Book Mama

New Home for Book Mama

2009-01-27T00:01:00.001-09:00

You can now find me at Literary Mama.

Even Now by Karen Kingsbury

2008-12-01T00:50:00.000-09:00

This is my first book by “The Queen of Christian Fiction”, Karen Kingsbury, and it certainly won’t be my last. Planning to only read a few pages, I was immediately transported and lost myself in the story.

The flashback in the beginning of the novel seamlessly flowed into the rest of the plot giving us a hint of what to look for and still hungry to discover how the events unfolded.

The characters were tangible and very relatable. These people had flaws just like anyone else and paid terrible prices for their decisions. The reader isn’t preached at, as is sometimes a complaint with Christian Fiction, but is simply told a story.

Fraught with beautiful sentimentality, Kingsbury weaves an intricate tale of love and loss, forgiveness and faith. The only flaw in this having to swallow the reasons why these people haven’t been able to find one another in this day and age. But the overall storytelling more than makes up for the suspension of disbelief one must sustain.

Handled with delicate non-partisanship, current issues of Afghanistan and the Iraq war are woven into the story , bringing even more realism. This is an integral part of the story as we’re asked to believe two families have spent 18 years looking for each other with no success.

I’ve already recommended this book to friends and family and look forward to sharing more of Karen Kingsbury’s stories of faith and hope in the future.

She's Giving a Book Away!

2008-08-07T22:43:00.002-08:00

Melissa wrote up a great review of Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky. If you'd like a chance to win a copy, check out her blog where you can find a synopsis of the book and her review!

Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy

2008-07-30T01:12:00.001-08:00

Nina Blackman is dead. And not just your ordinary dead, but UNdead. She didn’t start out that way. Oh, no. One minute she was a dental assistant minding her own business when a patient, hopped up on laughing gas turns around and bites her. Starting out with a craving for blood instead of hot wings with blue cheese dip was a rude awakening and her new fangs are just cumbersome. But her friends are there to help her though. And Greg, “HawtMortalityStealer” an honest to goodness vampire, is going to guide her. Whether she wants him to or not!

ACCIDENTALLY DEAD is second in this hilarious and sexy paranormal series. It’s not required for you to read THE ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF first, but why deny yourself the pleasure? There’s lovely character development to be had as you meet Marty, Nina’s friend, Color Wheel mentor and moon howler and Wanda, Nina’s own personal and very human Jiminy Cricket. These characters grow with each installment.

Nina wasn’t initially my favorite character. I was a bit worried about spending a whole book with her. Honestly? She scares me a little. I think she could intimidate Rambo and The Terminator combined. That’s part of what made this book so fun! Discovering what made Nina-Nina was more touching than you would expect from paranormal chick lit. I grew to adore her as a character.

Labeling Nina ‘Stubborn’ doesn’t even begin to cover it, ’cause she’s on a quest to get UN-undead. I found myself more than once laughing out loud (okay, snorting on occasion) at her tenacity. Dakota Cassidy has a gift for humor in her writing and who couldn’t use a good sidesplitting laugh? She also manages to leave us guessing, using just the right amount of suspense to keep the pages turning.

The foreshadowing for Cassidy’s next book in the series, THE ACCIDENTAL HUMAN left me frothing at the mouth. Wanda’s story promises to be just as snarky, touching and fun.

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

2008-07-25T12:22:00.003-08:00

Happy birthday, Lizzie Brown! First there’s a demon in your toilet bowl, then your AWOL, Harley riding grandma with a jelly jar full of witches brew suddenly shows up on your doorstep, and finally your hyper-active Jack Russell Terrier has started talking to you. But best of all… You’re a demon slayer. Maybe you should change your dinner reservations because Hell is out to get you!

Wow! Okay, I have to say it again. Wow! This debut by author Angie Fox knocked me flat on my rear!

I was loathe to put THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER down and found myself discovering new places to hide and read. More than once I came out of the bath with pruny toes or suffered dark circles under my eyes from staying up all night. Reading at stop lights is definitely not recommended by this reviewer. It could cause horn honking and possible hand gestures.

A biker bar full of Granny witches in leather and halter tops was only the beginning as we’re introduced to a gorgeous Greek shape-shifting griffon with his own plans for Lizzie. The chemistry could not be denied and the steam these two generated fogged up my glasses.

It was non-stop fun from the first page to the last. The frisky, larger than life characters kept me turning pages and were established quickly and with much aplomb!

I’m still not sure exactly what made Pirate, the spastic yet loyal dog start talking, but it made for some cute moments. He was featured enough for moments of levity and was a constant for Lizzie from her previous life as a pre-school teacher.

In the uber popular genre of paranormal romance, just about everything has been done before, yet THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER keeps it fresh and unique carving out a place for itself. Scoot over Sookie Stackhouse and Queen Betsy Taylor. There’s a new player in town and Lizzie Brown is going to need some room!

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

2008-07-25T12:20:00.002-08:00

Shay Bourne is convicted of murdering a little girl and her step-father, a policeman. As he awaits execution on death row, he learns that the little girl’s sister, Claire is in need of a heart transplant and he knows what he has to do.

When miracles, involving Shay, start occurring on death row, a priest with faith and a secret and an atheistic ACLU Lawyer work together to help Shay to make that final donation to the sister of his victim.

Will Claire’s mother be able to get past her hatred of Shay in time to accept the gift of his heart to save her last remaining child? Is Shay The Messiah, come again, to save more than just Claire’s life?

I’ve been asked many times what this book is about. Is it about a child/cop killer on death row? Is it about the death penalty? Is it about religion? Is it about forgiveness? Is it about organ donation? It’s all those things. And so much more.

You can expect controversy with any Picoult book, and you can also expect an amazing amount of research and a story told from different points of view. This book features a lot about religion, and that’s definitely going to push people’s buttons. The perspective of Christians, Atheists and Jews are well thought out and very well written.

One of Picoult’s best story telling gifts is writing from several perspectives, and managing it so authentically. It always makes for an eye opening reading experience that I look forward to from this author.

As we hear this story told from several different points of view, the characters become very real. I felt as if I were reading someone’s journal, discovering inner most thoughts and feelings.

Take nothing for granted in CHANGE OF HEART as Picoult takes you on an emotional roller coaster from the first page. The journey you began will be nothing like the journey you end with.

Even if I don’t agree with some of the points of view in this book, I have to appreciate how well they were written. CHANGE OF HEART will certainly make you feel, but it will also make you think.

The Defense by Stacey Lynn Schlegl

2008-07-25T12:18:00.002-08:00

Samantha is a beautiful and successful graduate student, clinic volunteer, makes meals for neighbors in need, spends time visiting the elderly and is brutally berated by her mother, who can’t seem to see the compassionate, loving person inside her daughter’s plus-sized body. After surviving a brutal rape, Sam puts on weight as a way to keep her safe, all the while never daring to hope that love will see past her size 18 body and love the woman inside. Her mother’s constant emotional abuse keeps Sam in a state of upheaval.

Bruce, a Korean student who knew Sam before the attack and subsequent weight gain wants a chance at breaking through her defense. Working on a school project with her finally gives him a way to get close to her and discover just how special a woman she is.

This is a beautiful and touching story of self acceptance, forgiveness, inspiration and unconditional love, no matter your size, sex, color or race. Samantha is a character that anyone can relate to and feel sympathy for. In a society, where size 18 is more common than a size 8, people of the larger size are looked down upon because what’s inside of them isn’t as easy to see. It’s easy to have compassion for Sam’s plight because we’ve all been a book judged only by our cover.

Bruce is the kind of man we all dream of. His acceptance of Sam no matter what her size helps her to learn to love herself and gives her self esteem much needed support. He is a mirror that reflects the truth back to Sam. The truth she was afraid to see.

While the ideas proffered in this story are touching and motivating, I was disappointed by the writing style. The dialog was rather robotic and stunted. The characters didn’t speak with the flow of a regular conversation. It felt rather simplistic and took me out of the story. I loved what the author was saying, I just didn’t always enjoy the way she said it.

The end was every little girl’s dream come true, however it felt entirely too rushed. The final fifteen pages could have been stretched into a very satisfying thirty at least. It was gratifying to see Samantha come so far and become comfortable in her own skin and gain self confidence. I love endings that tie up loose ends with a pretty bow, but Samantha and Bruce worked so hard to have it all end so abruptly. I was a greedy reader who wanted more detail in their “happily ever after” than just ‘happily ever after’.

Overall the message was inspiring and important for women in particular. I hope readers enjoy this book, because even with its flaws, I did.

Real Vampires Get Lucky by Gerry Bartlett

2008-07-25T12:12:00.003-08:00

Glory St. Claire is a full-figured vampire with flair. And yet she is slow to embrace certain aspects of her… condition. When she happens upon loan shark Lucky Carver whose throat is messily torn out, Glory knows she has to turn her first human in order to save her. Lucky isn’t one to lay low though, and vampires like to keep their existence a secret. An ex-rock star boyfriend and new paranormal friends can lead only to trouble. While Lucky lives large, she attracts more than just vampire hunters, but the one who wanted her dead to begin with!

In this third installment in the Glory St. Claire series, we’re taken on a real page turning thrill ride.

It’s advisable to read this series in order and get a full grasp of the characters as sub-plots keep building. New readers would be especially lost if they hadn’t read the previous novel, REAL VAMPIRES LIVE LARGE.

As usual, Glory and Jerry are steaming hot! Although Glory requires her independence there’s no denying their inevitable draw. They are a couple it’s impossible not to cheer for.

The characters in this series are unique and hilarious! The shape-shifting body guards, newly turned rock star vamp and community of vampire friends make for seriously fun reading. Instead of depressed pale and sulky vampires, we’re treated to lively and sassy bloodsuckers.

The humor is clever, yet not heavy handed. There are two mysteries taking place simultaneously. Who’s blackmailing Glory and who tried to kill Lucky? While it isn’t the most tightly woven shocking surprise, it was certainly entertaining!

This is a series that has quickly become a favorite! I’ll have my eye out for REAL VAMPIRES MAKE WAVES, next in the Glory St. Claire adventure! I hope you will too.

Courtesy of C2Ks Kwips and Kritiques

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

2008-07-25T12:09:00.001-08:00

A young woman suffers the horrible and violent loss of her mother and is sent away to a Finishing School in England, away from everything and everyone she has ever known. Spence School for Girls is a Gothic mansion hiding many secrets that Gemma Doyle is destined to discover.

Turning a group of girls from enemies into a circle of trusted friends, Gemma finds she has a connection to other realms and has visions that lead the girls to a world never before imagined. Soon the power they all discover becomes a tantalizing possibility instead of the stifling future as a Victorian wife, but the temptation brings with it an evil that could devour them all.

This book was a complete joy from beginning to end. It has so many elements that make it enthralling. Paranormal, romance, historical, an old fashioned ghost story, there is literally something for every literary taste.

The novel features young ladies and is labeled as Young Adult, but I found it to be captivating at any age. I enjoyed it as much as my daughter did. The Victorian Age proffered a setting different and perhaps more mature than contemporary fiction, fully engaging adult and teen readers alike.

The author uses several metaphors to express the repression of young women in that time period. The dutiful responsibility, the lack of freedom and choice, and yet the splendor of it all is captured with aplomb.

The mystical aspects to the story were somewhat far reaching and require the reader to suspend their disbelief and have faith that the author will connect all the dots.

Parents of younger readers should be cautioned that there is a rather steamy dream sequence and instances of drinking and stealing.

Courtesy of C2Ks Kwips and Kritiques

American Fringe by Valerie Frankel

2008-06-15T23:58:00.001-08:00

Adora Benet has landed the job as the writer for a teen advice column. She’s thrilled as the column becomes popular and sought after. After responding to an anonymous question in her column, she unwittingly inspires a senator to run for president. The senator’s son provides Adora with some complications just when things are going so well with her boyfriend, Nate.

I thought this was a good book, that was well written, if somewhat average feeling. The characters were fairly engaging and I felt the struggle Dora went through with the pressure from her parents while she was still feeling so rudderless. Then the success of her column gave her some always needed esteem. Yet I didn’t feel engaged with her. I didn’t feel invested in any of the characters.

What concerns me the most in Young Adult fiction these days is use of profanity and the casualness of the sexual relationships. Young Adult fiction is geared towards 12 year olds and up. It’s sad that they are further inundated with the “f” word and teenagers having sex where it’s treated as just a matter of course, and not an important decision. I think it’s an unnecessary element to the story doing nothing to further the characters or plot.

This is the third in the “Fringe” series and I don’t think you need to read the others in order to understand the plot. They seem to stand alone quite well.

While this wasn’t a bad book, and the writing was good, I was left feeling a big flat at the end. The sex and profanity lead me to give it a 2-1/2 Klover rating, as you may want to think about it before your young adult reads it.

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

2008-06-15T23:55:00.002-08:00

In this amazing true story, Carolyn Jessop shares her life growing up in Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or FLDS. Detailing how she was handed off to marry a strange man who was thirty two years older than she was at eighteen and how she and her eight children endured psychological hardships the rest of us can only imagine. A remarkable inside look into the radical religion and its horrible affects on all who are touched by it.

I’m so glad this book was written. I think it’s especially important with the current events regarding the FLDS church today, but it’s such an inspiring story in general.

Carolyn’s amazing courage saw her though a painful childhood, a marriage nothing short of a horror story, and constant competition with other wives in her household just so she could survive with her children. And then her remarkable courage saw her way out of her situation at long last.

I appreciated the detailed accounts that Carolyn shared that helped me appreciate how dire the situation is in these compounds that are virtual prison camps to women and children. How young men are cast out because they are more desirable husbands then the old men marrying young women for power. Children abused by other wives in a plural marriage to make way for their own children to be favored. Husband’s controlling every minute detail of the wives lives allowing them little of their own.

It still amazes me that this all happened and is still happening in modern day America. And yet thanks to this book, I can understand how difficult it would be to break away from a situation similar to Carolyn’s on some small level. The power that the FLDS wield is mighty, and those uninformed can’t understand the levels they will go to as they fight to keep control of their cult with seemingly endless resources.

As honest and open as this book was, I almost feel ashamed to say I wished for just a bit more. I craved to learn more about Carolyn’s life after her ESCAPE. I found myself hoping she found a faith of her own, and not one that she’d been born and then manipulated into. I hope her children have found peace and happiness and that Carolyn will continue to enjoy the love she’s found at last.

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

2008-06-15T23:52:00.002-08:00

What if you woke up in the hospital to a movie-star handsome husband, a Louis Vuitton bag with Platinum credit cards inside, perfect teeth, hair and body? Now, what if you didn’t remember how you acquired those things? What if you didn’t remember the last 3 years of your life? Lexi Smart wakes up to discover she’s a brand new person and struggles to live up to who she’s become and discover how she got that way!

I’ve loved Sophie Kinsella’s books since first discovering her Shopaholic series. This time, the author really shows off her writing chops by taking on the old plot device, amnesia. Instead of being tired and same old same old, Kinsella manages to keep the idea fresh and makes it uniquely her own.

Lexi was immediately someone to like and enjoy spending time with. I wanted her to succeed. I wanted her to be happy. Her struggles beside the amnesia were familiar ones, easily relatable. The rest of the characters were enjoyable as well, even as I learned to dislike one or two of them. I really appreciated how all the characters seemed to unfold like a flower.

It was a remarkable journey to go back with Lexi and see the turning point in her life that made such an impression. The bizarreness of having to learn everything about your own life was written with the clever charm Kinsella has become known for. With a few brushes with hilarity thrown in for good measure!

REMEMBER ME? is the perfect summer read. I’ll never look at a sunflower the same way again!

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Virgin River by Robyn Carr

2008-06-15T23:45:00.001-08:00

Melinda Monroe applied for the job of midwife in a very small remote town to try and heal after the senseless death of her husband. Upon discovering it was a lot more rustic than the pictures she was shown, she almost turns tail and goes back to more familiar surroundings. Until someone leaves a baby on the clinic doorstep. Mel discovers she’s needed in Virgin River. She’s also surprised to discover love was waiting for her.

This is my first time reading Robyn Carr, and it certainly won’t be the last! A friend was so enthusiastic about this trilogy that she offered to send them to me. Now I owe her big time. I’ve become an instant fan of Carr as a result

As I mentioned, this is the first in a trilogy. I highly suggest you get SHELTER MOUNTAIN and WHISPERING ROCK at the same time. They are all part of the same story and you’ll want to find out more about VIRGIN RIVER and revisit its characters.

I was immediately struck by the wonderful surroundings. The setting was as much a character in the book as the people. It made me long to visit such a place, if only it existed!

The characters are what really kept me turning pages into the night. As Mel and Jack began their friendship that eventually turned the corner into love, I was riveted. I have to admit to falling a bit in love with Jack myself. He was the epitome of everything desirable in a man. The supporting characters were all written so vividly, that I can’t wait to meet up with them all again.

Most of all, I appreciated the respect Ms. Carr wrote with as she created characters who were veterans in the Iraq war. No politics were involved, but she wrote with such honor at the sacrifices these men made and their lifelong bond. It brought tears to my eyes.

I highly recommend this deeply touching series by Robyn Carr.

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Small Favor by Jim Butcher

2008-06-15T23:42:00.002-08:00

Harry Dresden, wizard detective doesn’t look for trouble, but it sure finds him. Mab, Queen of the Winter Faery Court, is calling in one of the Favor’s Harry owes her. Find Gentleman Johnnie Marcone. Chicago’s criminal kingpin has been acquiring power in Sidhe Courts and now he’s missing. Honoring Mab’s debt could complicate things even more in the ongoing war between the Winter and Summer Seelie Courts, not honoring it could kill Harry once and for all.

SMALL FAVOR is the tenth installment of the Harry Dresden series, and it just keeps getting better and better. This novel continues to live up to the high expectations fans have become so easily accustomed to.

The plot, as with previous endeavors, is intricate, but not difficult to follow, and yet it’s nearly impossible to guess what Harry will do next. Butcher walks the fine line between caustic wit and delicious tension like a circus tightrope walker. The humor is perfectly timed and the pop culture references will bring a smile to any Geek Girl’s (or Guy’s) face. It’s not all fun and games though. There are some dark moments that Butcher uses his skill to make us cringe just as adeptly. Harry’s character is also an expert tightrope walker as his loyalties and sense of right and wrong is constantly put to the test.

The dialog is just what fans of Buffy and Firefly have been craving. Harry Dresden is king of the witty repartee!

All my favorite characters were brought back in this book. Michael wielding Amoracchius is always fantastic. I love the dynamic that Michael brings as Harry deals with his questions of faith. Thomas, Harry’s half brother, has become an indispensible character in the Dresden universe. Murphy always brings out the rogue in Harry as their relationship grows and changes. Butcher has a wonderful way of juggling a lot of well loved, bigger than life characters in such a way that it’s not overwhelming.

It was a wonderful ride, as always. I like seeing Harry’s life come together and having things go his way once in a while. Heck, even the Captain of The Warden’s is being nice. Real nice…. I think he’s more than earned it!

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts

2008-06-15T23:39:00.003-08:00

Sadie Novak’s company does the job no one wants. After cleaning up after her brother’s suicide, she decided that no family member should have to endure what she did and starts the company. Scene-2-Clean takes care of what crime scenes leave behind when the police are through.

Sadie is hired to clean up for a murder/suicide where her unusual ability to talk to the dead comes into play. A pesky ghost needs Sadie’s help to discover her real murderer, putting Sadie in more danger than she’s ever had to face before!

Remains of the Dead is the first in a fantastic new series by Wendy Roberts. I learned more about the biohazards of cleaning up various body fluids and by products than I ever imagined I’d want to, but it added invaluable realism to this unique mystery novel. And a new appreciation of those in that line of work!

Roberts’ sense of humor is a necessary element the keeps the pace light when it needs to be to even out the dark, gritty aspects. The plot is sharp and woven together so as to give the reader’s ego a bit of a stroke by thinking they have it all figured out, only to discover there were many more surprises in store. The ‘Whodunnit’ part was rather predictable, but there were many other aspects to the story that make up for it.

The characters were engaging and genuine. Even though this was the first in the series, the characters were well established and I look forward to meeting up with them again in Devil May Ride coming out in December of 2008.

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

2008-06-15T23:33:00.002-08:00

What do you get when you combine a cranky cook book author/food critic, a dog- napper, a sexy hitman, a Southern mobster wedding, noisy flamingos, a flying frying pan and 5 million dollars? A delicious crime novel and romance all rolled up together like a brandy soaked trifle with cream filling!

Agnes finds herself (and her dog) the unlikely target of dog-nappers. To her rescue comes Shane, a hitman with a long history and an empty stomach. Keeping an eye on Agnes becomes a full time job, but Shane has troubles of his own when his hits fail and his targets continue breathing. As Agnes is determined to put on the perfect wedding, or lose her house, she’s face with philandering fiancé’s, Mafioso’s threatening florists and cake designers, and with in-laws and outlaws. But having Shane on her side means she could discover her happy ending.

This was my first time reading a Crusie-Mayer collaboration. I heard various things about the writing team, not many of them good. To them, I say, “phooey”. I found the relationship aspects inductive of dreamy sighs and the action aspects worthy of cheers for their sheer cleverness. Cruise and Mayer are a fantastic combination, not unlike strawberries and cream.

The characters created were interesting and fun. I was immediately invested in them and could see Agnes flipping her pecan pancakes and Shane grinding coffee beans as vividly as if I were standing there. In fact, this book made my stomach yearn for a midnight snack as I read into the wee hours. It was a shame that some recipes weren’t featured. There were a lot of different people we got to know in this book, and yet it wasn’t at all difficult to keep up with them all and enjoy their unique qualities.

The story could be a tad far-fetched at times. One and one sometimes added up to three, but that was part of the entertainment. I can’t find too much fault with it because some of the preposterousness was what made it so much tremendous fun. It wasn’t a complicated story, yet it had a lot going on. If it hadn’t been so enjoyable, Agnes’ To Do List alone would have exhausted me!

My favorite aspects were the extremely well written and detailed fight and action scenes. Shane’s bomb defusing, bullet dodging, and use of military firearms were nearly as exhilarating as Agnes and her cast iron skillet! Just kidding. Don’t hurt me, Bob.

I really enjoyed the romance between Shane and Agnes. He had me the moment he brought her home an air conditioner. Sure, roses are nice, but nothing says “potential boyfriend” like cold air on a blistering hot day. Agnes could depend on Shane, and I found that very sexy.

After endless giggle-fits in bed reading until 2AM, my husband had banned me from reading any more Crusie-Mayer books when he has to get up early for work the next day. I suggest for the sake of your marriage, read this book on the weekend, or in the daytime. You’ll thank me later.

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy

2008-04-22T16:39:00.001-08:00

With a sky blue convertible within her sights, Marty Andrews, Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics Representative to the masses, has her future all lined out. Selling lip gloss and eye shadow and bringing out a woman’s inner beauty has been Marty’s focus to make all her dreams come true. Being bitten by a werewolf is just not a factor in her long term plan! And it’s definitely wrecking havoc with her color wheel.

Enter Keegan Flaherty the werewolf in question. I mean, he tries to help Marty adjust to her new status as a former human, but Marty just thinks his cheese has slipped off his cracker. But when Marty is kidnapped, she realizes he might not be so crazy after all and there’s a lot more at stake here than lip gloss and lunar cycles.

Dakota Cassidy knocks one out of the park with this werewolf chick lit tale. There was so much to laugh about… The fun and snarky humor was perfectly teamed with nail biting suspense throughout.

Vivid, larger than life characters give the story soul. I was drawn to the juxtaposition between Marty and Keegan and how different their backgrounds were. Marty, being independent and having no one of significance in her life and with Keegan having a large, close-knit family and how they learned to get along was a sweet aspect to the story. Marty’s new found friends were more than supporting characters, they were fully realized and fully hilarious.

But I have to caution you. Don’t read this book while drinking carbonated beverages. Or anything hot. Or anything that could stain, because if you are anything like me, you’ll be laughing until the diet soda spurts out your nose, or you shower yourself (or the person sitting next to you) with a Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Darn, those stains can be hard to get out!

THE ACCIDENTAL WEREWOLF will be going on my “keeper shelf” to read at those times when only a fun read (and maybe some dark chocolate) will do. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh, a tugged heartstring, or a hot Irish shape-shifter!

Secrets of My Suburban Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2008-04-22T16:27:00.003-08:00

Lauren “Ren” D’Arc’s life changed completely when Harry Potter killed her Mom. No, he didn’t jump out of a book and cast an Unforgivable Curse or anything. A case of Harry Potter books fell on her. Now her Dad moved them to the suburbs because living in the city is too painful for him, taking her away from the city she loves and the friends she knows.

Starting over as the new kid stinks but when the uber popular girl in school, Farrin, snubs her, Ren’s life starts to become even more complicated. Ren accidentally discovers Farrin’s got a secret. She’s been having an online affair with an older man! Ren is the only one who can save Farrin from herself.

Ren, by all respects should be a shallow, stereotypical character as a spoiled rich kid. Thankfully, she’s not at all. She’s a likable character who’s been given a lot of adversity and makes pretty smart decisions most of the time.

The subject of her mother’s death is touched on with sensitivity and realism and with enough sense of humor to keep it inspiring. Also, the seriousness of the danger of online predators is taken on in such a way to be entertaining with a message important for young adults to hear. I would encourage parents of teenagers who spend time alone online to give them this book.

Baratz-Logsted created fun characters in a bubble gum world with substance. She goes deeper than the “Gossip Girl” type books for young adults, and lets her sense of humor shine to making for a unique, smart story.

The mystery aspect really keeps the plot flowing. A little suspense is always good. The slightly goofy slapstick comedy as Ren comes up with a plan to save Farrin from meeting this older man in person gives levity to a dark situation necessary to keep things interesting without scaring away sensitive readers.

I’m happy to recommend SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE.

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

2008-04-22T16:15:00.002-08:00

Archie Sheridan, one of Portland’s brightest detectives, is heading a special task force to catch a serial killer. After ten painful years on the case, the killer caught him instead.

Gorgeous, psychotic, Gretchen Lowell captured Archie, torturing him to the brink of death, finally doing the unthinkable and turned herself in to save him. Now they are both prisoners Gretchen is in the penitentiary and Archie is in a prison of another kind, addicted to pain killers and the woman who held him captive.

Now suddenly Archie has to pull himself together. An ambitious newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, is doing a story on him and a new serial killer is on the loose. Will Susan expose his secrets before he can catch the killer?

This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. Cain has created a unique anti-hero in Archie, a man broken physically, mentally, and emotionally, dependent on a buffet of pills for survival. And yet we sympathize and cheer Archie on as he fights his demons and uses his abilities to catch another serial killer.

Susan Ward has her own flaws that makes her a personality who is relatable and interesting, but Gretchen is one of the most unique and diabolical characters I’ve ever read. She’s truly terrifying as Cain takes us back to when Gretchen had Archie in her clutches, her ultimate plaything.

The flashbacks taking us back to Archie’s captivity were flawless, giving important background that I was dying to discover in spite of myself. The torture he survived was nothing short of cringe-worthy.

Thrillers are my personal favorite, and I found this to have a tightly woven plot with captivating (no pun intended), unique characters and an ending that will leave you with a lovely satisfied feeling. HEARTSICK has it all. Not since Hannibal Lector has there been a more frighteningly fascinating villain. It is my sincere hope that we see more from Archie Sheridan, Susan Ward and Gretchen Lowell! What a fantastic series this would make!

Chosen by PC Cast and Kristen Cast

2008-04-22T16:11:00.002-08:00

Something foreign and dark is at the House of Night and fledgling priestess; Zoey Redbird is the only one who knows it. As things change and her friends turn their backs on her, an old enemy becomes the only one Zoey can trust.

Making matters worse, her best friend, Stevie Rae is undead. And Zoey risks everything to try and help her save what’s left of her fragile humanity.

On top of it all, Zoey has found herself with 3 boyfriends. With all that’s going on in her life right now, can Zoey make the right decisions without losing all that is important to her?

The Casts have written another page turner. I read BETRAYED and plowed directly into CHOSEN, the third in The House of Night series. These books leave so much up in the air, that sometimes it’s worth it to wait for the next book to save you the frustration.

While the book has a solid plot and has me furiously turning pages in spite of myself, I have some issues.

Zoey has always been a character to admire. She’s got strength of character and integrity. That’s all put to the test in this novel, and Zoey becomes a bit tarnished. She makes some really poor decisions, and pays the price for them. I appreciate that this was written in such a way to show consequences for her actions. She becomes sexually active in this book, and I thought that was a real setback. I’ve always appreciated her because she valued her virginity and she gave it away in a very tawdry manner.

I found myself really missing the old Stevie Rae, because without her sweet nature, Zoey, the Twins and even Damien weren’t quite as likeable.

The scene at Zoey’s birthday wasn’t very believable. I thought all the tacky Christmas gifts from all her fashion conscious friends were a joke and I kept waiting for the punch line.

The relationship between Zoey and the adult vampire, Blake was unfortunate as well. I always cringe when an unhealthy relationship between a teenager and an adult is portrayed so romantically.

I kept waiting for a big confrontation between Zoey and Neferet that was built up in BETRAYED. Nothing ever really happened there… Except some whispered threats that I found to be weak.

The thing that bothered me the most is a personal issue for me, and I didn’t want it to affect my review, but I feel it necessary to mention. I found the prejudice against Christians repugnant. For all the talk of harmony, the characters in House of Night were hate-filled regarding a differing (Christian) belief system coming in direct conflict with the ideals they uphold. I can only hope that in future books in this series, all religions are respected and harmony is reached.

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

2008-04-22T16:08:00.003-08:00

Harper Connelly was given a special ability the night she was struck by lightening. She can find the dead and see how they died. Now she travels the country with her step brother using her ability the best way she knows how. She’s been hired to find out what’s happened to the missing teenage boys in Doraville, N.C. by the grandmother of the latest missing teen.

After finding 8 bodies, all buried in the same area, and all died in the most horrible ways imaginable, Harper just wants to leave town and put it behind her. Her first serial murder case has taken a lot out of her. But someone doesn’t want her to leave. And there’s a storm brewing. Small towns can be murder when everyone knows everyone and there’s no place to hide.

This is the third in the Harper Connelly series. Although it could stand alone, Harris does a marvelous job of summing up Harper’s history throughout the book, I can’t help but recommend you read the entire series.

I’m a huge fan of the way Harris can weave a tale in a small town and bring such colorful characters to life. She manages it in such a way to be uncomplicated, but not too simplistic to be trite or uninteresting.

Harper is such a tragic character to my mind. Another one of Harris’ talents. She creates wonderfully flawed characters who are so strong in their own way and overcome such adversity and yet always stay so grounded and humble.

The suspense in AN ICE COLD GRAVE can be cut with a knife. Usually a mystery ends with the discovery of the bodies, but this book turns everything upside down. Almost everyone is a potential suspect and nothing can be taken at face value.

The relationship between Harper and her step brother, Tolliver Lang heats up. While some are put off by their relationship, even though they aren’t related, it seemed a rather natural progression to me.

I always look forward to another Harper Connelly. It’s a pleasure to recommend AN ICE COLD GRAVE.

Just a Taste by Deirdre Martin

2008-04-22T16:01:00.001-08:00

Food has always been an important part of Anthony Dante’s life, and after his wife’s untimely death, the family restaurant is what keeps him going. Now the restaurant is a regular neighborhood institution and Anthony plans on keeping it that way.

Enter Vivi Robitaille. She’s arrived from France to follow her dream of running a little Bistro in the United States with her sister. The competition heats up in both kitchens as Vivi and Anthony try to outdo one another. But the competition takes a turn and the two chefs find themselves creating some heat outside the kitchen too.

Who doesn’t love food? The delicious meals and fine wines in this tale made my mouth water and brought realism to the story.

Anthony’s deep felt sorrow as he still mourned for his wife brought sensitivity to his strong and confident character and made him more accessible. His close-knit family brought charm and his brother, a retired hockey hero turned stay at home dad had me giggling.

Vivi’s unconventional sibling relationship was interesting to witness as it developed from shallow to supportive and full of unconditional love. Vivi’s ability to love her sister through anything was one of her greatest strengths and what made her such a wonderful match for Anthony.

Apparently there are other books featuring characters from the Dante family, but this is my first. I’m looking forward to reading more by Deirdre Martin to see what the Dante’s are up to!

Their chemistry was wonderful. It was fun to see them fight over whether a dessert contained butter or shortening, and make up afterwards. A lovely, charming read!

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

2008-04-22T15:57:00.001-08:00

Eloise Kelly is a Harvard graduate student working on her history dissertation. Her biggest desire is to discover the identity of The Pink Carnation, an English spy during the 19^th century Napoleanic wars. Eloise gets her wish as she is given the opportunity to study a family’s collection of letters kept secret.

The letters feature Amy Balcourt, exiled to rural England as a young girl, she’s always dreamed of going back to France to help The Scarlet Pimpernel and Purple Gentian to avenge her father’s death.

Leading us, along with Eloise, Amy takes us from England across the channel to France on the adventure and love of a lifetime.

Historical fiction has never before been this fun and entertaining! A book within a book, Eloise guides us on her journey to discover who The Pink Carnation was through Amy. Just when the pouf of the Napoleanic grows wearisome, Eloise takes over for a while.

The physical humor had me giggling out loud. The characters do ludicrous things, make silly mistakes and say ridiculous things. Not what I expected, but was so pleased at the book being so unexpectedly funny.

The character of Amy Balcourt is a firecracker. Her tenaciousness, intelligence and wrecklessness made her charming and unforgettable. I’ve never enjoyed 19^th century France before Amy. Her romance with Richard and the Purple Gentian was frought with humor and unpredictability.

Richard was the perfect dashing hero. Unadulterated, but tarnished just enough to make him loveable and sigh-worthy. I cheered for him all the way as he did his best to win Amy over.

Even the supporting characters are complex and nearly as interesting as Amy and Richard and become even more so as the story progresses.

More than just historical fiction, more than romance, more than espionage and suspense, THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION shakes up the genres for a fantastic blend that has something for everyone.

The first in a series by Lauren Willig, I look forward to the next installment! I highly recommend THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

What Lies In Shadow by Tina Wainscott

2008-04-22T15:50:00.001-08:00

Jonna’s secret identity on the web takes the form of a wildly popular blog. She can be a different person, explore new ideas and fantasies, and she enjoys the many friends she’s made who comment on her entries.

When Jonna thinks her husband is having an affair, her friends encourage her to have one herself. She’s found an excitable volunteer in one of her readers, Dominic. But when she has second thoughts and realizes she wants to work on her marriage, Dominic won’t take no for an answer and begins to stalk her. He knows her innermost fantasies and her innermost fears and will use them to keep Jonna all to himself…

This is my first read by Tina Wainscott, and it definitely won’t be my last. The suspense had me burning the midnight oil. I could not stop reading because the twists and turns kept me in a constant state of delicious tension.

In today’s modern world of blogging and chatting and e-mail, it’s all too common to begin relationships with people we only think we know. You never really know for sure who you are opening yourself up to online. This book served as a good reminder and gave me the creeps!

Jonna’s character was likeable enough, and in comparison she was made more so by her irritating and unsupportive girlfriend. Dominic was truly frightening because he knew so many intimate details about Jonna. It was disturbing enough when he was using that information to woo her, but when he turned the tables and used it to stalk her, it was truly frightening.

For me, the sign of a really good thriller is how gripping the story is. How unpredictable. This one had me going until the very last page! I highly recommend WHAT LIES IN SHADOW.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Vertigo by Lauren Baratz-Logstead

2008-03-14T17:24:00.001-08:00

A seemingly harmless New Year's Resolution “to be a better person” takes Emma Smith down a path she could have never anticipated. It's the turn of the century, 1898, and with her husband's encouragement; she begins a correspondence with a prisoner to satisfy her resolution. This communication with the stranger stirs up feelings in her she never knew she had and creates desire she never knew possible. Then her prisoner receives a pardon. Emma begins living a dangerous double life, dark and erotic, full of tantalizing suspense and ultimately, murder.

I've always enjoyed historical fiction, but VERTIGO takes it to new and surprising heights spreading itself across several genres beautifully. Not just a work of historical fiction, VERTIGO is also a psychological thriller, a drama, erotica and a lovely piece of literature. As I read, the words elegant and poetic came to mind throughout.

What struck me was how timeless the story was. Although set in the turn of the Victorian age, Emma had so many of the same feelings modern women have today. The pressures of being a wife and mother, friend and daughter, satisfying expectations while keeping her own identity caused an inner turmoil that was easy to relate to and easily exploitable.

There was a deep intimacy as we read letters with Emma to her prisoner, Chance, and hers from him. The eventual sexual relationship between them was stirring and almost ingenuous in its eroticism. Their affair was far from innocent, but Emma's modesty and unexplored feelings give it that sense of self discovery to Chance's virility.

The suspense was classic and reminiscent of Hitchcock. Pondering and contemplating was part of the thrill as I read on, hoping for a satisfying conclusion. Nothing is as it would seem. The twists and turns were cultivated and refined but with a dark and psychological subtext that was just delicious.

I'm happy to highly recommend VERTIGO.

Real Vampires Have Curves by Gerry Bartlett

2008-03-14T17:22:00.002-08:00

Gloriana St. Clair just happened to be a bit puffy the night her Scottish vampire lover, Angus Jeremiah Campbell III, or Jerry when she wants to annoy him, turned her into one of the undead presumably so they could spent eternity together. Eternity is a long time with a controlling clansman and an independent gal. Centuries spent vacillating and Jerry can't get Glory out of his mind and Glory can't keep him out of hers.

Her independent nature can't be contained, and Glory goes off again to pursue her dream of opening Vintage Vamp's Emporium in Austin, Texas. Unfortunately for Glory and all the other vampires and shape shifters in the area, there's a vampire hunter bent on destruction. Jerry is determined to protect Glory at all costs, but at what cost to their still too hot to be denied relationship?

About time a vampire character arrived on the scene that has back bone and some big bones! Glory is fabulous, and no matter what your size, it's easy to relate to the occasional bouts of insecurity about ones thighs. A new character quirk for a vampire that was extremely entertaining!

A community of lovingly brassy and bold vampires and shape shifters attempting to “blend” and enjoy their long lives provide an amusing and expressive atmosphere with endless possibilities. It made me wonder about the guy at the all night Quickie Mart where I live, actually.
The on again off again relationship between Jerry and Glory was a delicious ride. Glory's road to self discovery is a long one and it sure was a treat to join her as she learns that Jerry's over-protectiveness sometimes has its advantages. Not only does he appreciate her full figure, but there's nothing like centuries between the sheets to learn all the best places to kiss and nuzzle. A little competition from a handsome vamp Casanova can't hurt her morale.

While the vampire hunter offered a little tension and anchor point to the story, the real suspense and speculation is drawn from the characters themselves and their relationships. A little more background would have been beneficial for the motivation behind the vampire killings.
I was impressed by the unique ideas brought forth from this book. A Kevlar bra to protect against staking? Why hasn't anyone come up with that before? A heat seeking device to detect vampires? Genius. Bartlett really raised the bar in paranormal chick lit!
REAL VAMPIRES HAVE CURVES is a fantastic debut and has me ready for REAL VAMPIRES LIVE LARGE.

Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

2008-02-21T00:42:00.002-09:00

Caleb, Fox and Gage, best friends, sneak off to Pagan Stone, a forbidden spot in the woods to celebrate their shared tenth birthday. They will soon discover why it was forbidden to visit this terrible place, as an innocent oath meant to bond them as blood brothers calls up a great evil. An evil that will plague their town of Hawkins Hollow every seven years on the seventh day of the seventh month.

Now as they approach their 31^st birthdays, they realize that the evil grows more powerful upon each return and this is their last chance to stop it.

First in a new trilogy by Nora Roberts, Blood Brothers grips you and won’t let you go. I would say it won’t let you go until the end of the book, but I’m still feeling its clawing grip as I impatiently await The Hollow coming out in May.

I love it when Roberts delves into the paranormal and spooky. Even though it’s billed as a romance, I felt the romantic aspect played a somewhat supporting role in this book. The romance gave the reader some much needed break from the delicious tension of the supernatural and was decadently palpable in and of itself. The relationship between Caleb and Quinn simmered until it sizzled.

The town of Hawkins Hollow is more a character in the story than a place setting. The deep history of the town takes us back to the Puritans and its founders, providing centuries of back-story to play with. Small towns with a deep past are my favorite background for a book like this. There are so many layers and possibilities as this trilogy unfolds.

As I’ve come to expect from Nora Roberts, her female characters are strong and multi-dimensional. That’s not to say the ladies don’t have their struggles or weaknesses, but each of them shows courage and it’s always a pleasure to read a story with women who work through their fears and support one another.

I also appreciated how well developed the characters were in this book as a whole, considering there were so many that played an important role.

My only complaint is that it ended too soon. Unlike any of the author’s other trilogies the conclusion of this book had a more unfinished feel to it. Almost as if it was merely pause in the story. I was hungry for more. I definitely wouldn’t have been satisfied by it on its own.

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Table For One by Georgiana Daniels

2008-02-21T00:38:00.003-09:00

Lucy Brocklehurst is a looking for a good Christian man, but only the new handsome youth pastor will do. Unfortunately, the ratio of single women to men is 7:1 and Lucy isn’t the only one interested. As she throws herself in the youth pastor’s path, she finds herself in one embarrassing situation after another. Fortunately, kind-hearted Edgar Flowers is there to pick her up when she falls, and soon, love blossoms. Their only obstacle is Edgar’s newly widowed mother who will do anything to keep her son’s attention.

I have to admit, I had tears in my eyes a couple of times while reading this charming story of love and forgiveness! Lucy is a loveable character, and is easy to relate to as she struggles to give her life over to God and trust His plan for her life. I love that this book inspired me to turn to the Bible more as Lucy’s lessons became my own.

Occasionally self centered and prone to pity parties, Lucy comes close to being annoying once or twice. Fortunately she has her best friend and roommate, Dinah to remind her of what’s really important. Poor Lucy opens herself up to one problem after another until she discovers where her solutions lie.

Edgar and Lucy’s old fashioned romance is wonderful to witness. As Lucy grows spiritually, I felt myself growing along with her. The trials and tribulations they go through as they struggle to figure out how to make a life for themselves and keep Edgar’s mother happy had me cringing at the reality of it and keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending! Lucy really was between a rock and a hard place. Stand up for herself to her future mother in law and risk insulting her and losing the man of her dreams, or grin and bear it hopes that she will grow to accept her.

Whether you’re single, or married, TABLE FOR ONE is a sweet story that will encourage your heart.

A Study In Red by Brian L. Porter

2008-02-21T00:31:00.002-09:00

Robert Cavendish is bereft with grief at his father’s recent passing. He was also surprised to learn his father bequeathed Robert a mysterious journal to be read after his death. Read by him and him alone. As he reads the journal, he comes to realize that he holds in his hands the actual rantings and admissions of Jack the Ripper! But that, as they say, is only the beginning. From those pages Robert discovers the answer to old mysteries and atrocities, answers that lead him down a path of horror and insanity. What affect can the secret ravings of a murderer such as Jack the Ripper have on a person? And what connection did Robert’s father have to this secret journal?

I was immediately struck by the enormous amount of research that went into A Study in Red (The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper). It brought 18^th century London to life, making the story almost palpable. For over a hundred years, the mystery of Jack the Ripper has been investigated, written about, and discussed, but never like this. I could feel the cobblestones under my feet, hear the horses and carriages and smell the foul air of the London back alleyways.

The journal was an interesting tool, bringing the reader directly into Jack’s world and the insanity inflicting him. Experiencing the journal with Robert was intense as the mysteries unfold page by page. The suspense kept me engrossed well into the late evening hours, just as Robert had… I can feel the goose bumps now.

The identity of Jack the Ripper has been explored, but never in such a deliciously nail biting manner. Although fiction, the possibilities of who Jack really was and where he came from as well as his unfortunate victims felt all too real thanks to the obvious hard work of the author to create this sensational tale.

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Don't Talk Back to Your Vampire by Michele Bardsley

2008-02-21T00:28:00.002-09:00

Being a single mother is hard enough. Now try being an undead single mother who bursts into flames at the first whisper of sunlight, and has to drink blood to survive while raising a teenager. Yes, Eva LeRoy, town librarian at Broken Heart, Oklahoma is a vampire.

Everyone is adjusting pretty well, except for the rogue group trying to kill her and/or use her new special abilities for their gain. And oddly enough, the only man who really makes her undead heart go pitter pat is the vampire who killed her.

Let me just get all the crazy gushing out of the way. I was completely enamored with this book from the first page, possibly even the first paragraph. The author had me at “once upon a time”. I can’t remember the last time a book grabbed me by the throat and sunk it’s fangs in this deep!

Okay, now on to the business end of this review.

It was unusual for me to start with the second book in any series, but I was wacky this time and did the unthinkable. These books do stand alone, thank goodness, but I’ll be picking up I’m the Vampire That’s Why as soon as stores open at the crack of dawn.

I just love paranormal romance with a sense of humor. It’s sometimes embarrassing when I’m sitting in the car waiting in line and I start laughing like a crazy person while people point and stare, but in this case, it was worth it. I am too nice of a person to name names, but for me, this series has replaced another one about a vampire with a certain shoe fetish and a cranky demeanor. I’m sorry, but it had to be said.

Is there anything sexier than a brooding Irish vampire? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The chemistry between Eva and Lorcan O'Halloran is sizzling. While Lorcan has some major guilt for murdering Eva (oops, but it wasn’t really his fault, he was sick with The Taint, a debilitating vampire disease), he still manages to be sensual and appealing. Especially to Eva. Ironic, no? Eva is a fun character and surprisingly easy to relate to considering she’s a vampire. Her personality leaps off the pages.

What fantastic and unique use of vocabulary! The author has got to be a serious logophile. Since Eva is a librarian, there was plenty of opportunity for her to flex her verbal muscles and I ate it up like it was candy.

I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time in Broken Heart, Oklahoma and I recommend that you do the same!

Reviewed by: Terri

Email: terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

A Skating Life: My Story by Dorothy Hamill

2008-02-21T00:21:00.002-09:00

This is a revealing look into Dorothy Hamill’s life from her first moments on the ice at 8 years old, to training to become a Gold Medal winner at the ’76 Olympics through her life today. Dorothy Hamill details the sacrifices her family made, the challenges with coaches and training to become an Olympic athlete and how her passion for skating got her through some of the most difficult times in her life.

Dorothy Hamill was my hero growing up. I had the Dorothy haircut, the Dorothy glasses, and spent many afternoons on the skating rink at my grade school trying to teach myself spins and jumps. After reading A SKATING LIFE: MY STORY, she remains my hero.

I never realized what went into becoming serious in a sport like ice skating. The expense of traveling to train with the right coach, traveling to get enough time on the ice to practice, the cost of equipment and trying to get an education while competing in shows around the world was only a part of it. It was inspiring to learn the sacrifices made by Dorothy’s family and Dorothy herself, although she never writes much of her own personal sacrifices. I learned so much about the beautiful and challenging sport.

Dorothy’s story doesn’t end with winning the gold medal in the ’76 Olympics. It was only the beginning. She met the love of her life, Dean Paul Martin only to have it end in heartbreak and tragedy. My heart broke right along with her. I so wanted her to live happily ever after and the love that she still feels for her first husband, Dean Paul radiates from the pages. This was when her struggle with depression truly came to the surface, even though she battled with panic disorder and depression all through childhood. The honesty that comes from this book is truly a gift. The painful family issues and frank discussion of depression were courageous.

That being said, I hoped for a bit more about her struggle with depression. There was a lot of publicity about this book and America’s Sweetheart suffering from depression for years, but little description of her struggle. It was written in a very matter of fact style without a lot of adjectives. Perhaps that’s where we glimpse the real Dorothy. Instead of waxing poetic or dwelling in the difficult, she soldiers on telling her story with respectability and straightforwardness.

She survived another marriage that ended in painful divorce and leaving her a bankrupt single mother. I was so sad and angry for what she endured. And yet she never wrote a bitter word about anyone. I don’t know of many of us who could have endured what she did, and remain so humble and without animosity or hostility.

While this wasn’t the best written book I have ever reviewed, I had to give it a higher rating for its pure heart and openness.

I think that Dorothy found closure with some of the issues plaguing her. The one issue that will probably always haunt her is the death of her first husband. I have a feeling Dean Paul will continue to be a shadow, watching over her and waiting for her.

REVIEW COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly

2008-02-06T22:40:00.001-09:00

Penelope Thornton-McClure is the new co-owner of Buy the Book, a charming mystery themed book store. When a best-selling author dies right in the middle of a signing under suspicious circumstances, help arrives in a surprising form. A ghost.

What a charming book! The small town atmosphere in a tiny Rhode Island town was the perfect background for this cozy mystery and Buy the Book was the ultimate dream bookstore. I could just imagine sitting in the big fluffy chairs and curling up with Dashiell Hammett or Mickey Spillane. I immediately fell under the author’s spell.

Best of all, was the charmingly rugged character of ghost detective, Jack Shepard. The quintessential ‘50’s P.I. who favors pin-striped suits and fedoras added delightful color and overall atmosphere.

Pen’s character was one you could immediately admire. A new widow, taking a chance on a different life, helping her aunt to keep the bookstore afloat and raising a son alone was just the beginning. Through her relationship with Jack, she found strength of character she didn’t know she had. It was inspiring to watch Pen spread her wings under Jack’s tutelage.

The small town supporting characters were fabulous, and brought even more credibility to the overall community feel. I wanted to stay at the Finch’s Inn, take a walk by the lake and buy some fruit from Mr. Koh’s store.

And oh, yes, the mystery! That’s what this book was, after all! I couldn’t forget how well woven the plot was, how the red herrings kept you guessing, with just the right amount of tension to keep you turning pages without taking away from the comfortable feel of this book. I literally hated to put it down.

As a classic mystery lover, I adored the nods to famous authors sprinkled generously throughout the story. The quotes from Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Pulp Fiction novels and others filled my heart with pure joy!

I can’t wait to read what Pen and Jack are up to next!

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

How Nancy Drew Saved My Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2008-02-06T22:35:00.000-09:00

23 Year old Charlotte Bell has had her heart broken by her first love, a married Ambassador who employs her as a nanny. In an effort to change her life and regain a lost childhood, she reads all the original Nancy Drew books. Excepting a new job for the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, Charlotte looks to Nancy to see her through.

The title is what really drew me to this book. I adored Nancy Drew as a child, and I was excited that I wasn’t the only grown woman who still did. Unfortunately, I’d have been better off re-reading The Secret of the Old Clock.

Charlotte isn’t much of a likeable or sympathetic character. She enters into an affair with her married boss without a single qualm. Never really learning to think for herself, she asks “what would Nancy Do” in every situation, absolving herself of any real responsibility.

Unfortunately, there aren’t really any other substantial supporting characters to like either, with the possible exception of Annette, the precocious 6 year old she cares for.

The plot is meandering at best. There’s little rhyme or reason to the story. The characters don’t really have a direction and I’ve found myself more and more unwilling to be dragged along with them. If it weren’t for writing this review, I would not have finished reading it.

The bizarre ending came completely out of left field and would have benefited from some build up for the sake of dramatic tension at the very least. Just when I started to appreciate Charlotte’s efforts to stand on her own two feet as she finally learns something from making the same mistakes, poor Charlotte is left hanging with no real resolution.

I did enjoy the author’s style. I liked the use of language and the references the author made. I might have to try another book by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, because I found her choice of words enjoyable.

I am pleased that How Nancy Drew Saved my Life inspired me to dust off my old Nancy Drew books, so it wasn’t a total loss! It was a wonderful premise for a book. I really wanted to enjoy it more.

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Dating Dead Men by Harley Jane Kozak

2008-02-06T22:33:00.001-09:00

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Wollie for short (thankfully), is a greeting card designer and owner of “Wollie’s Welcome! Greetings” working to buy the franchise to her store. In order to come up with the extra funds she needs, she decides to work for a radio psychotherapist writing a book titled “How to Avoid Getting Dumped All the Time”. As part of the ‘Dating Project’, Wollie agrees to go on 40 blind dates in 60 days for $5,000. If that weren’t enough, Wollie stumbles across a dead body, is taken hostage by a handsome “doctor” and now has the mob chasing her. As if Wollie doesn’t have enough on her plate trying to live up to being named after Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, she’s now mixed up in murder.

Dating is hard enough without people trying to kill you, don’t you think?

Harley Jane Kozak does a fantastic job in her debut novel. She’s created fun characters giving Stephanie Plum a serious run for her money.

Wollie is a sympathetic character being thrown into unusual circumstances and doing the best she can. You can’t help but want the best for her! The quirky supporting characters bring a sense of light-heartedness in this comedic romp. Her girlfriends, Joey and Fredreeq are colorful and play well off Wollie’s slightly more conventional nature. The accounts of some of her blind dates will leave you laughing out loud and the touching moments of her heartfelt love and responsibility towards for her schizophrenic brother will melt your heart.

The mystery is well thought out and will keep you turning pages as all the pieces fit together in this madcap adventure that never quits! In the end will Wollie find Mr. Right, or keep DATING DEAD MEN?

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

2008-02-06T22:29:00.000-09:00

Heather Wells is a former teen pop star turned assistant dorm director. Ooops. I mean assistant residence hall director. While this could be considered an unlikely career change, Heather likes her job and the people she works with. Just one little problem. People keep ending up getting killed and her residence hall is aptly dubbed “Death Dorm”.

In this second Heather Wells mystery, a well liked cheerleader is found with her head in a pot on the stove in the cafeteria. Fortunately, the police have Heather around to ask the right people the right questions because Chris Noth isn’t around when you need him.

It’s not really necessary to read SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT to enjoy SIZE 14 IS NOT FAT EITHER, but there’s a nice foundation of the characters if you do.

You’ve heard of eye candy? Well to me, this series is brain candy. It’s a fun mystery that you have to divorce yourself from a certain degree of believability, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. This isn’t Agatha Christie, but it isn’t meant to be.

I really enjoy having a protagonist who is real. Whether you’re a size 12 or a size 2, you can relate well to Heather. She’s a modern day Nancy Drew who likes cream cheese and bacon on her morning bagel and has a crush on the barista boy at her local Starbucks. She also has to occasionally lie down on her bed in order to zip her jeans. My kind of girl! Heather is someone I would like to hang out with, and that’s part of what makes this series so good. Well thought out characters.

Now you aren’t going to over-exert your gray matter reading this book but you aren’t going to lose any brain cells either. The mystery aspect is a little thin. Your hand is held along the way. But you will be entertained by Heather as she stumbles along solving the mystery of the be-headed cheerleader.

I am going to be running down to buy BIG BONED, the third Heather Wells mystery as soon as possible because I can always use a book that makes me laugh out loud. I just love getting those funny looks from people in waiting rooms, don’t you?

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Wife For Hire by Janet Evanovich

2008-02-06T22:26:00.000-09:00

Hank Mallone is looking for a wife, but only for six months or until his bank loan is approved. Whichever comes first. Hank has a bad boy reputation in his small home town and thinks a wife will lend him some credibility.

Maggie Toone needs to get out of town. Feeling smothered by her life, getting out of New Jersey seems like the thing she needs to do. This could be a great opportunity for her to write the book she’s always wanted to. As long as they keep it strictly business, no problems, right?

I’m the first admit that I haven’t been a big fan of Evanovich’s earlier works. I adore Stephanie Plum, and I keep trying these others in hopes of discovering a gem. Well, maybe this isn’t a precious diamond, but it’s at least a cubic zirconium.

There is definitely a formula to these romances, but it can be a comforting kind of predictability. While there were aspects that were far-fetched, I found that if I didn’t take it too seriously, I enjoyed it a lot more. Unfortunately I wasn’t always able to accomplish that. The characters fell so deeply in love in such a short period of time and I had a hard time swallowing it. Faking a marriage in such a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone else was dubious at best, but to try and convince his father, the bank president? That was just unbelievable.

Overlooking the blatant unconvincing parts to the story, I did love the characters. Evanovich has a wonderful talent for creating lovable characters and that goes a long way to forgiving implausible storylines.

Overall, I enjoyed Wife for Hire and thought it was a good read. The relationship made the story worthwhile. Just have a glass of water handy for the bits that are harder to swallow.

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Key West Magic by Ciar Cullen

2008-02-06T22:22:00.000-09:00

Julie Calloway is shocked to discover she’s inherited a beautiful historic inn in Key West from a grandmother she never really knew. Key West has much more to offer Julie if she’s willing to take the chance and leave her life in Baltimore behind.

Trent Light is the Irish bad boy with a tortured heart that Julie’s grandmother hired to rid the inn of some stubborn ghosts, but she didn’t live long enough for him to finish the task. A particularly head strong ghost can’t move on without Trent and Julie solving the mystery of her murder. Together.

Ciar Cullen does a great job creating a mysterious romance with paranormal elements that tantalize. The background of Key West comes alive and provides a steamy, enigmatic atmosphere for the ghosts to play in. Calloway House is just the sort of place I’d love to visit, whether Trent exercises all the boogies or not.

The sex scenes are palpable and provocative yet have a realistic point of reference for the fantasy to build upon. Julie and Trent have fantastic chemistry and their relationship is earned. It doesn’t come too easily. A story where the love interests have to work to be together is always so much more interesting.

Key West Magic is a lovely combination of copious characters, charming atmosphere and a well developed plot. A charming ghost story with a lot of heat.

Reviewed By: Terri

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Super Mom Saves the World by Melanie Lynne Hauser

2008-02-06T22:14:00.000-09:00

Mild mannered grocery store clerk by day, Birdie Lee is Super Mom by night! And any other hours necessary because as we know, being a mom is a 24 hour a day job. In Melanie Lynne Hauser’s sequel to Confessions of Super Mom, we are in for more complications and fun than ever before as Birdie gets engaged, her daughter gets a driver’s license and her ex-husband, Doctor Dan decides he wants to get back together.

Adding to the quagmire, Super Mom is feeling under-appreciated for her past good deeds to say the least. By closing down an evil empire brainwashing the town’s children, she also caused an unemployment problem and some of the citizens would rather Super Mom took her apron and high heels for a hike. Now when Super Mom discovers a serious problem with the new Little League stadium being built, the town and especially the mayor wants her to buzz off. She has a new bucket headed villain taking her on, and only the power of 10,000 Swiffers can save the day. Until another accident happens and Super Mom acquires a new super sniffer power and her cleaning power of 10,000 Swiffers is increased to 20,000! Being able to smell the sweat on a snail makes things just that much more interesting. But will her new foe be a match for her new and improved powers?

I did enjoy Super Mom even more this go round. While the first book was enjoyable, it had a bit of an elementary feel to it as characters and their wacky antics were established. Super Mom Saves the World keeps things light and playful while tackling some tougher, yet familiar issues to us all. With a nice foundation of characters to build on, Super Mom Saves the World still has a lot of fun and a smidge more substance.

While this wasn’t thought provoking prose by any means, it was an entertaining and humorous way to spend a weekend. Tolstoy is wonderful and you feel smarter just by opening the cover of War and Peace, but there are times when it’s nice to unplug and lose yourself without straining your brain.

Mother’s everywhere can relate to feeling like their job of taking care of their home and family just aren’t appreciated. The sometimes comic trials and tribulations Super Mom goes through provide readers with a nice fantasy while still being easy to identify with. There was at least a small degree of believability for a reference point for those of us who don’t wear a cape.

For a well deserved break, why not spend some time saving the world with Super Mom? Let Mr. Clean and the Scrubbing Bubbles handle it on their own for a while.

Good Ghoul's Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner

2007-12-26T14:26:00.001-09:00

Elizabeth (Beth to her friends) Frasier’s junior year of high school was going so well… Until her super crush, Stephen Wills turns her into a vampire! Her parents are divorced, professional, and have no time for her. Beth still manages to strive toward her goals of valedictorian and future NYU student and has good friends who stay true even when Beth gets a pesky thirst for type O-neg.

Stephen Wills has plans for Beth. He’s turned most of the football team already and she could hold the key to what he desires most. All Beth desires is getting even with him, and the popular cheerleaders who lured her into his evil clutches! That and keeping her valedictorian status.

Beth has to find out if she can become human again, stop a power mad vampire, convince the vampire hunters she’s one of the good guys and still get accepted at NYU! Thank goodness she has her best friend, new would-be boyfriend/fierce academic competitor on her side, or she might not make it through to the next night.

I appreciate Julie Kenner’s ability to craft such a well written story with humor and intelligence that relates well to young adults without talking down to them or resorting to vulgarity. While she captures a teen voice, it’s not too trendy. Adults can enjoy THE GOOD GHOULS’ GUIDE TO GETTING EVEN just as much as teens. There’s the added bonus of being able to read it along with your teenager without worrying about turning red in the face!

The characters were smart and realistic and they were very good company for the weekend. Beth had many qualities to admire, and Stephen had many to abhor, just like good heroines and evil guys should. The supporting characters added a lot of good fodder and entertainment. I’m looking forward to meeting up with them again as the series progresses.

I found the novel to be engaging and laugh out loud funny. Kenner spins a great yarn and her pithy dialog has become her trademark. She has a great way of writing paranormal stories and spinning them in a new, fresh way. I greatly look forward to the next in the series GOOD GHOULS DO.

Reviewed by Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Review Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

The Night I Got Lucky by Laura Caldwell

2007-12-26T14:17:00.000-09:00

So what would happen if you woke up and suddenly everything you wished for was a reality? Sounds great, right? Your dream of that big promotion materializes and the next day you go to work and the Vice Presidents office has your nameplate on it. Your husband is suddenly much more attentive and romantic, surprising you with candlelight dinners and tender lovemaking. The guy at work you’ve had a crush on for years is making every excuse to get alone with you and flirts with you constantly.

That’s just what happens to Billy Rendell. At first all that success and attention feels wonderful, but soon the repercussions of instant gratification change Billy’s life in ways she never could have predicted. There are consequences that come with all your dreams coming true overnight. It takes her on a journey of self discovery that gives her much more than she even knew to dream of.

In a chick lit version of The Monkey’s Paw, Laura Caldwell engages us with characters you can relate to. The saying “be careful what you wish for” has rarely been illustrated in a more modern-day example that hits close to home.

Billy has issues many women today struggle with. At first she may seem slightly shallow, but as she struggles to learn how to be happy, Billy becomes more substantial and sympathetic as a character. Billy is real.

A fable told in a light, first person style, THE NIGHT I GOT LUCKY is deeper than the typical chick lit novel. It will have you thinking about your life and things you may have wanted to do differently in a whole new light. Like that old song, Thank God for Unanswered Prayers, sometimes our lives may be better than we realized. This book will make you contemplate why the grass might not be greener on the other side after all.

My first read by Laura Caldwell, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more!

Review Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Reviewed by terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher, Audio Book Narrated by James Marsters

2007-12-26T13:54:00.000-09:00

In Chicago’s yellow pages, there is one listing under Wizard. “Harry Dresden: Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting, Advice, Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.” Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden has faced things that would make most anyone dive under their bed and call for Mama. In GRAVE PERIL, Harry’s bravery is put to the test.

In an opening with more action than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last five movies put together, we find Harry and his new sometime partner, Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Sword, up against a homicidal ghost with an extreme love for infants. In this third addition to Jim Butcher’s thrilling series you get the immediate impression that you’re in for one exciting ride.

Ghosts have been creating a horrible ruckus all over Chicago recently, and only Harry and Michael have been able to keep them at bay, at least so far. Could someone be stirring them up on purpose? The veil between our world and the Nevernever (where the ghosts, faeries and all variety of beasties live) seems to be growing thin. Distracted by ghost busting, Harry also runs afoul of his evil fairy Godmother (no, really, I mean it) who would love to enslave him, manages to anger a powerful vampiress , who would love to suck him dry and his girlfriend needs rescuing in a big way.

James Marsters does an unforgettable job of bringing Jim Butcher’s rich characters to life. He pulls off voice characterizations flawlessly in a smooth performance produced by Buzzy Multimedia. While the audio books aren’t released simultaneously with the printed books, Marsters' performance and Buzzy Multimedia’s production make it worth waiting for.

This novel really benefits from the foundation laid by STORM FRONT, and FOOL MOON and Harry Dresden is more fully developed than ever before. Harry puts his idealism to the test and his chivalry knows no bounds, setting the stage for future struggles in the continuing series for the readers’ immense pleasure.

GRAVE PERIL brings the series to new depths with the introduction of the character, Michael Carpenter. A man of faith, Michael carries a holy sword, and is considered to be the Right Hand of God. He’s an interesting foil to Harry, who has issues with his own faith, but he trusts in Michael and the strength he garners from his beliefs.

We also meet Thomas, a vampire and charming rogue who delights and tantalizes the reader nearly as much as his female companion. What a tease! Butcher continues to captivate us with his resplendent characters.

Damsels in distress, ghosts gallivanting all over Chicago, vampires out for vengeance, Harry nearly bites off more than he can chew when things get personal. His girlfriend, a paranormal Lois Lane, has been taken, Michael’s wife and their unborn child is in jeopardy. But nasty fairy godmother and vampires be damned, Harry Dresden won’t rest until the damsel is rescued and wrong is made right. It’s one of the things I love most about this Dresden Files novel, and it’s one of the reasons why I listen to it again and again.

Reviewed by terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Courtesy of CK2s Kwips and Kritiques

Demons Are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 3) by Julie Kenner

2007-12-26T13:29:00.000-09:00

Meet Kate Conner. Wife to Stuart who is running for San Diablo County Attorney, mother to active toddler, Timmy, typical teenager Allie, a Level Four Demon Hunter working for Forza Scura, volunteer at her church and PTA. Back up. What was that? Level Four Demon Hunter?

As if being a busy wife and mom wasn’t enough, Kate has come out of retirement to hunt demons. Well, what would you do if demon’s started showing up in your would-be safe neighborhood?

In this third installment of the series, circumstances grow even more complicated with a deeper plot without losing any of Julie Kenner’s trademark humor and quick witted dialog. This novel can be read as a stand-alone, but beware of spoilers from here on out.

In DEMONS ARE FOREVER, Kate and Allie are coming to terms with Allie’s recent kidnapping by demons (CALIFORNIA DEMONS), the possibility that Kate’s first love and Allie’s father has returned in the body of Allie’s beloved teacher, David Long. Eddie, Allie’s would- be grandfather and retired demon hunter is feeling his oats, complicating Kate’s life all the more. Kate’s husband, Stuart is still blissfully unaware of his wife’s nocturnal activities, no thanks to a demon showing up on a romantic night out on the town. To cap it all off, there’s a group of demons interrupting Timmy’s play dates and bonking her best friend on the head whilst trying to free their long imprisoned leader of all that is unholy.

Kate has to come face to face with the fact that her deceased husband might not have been who she thought he was. Discovering new details of his past casts doubts on what their relationship was and on which side he was working for. So she continues to search for clues to find out the truth about him.

Now that Allie knows her mom’s secret and the truth of demons living among them, she wants to learn to fight. And get her driver’s license. Whichever fills her mother’s heart with more fear is uncertain.

Julie Kenner doesn’t disappoint in this latest Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom saga. She gives the reader plenty to chew on. The previous two books, CARPE DEMON and CALIFORNIA DEMON give a great foundation for all the action in DEMONS ARE FOREVER. Everything comes to a head and I was left deeply satisfied, yet still yearning for more. This series has become more than a fanciful romp wondering if Kate is anything like Buffy the Vampire Slayer all grown up with kids and a mini-van. It’s developed into more intense entertainment as the story grows more complex. My favorite in the series so far, I’m hoping for more!

Review courtesy of CK2's Kwips and Kritiques

terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Supernatural: Nevermore by Keith R. A. DeCandido

2007-12-26T13:19:00.000-09:00

If you’re familiar with the hit CW series, Supernatural, this book is definitely for you. I can’t say that one wouldn’t enjoy the book without watching the television show, but it would certainly add to the experience.

Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother 22 years ago to a demonic force. Since then, their father, John, has been hunting demons and training his boys to do the same. Now Sam and Dean are on their own seeking out the things that go bump in the night.

This book takes place right in the middle of the second season and is a direct tie in to the television series. Ash, the mullet sporting computer genius needs the Winchester’s to help out his friend, Manfred. The boys travel to New York City to learn just why Manfred’s house is being haunted by a screaming blond in a Queensryche t-shirt. At the same time, some grisly murders have caught their attention. Someone seems to be using Edgar Allan Poe’s famous literature as inspiration for murder and the Winchester boys came along just in time to investigate!

DeCandido did a very good job of capturing Sam and Dean. Their dialog was so typical of their characters and made them very vivid in my mind. One of the most important requirements for a book based on a television show is translating the people we enjoy watching into an accurate depiction in writing. That was definitely accomplished.

Unfortunately, I did find the plot to be fairly thin and whodunit was barely ever a question in my mind. Disappointing for someone who tries hard not to know the culprit until the end! However, all can be forgiven because the author captures the characters and the feel of the show so well. As a fan, it was definitely well worth the time.

I appreciated the interesting details about Edgar Allen Poe’s life and literature that were sprinkled throughout. I didn’t realize that Poe’s cottage was still standing as a museum in The Bronx and I found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for the gothic writer.

The music references were fantastic and well thought out, bringing more authentic detail to Manfred and his aspect of the story, not to mention Dean’s obsession with classic rock.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I look forward to more Supernatural fiction.

Review courtesy of CK2's Kwips and Kritiques.

Conspiracies by F. Paul Wilson

2007-12-14T17:08:00.000-09:00

This is the third time we encounter Repairman Jack, and the third time is the charm. I fell in love with Repairman Jack from the first moment I met him in THE TOMB, and I fall a little more in love with each installment.
Jack can fix just about anything, but don't bother calling him if your dishwasher is leaking all over your kitchen floor or your toaster quit toasting and started smoking. Jack fixes things of a more sensitive nature...
This time, Jack is hired to find a missing wife. In his search, he must delve into a strange world of conspiracy theories bringing him close to the supernatural once again. Attending a convention of conspiracy buffs where the missing wife in question was expected to introduce her monumental theory connecting everything from UFO's to who really killed JFK provides Jack with plenty of leads. Amused by a lot of colorful characters he meets along the way, he still manages to come face to face with the darkest evil. Not to mention a very disturbing talking monkey.
Wilson captivates us once again in a story that will thrill and chill satisfying fans of horror and suspense alike. We see a lighter side of Repairman Jack and his typical quick witted dialog in CONSPIRACIES as well as supernatural and sci-fi elements that will propitiate just about anyone.
With a tight plot that is funny and very well crafted, skeptics and believers (Mulder's and Scully's?) alike will have a fantastic time!

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

What's a Ghoul to Do by Victoria Laurie

2007-12-14T16:58:00.000-09:00

In the first of what promises to be a fun new series, Victoria Laurie entertains us with WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO? MJ and her partner, Gilly are ghost busters. Yeah, yeah, they've heard all the jokes, but nothing else explains what they do better than that.
MJ and Gilly are hired by a handsome sexy doctor who wants them to make contact with his grandfather's ghost. Dr. Delicious inherited his grandfather's lodge, and they say his ghost is sticking around and has already scared people away. MJ and Gilly hope to set his spirit to rest and find out for the good doctor if his grandfather's death was a suicide, an accident, or murder.

The best word to describe this book is “fun”. It's not a book to take too seriously. MJ is a medium who communicates with ghosts. Personally, I don't buy into that kind of thing at all (no offense to the talented author intended!), but it makes an adorable story. So if you keep your point of view light-hearted and open minded, you'll be charmed by WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO?
I found MJ's personality fairly similar to Abby Cooper in the PSYCHIC EYE series also by Victoria Laurie. They are both mediums by trade, have men trouble and find catastrophe around every corner. The main difference being MJ grew tired of doing readings and decided to branch out into helping ghosts cross over. It's a fun concept and makes for a great cozy mystery.

If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend a weekend curled up with a book and a nice cup of tea, I predict WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO? will bewitch you!

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

The Missing by Sarah Langan

2007-12-14T16:51:00.000-09:00

What started out as an innocent field trip to the woods in the neighboring town of Bedford turned into a nightmare for the inhabitants of Corpus Christi, Maine. Lois Larkin, grade school teacher beloved by most everyone in the small affluent town was troubled by a broken heart and broken dreams, or maybe she would have thought better of the ill fated trip.

A disturbed young boy awakens an evil hiding in the woods. A malicious evil waiting to spread and an unsuspecting town is its breeding ground. But Corpus Christi is just the beginning.

Sarah Langan proves with her second thrilling novel that she's no fluke. THE MISSING is an intellectual scare-fest that will have you pondering the survival of mankind. More than just an apocalyptic tale, we follow patient zero and the newly infected on a path of ideological malevolence and those who are fighting to survive it. These aren't mindless vampires or zombies and that's one thing that makes it so disturbing. The people infected keep a part of themselves as they are driven insane and given a new purpose.

As with THE KEEPER, Langan's debut novel, I found myself more horrified by my own imagination as she allowed the reader to let the circumstances play out. I enjoyed being given the benefit of letting the disturbing events unfold without having the details ruined by verbosity. That's not to say that she doesn't paint a vivid picture of the circumstances and rich characters with a spellbinding and gruesome brush. That kind of talent is a valuable commodity and shows a maturity that's exciting in a new writer.
The supporting characters are ones we are familiar with. The wife struggling to overcome her infidelity, the psychologist trying to save one more patient, the teenager trying to find love and acceptance, the little boy who doesn't understand why he does bad things. It's what gives us resonance with the characters as they struggle though the horrific circumstances we are too afraid to imagine.

It's not necessary to read THE KEEPER to enjoy THE MISSING, but you will be rewarded with creepy details if you don't deny yourself the pleasure. While THE KEEPER made me sleep with the lights on, THE MISSING had me bolting my doors and checking my windows.

Review courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Email: Terri@ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

2007-11-20T20:32:00.000-09:00

From the publisher:

We’re all a little odd beneath the surface. He’s the most unlikely hero you’ll ever meet—an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there’s so much more to any of us than meets the eye—and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead—it’s something that just happened. But as the unofficial goodwill ambassador between our world and theirs, he’s got a duty to do the right thing. That’s the way Odd sees it and that’s why he’s won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.

A childhood friend of Odd’s has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you’re meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he’s already an old friend, you’ll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight—to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.

My Comments: I heart Odd Thomas. And while nothing can really be better then the first book in the trilogy (so far?) ODD THOMAS, this one will do in a pinch. Actually, it was much better than a pinch, and I'm very grateful that Dean Koontz took Odd out for another spin.

Odd's friend has been kidnapped by a beautiful yet horrible woman and her two henchmen, but Odd is their real objective. She seeks to exploit his abilities for her own evil means. Odd has never been more resourceful as he attempts to free his friend and find his own way home.

I can't remember books I've enjoyed more or recommended to more people!

Keep it or Pass it On? I'm not letting these books out of the house until my husband and daughter have read them!

Obsession Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate by Kyra Davis

2007-10-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

Best selling author, Sophie Katz is up to her neck in trouble for a third time in this caffeine charged novel. After getting some first hand experience in solving murders in SEX MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE and PASSION BETRAYAL AND KILLER HIGHLIGHTS, Sophie fancies herself a bit of a detective. So when an old friend thinks her husband might be cheating, Sophie is willing to use herself as bait to find out if he’s really a philander or true blue.

She gets more than she bargained for when he dies in her arms, a victim of a drive-by shooting. Could his murder have anything to do with his work for a political campaign? Sophie wants to find out. Especially before her ex-lover, private detective and Russian hottie, Anatoly does. Showing her ex that she’s the better detective and helping out her friend sounds like a win-win. But Sophie is about to find out more about politics then she ever imagined. Sometimes politicians make for strange and “furry” bedfellows.

This is the third book in Kyra Davis’ laugh out loud series. It could be read as a stand alone, but the reader would definitely benefit from following Sophie Katz’s antics from the very beginning.

I hate to say it, but this book made me tired. There was a lot of political jargon and opinions loosely disguised as satire both of which got very old in a short amount of time.

Sophie, while usually a lot of fun, became irksome when she waxed poetic about political party hypocrisy while drawing attention to her unattractive lose morals and hurtful habit of lying to further her personal goals. I’ve always liked Sophie’s ambition but in this novel, she’s in danger of becoming unlikable as she steps on vulnerable people simply to find a clue before Anatoly.

In the times we live in, I would personally enjoy fiction that brings people together instead of dividing them further. Author’s I’ve encountered lately seem to be under the false impression that their readers agree with their political view point and leave the rest of us feeling alienated. Not a good way for a reader to feel.

However, one of the saving graces of this book is the quirky supporting characters who bring more fun and depth to the story. Marcus, the hair guru and voice of reason; Dena, who brings out Sophie’s wild side (just in case we didn’t get enough already), and Mary Anne, whose sweetness and naiveté brought Sophie another perspective. It was also great seeing her sister, Leah bounce back from her debacle in PASSION BETRAYAL AND KILLER HIGHLIGHTS. The Katz women are strong and resilient if they are anything! And one of the biggest supporting characters? The Starbuck’s frappuccino flavor of the week! Where would Sophie be without her caffeine? I don’t think we want to know.

While Sophie’s character left me disappointed this time, and I didn’t enjoy the subject matter, the series keeps getting better and better and I still enjoyed the book overall. I will look forward to Sophie Katz’s next mystery in the hope we have more fun with her reminiscent of SEX MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE, her first, and my personal favorite.

Confessions of a Super Mom by Melanie Lynne Hauser

2007-10-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

Divorced mother of two teenagers, Birdie Lee is a grocery store clerk and PTA member by day and Super Mom by night. Using her super cleaning powers to rid the town of disgusting bus station bathrooms, her Super Mom Glare to stop necking teenagers out after curfew, and her Super Time Out to thwart bad guys of their evil plans, Super Mom is a comic delight.

After mixing a toxic combination of cleaning solutions, Birdie Lee is over come by fumes. She awakens to unique abilities, including a useful scrubby-like palm on her right hand, a shooting stream of the most powerful cleaning solution known to man, and an extraordinary ability to sense when children are in trouble.

Discovering her uppity neighbors, self-made millionaires Lex and Patty Osborne and their company New Cosmos Industries is up to more then just mass producing sugary All- American snacks, Super Mom has found her arch nemesis!

What Mom hasn’t fantasized about being Super Mom? Just for the cleaning ability alone! Melanie Lynne Hauser has novelized the dream come true for mom’s everywhere.

A ridiculously cute read, the somewhat elementary writing style is made up for by the entertaining concept of motherhood in a super hero cape. The charming anecdotes of family, challenges and success in raising teenagers brought heart to this novel with a little bit of delightful romance thrown in for good measure.

You won’t find any surprises in Confessions of a Super Mom. It’s not a particularly thought-provoking read, and it follows a standard formula, but the author keeps it fresh enough to keep it entertaining.

With fun appearances by popular super heroes we all know and love, Confessions of a Super Mom delights the reader with the fun of applying for Justice League of America, getting a super hero mentor and balancing the responsibilities of saving the world while helping your kids with their homework.

Stay tuned for the next entertaining episode of Super Mom in Super Mom Saves the World!

Keep It Or Pass It On? It's listed on www.paperbackswap.com for anyone interested. It was okay, but definitely not a keeper!

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

2007-09-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

“I see dead people, but then, by God, I do something about it.” –Odd Thomas

Odd Thomas is a man with few ambitions, content to work as a fry cook and maybe one day sell tires when the pressures of perfecting a fluffy pancake become overwhelming. Although he may have few ambitions as far as a career goes, his motivation runs high when it comes to his unique secret gift. Odd can see the dead.

The dead are drawn to Odd like a moth to a flame. He helps complete their unfinished business, right their wrongs, and make sure justice is served. It can be a dangerous, stressful thing, helping the dead. Fortunately, he has the love of his soul mate, Stormy, to help see him through. The Chief of Police as a caring father figure who appreciates Odd’s abilities in their symbiotic relationship, and Ozzie, a loveable eccentric author and mentor. Occasionally, Elvis likes to show up now and again for the pleasure of his company.

A strange man has caught Odd’s attention. A strange looking fellow he has dubbed “fungus man” with a worrisome file cabinet containing a collection of mass murders and their deeds and a trail of horrific shade creatures in his wake. Odd finds a damning clue convincing him he has a mere 24 hours to find out what Fungus Man is up to, how to stop it and how it will affect his life and the ones he cares about most. Odd's strange gift has never been needed more when a simple grill cook is all that stands between good and evil.

ODD THOMAS is one of the best books I've read this year. It's part horror, part love story, thrilling and delighting. Odd is one of my new all time favorite literary heroes ranking right up there with Atticus Finch, Sam Gamgee, Aslan, Mr. Darcy and Tom Joad. Odd is a humble sort and would flush red in the face if he knew about such claims, but it had to be said.

In this book, we discover a story that walks that fine line between horrible acts of evil and the sweetness of the most tender and chaste romances. It's a wonderful combination that keeps us grounded from any one aspect being too overwhelming. Somehow, amidst the unspeakable evil that Odd encounters, he manages to give us hope and inspiration.

Koontz success can be attributed to a story founded on character. As fans of Koontz are aware of his reputation for unbelievable tension and suspense and surprises, they may not be aware of his clever use of perfectly timed humor. A quickly paced book, the final few chapters are worthy of re-reading. I believe the author has reached the height of great fiction, delving deep into the very nature of the soul: good and evil. Oh….and fluffy pancakes.

Keep It Or Pass It On? Definitely a keeper! I want to enjoy this one again.

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

2007-08-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga.

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

My Comments: This is the third book in the charming vampire romance series. To say it was eagerly awaited would be a gross understatement.

In Eclipse, I struggled with Bella’s selfish and immature nature at first. It would have been off putting if Bella wasn’t such a realistic, fully flushed out character. But it provided room for a lot of growth for Bella and invaluable learning experiences that I’m sure will play into her future.

Bella’s relationships with the inevitable enemies of vampire and werewolf is more exciting then I imagined, bringing a lot of growth to some characters I’ve adored more with each addition to this series.

The ultimate confrontation in the end filled me with delicious nervous tension I’ve come to expect from Meyer’s books. It was a beautifully choreographed dance I didn’t want to be over. The timing was great. The pacing was perfect, keeping me interested and reluctant to put it down.

If you’re an adult, don’t let the “Young Adult” category scare you away from one of the most classic versions of a substantial love of a lifetime, a tempting love triangle that could have you wishing for fur or fangs. Once you get away from the high school setting, which takes up such a small part of this story, you’ll find a surprisingly deep, resonating tale.

I appreciated the parallels to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte that the author led us to. In New Moon, the second book in this series, the comparison to Romeo and Juliet was palpable. I found it to be a unique and clever way of interesting the reader in classic literature if they weren’t already. Or those of us who are a little familiar with it will enjoy the new twist on an old, much loved story. It inspired my daughter and me to explore Wuthering Heights together. Since Bella loved it so much, I’m sure she will enjoy it too.

As a mother, I can’t express how much I appreciated the care the author took with many sensitive issues such as morality, mortality, premarital sex, the consequences of losing ones soul and the responsibility that comes with becoming an adult. I felt comfortable reading and sharing these books with my teenager and the thought provoking discussions that Eclipse has led us to.

Meyer’s writing is the very definition of captivating no matter what your age. It was priceless to share Eclipse with my daughter. I’ll treasure the long talks we had about Bella and Edward and Jacob and the consequences of their decisions. What a wonderful gift Meyer gave us and future generations of mothers and daughters to come.

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton

2007-08-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Readers haven't seen anything yet-new in the "fabulously imagined series" (Publishers Weekly) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you've been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin is to be under sentence of death.

Long-time rivals for Anita's affections, Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, alpha-werewolf, will need to become allies. Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah will have to step up their support. And then there's Edward. In this situation, Anita knows that she needs to call the one man who has always been there for her...

My comments:

Anita Blake is a walking paradox. A vampire executioner feared by most vampires and lycanthropes everywhere, she is also in love with some of the most powerful men in both groups of monsters. Not all vampires fear her, but they all fear The Harlequin. And The Harlequin are watching... Anita has become too powerful to avoid attention from the heaviest of heavy hitters, but will she be powerful enough to unite them all in a struggle for dominance that could change everything?

I was a passionate fan of the Anita Blake series, and then after Narcissus in Chains, I felt like the focus was gradually falling away from the outstanding stories and Anita has lost control of herself. She was ruled by sex and no longer spent enough time out of bed to fight the monsters and protect the innocent. I missed the detailed plots and storylines that so enthralled me. In their place were hundreds of pages of eroticism that were shocking and exciting at first, but quickly became long winded and boring. There were too many characters and not enough time spent with many of them.

Then came The Harlequin.

It was a wonderful blend of fascinating characters with a bottomless well of possibilities, a story that kept its exciting pace and made me sad when I had to put it down. The sex scenes were steamy and well thought out. They only added to the plot without distracting from it and never replacing it. Oh, joy!

This is the fifteenth book in The Anita Blake series. I would discourage anyone from starting out in the middle of what has become a saga of epic proportions and endless potential. Start at the beginning and take your time enjoying them all. If you haven’t read them before, I have to admit to being jealous of the excitement that comes with meeting Anita and Jean Claude for the first time.

Laurell K.Hamilton has found a winning combination of a captivating story with an erotic edge. It’s a pleasure to enjoy Anita Blake and her adventures again.

Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

2007-07-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

The remarkable true story of Frankenstein's origins and the curse on its creators.

On a dark and stormy night in 1816, on the shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, Lord Byron, famed English poet, challenged his friends to a contest--to write a ghost story. The assembled group included the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley; his lover (and future wife) Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; Mary's stepsister Claire Claremont; and Byron's physician, John William Polidori. The famous result of that night was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a work that appeared in print two years later and has retained its hold on the popular imagination for almost two centuries. Less well-known was Polidori's work, the first vampire novel. It too would inspire a legend (and most directly Bram Stoker's Dracula), as well as many nightmares. And the evening begat a curse, too: Within a few years of Frankenstein's publication, nearly all of those involved met untimely deaths.

My Comments: This is the first non-fiction book I've read in quite a while. It wasn't dry or bland like a textbook, but rather totally engaging. It went quite deep into Mary Shelley's family background to give us more of an understanding about where she came from and why.

The publishers did lead the reader somewhat astray, making the story of the night Frankenstein was created sound like a ghost story in and of itself. And I don't know what curse was begat that night, but the untimely deaths weren't very mysterious. Very interesting, but hardly curse-worthy.

The more I learn about the real lives of wonderful authors of that time period, the more disappointed I am. Their lives weren't full of morality and integrity as I hoped. Especially in the case of Percy Shelley, William Godwin, Lord Byron (who wasn't really a surprise) and Mary Shelley. Godwin and Percy Shelley were Socialists and disavowed the practice of marriage, saying it put women in slavery. Instead, they led lives of over abundance and lack of values having affairs and babies out of wedlock, leaving these women shamed and with no means. They left creditors in their wake as they traveled endlessly to outrun their bills. But during that time, genius was born.

Mary's stoic endurance of losing two very young children had a profound affect on her own young life. When Mary was on her own many years after Frankenstein was written, she finally found her happiness that so eluded her. And while this book focuses on Mary's life, it also touches greatly on Lord Bryon and how he inspired her to write her most famous work, Frankenstein.

Keep It Or Pass It On? I borrowed it from the library.

Dream-Hunter by Sherilyn Kenyon

2007-07-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he’s in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he’s drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he’s finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she’s seen many times.... in her dreams.

What she doesn’t know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara’s soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she’s getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.

For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter’s existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?

My Comments: I read a Dark Hunter book by Kenyon years ago. It was out of order in the series and it was lighter then the paranormal books I was used to (I had just discovered Anita Blake books by Laurel K. Hamilton). I always wanted to give the author another shot though, because I know so many people who adore her.

I was browsing at the library and came across this one and thought this was a good time to try Kenyon again. I have always enjoyed mythology and Atlantis has interested me since I was a child, but I couldn't get interested in this book, and I can't say I particularly enjoyed it very much either.

The characters were flat and one dimensional. The plot wasn't compelling enough to keep me going. The only thing that made me want to pick up this book was that it was a seven day book from the library and I wanted to get it over with so I could read something I really wanted to spend my time on.

Sorry, Ms. Kenyon! I haven't completely given up on you yet.

Dirty Martini by JA Konrath

2007-07-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, the insomniac Chicago cop with a train wreck of a personal life, has trouble on her hands, and it isn't just because her boyfriend, Latham, wants to get married and she's not sure she's ready. A man in disguise has been visiting restaurants, grocery stores, and fast food places, ingeniously spreading a deadly toxin. Chicago's newest criminal calls himself The Chemist, and he has murder on his mind. When Jack finds Latham unconscious on the floor of their apartment with toxin-laced takeout on the counter, it looks like someone has plans for her. Add to that her dead father who actually isn't dead, her favorite partner, Herb Benedict, contemplating a transfer out of the police station, and a plot to poison all the cops in Chicago, and Jack is in for a scary ride. Dirty Martini is clever, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny.

My Comments:

Dirty Martini is the fourth novel in this addicting series by J.A. Konrath. The books can stand alone, but you’ll appreciate the development of the characters so much more if you start from the beginning with Whiskey Sour.

This book was a departure from the previous books with cringe worthy torture scenes, violence and other serial killer debauchery. If you have a squeamish stomach, you might find this latest installment to be a relief. I personally have never found the violence in this series to be too much. The graphic nature only makes it all the more necessary for Jack to catch the bad guy.

Konrath’s use of witty repartee is a lost art that I look forward to and it’s a wonderful way to ease the readers mind when events get grizzly.

I’m also pleased to note that as a male author, he writes Jack so wonderfully female. Sometimes when an author writes their protagonist from the point of view of the opposite sex, it comes off as stereotypical and even annoying. Jack is strong, but not too much so. She’s everything I love in a female character.

I find these books to be fresh with each new installment. You won’t find a dry, predictable use of formula. You will find fully developed characters that seem to pop off the pages and take up residence in your living room. Which is fabulous in the case of Jack, Herb and Jack’s mother but not so much so in the case of The Chemist and McGlade! I am anxiously awaiting Fuzzy Navel coming out some time next year.

Keep It Or Pass It On? Oh, this is definitely a collectible series. I'm keeping this one close!

Rusty Nail by JA Konrath

2007-07-03T10:48:00.002-08:00

"Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she's up to her Armani in murder. Someone is sending Jack snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait - each was involved in one of Jack's previous cases. With her stalwart partner, Herb, hospitalized and unable to help, Jack follows a trail of death throughout the Midwest, on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she has ever known." During the chase, Jack jeopardizes her career, her love life, and the lives of her closest friends. She also comes to a startling realization - serial killers have families, and blood runs thick.

My Comments: I really didn't want to put this book down. And from page 160 on, I practically didn't. As soon as the kids got to bed, I read and enjoyed this roller coaster ride. It was a late night, but oh so worth it!

Now, these books are violent. They are macabre. They are very graphic. But somehow, Konrath blends the horror with just enough humor to keep me coming back and looking forward to the next. The characters are so vivid I could picture them in my living room. Which is a treat in the case of Jack, Herb and even Harry, but not so much The Gingerbread Man or Alex Kork!

I've had a hard time talking my husband into reading this series. Unfortunately, in my shock and horror I read him a particularly gory scene from Bloody Mary and he hasn't really shown much interest since. I'm not one who enjoys reading gore. The torture scenes are, well, torture! I can't explain well enough in words how fabulous this series is. That it's so much more then the troubling serial killer's and their antics.

Last night, my husband laughed at me as I ooo'ed and ahhhh'ed and groaned on frustration and cheered in jubilation during the last 50 pages in this book. I don't remember ever going back and forth so much in emotion and being so caught up in a story since Harlan Coben's Gone For Good.

I try very hard to stay vague enough about the plot so I don't ruin anything for anyone. But I do have to say that this one ends happily ever after. After all that poor Jack went through in this one, she deserved it!

And lucky me! It must be kismet! Dirty Martini was released today! I think we were meant to be together, don't you?

Keep It Or Pass It On? I'm hanging on to this series for a while... Maybe I'll talk my husband into reading them after all!

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

2007-07-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
At first my eyes wouldn't make sense of the letters. Finally, they unscrambled. Loving a Larger Woman, said the headline, by Bruce Guberman. Bruce Guberman had been my boyfriend for just over three years, until we'd decided to take a break three months ago. And the larger woman, I could only assume, was me.
Cannie Shapiro never wanted to be famous. The smart, sharp, plus-sized pop culture reporter was perfectly content writing about other people's lives on the pages of the Philadelphia Examiner. But the day she opens up a national women's magazine to find out that her ex-boyfriend has been chronicling their ex-sex life is the day her life changes forever.
Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world, Bruce has written. And Cannie — who never knew that Bruce saw her as a "larger woman," or thought that loving her was an act of courage — is plunged into misery, and into the most amazing year of her life.
Radiant with wit, bursting with surprises, and written with bite and bittersweet humor, Jennifer Weiner's deliciously readable debut novel reaches beyond Cannie's story and into the heart of every woman. Gut-level real and laugh-out-loud funny, Good in Bed celebrates the courage of the human spirit, and features an unbelievably funny cast of supporting characters, the strangest dog you'll ever encounter, and a heroine you'll never forget.

My Comments: I can never read anything when it's new and everyone is talking about it. I always have to wait a few years and make sure it's wonderful for myself and not a lot of worthless hype. Oh. My. Gravy. Love this book. Love. It.

At first I just enjoyed the main character because we were about the same size and struggled with all the same things "larger women" do. Looking at yourself only from the neck up in mirrors. Wearing control top panties (Okay, it's a girdle. I'll just say it.) and control top pantyhose at the same time hoping to keep the stomach area under some semblence of control. Feeling invisible in a sea of skinny pretty people or wanting to feel invisible in a sea of skinny pretty people or even more interestingly feeling both at the same time. But it became so much more then that.

It was about family. About love. Relationships. It was hilarious and tragic and sweet and wonderful. It was about loving yourself in your own skin, no matter how much of it you may or may not have.

About 200 pages into the book, I thanked God above it was a Saturday because I was going to read and I wasn't going to stop until I was done. Mission acomplished! I cried. I smiled. I really, really cried. Smiled some more. Went and washed my face after crying again. And it all ended happily ever after! The end.

Keep It Or Pass It On?

I'm about to post it on www.paperbackswap.com from whence it came. I hope someone else will treasure it as much as I did!

Stray by Rachael Vincent

2007-06-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . .
And I'm one of them

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

My Comments:

Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres. This is a new author there has been a lot of buzz about on the Book Group and I was really looking forward to giving it a read.

At first I found the main character, Faythe difficult to like. She was immature, selfish and irresponsible. But she grows up! And it's really a treat to go on that journey with her as she does.

The book starts off with a bang and I've found that books that start off that way are generally going to be a page turner all the way and I wasn't disappointed.

I'm not generally a fan of books featuring Weres. I prefer vampires where my urban fantasy is concerned putting up with weres because they usually tag along with my favorite vampires. These are some weres that I really enjoyed on their own merit. I like that they are werecats and not the common werewolf. The author was really fantastic at capturing cat attitude and mannerisms in her characters. It gave a lot of realism to her characters.

Keep It Or Pass It On?

A member of the book group already requested it.

3rd Degree by James Patterson

2007-06-30T12:15:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher

Detective Lindsay Boxer and Assistant District Attorney Jill Bernhardt are enjoying a quiet afternoon in San Francisco when a townhouse across the street explodes in flames. A sinister note signed "August Spies" is found at the scene of the disaster, and the body of an infant who was asleep in the house at the time of the explosion cannot be found. Soon a wave of violent incidents, all with links to political terrorism and involving "August Spies," sweeps through the city. An upcoming economic summit of the world's most powerful nations will surely be a target. And it's up to the Women's Murder Club to get to the bottom of the violence before it's too late. Delivering the breakneck pace and never-saw-it-coming plot twists that have made James Patterson the most addictive writer at work today, 3rd Degree is another searing and unforgettable thriller from the nation's #1 bestselling suspense writer.

My Comments:

I've managed to let myself get behind in another series, and James Patterson's The Women's Murder Club is yet another. Another series my Grandmother had introduced me to, I found it hard to get back into it after her death years ago. But I finally managed to pick it up off my TBR (To Be Read) shelf and here we are!

I enjoy Patterson's books. They go very quickly. Which to me means there isn't a whole lot to think about. Which is okay if you're looking for a fast cheap thrill, and who isn't? Hah! Well, honestly sometimes I want a bit more substance, and I've come to the realization that "The King of Suspense" isn't really where I go for substance. Quick thrills and chills, but not thought provoking prose. And that's just fine when that's what you're looking for.

But this was a good, compelling book. Non stop from page one. There was no slowing down to take a breath. I thought it had some very emotional moments as one of The Women's Murder Club own faces losing one of their own.

I am looking forward to catching up with Fourth of July.

Keep It Or Pass It On?

I'll be passing this one on to another James Patterson lover!

Legacies by F. Paul Wilson

2007-06-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Repairman Jack isn't your average appliance repairman he fixes situations for people, often risking his own life. Jack has no last name, no social security number, works only for cash, and has no qualms when it comes to seeing that the job gets done.

Dr. Alicia Clayton, a pediatrician who treats children with AIDS, is full of secrets, and she has just inherited a house that holds another. Haunted by painful memories, Alicia wants the house destroyed but somehow everyone she enlists to help ends up violently killed. The house holds a powerful secret, and Alicia's charmless brother Thomas seems willing to do anything to get his hands on that secret himself.

But not if Repairman Jack can find it first!

My Comments:
I completely feel in love with Repairman Jack from his first book, The Tomb. He's an amazing character that the bad guys just can't figure out, and the good guys are blessed to have on their side.

This book was just as much a page turner, although I missed the supernatural aspect of The Tomb slightly. The plot really kept moving at a good pace and I was always sad to have to put it down.

I'm really amazed that Jack has been around for 20 years. He's ageless. The writing is ageless. Some novels seem horribly dated, but Wilson's talent shines through.

I'm doing my best to savor this series and read it slowly. I have 8 more books to read in the series, and I think I'm doing a remarkable job not plowing through them!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
It's already been snatched up at www.paperbackswap.com

The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner

2007-06-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher

A mind-bending code spawned from the mind of a madman...or maybe just a jealous ex.

A desperate race through the cathedrals and hotels of New York City...with a teeny bit of time for shopping, it's true.

An astonishing truth concealed for years, unveiled at last...with more than a little help from a supercute new guy.

As if a recent breakup, scrounging for rent money, and lusting after designer shoes weren't enough to make graduate student Melanie Prescott's life challenging, suddenly she's practically living The Da Vinci Code. A mysterious stranger is sending obscure codes and clues her way and she soon discovers she has to solve them in order to stay alive. With stakes like that, her dissertation on "the derivation and primary characteristics of codes and ciphers used by prevailing nations during wartime" is looking a little less important than it was yesterday. Right now she's just worrying about living to see tomorrow. The only bright spot in the whole freakish nightmare is Matthew Stryker, the six-foot tall, dark, and handsome stranger who's determined to protect her. Well, that and the millions of dollars that will be her reward if she survives this deadly game. And she'd better survive. Because that's a heck of a lot of money to be able to spend on shoes and handbags and sunglasses and dresses, and, well, it's hard to be fashionable when you're dead.

Join bestselling author Julie Kenner on a heel-breaking adventure in code-breaking that will bring out the math geek and the fashionista in you.

My Comments

WAY more fun then that other book with "Code" in the title! A computer game brought to life, Mel is on the run to survive, solving the clues while dodging bullets. It's not as easy as it may sound! Thankfully, Mel has her Protector to help her dodge said bullets while solving ridiculously mathmatic clues I could solve with the left half of my brain tied behind my back. Um, actually that was a total lie. The math was well over my head, but this book served a dual purpose. I actually learned something!

My dear friend is sending me the other books in this trilogy, bless her! *Waves at Tanya*

I'm really quite glad that Julie Kenner realized her gift as a writer and turned away from all that lawyering. Hmmm. Another lawyer turned author. Go figure!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
As much as I enjoyed it, I'll be passing it along for someone else to love.

Passion Betrayal and Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis

2007-05-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Barnes & Noble Review
In Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights -- the sequel to Kyra Davis's 2005 debut novel, Sex, Murder and a Double Latte -- frappuccino-addicted murder mystery novelist and amateur sleuth Sophie Katz is faced with a new whodunit, this one involving her sister, Leah, and brother-in-law, Bob, who turn up dead only hours after confessing his infidelity.

With numerous bullets in Bob's head and his gun missing, Leah becomes the prime suspect. But Sophie knows her sister could never commit murder and, with the help of hunky Russian private investigator Anatoly Darinsky, sets off to find the real killer. It soon becomes apparent that Bob was far from an ethical man: He was cheating with not one but three women, and he might well have been involved in far more nefarious activities. But as Sophie and Anatoly close in on the killer, Leah -- the grieving widow -- decides to have her navel pierced and get burgundy highlights in her hair…

A witty and engaging blend of chick lit, pop culture, and amateur-sleuth whodunit, Davis's San Francisco-based saga will appeal not only to female readers but to any mystery fan who has an offbeat sense of humor. Davis effortlessly explores serious social issues -- racial discrimination, sexism, adultery, multiculturalism, etc. -- while keeping the mood light and laugh-out-loud funny. Additionally, the cornucopia of subtle symbolism throughout (like the exploding Barbie Dream House) is priceless. To borrow a line from the book: "Fabulous, absolutely fabulous!" Paul Goat Allen

My Comments:
I was really, really looking forward to this sequel to Sex Murder and a Double Latte. Unfortunately for me, I was in the middle of having the blah's and it translated to my book reading. I wasn't quite as engaged by this book, due to no fault of its own. It was all me. My bad.

The characters were just as engaging, although I could have used some more of Sophie's crazy friends that were more prominent in the first book. Sophie's sister, her sister's sister in law and brother in law's cast of bimbo's kept me more then entertained. Anatoly (Sophie's love interest) is as wonderful as ever and I will never look at chocolate covered espresso beans the same way.

It was a frappuccino mystery. Sweet, light, smooth and before you know it, you drank the whole darn thing! I hope Kyra Davis is going to be writing more in this fun series.

Keep It Or Pass It On?

I'll be passing it along to www.paperbackswap.com. See you there!

Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

2007-05-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. In trying to avoid the deep suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes-who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac (which, of course, he is)-Dexter has had to slip further into his foolproof domestic disguise. While not working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his girlfriend, Rita, and her two children. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade of family life and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami-a man who "slices and dices and leaves vegetables behind." Dexter's dark appetite is revived, but it's not until his nemesis, Sergeant Doakes, is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself headlong into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first . . .

With the incredible wit and freshness that made his first Dexter novel a bestseller, Jeff Lindsay brings back one of the most original, colorful narrators in years, and signals the arrival of a superb new series.

My Comments:
These books are my guilty pleasure to be sure. They are full of irony (a serial killer who only kills other serial killers) and character. Dexter calls himself "a well-designed artificial human" who manages to get through life pretending to emote in ways he feels uncapable. He considers himself a monster through and through. But I see a white knight in there somewhere...

This is the second in the series, and I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first. It's a bit more gruesome. The beginning really grabs you and the ending makes the sometimes fairly lackluster middle worth it! I shouldn't say lackluster, because honestly, I didn't want to put the book down. But I felt Dexter's frustration as his Dark Passenger was kept at bay.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Hubby wants to read it (we adore the Showtime series) and then I'm passing it on to a friend.

Feet First by Leanne Banks

2007-05-22T13:19:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher

It's all about the shoes!

Designing footwear is Jenny Prillaman's life, so getting the plum assignment to create a socialite's wedding shoes is a dream come true. Dealing with the heiress is another story. So is staying away from her dreamy new boss, a man too hot to deny for long, despite Jenny's best intentions of keeping her business away from his pleasure.

Making Ballagio, Inc. an international success is executive Marc Waterson's career ambition. But his life's desire is to find the right woman and settle down. Too bad Jenny would rather follow in his corporate footsteps than try on the glass slippers of a company wife.

At least Marc's got one thing going for him -- the way to a woman's heart is through a really great pair of shoes!

My Comments:
I am a self proclaimed romance novel snob. I am always disappointed when books I would consider to be in the fantasy/sci-fi or mystery category are found in the romance section of Barnes and Noble. But this was recommended by my buddy, Lori. No, recommended is the wrong word. She told me I had to get it, and I did. End of discussion. Heh. Lori is helping me get over my snobbery and she's doing a fine job of it.

This was a fun light read. When the chips are down, a nice little book like this can't help but cheer you up. It's the perfect book to read while you're sitting in the sun sipping iced tea. A Cinderella themed story that never really gets tired. And there are all the lovely shoes to read about!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
It's listed at www.paperbackswap.com if you'd like a great beach read this summer!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

2007-05-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

From The Publishers:
Stephenie Meyer's thrilling debut novel is a love story with a bite. In this suspenseful and sensual tale, 17-year-old Isabella moves to a small town in Washington State and gets more excitement than she bargained for when she falls for an enigmatic classmate -- who happens to be a vampire. Filled with fantastic mystery and romance, it's a heart-stopping novel that captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires.

My Comments:
Another fabulous recommendation from Booklovers Group at Yahoo. I'm always looking out for a good book Riley and I can share and this one hit the mark. I read it first, after that Blood and Chocolate debacle, I thought it only right. And lucky me! This book was more mature. And I mean that in the best possible way. The characters are fully developed and very relatable, which is surprising considering the subject matter.

The writing itself was like a tea kettle on slow boil. It's a long book. And it takes quite a while to build up to the point where there's substantial action, but I never realized it until the author really cranked it up a notch at the end. It's a book to savor and every word on every page was a joy. I am irritated by wordy books. Authors who write just to hear themselves type. Authors so caught up in their own head that they are the very definition of verbose. Stephanie Meyer is definitely not one of those!

Riley and I really enjoyed discussing this book together. The themes, did Edward do the right thing, did Bella make a mistake and so on. I cherish books like this that we can both so thoroughly enjoy!

New Moon is the next in the series and it's on order!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Technically, it's Riley's book and I don't think she's going to let it out of her sight!

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

2007-05-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

The Barnes & Noble Review
The seventh installment of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire saga (after 2006's Definitely Dead) marks a decidedly dramatic turn in the series that features lovable telepathic Louisiana barmaid Sookie Stackhouse. What started out as a relatively lighthearted amalgam of romance, paranormal fantasy, and mystery has gradually evolved into a complex and wildly compelling literary juggernaut comparable to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels.

In All Together Dead, Sookie is trying to put past failed relationships behind her and has a new man in her life: the handsome and mysterious shapeshifter Quinn. But in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and with the entire Louisiana supernatural community still reeling, Sookie is summoned by Sophie-Anne Leclerq (the Queen of Louisiana) to accompany her to a historic regional vampire summit. However, the conference -- where entire power bases could be gained or lost -- is filled with friction and ill will; and when delegates are found brutally murdered, Sookie finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy-ridden power play where the unlikeliest of suspects could be a cold-blooded killer…

Considering this series' ever-increasing cast of memorable characters (a half-wit bloodsucker named Bubba who happens to be an undead Elvis Presley, quirky telepath Barry the Bellboy, et al.) and a fast-paced, witty, and intricate story line that would rival any daytime soap, it's no surprise that HBO is in the process of developing a show (True Blood) based on Harris's Southern Vampire novels. Fans of authors like the aforementioned Hamilton, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs who have yet to discover Sookie Stackhouse should do so as soon as possible -- before Bubba leaves the building. Paul Goat Allen

My Comments:
It was too darn short. The end.

Just kidding! I love that Harris puts out a new Sookie book around my birthday every year. She was a week early this year. Whoo hoo! This series has really become one of my very favorites. It started out being rather light in comparison to the Anita Blake series, but as Sookie has matured in her ability and as her world has grown, it's become more complicated and always interesting. I much prefer Sookie to Anita Blake these days. The plot is nice and juicy. The hardest things about it were putting it town and putting it away when it was finished. There are some shocking bits in the end that I actually had to re-read to make sure it really happened!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
These are staying put on my shelf. I have been known to re-read them on occasion, and I feel a re-read coming on soon. Dead to the World is calling to me!

Reunion in Death by J. D. Robb

2007-05-22T12:47:00.001-08:00

From the Publisher
At exactly 7:30 p.m., Walter Pettibone arrived home to over a hundred friends and family shouting, "surprise!" It was his birthday. Although he had known about the planned event for weeks, the real surprise was yet to come. At 8:45 p.m., a woman with emerald eyes and red hair handed him a glass of champagne. One sip of birthday bubbly, and he was dead. The woman's name is Julie Dockport. No one at the party knew who she was. But Detective Eve Dallas remembers her all too well. Eve was personally responsible for her incarceration nearly ten years ago. And now, let out on good behavior, she still has nothing but bad intentions. It appears she wants to meet Dallas again - in a reunion neither will forget...

My Comments:
I've been trudging through this series, following up on my New Year's resolution best I can. I haven't always looked forward to reading my one In Death book a month, but this one changed it for me. I've always *liked* these books, don't get me wrong, but they were all blending together a bit and nothing stood out as different from the others. But this one definitely did. This is the fourteenth book in the series, and while maybe I thought it was getting a bit stale, things are perking back up again.

One aspect that made this book so edgy was confronting Eve's past with her. Going back to the place where she was so horribly abused and living through those memories with her reminded me of what a strong, interesting character Eve Dallas truly is. She's even stronger when she lets her husband in to work through the pain together.

"Julie Dockport" was a great villain. One of the best in a while I think and she was a very worth adversary for Eve.

I look forward to the next in the series.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
It's posted at www.paperbackswap.com if you're interested!

California Demon by Julie Kenner

2007-05-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Welcome to San Diablo. The perfect place to raise a couple of kids. And a lot of Hell.

What’s a mother to do, when there are only so many hours in the day, and the fate of the world is in her hands?

Kate Connor was a retired demon hunter. Now, after fourteen years busting her tail as a suburban housewife, raising two kids, and supporting her husband’s political ambitions, she’s rejoined the workforce -- and except for a few minions of evil, no one has a clue. She tries hard to keep her home and work lives separate -- a good idea when your job involves random slaughter.

Between fending off demon attacks, trying to figure out why the mysterious new teacher at the high school seems so strangely familiar, and keeping a watchful eye on her daughter’s growing infatuation with a surfer dude, Kate is the busiest -- and most dangerous-- soccer mom on the block...

"What would happen if Buffy the Vampire Slayer got married, moved to the suburbs and became a stay-at-home mom? She’d be a lot like Kate Connor." -- Publishers Weekly

My Comments:
Not quite as enthralling as the first in the series, Carpe Demon, but still a fun solid read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

There were some very interesting plot points in this second novel in the series. Is her daughter's new teacher a demon or her father somehow reincarnated? Will her new husband and daughter find out that she's really a demon hunter and not just wife and Mom? Will her son Timmy get used to his new move from crib to big boy bed? Yes, all those questions and more plague our heroine.

And I personally cannot wait for Demons Are Forever due out July 3rd!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I'm actually letting my 14 year old read it. She really enjoyed Kenner's A Good Goul's Guide to Getting Even, and there was nothing I thought was inappropriate in this one.

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

2007-05-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour. Trying to unravel the truth about a family's tragedy, a woman's secret, and a man's lies, Myron is up against the dark side of his business—where image and talent make you rich, but the truth can get you killed.

In novels that crackle with wit and suspense, Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction—Myron Bolitar—a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent who grows more and more engaging and unpredictable with each page-turning appearance.

My Comments:
Yet another in a long list of recommended books from Booklovers Group at Yahoo. And about darn time I picked up the series too! Although it wasn't as "on the edge of your seat until the last page" as Gone For Good (my first Harlan Coben book that I cannot stop talking about), it was fantastic. I was worried at first that it would be too sports related for me. I'm not a sports person at all and would be totally bored by a lot of references, but if this first book in the series is any indication I was worried for nothing. It's all about the suspense, baby.

The best part about this book for me was the characters. Myron Bolitar and Win are charming, unpredicitable, sweet and disarming. Oh, and Win is just a wee bit on the hairy scary side as well. I love these guys, and I am really looking forward to more in this series. It was fast paced with snappy dialog that could keep up with the best of them!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I'm passing it on to my husband. Only because I love him that much!

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown

2007-05-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher

Cleary, North Carolina, is a sleepy mountain town — the kind of place where criminal activity is usually limited to parking violations. Not so, lately. Four women have disappeared from Cleary over the past two years. And there's always a blue ribbon left near the spot where each of the women was last seen. There are no bodies, no other clues, and no suspicion as to who their abductor might be. And now, another woman has disappeared without a trace.

It is to this backdrop that Lilly Martin returns to close the sale of her mountain cabin, marking the end of her turbulent eight-year marriage to Dutch Burton, Cleary's chief of police. Dutch's reluctance to let her go isn't Lilly's only obstacle. As she's trying to outrun a snowstorm, her car skids on the icy road and strikes a man. She recognizes the injured man as Ben Tierney, whom she'd met the previous summer. They're forced to wait out the storm in the cabin, but as the hours of their confinement mount, Lilly begins to wonder if the greatest danger to her safety isn't the blizzard outside, but the mysterious man right beside her. Is Ben Tierney the feared abductor? Or is he who he claims to be...her rescuer from harm and from the tragedy that haunts her?

My Comments:
It really wasn't fair for me to read this book directly after Gone For Good. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have and it was a valuable lesson (that I have the hardest time learning) not to read books from the exact same genre back to back. I couldn't help but compare the two and I wasn't as compelled to read Chill Factor as I was Gone For Good.

That being said, it was a very good book. Lots of twists and turns. The suspense was good. The story was good. The characters were fantastic! Envy is my favorite Sandra Brown book so far, but this one is right up there.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
It's listed at Paperbackswap.com for anyone interested!

Gone For Good by Harlan Coben

2007-04-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
"As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm suburban night in the Kleins' affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman - a girl Will had once loved - was found raped and murdered in her family's basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished, spending the next decade as the elusive subject of rumors, speculation, and an international manhunt. When his shattered family never heard from Ken again, they were sure he was gone for good." Now eleven years have passed. And Will, who always believed in his brother's innocence, has found evidence that Ken is alive - even as he is struck by another act of betrayal. His girlfriend suddenly disappears, leaving behind compelling evidence that she was not the person Will thought she was. As two dark dramas unwind around him, Will is pulled into a violent mystery, haunted by signs that Ken is trying to contact him after all these years. Will can feel himself coming closer and closer to his brother ... and to a terrible secret that someone will kill to keep buried. And as the lies begin to unravel, Will is uncovering starting truths about his lover, his brother, and even himself. He knows he must press his search all the way to the end. Because the most powerful revelations are yet to come.

My Comments:
This is my first by Harlan Coben and won't be my last! The Book Group has talked about this author and his Myron series for ages and I finally caught on.

I picked this book up before going to bed, and before I knew it, it was 2AM and I was a hundred pages in. I've never read a book that had me turning the pages so quickly before. I was hooked by the end of page one. A first for me.

I used to adore thrillers. It was my genre of choice. Then John Grisham began to bore me. I forgot all about Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Joy Fielding, John Saul and John Sanford. Coben reminded me what I've been missing.

As you read this book, you'll be constantly surprised. Forget playing detective and figuring out who done anything. You'll be proven wrong by the end of the next chapter. Nothing is what you think it is. I've never read anything where the plot was turned upside down and inside out as much as this was. It was absolutely wonderful! I'm still blown away by the ending. Completely and utterly.

I can't wait for my husband to read it. He's the type who watches a TV show and tells you who did it and why in the first five minutes. This will leave him guessing for sure!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I'm keeping it for Michael to read and then I think I'll www.paperbackswap it! I can't keep all this thrill a minute goodness to myself!

Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

2007-04-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:
Publishers Weekly
This strong entry in Harrison's intricate Hollows series (after Every Which Way but Dead) plunges headlong into the action as Rachel Morgan, a sexy Cincinnati witch, finishes up her latest bounty hunting mission by taking down an alpha Were (werewolf). The book swings into gear when she returns home to find that her ne'er-do-well ex, Nick, has recruited her partner Jenks's son in a criminal enterprise and gotten them both imprisoned by Weres in Michigan, apparently for stealing a priceless Were artifact. With the help of some borderline black magic, Jenks a pixie is given human proportions in order to accompany Rachel on a mission to rescue his son. Finding the jailed pixie ends up the easiest task in an operation that quickly spirals out of control after Rachel decides she must also rescue the errant Nick. Harrison provides conflict aplenty as Rachel debates how far into the black arts she'll venture to accomplish a good end; past and present boyfriends vie for her attention; and Weres battle vampires for supremacy. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

My Comments: *spoilers abound*
A Fistful of Charms left me... uncharmed. This installment in the series seemed wordy, long winded, and rather all over the place. Maybe it's the werewolf thing that made me feel that way. Pack politics and fights just don't fluff my fur if you will.

I was expecting more with her ex and absent boyfriend, Nick. I was also expecting a little more closure with that situation. I wasn't convinced by Rachael's reasons for going to so much trouble in rescuing him. Jenks' son, of course. But Nick? He made his bed, let him lie in it. I digress. I have abandonment issues on Rachael's behalf.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book was Jenks being full sized. That gave us a little levity and the occasional action packed thrills.

The situation with Ivy is getting extremely complicated and more then a little out of hand. I found myself almost relieved when Ivy showed up and the messy issues that were raised to rescue me from the drudgery of saving Nick and the craziness with the Were's. I also found myself really missing Trent Kalamack and could have really used some more Kisten action personally and less "Rachael needs danger to have a fullfilling relationship" introspection.

That being said, although this was my least favorite in The Hollows series, I am really looking forward to A Few Demons More. Trent is back, Piscary and Al are too. Things could get hairy... No pun intended.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
So far I've been collecting this series and I hate to post it on Paperbackswap.com. My husband likes the series too, so I think I'll keep it around for now.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

2007-03-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Rebecca Bloomwood just hit rock bottom. But she's never looked better....

Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous flat in London's trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season's must-haves. The only trouble is that she can't actually afford it — not any of it.

Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank — letters with large red sums she can't bear to read — and they're getting ever harder to ignore.

She tries cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something....

Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life — and the lives of those around her — forever.

Sophie Kinsella has brilliantly tapped into our collective consumer conscience to deliver a novel of our times — and a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens. Becky Bloomwood's hilarious schemes to pay back her debts are as endearing as they are desperate. Her "confessions" are the perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance.

My Comments:
Yet another series I put off getting into. Who knows why? I suppose because I have so many I enjoy now, and one more seemed like it would tip me over the edge. But thanks to paperbackswap.com, the cost of my reading habit has been cut dramatically!

My book group buddy, Lori, was all excited about the latest in the series to come out, Shopaholic and Baby (the newest in the series) and Lori never steers me wrong. I hopped right onto PBS to order it and when I finished my last book, it happened to show up in the mail! Kismet! And I happen to be fighting off a cold or something and needed rest. Providence! I started it last night and couldn't put it down. Those flu-like aches and pains that kept me awake weren't so bad because I had Rebecca to keep me company.

The only un-fun thing was that I'm rather in a similar financial state as Rebecca. Only I don't have a shopping problem, but rather just an income problem. It can feel rather bleak, but once we got past the letters from the credit card companies, which I'm currently dealing with myself, it became much more enjoyable.

I had to really fight with myself to not peek ahead. I really wanted to find out if she ends up with the dreamy Luke or not. I didn't peek. You have no idea how hard that was! But well worth it when I got to the end!

My friend Kristin also loved the Shopaholic series. I remember buying one of them for her as a surprise long ago. Because, afterall, gifts to friends don't count when you're tallying up your bills! If only, right? Just last week I saw the cutest little Shopaholic themed mug at Barnes and Noble that immediately made me think of Lori and I so wanted to get it for her as a thank you gift for finally getting me off my butt to enjoy Shopaholic. But the little "But you're in debt" alarm went off in my head, and I sat it back down. It's the thought that counts, right? I used to love picking up little things like that that reminded me of someone. *sigh* One day, I'll be able to do that again. If Rebecca can do it, surely I can!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I posted it on PBS. I'm desperate for more points! Because I had to order Shopaholic Takes Manhattan right away!

Seduction in Death by JD Robb

2007-03-29T16:23:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:
It's Dante's first date with his cyberspace lady love, and he's got the whole evening planned -- soft music, candlelight, a bed covered with rose petals and, just in case the lady is shy or unwilling, a rare, undetectable date-rape drug that's worth a fortune on the streets. He hadn't planned to kill her so quickly. He never guessed how thrilling it would be. And there's nothing to stop him from plying his fatal art of seduction on yet another unsuspecting woman, except invincible police lieutenant Eve Dallas, who's back on the beat and determined to stop this Casanova killer before he kisses -- and kills -- again.

My Comments:
I am trying to live up to my New Year Resolution. Which is to catch up on this In Death series by reading one a month. I slipped up last month, but I'm not going to beat myself up too badly for it. I'm back on track!

Seduction in Death was typical of the series. No big stand outs for me. The story was good. The characters are fabulous and the best part about this series is all the little nuggets of the supporting characters. The relationship between Peabody and McNab is so adorable. Reading about them is really what kept me reading this book, because frankly, as good as these books are, they are all pretty much the same. But Eve's relationship with Roarke grows deeper, Sommerset even shows some deeper qualities in his care for Eve through Roarke. Charles, Peabody's friend even gets to grow in a relationship in this book. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't much care if I picked up another book in this series or not. JD Robb (Nora Roberts) is very clever to give us such vivid characters to grow and evolve.

While I can't say I'm truly looking forward to reading the next one I have scheduled in April (Reunion in Death), I will read it. And I will like it. It's like a comfortable pair of shoes you look forward to putting on. They aren't the best pair of shoes you own, but they feel really good and get you from one place to another.

And I do have a history with this series. I wrote before about my Grandmother and how she would read these and pass them on to me. It was fun sharing that with her. And I miss that. It took me a while to pick them back up again after she passed away. But I'm really glad I did.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I already posted it on Paperbackswap.com. These books usually go pretty quickly.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

2007-03-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:
Publishers Weekly
Sixteen-year-old Vivian isn't fiction's most likable heroine, and not only because she's a werewolf. She's preoccupied with admiring her own "full breasts, small waist [and] tawny hair." She's viciously competitive with other girls, gloating, "Look at me.... I've got him. You don't. Too bad." Her pack, temporary leaderless and dislocated after the death of her father, is living in some low-rent Maryland suburbs. Expected to mate with one of the rowdy, blood-hungry werewolves her own age, Vivian rejects them as well as 24-year-old Gabriel, who flirts with her aggressively as he prepares to assume leadership of the pack. Instead, she nourishes a crush on a "meat boy" (human) from school, a retro-hippie poet-type who professes a yen for the supernatural. With the darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling that gave such luster to The Silver Kiss, Klause lures readers into the politics of the pack, their forbidden desire for human flesh and the coming of age of their future queen. Though some readers may be alienated by Vivian's self-absorption, and others shocked by her eventual union with Gabriel, most will find this sometimes bloody tale as addictive as chocolate. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)
When a 16-year-old werewolf falls in love with a human, she begins to live uncomfortably between two worlds. Klause propels her bloodthirsty tale with "darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling," said PW. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

My Comments:
My daughter loves fantasy books and vampires and werewolves in particular. On a trip to Barnes and Noble, she excitedly bought this book. Well I decided to go ahead and read it for myself beforehand. I'm really glad I did. It was pretty sexually charged and my daughter is uncomfortable with a lot of that in her reading material. The main character wasn't anyone I would want my daughter to be around. At 16 years old, Vivian was arrogant, vain and sexually permissive, would drink, claim she smoked pot as an excuse for lying about why she was grounded. Vivian would continually try to get in a situation where she could have sex with her boyfriend. She had a very clear idea that she could exude power through sex and would tease older men at the bar where her mother worked and even teased her boyfriends father. She ends up in the role of Queen of the pack to a 24 year old King with all that entails. At 16, reading about having sex with a 24 year old is out of hand. Vivian thinks she killed someone, but chooses to keep this to herself and try to figure out who she killed. Morals are thin if they exist at all.

The good aspects of Vivian's character just weren't enough to equal out all the other behaviors. She was loyal to her mother, even though her relationship with her was usually strained. She could be loyal to her pack (but usually just when it suited her) and tried to be loyal to her code of the Moon.

As a Mom I get really torn with decisions like this. This book was really well written. A lot of kids her age seem to really love it according to book reviews on Amazon. It won a lot of awards. It was chosen for the Junior Literary Guild selection, which we're members of, so we get the selected books for her age group. So on that hand, I was tempted to let her read it.

On the other hand, the main character in this book isn't someone I would want to come to my house. She's not someone I would want my daughter to be friends with. She emulates behavior that isn't acceptable for us. Books are friends. And this isn't a good friend for my daughter.

I worry about all the kids her age that read this book and think Vivian is wonderful! I read the reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and these girls think Vivian is fantastic because she's so powerful! She can get away with anything. She can party. She can have sex. She can be a Wolf Queen and live with no consequences. Kids in reviews say they love this book because it's about cliques in school and all kids have to deal with that. Um. No. School is mentioned when she meets her boyfriend and she does have to deal with his friends later on, but I wouldn't say this book is a great relationship tool for helping your kids deal with social issues.

If I wasn't reading this book with my daughter in mind, I could have enjoyed it more. But I find it disturbing to read about a 16 year old and her permiscuity not only with boys her own age, but men much older. I hate to focus on that, but the book does, so I have to. Not all kids in this age group are ready for books with this subject matter. Mine is embarassed to read about it, and was glad I let her know before she cracked the cover.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Totally passing this one on.

Lover Revealed by JR Ward

2007-03-27T12:51:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher
Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...
When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead but found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him.

My Comments:
I was surprised that JR Ward's next book was going to be about Butch. There are other members of the Black Dagger Brotherhood I wanted to find out about, why Butch? He's not even one of The Brotherhood! But I had faith in the author. She knew what she was doing after all. Hah!

This series truly does keep getting better with each installment. It amazes me that the author gets so in touch with her characters that she can give us a glimpse of them in a previous book and completely change them in their own principal story.

It's intriguing to follow Butch as the layers are peeled back. His relationship with his roommate, Vishous is taken to a deeper and wonderfully symbiotic level that I can't want to enjoy in the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book. They truly need each other as they continue to fight against the evil in the war they are such an integral part of.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
My husband is currently reading it. I love that the man has no shame reading a book in public with a cover that looks like this one does! Talk about being secure in your manhood.

This series will be staying on the shelf for a long while to come!

Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead

2007-03-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:
Slave, soldier, lover, hero, saint,—his life mirrored the cataclysmic world into which he was born. His memory will outlast the ages.

Born of a noble Welsh family, he is violently torn from his home by Irish raiders at age sixteen and sold as a slave to a brutal wilderness king. Rescued by the king's druids from almost certain death, he learns the arts of healing and song, and the mystical ways of a secretive order whose teachings tantalize with hints at a deeper wisdom. Yet young Succat Morgannwg cannot rest until he sheds the strangling yoke of slavery and returns to his homeland across the sea. He pursues his dream of freedom through horrific war and shattering tragedy—through great love and greater loss—from a dying, decimated Wales to the bloody battlefields of Gaul to the fading majesty of Rome. And in the twilight of a once-supreme empire, he is transformed yet again by divine hand and a passionate vision of "truth against the world," accepting the name that will one day become legend . . . Patricius!

My Comments:
A friend I respect very much recommended this author to me years ago. I love St. Patrick's Day, and thought this would be a great time of year to crack this book open. As I started it, I was momentarily put off by the language. I was afraid it would be too epic, too verbose. About 40 pages in and I was hooked! My fears were for not!

Lawhead is known as a Christian author I suppose. Some of the reviews I read were disappointed in Patrick, because the character Lawhead wrote about was less then saintly. He was very human. He could be selfish, he could be very flawed. But he was also very brave and courageous. I so enjoyed Patrick's journey from spoiled Nobleman, to abused slave, to potential druid to soldier to husband and father and statesman to holy man. It was an inspired story that I was sad to see come to an end. I wanted more. The book came full circle, and ended beautifully, but I still wanted more.

Keep It Or Pass It On? My husband wants to read it because I gushed and bubbled about it so much. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Lawhead's books. I visited his website and he's doing a book on Robin Hood now. It sounds so fantastic!

Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter

2007-03-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

RIDDING THE WORLD OF EVIL,

ONE ALIEN AT A TIME.

In a time and place not too far away, Mia Snow is an alien huntress for the New Chicago Police Department, and she's the perfect girl for the job. Tough and sexy, she's earned each of her scars battling the elusive enemy among us. Now, investigating a series of killings, she is shaken to the core when a burst of violence leaves her partner Dallas fighting for his life. A tall, erotic stranger holds the power to heal the injured agent — and to bind Mia in an electrifying and dangerous seduction. He is Kyrin en Arr, of the deadly Arcadian species — an alien, a murder suspect — who has Mia walking a knife's edge, risking her badge and even her life. . . and edging closer to a shocking revelation that will shatter everything she's ever believed.

My Comments:

I think my expectations were just too high. The story was pretty good, but the dialog could be lame. I guess I was hoping for old Anita Blake and got candy corn. I made the mistake of letting my husband read the first few pages because he's usually interested in my paranormal books, but this one made him laugh out loud. Not a good sign.

I did enjoy the story though. The character of Mia Snow seemed like she was just forced and was trying too darn hard. Her alien lover more then made up for any of Mia's shortcomings. He was an interesting and fully developed character that brought out the best in Mia's somewhat flat character.

I've heard so many good things about this author, I hate to let this one (that wasn't really bad, it just didn't grab me) cloud my judgment. But I have to admit, I'm not as excited to pick up Heart of the Dragon and Jewel of Atlantis as I was before. I don't know. Someone, change my mind!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I posted it to Paperbackswap.com and it was gone within hours. If they keep their expectations lower then I did, I think they'll be okay.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah

2007-03-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

From the Publisher:

Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school abroad. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Alone in the house that is no longer a home, Annie comes to the painful realization that for years she has been slowly disappearing. Lonely and afraid, she retreats to Mystic, the small Washington town where she grew up, hoping that there she can reclaim the woman she once was—the woman she is now desperate to become again.

In Mystic, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower unable to cope with his grieving, too-silent six-year-old daughter, Izzie. Together, the three of them begin to heal, and, at last, Annie learns that she can love without losing herself. But just when she has found a second chance at happiness, her life is turned upside down again, and Annie must make a choice no woman should have to make. . . .

On Mystic Lake is the story of one seemingly ordinary woman, but the novel speaks to all of us, to anyone who has ever had to choose between what is . . . and what could be.

My Comments:

Another very nice story by Hannah. You grow to know and really care about these characters. It was just an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more by this author.

The ending wasn't handed to you. Which I confess to kind of yearning for. After all Annie went through, I wanted something more concretely happy for her. But you just have to have faith that it all works out in the end!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
A lovely story, but I'm passing it on like it was passed on to me. To PBS it goes, unless my Mom gets it first. Thanks, Lori! You're the best reading buddy EVER!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2007-03-07T12:30:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.... In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.
Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times–bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

My Comments:
Through some sort of wonderful fluke, Barnes and Noble sent me my re-order early and I read this last week.

Picoult is by far my favorite author. She's only mildly disappointed me once with one of her early works, Picture Perfect. And while this book moved me right down to my toes, I feel that she's gotten a little political this time. Picoult has a gift of taking all sides of an issue and showing you things you never considered. She acomplished that this time as usual, but I felt she was more one-sided. That is most likely because I'm very sensitive to certain issues. I'm very conservative politically and I don't like conservatives being protrayed as bad guys in books, or at least more accurately in this case, never the hero. I'm also very pro second ammendment rights, and I knew this book would tough on some issues close to home for me, but I trusted Picoult to handle it with her typical even handedness. I was a little disapointed this time. Maybe I'm the one who has gotten political, but I was hoping for something different.

Politics aside, it was a wonderful, deep read. I stayed up reading into the wee hours simply because I literally could not put it down. I wept openly after reading the final page. It made me ask so many questions about myself as a parent and I felt so hopeless. This mother thought she knew her child, and she did. Better then so many of us I think. But she still didn't *know* him. She didn't know what was going on inside his heart and his mind. And it led to tragedy I can only imagine. Do we ever really know our children as well as we think we do?

It made me so grateful that we home school our children. Bullying isn't a small thing anymore. It can't be ignored. And it's only one challenge of many that affect our children in a serious way, especially at school. It made me really stop and listen to the words my children use with each other. They are usually very kind to each other, but it doesn't take much to start a bad habit of hurt feelings that can build and build.

While I am slightly disappointed in the manner in which Picoult handled parts of some issues, this book was amazing. I've yet to find another author who has touched me to my very soul. I can hardly wait for her next book to come out and I look forward to reading the few I haven't read yet.

And she's a very nice lady! I wrote her an e-mail once about her book Tenth Circle and she e-mailed me back very quickly and was so wonderful. Her readers truly matter to her.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I'll be keeping this one. At least until Mom's visit when she can borrow it!

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

2007-03-06T13:15:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two -- and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft.
The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knows teenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen -- not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives -- even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective!

But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

My Comments:
I loved Heather Wells. It was a fun, light mystery that had a good reading pace. This isn't rocket science. It's not deep, thought provoking reading. Don't we all need that from time to time? I do, and this cute little mystery fit the bill.

This is my first adult Meg Cabot. It reads the same as a young adult Meg Cabot except with a few more expletives and implication of sex and some other more mature themes. So in other words, I didn't have to get out my dictionary but that's okay. The story was good and I looked forward to each turn of the page.

Heather is someone I think most of us can relate to on some level. I admire her spirit and her willingness to pick up and start all over again even when pride would get in the way with most people. But I've been craving a Dove ice cream bar ever since reading it!

In this copy, there was a section in the back where the author discussed how she puts a little of herself in all her characters. She lived in New York and was an assistant dorm director and was a size 12. Looking at her picture on the back of the book, I remembered thinking,"what would this skinny minnie know about being a size 12?" So, yes, I respect the author that much more for not pretending to be a size 12 to write about it. Go Meg!

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either is happily awaiting me to pick it up on my To Be Read Shelf and it won't have to wait very long!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Well, I'm passing it on. It was snatched up at Paperbackswap.com the second I posted it. I wanted to keep it, but realized that was because I liked the book, not because I would read it again. *sigh* I love my books. It's hard to let them go.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling

2007-03-06T13:01:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher
The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.
And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate -- and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

My comments:
One of the most difficult in the series, but also one of the most poignant! I'm not too old to admit to shedding a tear at least once or twice while reading the last 3 or 4 in the Harry Potter series. This one was far from different.

I tried to make myself wait to read this one until closer to the release of The Deadly Hallows, but in the end I gave in and was so glad I did. There's nothing like reading a fantastic book like this. Taking your time. Enjoying it. Reading because you want to, not because you should. And that's why I gave in.

The powerful themes continue in this book. Friendship, loyalty (oh I shudder wonderfully when the Minister of Magic accuses Harry of being Dumbledore's man through and through), love and sacrifice. And there is also the dance Harry does on the side of wrong when he cheats in potions class and the lessons learned there. I do wish Harry had taken the high road, but that just shows you even hero's make mistakes. No one is perfect. Not even The Chosen One.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
While we let Sandi borrow Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I don't generally let these leave our hands!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

2007-03-06T12:28:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher
There is a Door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror? Here are just a few things on Harry's mind: A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey. A venomous, disgruntled house-elf. Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams...and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice. Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.

My comments:

Our local Barnes and Noble has a monthly event called Dumbledore's Army and the kids have been really excited about it. It's a discussion group for the Harry Potter books. Riley and I started going and then Maggie wanted to go, so she started reading the books! Fabulous! My girl was starting to enjoy reading! Harry Potter was working his magic on her just like he did Riley many years ago when he took a girl who read because she had to into the girl I see today who goes through a book a day when she's in a groove! Going to Dumbledore's Army meetings really put me in a mood to read the books again myself. Especially with the new (and final! *sob*) book coming out soon and the new movie.

Most of the world has read these books, but here are my comments anyway.

This book is full of teenage angst. Harry is cranky! But not without reason. It really isn't very long before we're neck deep in serious situations at Hogwarts and the angst is all but forgotten.

It's been such a pleasure to re-read this series again, taking my time to savor it. When the books first come out, there is such a flurry of excitement that you want to finish them as soon as possible to discuss with others, or to finish so the next family member can devour it. There have been little subltities that I missed the first time.

I was reading another "adult" novel at the same time and I found it ironic that this "young adult" book used more mature vocabulary and use of language then the so called adult book. While this Harry Potter book stretched my brain with new words, the adult book almost talked down to me.

Order of the Phoenix has become my new favorite in the series. The plot is rich with layers upon layers of storytelling goodness. It doesn't pull punches, and granted the series is becoming darker and the themes more difficult, but it's written about in such a wonderful, caring way.

Now, I have to say this to my Christian friends. My pastor won't let his children read these books and I respect his decision. He feels Harry is rewarded for misbehavior more often then not, and while I disagree with his opinion, he's more then entitled! Also, if we take all the books featuring magic and deem them evil, we'll have to rid our shelves of Shakespeare, Grimm's Fairy Tales and CS Lewis to name a few. The near worship of Harry Potter in society causes me to pause, but I see more good then bad coming from it. In my own children I've witnessed a loathe of reading turned into joy. They enjoy talking and thinking about Harry for now, but soon those thoughts will be replaced with more grown up things like boys, cars and jobs.

Keep It Or Pass It On?
Not only are we keeping them, but we have our hardcover copies that we read when they are first released and then we buy the paperback when it comes out for future reading. Harry Potter and the series will remain on our shelves!

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

2007-02-28T11:33:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher
Avalon High seems like a typical high school, attended by typical students: There's Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy.
But not everybody at Avalon High is who they appear to be ... not even, as new student Ellie is about to discover, herself. What part does she play in the drama that is unfolding? What if the bizarre chain of events and coincidences she has pieced together means -- as with the court of King Arthur -- tragedy is fast approaching Avalon High?

Worst of all, what if there's nothing she can do about it?

My Comments:
I read this book for my daughter. It sounded like something she would be interested it, and I was hoping to expand her genres a bit. But I wanted to read it first just to make sure it wasn't going to be anything she didn't want in her head. I remember reading books friends gave me in school and being sorry I had too much information that I didn't really know what to do with. And I love to share books with her anyway, so it was a win win.

This book was definitely great for her. It was a sweet, innocent story that was compelling and who doesn't love the legends about King Arthur? Meg Cabot put a charming spin on the timeless story. My daughter and I were very pleased to discover that this is the first in a new series!

Keep It Or Pass It On?
I passed it on to my daughter, who finished it in a day. I don't think she will be letting it leave her shelf any time soon though.

Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner

2007-02-06T12:39:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
The Barnes & Noble Review
Kate Connor used to be a demon hunter: Now she's a stay-at-home mom, a "glorified chauffeur for pep squad practice and Gymboree play dates." But when a demonic assassin shows up at her suburban home minutes before an important dinner party, the retired Hunter is forced back into action to save her town -- and her freshly baked mini-quiches -- from the invading fiend and his army of the undead.
Kate's husband and her two kids don't know anything about her demon-killing past -- and she wants to keep it that way. So while doing what supermoms do -- raising an inquisitive two-year old, dealing with a teenage girl's myriad of social issues, supporting an overworked husband running for county attorney, etc. -- Kate also finds time to unravel the mystery behind the sudden ghoulish invasion. It seems a master demon named Goramesh has come to town in search of an invaluable religious artifact secreted in a much-storied cathedral. But in order to obtain the relic, Goramesh must first find a suitable human subordinate…

The character of Kate Connor is an appealing mélange of Laurell K. Hamilton's sexy, butt-kicking vampire executioner Anita Blake, Sex and the City's super-cool column writer Carrie Bradshaw, and the women of ABC's Desperate Housewives, whose lives revolve around domestic intrigues like potty training, teenage curfews, PTA meetings, bake sales, neighborhood gossip -- and scandalous secrets. Fast-paced and strikingly clever, this lighthearted romp through suburbia will appeal to romance, mystery, and fantasy fans alike. Paul Goat Allen

My Comments:
What more can I say after all that?! Lots!

Anita Blake has become way too slutty for me. I don't enjoy LKH's books that at one time were the end all be all, nothing could ever compare this is the litmus test for all other paranormal fiction. Whew. That was a mouthful!

Mary Janice Davidson's characters while funny at times have become just too snarky and mean! I can't relate at all to characters who are bitchy just because. The plots grew thinner as the protagonists grew meaner. It's hard to care about characters who are too shallow to know any better. And this is the only author I have ever written to who never replied. *sniff* I know. My feelings almost got hurt there for a second.

Ah, but Julie Kenner's heroine was ultra relatable (okay, so that's probably not a real word). Right down to the play dates, teenagers starting high school, Fiesta Ware, husband's work schedule, toddler trauma and eating a sleeve of thin mints and Diet Coke at noon because she forgot to eat breakfast. The characters were real! (Well, except for the demonic ones.) What a treat! There was a real plot! And it actually made sense! I was riveted.

I really enjoyed Julie Kenner's website as well and discovered I actually have a lot in common with her. For me, it made the reading experience that much more enjoyable. It's always slightly disappointing for me to discover my favorite author is against most of the things I hold dear. How refreshing to discover the opposite in this case.

I'm thrilled to have the next book in this series "California Demon" waiting for me on my To Be Read Shelf, and the third in the series, "Demons Are Forever" is due out in July.

Keep It Or Pass It On?:
Oh, I'll be keeping it. I'll lend it to friends, but for now I want to keep it available for re-reading at a later date!

For Kicks by Dick Francis

2007-02-05T11:51:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
Australian horse breeder Daniel Roke had resisted the exorbitant sum of money offered by a suave Englishman to investigate a scandal involving drugged racehorses. But after another investigator dies mysteriously, Roke agrees to fill his shoes—and learns that men who would give drugs to horses are capable of doing much worse to human beings.

My Comments:
I've always felt guilty because my husband happily reads whatever book I'm currently gushing about. Whether it's a paranormal "romance" like JR Ward or Laurell K. Hamilton or Charlaine Harris, or even JD Robb AKA Nora Roberts, or Janet Evanovich, if I like it, he'll read it. I've never done the same for him. He's loved Dick Francis since he was a boy. Same for Louis Lamour. I'll go so far as to say, as he has, that Louis Lamour made him the man he is today. As a subsitute father, you could do worse then Louis. At last, I read a Dick Francis and enjoyed it very much! And my husband was thrilled to say the least.

I've never been a fan of horse racing. I suppose that's what held me back. I love horses, but racing them and breeding them, and such never interested me in the least. I'm so glad I finally got over such a tiny roadblock. These are solid mysteries with vivid characters and I am looking forward to reading another one.

I was really surprised when I read this book was published in the 60's. It didn't seem dated in the least! It was a more complicated mystery then the publisher leads us to believe. The character, Daniel as a successful horse trainer in his own right, went undercover as a stable lad to try and discover how these horses are being drugged. I never thought about how that could affect the entire sport. He went from a confident man with affluence to a man only the worst stable would employ. A man who couldn't be trusted and was the lowest of the low. After pretending to be a man of poor character for so long, it starts to take it's toll, but Daniel over comes, the day is saved and the horses can live happily ever after!

Keep It or Pass it On?
I probably won't be reading this one again, but Francis has written over 40 mysteries for me to sink my teeth into.

Sex Money Kiss by Gene Simmons

2007-01-29T17:22:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
Publishers Weekly
Exhibiting an "abiding faith in self" and an ability to think outside the traditional parameters of ethics, religion, rituals and social mores, rock legend and Kiss founding member Simmons (KISS and Make-Up) offers his no-holds-barred life philosophy. Presenting the book as "access to the American dream" of money and happiness and warning that what he says is only "food for thought" and that he'll be painting with wide strokes, Simmons recounts his rise from an immigrant boy who didn't speak English until his teens and paid for college buying and selling old comic books, to his current music, recording, acting and publishing successes. Narrated in a distinctive, deep voice and peppered with expletives and frequent interjections of the word "baby" for emphasis, Simmons touches on a range of topics, including investment advice, his brief stint as a teacher and behind-the-scenes Kiss business negotiations, which fans are especially sure to appreciate in audio format. Simmons's humor, perfectly suited in translation from prose, begins with his "salute" to modern women, who he contends are ultimately slaves to biology, and a funny explanation of why men can't be monogamous (because "women are from Mars; men have penis."). Simultaneous release with the New Millennium hardcover (Forecasts, May 19). (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

My Comments:
Other then the continual “marriage is from hell” mantra, I found this book fairly interesting. I’ve never been a KISS fan. I never really cared much about Gene Simmons, but I must confess, I watched his show on A&E last season and was fairly compelled by it. I would be more intrigued by his other book, “KISS and Makeup” because it’s more a straight biography. Gene was raised by a single mother. They were immigrants to this country, and he didn’t even speak English until his teens. He’s had an incredible drive from the time he was a young child. He always had something going on. Some way of making money. It almost seems to be an obsession. But as much as I disagree with him on religion and relationships, the man must be doing something right. His kids and would be wife love and adore him and he adores them. He’s very successful in business and the music industry. He has a sense of self and confidence that is completely foreign to me and I found it a quality I admire.

Keep it or pass it on?:
I’ll be passing this book on. I think Gene would be proud that I bought in on the bargain book shelf at Barnes and Noble and I didn’t even spend my own money on it. Gift Cards rule.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

2007-01-22T17:29:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century.

My Comments: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what is the book *about*? As with many classics that I never got around to reading, the back of the book and information from the publisher tells you little to nothing about the story. I don't even trust myself to do an adequate job and most of you probably know the book already. But just in case... It takes place in a small town in the 1940's. It's told from a young girl’s perspective and affords the reader with a clearer view of people their situations and stations in life. Her father is a widower, lawyer and statesman, and he has been chosen to defend a black man accused of raping a poor white woman. The black community embraces the young girl and her brother, while most of the town and their schoolmates definitely do not. There is also the mystery man who lives next door. No one has seen him in years and the siblings and their friend are determined to make contact with him and occupy themselves for many a season imagining what he is like and if he’s even still alive.

Thank goodness I was never forced to read this book in school! I never would have enjoyed it this much. I don't think I remember a single classic I was assigned to read in school, even though I always loved to read. I'm not the type of person who questions authority at every step. Maybe the teachers I had sucked the joy out of reading with the assignments that went along with it. I don't know. But I am so thankful that didn't happen with this book. And I hope I learn a lesson from it because I can't wait for my 14 year old to read it!

By far, it's my favorite book of the year. I cried no less then 4 times at the sheer poetic beauty of the characters and their experiences. Atticus was far too self depreciating as modest about his ability to parent his children. Never could you find a more compassionate, loving, brilliant man to be a father. I know I am a better person for just reading about him. It’s been a pleasure reading about Scout, Jem and Atticus, and I’ve grown in character right along with them.

Keep It or Pass It On?: I'm not letting this one leave my shelf!

Betrayal in Death by JD Robb

2007-01-16T14:57:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher:
At the luxurious Roarke Palace Hotel, a maid walks into suite 4602 for the nightly turndown - and steps into her worst nightmare. A killer leaves her dead, strangled by a thin silver wire. He's Sly Yost, a virtuoso of music and murder. A hit man for the elite. Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows him well. But in this twisted case, knowing the killer doesn't help solve the crime. Because there's someone else involved. Someone with a more personal motive. And Eve must face a terrifying possibility - that the real target may, in fact, be her husband Roarke...

My Comments:
This is the 12th Eve Dallas book, and they are still very good. The killer was a horrible character that made you cringe. They are good, solid little mysteries set in the future, giving this series something to differentiate it from the others.

I just have to say something though. Since this is my book blog, why not? I find it so hypocritial that the author makes guns illegal in the future and in this book she even took it a step further by extemporizing how "guns don't kill people, people kill people, but owning guns sure doesn't help". Great! So in this author's future, we have no second amendment rights. I wonder what other rights she would do away with? Interesting to note that in her future, criminals still get guns. It's the law abiding citizens that can't have them. Okay, now that I have that out of my system...

I do love this series. My grandmother, who has since passed, read every single one and passed them along to me. They have great sentimental value. I made a New Year's Resolution to read one a month until I catch up. I might not make it, but it's the thought that counts! I only have 14 more to go.

What took me so long to start reading these again? When Grama was still alive, I got in a kick and read four or five in a row and burned myself out. They started to run together and they seemed very similar. It has taken me years to pick the series up again, but I'm really glad I did. For a while there, they made me miss Grama, and I couldn't enjoy them without thinking about her. But now I look forward to seeing the characters evolve. Eve and Roarke are a couple I really enjoy coming back to.

Keep or Pass it On?
I decided to go ahead and post to Paperbackswap.com. I enjoy them, but not enough to pick up again.

Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy

2007-01-08T13:30:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher
Haunted by a series of horrifying and violent episodes in their past, Grace McBride and the oddball crew of her software company, Monkeewrench, create a computer game where the killer is always caught, where the good guys always win. But their game becomes a nightmare when someone starts duplicating the fictional murders in real life, down to the last detail.

By the time the police realize what's happening, three people are dead, and with seventeen more murder scenarios available online, there are seventeen more potential victims. While the authorities scramble to find the killer in a city paralyzed by fear, the Monkeewrench staff are playing their own game, analyzing victim profiles in a frantic attempt to discover the murderer's next target.

In a thriller populated by characters both hilarious and heartbreaking, a rural Wisconsin sheriff, two Minneapolis police detectives, and Grace's gang are caught in a web of decades-old secrets that could get them all killed.

My Comments:

I LOVED this book. Love love loved it! My bookgroup was all abuzz over it probably close to a year ago and here I am, finally getting around to this fantastic thriller! Better late then never definitely applies here.

The best side benefit of having a nasty sinus infection is the down time spent reading. Monkeewrench certainly helped me on the road to good health by distracting me from my disagreeable sinus passages.

The premise of the computer game was very interesting. I'm a closet computer gamer. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. But the characters really drew me in. Especially the Monkeewrench crew. Fun, rich characters that you enjoy getting to know and feel compassion for.

Okay, it's a mystery right? So how far into it did I figure out whodunit? I'm pretty slow trying to figure things out generally. I like to just enjoy the ride and let the story unfold. I had an idea about a hundred pages from the end, but thanks to twists and turns you just don't see coming it was an exciting ending to say the least.

I can't wait to read Live Bait, the next in the series. Oh, and did I mention the author is a mother/daughter writing team? I love that!

Keep it or Pass it On?

My husband must read this book, and I'm sure I'll be loaning it out once or twice more before giving it to Paperbackswap.com. Not because I didn't enjoy it, but because the ending was so exciting, there's no way I'll forget who did it, and a re-read probably isn't in my future. Besides, this book must be shared!

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

2007-01-05T13:53:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher

"I am Catalina, Princess of Spain, daughter of the two greatest monarchs the world has ever known...and I will be Queen of England."

Thus, bestselling author Philippa Gregory introduces one of her most unforgettable heroines: Katherine of Aragon. Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other's company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny.

My Comments

What a wonderful read! After first reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I became completely enthralled with the author and her books about this time period. Having never read historical fiction before, I am so grateful to my online Booklovers Group for suggesting it. It completely opened my eyes to a new genre I adore.

While this novel wasn't quite as compelling as The Other Boleyn Girl, I really hate to compare them. I was so curious about what Katherine of Aragon was like before she came to court. Before she become King Henry VIII's queen. My curiosity has been sated!

And while this is historical fiction, the research the author has done really shines through. There is some debate about the facts, and the author has definitely taken literary license, but history has become enthralling! I look forward to reading The Queen's Virgin, The Queen's Fool and definitely The Bolelyn Inheritance I've heard such amazing things about.

While The Constant Princess takes place first historicially, there really isn't an order to this "series" and can be considered stand alones.

I'll definitely be keeping this on my shelf for a while longer. I can't part with it just yet, but I will be loaning it out to my mother who I managed to addict to Gregory as well. I love sharing a good book!

Sleeping with the Fishes by MaryJanice Davidson

2007-01-05T13:24:00.000-09:00

The Barnes & Noble ReviewTurning her attention from the customary vampires and werewolves, bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson makes a splash with this delightful mermaid-out-of-water story. Her heroine is no Ariel but Fredrika Bimm, better known as Fred -- a cranky 29-year-old who hasn't gone out on a date in six years. She's also a hybrid mermaid who figured out a long time ago that her hippie father wasn't exactly her true parent. Fred has found a good career niche at the New England Aquarium, but with hair the color of the ocean and a tail that emerges in water, she still feels like a freak -- until the new water man arrives. Dr. Thomas Pearson is not only cute; he also writes romances under a feminine pen name. Then up surfaces Fred's putative ruler, Artur, the High Prince of the Black Sea. He wants help in solving the mystery of who's been poisoning the waters in Boston Harbor. So there's Fred with two guys, both of whom who actually want her, and a dark mystery to solve. Davidson brings her offbeat humor and sexiness to everything she does, and the full cast of characters, including Fred's neurotic boss, is a lot of fun. Ginger Curwen

My Comments
I enjoy MJD for the most part. Her Dead series started out with a bang and I remember laughing out loud more then once. But I personally find it ridiculous when the author makes pointed, out of context insults toward Republicans. If it fit with the story, sure! Make your social commentary, but it doesn't. Republicans read her books too! I bet she would write a hilarious political book. Oh, well. Back to the story.

I thought the idea of a Mermaid protagonist was fun and had a lot of potential. MJD has a habit of making her main characters very cranky. Okay, I'll just say it. Bitchy. They are sharp tongued and fast witted, but I wouldn't want Fred for a friend. Or Betsy from the Undead series either for that matter. They are selfish, shallow and mean but funny as hell. So maybe it's a good thing that her books can be read in a few hours. You wouldn't want to spend very many days with these ladies!

There just isn't that much substance. I know going into an MJD that it's going to be a light, fun read, but for the cost of a paperback (or horrors a hardcover like the last Undead book that was released) I wouldn't mind having more involved. I probably wouldn't have bothered to buy it if it weren't for a Barnes and Noble gift card and my book group was doing a buddy read. I was mildly entertained by it, but it was ultimately forgettable. Darn it!

I'm sorry to say, I'm posting it to Paperbackswap.

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

2006-12-19T14:01:00.000-09:00

From BooklistAlthough a judge rules in her favor, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates is found guilty of incompetence in the press. Her entire life has centered on her exclusive practice, and now all her patients have abandoned her. Salvation comes unexpectedly at the behest of her estranged sister, Ellie, the chief of police in their hometown of Rain Valley, Washington. Julia never wanted to go back to their small logging town, where she was the scrawny bookworm and Ellie was the homecoming queen, but now, even though they refuse to admit it, the sisters need each other as they try to save a young girl found in a forest in the company of a wolf. She behaves like an animal and doesn't speak. Julia works hard to break the mute silence of the mysterious little girl; Ellie tries to find out where she belongs; and both of them defend the girl they decide to call Alice against those who would exploit her. Through helping this young lost soul, Julia and Ellie learn a lot about themselves and about their relationships in one of this perennially best-selling writer's most compelling and riveting novels to date. Magic Hour will enhance Hannah's popularity and affirm her dominance in women's fiction. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

My Comments: I still have to thank my friend, Lori for introducing me to Kristen Hannah. This is my second book by the author, and I enjoyed it just as much. I recognize her "formula" and I'm comforted by it. There's the misfit in an uncomfortable situation who grows and flourishes and lives happily ever after. What's not to love? But that over simplifies what Hannah accomplishes with her books. I love a writer who really makes you feel the characters and the situation. You can easily get lost a Hannah novel.

This book deals with another estranged sister situation and it's a pleasure to witness the sisters grow together and overcome. Throw in a handsome man with a broken heart that needs healing, a little girl who needs rescuing and love and a little town full of quirky characters.

I'll be passing it on to a friend most likely. I don't think I'll be reading it again, but I'm grateful for the trip I took with Julia, Ellie and especially Alice.

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

2006-12-09T11:54:00.000-09:00

From the Publisher: Jack St. Bride is twice damned. Just released from prison for a statuary rape he did not commit, this ex-teacher has become a dishwasher in a remote New Hampshire town. Hoping to maintain a low profile, St. Bride begins to develop a relationship with his attractive boss almost against his will. Healing, however, is turned to exposure, when our mild-mannered ex-con is accused once again by a teenager. This high-voltage legal thriller has a nice human edge.

My thoughts: I literally could not put this book down. That's the case with the majority of Picoult's books for me. I enjoyed how it was loosely based on The Crucible, giving the story a modern bent. The author bent over backwards in her research about Wicca and sexual abuse and it shows. She does an amazing job of showing both sides of the story and remains sensative to both sides as well.

I was abused by a teacher as a teenager, and as difficult as I thought this would be to read, it wasn't. I was wisked away to a little town of Salem Falls and into a totally different situation. But having personal experiences of my own, I could appreciate how delicately the events were written and how accurate. And I gained insight from a completely different point of view.

There was a certain point in the book where I couldn't have put it down if you paid me. The final 75 pages were a whirlwind. I only wish I had taken the time to savor it more instead of powering through. There is quite a surprise at the end, which I had actually seen coming, but I still didn't want to believe it. I found myself re-reading it to make sure I wasn't mistaken.

I think I'll find myself visiting Salem Falls again, if just to enjoy it more and take my time. That's the only disadvantage to Picoult for me. I get so wrapped up in her story, that I find myself reading until way past my bedtime, and stealing moments in waiting rooms. Picoult's prose should be savored.

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

2006-12-05T14:24:00.000-09:00

From Publishers Weekly: Harris, author of the Aurora Teagarden cozies, adds a touch of grit to her books featuring briskly efficient, 31-year-old Arkansas cleaning lady Lily Bard. Lily hides a traumatic past under a prickly exterior, but, in the series' third book (after Shakespeare's Champion, 1997), this karate expert lowers her defenses just long enough to reconcile with her family and help solve a series of grisly murders. Returning to her home town of Bartley (a stone's throw from her residence in Shakespeare, Ark.) for her sister Varena's wedding, Lily is plunged headlong into an eight-year-old kidnapping investigation after her lover and confidant, Jack Leeds, a PI with a questionable past, arrives to follow up an anonymous tip that the kidnapper and the missing girl are both in Bartley. When the town's beloved family practitioner, his nurse and a young mother are bludgeoned to death, suspicion falls on Varena's fiance a widower who just happens to have an eight-year-old daughter. The investigation intensifies, and Lily uses her family connections and her impeccable cleaning skills to ferret out some crucial information. Harris tells a forceful story with a complex, flawed heroine who is wary of emotional attachments. The denizens of Bartley: the shrewd sheriff; old high-school classmates with long memories; Lily's loving but overprotective parents form a memorable gallery of secondary characters. Harris's blend of cozy style with more hard-boiled elements isn't always smooth, but it's interesting to see her working toward a deeper complexity. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

My thoughts:
This was a very fast read. It was a nice little mystery to cozy up to on the weekend with a Christmas-y theme. I enjoy Lily Bard and like to see her character develop and get a look at how far she's come. From victim to super sleuth, Lily is an unassuming hero. I enjoy her, but I wouldn't mind some more depth. Lily is definitely mystery-lite, but that's not a bad thing. She has her place.

Very enjoyable, but not a book I'll hold on to. I posted it to Paperback Swap and it was requested right away.

Face the Fire by Nora Roberts

2006-11-30T08:26:00.000-09:00

From Library Journal:When Sam Logan returns to Three Sisters Island after an 11-year absence, he has two goals in mind: revitalizing the family hotel and reclaiming Mia Devlin, the woman he loved as a teenager and then deserted. However, the wary Mia is not the na ve girl he left behind; as one of three powerful witches charged with saving the island from an ancient curse, she is not about to let Sam hurt her again or interfere with her task. But Sam has a part to play in the final confrontation with the evil that threatens the island-and the people he loves. Fast-paced, beautifully sensual, and filled with three-dimensional characters readers would want as friends, this concluding volume of Roberts's trilogy (which includes Dance upon the Air and Heaven and Earth) rewards fans with a well-told tale that neatly ties up all the ends with a fiery climax that reaffirms the power of love over evil. A best-selling writer and member of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame, Roberts lives in Keedysville, MD. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

My thoughts:

This was my favorite of the trilogy and took me the longest to start. Mia is all any woman has ever wanted to be. Confident, unbelievably gorgeous, independently wealthy, owns a fabulous bookstore and everyone is in love with her the minute they set eyes on her. She's just a little too unreal sometimes but I wouldn't mind being Mia when I grow up.

The Wiccan chanting and spells play a larger roll in this book and while I take it with a grain of salt, it plays off as a tad hokey. "No one who passes now need fear. You can do no more harm here."

That being said, it was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and adored Three Sisters Island. If only such a place existed, I would enjoy regular visits. The relationship between Mia and Sam was a slow burn as he worked hard to rekindle love. Which of course is directly linked to saving the island under a 300 year curse. His determination paid off in the end and it the book ends in action and fireworks and all too quickly. I'm not one for traditional romance novels, but this book has a lot more going on then love in the afternoon.

Personal Note:

It took so long for me to pick up this trilogy because it reminds me of my Grandma. We shared books a lot, and she loved this series and anything Nora Roberts put to paper. When she was in the hospital, I chatted with a housekeeper there who loved the series as well. There was a book sale going on downstairs and I picked up the first in the series that sparked a lively conversation. One of the few Grama was up to having while she was hospitalized.

After Gram passed away, I didn't have much interest in bringing back memories. I still grieved. I loved sharing books with her (she actually did most of the sharing) and felt a connection with her. I suppose after finally starting this series, it took me the longest to read this one because the connection would end. But I still have the memories.