Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new topic for each week and the participating bloggers are invited to post their Top Ten lists on it.

This week Top Ten Tuesday is all about the sequels we are looking forward to. My list has some titles that have already been release, some close to being released and a few set to be available in the more distant future. 

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Title: Rumor Has It (Animal Magnetism #4)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Date of publication: 5 November 2013
Genre / Themes: Romance / Small town / Animals

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Blurb

My Review

It is a heart-warming and steamy love story which gives you butterflies in the stomach and puts a smile on your face while reading it. It is the right story to keep you warm and happy on a cold winter day. True love and happiness are possible, you just need to be brave enough to go for them.

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If you are curious to know about Ms Shalvis and her upcoming writing projects, here is a short Q&A she did for you:

Q: Can you tell our readers a little bit about the Animal Magnetism (Sunshine, Idaho) series, and where your inspiration came from? 

A: I’ve always wanted to write a series where I could incorporate cute animals. Cute animals and sexy heroes together, who can resist that. So I came up with a series about a set of wildly alpha brothers running an animal center in Sunshine, Idaho at the base of the Bitteroot Mountains. 

Q: What is your favorite thing about writing this series? The sexy men, the heroines, or the animals?

A: All of the above, but okay, let me admit the truth – the combination of hot guys and adorable animals is pretty much irresistible for me.

Q: What do you think makes romance readers and the romance community so strong? 

A: I think what makes the romance community so strong is that romance readers are awesome. They’re loyal and dedicated and always so willing to help support our community by talking about the books and making it okay to read whatever you want, may that be straight contemporary, romantic suspense, erotica, whatever. I love that. As far as having a strong presence, that is an accidental cause of working alone most of the days out of the year. Reaching out to romance readers and writers via social media is just a really great way to not always be alone. 

Q: Are contemporaries your favorite genre to read as well as to write? If so, can you give our readers some of your favorite recommendations? 

A: Yes, though I love to read everything, across all genres. Heck, I’m happy reading the back of a cereal box. But as for my recommendations in the contemporary genre, you can’t go wrong with Robyn Carr, Kristan Higgins, Carly Phillips, Susan Mallery, Lori Foster, Rachel Gibson…

Q: Do you think reading romance makes us expect more from our own romantic partners? What effect do you think romance has on those that read it?

A: We’re writing fiction. Not nonfiction. But made up stories, fantasies really. I’m not writing “How To Have A Hot Romance.” Or “How To Train Your Significant Other Into Being A Perfect Mate.” I’m writing a fictional tale. I think our readers are sharp, and are well aware and capable of knowing the difference between a pat Happily Ever After and real life. If I can provide someone with a fantasy, a little escape from her reality, then I am considering it a job well done. 

Q: You write so many wonderful contemporaries, how do you keep each novel fresh and exciting?

A: Keeping it fresh is a constant battle, and I struggle with that daily. I just love writing, and this genre, and work hard to do the job so I can keep doing it and pleasing readers. Also, I find that stalking neighbors and friends, and being extremely nosy about their personal lives and conflicts is very helpful. 

Q: What’s your advice for a first-time pet owner?

1. Read up on your pet, on the specific breed. 

2. Be patient. 

3. Be patient. 

4. Be patient. 

5. Oh, and if there’s training issues? Chances are it’s you, so revisit #1.

Q: The interactions shared between you and Alpha Man always entertain; what is a recent “He Said, She Said” between you and Alpha Man that we may not have heard yet?

Me:

What are you eating?

Him (mouth full):

Nothing

Me:

It smells like Oreos.

Him:

…

Me:

Are you … eating Oreos? I thought we were out of cookies!!

Him:

There’s only four left.

Me:

I need two.

Him:

I’ll give you one.

Me:

No! You can’t eat just one cookie!!! There’s a rule!!!

Him:

Show me the book where this rule lives.

Me:

I’LL WRITE YOU THE $%#!#$!@ book, give me a second cookie and no one gets hurt!

Him:

Is it possible that you need something to go with that cookie?

Me:

Milk?

Him:

I was thinking Midol…

Q: Your friendship with Kristan Higgins and your friendly battle for “Man Wars” has become infamous. Why do you two connect so well?

A: I think our chemistry translates well because it’s genuine. You can’t fake a real friendship. We connect on lots of levels, such as competing for readers (kiddin!), and because we’re both raising aliens—er, teenagers.

Q: What’s next for Jill Shalvis?

A: If you read RUMOR HAS IT, you may notice a new vet is working at Belle Haven. Dr. Wyatt Stone. He and his two sisters, Darcy and Zoe, are each going to get their own story next year. J

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To celebrate the release of Rumor Has It, there is a rafflecopter giveaway of a print copy of Rumor Has It (US entries only!). 

Goodreads Blurb

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

My Review

Goodreads Blurb

Ruthie Knox’s Camelot series continues in this sizzling eBook original novel, featuring two headstrong souls who bump heads—and bodies—as temptation and lust bring nothing but delicious trouble.

An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.

Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. With their desires growing more undeniable by the day, Ellen and Caleb give in to an evening of steamy passion. But will they ever be able to share more than just a one-night stand?

My Review

This is the second book in the Camelot series about the Clark siblings. After giving the readers the beginning of Amber and Tony's story in the novella How to Misbehave, Ms Knox continues with Caleb's story in Along Came Trouble. 

I enjoyed this book a lot but not as much as Flirting with Disaster (the final one in the series, dealing with Katie and Sean). Just as in her other works, here Ms Knox created a complex love story with strong characters involved in deeply emotional relationships. Surprisingly, what made this story work for me was not the hero, as is generally the case, but the heroine. Don't get me wrong I loved Caleb, he is a great guy, but Ellen was amazing. 

Ellen is a divorced mother of a two-year old boy dealing with a number of personal issues. She is a wonderfully complex character. She shows both strength and determination and at the same time she is vulnerable and insecure. I really liked the way her character developed throughout the story and I found her easy to relate to and to understand. So, even though I appreciated Caleb for the badass alpha male that he was, it was Ellen who was the star in this story for me.

Caleb was also a great character, albeit a bit more predictable and cliché. His character was presented through his relationships with the rest of the characters - his family, his employees, his friends, his clients. He was a bit static as a character, certain of himself and his feelings from the very beginning, yet I found him quite likeable. He acted Mr. Know-it-all, yet he took time to listen to everybody and tried to help and support them in the best possible way. 

My main complaint is that the relationship between Ellen and Caleb felt a bit like insta-love, especially on his part. I liked how certain Caleb was of his feelings, yet they developed a bit too fast, a bit out of the blue. Ellen's fears and insecurities seemed more genuine and realistic. 

There was also a strong secondary love story going on - Ellen's brother Jamie and Carly's turbulent relationship was really entertaining and fun to read. It provided quite a few laughs coupled with some pretty serious reflections. He is a mega successful pop star and she is a pregnant divorced small town girl. I really liked Jamie and his transformation from a spoiled celebrity into a responsible and caring family man and father.

I liked how Ms Knox introduced and explored complex family relations - divorced single mother Ellen, divorced and pregnant Carly both meeting wonderful men willing to commit to them and their children.

I loved that the love stories involved women with children/pregnant. Realistic characters, likeable, easy to relate to. We see Caleb's relationships with his parents and his sister, Ms Knox explores the complexy of family ties and they affect us - Carly and her grandmother, Ellen and Jamie and the way their mother treated them, Caleb and his mother and father, Katie's failed marriage.

The greatest strength of Ms Knox''s writing are the unique, yet ordinary character she creates. They feel like real people living real lives, experiencing real emotions. I can recommend her books to all fans of contemporary romance - steamy love stories with a touch of humor grounded in the complexity of modern-day family and friendship ties.

My journey into the lives of the Clark siblings will continue with Making It Last, a novella of Amber and Tony's well into marriage, undergoing a crisis. You can look for my joint review of the How to Misbehave and Making It Last in the coming weeks.