Friday, November 30, 2012

Tempestuous by: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes Review

Title: Tempestuous
Author: Kim Askew & Amy Helmes
Publisher: Merit Press
Pages: 222
Format: Paperback
Source: FSB Media

Description:

Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

My Thoughts: 

Former 'it girl' Miranda is working at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the local mall where all the people she had a falling out hang out or work.  Miranda is getting ready for Ariel's birthday when the mall goes on lockdown due to the weather outside.

Also going on in the mall is a robbery someone is stealing mp3 players, jewelry, etc it's up to Miranda and her band of misfits to find out what is going on.  All this while Miranda is handcuffed to Caleb the worker at a gaming store in the mall.

Miranda and Ariel also set up to put a few of the 'cool kids' in place with some pranks to remind them that they could easily be outcasts.  This was a great book showing that looks can be deceiving and about not judging people before you really know them, and most of all not to tick of a former 'it girl'.  I loved it!

The Next Book in this series is:

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The Girl in the Wall by: Daphne Benedis-Grab Review

Title: The Girl in the Wall
Author: Daphne Benedis Grab
Publisher: Merit Press
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Source: FSB Media

Description:


Ariel's birthday weekend looks to be the event of the season, with a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters on the grounds of her family's east coast estate, and all of Ariel's elite prep school friends in attendance. The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go. Sera has been the school pariah since she betrayed Ariel, and she now avoids Ariel and their former friends. Thrown together, Ariel and Sera can agree on one thing: this could be one very long night.

They have no idea just how right they are. 

Only moments after the concert begins and the lights go down, thugs open fire on parents and schoolmates alike, in a plot against Ariel's father that quickly spins out of control. As the entire party is taken hostage, the girls are forced apart. Ariel escapes into the hidden tunnels in the family mansion, where she and Sera played as children. Only Sera, who forges an unlikely alliance with Hudson Winters, knows where her friend could be. As the industrial terrorist plot unravels and the death toll climbs, Ariel and Sera must recall the sisterhood that once sustained them as they try to save themselves and each other on the longest night of their lives.

My Thoughts: 

This book was sent to me via FSB Media for a honest and fair review the opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. No monetary compensation was made for this review.

I loved this book we first meet Sera who's having a hard time when here ex-bestfriend Ariel is having a birthday party and her father is forcing her to go.  The relationship between Ariel and Sera was damaged about a year ago when something traumatic happened to Ariel in Mexico and Sera being a best friend did what she thought was right out of love for Ariel.  Unfortunatly Ariel doesn't see it that way and has turned Sera into an outcast at their school.

As the birthday party and concert are getting underway men with guns have kidnapped the kids having killed Ariel's father and new best friend who could easily be a twin to Ariel.  Ariel scared escaped into the walls of the house where tunnels are hidden away.  Ariel manages to get a few 'agents' to assist her Nico the gardener for Ariel's father is assisting her and getting Sera to assist along with rockstar Hudson Winters who assists with coming up with a plan to survive the night.

This book was amazing and I felt myself getting dragged in quickly and quite the page turner.  What a great book glad I was able to review it!
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Pandora's Succession by: Russell Brooks

Title: Pandora's Succession
Author: Russell Brooks
Format: Kindle
Source: Sent by author

Where would you hide if you learned the CDC and a major pharmaceutical company unleashed a hyperdeadly microbe on the human race?

CIA operative, Ridley Fox, never stopped hunting his fiancĂ©e’s killers — a weapons consortium called The Arms of Ares. When an informant leads him to an old bunker outside of Groznyy, Chechnya, Fox is captured and left for dead. When the informant rescues him, Fox learns that his capture was no coincidence: someone had set him up—possibly another government agent. Fox barely escapes after learning that Ares has acquired a hyperdeadly microbe—called Pandora—that is believed to have wiped out ancient civilizations. The trail leads Fox to Tokyo where he discovers that other forces —including agents within Japanese Intelligence—want Pandora for themselves. The only ally Fox turns to is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed.

My thoughts:

When the author first got in touch with me about checking out his work, the first sentence I read was: "Where would you hide if you learned the CDC and a major pharmaceutical company unleashed a hyperdeadly microbe on the human race?" My first thought was, "I have no idea! OMG OMG OMG." Of course, that was enough reason to want to read it.

We watch and like movies like 28 Days Later in which something goes wrong and a deadly virus starts turning people into zombies, etc. and creating some sort of a massacre somehow. Whenever I'm done watching (and enjoying; I'm not gonna lie) movies like this, I think, "What if this turned out to be real? What the f*** would we do?" This is what Pandora's Succession made me feel.

In the book, it's CDC and a pharmaceutical company that unleash the virus. Ridley Fox, who works at the CIA, is captured while he's going after those who murdered his fiance. He finds out about the virus situation; it's a virus that melts human flesh very quickly. Afterward, it's action after action, taking place in many a place from Russia to Japan, as Fox tries to stop the virus from being spread.

The action starts from the very first page and continues throughout the book, and it's very, very due to Brooks' masterful storytelling. Brooks has studied biology at Indiana University, and, even though I'm clueless when it comes to it, you can tell he knows what he's talking about. If you're looking for something that's going to make you think and is filled with action, then this is the book for you.
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Monday, November 26, 2012

Twas the Night Before Christmas: Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century by: Clement C. Moore

Title: Twas the Night Before Christmas: Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century
Author: Clement C. Moore
Publisher: Grafton and Scratch Publishers
Pages: 32
Format: ebook Arc
Source: NetGalley Arc

Description:

A letter from Santa Claus: In this special twenty-first-century edition, select lines have quietly slipped from the pages. Here at the North Pole, we decided to leave all of that tired old business of smoking well behind us a long time ago. The reindeer also asked that I confirm that I have only ever worn faux fur out of respect for the endangered species that are in need of our protection. This includes my dear friends the arctic polar bears. Publishers note: It was our sincere pleasure to act on Santa’s express wishes. As the direct link between the exposure to the depiction of characters smoking and youth initiation to nicotine has been well established, we were compelled to make these recommended changes. This influential poem has been at the very center of holiday reading for close to two hundred years, and our wish is that it will remain vivid and treasured for many generations to come. 

Clement C. Moore (1779–1863) is widely regarded as the very poet of Christmas Eve. Much of the way we have come to celebrate December 24th is based on his portrayal of a jolly Santa, who along with his team of reindeer brings happiness to children and joy to the world. Twas the Night Before Christmas was originally published in the New York Troy Sentinel newspaper in 1823. It has become the most famous poem in the English language. In 2011, various editions of this enchanting poem spent thirty-six weeks on the New York Times best-seller’s list in the children’s category. 

My Thoughts: 

This is such a great retelling of the story including beautiful pages.  The story is the same story many have heard time after time but I think all young kids would enjoy reading this book or having it read to them with the artwork in this book is amazing.  I really enjoyed it!
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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Tigers in Red Weather by: Liza Klaussman

Title: Tigers in Red Weather
Author: Liza Klaussman
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 353


Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their 'real lives': Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war. 

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena--with their children, Daisy and Ed--try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.

Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing, Tigers in Red Weather is an unforgettable debut novel from a writer of extraordinary insight and accomplishment.

My thoughts:

Normally, people usually like books in which they can see at least parts of themselves. This is true for me as well, but visiting a life that's so very different from my own is a different kind of pleasure. Liza Klaussman's Tigers in Red Weather is one of these books.

Towards the end of World War II, cousins Nick and Helene spend summer months at the Tiger House on Martha's Vineyard. They swim, drink a whole lot and lead a life that looks happy from the outside. But, of course, both of them have family problems.

Tigers in Red Weather was a book that was more focused on the characters than the plot. The stories are told from different points of view, which was crafted masterfully. Just like any other family, these people have different personalities as well. They have different desires and dreams. Sometimes, they're in their business more than is okay, sometimes they help one another, and sometimes there's defeat. 

One day, Helena's son Ed finds one of the maids on the island dead, and shows the body to Nick's daughter Daisy. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, Nick calls on her husband Hughes. Hoping the death of the maid had nothing to do with his family, Hughes finds out things he wishes he never knew. As the narrator changes, the details also change and things get even more mixed up. In a good way, that is!

Tigers in Red Weather is classified as a summer book, but it's not empty and too-easy like most summer books. I read it in the fall, and it worked just as well. 

Also, I very much liked the fact that the book got its name from a Wallace Stevens poem


Disillusionment of Ten O'ClockThe houses are hauntedBy white night-gowns.None are green,Or purple with green rings,Or green with yellow rings,Or yellow with blue rings.None of them are strange,With socks of laceAnd beaded ceintures.People are not goingTo dream of baboons and periwinkles.Only, here and there, an old sailor,Drunk and asleep in his boots,Catches TigersIn red weather. 

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Sunday, November 18, 2012

A Kiss For Emily by: J.P. Galuska & Giveaway





Title: A Kiss For Emily
Author: J.P. Galuska
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 372
Series: Emily Stokes Series #1
Format: ebook
Source: Full Moon Bites Book Tour

Description:

Emily didn't know that falling in love would place her smack-dab in the middle of a dicey game called deception. Or wake up one morning, shortly thereafter, wondering if she'd actually lost her mind! A KISS FOR EMILY is a thrilling YA paranormal romance, where discovering the paranormal is exciting for the reader, but life-threatening for Emily Stokes, the 17-yr. old high school student from Kansas.

 My Thoughts:

This was great and definitely not your typical teen angst book.  First we meet Emily Stokes who just wants her first kiss and wants to hook up with Alex someone she has known forever. Emily gives him many chances to ask her to the prom, but this falls short and I felt reading this part that Alex just wasn't for her.

 Alex has a dark side dealing with his father's suicide he buries himself deep in drug use and totally making a fool of himself. Emily and her family move which puts Kat and Emily in a country type setting, while Kat likes the change and seems to thrive on the new setting, Emily is devastated loosing all her friends.  She covers this up with playing her guitar and going for a walk in the woods of her new house where she meets Sam Easley who is full of mystery.

Sam finds himself falling for the city girl, they spend days planting radishes and talking about life.  The first thing apparent is Sam's speech is more older time in history, calling Emily Miss Emily.  Emily finds herself wanting more answers about Sam's evasiveness.  Sam tells her stories about his parents and his sister.

As Emily tries to piece Sam's story together she finds herself loosing her mind or what she knows as right or wrong.Emily's parents try to intervene which lands Emily in a psych ward of a hospital where Emily winds up almost comatose on medication, which leads her parents to take her home realizing that Emily isn't crazy.This book was full of so much adventure and action I loved it.  Can't wait to see what is next in store for Emily and Sam!

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Friday, November 16, 2012

No Mistletoe Required by: Jeanette Murray

Title: No Mistletoe Required
Author: Jeanette Murray
Publisher: Carina Press
Format: ebook ARC
Source: NetGalley

Description:


Dan Beckins isn't sure how he let his best friend con him into volunteering to build Santa's Winter Wonderland at the local hospital. He's got no problems with charity work, but anything Christmas-related is off-limits ever since he lost his parents on Christmas Day years ago. The only bright spot is working with smoking-hot Anna Smith.

Anna Smith loves Christmas and volunteering at the hospital is one of her yearly highlights. She had leukemia as a teen and then a breast cancer scare in her mid-twenties, and is now operating under a self-imposed rule that she can't have a relationship until the doctors give her a clean bill of health.

A little fling might be permissible, though, and sexy lawyer-turned-carpenter Dan seems like the perfect candidate. But when chemistry flares and the two start forming a real connection, will Anna run away before like turns to love?

My Thoughts: 

This was a cute story about Dan and Anna.  Dan Beckins has a big problem with Christmas as his parents died on Christmas along time ago.  When his friend signs him up to volunteer at a local hospital at Christmastime he meets Anna Smith who loves Christmas and wants to give back to the hospital where she was treated for Cancer as a child.  

Both main characters have much to over come and accept somethings aren't in their control and the whole better to loved and lossed then to never love at all.  Definitely a great Christmas novella.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Tiger Lily by: Jodi Lynn Anderson


Title: Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 292

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

My thoughts:

Since Peter Pan is my first love, it was inevitable for me not to jump on this book as soon as I saw it. Wendy has annoyed me since day one, and I always thought Peter would be better of with Tiger Lily if he wasn't going to be mine.

I thought this was a retelling of Peter Pan, and I haven't had much luck with retellings this year, so I was very afraid that I wouldn't like it. Yet, as soon as I started the book, I was so glad that I was misinformed! Tiger Lily is Peter's story before he met Wendy. Both Peter Pan and Tiger Lily live in Neverland just like they do in the original book. Peter with the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily with her own tribe. Our narrator Tinkerbell is in awe of Tiger Lily, so she follows her around all the time.

Anderson really takes us on an amazing journey in Peter Pan's magical world. All the characters you love in the original book, you'll find in this one as well. For example, you learn how Tick-Tock the crocodile started ticking! I was so very excited while reading the book, I can't even put it to words. I think I was grinning the entire time I was reading it. It's aimed at kids, but it'll be a blast for readers from all ages who've ever enjoyed Peter Pan's adventures.

I enjoyed that the story was as realistic as it was fictional. And I love-love-loved the fact that all this was done while staying true to the original. It was such an amazing experience to revisit Neverland like this.

You can watch the official book trailer here:



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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

A Cedar Cove Christmas by: Debbie Macomber

Title: A Cedar Cove Christmas
Author: Debbie Macomber
Publisher: Mira Books
Pages: 256
Series: Cedar Cove # 8.5

Description:

Mother-to-be Mary Jo Wyse arrives in Cedar Cove on Christmas Eve, searching for her baby's father. David Rhodes had said he'd be in town. But he isn't. Which leaves Mary Jo stranded, pregnant and alone. And there's no room at the local inn....

 So Grace Harding brings Mary Jo home to her nearby ranch. She and her husband, Cliff, have a houseful of guests, but they offer her a room over their stable (currently sheltering the animals--including a donkey and a camel--for Cedar Cove's Nativity pageant ). 

When Mary Jo goes into labor that night, a young man named Mack McAfee, a paramedic, comes to her rescue, just as her brothers--the three Wyse men--show up in town. The people of Cedar Cove join them in celebrating the birth of baby Noel. But no one has more to celebrate than Mack. Because this Christmas brings him faith, hope and love...

My Thoughts: 

Mary Jo Wyse has been having a hard time lately being very pregnant and the father of her child no where insight.  After a drawn out heated discussion on what to do about this from her brothers she flees to Cedar Cove to find David Rhodes or his family to let them know the Wyse Men are on there way and to be prepared.

She arrives and meets Grace Harding who is married to Cliff, who takes Mary Jo in and gives her a roof over her head and a bunch of animals underneath her.

I loved how Mary Jo was able to connect with Mack MaAfee the paramedic that assists Mary Jo with delivering her baby, and the hint of something more.

I enjoy this series cause we get to go back and meet the people of Cedar Cove and see what they are up to.  Such a refreshing change from the daily life especially with it being Christmas Eve.  Another great holiday read!
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Monday, November 12, 2012

Palo Alto by: James Franco


Title: Palo Alto 

Author: James Franco

Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback
Pages: 214

A fiercely vivid collection of stories about troubled California teenagers and misfits--violent and harrowing, from the astonishingly talented actor and artist James Franco."Palo Alto" is the debut of a surprising and powerful new literary voice. Written with an immediate sense of place--claustrophobic and ominous--James Franco's collection traces the lives of an extended group of teenagers as they experiment with vices of all kinds, struggle with their families and one another, and succumb to self-destructive, often heartless nihilism. In "Lockheed" a young woman's summer--spent working a dull internship--is suddenly upended by a spectacular incident of violence at a house party. In "American History" a high school freshman attempts to impress a girl during a classroom skit with a realistic portrayal of a slave owner--only to have his feigned bigotry avenged. In "I Could Kill Someone," a lonely teenager buys a gun with the aim of killing his high school tormentor, but begins to wonder about his bully's own inner life.

These linked stories, stark, vivid, and disturbing, are a compelling portrait of lives on the rough fringes of youth.

My thoughts:

I'm sure by now everyone knows that James Franco is a big bookworm. What most people don't know is that he has published a book called Palo Alto. Or, they've just not bothered to pick it up thinking, "I'll get to that later."

Well, I did finally get to it. It's a collection of short stories that are linked to one another one way or the other. They explore the lives of a group of rather depressed teenagers who live in Palo Alto, California.

As I was reading, my mind kept going to Bret Easton Ellis' "Less Than Zero." I think the two books have a lot in common. In both of them, the characters are young, careless and immoral. The one difference was me feeling like Franco tried too hard to create his characters. He overdid some parts, which I guess were done on purpose, but they also just disappear into the rest of the stories.

I didn't hate the book, but I didn't gain anything from reading it either. I feel like he put together what he wrote for his writing classes in college. I wasn't sure whether he revised anything using the notes his professors must have given him.

Lastly, I'd like to point out that one of his professors is Michael Cunningham, and I'm extremely jealous.

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

A Fatal Feast by: Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain

Title: A Fatal Feast
Author: Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
Publisher: Penquin Group
Pages: 288
Series: Murder She Wrote #32

Description:

The newest novel in the "USA Today" bestselling series finds Jessica Fletcher cooking up a heartwarming holiday dinner and a fresh serving of trouble. Jessica Fletcher would like nothing more than to sit back and relax as Thanksgiving comes to Cabot Cove. But this year, she's already got more on her plate than she can handle.

Jessica is suffering from a rare case of writer's block, and the deadline for her new novel is fast approaching. Also, her friend, Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland, is coming from London to experience the American holiday. But most distressing of all, Jessica is hosting a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner for a guest list that is growing by the day.

Jessica carries on toward her culinary conquest, and she couldn't be more thankful about the results. Until she and George take a post-turkey stroll and stumble upon the body of a man with a carving knife stuck in his chest.

My Thoughts:

Jessica Fletcher is getting ready for the holiday season with a visit with Scotland Yard Inspector George Sutherland her dear friend.  She is also dealing with a horrible case of writer's block in her latest novel due in December to her publisher.

She also starts receiving mysterious letters in the mail that have a single letter on a piece of paper. Some are from Cabot Cove, some from Pennsylvania and some from Ohio.  Jessica is still trying to figure out what they mean.

When one of Jessica's dinner guests Mr. Billups winds up murdered Jessica and George find themselves investigating the murder and learning more about the quiet Mr. Billups, and who would want to murder him.

There are definitely some questionable characters in this book from the mysterious Mr. Billups, to her friends new boyfriend who seems to be hiding something.  Then there are the regular friends we get to check in on Sheriff Metzger, Seth Hazlitt, various shop owners that have been mentioned in other books.

I really enjoy this series the fun of what happens in small towns.  I love reading about Jessica and what she is up to now it's like checking in with a old friend.
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Saturday, November 10, 2012

Bombshell by Mike Faricy Book Spotlight

About the Book:

 Dysfunctional, bumbling, crazy babe-magnet Dev Haskell, P.I., becomes the envy of every guy with a heartbeat when he’s hired to watch over a team of gorgeous English roller derby stars. Though he’d rather be standing guard in the shower room, he suddenly finds himself under arrest and found guilty before he’s even charged. He’s got an attorney who drinks too much, a beautiful woman with a bad attitude, a feisty team of females ready to kill him – and no answers. Bombshell is another fast paced, engrossing suspense thriller from Minnesota’s master of the bizarre, Mike Faricy. 

 Bombshell Tour Page: http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2012/10/21/pump-up-your-book-presents-bombshell-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

 About the Author:

 Mike Faricy is the award winning author of mystery suspense thrillers woven together with a rich strain of humor and even some romance. He and his wife live in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Dublin, Ireland. His entertaining tales are populated with the sort of quirky, oddball characters we’d all like to know more about, but wisely prefer to keep at a distance. They serve not so much as examples as they do warnings to the rest of us. None of his characters will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies or coups to topple the government. Rather, they’re individuals inhabiting a world just below the surface of polite society. The difficulties they find themselves in are usually due to their own bad decisions, but then, bad decisions make for interesting tales. All of his books are stand alone, read them in any order you wish. Russian Roulette introduces the bizarrely devilish Devlin Haskell as a PI with a foot on both sides of the law. Dev’s adventures continue in Mr. Softee and the soon to be released Bite Me. Mike is currently working on his latest top secret project. He graduated High School from St. Thomas Academy and earned a BA in history from St. Norbert College. His latest book is the crime fiction, Bombshell.

Purchase Bombshell: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Friday, November 9, 2012

Some Girls Bite by: Chloe Neill


Title: Some Girls Bite 

Author: Chloe Neill

Publisher: NAL Trade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 341 
Series: Chicagoland Vampires

First in a brand new series about a Chicago graduate student's introduction into a society of vampires.

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood.

My thoughts:

I read this book as part of our 3rd Turkish blog tour. It has very high ratings on GoodReads (4.14), and I love a good vampire story, so I was very excited about it. However, I wasn't impressed. 

In Some Girls Bite, vampires and humans exist being aware of each other. The main character, Merit is changed into a vampire without being asked, when she's on the verge of dying. After she's changed, she has to abide by vampire rules, live and work among them. Being the first in the series, I feel like this was more of a world-building book. We learn a lot about vampire politics, but then there are other creatures mentioned, which the author doesn't go into. 

Overall, it wasn't unreadable, but it also wasn't my cup of tea. What really bothered me about it is that it made vampires look kinda "fluffy," if that makes any sense. I like my vampires strong and thirsty for blood. I'm okay with "good" vampires, but I think a book like this should have a "rah rahhhhh!" factor, and this one just didn't.

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Visions of Sugar Plums by: Janet Evanovich

Title: Visions of Sugar Plums
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 240
Series: Stephanie Plum #8.5

Description:

 It's five days before Christmas and things are not looking merry for Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum. She hasn't got a tree. She hasn't bought any presents. The malls are jam-packed with staggering shoppers. There's not a twinkle light anywhere to be seen in her apartment-and there's a strange man in her kitchen. Sure, this has happened to Stephanie Plum before. But this guy is different. He's mysterious, sexy-and has his own agenda. His name is Diesel, and he's on a mission. The question is, what does he want with her? Can he help her find a little old toy maker who has skipped out on his bail right before Christmas? Can he survive the Plum family holiday dinner? Can he get Stephanie a tree that doesn't look like it was grown next to a nuclear power plant? These questions and more are keeping Stephanie awake at night. Not to mention the fact that she needs to find a bunch of nasty elves, her sister Valerie has a Christmas "surprise" for the Plums, her niece Mary Alice doesn't believe in Santa anymore, and Grandma Mazur has a new stud muffin. So bring out the plastic reindeer, strap on your jingle bells, and get ready to celebrate the holidays-Jersey style.

My Thoughts: 

With the holiday season coming I thought I would jump in and read some holiday books, and what better way to head to Trenton NJ with our fearless lucky bounty hunter Stephanie Plum who is down on the Christmas spirit trying to hunt Sandy Claws,  she also meets Diesel who winds up in her kitchen.       Diesels job is to catch Mr. Ring who is out to hurt Sandy.  

This was full of so much humor with a child thinking she's a horse and is Stephanie's neice, to Grandma Mauzer missing her teeth.  They spend time trying to get to Sandy but have to battle an evil group of crazy elves.  And yet again another Stephanie car bites the dust.

I love this series it's hilarious, funny and makes you laugh out loud!
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Monday, November 5, 2012

The Pumpkin Muffin Murder by: Livia J. Washburn

Title: The Pumpkin Muffin Murder
Author: Livia J. Washburn
Publisher: NAL Trade
Pages: 304
Format: ebook
Series: A Fresh-Baked Mystery #5

Description:

Phyllis loves to spend quality time with her grandson. She'll be taking him to a festival with hopes of winning the baking contest-now that her friendly competitor, Carolyn, is judging and not competing. But when a decorative scarecrow is actually a dead body in disguise, it's Phyllis's sleuthing skills that are needed. The dead body is that of the festival's organizer- and his wife, Carolyn's friend, falls under suspicion. Carolyn turns to Phyllis for help, because who's better at dishing out some justice than a baker extraordinaire who can handle the heat...

My Thoughts: 
Phyllis is spending her Thanksgiving taking care of her grandson Bobby who has an ear infection.  Her son Mike and his wife Sarah are in California spending Sarah's father's last days with his daughter.  Back in Texas Phyllis is getting ready for an anual Harvest Festival and preparing her pumpkin muffins for a contest.  

Dana and Logan are a teacher and real estate agent in town.  Logan is well known in town and Dana thinks he is out having an affair and after a heated fight Logan is no where to be found.  That is until the next day he appears as a scarecrow dead.  It's up to Phyllis to find out what is going on.  Armed with her friends and grandson she is out to prove that Dana had nothing to do with Logan's death regardless of what the police think especially Detective Largo who is adamant that Dana killed him.  But who is the real murderer?

This was a great cozy murder for the holiday season. What a great adventure with the ups and downs and wondering who committed the murder when all roads lead to Dana.  I really enjoyed this series. Which is what I'm doing besides the book tours but I'm focusing on holiday themed books.  So if anyone has an title's I should check out please feel free to leave me a comment with the titles.

Next Book in the series is:


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Friday, November 2, 2012

Field Guide by: Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black

Title: Field Guide
Author: Tony DiTerlizi & Holly Black
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 107
Format: Paperback
Series: The Spiderwick Chronicles #1
Source: Library
Description:

 When the three Grace children -- Mallory, Jared, and Simon -- and their mom move into Aunt Lucinda's old house, readers know there's magic afoot. The kids uncover a nest of assembled junk, and on a visit to the secret library via the dumbwaiter, Jared finds a note describing "my secret to all mankind." After a few mysterious pranks that get blamed on Jared, the boy finally digs up the real prize: Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Fortunately enough, the kids meet one of the critters listed in the guide -- a brownie named Thimbletack -- who makes it all "real" and helps provide the book's suspenseful conclusion: "'Throw the book away, toss it in a fire. If you do not heed, you will draw their ire.'"

 My Thoughts:

 This was a great start in the series. We meet the Grace Children Mallory, Jared and Simon who move into their Aunt Lucinda's house where strange things are happening from scratching in the walls to a trashed kitchen, and Mallory's hair being tied to the bed post. Jared gets blamed for all of it, he finds a book that belonged to Arthur Spiderwick and it explains all the weird goings on to a degree. I really enjoyed this story, one I think all kids would love to enter into.

Next Book is:


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Moonshadows by: Claude Dancourt Review & Giveaway


Title: Moonshadows
Author: Claude Dancourt
Pages: 148
Format: ebook
Source: Lightning Book Promotions
Description:

 When Mira was turned into a werecat, she panicked. She ran away from her life and her boyfriend without a goodbye. One year later, she’s on the verge of emotional and physical collapse, and answers are nowhere to be found. When the man she left behind shows up unexpectedly, Mira is so desperate to feel human again that she welcomes him back into her life despite her best resolves. Erik has some questions of his own, and he won’t take no for an answer. He doesn’t believe in Supernatural, or in ancestral creatures. He wants a real explanation for her abandon. But when the new moon reveals the black panther inside Mira, he has no choice but to face the truth. While the pair struggle to work out their issues, a killer lurks in the shadows. And its restraint is thinning… 

 My Thoughts: 

 This book is about Mira who abandoned her boyfriend when she noticed that she was changing. Since then she has been living the opposite of how she was. She works at a bar and wears dark colors, and finds herself missing the boy she loves. 

 Erik decides to hunt down Mira to find out why she left the girl he loves so much, what he finds raises more questions than answers. He finds her and is desperate to find out what went wrong. 

 Meanwhile there is a killer on the loose known as Moonshadow the killer hunts around the times of the full moon, this part was loosely part of the story. While the premise would be a good story I felt this one was slow in some spots rushed in others. Mira spends alot of time thinking in her head and back flashing to the accident that caused her transformation. I felt Erik was a bit too good to be true. Trusting in a girl who broke his heart. 

  Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway
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