Friday, May 28, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday....but on Thursday

I normally don't participate in this meme since so many times the books you are anxiously waiting for are the same every week, so anyway, I am not going into great detail on who started the meme (I honestly have no clue LOL) but will say the purpose is to spread your giddy anticipation onto someone else about a book you just can't wait for it to get released. Anyway, my "Waiting on Wednesday" book is.....

Wicked Highlander by Donna Grant

A HEART IN CHAINS...
The most reckless and fierce of the MacLeod brothers, Quinn is a prisoner of the god inside him, tormented by his inability to save his family from slaughter. His fury governs him, and day by day he loses himself to the darkness in his soul. But Quinn has a profound yearning for a woman’s love...
A PASSION UNBOUND...


Raised by Druids, the achingly beautiful Marcail is as spellbinding as the ancient magic that surges through her body. To Quinn, she is the most desirable woman he has ever known. But to his enemy Deirdre, she is the perfect bait to lure Quinn into her trap. Once the two lovers are in her wicked grasp, their passion will be put to the ultimate test...

I can't wait for this to come out. I am so fascinated with Quinn (love the name too!) It won't be here until 11/2/10 so we have quite a wait but in the mean time...

Forbidden Highlander just came out and I am totally going to read it soon!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Dangerous Highlander by Donna Grant

Synopsis courtesy of Shelfari....
First in a breathtaking new series, the bold and passionate Lucan MacLeod—one of three brothers cursed by dark magic for eternity—is driven by desire for the one woman he dare not let himself possess… He is magnificently strong—and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses…and darkest desires. Cara doesn’t believe the rumors about MacLeod castle—until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and Druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara—or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both…

My Thoughts....
I love paranormal books. I love historical romances. Having both in the same book makes Christina a happy girl. Among a sub genre that is filled with vampires and werewolves I love when I read a book that is altogether different. Somewhat similar to Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld....Lucan and his brothers all house a god inside their bodies. Grant does a great job of explaining how and why this all happened. I am not going to go into it because, well, I think you should read the book.

What I liked....The Bothers. Knowing that danger and evil were coming, they felt that Cara should learn to protect herself. Realistically they knew she would not have a chance against others like themselves (men with gods) but there were other creatures that she could defend herself against, so they taught her how to fight. In many other historical romances you find the Alpha male simply stating "I will protect her." Lucan is an Alpha male but it was refreshing to read a book where the men were realistic enough to know that they might be able to protect the women at all times.

Also, we are introduced to additional warriors with gods that I am sure will end up with their own books. One in particular had an intense hatred for Cara based on her ancestors. I found him completely fascinating and even now am not sure if he is a good guy or a bad guy.

What I didn't like... I thought that the connection with Cara and Lucan was not there at first. Sure Grant wrote it that way but I was not a believer until after Cara's training started. That's it. I really have  nothing else that struck me not quite right with the book.

Overall, a great read. 4.5 Stars! I am very much looking forward to the next book that is out soon. It is Fallon's story, Lucan's older brother. I can't wait to read it!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

I received an Award!

Sabrina over at Happy Books has passed on to me The Prolific Blogger Award. So I ask you rhetorically, do you suppose since this is my second award to receive by my fellow bloggers, that this particular award means less than the first one, after all, it will always be second and never first? My answer....Um NO! This one totally rocks! It makes me want to type up something super smart here, intelligent, prolific even. But all I got is Elle Woods from Legally Blonde in my head .....
Elle: Oh Warner, do you remember when we spent those four amazing hours in the hot tub together after winter formal?
Warner Huntington III: Uhh, ye... no
Elle: Well this is so much better than that. Excuse me, I have some shopping to do.


So what is a prolific blogger. So glad you asked....

"A prolific blogger is one who is intellectually productive, keeping up an active blog with enjoyable content. After accepting this award, recipients are asked to pass it forward to seven other deserving blogs."

So, there you go. I get my second rockin' award and 7 other bloggers get to be prolific too.

And so I am passing the metaphoric baton...make that the prolific metaphoric baton to.....
Wonderbunny at CookiesBooksBikes
Susan at CrazyCatLadysLibrary
Heather at DarklyReading
Melanie and Heather at HeathersFaveBooks
Lynette at LynettesTwoCents
Yvonne at SocratesBookReviews
Kirthi at The1BookBlog

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays



I need another meme like I need another hole in my head. Really. But it is what it is. Actually, I was editing some book pages over at Shelfari by adding the first sentences for several of my newer purchases and found the first couple in one of them struck my funny and I had to share.

This meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading but I found it via several of my favorite blogger's homes in the past. Today The Mindful Musings brought it to my attention. Make sure you check out her blog...her Layout is so adorable it will give you layout envy!


So what is Teaser Tuesday? I'll tell you....

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (I sometimes do a few more than two) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others)!

Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

That's it! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. So which book struck me funny? What lines tickled me silly?




And the lines.....

"There comes a time in every girl's life when she realizes her father isn't perfect.

For me that discovery had come many years ago and recurred with shocking regularity."


So, technically I am not exactly reading this book. I plan to, so I think that counts. But it struck me super funny. This is so my sense of humor. I haven't seen an opening line that made me smile since I saw the first page of Gemma Bruce's "Who Loves Ya, Baby?" (which I bought based only one it's opening lines....haven't read it yet either...but in my defense I do have thousands of books and can't possibly read them all as soon as I get them as I acquire them in droves...never let a book sit lonely...always buy at least two....my daily words of wisdom for you...now back to my original topic.)

This book is classified as a "novel" according to the category on the spine but other sources have called it a paranormal romantic cozy. Whatever you call it, judging by the first two lines it looks good.

Oh and for good measure here is the amazon link to Gemma Bruce's Who Loves Ya, Baby? You can read the first couple of pages.....Who Loves Baby?

Saturday, May 15, 2010

One More for My BOLO list....

I follow a ton of blogs. Once a week or so I try to get all caught up on them and while doing that I found a fabulicious review on a YA book by Sara Shepard called Pretty Little Liars. Lori over at Pure Imagination read this book and reviewed it. It sounds so good that I have officially put it on my Be On-the Look Out list. In addition to an interesting book it is also going to be a show on ABC Family in June. If you click on Lori's link you will see her write up of the review along with information on the upcoming show. I am also putting the YouTube link to the show's video. I am not a big television person (oh, I watch it, but mostly DVD's from Netflix once my favorite shows are available) but I am definitely going to watch this show.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Want an audio book of 9th Judgement?

**Updated--I re-read my post and it didn't look entirely clear as to where to sign up. So I worked the post around a little and if you click on any of the Socrates book reviews clickable links you should get to the giveaway.**

Yvonne over at Socrates book reviews along with Hatchette books is giving away 3 audio books of James Patterson's newest Women's Murder Club book. How fabulous is that? Y'all might think I'm nuts to enter all these giveaways and post about them and I might be but who doesn't want to win books??? Really!

So, she has a couple restrictions: you must be in either US or Canada and no PO Boxes.

You get extra entries if you post on your blog (its just spreading the love to others who might want to win too!) and/or if you tweet about it.

That's it...easy peasy. Contest ends at midnight EST on May 21st. So head over to  Socrates book reviews right now to enter.

Bloggity Blog Hoppity Hop

Yep, it's that time of week again. Time to head on over to Crazy For Books for the blog hop. I have to tell you that I have met some great people and found some wonderful blogs. The instructions are to add your blog link to the MrLinky with how long you have been blogging and what primarily you read and review. So it should look somthing like this...

Randomness and Reading by Christina (10 months) Mostly romance

That's it. Make sure you visit and follow other's as this is their way to network too. Have fun!

Giveaway...YA book Shade by Jeri Smith Ready

Lori over at Pure Imagination is giving away a new book called Shade. I have heard the buzz about this book around the blogsphere for a while now and it has been getting rave reviews. I wasn't that interested in it until I saw the book trailer. Watch the trailer then go to her site and sign up for the giveaway! US residents only...sorry.


Second Sight by Amanda Quick

Synopsis courtesy of fantasticfiction.co.uk....
Financially straitened and on the path to spinsterhood, Venetia Milton thought her stay at the remote, ramshackle Arcane House would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engineer her own ravishment. She was there to photograph the artifacts collected by a highly secretive organization, founded two centuries earlier by an alchemist. And the alchemist's descendant-her employer, Gabriel Jones-has the eyes of a sorcerer.


But despite Venetia's intent to seduce Mr. Jones and move on, she is shattered upon her return home to read in the press of his violent demise. Using the sizable fee Mr. Jones paid her, Venetia establishes a new life, opening a gallery in London. Of course, posing as a respectable widow makes it easier to do business, so-in a private tribute to her lost, only lover-she assumes the identity of "Mrs. Jones."

Her romantic whim, however, will cause unexpected trouble. For one thing, Mr. Jones is about to stride, living and breathing, back into Venetia's life. And the two share more than a passionate memory-indeed, they are bonded by a highly unusual sort of vision, one that goes far beyond Venetia's abilities as a photographer. They also share a terrible threat-for someone has stolen a centuries-old notebook from Arcane House that contains a formula believed to enhance psychic powers of the kind Gabriel and Venetia possess. And the thief wants to know more-even if he must kill the keeper of the Arcane Society's treasures, or the photographer who catalogued them, to obtain such knowledge.


My Thoughts....

This is the 1st book in the Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick crossover Arcane Society series. I have read all the ones by her JAK name and am now working on the rest. After having read one previous AQ book (Lie By Moonlight) and being far from impressed I was hesitant to read more. But as I found I really liked the Arcane Society books I felt that I needed to read all of them and not just the contemporary ones.

Originally I started listening to this on unabridged audio and found that I was not enjoying the reader. I thought that her voice made the heroine sound like an uppity bitch which is a far cry from what Venetia really was. After listening to half of it and finding my opinion of the book was not good I opted to grab the paperback copy I had and finish it off. I should have done this in the beginning really.

Once I started reading it myself I found that I enjoyed the characters much more and Venetia's stubborn stand on independence was acceptable whereas when I listened to it on audio she came across as childish to me. Her siblings (Amelia and Edward) also vastly improved in my eyes. The reader had Edward sounding like a child barely out of nappies (at least that is how I perceived him to be while listening.) Gabriel also came across as more of a hero than an overbearing bully.

Amanda Quick does an excellent job of combining romance and intrigue in this book. The mystery behind who stole the artifact from the Arcane house was compelling even though the reader does have the baddie's identity early on. In addition to the main baddie it appears there are others involved and many people are not exactly who they appear.

As this is a historical romance that has a female lead who supports her family with a photography business we as readers are reminded by character actions and statements that this is an unusual event and once Venetia's "husband" come back from the grave so to speak it is a society "given" that he will take over the business end of her studio. Venetia struggles with this on a personal level even though she knows that this is custom and it grates on her that women are still "lessers" in the eyes of society and men in general. Her way of coping with it is to assure her clients that her husband is a modern thinking man and has no problem with her continuing to run her business as she sees fit. Although this information is rehashed many times throughout the book it doesn't seem repetitive because had this been a piece of non-fiction we would have seen the same struggle from our heroine because of the time it took place. Although the book did not give a specific date it does say it takes place mostly in London during the latter part of Queen Victoria's  reign. So my guess is that it takes place almost at the turn of the century somewhere between 1885-1900.

Overall, I would say that this was a pretty good book. I wish I had just read it myself because it might have been even better. I am giving this book 4 stars. I will get the next one in the series also by her Amanda Quick persona called The Third Circle. I am looking forward to it.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Written in Nov. 2008 so please forgive the fact that it is a rather crappy review with very little personal feelings about the book and characters.

My Review
I was a little concerned that this being a YA book the meat of the story would be lacking and not hold my adult attention as well as an adult novel would. I was happy to be completely surprised that this book not only held my attention I didn't want to put it down until I finished ever last word.


Claire is a 16 year old super smart cookie who finds herself at a small college not too far from her home. She did not want to go there but her parents insisted. She ends up going from socially snubbed in high school to being bullied in a dangerous manner. After an incident at her dorm that had her covered in bruises she just knows she has to find something off campus. What she finds is a wonderful house and some pretty great friends. Friends she really needs when she also finds out that Morganville is filled with vampires and unless you have Protection you end up lunch or worse.
 
Rachel Caine has done an excellent job of writting a book for teens that entertains everyone. Her take on vampires is interesting and wooohooo what a cliff hanger she zaps at the readers at the end. You will find that you not only want to read more about Claire and her 3 friends but you will want to read about them right now. Make sure you have the second one in the wings when you start this first one.

High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

I read this book and wrote this short crappy review in November 2008. I'd like to think that after a year and a half my reviews are better (maybe they aren't....yikes...I don't like the thought of that).

When Alexis decides she needs to save her sister from being brainwashed by a rich playboy in Sin City she has no idea what she is getting herself into. Alexis is a busy Lawyer who thinks her sister Brittany is in way over her head with Ethan Carrick. Alexis talks Brittany into going home and letting Alexis take her place as his "bimbo" on his arm because she thinks Brittany is way too sweet and innocent for the job and would just get hurt. What Alexis doesn't realize is that Ethan is the president of the Vampire Nation...making him THE vampire. He needs an edge for his political platform. He feels that if he has a mortal woman at his side he will be viewed as a "nicer" vampire for the election coming up. What he finds is that Alexis is a little stick of dynomite and she thinks he is a whacko.


I have read a couple of Erin McCarthy books and have to say she does lite whimsy fluff so well. Her sense of humor is witty and yet sarcastic enough to make me appreciate her characters to the max. Who else can have their characters call each other pet names such as BallBuster (or BB for short) and Garlic?

I gave this book a rating of 4.5 stars and will definitely read the next in the series

Warrior by Angela Knight

I read this book and wrote this review back in 12/08. I never got around to posting it on my blog so I am doing so now.

My Review....
Over all I would say this was a decent book but nothing spectacular. Galar is a 24th century Enforcement Agent sent back in time to possibly save Jessica who is a struggling artist. Normally I don't care much for Time travel books or sci-fi but I thought Angela Knight's futuristic world made sense and even though I have not read any other connecting books I was not lost a bit.

What I liked....the speed of which the plot took off and kept going. Seemed like there was always something going on that made me want to continue reading and not put the book down. I also enjoyed several of the secondary characters. I hope they also get their own books.

What I didn't like....typical of Angela Knight's writing there was many blazing hot sex scenes. Normally I like this but it seemed to take over the romance part of the storyline. There was romance but mostly just sex. Also the book is classified as a paranormal romance when it is actually a futuristic romance. To me there is a big difference but this probably wouldn't bother anyone other then me. Another thing is that we learn bits and pieces of Jessica's life before Galar entered it. Not a lot of info but some. We really didn't learn a thing about Galar. We learn he had a relationship with a woman prior to meeting Jessica and what his favorite meal was as a boy but not much else.

As I said, the book is overall enjoyable with some minor flaws that can be overlooked. I think that if you want to try Knight out and don't care for paranormal vampire type books this might be a good option for you. If you do like vampire books I would try some of her books in the Master series (Master of the Moon, Master of Wolves etc.)
 
I would give this book 3 stars.

The Killing Floor by Lee Child

I wrote this review back in Dec 2008 and it is totally crappy but I am adding the book synopsis in hopes that it won't suck too much.

Description courtesy of Paperbackswap.com

When Jack Reacher first shows up in Margrave, Georgia, the local cops arrest him for murder. While Jack is still reeling from the obviously false accusation, he finds out that the dead man is his own estranged brother. Then, it seems that anyone else that he's made contact with is also dead. The town-wide conspiracy has Jack running in circles, but with a little help from the new (and not yet corrupted) chief of detectives, and a young female officer who's taken a shine to him, he may be able to figure out just what is going on in this strange town..

My Crappy Review

I found I liked Jack Reacher a lot. I wasn't so sure at first but he has a type of charm that you can't help but like. I kept picturing a young Dolph Lundgren (from Rocky IV) as Reacher. OK, so he killed at least half a dozen men with very little remorse and he did jump into bed with the first available woman he met...I still liked him. I liked that during the investigation the reader was privy to his thinking patterns and his methodology in solving the crime. This thriller was a great intro into Jack's wandering life and I can't wait to read more.

End Crappy Review

I gave the book 4 stars which is not bad but I wish I would have written some notes or something about the book that I could have refreshed my mind with because this review doesn't ring too many bells. Luckily, I do remember some odd scenes from the book but will not include them here because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone else.

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

I read and reviewed this book in December of 2008. It's that old. I am posting my complete and original (non-rewritten) review because when looking back I would like to think that my reviews now are quite a bit different and better then they were over a year ago. Since I wrote this I discoverd that Showalter did write a prequel to the series which was released in ebook format only. She did release that story in a omnibus a few days ago called Into The Dark which I can't wait to read.

Written Dec 2008.....
Although a decent start to a new paranormal series I found that I wasn't fully invested in the characters until towards the end of the book. I thought that Ashlyn's psychic ability was extremely interesting and although played a part throughout the book I might have enjoyed the book more had the book been her book with Maddox finding her....if that makes any sense.


Maddox is a cursed immortal who along with his friends thousands of years ago became too self important and released the demon's from Pandora's Box. As punnishment the Gods cast a demon into each immortal to be housed for all eternity. Maddox's own demon is that of Violence. This makes him the most dangerous of all members of the lords of the underworld. Personally I think that Disease is more dangerous but whatever.

One a superficial note I love the cover. Not so keen on the second in the series cover but I can over look it to read it. Which I will read sooner or later. Based on the average rating I might just wait and move some of my paranormals that I KNOW will have a higher star rating ahead of the rest of the series.

Sex, Lies, and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson

I read this book and wrote a review of it back in March of 2009 but never posted to my blog. Making up for it now.

Lucy is a mystery writer who is doing a little research on her next "victims" in her newest work in progress so she thinks to do a little online dating. While meeting with a handful of internet men named "luvstick" and "bigdaddy182" for the sake of her job she comes across a man who is completely different then the losers she had been sharing her Starbucks lattes with. Of course "hardluvinman" isn't all forthcoming with her either. He is Quinn and undercover homicide detective who is on the case of a serial killer who kills men after meeting them on the internet.

This is my first book by Rachel Gibson and it won't be my last. I very much liked Lucy and her sense of humor. I read a review where the reader was very annoyed with Lucy saying she was TSTL (too stupid to live) so throughout the book I kept looking for signs. Throughout the book Lucy was consistant and her feeling seemed spot on with what I think I would feel had I been in her shoes. Just when I thought that other reader must be mistaken WHAMMO!!!! Not 20 pages left in the book Lucy turned TSTL. So, did I chuck the book across the room in discust? Nope. I read it through til the end and decided that even though Lucy did go dumb on me I still liked her.

I really think that this was a great book. Perhaps not an excellent one but a book that made me want to read on to get to the happily ever after part. It also is making me go find the other books by her because it appears that Lucy's friends also have books too. I gave this book 4 stars and had it not had that groan moment it probably would have been 4.5 stars.

Highland Knight by Hannah Howell

This book was read by me in March of 2009 and I wrote the review but never posted it to my blog. Better late then never.

The first thing I need to say about this book is that I was an unfortunate victim in the republish with new cover conspiracy. I don't buy many of my books new but finding myself without a book (forbid!) and a possible lengthy wait at a doctors office had me skipping into the local Walgreens for a new release. I really should have checked the copywrite date. It says 2001, 2009. So yes, I bought a rerelease and yes I have the original also. UGH. (which is why there are two covers here....I own both. The top on is the newest from 2009. The bottom is from 2001)


Ok enough of my complaining. This book was a book that for me started out slow despite the interesting theme. It has Avery and her young cousin given to a man for a payment of a past debt. He thinks to use her the same way her brother used his sister.
So the theme of this book was for Cameron to seduce Avery into his bed. Got it. I was pretty concerned when 1/3 of the way through the book it looked like it would happen. I was worried as to what would be the point of the rest of the book. I really shouldn't have worried. It does take this book a little bit to heat up. Kind of like a slow spark that takes awhile to develope into a burning fire. But don't worry this book did become a burning fire.

Avery is a great heroine. She is kind, smart, funny and completely understanding as to the way things work despite her being a virgin. Cameron is a dark brooding kind of man who doesn't want a woman in his life but finds he really doesn't want Avery out of his life either.

The secondary characters are terrific and I hope Howell will write or already wrote their stories also. I do know that this is part of a trilogy but this is the only book I have read out of it and I believe it is number 2. It reads wonderfully as a stand alone but now I really need to get my hands on the others to find out who's stories have been told. Who knows, I probably have them and don't even know it.

I originally was going to give this book a 3.5 star rating but since I found myself staying up all night to finish it, I think it really does deserve a solid 4 stars

Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

I found this review that I wrote up after reading Not Another Bad Date but never got around to posting it on my blog. So, it's very late (wrote it April 2009) but here it is.


Adele Harris is a Sci Fi/ Fantasy author who rushes from her home in Idaho to be with her older sister in her time of crisis. She never really wanted to go back to her small Texas town after having left 14 years ago with a broken heart. But there she was, back in town only to run into the man who broke her heart.


This is the basic plot for the book but not all of it. Adele also swears she has been cursed because for the past 3 years she has had one horrible date after another. Come to find out, she really was cursed but what I didn't find completely clear is when she was cursed. Yes she started having the bad dates 3 years ago but the person who cursed her had it out for her over a decade earlier. I am not sure why all of a sudden 3 years ago she would have "cursed" Adele. Not to mention the one who was doing the curse was pretty self centered so I am not sure she really would have thought one way or another about unimposing Adele.


With that said, over all the book was good. It was a very quick read and very steamy. There was an element of paranomal where we see into the after life of a the deceased wife of Zach. Although this was not a major part of the book I really enjoyed this aspect of it and wish that there was more.

Adele's story is part of a small series by Gibson but can be read as a stand-alone. I have read the first book and now the fourth book. I enjoyed them enough to look for the other 2 in the series.
 

The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt

I read this book back in April 2009 but for some reason never actually posted my review on my blog. Making up for that now.

I read this book after several online friends recommended it to me along with the other two books in this trilogy by Elizabeth Hoyt. This is book two in that trilogy and to date the only book I have read by her. I found that it was pretty enjoyable but for me it was easy to put down. I found that I was ok with setting it down to watch TV or surf the net. The book was not a bad book. I was and still am torn as to rating it. I settle with a 3.5 stars.

The good points.....

A very interesting twist on a typical historical romance theme. A rich titled individual who falls in love with a servant. In this case the woman is the titled individual and the man is the lowly land steward. I have never read a book where this has happened and enjoyed it no matter how unlikely the actual events could have happened.

Likable characters. Harry is low born but proud. He is a proud man with no disillusions as to his place in life or society. Many of the secondary characters were also interesting. Georgina's brothers were among those characters that I really wanted to know better but didn't get the chance. Her brothers are the kind of men who really should be the heroes in their own books.

An interesting fairy tale interwoven with the main plot. Georgina tells a tale in pieces throughout the book to Harry that I found myself wanting to hear more about. When George would tell a little bit of the story and stop I really wanted her to get on with it and finish the tale but found that by having her character tell the story in this way Hoyt managed to push her own story along nicely.

What I didn't like....

Georgina. I know it might be a little harsh but I found her character a little annoying. When she talked she almost sounded flighty and self absorbed. Her actions were completely wrong for the time period and what a lady of good breeding should do. I can see an older widow blowing off society's whispers to take whomever she wanted as a lover but a virgin under the age of 30 seemed almost absurd to me.

The mystery. Many times a good historical romance has a bit of a mystery to carry the story along. I generally like this type of plot but for some reason when Harry finds himself being blamed for poisoning some sheep belonging to a neighbor of George's I just couldn't see why everyone believed him guilty. Hoyt did weave the reasons into the story but I just couldn't believe them hook, line and sinker.

Over all I would say this was a book that was ok. A decent way to introduce myself to Hoyt's writing but not one that I could honestly recommend as more then to say one should read it because they read the other books in the trilogy.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Win Into The Dark by Gena Showalter

As y'all know I love giveaways. I will enter almost any giveaway especially if they are book giveaways. So when I found Bitten by Paranormal Romance was offering an autographed copy of this book I had to enter and wanted to share with all of you too. This is an omnibus of the three short stories two of which are from her Lord of the Underworld series and the other is an Atlantis tale. If I remember correctly the first is a prequel to the entire LotU series which was originally in downloadable ebook format only until now. (if that isn't correct please set me straight).

So, to get to the contest click on the link and enter. You have to follow the blog (which is a very great blog by the way) but can get extra entries by spreading the word.

It is open to US and Canda only...but they will send over seas if the winner pays for shipping through paypal.

Oh, and isn't the cover just...YUMMY HAWT?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

This is weird even for me. I swear this has Never happened to me before but there is always a first. I came across this synopsis of the book The Cradle by Patrick Somerville and found it completely fascinating. That in itself isn't what is weird by the way. I run across books all the time I find fascinating....just another day really. This is typically not my type of book. It doesn't have a half naked man on the cover. Nor does it have some hunka hunka man meat with fangs. It doesn't even have a prettily posed victorian woman who looks like she is awaiting her lover to return to her. With that said,  I honestly do read just about everything. I do! But for some reason some books you just know they aren't going to be your usual pick without even picking it up and trying it right?

So, on to the weirder part....the more I read about the book them more I kept thinking...."I would love to see this movie." Not once did I think...."I HAVE to read this book." Nope....I need to see this movie. On the upside it sounds like it would make a terrific one. Maybe, just for shits and giggles I will see if my library has it and try it out anyway. If anyone out there has it in their TBR and reads it....let me know.

Title: The Cradle: A Novel


Author: Patrick Somerville

Category: FICTION



Format: TRADE PAPERBACK

Publish Date: 4/12/2010

Price: $13.99/$16.99

ISBN: 9780316036115

Pages: 224







About the Book:



Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.



Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.



Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented new writer, THE CRADLE is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.

Fabulous Mother's Day Giveaway!

Hi all! I stumbled across a totally Mag giveaway (sounded just like Mavis from the In Death series by JD Robb didn't I?....OK probably not...anyways) over at My OverStuffed BookShelf. Amy is giving away such a fantastic basket full of goodies that I loathe to share the information so as to not take away from my chances at it. But, that would be completely selfish and so not right. So, it is with completely honorable intentions I point you in the direction of the contest.

The basket in honor of Mother's Day will have some awesome books and swag. If you are the lucky winner you will get....
PRIZES INCLUDED:



From the authors:

1 signed copy of Broken by Shiloh Walker and bookmark


1 signed copy of Accidentally Demon by Dakota Cassidy


1 copy of Cupids Arrow by Debbie Wallace (Tory Richards) and swag


1 signed copy of Sweethearts Knitting Club by Lori Wilde


1 signed copy of Sweethearts Quilting Club by Lori Wilde and bookmark


1 signed copy of Beyond The Darkness by Alexandra Ivy


Bookmark Swag from author Moira Rogers


Bookmarks and post it pad from Susan Mallery


Signed bookmarks from Lauren Oliver


Signed postcard, bookmark from Becca Fitzpatrick


$10 iTunes Gift Card from Becca Fitzpatrick


3 Gift Coupons for 3 free downloads of author Keta Diablo's books




From Sourcebooks:


What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown


Arabella by Georgette Heyer


Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell


From my Hubby and I:


1 bag of Sweet Pea Bath Soak


1 bag of Freesia Bath Soak


1 bag of Gardenia Bath Soak


1 tube/bottle of Sugar Vanilla Fantasy Body Lotion


1 Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon jeweled pendant and chain



PLUS a few surprises that will be thrown into the basket!
 
Told you it was fab....I mean Mag! Don't know why I all of a sudden wanna use that word....maybe I am due to read another In Death book and don't know it yet.
 
Anyway, the contest ends on sunday so hurry up and sign up. She does have a few rules but they aren't painful so don't worry. Good Luck to ya!

Kirthi Strikes again

Now in addition to my ultra-fab button....Kirthi jazzed up my blog header too! How fabulous do I look now?

Monday, May 3, 2010

Look At My New Button!

I am so excited about my button. I have been wanting one for weeks now and didn't know how to go about getting one. I got lucky. Kirthi contacted me and offered to make me one. Really! She did. I thought it was beautiful (which it totally is!) and she did a great job. As my way of thanks I thought I would publicly thank her and sing her praises in the street. It was a fleeting thought though...I mean not the publicly thanking her...that's a done deal, but the singing her praises in the street. I don't live on a hugely busy street but busy enough that anything other then quickly running across it would be dangerous so, street praise....nixed.

Kirthi is an amazing young adult. Yep, young adult. I said it, it's true. She not only can make incredible buttons she reads like a demon, her reviews are impressive and she is very passionate about the environment. You have to check her out. Kirthi's Blog

Thank you Girl!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Friday 56

I spent so much time today hopping from blog to blog during the Blogmania tour that I did very little else. I am sitting here in vain hoping that my clothes will get done washing soon so I can go to sleep sometime tonight in anticipation of tomorrow's new work day. Oh well. Blogmania was super fun and I spent so much time reading blogs I didn't even get to visit all who participated.

Anyway, my whole point is that I completely forgot about one of my favorite memes The Friday 56!

It's Friday again and you know that means it time for The Friday 56. I found this meme on Reading At The Beach blog (which is a pretty awesome blog) but she links back to Tonya's blog at Storytime with Tonya (another blog that is fab). No matter who started it I love the idea of a shared scheduled specific glimps at a random book. So, here's how this works.....


Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

So, the closest book to me right now is...

Where Dreams Begin by  Lisa Kleypas

"She would face social disapproval...Well, what did that matter? The one person whose approval had mattered most to her was dead."


You can buy this book at amazon.com Here