It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme by Sheila at Book Journey. It's where you share what you've read the past week, what you plan on reading next and everything else in between.
This is my first time participating so hope I get this right.


Books I read last week:

Nicholas: The Lords of Satyr by Elizabeth Amber (an erotic historical paranormal romance: not for the faint of heart 18+)
Nicholas looks very much like what he is --- the handsome, successful heir to a vineyard in Tuscany. But Nicholas is much more, for he is one of the last in an ancient line of satyr men. And the dying king of ElseWorld wants him not only to marry, but to wed one of the king's own daughters --- a half-human, half-faerie woman unaware of her heritage. Nicholas won't shirk his duty to produce heirs to guard his race's legacies, but he never plans to make his bride his only lover. A satyr's sexual hunger and sensual skills are legendary. One woman will never satisfy him. 

Or so Nicholas believes until he meets Jane. As spirited as she is fey, as beautiful as she is innocent, she is nevertheless determined to make her new husband hers alone --- and she is eager for him to teach her every deliciously carnal secret he knows ...

The Duke and I (Bridgerton's Book 1) by Julia Quinn (my first ever JQ *gasp* book)
Can there be any greater challenge to London's Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
--- Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1813 

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely---and almost-on-the-shelf---Daphney Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth--it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke as declared her desirable.

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her...but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke...for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love...


Wow! Last week was really slooowww! The week before that, I averaged a book a day. 


What I'm currently reading:

The Rake and the Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc (a romance book with pictures: heart stopping, drool inducing, gasp worthy yummy-ness. Authors, please get on this bandwagon. Kthx)
Francine Larrabee woke up on the wrong side of the century. 

She was fairly certain she went to sleep in her own comfy bed, but she doesn’t quite seem to be there now. Only adding to her problems is that she has no voice, is constantly being glowered at by a large, ominous duke who is obsessed with propriety, and is apparently betrothed to a horrid earl who is determined to ruin her, and any other girls that get in his way. 

13 Little Blue Envelopes (what I wouldn't give to have a relative leave me an envelope with $1,000 that took me on a grand adventure)

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas (a yes, a tale as old as time: the spinster's sister is engaged to a brute of a man who ends up falling in love with her)
Reckless and wild, beautiful Lily Lawson delights in shocking proper London society--and will break any rule to flaunt her independence. And now she is determined to rescue her helpless sister from an upcoming, undesired marriage to Lord Alex Raiford, the arrogant Earl of Wolverton. Through fair means and foul, the headstrong hellion succeeds outrageously-but her handsome adversary is not to be outdone. A master gamesman, Lord Alex counters Lily's scorn with kindness, and parries her blistering barbs with gentle words and a soft, sensuous touch. For he has resolved to make the spirited miss pay dearly for her interference-with her body, her soul...and her stubborn, unyielding heart.


The rest of the books I plan on reading this week:

Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower (Thanks Showtime for another semi-historical drama. I just adored the cover and well, who's not curious about the "first crime family"?)

Violante isn't supposed to be here, in one of the grandest courts of Renaissance Italy. She isn't supposed to be a lady-in-waiting to the beautiful Lucrezia Borgia. But the same secretive politics that pushed Lucrezia's father to the Vatican have landed Violante deep in a lavish landscape of passion and ambition.

Violante discovers a Lucrezia unknown to those who see only a scheming harlot, and all the whispers about her brother, Cesare Borgia, never revealed the soul of the man who dances close with Violante.

But those who enter the House of Borgia are never quite the same when they leave-if they leave at all. Violante's place in history will test her heart and leave her the guardian of dangerous secrets she must carry to the grave.

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (Yes, I am jumping on this bandwagon. Seriously, who doesn't love a feel good movie that was first a book?)
The smash-hit debut novel for every woman who has ever had a complicated love-hate friendship. Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy's fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way. As the wedding date draws near, events spiral out of control, and Rachel knows she must make a choice between her heart and conscience. In so doing, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself. This new tie-in edition will coincide with the release of the film, starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin and John Krasinski. 


I'll probably be starting both Something Borrowed and Sins of the House of Borgia later this week. Can't get too ambitious. 


So, what have you read last week, currently reading or plan to read this week that I should check out?