Wild Fling or Wedding Ring? by Mira Lyn Kelly

Description:
On her first night in Chicago, Cali McGovern meets seriously sexy surgeon Jake Tyler. Since she's still sore after her last relationship, her head's yelling Run —but her body's screaming for his touch…. For the first time ever, her head gets overruled! Jake isn't looking for a wife—been there, done that. But his hot new neighbor is in town just long enough for a wild fling…perfect! Yet when the time's up, he can't say goodbye. Is that just because of their sizzling chemistry—or something a whole lot scarier?

My thoughts:
I haven't read a Harlequin Presents in, oh, about 20 years and have to say that I probably went into this with not quite the open mind that I should have. I remember the Presents from back in the day, where the women were poor working their fingers to the bone virgins and the men were players with lots of money. They all really started sounding familiar book after book after book.

Anyway, I struggled through the first 10 pages for 2 days. This book should have only taken me 2 hours tops to read and it sat on my headboard taunting me for 48 hours. Within the first 10 pages I had not only one instance where my anal retentive ways sounded it's alarm and wouldn't let me continue on but then there were two. Most people probably wouldn't pick a statement apart and make it literal. I do.

Here is my example.....In the jazz club where Cali and Jake just happened to meet and spend an interesting couple of hours chatting and laughing away, Jake receives a phone call that he takes down the hallway. For a busy heart surgeon this is probably pretty common. Cali, completely gun shy decides it is time to head to the restroom then make a break for it. As Jake comes back down the hall, Cali comes out of the restroom and runs smack into Jake. This is where it got wonky on me. Wonky because instead of a shoulder bump of an encounter or even a body check where Cali unfortunately bounces back into the restroom the author elaborates to say that their legs tangled. Does that ever happen? I had visions of Cali jumping out of the restroom in full on flying bicycle kick.

Second example.....when Cali and Jake kissed (right around the leg tangling) she shuddered. In Mira Lyn Kelly's mind a shudder is an example of passion. In my mind a shudder is another way of saying "Ewwww. This isn't going to work for me, dude. I swallowed a little bit of my own vomit when attempting to snog you."

Not everyone would ever think these things were wonky with the book. I know, I'm anal. But now I bet you will think about it if you do read this book.

Once I ignored the issues I had with the first part of the book it did get better. I really liked Jake. Cali was just so-so but not unlikable. I liked the conflict that both of them had with themselves. Jake just didn't want commitment and Cali didn't want to risk her job. Oh did I mention that Cali's boss knows Jake and actually refers to him as "her Jackson"? I liked that when Cali explained her past experience with Jake the author could have kept it simple and standard that the evil ex used and then threw Cali away leaving her destitute, jobless, and alone but she didn't. Yes Cali's ex was a jerk-off but Cali was woman enough to admit that even though the ex was an ass it was her that allowed it to happen. I liked that. To tell the truth I was expecting to read the first version and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't happen.

I do wish that Cali's boss would have been a little more involved with the whole Jake and Cali thing. At least to give some closure. Her blessing or even the opposite. Personally if my star employee started dating "my Jackson" I would have something to say about it.

Overall this really was an OK book. It is the author's first and it does show but with time and experience she could really polish up her writing and start putting out really good books.I am giving this book 2.5 Stars and would say that if you were going to read it find it used or borrow it. I got my copy from Tellharlequin.com free for my opinion on it.

On a side note if you noticed there are two covers of this book mine actually didn't come with a picture on the cover at all. Just a plain white book with black lettering. Still not sure why unless these are Harlequin's ARCs. The white one is the Harlequin Presents American cover and the blue one is the Mills & Boon copy from the UK. I really like the blue book better. I think it makes Jake look super hot. The White one is actually a little closer to Cali's description as she has lots of curly hair. Unfortunately, neither one got the color right. Cali actually was described as having ginger and dark cherry hair....which doesn't sound blonde to me.

What am I reading Today?

I do have a review to post of the book I finished earlier this week but to tell the truth I am just plain lazy to put forth that much effort right now. So I decided to tell y'all what I am reading now.

I never have just one book going at any given time. I don't even have just two. I often have multiple books with fancy books marks or random pieces of paper marking my various stages of completion scattered around my dwelling (or car, or work). I never know why I have multiple books started. Many of them are super good books, some are just *meh* and others are just terrible (those will get finished just not anytime soon). So without getting into the psychology of why in the heck I would have so many books going on at once why don't I just tell you what it is that I am currently reading???

Love Cat and Bones. I'm about half way through with this and love it love it love it. I don't know why I am online when I could be reading this book!

Tellharlequin.com sent this one to me (along with another) to review. I haven't read a Presents in about 20 years. I am only 1 chapter into it so I am not far enough to have any judgement as of yet.

It has been literally years since I read the first book in this series. An interesting paranormal mystery series though. Not sure why more people aren't talking about these Harper Connelly books. I am about half way through it and am liking it quite a bit.

Not my typical reading material but someone had reviewed it and it sounded really good. I am not that far into the book but the little bit I have read I have to say it sure is funny!

Love Marjorie M Liu's Dirk and Steele books. I just started this one so I don't have much of an opinion yet.

Blog Hopping Time!!!!

Jennifer over at Crazy For Books hosts this awesome weekly event where we provide a link to our book blogs and post it on her site making it super easy to get our blogs out there and help us find some terrific blogs too. Hop on over and check out the rules and sign up!

Question of the week is....

Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?


My answer is: Nope, very rarely. I tend to tune everything out while I am reading. Sometimes it is harder than other times. I don't like to add any other distractions to the background that I would just tune out anyway. Now in all honestly I love music. I usually have it going all the time but find that when I am reading and trying to listen to my favorite tunes I end up singing along with the music and not absorb what I am reading. I hate when I have to go back and read a paragraph over again because I wasn't paying attention.

Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux

Book Description....


It was her father's dying wish that Samantha Elliot search for her grandmother, who'd disappeared from Louisville when she was a baby. So here she was, in big, dirty New York City...her parents were dead, her divorce was final, and she was all alone....



Michael Taggert was Samantha's landlord, and he was easily the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He was charming, too -- his zest for life was so contagious that in his presence Sam bloomed like a flower after the rain. Yet Mike could only get so far with her -- when he tried to get closer, it was like running into a brick wall.



But Mike wouldn't give up. As they probed her grandmother's past, he was slowly uncovering the joy and affection Samantha had buried long ago -- and leading them closer to the dangerous truth about a bloody spring night in 1928, and a seductive blues singer named Maxie....

My Thoughts......
 
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I didn't like Samantha. Deveraux tried to make her such a complex character that when it all came down to it the reasoning behind her attitude towards Michael it was a bit of a let down. I wont get into the specifics but Samantha is not a strong female lead. Over the years my tastes in romance have matured to a point that I need a kick ass woman, one that takes the crap that life can throw at her and kick it in the balls. Samantha is not this woman. After losing her mother and her grandfather she took care of her father while still a young girl. When she became an adult she married and then took care of her husband. When her marriage failed she went back to her father only to find he was dying. Once he was gone, to fullfill his will she had to move to New York and live in the apartment her father set up for one year while looking for her long lost grandmother. Michael Taggert was the owner of her new apartment.
 
When faced with these obsticles in life Samantha rolled over and sank into a depression. She also was afraid to walk around the block in her new city. Not exactly sheltered growing up I am still not sure what in her character would terrify her of stepping outside her door. She grew up in Santa Fe. Not a tiny farming town in the middle of the country.
 
Now for Michael....Never really got a good grip on him. It starts out with Sam meeting Michael while he had been playing football with some buddies and that he was toned and obviously worked out. Later in the book Sam was thinking about how much she loved his body builder's body. To me, a man who works out and in shape is completely different than one who is a body builder. But whatever. The big issue I had with Mike was that he liked Samantha. I couldn't see the connection. I didn't understand him wanted to pursue her. She would let him kiss her then run for the hills. She would spend days ignoring him. She was either hot or cold....mostly cold. I don't even know if it was the puzzle of her psyche that intrigued him.
 
There are two things in this book that I found very redeeming.
 
1-The Taggert/Montgomery Clan--They came for a visit to "meet" Samantha because finally Michael was interested in someone. I loved the picnic scene. I liked his whole family. His twin brother Kane was so very interesting by the way. I think I liked him more than I liked Michael.
 
2-The Mystery of Maxie--Although I was initially confused as to the timeline of her disappearance overall the mystery was intriguing. She disappeared when Sam was a baby but in New York Sam and Mike were investigating what happened when she disappeared in 1928 which would make the entire timeline wonky. It would make Sam 70 odd years old. It really took me forever to figure out that Maxie had indeed disappeared in 1928 when she then met and married Cal, Samantha's Grandfather. Almost 40 years later she disappeared again. So, Sam is trying to find out why she ran away in the late 60s but also trying to find out what happened in 1928. Crystal Clear. Once I figured that out I was really interested in reading about Maxie and her life as a gangster's girl. Super interesting.
 
Unfortunately these points were not enough to redeem the book for me. If I can't like the characters it is hard for me to enjoy the book. I will have to read Kane's book though....he sounds yummy. My Rating 2.5 Stars.

Help celebrate Reading Angel's 500 follower milestone!

A Shelfari buddy of mine (Reading Angel) is tickled pink to have reached an awesome milestone of 500 followers. To celebrate she is giving away an awesome prize. This giveaway is open to her US and her international followers too! You do have to be 16 years old though. So, go enter, support her and follow her too. She reviews some of the most incredible books too by the way. Between her and Candace I have increased my TBR by literally hundreds. Angel by the way was the one who suggested the Sin Craven books by Jenna Maclaine. Super Fab books by the way. Eternally grateful for her pimping them.

Blog Hopping Time!!!!

Jennifer over at Crazy For Books hosts this awesome weekly event starting every Friday. Its a great oportunity to find new blogs and get yours out there. I have found some really terrific blogs while doing this!

In the spirit of the blog I encourage you to skip on over to her blog and sign up.

My Answer for the Question of the Week....

Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?

Robyn Carr definitely.

Robyn's Virgin River series is so fantastic. All of them that I have read have received top ratings. Virgin River is the first in the series and I gave it 4.5 stars back in January. Since then I have read 7 more of the 10 books. My favorite is Shelter Mountain. Anyone who loves that some town community series in romance (very similar to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove books) will definitely love these books. I haven't recommended them to a person yet who hasn't enjoyed their time in Virgin River.

What's in My Cart?

I see various blogs offering up slightly different versions of "Mailbox Monday" where they list the books they received in their mailbox (hence the name). I don't get but a couple books a year in the mail but I do purchase many from my local Walmart. I love browsing the book isle at Walmart. I like that the book prices are fairly reasonable. Plus my sister ends up purchasing them for me (of course with my money) because she works there and gets a discount. Every couple of weeks I end up with a handful of newly purchased books and now I have my own meme to showcase them. The beauty of it....I can do this any day of the week...only because I can't think of anything super catchy to make either a rhyme or an alliteration out of What's In My Cart and a day of the week. Oh well.

So without further ado I welcome you to....

(possible change in the future of the pic but for now this is it...)

So, what did find it's way into my cart last trip to Walmart????

Want to win 5 fantastic summer YA reads?

Lori over at Pure Imagination is hosting a fantabulous giveaway to celebrate so much. She is giving away these great books....

And since she reached over 900 followers (which I now think she is at 1110 even) she added yet another book....

Help her celebrate! Get over there now!

Time for the Blog Hop!!!

Every Friday Crazy-for-books hosts a great meme to help get our book blog out there for others to find. I have found so many great ones that I honestly spend hours just catching up with them all.

This week we are also talking about what book we are currently reading.  I started...

Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. This is the first book in her Chinook Hockey series and so far it is pretty enjoyable. Here is a synopsis...

Georgeanne Howard, charm school graduate and Southern belle extraordinaire, leaves her fiancé at the altar when she realizes she just can't marry a man old enough to be her grandfather, no matter how rich he is. John Kowalsky unknowingly helps her escape, and only when it's too late does he realize that he's absconded with his boss's bride. At the height of his hockey career, this bad boy isn't looking to be anybody's savior but his own, no matter how beautiful this angel may be. But a long night stretches ahead of them--a night too sultry to resist temptation.




When Georgeanne and John meet again, she is on her way to becoming Seattle's domestic darling and he is past his hell raising days. But he is shocked to learn that their single unforgettable night in paradise produced a daughter, and he is determined to be part of her life. Georgeanne has loved John since the moment she jumped into his little red Corvette seven years ago, but she doesn't want to risk her heart again. Is he really a changed man? And will he risk the wrath of his boss, and one final chance at glory, to prove that this time his love will be everlasting?

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan

I cut my paranormal teeth on Christine Feehan's Dark Prince. It forever holds a spot in my heart because of this. I love that book. Over the years I have read every book that came after it with excitement and glee. After a point though I noticed I wasn't enjoying them nearly as much as I did at the beginning. I am honestly not sure if this is because I am growing and maturing as a reader or that the books just aren't or possibly both.

Carpathian Males by nature, are completely Alpha. Expecting their women to cower behind them and stay put because they decree it. In my ripe old age of Thirtysomething I now expect my heroines to be assertive and fully capable of kicking some vampire butt along side their men.

These books are still in the dark ages and all the men still beat their chests and grunt at their women to obey them (with the exception of two women who were not brought up Carpathian the women do listen too...for the most part.) But what I want to know is what is the point of being able to dissolve into mist, shift into an eagle or a wolf, or call down lightening if the XY's in your life won't allow it when it comes to fighting for your people's future.

Anyway, I should probably talk about this book now....

Dark Celebration is the 14th or the 17th book in the series, depending on if you count the 3 novellas published in separate anthologies. It is a full on Carpathian Reunion which sounds super cool unless you are like me and read the last book in 2006 and can't remember all but a handful of the characters. While reading the book I often had to stop and reflect (actually stop and try to remember)who certain characters were.

I read the hardcover edition of the book and there were approximately 300 pages of actual storyline. There were quite a few recipes after the end of the book submitted by Feehan Fans around the world. The recipes were a tie in to the Christmas celebration the Carpathians were having. I didn't really pay much attention to them to tell the truth.

In the book there were so many couples that I had a hard time keeping them straight. Also every couple had sex at least once. I also think that once a couple of them had sex we never heard about them again. It all felt a little gratuitous. Because every couple was engaging in some hot lovin' Feehan made each couple repeat that the other was their lifemate and without their other half they would be lost. After having read all of the books prior to this, I started getting annoyed with the repetitiveness of it all. Granted had I not read any of the books before this one some of it might have been good to know but even then a newbie to the series would have been irritated too.

Problem number one I had with this book....
Way too many characters. Seriously. There were at least 13 couples in addition to 2 couples not yet joined, one family friend, parents of two of the girls, one teenage Carpathian, and at least 10 children. So, I lost count at 44 people in this book.

Problem number two I had with this book....
No resolution to the big bad evil that was stalking our Carpathian women. They were all in very real danger but other than a couple battles that didn't actually take out the big baddie there was no real ending. Also a storyline was started and I have to assume it will continue in the next book Dark Possession and yet another storyline started with a 16 year old and her lifemate that I have to assume will be completed in the future as she is too young at this point to have a credible storyline.

So I honestly have only two really big complaints about this book. But they are doozies. In general Feehan's Carpathian books are all stand alone books because each one is about a different couple. This book, however cannot be enjoyed as a stand alone. Someone not familiar with the series could not fully appreciate it and would be very confused. Heck, I have read all the books and found myself confused.

So, my recommendation is....

Read it if you are already a fan of the series. Get the book from your local library. Unless of course you are like me and collect all her books. When purchasing it you might want to scour your Used Book stores and Thrift Stores looking for it. I honestly don't think it is worth full price.

My rating: 2/5

Update on My TBR Challenge

This is a year long challenge and before the start of the year we were to choose 12 different books to read for the year. In addition we were able to choose 12 alternatives to give us a little variety for the challenge. It is officially 1/2 way through the year and I thought I would post an update as to where I was for this particular challenge more for my benefit than yours.


The books crossed off are ones that I have read. 10 down. I do plan on reading all 24 books though so I better step it up.


1-Imitation in Death by JD Robb (4 Stars)
2-The Hollows by Nora Roberts
3-Mackenzie's Mountain by Linda Howard (4.5 Stars)
4-Blood Bound by Patricia Biggs
5-Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner (4 Stars)
6-The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (4 Stars)
7-Unleash The Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon (4.5 stars)
8-Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
9-A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
10-She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
11-Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux
12-Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan


Alternate List


1-The Nerd Who Loved Me by Vicki Lewis Thompson
2-Your Coffin Or Mine? by Kimber Raye
3-Causing Havoc by Lori Foster (4.5 stars)
4-Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan
5-Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (5 Stars)
6-Master of the Night by Angela Knight (2 stars)
7-Tangled up In You by Rachel Gibson
8-Irresistable by Susan Mallery (4.5 Stars)
9-Evermore by Lynn Viehl
10-Twin of Ice by Jude Deveraux
11-Wild Jinx by Sandra Hill
12-With This Ring by Amanda Quick

Wind Warrior a Sneak Peek

Cynthia Roberts is an up and coming author with her first book Wind Warrior scheduled to be released next week. Originally I was going to spot light her book and then do an interview with her but time has got away from me and I have yet to do that. I would actually prefer to read the book first so I can get a little more idea on her writing style and such but haven't got a copy yet. Again it was my fault. Ms. Roberts was nice enough to offer to send it to me in pdf form but I haven't taken her up on it. I just don't want to sit at my computer reading when I am much more comfortable laying in bed reading. So that leaves my Kindle. Yes I have one. Do I know how to work it? Nope. I do know that you can upload pdfs into it but I have technology issues. I can't even hook up my DVD player let alone working my Kindle.

Anyway, I am planning on reading her book when I can so then I can do an honest review and hopefully an interview with her. She is a super nice lady and her schedule is a little strapped right now too. By the way, she could use some prayers and well wishing thoughts sent her way. Her mom is undergoing a battle against Breast Cancer and will need whatever added support she can get even from a bunch of strange women over the Internet.

So, no book review on Wind Warrior but I do have a book trailer for you. I am interested in seeing how she does an Indian novel suitable for the women of the new century. I loved Indian books back in the day. Cassie Edwards and  Janelle Taylor wrote some of my very favorites. If anyone does read it before I do, let me know what you think.....

You can find her at her website Here

Now for the trailer....

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!

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!

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

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?

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.

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.

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.