When You Dare by Lori Foster

Synopsis:  The tougher they are, the harder they fall... — Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped -- and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all….


My Thoughts: When you Dare just wasn't a favorite.

The characters, although likable, just had issues. Molly acted exactly opposite of what I would think a woman would act who was held for over a week beaten and starved almost to death. Dare was supposed to be all macho but I expected him to insist on a sit down and talk about your feelings session. He pretty much knew what Molly should have been feeling so he kept her at arms length for the most part refusing to act on the chemistry they were feeling. I would have liked to have seen more of him in action (not in the bedroom kind of action way either) I think that what this book was missing was what Suzanne Brockmann is able to do in her TD&D books (Prince Joe, Everyday Average Jones etc). Hot sensitive men who you never question their testosterone levels because they are still all men. You get to see them on a mission and in action and still get to know their intimate thoughts and feelings about the women they love. It's quite a balance of sensitivity and macho but Brockmann pulls it off expertly whereas Foster doesn't. I was more fascinated by the secondary characters than I was the main ones. Those were great characters.

Oh and I thought this book could have been at least 100 pages shorter. It seemed to drag on and on but the cover is totally hawt which almost makes up for it.

Foul Play by Janet Evanovich

Synopsis: When Amy Klasse loses her TV job to a dancing chicken, handsome veterinarian Jake Elliott rescues her with an offer to be his receptionist. Jake just can't resist a damsel in distress, and Amy certainly doesn't mind Jake's charming sincerity.

Then suddenly the job-stealing chicken disappears and Amy is suspected of foul play. Amy and Jake search for clues to prove her innocence. But will Jake be able to prove to Amy that love, too, is a mystery worth solving?

My Thoughts: A quick read with screwball characters and wacky situations. I found it funny and might have rated it higher except that the characters fell in love right away, in this day and age a 26 year old virgin (who doesn't look like a troll or has some mental deficit) is pretty much unheard of, and the ending had no closure to the relationship issues. Those problems aren't necessarily deal breakers but will reduce the enjoyment of the book overall. If you have a couple hours to spare and need something light and silly you should try this one. I wouldn't buy it at full price though. Seek it out through your local library or a used book store.

Oh and I kept thinking that the book should have been titled 'Fowl Play' hehehehehe.

Shadow Bear by Cassie Edwards

(warning: if you want to read this book in the future and don't want it to be spoiled for you I wouldn't read much of my review because I am going to spell out the entire plot for you.....it's my way of saving you. Trust me.)

Synopsis: South Dakota 1850. Before he died from the Indian arrow that pierced his body while he was hunting gold outside Fort Chance, Shiona Bramlett's father, the colonel, revealed a shocking secret. Now, armed only with her father's map and her courage, she's determined to honor him-and to fulfill her own destiny.
After a fierce prairie fire, Shadow Bear, Chief of the Grey Owl Band of the Lakota tribe, is desperately looking for his missing brother Silent Arrow. His search leads him to a beautiful woman in desperate need of help. Shadow Bear loathes the white man-but he cannot help but protect her. With a passion that is undeniable, they must learn to put their mistrust aside and share their secrets before all is lost.

My Thoughts: Hmmmmm after reading this book I have been trying to come up with something I liked about it and failed miserably. After 20 hours of thinking I just gave up. I might have decided this particular book was going to be bad before I started but as I was doing a challenge this month in which I had to read a Cassie Edwards book I stopped at my local library and grabbed one off the shelf. I purposely chose one not in her Savage series because in many years when I think back on the book I read of her's I didn't want to struggle with trying to come up with a Savage Something name. So, did I decide this book was going to be bad before starting. Yes. Did I still give it a go. Yes. Did I roll my eyes and throw my hands up in the air shouting ARGH! repeatedly? Yes. So without further ado let me tell you what I didn't like about this book....

The Characters--Ms Edwards has managed to write some of the most boring characters I have ever read about. Her descriptive words to explain said characters consisted of tiny, golden haired and violet eyed (Shiona) and dark eyed and long flowing black hair (Shadow Bear). Personality wise they were milk-toast. After losing her mother and brother in the same day Shiona did make a statement which lead us to believe she just might have a backbone yet when she needed one it seemed to have disappeared. Shadow Bear was not much better. I don't think I've ever read a book featuring an "Indian" who managed to lose his woman because he circled around his enemy too far ending up a bit lost and thrown from his horse in the process.

The Romance--What romance? 'You're my woman!' 'I would love nothing more than to be your woman!' 'Now I'll put my manhood into your warm wet place!' Ok none of that was actually said....except maybe the You're my woman part but you get the idea. Oh and typical of Edwards writing they fell madly in love in a day.

The Plot--What a crazy series of events for poor Shiona. First she and her brother leave their mother riding a stagecoach on the way to Missouri to go fetch the gold their father stashed in a cave nearby only to find that as soon as they separated their mother is murdered by an unknown assailant possibly an Indian because of the arrow embedded in their mother's chest. Oh No! First their father (see the synopsis above....father never manages to be in this book as he is dead and buried before the beginning) and now their mother. Shiona and her brother bury their mother and set off once again for that cave. But wait! There is a storm brewing and they could get struck by lightning! Whew! They managed to make it to the cave, gather firewood and eat some nutritious grapes (the biggest Shiona has ever seen!) that happened to be growing outside the cave. Shiona settles the horses into the back of the cave and comes back to the fire only to find her brother is not in the cave. Oh No! Oh wait there he is stumbling into the cave and falling onto the floor with (gasp!) and arrow in his chest. Somehow her idiot brother stepped out of the cave into a storm for just long enough to get killed by the same murderer(s) who killed their mother! Because neither one of them was smart enough to realize that maybe if they were taking shelter from the storm maybe the killer(s) did too. So Shiona then buried her brother in the cave. Outside the cave a raging inferno is blazing across the plain because of lightning. Once the rain put it out Shiona realized she is ill. But she never gets ill! Her parents and even the doctor who took care of her have always been amazed at her health and strength. She may be tiny but she is strong, like bull. While suffering from a near fatal fever she manages to save an indian brave Silent Arrow who (queue the ominous music) was shot with the same kind of arrow Shiona's family was. Silent Arrow makes it back to his tribe and his brother chief (Shadow Bear) and before fading into a long sleep manages to utter the simple word "Shiona". Shadow Bear after having been urged by his grandmother and her visions, he finds the cave and brings Shiona back to his people. And they lived happily ever after.

Ok no there was more but by reliving this book a sharp pencil in the eye is sounding better and better. Just know that there was so much going on in the plot that I'm surprised Ms Edwards has any ideas for anything else.

The Action--With a fire and a murder you would think that there would be action a plenty. Not so much. After being forewarned about the fire by his vision getting grandma Shadow Bear has his people dig trenches around the village to save them all. And it works. It worked so well that very little of the fire is even mentioned. No Indian Braves courageously battling flames as the fire roared towards their village and no animals stampeding across the plain to escape certain death. Other than a two line mention of two scorched tepees it was rather anti-climactic.

But what about Shiona's happily ever after? Well kiddies it was touch and go for a while. After Shiona finally found happiness (this was Shiona's thought after losing her family and all) with Shadow Bear she had to leave to save herself from the evil murderer. Oh how poor Shiona cried. She was just getting over the loss of her family and now this. Oh did I mention that because of her fever induced coma sleep she theoretically lost her mother and brother then fell in love the next day? Actually the timeline was more like this buried mother/brother on Monday, coma sleep Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday, Fell in Love on Saturday!

Oh but the murderer! Now there was a twist. Not one...but two possibilities of whodunnit. OMG what a dilemma! Either one could have done it! They were both horrible men so Cassie, please just kill them both that way justice will be done. Poof! Baddies gone. Shiona, poor orphaned Shiona has now found happiness amongst the Lakota tribe despite that they hate whities.

Final Thoughts (that may take another several paragraphs)--To make it more authentic the author has peppered her work with words that I am assuming to be Lakota. Unfortunately, even though she used the same words over and over again (brother, grandmother, grandson etc) she didn't include a glossary or quick guide. Instead she used the explanation during dialogue. For example if Shadow Bear was addressing his grandmother he would say "It is good to see you Unci grandmother." I already took the book back to the library so I don't actually have it for reference but google said Unci is Grandmother (on the mother's side). So anyway, essentially (here is where my anal personality comes out) Shadow Bear is saying "It is good to see you Grandmother Grandmother." This was through the entire book.

On a positive note (yes there is one) this was a quick read. The paperback book's font was large and there was barely 300 pages. The book itself was kind of mind candy. Not the good kind of candy though. If you have a bag of assorted jelly beans and eat most of them and realize you only have the gross black ones left....this book is the black licorice jelly beans. Now don't get all mad if you happen to like those....some of you might. You might also like this book. No accounting for taste is there (just kidding.)

Oh and there is a reason for my irritating and irrational use of exclamation points! Ms Cassie Edwards Loves Exclamation Points!!!!! They are used a lot. Not even when a character is shouting. I don't recall any exclamation points used during dialogue actually. They were all used during the times that the characters were having internal dialogue. So weird!

My rating--  One cup of coffee (exclamation point point!!)

The Husband Hunt by Jillian Hunter

Synopsis: Catriona Grant is desperate. Fleeing a forced marriage in Scotland, she arrives on the doorstep of Rutleigh Hall seeking shelter as a distant relation, only to find that Knight Dennison, the Viscount Rutleigh, may be worse than the man she fled. True to his dangerous reputation, Knight threatens to toss the penniless, flame-haired impostor out -- until she produces the family ring as proof of her identity.

Thrust into the role of guardian, the dark, compelling Knight has his doubts about the lovely Scottish lass, who's clearly keeping secrets -- but her wit, beauty, and artless grace are hard to resist. When his sister starts husband-hunting for Catriona, the idea of any other man possessing her is suddenly unthinkable. For Knight realizes that there's only one possible groom for her: himself!

My Thoughts:This is my first by Jillian Hunter and although I really enjoyed it (there is an element of paranormal in the gypsy sense...Catriona has visions) I thought parts of it seemed overly long to get through. I set it down many times and although in the back of my mind I was thinking that I should pick it back up and finish it there wasn't that "compelling" factor there that made me want to pick it up other than I really wanted to finish it and get it off my list.

I thought the characters were good. I enjoyed that the hero was the one so utterly in love with her and not necessarily the other way around. Yes she loved him but it was almost from his view point rather than her's. Kind of refreshing in a historical romance. I did think that the big secret and whatnot was a bit anti-climactic and it was drug out to be a big deal but to me it really wasn't. Also there was a lot of stuff going on. Catriona's introduction to a bit of society, her running from her brother's guardianship, a possible evil uncle and the uncle's evil apprentice, a story of kidnapping, and a secondary love affair. With so much going on it seemed a bit muddled.

Overall I thought the book was a decent introduction to Hunter and there were some fun parts. Oh and the sex in the book was mild compared to many romances out there but there was some. So if you prefer books with no graphic porn-like scenes but want more than a fade to black approach this might satisfy you.

Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach

Synopsis:
A missing diamond, a mysterious neighbor, a link to Shakespeare-can Hero uncover the connections?

When Hero starts sixth grade at a new school, she's less concerned about the literary origins of her Shakespearean name than about the teasing she's sure to suffer because of it. So she has the same name as a girl in a book by a dusty old author. Hero is simply not interested in the connections. But that's just the thing; suddenly connections are cropping up all over, and odd characters and uncertain pasts are exactly what do fascinate Hero. There's a mysterious diamond hidden in her new house, a curious woman next door who seems to know an awful lot about it, and then, well, then there's Shakespeare. Not to mention Danny Cordova, only the most popular boy in school. Is it all in keeping with her namesake's origin-just much ado about nothing? Hero, being Hero, is determined to figure it out.


My Thoughts:

I thought this book was entertaining but not the best young adult book I have read. It was an interesting look at a 12 year old girl's life who's father is a professor of Shakespeare. Her parents gifted her with Hero as a name which although popular amongst Shakespeare fans not so popular in school. The family recently moved to a new city and Hero finds herself friendly with an elderly woman next door who tells her a story about a missing diamond (rumored to be in the house Hero and her family now occupy) and a connection to Anne Boleyn.

I thought the history was interesting. Supposedly the necklace that the diamond was originally set into most likely belonged to Anne Boleyn at one time and was handed down through the generations to the woman who used to live in the house Hero's family bought. What I thought was even more interesting was that I never heard the rumors that perhaps William Shakespeare didn't write his works at all. In this book Edward de Vere was discussed a lot and the rumors that he may have been Elizabeth I's illegitimate son and he may have been the writer behind all of Shakespeare's work. Like I said it was very interesting and I enjoyed that part of the book completely. The necklace part of the story was completely invented by Broach according to her notes found in the book but the other information on the speculation of Shakespeare identity is quite true.

I didn't like that the mystery of the million dollar diamond was solved by 2 children age 12 and 14. What kind of inept police department does that city have that after scouring the house looking for the diamond the police give up but 2 children find it in about an a couple of hours. Granted the children had a clue that the police didn't have but still.
If it weren't for that unfortunate issue this book would actually be very good. This book is a young adult novel but is very good for children younger. Anywhere from 10+ I would say. There are no adult themes whatsoever but does have some bullying name calling (no physical bullying) from Hero's classmates.

Elixir by Hilary Duff

Synopsis:
Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea's photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man - a man she has never seen before.

When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives - and their futures.

My thoughts:
I think the idea had good potential I just couldn't connect with a jet setting teenager who's mom allows her to head off to Rio, Paris and Tokyo without parental influence. It was written in the first person making it feel almost like a YA UF and the book does set up to have a continuing storyline with the same characters which also made me think UF. The main character is written in a way that we are to believe she deeper than she really is but I wasn't fooled. The addition of a weird love triangle proved that she is really nothing more than a silly girl. Haven't been a teenage girl in sometime but is it common for a teenage girl to think how much she loves a guy but then mentally takes it back so as to not ruin her chances with a second guy? I honestly don't know. Also the addition of a sexual encounter (a fade to black type...not graphic) made the book feel more 20-something rather than high school.

The non verbal communications between Clea and her best friend Reyna were almost ridiculous. Reyna would look at Clea and next thing the reader knew Clea would interpret the look as a full on conversation between the two of them which was spelled out for the reader's benefit.

I think what prevented me from giving this book less than 2 stars is because the idea was actually pretty good. I don't think the follow through did it justice. I'm also curious as to why the author "helper" of Hilary Duff, Elise Allen, merited a mention on the title page (it's listed as Elixir by Hilary Duff with Elise Allen) but doesn't get her name on the cover. With all the collaborations happening now it makes me wonder if someone was cashing in on a star's name or the star herself refused to share top billing.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

ok not my typical book selection but since I've never read it and it fit in with a challenge I am currently doing I thought "Why Not?" So, there you go.

Synopsis:
Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.


My Thoughts:

Even though this book was written 60 years ago it's amazing how much it still applies to today. In Montag's world books were not only banned but destroyed, burned to ashes along with the house they were held in and in many cases the people who hid them. The government says that books are silly and the words meaningless yet destroys them all proving that someone in authority firmly believes that a book is a dangerous thing. Which is actually what happens. Montag meets a girl who society deems 'crazy' and she puts a little thought in his head. Next thing he knows he is questioning why. Why he is a fireman. Why the books are so dangerous. Why Why Why. Questions that to maintain peace and balance should not be asked.

Overall I found that I enjoyed this book despite it being totally different from what I am used to reading even though many times I had to read a paragraph over again because I missed some thing that ended up being important. I found Montag's discovery of himself and nature a bit hard to follow. His journey to discovery read a lot like descent into madness which I thought was hard at times to follow. I did like that this book was thought provoking and I plan to follow up with searching for some discussion web pages to see other people's interpretations.

After Life: Answers From The Other Side by John Edward

Synopsis:
In John Edward's fourth book he answers some of the most asked questions about how the psychic mediumship process works. In addition he shares his experiences while doing readings in Australia and his life as the son of an Irish father and an Italian mother. He also touches on his life as a husband and being a first time father. He shares his journey learning how to be a medium and lessons he learned from his friends and teachers here and from people who have passed on.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed learning about John and his family background. From problems he had connecting with his father (while his father was still alive) to becoming a first time father. He had some really great advice for those who experience grief from the loss of a loved one, mainly to not seek out a psychic to connect until you have accepted and embraced the grief process. It's something you just can't skip or ignore. Moving right to seeking out a medium soon after the death of a loved one usually brings heartache because they either find a crook instead of someone with an actual psychic gift of their loved ones don't come through as the expect. I don't think I expected him to encourage someone to not go to a psychic.

John included many transcripts of his readings throughout the book. I've watched his Crossing Over show on many occasions and enjoyed his readings. I don't know if I fully believe it but the readings that are included are pretty amazing.

What I didn't like is that the book felt almost as if I were reading a text book. I grew bored after reading only a few pages so it took me forever to read it. I also didn't like his explanation on how he does what he does. It was something along the lines of he raises his psychic vibrations higher and the people who cross over lower theirs so they can communicate on the same level. I just didn't follow it. Maybe you have to be a psychic to really get it.

Overall an average book with some good stuff and some stuff I just didn't care for. I am not sure if I will go out of my way to read another book by him unless it if filled with his transcripts of his readings because that is that part I enjoyed the most.

**SPOTLIGHT**The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman. Review is forthcoming but I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek into it. Release date is Tomorrow! August 4th.

Synopsis: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. These are the Last Four Things. Now there are Five. Meet Thomas Cale. Returning to the Sanctuary of the Redeemers, Thomas Cale is told by the Lord Militant that the destruction of mankind is necessary; the only way to undo God's greatest mistake. Cale seemingly accepts his role in the ending of the world: fate has painted him as the Left Hand of God, the Angel of Death. Absolute power is within his grasp, the terrifying zeal and military might of the Redeemers a weapon for him to handle as simply as he once used a knife. But perhaps not even the grim power that the Redeemers hold over Cale is enough - the boy who turns from love to poisonous hatred in a heartbeat, the boy who switches between kindness and sheer violence in the blink of an eye. The annihilation that the Redeemers seek may well be in Cale's hands - but his soul is far stranger than they could ever know.

Click the picture and you can preorder!

The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes by Jennifer Crusie et al.

Synopsis:
"You're invited to spend the weekend with three extraordinary sisters..."  When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now twenty-nine, she's still trying to control her shape-shifting power--no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past.

Lizzie is determined to save her family from financial ruin by turning straw into gold; now if she could only stop turning forks into bunnies. Then Elric, a sorcerer, appears one Friday--annoyed with the chaos Lizzie is creating in the universe "and" in his heart. . . .

The youngest Miss Fortune, Mare, towers above her sisters but her telekinetic power is dwarfed by their gifts. She spends her days at Value Video!! and her nights contemplating the futility of her existence. But then a gorgeous Value Video!! VP "and" Mare's long lost love turn up. . .and they all turn up the heat on a weekend that no Fortune will soon forget!

My Thoughts:
I thought it was ok but honestly it would have been better as a trilogy. Where each sister had their own book with the third book being the big showdown between the sisters and their evil aunt. I would have liked to get to know the characters better. As it is the book was written as a full book with each author contributing something but it read like an anthology whereas each sister's love story was told very quickly making it feel rushed.

There were some humorous things in the book that I enjoyed a lot and one of the couples had some great banter between each other. One of the sisters is a meek woman afraid of her own shadow and within a few hours suddenly developed a backbone. It felt as if she was a completely different character than what we were introduced to. I did enjoy the pop culture sprinkled in the book which felt right with one of the sisters. That particular sister actually felt more fleshed out than the other two to me however I liked the connection between the meek sister and her love better than the other two.

Collaborations are becoming quite popular and I'm not sure it worked here. I couldn't really tell when one author ended and another one started which was good but once again I really felt this book would have been better to have each sister have their own book.

 

Blog Hopping Time!

Every week Jen over at Crazy for Books does such an amazing job of coordinating the Book Blog Hop. I just wanted to give a little shout out to her. She certainly doesn't have to do this every week but I'm grateful that when I choose to participate I know exactly where to go to find the Hop.

Anyway, I'm not going to go into great details about how to hop because if you click on her link it will take you right to the original post and most of you stopping by are probably from the hop anyway, so you all know what it is and how it works.

This week's question is....
What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

 

I tend to gravitate towards romance, YA and mysteries but I will read horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and various non-fiction stuff too. I have found that within each genre I can find a book or two that I love. A common theme I have found that I stay away from though is religion. I really don't like my fiction book to contain blatant religious opinion. Its not that I don't have faith, I just don't want to feel preached to while reading.

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

Back Blurb:

HONORIA SMYTHE-SMITH IS:
A) a really bad violinist
B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child
C) NOT in love with her older brother's best friend
D) All of the above

MARCUS HOLROYD IS:
A) the Earl of Chatteris
B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles
C) NOT in love with his best friend's younger sister
D) All of the above

TOGETHER THEY:
A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake
B) survive a deadly fever AND world's worst musical performance
C) fall quite desperately in love.

It's Julia Quinn at her best, so you KNOW the answer is...

D) All of the above

My Thoughts:

Overall I thought this was a fun book. I loved getting to know one of the infamous Smythe-Smith girls which are mentioned in just about every Bridgeton book written. After all the Smythe-Smith Musicales are major events that everyone goes to even though the music is so terrible it bring tears to most listener's eyes. 

I found Honoria and Marcus well suited for each other. They balance each other very well. She is loyal to family (which is why she plays in the musicales despite the fact that she knows they are really bad) and Marcus has no family. She is often outspoken and outgoing where he is most likely to be quite and reserved. 

The witty banter between Honoria and Marcus is typical Quinn and quite entertaining. As a matter of fact the dialogue between not only the two main characters but with most of the characters was probably my favorite part of the book.

I also liked time frame some of the scenes were written in. Meaning that Honoria would experience an event then we would be privy to the same event through the eyes Marcus.

What I didn't like, however, was the moment they realized they loved the other. They each had their own moment and both of the character's inner dialogue described it almost cheesy. The world stopped a lot. I expected to read that angels were singing. This part of the book really was too sugary for me.

I also noticed that on a sizzling hot sex scale this book would be warm possibly even luke-warm. There was one sex scene which was found almost at the end of the book which was described non-graphically. Normally I am all about hating books that have too much graphic sex but found in this case it was the complete opposite. I would have liked a little more. Or at least, if the sex wasn't there the romance should have been showcased more. There was romance but I think for lack of hot monkey sex there should have been more. 

Overall I would say that this was a decent book by a great author.

Holes by Louis Sachar

Synopsis:
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment--and redemption

My Thoughts:
Although this is technically a children's book I was pretty enthralled with the story. Yes I have watched the movie before but that didn't take away from my fascination with Stanley's plight. Even though this was Stanley's story there were several stories within this story. There's the story of Stanley's great-great-grandfather. And there's the story of Kissin Kate Barlow and her broken heart. I love stories within stories.


My only complaint about this book is that it seemed to wrap up really quickly. All storylines tied in a nice bow within the last few pages. I would have liked to have seen more of what happened next to Stanley and Zero (who by the way, really stole the show for me especially in the last half of the book.)


Overall, an excellent book that would be a great project to read as a family....and then watch the movie!

 

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Synopsis:
When the Once-ler stops along his travels to utilize one of the many Truffula Trees to make a Thneed the Lorax intervenes on behalf of the trees. The Once-ler replied that it's only one tree until he sold his Thneed for a hefty proffit. He then called all his family and they chopped down more and more to make more Thneeds. 


My Thoughts:
I haven't read a Dr Seuss book in probably 30 years and was entertained and amazed at the message behind this book. This is not a simple children's book, don't let the silly rhyming made up words fool you. This is a message about capitalism and greed in addition to quite the environmental stand.

When the Once-ler realized he could make so much money on the Thneeds he was creating he did whatever he could to make more. The Lorax intervened on behalf of the trees begging the Once-ler to cease. The Once-ler replied "I'm being quite useful. This thing is a Thneed. A Thneed's a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need!" And so he ignored the plight of the trees. Later the Lorax would come back 3 more times to speak for the Brown Bar-ba-loots who's food supply was dwindling with each chopped tree, the Swomee-Swans who could no longer sing with all the smog in their throats, and the Humming-Fish who's gills were getting all gummed because the water was so polluted. All the animals had to find new homes and when the last of the Truffula Trees was chopped, the Once-ler's family all left too and he was left with buildings falling down, polluted water and air and very much alone with only the last word the Lorax said to him for comfort. "Unless."

I loved this message. Dr. Seuss wrote this book in 1971 the message is more dire 40 years later.

There is some hope though for the Once-ler had a visitor much later who he gave the very last Truffula Seed to. The boy was told to plant a new Truffula Tree and treat it with care. To give it clean water and feed it fresh air. From one little seed a forest can grow but cannot Unless someone cares.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Synopsis:
Get ready for the maximum thrill ride from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel, and Maximum: Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways--except that they're 98% human and 2% bird. Riding the wind, their wings are an amazing gift...and yet, their world can morph into a nightmare in a single instant. For when the bloodthirsty Erasers--half men, half-wolves genetically engineered by sick and sinister scientists--kidnap little Angel, the Flock embarks on a rescue mission that will change them forever. From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, 14-year-old Max leads her five feisty "family" members on a journey full of nonstop action, adventure, and soul-seeking--not to mention a little bit of saving the world on the side.


My Thoughts: 
Typical of Patterson this book has his trademark short chapters, fast pace and interesting characters. This makes for a quick and enjoyable read. Even though he wrote two adult novels featuring a female birdlike girl named Max this is not part of that series. Patterson explains this at the beginning of the book which I am thankful for because I really thought it was a YA spinoff of that series. Glad to have been set straight right off the top. Yes Max is a girl with wings, yes she escaped from a place that created her and she has her friends with her but this is where the parallels end between The Fugitive series and the books When the Wind Blows and Lake House.

You see a bit a growth in the form of newly developed cool talents among some of the children throughout this book. Angel seems to be the most special of them all. She was the one that the dreaded Erasers snatched after all. It was interesting to realize this wasn't really the case (even though Angel really is super cool.)

I didn't have any trouble remembering these were only children as there were constant reminders in the way of Max thinking to herself "he's only 8" or "Angel's only a baby!" but I did have trouble remembering that they really were very young. Angel is only 6. Max is 14. Patterson did do an excellent job of explaining that they had been training together as a team in strategic moves and self defense for 4 years so the fact that the kids were so very young really was ok with me. It helped that they were really kick butt kids too. I liked that despite their special abilities they still had their kid sides too. A total plus for Patterson creating kid characters that weren't just small adults with a kid label.

I didn't care for all the dangly ends left at the end of the book. There are so many it is frustrating. This book was designed as a series. Meaning to get the full story you have to read all the books. I prefer series books that are their own entities. Ones that are full and complete stories all by themselves but when read together complete an even larger story. Yes this books main story of getting Angel back was finished but that really only occupied 1/3 of the book.

Overall 4 stars because I loved these kids, it was pretty exciting, there was very little to no swearing, only one awkward smooch given in gratefulness, makes this a good book for ages 13 and above. There is violence and even death in this book so I would not recommend this for someone younger.

Oh by the way, anyone know how these kids can have wings that span 12-14 feet but still be able to put a jacket on and look normal in a crowd? You'd think they would look hunch backed or something.

Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson

(I know. I know. Not my typical book.)

Synopsis:  
Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a "Maze" and look for "Cheese" to nourish them and make them happy. — Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are "little people" -- beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw.

"Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life -- whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind.

And "The Maze" is where you look for what you want -- the organization you work in, or the family or community you live in.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the maze walls.

When you come to see "The Handwriting on the Wall," you can discover for yourself how to deal with change, so that you can enjoy less stress and more success (however you define it) in your work and in your life.

Written for all ages, the story takes less than an hour to listen to, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime.


My thoughts: 
Overall a good book that will teach a valuable lesson on identifying the clues that pop up to alert you of change coming and learning to deal with that change. The first part of the book is about a group of friends visiting each other during a reunion. It was during this party that one of the guests told the Cheese story. The second part of the story is the actual Cheese story. The third part is the original friends discussing what they had learned about the story and themselves after hearing it.

I thought the first part was not bad leading up to the main story. I like books that have a sub-story involved. I loved the Cheese story. I'm not a stranger to it. I have belong to several large corporations who utilized this story during training. Most even have a little film to watch. The last part of the book is what I really disliked.

The discussion part felt like a horribly scripted infomercial. I felt like I should have been back in a classroom doodling instead of paying attention. Although mildly interesting, I really couldn't care less about the fictional reunion members and the parallels they drew between each character of the Cheese story and themselves. I think this book would have benefited from having more of a independent study guide in the last part. One that had open ended questions asking the reader things like "Which character did you find you related to more and why?" The book did mention in the forward that many people skip the last section to draw their own conclusions.
If it weren't for that last section I may have given this book a higher rating. I believe that a nonfiction book can be informative. You can learn things without feeling lectured to.

Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Gehrke

Back Blurb:  
Abandoned at the altar ...  
— Lady Beatrix Danbury had always known she would marry William Mallory. She'd loved him forever and she'd never doubted he loved her, too. But when she made him choose between their life together or his lifelong dream, Will chose the latter ... and left two weeks before their wedding. —  
Return of the duke ...

—Will has no illusions that Beatrix would welcome him back with open arms, but six years did not dim his love or desire for her. The only problem is, she's about to marry someone else. Someone safe and predictable ... the complete opposite of Will. But can he stop the wedding of the season and win Beatrix back, or is it just too late?—

My Thoughts:
This is my first book by Gehrke and I was a bit underwhelmed by her writing. The book itself didn't compel me to continue reading into the wee hours forgoing sleep to see what would happen next. 

The characters were ok. Some I liked more than others. I think I liked the secondary characters more than the primary ones.


Beatrix (or Trix as she was called by Will and Julia) seemed a bit of a martyr. Being "abandoned" two weeks before her wedding did quite a toll on her and after 6 years she was moving on by becoming engaged to a man who she liked but probably wouldn't ever love. I found Beatrix's actions to be annoying. Even though she was almost as much to blame as Will was for her lack of wedding she fully put the blame on Will. Her attitude upon seeing him again was all out hatred and her continual verbal rudeness throughout the book towards him was at complete odds with her thoughts and actions. She spoke a lot about proper behavior and how Will was not following what was proper yet she never actively sought people that would make sure things wouldn't be improper. Like insisting her elderly Aunt chaperone instead of the wild willed Julia. It's these kind of actions that leads one to believe that she actually wanted Will to pursue her. Women who say No but mean Yes are the epitome of stupid to me. 


Will came across not much better than Beatrix. He constantly did things that, according to all accounts, were not in his character. Undressing in front of an unwed woman on a beach is not only rakish behavior but it is a complete disregard of respect that he may have had for the woman at all. I did, however, appreciate that throughout the book we did get to understand Will's feelings. He was just as brokenhearted as Beatrix when their wedding didn't happen.

Aiden was the man that Beatrix was engaged to and although the characters did try to appease the situation, Aiden still left wifeless during the course of the book. I felt bad for Aiden. he wasn't a bad character and thought he deserved more. He will probably get his own story which I may or may not read.


I am not a big fan of the reunited lovers plot but I did think that the author did a very good job of explaining their past in a way that I never once felt I was missing an entire prequel to this book.


So, the first time around Beatrix was brokenhearted because she felt that if Will loved her enough he would abandon his dream of Egypt and uncovering King Tutankhamun to stay in England with her and make a family. Will was brokenhearted because he felt that if Beatrix loved him enough she would have gone with him. I liked this idea but I don't think that it was followed through very well because one of the characters ended up looking bad in my eyes more-so than the other which is kind of a shame because the blame should have fallen equally. I did think the ending of the book was good because neither character was going to make the same mistake again. Proper behavior wasn't going to stop them from being together neither was King Tut.


Overall, an ok read. I think the ending raised the rating up a bit higher than average. I will give this author another go but honestly if that book isn't any better than average I probably won't read any more by Gehrke.

Congrats to my Spellbound Giveaway Winner!

Thank you all for entering. The winner (randomly chosen by Random.org) was Heather D. I will email her and she has until 8am Friday July 8th to contact me back with her mailing info otherwise Randomize again for a different winner. Thanks all for making my first giveaway fun!

****Update****
Heather did contact me so I'll be sending this book out to her tomorrow! Congratulations Heather!

Bloggie Friend's Giveaway!!!!

Pedantic Phooka is giving away a copy of The Hunted by Kristy Berridge over the holiday weekend. It sounds like such a great book! Wouldn't you like to read it? Check it out on her site....just clickie her name! Oh, how about a little bit about The Hunted!

Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age. It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals. As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.  (description provided by John Morrow via Amazon.com )

Book Bloggie Hoppie Time! 7/1-7/4

Yep it's that time again. This is a weekly event hosted by Crazy for Books. I don't participate as often as I would like but do hop in on occasion. Here is what The Book Blogger Hop is all about....

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Post about the Hop on your blog (feel free to grab the logo at the top of the post!)

Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This week’s question comes from Sue who blogs at Cookie's Book Club! Thanks for submitting a question for our Hoppers, Sue! Be sure to visit her blog and tell her thank you!

“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“

 

My Answer: Interesting characters and humor. I read mostly romance (at least right now I do) and find that if an author has a balance of great characters, interesting situations, and humor I stick the book out for it's entirety. Matter of fact if all those factors are there I anxiously turn the pages to see what will happen next. Julia Quinn, Erin McCarthy, Jill Shalvis, Susan Elizabeth Phillips are excellent at this. So is Julie Garwood, Lori Foster, and Lynsay Sands for that matter.

As far as what drives me to put a book back on the shelf...it doesn't happen. It does occur that a book will bore me and I may not pick it up for awhile (but still have it in my currently reading queue). I have obsessive tendencies and just can't let a book go forever unfinished. I have to finish it. Period. 

My First Ever Giveaway!!!!!!!

Thanks to Care Selick from Wunderkind who contacted me and offering me a great oportunity to read a few ARCs and review them. Because I would like to share my good fortune as soon as I finish the book up I am offering to send it to one of my lucky bloggie friends. So, you want to know which book?

Book Description: It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

This comes out 7/26/11 and since I just got it I don't have much time to have a long giveaway. Sooooooo, here are my hoops you need to jump through (just kidding)

1. Leave a comment saying you want to win including your email address and get one entry 
2. Follow Me (and let me know in a comment) and get one entry. It's not mandatory to follow me but it will make me happy!
3. Spread the word (on your own blog, facebook whatever..just make sure you post the link in the comments section) and get one entry

That's it actually. Everyone has potentially three entries but you don't have to do all but I would appreciate it.




Now for my rules (yes there always has to be rules)....

• Must have a US address (I am sorry but I just can't afford to send outside the country right now.)
• Must be 18 years or older. 
• Each entry must have it's own comment
• Make sure you leave me your contact info
• If you have shared this please leave me the link in the comments section that I can follow
• Giveaway starts RIGHT NOW and ends at 11:59pm CST Wednesday July 6, 2011

Sometime on Thursday 7/7/11 I will take all the entries and list them on Random.org. Random.org will randomize the list and the person in the very first spot will win! I will mail the book out First Class on Friday 7/8/11.  This will ensure that the lucky winner will get the book before publication date. It would be great if the winner could read it, review it and share it too but it's not necessary.

Since this is my first giveaway there may be somethings I am overlooking. Don't be shy in bringing those to my attention and just as a disclaimer that the blog owner (ok that's really me but I just wanted to sound formal Yo!) has the right to change the giveaway in various ways except she will not swap out another book for the one you are expecting, extend the time frame (or shorten it if need be) or for some unforeseen issues cancel the giveaway altogether. That would totally suck but I have to tell you my city slowly flooding (just a few spots right now) because of the Missouri River and I can't predict what will happen. Today I have nice books. Tomorrow I may have to ring them out.

PS: This is an ARC and it came to me with the back cover a bit abused. Just so you know, looks like someone used the book as a hard surface while drawing on another piece of paper. Drawing would actually be not quite accurate. More like making dots...smallish dots...a bit like this..:.:.;.;;.;::::You get the idea right. They aren't holes the cover isn't really damaged just a bit marred. Oh and you know I'm reading it first right? (review to come soon)

Ok, I think that's it! Good Luck All!

Bound By Darkness by Annette McCleave

Synopsis:
Soul Gatherer Brian Webster has long lived with the guilt of his failure to save his teenage sister. When another girl dies in his arms as she protects an ancient coin from a demon, he takes up her cause. The coin is one of thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas. United, the coins are a dark relic of immense power, and in the wrong hands, they could destroy civilization.

Lena Sharpe is on her own mission to find the Judas coins. A Soul Gatherer by day and a thief by night, she's negotiated the most important deal of her life. When Brian intervenes and kidnaps her to obtain the coins, she attempts to escape. But the brazen warrior is unrelenting, as he is fearful that the beautiful felon has made a pact with the devil himself. And he's not entirely wrong.

Bound together by burning desire and a similar darkness in their hearts, they race against time to recover the missing coins. But as the truth behind Lena's bargain surfaces, Brian is faced with a desperate choice: save one or save many.

My Thoughts:

Throughout the book (that took me almost 2 months to finish) I was so frustrated with, what I thought as, cheesy dialogue. I had trouble seeing the connection between the two main characters too. Having read the first in the series I knew the background. It's about gatherers who collect the souls of the recently departed for Death, herself. They entered into a contract when each of them died for the period of 500 years. The series is based on Good vs. Evil with archangels, demons, Satan, God and a whole lot of religion chatter. Nothing as exacting as scripture quotes and I highly suspect that much of the stuff within the book is fictionalized (it is a fiction novel after all) but I got easily bored with it all. This book is about a bunch of coins that if Satan has them in his possession he can cause thousands to suffer on earth. I never really understood why. He had roughly half of them (there was something like 36 of them) but when a character within the "Good" camp accidentally destroyed one of the coins the rest of the coins "inherited" it's power giving Satan more than 50% control (it felt very big business takeover-ish to me). So the Gatherers need to make sure Satan does not get the rest of the coins.

So, Lena (a Gatherer) found them and plans on handing them over to Satan's minions for her own reasons (which we kind of learn why throughout the book but not specifics until close to the end). Brian (another Gatherer), who fell for Lena on sight, believes she has motives that are not purely selfish even though she doesn't confide in him....about anything. I hated their romance. I never warmed up to them. I hated Brian's "Babe" term of endearment for Lena because it reminds me of how much I hate smarmy men in bars who try to pick up women by calling them Babe or Baby and every time he said it I had this going through my head "My first name ain't baby. It's Janet. Miss Jackson if you're Nasty." which really pulled me out of the story.

The swearing in the book was not on every page but when used it also pulled me out of the story because it seemed so unnecessary. At one point one of the characters used the big ole "C" word that we women hate with a passion. He was referring to another man being one but it was still jarring.

I also didn't like the names. Weird I know. I am so used to unusual names when it comes to paranormal heroes that Brian Webber just didn't scream "Save me you hunka hunka magic man!" Others might find the average Joe name refreshing but to me it brought pictures of pocket protectors and chess games to mind.

The Gatherers have magic too to fight demons when they collect the souls (because demons are also trying to get the souls to add to the army of the underworld or something.) I just don't understand where they magic comes from. They recite incantations and poof they have shields that stop demonic fireballs, mostly. Anyway, they talk a lot about training but this part didn't really get discussed on how they do it. Do they have a book on it or what? I don't know. Lena ended up using magic chants from ancient Egypt and paying prices for the help to those gods during battle. I didn't understand that at all since they are Gatherers who work for Death who essentially works for God (she hates Satan). So the Gatherer's powers have to be connected to God. Not sure how Lena was able to tap into the ones she did. It kind of explained a bit about which god she had help from (she didn't exactly say they were gods either by the way I just interpreted it that way) but I'm still confused. Also it seemed that the only magic the gatherers had (except for Lena) pretty much was to make shields which didn't stand up to more than a few fire balls honestly. You would think that they would be far better equipped to fight demons than a with a sword and a magic shield.

Now that I have gone on and on about what I didn't like I have to say there were some highlights. Thank goodness otherwise this would have been only a 1 Star read.

1--The secondary characters were very interesting. Specifically Carlos, Emily and Murdoch. Despite my irritation with this book I will read the next book because it's about Murdoch and I'm hoping for more storyline for Carlos.

2--The fighting sequences were actually entertaining. Somewhat thrilling and exciting. There were a few of them and I wish there were more. It would have made the story go a lot faster.

3--When Brian comes clean with Lena about his addiction it was a rather touching scene. It was the first time I actually viewed him as a hero and a tormented man which was a good thing. 

I have to say that without those last 3 things this book would have been horrible for me. As it turned out they made the book bearable and brought my thoughts and feelings about the book to a 3 Star rating. I will continue with the series by reading the third book in the series (since I already bought it) but if it turns out to be 3 stars or less I probably will not read any more books by Annette McCleave.