Saturday, June 14, 01:23:11pm
  • Happy Belated Birthday, Jenna! (NT) -- ChrisMM, Saturday, June 14, 04:02:42pm

  ---

• Hey girls how is everyone doing I haven't been on here in ages? Where is everyone from, I'm a New Yorker are there any Rebels in NY? -- Nataly, Thursday, June 12, 10:24:15pm
  [Edit]
  
  Replies:
  • Hey Nataly! I'm from Montana - nowhere NEAR New York. We are having a NE RBL get together this fall, but it will be in the DC area. Stop by more often! Have you been reading anything you're really enjoyed lately? (NT) -- Beaty, Friday, June 13, 11:58:57am
  • I am from Syracuse (NT) -- Tammy2, Friday, June 13, 03:11:58pm
  • Hi Nataly. Welcome back. (NT) -- Frances, Friday, June 13, 06:45:49pm
  • Hi Nataly...DC area here...but I LOVE New York...as you can probably tell by my icon...I'm a broadway fan, and go to NYC often to catch shows!!! (NT) -- Heather , Saturday, June 14, 11:13:43am
  • Hi, Nataly, I'm in Las Vegas, NV. (NT) -- ChrisMM, Saturday, June 14, 04:01:24pm

  ---

• Free eBook -- Patti O'Shea, Friday, June 13, 02:24:02pm
  For those of you who'd like to try one of my books or would like a digital copy of In the Midnight Hour, head over to Tor.com and register.
  
  Every Friday, they send out an email with a link for a free ebook in 3 different formats--PDF, HTML, or Mobi. Most of the titles have been SF/F, but next week is Midnight Hour.
  
  Now back to deadline hell.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Thanks, Patti! (NT) -- BAM, Friday, June 13, 04:16:02pm
  • Thanks Pattie. (NT) -- Frances, Friday, June 13, 06:43:03pm
  • AWESOME...thanks Patti! (NT) -- Heather , Saturday, June 14, 11:10:58am

  ---

• Update on the never ending water -- CindyO, Friday, June 13, 04:22:08pm
  Showing you the link below what is going on here and now weather officials are worried that the Fox could creast another 2 feet before this is over. We are still well and with power. Some 4000 others are without power. Hoping this will stop soon.
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • check it out here -- CindyO, Friday, June 13, 04:24:17pm
    • YIKES...what a nightmare...hang in there CindyO...hopefully all will be well soon. Mother Nature will be Mother Nature...we can't fight her, but we can recover!!! (NT) -- Heather , Saturday, June 14, 11:10:19am
  • CindyO, sorry for what you are all going through. Am keeping you in my prayers. (NT) -- Frances, Friday, June 13, 07:11:12pm

  ---

• 'Tis the BBQ Season..... -- Auntie Frannie, Thursday, June 12, 04:21:04pm
  We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.
  
  When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
  
  Routine...
  
  (1) The woman buys the food.
  
  (2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
  
  (3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
  
  Here comes the important part:
  
  (4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
  
  More routine....
  
  (5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
  
  (6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
  
  Important again:
  
  (7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
  
  More routine....
  
  (8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
  
  (9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
  
  And most important of all:
  
  (10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for a great meal.
  
  (11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed her "night off."
  
  (12) And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • I have solved this problem at my house. I have taken the grill away from my husband. GASP!!! I watch the grill, beer in hand, then call my husband from the garage when it's time to eat. Everyone praises me for my magic cooking skills. The reason it was taken away...he kills meat...grills it to death...turns it into inedible charcoal..why? TOO much beer. (NT) -- Briana, Thursday, June 12, 08:34:25pm
  • Auntie Frannie, I can assure you this is a world wide thing. Barbecues happen exactly the same way in Australia as they seem to do in the states. Oh, and the alpha male gets the tongs... LOL! (NT) -- Joanie, Friday, June 13, 05:52:32am
  • LOL I'm with Briana, I do the BBQ!!! (NT) -- £inda, Friday, June 13, 08:21:02am

  ---

• Hi Update! Went another dentist today,I was right a abcess tooth, got a antibiotic to treat it. same pain medicine as before too. Switching dentist , waiting for the paperwork to go though. Got some books today, traded in my old ones. Really hot here in bulter pa. Reading now dark desire after dusk- kresley cole. what's everyone reading? -- ann2, Monday, June 09, 03:33:04pm
  [Edit]
  
  Replies:
  • That's one of my nightmares...having a tooth problem and no one to help. You reminded me that I need to find another detist. My original one I"ve had since a child, died last November. And I"ve been dragging my feet. Your post is a wake up call. Thank you! and I hope your tooth responds FAST to the meds. Good luck!!! (NT) -- Michele N, Tuesday, June 10, 05:26:48am
  • Hi So far the meds are working, Not much pain ! as much as before! (NT) -- ann2, Wednesday, June 11, 06:26:39pm
    • I am SO glad you let us know! I hope you continue to get better and better. (NT) -- Michele N, Thursday, June 12, 01:46:20pm

  ---

• Long time no post... -- Leiha, Tuesday, June 10, 09:03:09am
  I talked to Linda recently and she gave me grief for not being around. I told her since I blog and so many RBLs read it I didn't want to be repetitive but she pointed out she just can't do blogs although if she did mine would be the first one she checked every morning (ok maybe I added that part, LOL).
  
  Lots happening in my life. Our time in FL is almost over. In a couple of weeks Lina will be moving back to Jersey and I'll be going to Portland to house sit for a few months for Linda T. My family is happy to have me on that coast again as is Linda and Barb. We've already got tentative plans to visit.
  
  Speaking of visiting, Nes and Jan Kees were just here! Actually they're still in FL but are down south checking out the keys and the everglades. We were able to hook up Fri night with Ana and her hubby and Nally just happened to be in town with her family! I wasn't able to get a pic of all of us together but Nally and Ana were also able to make a KMM lunch I was having on Sunday so here are some pics of us.
  
  Nes and I
  
  
  Lina, me, Nes and Ana
  
  
  Lina, Nally, Nicholas (Nally's oldest, sooo cute!) and me
  
  
  Me and Maximus (he's so big! Too bad it's not a good angle of his spiky hair)
  
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • And she left out that i am so technically challenged that i couldn't get my GPS and Cell phone to work right enough to meet them on friday! we will miss you down here girls! (NT) -- Nally, Tuesday, June 10, 09:40:11am
  • Everyone looks GREAT, wish I could be there too.. LOL I would check yours first if I did do Blogs!! But as I don't thanks for checking in here. I can't wait to see you I still haven't firmed the date but will probably be the weekend of the 25th of July. I still have to call Nancy & see if she can make it that weekend or maybe during the week would be better for ya'll since she does the part time job thing on weekends & Sandra is off for the summer.. (NT) -- £inda, Tuesday, June 10, 05:55:49pm
    • You sound super busy chick. Hope all is well, love and hugs! -- Sarah, Tuesday, June 10, 11:29:06pm
    • I think that's the weekend before RWA so I think we're good (still not sure if I'm going yet or not). Weekends are probably better for Nancy, she has Sundays off but she needs plenty of notice. (NT) -- Leiha, Thursday, June 12, 07:30:14am
  • You all look wonderful, and it is great to hear from you. (NT) -- Frances, Wednesday, June 11, 10:31:08am
  • Looks like everyone is having a grand time! Love seeing the RBL get togethers! Leiha, whats the www to your blog? (NT) -- Robin, Wednesday, June 11, 02:51:14pm
    • What, you don't already have it bookmarked? LOL! It's http://leiha.blogspot.com/ and it's me writing about my favorite subject, me, LOL. Well I also talk alot about my other fave subject, food! I look forward to seeing you over there Robin! (NT) -- Leiha, Thursday, June 12, 07:31:55am
  • It's great to see you, Kiddo! I, like Linda, don't do all the blogs. How's Lina? We haven't seen her in FOREVER! If you're moving, are you still working for Karen? I've missed you! (NT) -- Beaty, Wednesday, June 11, 07:34:57pm
    • Lina is doing well. We're just gearing up for the next phase in our lives, LOL. I'm still working for Karen but I don't need to be local anymore. (NT) -- Leiha, Thursday, June 12, 07:33:21am

  ---

• -- Beaty, Sunday, June 08, 09:54:17am
  
  
  
  
  Happy Birthday, Connie!
  Sorry I'm a bit late.
  I was out of town visiting my grandson.
  Fun stuff! *G*
  I hope you have a FUN-tas-tic day!
  
  
  
  
  

  [Edit]
  
  Replies:

  • Connie, I hope your day was GREAT!!! (NT) -- £inda, Sunday, June 08, 01:47:58pm
  • Happy Birthday, Connie... belated though it may be. And LOVE your gift up there... but, um... why do you think he even bothered with the pants? (NT) -- ChrisMM, Sunday, June 08, 03:24:07pm
  • Happy Birthday, Connie (NT) -- Frances, Sunday, June 08, 03:27:05pm
  • Connie! Happy belated birthday! Hope it was terrific! (NT) -- Judy, Sunday, June 08, 03:44:22pm
  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope it was fabulous! (NT) -- Robin, Sunday, June 08, 04:43:44pm
  • Happy Birthday Connie! finish tearing those jeans off. (NT) -- Lucy, Sunday, June 08, 06:20:25pm
  • Happy Birthday! (NT) -- Bo, Sunday, June 08, 06:59:49pm
  • Hope your Birthday was a blast! (NT) -- Michele N, Tuesday, June 10, 05:29:48am

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• THANK YOU!!!!! -- £inda, Sunday, June 08, 02:02:48pm