Loved the re-read 

Humm...Not sure where to start with this one other than the fact that I had a lot of mixed feelings about the story and although I didn't love it I didn't hate it but, for me I just could not connect with the characters as they were like-able but, not love-able.

I thinks the bottom line is that these authors did not give you enough time to bond with these characters if you had already read some of the previous books in this series you might have already known somethings about them but, for us just coming into the series we new very few facts about them other then a few things that were mentioned in passing so this did not give a chance to get to know more about their past of present other that the facts of what clan they worked and belonged to and what they did for a living although we rationed out how this couple was already connected to one another . The other thing that did not work for me is where was the part that engaged the readers emotions because I felt that every move made just felt clinical as well as cut and dry.

For example though my eyes

Isabella is forced to go under for the CIA really being blackmailed and although they tried to give her some tools to protect her they were not enough and Isabella already knew what kind of man she would be dealing with and expected that she would have to make personal sacrifices so she wanted to have a choice in giving something like her virginity away to someone she loved without it being taken from her.The whole scene just played out and it was like no feelings were even involved at all and for me and doing the whole deed was just like they were going through the motions and it was like their was no connection between the characters at all. This should have been down right hot and scorching for this couple as she was secretly in love with Marcellus for years and even though Marcellus never admitted it he lusted after her for years so where was all the passion the fire the build up in their coming together ? Their intimate moments should have been explosive!

After everything that Isabella endured at the hands of a monster she just seems to go on with her life as if nothing tragic/sick/painful just happened to her as their is no breakdown ? no emotional pain?nothing?she showed no emotions what so ever and even after her explaining and Marcellus hearing her story that man should have been a raving lunatic out for blood and revenge and wanting vengeance "yes", he was pissed but, he should have wanted to be the one to take out anyone who hurt her and we understood that others parties involved had a stake in what was happening and not that we expected him to carry out any of these things because of the circumstances but, he sure as hell should have wanted to do these things to avenge a women who belonged to him and in there lies yet another problem when I said I felt no emotional attachment to any of these characters he was a made man in the mafia for christ sakes and then you had the fact that not once did I hear these two main characters say I love you face to face.

I know this book is fictional and sometimes as readers we have to keep reminding ourselves when reading stories like this and that their not real but, the reason we read stories with fictional mafia related characters is for the fact their filled with danger and suspense and a whole lot of hot alpha men then you have the twisted plots and the excitement and plots that engage the readers emotions to the tune you have a personal stake in their outcome an so forth and all these things just fell flat for me in this story because I felt all these things were missing from this ongoing story.

Although this story was not personally for us it was enjoyable enough to pass the time and we did like the fact the we were indeed surprised that the CIA had another fish on their hook as they say to do their dirty work for them and that was a big surprise that we didn't see coming of who that person was "so", we did indeed love that part.

Dec 24-27
Dear Santa,

Please stop by my house and pick up your suit. If you thought I was going to run it to the dry cleaners for you after you left it on my bedroom floor, you’ve got another think coming.

Best,
Noel Winter

Review: I loved the last of this series it was really cute .Noel's coworker hired her brother to be Santa. An older lady at her work is trying to hook Noel with her grandson . So santa shows up and hits on Noel after they go for hot chocolate and then they hook up and she runs out of her own house oh god . Her coworker tells her she's sorry that her brother ditched on the Santa event and Noel is confused but it turns out the guy Noel slept with and liked was the womans grandson and his name is Theodore but lets Noel call him teddy and they decide to start dating . A year later ginger is married and pregnant Holly is engaged and Noel is wondering when Teddy is going to so she asks him and he proposes it was adorable.
Quotes :
It’s also clear why Jillian sent the Santa padding along with the costume because her brother does not have the body to play Santa. Unless it was a male stripper version of Santa—

I ask Teddy if I can see his North Pole

Perhaps I could hire him to be my sex elf, then he’d have a job and I’d have a sex elf.

December 26

One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the 'Host Club', a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else


Review: Really enjoyed the first volume I watched the anime a few years ago and it's one of my favorite series . This is about Haruhi a scholarship student who stumbles upon a host club but by accident breaks a vase and in there debt to be the host clubs errand boy. Tamaki agrees to half Haruhi debt if she gets 100 customers so Haruhi is a host now . There is this girl who is a customer who doesn't like Haruhi she throws her bag in the pond. She asks to meet with Haruhi and Haruhi tells her she sounds jealous and then the girl makes up some story about Haruhi and then the girl gets banned . Tamaki sees Haruhi ID and finally sees she's a girl even though the other members already knew. Its Christmas time for the host club they are hosting a Christmas party and there is this girl Kanako who host hops from the guys and there is this guy Toru who doesn't feel suitable for Kanako even though Kanako likes him so the host club ends up getting them together but the winner of the kiss was Haruhi and she ends up kissing Kanako on the lips cause tamaki caused trouble. A girl named Renge is obsessed with this game and Kyoya looks like the guy she likes and goes from France to Japan to meet him and calls him her fiancee even though they never met Renge has this film crew filming the host club and having them be more interesting but then things go to far and Renge wants these to guys to beat up Haruhi but kyoyo stops it and breaks the camera. A side story is about Hunny he is taking a nap and tamaki and the twins get his bunny Bun Bun dirty.

December 24

Dear Santa,

I do not want Keller James for Christmas.

I will not fall for him, no matter how charming or irresistible or famous he is. I will not be swayed by his skills in the kitchen or by his British accent. I’m going to win the Great Gingerbread Bake Off and no one is going to stand in my way. Not even Keller.

All kisses are off. I mean all bets. All bets are off. And his clothes, those are off too.

Grr, never mind. I’ll figure this out myself.

XOXO,
Ginger Winter

Review: I loved this one as well even a bit more so this is about ginger winter who is Holly's younger sister from book one she is competing in a gingerbread competition and she meets a guy named keller who she has the hots for hes British he has his own tv show on food network. Keller likes Ginger and teases her a bit calls her adorable I like them together. They are competing against each other . Ginger shows keller around her town and to this is old auto shop which is her dream place for her Bakeshop but it's to big for just that . Keller and Ginger sleep together and Ginger confesses to her sister Noel that she's falling for keller but Noel is distracted cause she slept with Santa . Ginger sees keller buying the auto shop and she's pissed the last competition is make a gingerbread house and Keller makes a replica of the auto shop and he wants to make it a breakfast place and Bakeshop for them to run together and she says yes such a cute story.

Quotes:

Sweet Pillsbury Doughboy, this is my idea of porn. Keller James sitting before me, praising my baking. If my bakery plan falls apart I know what my next venture will be. Bakery porn. It'll be nothing but attractive men eating my cookies. The camera will zoom in as their tongues flicker over their lips, sweeping up every last morsel. They'll probably be shirtless too. I bet I can get subscribers to pay at least four ninety-nine a month for such a service.

I might have zoned out a little with my bakery porn scheme. Fine, I might also have been imagining him shirtless

I wasn't flirting. You were flirting." There. That'll show him. That I'm twelve. Way to spar, Ginger. "Oh, I was definitely flirting,"


Oh, for elf's sake. Did I really just say “single and ready to mingle?”

I'm having a lovely time. Thank you for inviting me, Ginger." "I didn't invite you," I remind him. "You invited yourself." "Oh, Gingersnap, you little flirt


Just because my dreams are smaller in nature doesn't make them any less important or valid.


I'm fairly certain that the only thing I'd enjoy more than bantering with you is kissing you."