I ran away from home for the 4th of July.  I live near San Francisco and it’s true…the summer’s are cold (the coldest winter was a summer spent in San Francisco)!  I went to Las Vegas to warm up and to sit by the pool and read. I read ten books in five days!  When reading by the pool or on the beach I prefer light fun books. Fun mysteries like the Stephanie Plum series or Chic Lit books. Most of the ones I read during this trip were Chic Lit because I was saving the fun mysteries for my birthday trip next month! After the trip I tried to mix it up a little as you will see.

1. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
2. Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
3. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
4. Fourth Grave Beneath my Feet by Darynda Jones
5. Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

Invisible by James Patterson – (Mystery) Not one of my favorite JP books but still really good.  Written in a different style than normal but that didn’t take away from the gruesomeness of the tale. Very detailed and scary.

Alphas After Dark by Various – (Short Stories) Almost all of the stories were so good that I looked for others in the story. The title made it sound like it would be paranormal stories but mostly they were about “alpha” males.  Steamy!

Sea Breeze Series by Abbi Glines – (Chic Lit) I loved this series!  Fun fast reads with great characters.   Great for reading by the pool or beach.

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase – (Paranormal Mystery)  I love stories about witches and ghosts and basing it in New Orleans makes it even more fun!  Throw in a sexy man and a strip club and you get a very entertaining book!

Beyond Shame by Kit Rocha – (Erotica) Based in a post apocalyptic like world that is run by mafia like standards this series has a little bit for everyone.

Fixed on You by Laurelin Paige – (Romance) Another fifty shades of gray like book.  I liked the first one but I wasn’t really interested in reading the rest of the series.

Kingdom Series by Marie Hall – (Chic Lit/Retelling Fairy tales) This is one of the series that I was introduced to in the Alphas series.  Lots of twists that have you cheering for the bad guys!

 Fourth Grave Beneath my Feet by Darynda Jones – (Paranormal) I really like this series!  The main character Charley Davidson is a grim reaper but also a PI. She is a smartass, reckless and extremely entertaining! These books can be a little dark so they might not be good beach reads.

Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn – (Historical Mystery) A Daisy Dalrymple mystery.  Of course I wanted to read this book because the main character’s name was Daisy. 🙂 Daisy is a reporter – a woman who is trying to support herself in a time when women didn’t do that type of thing… If you like Downton Abby you will like this book.

An Accidental Affair by Eric Jerome Dickey – (Fiction)  I hadn’t read a book by Dickey in years because they last book I read pissed me off.  I decided to give him another try and was pleasantly surprised. It was quite a story… an insiders view on what happens when your wife cheats in a very public way.  Filled with lots of twists and turns it constantly surprises you.

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith – (Mystery) I read so much that I had to listen to the previous book The Cuckoo’s calling again to remember the characters etc…I am glad I did. Cormoran Strike is a amazing character who speaks and acts from the heart. His assistant is his Dr Watson who has her own drama. I can’t get enough of this series and I look forward to more!

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville – (Historical Fiction) A man whose past follows him around as ghosts.  He has to kill to move on and be happy.  This is one of those books where you cheer for the “bad” guy and hope that he gets his happily ever after.

If Books Could Kill by Kate Carlisle – (Mystery) Any book lover will love this series especially if you love old books and the art of recovering them. Fast fun read.

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay – (Mystery) Loved this book!  This is one of the series I was saving for the birthday trip but I couldn’t wait to read it.  I love that the author included several well known books and authors in the story and the main character is fun. I can’t wait to read this series and her other’s during vacation.

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz – (Mystery) OMG!  This series had me LOLing even on public transportation!  This family is dysfunctional but awesome all at the same time. I can’t wait to read more!!!