A Bookishly Decadent Weekend: O.O

So, big plans for this glorious 3-day weekend:

Cecile and Hannah are coming in tomorrow night and we're going to hang out in the French Quarter. I'm pretty sure Parajunkee has decided to join us as well :) Of course, there WILL be drinking involved. And maybe some ogling...it is Southern Decadence weekend :)

Sunday is the Writer's For New Orleans book signing, and a few more local-ish bloggers are meeting up for brunch and books.

So, basically, my weekend looks like this:


and this:


and this:




Don't be hatin'...

Review: Hide-A-Cover

While I love to look at deliciously smutty book covers, I'll admit that I'm embarassed to be seen with one in my hand. (I mentioned I wish I had fake book covers here in 2009.) I work in a professional building and ride a shuttle from my parking garage to my office every day. I'm always hiding my book while waiting at the shuttle stop in the mornings and afternoons. I've seen quilted cloth covers but they weren't exactly what I wanted, so I was thrilled when Hide-a-Cover contacted me to try their covers!

They have several selections, ranging from funny and obvious to ones that look like real books. I chose the "Decoding Binary" cover as a personal joke since I'm so terrible with computers:

They come in two sizes - small for Mass Market Paperbacks, and medium for Trade Paperback size. I received the medium size for review. You can use them for mass market paperbacks but it does look a little weird. Here's me putting the trade paperback into the cover - super easy!


The first trade paperback I put in worked pretty well but was just a bit too long to be totally covered... Honestly, this was my only complaint. I wish the large covers were about 1/2 inch longer. You can see how the edges stuck out past the paper cover a bit. I was able to bend the plastic cover so the entire book was still inside the cover, but the paper cover that hides the book didn't quite reach, and this was not a thick book:


You can kind of see the line on the left in this picture where I had to re-bend the plastic to fit the book:

I think they allowed for this to happen though, as there are two spots on the inside where you're supposed to slide the cover and thus it was able to fit.

Here's where I tried it with a MM Paperback. It's not as good - I'd like to try the smaller size cover for my smaller paperbacks. Here's pics of my MM paperback inside the medium cover:


One other plus I noted is that my covers stayed newer. I carry a book in my purse all the time and so the corners and edges get a bit worn. These covers helped with that.


Here is a sample of what they offer:

Pretty cute, right? I actually had someone approach me at lunch and ask if I was studying binary code! I love the idea behind these covers and will definitely use mine. I'll also order a smaller size for my regular-sized paperbacks too.

Here is their website, their prices are reasonable ($4.95/small and $5.95/medium) and they have several choices.

My rating:

This product was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Never A Bride by Amelia Grey

From the author's website:
Her name is on everyone’s lips . . .
When he left for America six years ago, the handsome Viscount Stonehurst never suspected that he would return home to England to find his lovely fiancé embroiled in the scandal of the decade. The woman he planned on making his wife has been kissing every man in London . . . except him!

But scandal doesn’t matter in search of the truth . . .
Engaged and then abandoned, Mirabella Wittingham is determined to find the man who drove her cousin to suicide, even if it means ruining her reputation and disgracing herself in the process . . .


When her plans go awry, Mirabella has no choice but to turn to her long-lost fiancé for help. But can she trust the man who deserted her so many years ago, or is he destined to fail her yet again?

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This is my first book by Amelia Grey. I'd heard wonderful things about her Rogues' Dynasty series and was looking forward to reading Never A Bride.

The premise of the story was good: Mirabella's father secured her engagement to Viscount "Cam" Brackley. Cam then had no intention of marrying Mirabella until he was old, he only agreed to the engagement because her dowry would help his father pay off debts. Six years later, Mirabella's father demands he come back and marry or Cam's father must repay the portion of dowry he already received.

Mirabella, however, knows none of this - only that her fiancee has been gone and will probably not come back any time soon. She is on a mission to find out who disgraced her cousin so badly that the cousin committed suicide. In order to do that, she must get the young men of the ton alone and get her finger into their neckcloths in search of a scar the cousin had written about in her diary. Needless to say Mirabella is starting to get a bit of a reputation when Cam unexpectely returns.

Here's the thing: I liked both Mirabella and Cam, just not together. They were both lovely characters but they didn't "mesh" for me. It was like they just kept bumping up against each other but didn't quite connect. My other problem was that I guessed the "whodunit" very early into the book. I would have preferred a bit of mystery and suspense on that front. It was frustrating to watch Mirabella go through all her machinations when I already knew who it was.

We also met Cam's best childhood friend, who was unexplainably mean to both Cam and Mirabella, but we never found out why he was such a jerk - jealousy? I'm not sure what he would be jealous of as he was already titled and married and had an heir. I was a bit confused on that point.

As I mentioed above, while I did like the main characters, this book was just not a good match for me.

My rating:

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

August Wrap-Up (It's a doozy!)

Ever since I came back from vacation, I've been feeling like I'm behind in my reading. I don't know why, I just feel off. I did get some great reads in though:

1. Alpha - Rachel Vincent (5 stars!) - will be posting this review soon :)
2. Awakened by a Kiss - Lila DiPasqua (3.5 stars)
3. White Heat - Brenda Novak (3 stars)
4. Georgia's Kitchen - Jenny Nelson (3 stars)
5. Bring on the Night - Jeri Smith-Ready (5 stars!)
6. Deceived by Desire - Larissa Lyons (3 stars)
7. Comfort Food - Kitty Thomas (5 stars!)
8. Ecstasy Unveiled - Larissa Ione (4 stars)
9. Sin Undone - Larissa Ione (5 stars!)
10. Dangerous Desires - Dee Davis (4 stars)
11. Seduced by a Highlander (4 stars)
12. The Satin Sash - Red Garnier (2 1/2 stars)
13. Never a Bride - Ava Grey ( 2 1/2 stars)

I'd say I had a pretty eclectic month!

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I had a personal milestone this month - my baby started Big Girl School: Pre-K 4, next year is Kindergarten. She's been so excited all summer to start school where her big sister goes. Another milestone, my oldest is a senior in high school this year (he didn't want his picture taken). Here's the Littlest Book Addict in her school uniform:

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August 29 marks the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As much as I don't want to think about it, it seeps into my mind this time of year. I couldn't figure out why I was thinking so much about it recently and then I looked at a calendar and realized why. I wasn't going to write a post about Katrina this year, I want to forget. I purposely did not write about it on my personal blog either. But I started thinking, and couldn't stop. If you're interested - here's my post about my survivor's guilt.

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This weekend is the Writers for New Orleans author event and multi-author book signing - a few of us are getting together Sat night for drinks and Sunday for brunch at The Court of Two Sisters for brunch before the signing. If you think you'd be interested in either, contact me at bookaddictpatti at cox dot net - we'd love to meet you!!!

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And, totally random but I love it so much I have to show it off - my new purse and wallet:

I did buy it in August so technically it can go with this post :) I love Mexican sugar skull and Dia de los Muertos art, so when I saw this in a shop in the French Quarter I had to have it. It's a small messenger bag - holds my kindle or a book (not both), wallet, checkbook and sunglasses - not too big at all...

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Lastly, I've got a football challenge going on - check it out here! I know some of you are football fans - this will be fun! Even if you're not a huge fan, think how surprised your hubs/boyfriend will be when you ask about the game - seriously, ask him if he thinks your team can beat the Saints!

Review: Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

From the author's website:
Book#2 in the Children of the Mist series
His kiss is her undoing...

SINS THAT CAN’T BE FORGIVEN
Tristan MacGregor is famed throughout the Highlands as a silver-tongued seducer and an unrepentant rogue. Bold and charming, he’s dallied with many women, yet none as beguiling and mysterious as the lass he steals a kiss from at the king’s court. Little does he know this beauty is one of his clan’s greatest enemies. br>

PASSION THAT CAN’T BE DENIED
Isobel Fergusson has despised the bloodthirsty MacGregors ever since they murdered her father. When she learns the handsome stranger who melted her resistance is a MacGregor, she vows to forget him. But Tristan means to possess her at any cost and Isobel’s body turns traitor at his touch. Can a man she’s sworn to hate be the only one she can ever love?

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I had not read Ms. Quinn's first book in this series, Ravished by a Highlander, but when the opportunity arose to read the 2nd book in the series, Seduced by a Highlander, I jumped on it!

10 years ago, young Tristan MacGregor got into a fight with young Alex Fegusson. It spiraled out of control and when the dust cleared, Tristan's favorite uncle was dead, and Alex's widowed father was dead too - leaving his older brother Patrick as leader of the Fergusson clan. Patrick and Isobel were still children themselves, and had to take care of their 5 younger brothers, leaving them susceptable to raids from stronger clans nearby. The bitterness between the MacGregors and Fergussons was deep and strong.


I am a sucker for handsome, rogue-ish Highlanders. The kilts, the speech, the stubborn perseverance...I love it all. I liked Tristan, very much. He was a sympathetic hero - I don't know if you could call him a Beta hero or not - he knew how to fight and was good at it, but he preferred to convince you to see his way of things instead of beating you until you give in. His father and brothers were more prone to get their way by fighting, Tristan was more like his dead uncle.

Isobel was a terrific heroine - spunky, opinionated, fiercely loyal to her family. She was a hard worker and cared for her brothers very much.

I was captured from Isobel and Tristan's first meeting. The back-and-forth between them was lively and engaging. When Tristan goes to Isobel's home to try to set things right - hilarity ensues. Isobel's brothers were very funny, as was Tristan's reaction to them. I've said before I don't like kids in my romance stories but these kids were funny.

I really, really enjoyed this book - the end was a bit abrubt, I would have liked a bit more detail, but other than that it was a sweet story.

My rating:

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Think your team can beat the Saints? Put your Blog where your mouth is!!!

I've noticed that some of my fellow bloggers are also football fans...and I thought it would be fun to "wager" on the games this year. My idea is that I'll take one fan per game (listed below) and we can have a bit of friendly rivalry - maybe the losing team would put a picture of the winning team's logo prominently on their blog for a week, or trade a book or if you have a better idea I'm always open to suggestions...

You'd need to have a blog (for obvious reasons), trash talking is okay (keep it clean) and I reserve the right to tweak the "rules" if something comes up... I'll probably put up a quickie post sometime during the week before the game noting who we're playing and which blogger is backing the other team.

So, does anyone think their team can beat the Superbowl Champions? WHO DAT???!!!! Put your blog where your mouth is and leave me a comment or send an e-mail to bookaddictpatti at cox dot net. I'll take one challenger per game, and fill in the names/blog on this post as they come up. Anyone else is welcome to stop by and cheer for your favorite team :)

If this "meme" takes off, we can talk about playoffs when we get a wee bit closer :)

Sept. 9 MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Sept. 20 at San Francisco 49ers
Sept. 26 ATLANTA FALCONS
Oct. 3 CAROLINA PANTHERS
Oct. 10 at Arizona Cardinals
Oct. 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oct. 24 CLEVELAND BROWNS
Oct. 31 PITTSBURGH STEELERS - Lillie at Read My Mind
Nov. 7 at Carolina Panthers
Nov. 14 BYE
Nov. 21 SEATTLE
Nov. 25 at Dallas Cowboys
Dec. 5 at Cincinnati Bengals - Colette at A Buckeye Girl Reads
Dec. 12 ST. LOUIS RAMS
Dec. 19 at Baltimore Ravens
Dec. 27 at Atlanta Falcons
Jan. 2 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL????

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!

Winner: Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson

Many thanks to all who entered the giveaway, and to Simon and Schuster for providing the book! The winner of Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson is:

Bethie!!!

Congratulations! Please send me an e-mail at bookaddictpatti at cox dot net with your mailing info and I will get this book right out to you!

To everyone else:

Review: Sin Undone by Larissa Ione

From the author's website:

HER TOUCH IS DEADLY
As the only female Seminus demon ever born, master assassin Sinead Donnelly is used to being treated like an outcast. She spent decades enslaved, and now vows she’ll die before she’ll relinquish her freedom again. Then Sin’s innate ability to kill her enemies goes awry: She creates a lethal new werewolf virus that sparks a firestorm of panic and violence.

HIS HUNGER CAN’T BE DENIED
Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she’s no stranger: He’s bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld’s most wanted and Con soon learns he’s the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.

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OMG - Larissa Ione is the Queen of Romantic Tension! This book was so freakin' good! Definitely my favorite book of the series!

Sin is a wonderful heroine - tough-talking and definitely able to cash the checks her mouth writes - she is one kick-ass heroine. I liked her in the previous book, Ecstasy Unveiled, and was excited that she was getting her own book.

And Con, *swoons*, oh, Con is completely sigh-worthy! The perfect blend of bad boy Alpha-type male with a tender heart on the inside (of course, he has to go through trial by fire to find that tender heart, but when he does....*swoons again*). And plenty of biting *winks* - very nice!

Ms. Ione kept me on the edge of my seat throughout this book. First of all, there's the plague that Sin accidentally started in Ecstasy Unveiled. It's growing out of control and they can't seem to find a cure. I really, really felt bad for Sin. Soon she's being hunted by the Wargs, the Turneds, the Assassins, and a weird guy on horseback.

And when Sin and Con got thrown together to try to find a cure - oh, the tension really sizzled. It went from "will they or won't they" to "more, more, more please!!!" Then, we learn about the dangers of a blood addiction for Con and it seems an insurmountable obstacle for them. Throw in his Clan's requirement that he join in for the mating season, and I just didn't see how these two were going to get their HEA. I think there were about four different points in this book where I thought to myself, "You've written yourself into a corner Ms. Ione, how are you going to fix this?" and wow, she really did!!!

There was a secondary story with Con's co-worker, Luc, and another werewolf, Kar. At first I was a bit thrown off until I realized who they were; their story was sweet and tied in nicely with the main storyline. We also got to see quite a bit of Sin's four brothers, Eidolon, Shade, Wraith, and Lore, and their mates and children. It was good to see how everyone was doing and I enjoyed how protective they all were of Sin and each other.

I loved this book! I heard this is the last book in the series, and if it is, what a way to go! A tip of the hat to you, Ms. Ione - bravo!


My rating:

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis

From the author's website:
As the extractions expert for A-Tac, an elite CIA black ops unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college, Drake Flynn knows how to survive behind enemy lines. But he’s about to meet one adversary he can’t subdue . . . or resist.

A RACE FOR SURVIVAL
Stranded in the Colombian jungle after a mission goes bad, Drake has only one objective: evade the mercenaries hot on his trail and deliver “the package” to U.S. officials. But “the package” has a mind of her own, and she has no intention of trading one set of captors for another. Madeline Reynard is beautiful, headstrong, and hell-bent on escape after years as a crime lord’s pawn. She’ll risk everything for freedom, even if it means deceiving the dark, handsome soldier who now holds her life in his hands.

Drake has been burned too many times to let a woman manipulate him, especially a secretive one like Madeline. Even so, they cannot deny the attraction between them. Now as enemy forces close in, Drake and Madeline must trust each other with their lives—or face certain death.

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When I read the first book in this series, Dark Deceptions, I was trying something new, as "special ops"-type books are not usually my thing. I was pleasantly surprised, and have been looking forward to Dangerous Desires, the 2nd book in the A-Tac series.

Dangerous Desires did not disappoint! Drake was a great moody Alpha male. Burned at love and trust by another agent, he want's nothing to do with Madeline - he' sure she's untrustworthy from the get-go. I really, really liked Drake.

Madeline's story ripped my heart out... her attempt to help her drug-addicted sister lands her in a Colombian prison. She is released to a drug lord (her sister's source) and forced to do various jobs for him to pay off her sister's debts. Then she learns her sister is dead, and she knows she has to get out. Her attempt to contact the US Embassy ends in her contact's gristly death, and Madeline is ready to give up hope. Then, Drake Flynn comes charging into her room at the drug lord's compound....

The action in Dangerous Desires was high - the jungle adventures and fighting off the bad guys kept me turning the pages. Watching Drake and Madeline get to know each other while fighting for their lives was riveting and their physical relationship progressed at a satisfying pace. I liked them both and was rooting for their HEA. There was also a bonus HEA for them that was super sweet :)

There is still someone sabotaging the Unit's missions. My suspicion from the first book is still my suspicion in this book, and I'm ready to jump into the next book, Desparate Deeds, to hopefully find out who it is. Desparate Deeds takes a little turn from the first two books in the series, as the main character is a female member of the Unit. Based on the excerpt it's going to be good!

My rating:

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

From Amazon.com:
Emily Vargas has been taken captive. As part of his conditioning methods, her captor refuses to speak to her, knowing how much she craves human contact. He's far too beautiful to be a monster. Combined with his lack of violence toward her, this has her walking a fine line at the edge of sanity. Told in the first person from Emily's perspective, Comfort Food explores what happens when all expectations of pleasure and pain are turned upside down, as whips become comfort and chicken soup becomes punishment.

DISCLAIMER:
This is not a story about consensual BDSM. This is a story about “actual” slavery. If reading an erotic story without safewords makes you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. This is a work of fiction, and the author does not endorse or condone any behavior done to another human being without their consent.

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I was first made aware of Comfort Food when Cecile reviewed it, then did an interview with Kitty Thomas. Cecile -thank you.

I don't know where to begin....All I can say is, "Wow." I read this book in one sitting, I was sucked in from the first page and couldn't put it down.

Comfort Food is the story of a true Master/slave relationship, not a fetish, but an actual way of life. Emily is kidnapped, held hostage, and manipulated emotionally until she is a willing slave.

Ms. Thomas says in her interview at Cecile's place: "Any readers who are expecting a lot of physical violence or some type of brutal rape ... that doesn't happen here."

She's absolutely right - it's all psychological, and both horrifying and fascinating at the same time. I didn't find it a dark read, more....almost clinical, if you will, and I think that was due to the descriptive quality of Ms. Thomas' writing. The "cell" was light, the other rooms were bright - I never got the impression she was ever left in darkness.

The "relationship" that developed between them was so fucked up I just couldn't look away:

"....I came to trust him more than I'd ever trusted anyone. Because even if he was a monster, he followed his own rules. And he was my monster."

I didn't miss the irony of Emily being semi-famous for writing self-help novels, and that she had a degree in psychology. She knew what was going on and was still helpless to stop it. I was very interested in Master and the reasons behind his actions. I wanted to hate him, I knew I should hate him, but I was fascinated with his motivations. I was thrilled when Ms. Thomas gave us a peek into Master's journal.

"If I have this dark need to have compete power over her, she has an equal almost pathalogical need to give it to me."

Although I thought the fact that Master was rich made things a bit too easy, it didn't bother me for long. I just couldn't put the book down, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished reading it.

We never do learn Master's name, and I can't stop wondering if Emily ever does either.

My rating: