The Reading Radar 5/16/2015 @CindaGault @FiCatchesBabies @bellabooks

What's the Reading Radar? It's just a list of books that caught my interest in the last week, why they caught my interest, and HOW. Having been an author myself once upon a time, I was always curious about how to reach readers. I type this up every week to share with readers books they may be interested as well and to let the authors know how they're being "discovered".

Discovered on the Goodreads Giveaways (never win these anymore but keep looking because it's a great way to discover upcoming reads): This Godforsaken Place by Cinda Gault. Any woman with a gun interests me, and even more intriguing to me is the Canadian wilderness setting. (Yes, I've become a When Calls the Heart fan.)

The year is 1885 and Abigail Peacock is resisting what seems to be an inevitable future—a sensible career as a teacher and marriage to the earnestly attentive local storeowner.

But then she buys a rifle, and everything changes.

This Godforsaken Place is the absorbing tale of one tenacious woman’s journey set against the dramatic backdrop of the Canadian Wilderness and American Wild West. Told by four narrators—including Annie Oakley and Gabriel Dumont—Abigail’s story brings the high stakes of the New World into startling focus.

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Spotted on Netgalley and has nabbed my attention with the words flight nurse and doctor. Love those tales. (And frankly, the number one way to get me to look twice at a book is put a plane on the cover--not matter how big or small.) The Homestead Girls by Fiona McArthur.

After her teenage daughter Mia falls in with the wrong crowd, Dr Billy Green decides it's time to leave the city and return home to far western NSW. So when an opportunity to pursue her childhood dream of joining the Flying Doctor Service comes along, she jumps at the chance. Flight nurse Daphne Prince – who is thrilled to have another woman join the otherwise male crew – and handsome new boss, Morgan Blake, instantly make her feel welcome.

Just out of town, drought-stricken grazier Soretta Byrnes has been struggling to make ends meet and in desperation has opened her station house to boarders. Tempted by its faded splendour and beautiful outback setting, Billy, Mia and Daphne decide to move in and the four of them are soon joined by eccentric 80-year-old Lorna Lamerton.

The unlikely housemates are cautious at first, but soon they are offering each other frank advice and staunch support as they tackle medical emergencies, romantic adventures and the challenges of growing up and getting older. But when one of their lives is threatened, the strong friendship they have forged will face the ultimate test . . .

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And I don't normally do erotica, but I've been in a weird mood lately and this one caught my eye: Hotel of Seduction by Marina Anderson on Netgalley. It made me think of Madonna's Justify My Love video, something I've always fantasized about and I'm eager to read this sexy hotel idea. And hey, I did enjoy the Beauty trilogy, and the SECRET books.

Are you ready for a weekend away at the Hotel of Seduction?

Grace has won the man of her dreams - and her fantasies. Brooding, sensual, wealthy and handsome, their days and nights are filled with pleasure. But can this enigmatic man truly love her?

Together they have set up a secret, exclusive hotel for adventurous couples, designed to open their guests' eyes to the darker, deeper side of desire. But one of the visitors has an agenda, and David is becoming distracted by a new arrival.

As they explore the delights on offer, Grace realises this is a test: if she fails, she will lose David to his next passing fancy. If she succeeds, she will secure his love for ever, and he will finally invite her into his world . . .

Take some time away and allow yourself to be seduced by The Hotel of Seduction.

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Twitter works again. Bella Books followed me, bringing them to my attention. I browsed the titles offered on their website and found one I'd love to read: In the Company of Women by Kate Christie.

Fort Bliss—it’s anything but. Caroline “CJ” Jamieson gave up studying history and joined the Women’s Army Corps to live it instead. Along with her new WAC friends, she is ready to do her part to help boys like her brothers, fighting in the European and Pacific theaters, make it home sooner.

The Army, however, has derailed her plans. Instead of the California post she anticipated, west Texas cacti and an artillery training base are the unexpected sights on her new horizons. Not one to question orders, she’s not sure how her skills in airplane engine maintenance will be of use in this desolate region.

But when CJ meets fellow WAC enlistee Brady Buchanan, Fort Bliss might live up to its name.