Okay, I finished Back in Black by Lori Foster. You know, it was pretty good. I have to say I kind of started out disappointed because she's one of my all time favourite, go-to authors, one of the ones who inspired me to seriously start writing a few years ago, and at first it seemed a little ...I don't know...old fashioned? I'm not sure why I picked that word but it seems to fit. It also seemed like two almost completely separate romance stories, but I liked how the two plot lines came together at the end. The characters were all very distinctive and interesting.

I also finished a book by a new-to-me author but probably not new to many others - Laura Kinsale. I read this book on the recommendation of my critique partner Nara Malone: The Shadow and the Star. Oh my goodness. I couldn't put it down, even as I was frustrated by how long it was taking for Leda and Samuel to get together. Talk about sexual tension! Leda's Victorian morals although also frustrating were entirely appropriate for the time period the book is set in. She completely captivated me at the beginnig of the book, where it was so dark and dreary and sad and her life is on the edge, but she doesn't ever give up or give in. It just tugged at my heartstrings when she did things like "look at her accounts" even though she has no money, and when she foolishly bought souvenirs with her last money and then was angry at herself. I loved Leda and I loved Samuel - what an unusual hero.

This book got so inside my head and occupied my brain and wouldn't leave.

So what should I start tonight...?

I finished Guilty Pleasure by Lora Leigh. This story was okay for me. There were times when all the conflict didn't make a lot of sense to me and I couldn't quite figure out why everyone was so angry at each other. I also didn't feel satisfied by the threesome sex. Shane seems a very sexy dominant man, but I got no sense of Marty's feelings for him. It's clear how much she loves Khalid, but surely she shoud have some feelings for the other man she's having sex with. Of course, this was a very hot Lora Leigh story, as always.

Now I'm reading Back in Black by Lori Foster. I didn't plan to read this next as I have a big list of books queued up on my reader, but I saw it in the bookstore and I bought the paperback. Lori Foster is a long time favorite author of mine, and I'm enjoying the story. Her characters are always so dimensional and interesting.

The big excitement this week isn't WHAT I read, it's what I read it ON - I bought an e-reader! I got the Sony 505. I really like it. It took a bit to get used to the slight time delay between when you push the button and when the next page comes up but I've gotten into a reading rhythm now. I love the bookmark feature because I always turn down the corner of a page to mark something I particularly like - a word, a phrase, a metaphor. I'm going on a trip in June so it will be especially great not to have to lug a backpack full of books around with me. And last night I took it into the bathtub with me, safely zipped up in a Ziploc bag!

So what am I reading right now on my Sony 505 - Rough, Raw and Ready by Lorelei James. I love this story!

I finished Lori Foster's My Man Michael. It was kind of cute. I liked the role reversal theme and how her somewhat-sexist hero deals with it. And gotta love how she can get a 25-year-old virgin into the story! I did predict the outcome but I won't put a spoiler here for those who haven't read it yet!

Finished "Only Pleasure" by Lora Leigh. Another very hot story.

Started "My Man Michael" by Lori Foster. Her heroine is from the 23rd century. I'm not usually into time travel stories but I love Lori Foster and I'm intrigued about what's going to happen. Will keep reading.

Also just started "The Lifestyle" by Terry Gould. This book is about “what it means to be part of a fast-growing subculture of consenting, mainstream adults who are changing the rules of sexual behaviour for pair-bonded humans.” Okay, married swingers. Research only, folks.

And - I'm not going to name the title or author of the book I read over the weekend because I am TOTALLY FREAKED OUT! I started reading this book, and there were so many similarities between it and a book I wrote about four months ago I could not believe it! There is no way this author knew anything about my story and no way I could have known anything about hers, so it's kind of freaky. As I got further into the book the similarities lessened. Her main conflict was completely different than mine, and the characters are different, too, so in the end the stories are not the same. But wow! Here I think I'm coming up with something new and fresh and different and someone else has the very same idea. But as one fellow writer pointed out, every story will be told in a different way, with a different voice, so no two stories will ever be exactly the same.

Fellow writers, has that ever happened to you?