Caught in a FAB Romance

Review: Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

2011-12-27T06:00:00.073-06:00

Scrumptious
~Amanda Usen

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: January 1, 2012
ISBN-10: 1402259824
ISBN-13: 978-1402259821

From Goodreads:
Sparks between love 'em and leave 'em pastry chef and poker sharp Marlene Bennet and traveling chef-for-hire Joe Rafferty when the two culinary perfectionists are forced to share a kitchen. But several suspicious accidents at the restaurant convince Marlene and Joe to work together to uncover the saboteur. Maybe a little intrigue and high-stakes poker will be the perfect ingredients for these commitment-phobic foodies to whip up a happily ever after.

Marly Bennett is a bakery chef working in Olivia's (her BFF) restaurant, Chameleon. Marly has worked at Chameleon for years - she grew up with Olivia's family and worked while Olivia went to culinary school. Things are not going well for Olivia - her rat of a husband has cheated on her for the last time and is trying to take the restaurant down with him. Marly knows they can keep Chameleon afloat but knows it's going to take some hard work.

Joe Rafferty is an old friend of Olivia's, passing through town on the way to fulfill his mother's deathbed wish - to visit his father and then settle down and marry a nice girl. After hearing about Olivia's predicament, Joe agrees to help out as chef, much to Marly's chagrin. Their mutual attraction is tempered by their ability to butt heads in and out of the kitchen. Besides, Marly is definitely not the type of girl Joe is looking for, and Marly does not want to settle down.

My thoughts:
Scrumptious was pretty sweet (pun intended). Even though I hate to cook, I love stories about cooks - go figure...anyhoo:

I had kind of a love/hate relationship with these two. I liked them both, they seemed like good, heardworking people, likeable, but with flaws. I also liked the back and forth between Marly and Olivia; their friendship was believable and realistic. The secondary characters were interesting and furthered the story without being obvious. I really enjoyed the scenes involving running the restaurant, I felt like I was getting a peek into the workings of a real restaurant kitchen. The mystery of how the kitchen was being sabatoged was interesting, I knew who was behind it but not how it was being accomplished.

What didn't I like? My problem with Marly was that she used one of the secondary characters to "scratch her itch" and to get back at Joe when she was mad at him. That's a no-no for me; not a good sign of character. Joe had a bit of a double-standard that got on my nerves: while he has a history of being a "himbo", he referred to Marly several times as a slut for the same behavior. I really had a problem with his quest to find a virgin/good girl and marry her. That seemed so 18th century and ridiculous given his own sexual history.

My other complaint was the ending was a bit far-fetched and fast. I would have preferred less of the excitement at the end and more of Marly/Joe.

All in all though, a cute, fun read. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

My Rating:

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

Pam's Review: His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander

2011-12-22T06:00:00.038-06:00

His Mistress by Christmas
~Victoria Alexander

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0758255675
ISBN-13: 978-0758255679
ASIN: B005CRY7NW

From Goodreads:
For three years, Lady Veronica Smithson has been a happy, independent widow. Still, the right gentleman could provide the benefits of marriage without the tedious restrictions. And in Sir Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, renowned explorer and rogue, Veronica is sure she has found him.

Sebastian will inherit his fortune in a matter of weeks—if his family deems him responsible enough. There’s no better way to prove his maturity than with a home and a wife. But though the lovely Veronica will share his bed, she refuses to marry.

An intimate sojourn at his new country house will surely change her mind. For Sebastian never takes no for an answer. And even in the midst of mischief-making relatives and unexpected complications, he intends to persuade his Christmas mistress that they belong together—in this and every season to come…

Veronica Smithson has decided that she wants to be a mistress, and never a wife. She had been married, happily too, but since she was widowed a few years back and got a taste of true independence she refuses to let a man control anything about her life again. She sets her eyes on Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, her friend’s cousin, at a lecture he was speaking at and decides that she wants to be his mistress. Sebastian is an author and a world traveler. It is rumored that he has been with many women during his travels. Will Veronica be able to convince Sebastian to let her be his mistress or will Sebastian have other plans instead?

My thoughts:
Ugh, this book. So Veronica decides she wants to be a mistress and doesn’t think ahead about what that would really mean in regards to her feelings. Such as what if she falls in love? What if it’s not forever, etc? She also announces how she wants to be a mistress to her friend, Sebastian’s cousin, at the beginning of the book, saying how she decided that Sebastian is who her conquest will be. She was just…annoying. I thought she would be more mature in her thinking, especially because she is not naïve; she has been married before.

I felt like Sebastian was blah too. Yeah, he definitely had his own plans for Veronica, and yes, he used have a reputation because of his traveling, but none of that is evident in the book because he changed his ways and just like that he wants to settle down. His character was a bore, sorry Sebastian. He just isn’t that memorable to me. The story definitely was not for me.

My Rating:

Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

2011 Wrap Up and Our Top Reads

2011-12-21T06:00:00.002-06:00

2011 was a pretty good year all said. I read some pretty darn good books and went to several book signings and ALA. In January Parajunkee and I met Karen Marie Moning *squee!*. Even though she was sick, she was so wonderful to meet in real life. Then Rachel and I also got together to meet Jeanine Frost and Pamela Palmer. I drove into Houston in March to meet Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison, and again in May for my birthday to meet Charlaine Harris (thanks Murder by the Book, hubs, and my BFF Hannah). In June, Pam joined me here to help out with reviewing. I am so thankful she did! Also in June, the American Library Association hosted their convention in NOLA, so I was fortunate to be able to go and meet several other bloggers and some terrific authors (I'm looking at you, Julie Kagawa, Sarah Dessen, and Carrie Vaughn). Fast forward to October, and GayRomLit came to NOLA - met some bloggers I never thought I'd ever meet, drank way too much and had a fabulous time.

I had a lot of fun doing M/M month in February :) and later in the year I "discovered" fairies (Julie Kagawa and Melissa Marr) and Dystopia (Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Marie Lu, Ann Aguirre); both of these genres I fought reading for quite some time until I gave in and then I devoured everything I could find!!

And now, here it is, the end of 2011, and I am shutting down Caught in a FAB Romance. Fingers crossed I'll have my last few reviews done by New Year's, if not they'll post shortly after. I'll do a goodbye post, so I'm not going to cry about it here. This post is supposed to be about how much fun 2011 was.

Here are some of our favorite books we read this year (not necessarily released this year). Not all of them were reviewed here; I've always tried to make it a point to do some reading purely for pleasure.

Patti's Top Picks:

PNR/UF:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Magic Slays Ilona Andrews

Dark Swan series by Richelle Mead

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
(not really PNR/UF but I don't know what category to put this one in)

GLBT:

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

Something Like Summer by Jay Bell

YA:

The Iron King series by Julie Kagawa

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Enclave by Anne Aguirre

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Erotic:

Fifty Shades series by E L James

Wicked Games by Jill Myles

Contemporary:

The Kowalski family series by Shannon Stacey

A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready

Swept Off Her Feet by Hester Browne

I think Sean Kennedy's Tigers and Devils and
E L James' 50 Shades series were my
favorite reads of the year.

Pam's Top Picks:

PNR/UF:

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

(The absolute BEST read for me this year!)

Georgina Kincaid Series by Richelle Mead

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

The Mercedes Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs

Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane

YA:

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Historical:

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran

Contemporary:

Riversong by Tess Hardwick

What were some of your favorites in 2011?

and Pam

Pam's Review: Unwrapped anthology

2011-12-19T06:00:00.017-06:00

Unwrapped
~Erin McCarthy, Donna Kauffman,Kate Angell

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Brava
Publish Date: September 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0758251327
ISBN-13: 978-0758251329
ASIN: B005CRY8JK

From Goodreads:
From the streets of Chicago to the back roads of Kentucky to the wild dunes of a Scottish isle, mistletoe and mischief are this season's hottest gifts...

Blue Christmas
While a blizzard blankets the world outside, Blue Farrow burrows into the arms of her highway hunk at the No Tell Motel. The road might be closed for dangerous conditions, but the couple navigates their own Kentucky Christmas curves. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.

Santa in a Kilt
The wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira McLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun. It'll take all the wiles of the canny islanders to weave a perfect Celtic Christmas for all....

Snow Angel
Snowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton's department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and the holiday romance heats up. Our snow angel finds herself face to face with the dashing Aiden, the heir to the retail riches and her host for a night of winter wonder...

Hmmmm, a Christmas anthology. Three romantic stories, one book, with Christmas as the theme? Sounds good right? Well, it mostly was; let me break it down by story:

Blue Christmas by Erin McCarthy
This was my first time reading anything by Erin McCarthy, but it most certainly will not be my last. I read Blue Christmas, approximately 90 pages, in one sitting. The main character'’s name is Blue, and she meets her leading man with fate’s help of a car accident due to a massive snow storm. (Fortunately no one was hurt). The storm is so bad that both of them have to stay the night at a local hotel. See where this is going? This was a great story with fantastic writing, and if I were to rate it by itself it would be a five star story.

Santa in a Kilt by Donna Kauffman
The only reason I read this story all the way through was because it was only a hundred pages. I'’ll be honest; this one took me a few days to read because I was so bored. The story is about Shay Callaghan and Kira McLeod. They both have emotional baggage; Kira was hurt from a divorce, and Shay is wary of relationships because he sees couples downfalls in his profession as a divorce attorney. Not only is the story boring, but random things happened that had nothing to do with the plot, and left me saying to myself, why did I have to read those extra pages? Anyways, if I were to rate this story by itself, it would be a one.

Snow Angel by Kate Angell
This is a Christmassy story that starts out on the ski slopes. Allie loves skiing and meets a handsome man named Aiden; they end up having a one night fling. Allie wakes up and gets scared; her feelings are way too strong for him. So she leaves him before he wakes up. Neither of them could find each other if they wanted to; they didn’t know each other'’s last names. Three years later they bump into each other and have a little snowbound time together. I really liked this story. It felt warm and romantic. This alone would be a four.

So, two out of three great stories is why this book only got a three star rating from me. It would have received a much higher one if not for Santa in a Kilt (the story, wink wink).

My Rating:3 stars Pam
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Agony Ecstasy anthology

2011-12-16T06:00:00.066-06:00

Agony/Ecstasy
~edited by Jane Litte

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publish Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0425243451
ISBN-13: 978-0425243459
ASIN: B005ERIJ5C

From Goodreads:
With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica--from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid. Featuring all-new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, Bettie Sharpe, Jill Myles, Margaret Rowe, Sara Thorn, and more, this book has everything a reader could hope for in an erotic romance.

I'm just going to jump right in to my thoughts on this one:
I'm not usually a fan of anthologies, so I was a bit hesitant to read this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I like reading BDSM if it's not too over-the-top, and these stories were just the right speed for me. It's kind of silly, but I thought it was very cool that the book had two sides - you read the Agony side, then flipped it over for the Ecstasy stories.

My favorite story (actually two) was Transfixed (on the Agony side) by Anne Calhoun, and her other story, Transformed (on the Ecstasy side). Very good BDSM stories; she's a dom and he's a big burly guy who likes to be hurt. I'll say again: Very good. I've added Ms. Calhoun to my "authors I must try" list.

Also on the Agony side:
Safeword by Delphine Dryden - short, sweet, friends to lovers. Hero was kind of a nerd. Very cute.

Bachelorette Party by Jessica Clare. At first I wasn't too into this but by the end I enjoyed it.

Wetwire by Snny Moraine was an original concept and I enjoyed it. Set in the near future, an interesting twist on gaming.

On the Ecstasy side:
Rescue Me by Meljean Brook had me confused at first but once I figured out what was going on I really enjoyed it.

Silverhouse by Sarabeth Scott was way too short - I wanted more! I liked the couple and their master/sub relationship in a historical setting was unique but good.

I also liked Bruised Ego by Christine D'Abo; I'll be looking for more by this author. Kind of made me think of Willing Victim by Cara McKenna for some reason - maybe the boxing in order to be hurt? I'm not sure - very good though.

There were only a few stories I didn't care for, none of them DNFs though, which I guess is the benefit of them all being short. I liked the mix of historical, contemporary, and paranormal/sci-fi. I didn't care for either GLBT story (there were only two - one f/f, one m/m), which kind of surprised me.

I would definitely recommend Agony/Ecstasy for readers who aren't sure if they'd enjoy BDSM-type reading, as well as readers who are already fans of the genre. I've discovered some new-to-me authors I'll be pursuing in the future.

My Rating:4 stars Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante

2011-12-15T06:00:00.006-06:00

Say You'll Be Mine
~Jullia Amante

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 0446581631
ISBN-13: 978-0446581639
ASIN: B004QZ9PGU
From Goodreads:
Isabel Gallegos, owner and CEO of Gallegos Wines is tired of always being responsible. Tending to everyone else's needs before her own has left her divorced, unhappy, and unfulfilled. The winery had been her parents dream, but never hers, though she devoted herself to making it a success. After much thought, Isabel decides to sell the winery, move to the beach, and finally take back her life.

But just as these changes are about to take place, Isabel's cousin and her husband are killed and she becomes the legal guardian to their three young children. Convinced this must be a mistake, Isabel returns to Argentina, intent on finding a more suitable home—and parent—for the kids. But as she spends time getting reacquainted with her family and her past, the decision to return to her own life grows complicated. Should she bring the children home with her, or find a way for them to stay in Argentina? Should she stay with them? Can she really give up her own dream, just as she's about to realize it?

Isabel Gallegos is tired of taking care of everyone but herself. From helping her parents with their winery for decades to dealing with her alcoholic husband (now ex-husband), she’s had enough. She is tired of being selfless and thinks it is about time she starts being selfish and acquire what she actually wants for a change, which happens to be to sell her family’s winery and retire to take some time just for herself. Things are headed in that direction; she has some interested buyers in her business. Then Isabel gets some shocking news; her cousin has died and left her the guardian of her three children. Isabel sees this as just another bump in the road that she will take care of before retirement, but sometimes life and love have other plans.

My thoughts:
This story started out okay. It took me a long time to really get into it, long as in about 200 pages. However, once I did the rest of the book sucked me in and I stayed up reading until 4:30am by accident! The characters and the story just snuck up on me, and I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the end.

Isabel isn’t my favorite protagonist, but I don’t really dislike her either. I can see where she is coming from, sometimes. For example, her cousin Brenda, who died and left her the kids, lived in Argentina where Isabel is from. Isabel currently lives in America, and has for some time now. I understand that she was ready to retire and finally do what she wanted to do, but some of the decisions she made with these kids were pretty bad. Granted, she is not a mother and all of this came at her out of the blue; she was bound to make mistakes. But some of these mistakes make her seem pretty cold hearted.

As I mentioned before, the last hundred or so pages flew by because I was so involved in the story. So while Say You’ll Be Mine started out as an okay book, it ended up being good which is why I gave it 3 stars.

My Rating:3 starsPam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Feral by Sheri Whitefeather

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

Feral
~Sheri Whitefeather

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publish Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 042524332X
ISBN-13: 978-0425243329
ASIN: B005ERITCU

From Goodreads:
Mexico, 1850. One fateful night Noah Diaz is ravished by a bold woman who transforms him into an immortal lion. Now he is a wealthy man who owns an underground sex club where supernatural beings can indulge in no-holds-barred sensual play. Though Noah has scores of willing victims, it is the thrill of the hunt he desires...

Jenny Lincoln runs a big cat rescue operation that can't stay afloat-until a donor comes through with the condition that she goes to his club. Both Noah and the club at first frighten her but eventually thrill her. It's clear that she is Noah's prey, but once she gets a taste, it is Jenny who wants more...

Jenny Lincoln runs her grandfather's ranch as a big cat rescue, but funding has been slow and she's going to have to shut down...then she gets an anonymous donation with the promise of more money - enough to keep the rescue running. The only catch is she has to go out with the donor - to his "animal shifter" themed sex club.

Noah Diaz was human, until a vicious attack by a shapeshifter changed his life forever. A century later, he's running a sex club for shifters and shifter groupies. He happens to stumble across Jenny's rescue, and his cat side wants to chase her. Obscenely rich, he offers her the promise of enough money to save her ranch. Will the straight-laced, innocent Jenny take the bait?

My thoughts:
I'm going to be blunt: I could not get into this book. It started off well - Noah wants to date Jenny, he's wanting the thrill of the chase. She's innocent and not very experienced and Noah thinks she's going to fight her attraction the whole way. So far, so good, right? I love when the H/H fight their attraction.

Then things quickly turn around: She goes to his sex club and sees what it's all about, and the next day she's telling him her sexual fantasies and having phone sex! Now "the chase" is gone. They embark on a sexual relationship, there's a "Beauty and the Beast" reenactment, some magic stones, and Noah is now denying his love for Jenny while she's insisting he does love her.

All in all, the characters read as very inconsistent, the plot was weak, and at one point there was a scene involving yogurt and a sex toy that caused me to get up and walk away. I'm not sure why her cousin Matt was written into the story, he seemed to serve no purpose, and Coyote, Noah's accountant, seemed to have an interesting background but was only used to push the story in the direction the author was going.

My Rating:1 star
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Christmas Kisses

2011-12-09T06:00:00.014-06:00

I know a lot of people will be decorating and putting up their trees and lights this weekend. Thought you might enjoy a little holiday cheer to warm your heart (or other parts) on a cold winter day:

I googled these images. If they belong to you I'll be happy to credit or remove.

Pam's Review: The Hunter by Theresa Meyers

2011-12-08T06:00:00.014-06:00

The Hunter
~Theresa Meyers

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Zebra
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1420121243
ISBN-13: 978-1420121247
ASIN: B005CRY85E

From Goodreads:
They're the Chosen—Winchester, Remington and Colt—brothers trained to hunt down supernatural beings using the latest steam-powered gadgetry. It's a hard legacy to shoulder, and it's about to get a lot more dangerous. . .

A Devil Of A Job
Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there's a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn't get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who's willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly's secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can't. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what's adventure without a little risk?

Colt Jackson hunts the supernatural. In Colts world, all the supernatural beings are bad and should go back to hell where they belong. Colt’s friend Marley makes him some weapons to help accomplish that. Colt is on a mission to find the pieces of a special book that will help stop the supernaturals from entering their world. The first part of the book he is looking for is behind a door that only a supernatural being can open. Colt does what he has to do and summons a demon. The demon that comes to him ends up being a beautiful succubus named Lilly who has an agenda of her own. Will they be able to work together to accomplish Colt’s quest?

My thoughts:
I didn’t end up finishing this book. I read almost half though, so I did give it a fair chance. Why didn’t I like it? I was bored and couldn’t get into the story at all. There was also no feeling to the words that were written. This story had definite potential; it could be a good story; unfortunately, it doesn’t have the pull of one. It doesn’t suck you in and make you want more. Instead, I found myself avoiding it, or only reading a few pages at a time. For example, there are some action scenes where Lilly and Colt have to fight other demons in a cave in search of the book. This should be scary, but honestly, I could not have cared less. There isn’t really anything else to say about The Hunter, and I think the fact that there isn’t much to say, says it all.

My Rating:Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

2011-12-07T06:00:00.017-06:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine,

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating:

The book I've chosen today is a bit controversial. It seems that people either love it or hate the two previous books in the series: Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker. I am one of those firmly in the "love" category: I read both books twice in a row - I just could not get enough of the sexy, fucked-up, possibly sadistic hero, Christian Grey!!

Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker are two of my favorite reads of 2011, and I cannot wait for Fifty Shades Freed - I've got to read an HEA for these two! Are they even going to get an HEA? Is it January yet?!?!

Fifty Shades Freed
~E L James

Publishe Date: 19th January 2012
ISBN (paper): 978-1-61213-060-6
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-61213-061-3

Available from The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House.

From the author's website:
When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed.

Now, together, they have more – love, passion, intimacy, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control, and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present.

Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, misfortune, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true. Alone and desperate, she must face down the poisoned legacy of Christian’s past.

Seductive, shocking, sad and funny, Fifty Shades Freed is the compelling final volume in the Fifty Shades trilogy.

What are you waiting on?

Review: Dreaming of the Wolf by Terry Spear

2011-12-06T06:00:00.001-06:00

Dreaming of the Wolf
~Terry Spear

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (December 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402245556
ISBN-13: 978-1402245558
ASIN: B005UF0V7C

From Goodreads:
Werewolf pack leader Jake Silver is an acclaimed photographer. He sees a beautiful woman at the art gallery where his photos are on display, and his intrigue turns into wolfish protectiveness. Alicia Greiston has never met anyone like Jake-he's sexy, alpha, and totally irresistible, and he calls to something primal in her soul.

Alicia Greiston is a bounty hunter. She's working a big case, trying to bring in two hardened mob criminals. This case is personal, they killed her mother and Alicia is determined to put them away. They'll stop at nothing though, and after a threat to Jake, the gorgeous guy she's falling for, she's got to go into hiding to protect him.

Jake Silver is triplet-brother to the pack Alpha, Darien. He's in town, dropping off his landscape photos at an art gallery. When he comes across a young lady who seems to be in trouble, he pretends to be her boyfriend in order to scare off the guys threatening her. He's intrigued by this woman, and wants to get to know her better, but he knows it's pointless since she's human. But he can't get her out of his mind, and after a fabulous afternoon of amazing sex, she disappears...but then he starts dreaming about her - every night. And when he gets a call that she might be back in town, he goes looking for her. What he finds changes everything...

My thoughts:
Dreaming of the Wolf is the 8th book in Terry Spears' Heart of the Wolf series. You can definitely read this book as a stand-alone, although Silver Town and it's inhabitants are featured in previous books. It's actually nice to see how Darien and Lelandi are doing since their book, Destiny of the Wolf (book 2).

I must admit I had a hard time starting this book, Alicia was a bit annoying and the mob tie-in was a bit fantastical (But werewolves aren't? I know, I know!), but as I read on I started to like Alicia more. The other thing that put me off at first was that the romance happened a bit quickly - like the same day they met. But, once they were separated and the story progressed, I fell into it and enjoyed their dream sharing. Then, when they got together again it felt "right". I should also mention here that the sex in Dreaming of the Wolf is pretty hot *winks*.

There were some plot twists I didn't see coming, which always makes me a happy reader. I liked how Jake and his brothers helped Alicia with her problems - both being a new wolf and her legal issues that kept cropping up related to her bounty-hunting the mobsters.

The other thing I liked about Dreaming of the Wolf is that the secondary characters are not just wooden cut-outs. They're interesting and bring depth and humor to the story; there were several characters I wouldn't mind seeing get their own book.

Dreaming of the Wolf is a nice installment to the Heart of the Wolf series. I'm hoping we'll see more of Silver Town and it's residents soon.

My Rating:
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Wild Thing by Robin Kaye

2011-12-05T06:00:00.105-06:00

Wild Thing
~Robin Kaye

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402257279
ISBN-13: 978-1402257278
ASIN: B005UEXEHW

From the author's website:
Whitewater-rafting guide Hunter Kincaid lands his dream job–guiding sportswear models through Idaho's rugged wilderness for a week-long photo shoot. When he meets Toni Russo, the goth New York manager of Action Models, there are enough sparks to set the forest ablaze.

When Hunter finds Toni's book on how to marry the man of your choice, he studies it as a joke. Before long Hunter realizes he's never cared enough for a woman to bother working this hard to get her. But the last man in the world this city girl wants is a Survivor Man wannabe...

Toni Russo is a city girl, through and through. Hunter Kincaid lives and works in the wilderness. When Action Models sets up a photo shoot with Hunter's company, taking their models rafting and hiking, Toni ends up having to accompany the models at the last minute. Toni would rather do just about anything else; she has a phobia about being in the wilderness. But Hunter makes it his personal mission to be sure Toni loses her fears and has a good time...

My thoughts:
We first met Hunter and his brothers, Trapper and Fisher, briefly in Ms. Kaye's previous book, Yours for the Taking. I am happy to report that we get more of not only Hunter, but his brothers as well - I love these brothers!! I found Toni a bit rough around the edges, and not as easy to like as Hunter, but by the end of the story I was rooting for their HEA.

Toni is a goth-wearing, city-dwelling woman with an aversion to anything that even remotely resembles the great outdoors. We learn later in the story why she has this phobia, and watch as Hunter struggles to make the trip not only bearable but enjoyable for her. Toni is used to being surrounded by gorgeous models and not being noticed, so Hunter really throws her for a loop.

Hunter is not used to having the feelings Toni brings out in him - protective, posessive, and head-over-heels for Toni. He wants a real relationship with Toni, but she doesn't have enough self-confidence to believe it and thwarts his attempts at commitment at every turn by telling herself it's only temporary until she gets back to the city. (This was actually one of the issues I had with the book was that he fell so quickly - I would have liked their relationship to take a little more time)

There's quite a bit of humor throughout the book, so many times I chuckled out loud:

Toni watched Hunter run across the street and put her boots in the truck. She'd probably drop the things in the incinerator when she got home, but then, if she kept seeing Hunter, he'd expect her to wear them again. God, her closet was too small for ugly shoes.~page 233, Wild Thing

There was also a side story of a charitable organization Hunter is trying to expand, and a quite funny storyline about a relationship-help book Toni brings on the trip...

Wild Thing is a cute, funny, contemporary romance by an author who's writing style I really enjoy. Fans of contemporary romance and the opposites-attract storyline will have a great time reading this book.

My Rating:

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

Review: Devilishly Hot by Kathy Love

2011-12-02T06:00:00.070-06:00

Devilishly Hot
~Kathy Love

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Brava
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0758265875
ISBN-13: 978-0758265876
ASIN: B005CRY7XM

From Goodreads:
And you thought your job was hell. . .
Annie Lou Riddle had a plan: Move to New York City. Break into the fashion industry. Work her way to the top. Nowhere in that scenario did she expect to accidentally sell her soul in exchange for a job at Hot! Magazine. Oops.

Demons, it seems, aren't big on letting mortals off the hook. Now Annie is stuck working as assistant/personal slave to Finola White—diva extraordinaire, and glamorous she-devil. Whatever Finola wants, she gets, and she wants Annie to match her up with Nick Rossi, the gorgeous detective investigating shady doings at Hot!

Frankly, Annie sees the appeal. Nick is effortlessly sexy, rugged, charming—and the one man Annie should definitely not be flirting with, or kissing, or. . . Oops. But some loves are too devilishly hot to resist. . .

Annie Lou Riddle is living in the New York and has just decided to pack it in and go back to Mississippi when she gets a phone call that changes her life: HOT! magazine has just called to offer her her dream job.

Fast forward three years and Annie is miserable; her boss is evil - no really, she's a demon. Annie sold her soul for 10 years of being Finola White's assistant. While the perks are great - fabulous apartment and great clothes, the downside is that if she can't please Finola and breaks her contract, Satan gets her soul.

Detective Nick Rossi is investigating the disappearance of 21 people over a period of a few years. The only thing they all have in common? They all worked at HOT! Magazine. Nick is instantly attracted to Finola's beautiful assistant, but Finola is attracted to Nick. He knows something's not quite right, but can't figure out what it is, and can't get proof the magazine is responsible for the missing people.

Now Annie's fighting her attraction to Nick and working like crazy to get Finola through Fashion Week without losing her soul in the process.

My thoughts:
Devilishly Hot reminded me of a paranormal Devil Wears Prada: Finola and Annie were definitely Miranda and Andy. However, where Andy would've just been fired, Annie would have lost her immortal soul by displeasing her boss.

While Devilishly Hot was cute, it couldn't hold my attention. I couldn't reconcile good, kind Annie selling her soul for a job, no matter how fabulous. I just couldn't make that leap, and it prohibited me from enjoying the story because I kept waiting for an explanation of what could have possibly made her sell her soul, and it never really came.

Nick was a good hero - masculine, possessive, kind and loving. I liked him with Annie and their HEA was a nice note to end on.

While Finola and Satan were a bit caricature-ish, Finola's subordinate demon, Tristian, was a nice touch - I actually liked his character more than Fiona. To be honest, aside from Tristian the demons were a bit silly.

All told, Devilishly Hot was a cute, light read, if a bit silly at times.

My Rating:
Book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: The Inn at Little Bend by Bobbi Groover

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

The Inn at Little Bend
~Bobbie Groover

Paperback: 294 pages
Publisher: Melange Books, LLC
Publish Date: September 7, 2011
ISBN-10: 1612350550
ISBN-13: 978-1612350554
ASIN: B005W32JW2

From Goodreads:
In antebellum America, life for an abandoned woman was difficult at best. But when young Grayson escapes her sadistic guardian, she finds freedom just as hostile. Grayson Ridge struggles to survive her fated trials and conceal the secrets that plague her.

And so begins a turbulent journey that spans two decades and chronicles the exploits of the lonesome, starving wanderer. Her adventures collide with the life of Drake Somerset, a sullen and uncommunicative drifter who wants nothing to do with her. While at first using him for her own safety, his dark, mysterious magnetism draws her and binds her to him—in a clearing, in a heartbeat and in love.

Grayson Ridge was named after the orphanage where she was found as an infant. Since then, Grayson has had a very strong survival instinct. She was adopted by a couple when she was a teenager, but instead of being treated like their daughter she was treated more like a servant or a slave. One day Grayson was defending herself against her adopted father’s advances, when she thought she had killed him in the process. She knew that she would possibly hang for this so she ran away and disguised herself as a boy named River. River came into some trouble soon after and was saved by a man, Drake Somerset. Drake decided that River would be his companion and work for him until his debt for saving him was paid off.

Drake Somerset was being haunted by his memories when he came across River. But since meeting the boy, he has someone that he can talk to openly and unashamed. Though it started off as a work relationship, it quickly turns to friendship even if they do annoy the heck out of each other. But what Drake doesn’t know is that River is really a young woman, a woman who is starting to have feelings for him.

My Thoughts:
There is so much more to this story. Looking back, I don’t know how Ms. Groover fit the entire plot into 289 pages. It felt so much longer then that because every part of the story was well told; so it felt longer in a good way. There were a few times when I didn’t feel the characters emotions, I felt like I was just reading words. But then the emotions came back and I got sucked back into the story again.

You have to admire Grayson, she is the type of girl who doesn’t complain, just does. Part of that, though, is because she doesn’t have the luxury to complain. But I love how she just does what needs to be done.

Drake Somerset is older and definitely has some past grievances to deal with. He is known for the way he plays the piano, as if he is trying to pour out whatever is haunting him. Wherever he plays, people remember.

There are so many problems and conflicts to be solved in this book! Like, how is Grayson supposed to get Drake to notice her in a romantic way when he knows her as River? (Drake is heterosexual.) What if someone finds her and takes her back home to face trial for the murder of her adopted father? What is it that haunts Drake and makes him wander the country and play the memorable music? That’s not even all of the problems; but they made the book that much better.

This book has it all, adventure, romance, suspense, and mystery, what’s not to love? Like Drake’s music, I’ll remember The Inn at Little Bend for a long, long time.

My Rating:Pam
Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Tiger's Voyage by Colleen Houck

2011-11-30T06:00:00.024-06:00

Tiger's Voyage
~Colleen Houck

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 560 pages
Publisher: Splinter
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402784058
ISBN-13: 978-1402784057

From the author's website:
With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections--leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.buy here

***Spoilers if you haven’t read books one and two, Tiger’s Curse and Tiger’s Quest!***

Things aren’t looking good for Kelsey. Not only does Ren not remember her, but he feels discomfort and pain when he is near or touching her. After feeling depressed for a while, Kelsey takes Mr. Kadam’s advice and tells Ren that it’s okay to just be friends and that there is no pressure to remember her. A relationship soon develops between Ren’s brother, Kishan, and Kelsey. And soon, they are all on Ren and Kishan’s yacht heading on the next part of their adventure to break the curse. Will they be successful in their mission? Will Ren ever recover his memory of Kelsey?

My thoughts:
This was my favorite book of the series. I literally picked it up as soon as I finished the second one, and I had trouble putting it down. The story and all the settings were amazing. I don’t know how Ms. Houck can come up with this stuff in her mind, but I’m glad she did so everyone can enjoy it.

Part of their quest in this book involved dragons, and in one scene a dragon is taking Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan up to the sky and into the stars. Just the way the flying is described, I felt like my stomach was dropping on a rollercoaster. It was great!

I had trouble relating to Kelsey in the previous books, but in this one I liked her a little more. I think she might be growing on me. She actually made me laugh out loud a few times which is something that is hard to do. At one point in the story, the three of them have to fight a kraken (a sea monster for those of you like me who wouldn’t know what that was without having read the book). At one time she was wondering if she was going to die and what she would tell the other deceased people around her if she did….

“I thought about the afterlife and wondered if people shared death stories. If so, I’d have the coolest story ever. You died in your sleep? Drunk driver? Cancer, huh? World War II? Well…yeah, those deaths are great and all, but wait till I tell you what happened to me. Yeah…that’s right…I said a kraken.” ~Tiger's Voyage page 303

There is one reason why this isn’t a five star book to me. I couldn’t feel the romantic relationships. I don’t know what it is, if it’s just me or what, they just don’t work for me. I want to feel heartbroken that Ren doesn’t remember Kelsey, instead I just feel a little sad.

Besides the lacking in the romantic environment, the story was truly fabulous. Pick up Tiger's Voyage if you want to get totally lost in another world. You won’t regret it.

My Rating:Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch

2011-11-29T06:00:00.004-06:00

Alien Proliferation
~Gini Koch

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: DAW
Publish Date: December 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0756406978
ISBN-13: 978-0756406974
ASIN: B005ERIKM4

From the author's website:
A new set of conspiracies, old enemies, and a dangerous new drug being tested on unwilling subjects are more than enough to deal with, but new parents Jeff and Kitty Martini have an even bigger problem -- the bad guys want their newborn baby.

*SPOILERS for books 1-3*

As Alien Proliferation opens, Katherine "Kitty" Katt (now Martini) is nearing the end of her pregnancy, and she's miserable: bed rest, inability to decide on even the smallest baby supplies, and discomfort all combine to make Kitty one cranky agent.

Then, a phone call comes in - Kitty's best friend from college is in trouble. Jeff and Christopher rush out to save the day, but of course it's not that easy: more problems are uncovered than are solved, and then suddenly - there's a baby on the way! Take a (half) alien baby, add the fact that dad had been force-fed untested alien drugs before conception, and you have a white-knuckle delivery on your hands.

From there, things just keep going crazy and Kitty and Jeff's new-parent bliss is clouded by disappearing agents and the realization there's a mole trying to take out the team. What comes next is a lot of action, secret agent stealth, sci-fi conspiracy, and a ton of fun.

My thoughts:
I have been a huge fan of Gini Koch since the first book and Alien Proliferation has everything I've come to love about this series: Smart, funny dialogue, diverse and interesting characters, and boatloads of action.

In addition to the sweet and sexy rapport between Kitty and Jeff, one thing I really liked about Alien Proliferation is that we get to see more of Kitty's relationships with her two BFFs: Chuckie and Reader. I have adored Chuckie since we met him (even before, kind of), and he gets one of the sweetest, most saddest lines I've ever read:

He got up, and I handed Jamie to him. He held her well. "She really looks like you. Beautiful baby."
"I still don't see it, but I'll take the compliment for both of us."
He held her for a few minutes, walked around the room with her. He finally handed her back to me. "Thank you."
"For what?"
Chuckie kissed the top of my head. "For letting me pretend."
~page 126, Alien Proiferation

Sooo sweet, right? We (and Kitty) also learn a bit more about Chuckie through some of the other characters he works with. I was very pleased with the amount of information/page time Chuckie had in this book.

The Kitty/Reader relationship is, as always, wow. We were treated to more information about Kitty and Reader's relationship in the previous book, Alien in the Family, but Alien Proliferation gives us more insight from Kitty's POV, and it was moving.

And....Christopher gets a love interest in this book - I know, right?!? He's such a great character and he's had a few hard knocks so I was especially pleased to see him happy. I'm looking forward to seeing them together in future books, giving Jeff and Kitty a run for their money in the "happy and sex-crazed" department.

My issues with this book were really specific to me personally: I had a hard time following some of the conspiracy plot, and Kitty referred to her boobs as "torpedoes" way too much; we get it - they're huge. (and I may have been jealous of Kitty's post-birth recovery; you'll have to read to find out why, lol)

This series is often described as "over the top" which is exactly right - but it's so much fun!! Gini Koch's Alien series holds a proud place on my "Keeper" shelf and Alien Diplomacy is already on my "Books I Can't Wait For" list.

My Rating:

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason with Mia Marlowe

2011-11-28T06:00:00.051-06:00

Sins of the Highlander
~Connie Mason with Mia Marlowe

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: January 1, 2012
ISBN-10: 1402261829
ISBN-13: 978-1402261824

From Goodreads:
“Mad Rob” MacLaren thought stealing his enemy’s bride-to-be was the perfect revenge. But he never reckoned that this beautiful, innocent lass would waken the part of him he thought dead and buried with his wife. Against all reason, Rob longs to introduce the luscious Elspeth Stewart to the pleasures of the flesh, to make her his and only his forever.

Even with her gift of the Sight, never had Elspeth Stewart imagined her wedding would be interrupted by a darkhaired stranger charging in on a black stallion, scooping her into his arms, and carrying her off across the wild Scottish highlands. With two clans against them burning for battle, they must find a way to join together–body, breath, and soul. Or both will be made to pay for the Sins of the Highlander.

Elspeth Stewart is getting married. Her groom is the leader of a neighboring clan and her father has arranged the marriage to benefit both clans. While they're standing at the altar, in rides "Mad Rob" MacLaren, stealing her from the altar and riding off with her!!!

MacLaren doesn't care about Elspeth, he's avenging his dead wife. Elspeth's betrothed, Lachlan Drummond, is responsible for MacLauren's wife's tragic death. His plan is to steal and keep her, thereby having some measure of revenge and embarassing Drummond in the process. What he doesn't count on are the feelings he gets when he's around Elspeth, feelings he hasn't had since his wife died...

My thoughts:
I've been in the mood for Highlander Romances lately, and Sins of the Highlander was a captivating read. (<-- no pun intended, lol)

I liked Elspeth - although she was an innocent maiden, she had a head on her shoulders and was a quick thinker. She was constantly planning how to save herself or her loved ones in a manner that was well-thought out and reasonable, not full of fluff like some historical heroines. Was she always right? Well, no, but it's the planning, not the execution, that counts, right? Er...moving on...

MacLaren was not as swoon-worthy as I would have liked. For one, he's supposed to be a clan leader, which I would think would require a keen eye for detail, yet he didn't notice Elspeth dropping her scraps of clothes for her father/fiance to find or notice a rope strung across the river to stop their voyage. But, he did grow on me, and his inner turmoil regarding his feelings for Elspeth vs. his feelings for his deceased wife made me sympathetic towards their reaching an HEA.

I should also mention Sins of the Highlander contains some hot sexual tension and an interesting plot twist near the end that had me hurrying ahead to see how the book would end!

My Rating:
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T10:17:00.000-06:00

(*sigh* that would be me....)

Happy Thanksgiving -

I hope you all have a long holiday weekend!

Looking for Recommendations:

2011-11-23T07:04:00.000-06:00

So I've fallen into the dark, wonderful reading that is Dystopia. I didn't think I liked dystopian books, but oh how wrong I was. In the last few weeks I've read:

Legend by Marie Lu

Crossed by Ally Condie

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Divergent by Veronica Roth (my favorite so far)

Delirium by Lauren Olivier

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines (not really dystopian, I think)

I've also got Enclave by Anne Aguirre and Moira Roger's new dystopian series, Children of the Undying, to read.

But I need more!!! Do you have any dystopian recommendations? My only requirement is that there's some sort of love interest - doesn't have to be sexual, but at least a hint or possibility of romance...

Pam's Review: Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

2011-11-21T06:00:00.034-06:00

Tiger's Quest
~Colleen Houck

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Splinter
Publish Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN-10: 140278404X
ISBN-13: 978-1402784040

From the author's website:
Back in Oregon, Kelsey tries to pick up the pieces of her life and push aside her feelings for Ren. But danger lurks around the corner, forcing her to return to India where she embarks on a second quest--this time with Ren's dark, bad-boy brother Kishan, who has also fallen prey to the Tiger's Curse. Fraught with danger, spellbinding dreams, and choices of the heart, TIGER'S QUEST brings the trio one step closer to breaking the spell that binds them.
Buy here.

***Spoilers if you haven’t read book one, Tiger’s Curse!***

Kelsey decides to leave India and go back home to Oregon. She finds many surprises on her return trip, such as a house that was bought for her, and that someone already enrolled her in college. Believing that she and Ren were through, Kelsey begins dating a few young men. While she starts to wonder if she could ever feel the same way with anyone as she did with Ren, something unexpected happens. Ren shows up in America and tries to win her back. Will things finally fall into place for them?

My thoughts:
There was much, much, much more to the story then the brief summary I gave, but there is a great deal that I could potentially give away, and I don’t want to do that. I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. It was good, not great. This book has great reviews, so why am I not feeling it? I think one reason is the immaturity of Kelsey. I know she is only a teenager, and I mentioned how it bothered me in my review of the first book as well. I do feel like she starts to mature though; so there is hope.

There was so much going on in this book that I shouldn’t have been able to put it down. But I did put it down, and I was never in a rush to read it until the last hundred pages or so when it finally got a hold on me. The story is really good; I just couldn’t always connect with the characters. I didn’t always feel like their feelings were believable.

However, as said on page 478:

“Just because you can’t see the star doesn’t mean it’s not there. It might be hidden from view for a while, but you can rest assured that it still shines brightly somewhere.”

The last hundred pages really picked up to the point where I finished the book, and then picked up the third book, Tiger’s Voyage, immediately. So while this wasn’t my favorite book, the series is starting to have more of a hold on me. Not only are the characters finally starting to evolve and mature, but I believe the author’s writing style is as well.

Stay tuned. Review for book three, Tiger’s Voyage, to come soon.

My Rating:Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Funk: Hunger Games Edition

2011-11-18T06:00:00.004-06:00

My Sister-in-law Hannah does a regular Friday feature over at her place called Friday Funk. I thought it might be fun to occasionally feature a song that makes me think of books or characters.

I've been on a dystopian kick, and since I feel like I'm the last person on the planet that hasn't read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I decided to give it a go. All I can say is...Wow. I've just started the third book, Mockingjay, but when this song came on my iPod I immediately thought of Katniss and Peeta and their seemingly hopeless situation. And it fits; the lyrics are right - the lies, "dancing" for the Capitol, setting off a mob... now, as I said I haven't finished, but I would imagine there's going to be a revolution, and Katniss (and maybe Peeta and/or Gale) is responsible in some way. So, yeah, this totally works:

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by Offspring:Show me how to lie
You're getting better all the time
And turning all against the one
Is an art that's hard to teach
Another clever word
Sets off an unsuspecting herd
And as you step back into line
A mob jumps to their feet

Now dance, fucker, dance
Man, he never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

And now you steal away
Take him out today
Nice work you did
You're gonna go far, kid

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Slowly out of line
And drifting closer in your sights
So play it out I'm wide awake
It's a scene about me
There's something in your way
And now someone is gonna pay
And if you can't get what you want
Well it's all because of me

Now dance, fucker, dance
Man, I never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

And now you'll lead the way
Show the light of day
Nice work you did
You're gonna go far, kid
Trust, deceived!

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Now dance, fucker, dance
He never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

So dance, fucker, dance
I never had a chance
It was really only you

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Clever alibis
Lord of the flies
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives
Have a great weekend!!!

Pam's Review: Darn Good Cowboy Christmas by Carolyn Brown

2011-11-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas
~Carolyn Brown

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402261578
ISBN-13: 978-1402261572
ASIN: B005EU50QK

From Goodreads:
Born and raised in a traveling carnival, all Liz Hanson ever wanted for Christmas was a home that didn't have wheels. After she was old enough to date she added one more item: a sexy cowboy.

She's about given up on Santa ever bringing either one when her father dies and leaves her an ugly house and twenty acres in Texas. Then rancher Raylen O'Donnell walks onto her property...

Lizelle Hanson is a carnie, as she calls herself. She traveled and worked as a fortune teller and belly dancer for most of her life. But what she always wanted was roots; somewhere to call home, a house that has a foundation and not wheels. In fact, that is a Christmas wish that she has; she wants a house and a cowboy. The first part of her wish comes true when her uncle moves out of his house to take care of his father and is going to leave it to her if she still wants to live there after she tries it out for a few months. Liz is ecstatic. She arrives at the house in Texas to find her uncle’s neighbor, Raylen O’Donnell, there. He is the very cowboy that she had a crush on when she used to visit her uncle, and she has been fantasizing about him for years. Could this be the second half of her wish coming true?

My Thoughts:
This is the first book that I haven’t finished since I started reviewing. I definitely gave it a chance though; I read to page 225. Besides just not being interesting, there were a lot of things that bothered me about this book.

First, the shifting of the characters points of view. There was constant shifting with no clear breaks. It gets very confusing, especially if the shift happens within a single paragraph, which it did!

Second, the repeating of thoughts. Liz would think a thought, and then say the thought out loud to someone else. Then she would repeat it later to another character. I get how perhaps the author is trying to show how the third character found out about what she was thinking, but this isn’t the way to do it.

Third, Liz’s character herself. She would ramble a lot, and it just wasn’t attractive to me. Also, everything was handed to her on a silver platter. Where’s the challenge? She wants a house, gets it from her uncle. Wants a job, gets one handed to her right when she moves to town. Wants to decorate her house like the Griswold’s, the neighbors pitch right in to help. It was annoying. I feel like she acted very juvenile too. Here’s Liz talking to Raylen about what kind of Christmas tree she wants.

“I want a real one but Momma reminded me that I’m allergic to cedar and pine trees. Do you think they’ll have one that doesn’t look perfect? I want it to look real even if it’s not.” (p. 181)

I guess I just feel like a grown woman should know what she was allergic to. It wasn’t just that though, it was all things like I listed above.

I can’t imagine the work it takes a write a book, I really can’t. But Darn Good Cowboy Christmas was not worth the read.

My Rating:

Pam
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Giveaway Winner!!

2011-11-16T07:06:00.000-06:00

The winner of Riversong by Tess Hardwick is:

Julie

who said... I recently read After Obsession and I really loved that cover!!

Congratulations Julie!

(winner has been sent an e-mail)

Riversong
~Tess Hardwick

Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Publish Date: March 30, 2011
ISBN-10: 1935961144
ISBN-13: 978-1935961147
ASIN: B004WDRYVE

From Goodreads:
Author Tess Hardwick assembles a colorful cast of endearing small-town characters and takes you on a journey that will make you believe in the possibilities of life - even in the face of overwhelming adversity and unimaginable grief.

Lee Tucker is the kind of woman you find yourself rooting for long after the last page is read. When her husband commits suicide,he leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a small Oregon town that, like her, is financially ruined, heartbroken and in desperate need of a fresh tart. Lee's resilience leads to a plan for a destination restaurant named Riversong, to new chances for passion and love, and to danger from her dead husband's debt as her business blooms.

A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship, intrigue and gourmet food, Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's greatest gifts.

Pam's Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

2011-11-15T06:00:00.002-06:00

Tiger's Curse
~Colleen Houck

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Splinter
Publish Date: January 11, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402784031
ISBN-13: 978-1402784033

From the author's website:
Passion. Fate. Loyalty.
Would you risk it all to change your destiny?
The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.
Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

Kelsey is a high school graduate and needs a summer job before college. The temp agency she went to set her up to work for the circus in town for two weeks. She helps sell tickets, clean up after the shows, and brings the tiger, Ren, its food. There is something about the tiger that captivates her. Kelsey finds herself spending more and more time with him, reading him stories and poetry. She even gets daring and pats him through the bars. Near the end of her employment she gets offered another job to travel to India and help Ren travel comfortably to a tiger sanctuary there. She agrees, but little does she know that Ren is really a cursed prince, and she is about to go on the adventure of her life.

My thoughts:
This was the first book I’ve read with the setting in India; it was so different, it was so unique. I learned, through Kelsey, some myths and legends about the country, but I’m not sure if they were made up for the book or not. Either way, they were really interesting.

I generally liked Kelsey’s character. Her parents died when she was young, but she still turned out to be a caring, genuinely nice person. However, her character bothered me in the way she doubted herself. She thought Ren was too good for her, too handsome for her, basically that he was out of her league. It might be normal for a 17 year old girl to think like that, I wouldn’t know, it’s been a while. But the fact that she self doubted herself so much was a bit of a turn off for me.

Something about this book kept reminding me of the Twilight series as well. Maybe the fact that Ren was really old, really rich, and wanted to be with Kelsey even though she thought he could do better. But then I reminded myself that that is the way a lot of books are. If there is a vampire or shapeshifter who is old, they’re probably going to be rich. It kind of goes hand in hand I guess. Well, as long as they invest right.

Ren and Kelsey had romance, but I didn’t always feel it. Sometimes it just didn’t seem believable to me. Also, in the adventures that they had together pretty scary things went on, but I didn’t even feel like Kelsey was scared. This wasn’t enough to keep me from liking the book though. In fact I had the one more chapter problem. It was one of those books that you say to yourself, I’ll just read one more chapter, and you can’t stop. I went to bed way too late because of this; I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I am already reading and enjoying the next book in the series. Review to come.

Buy the book here.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul by Leanna Renee Hieber

2011-11-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

Darker Still: A Novel of Magic Most Foul
~Leanna Renee Hieber

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402260520
ISBN-13: 978-1402260520

From the author's website:
I was obsessed. It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I’d ever seen. Everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable-- utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.

There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide.

He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame.

I’ve crossed over into his world within the painting and I’ve seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked- bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. And unless I can free him soon, things will only get darker still...

As a young child, Natalie Stewart was witness to a traumatic incident that rendered her speechless. Now 17 and mute, Natalie is finished with school and convinces her father to offer her a job working with him at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

The big news in the art world is that the famous painting of Lord Jonanthan Denbury is for sale. This painting is surrounded by rumors and speculation about the strange disappearance of the subject and the almost mystical feel to the painting. Her father knows the museum can't afford to buy it, but he brings Natalie to meet Mrs. North, a wealthy widow, who is the most probable purchaser, in the hopes that she will lend it to the museum.

Natalie strikes up a sort of friendship with Mrs. North, their obsession with the painting as their initial shared preoccupation. Mrs. North is also interested in all forms of spiritualism, and is convinced there is something peculiar and magical about the painting. When she takes Natalie to see the painting, she's convinced Natalie has a special connection with the painting and encourages her to explore the connection. When Natalie notices a note for her in the painting, she reaches out to touch it, and falls into the painting!

Young Natalie discovers a curse, a gentleman, a murderer, and her inner voice; taking her far beyond the boundaries of what she thought she knew about the world she lives in...

My thoughts:
I have not yet read Ms. Hieber's adult series, but when I saw the blurb for her YA book, Darker Still, I knew I had to read it! A mute heroine and a hero stuck in a portrait painting? Set in the 1880s? YA? Yes, please.

I enjoyed the POV as coming from Natalie's journal entries. It was a nice way to get around her inability to talk, and also gave the heroine time to think about the events as she writes them, making it more introspective than had we gotten her POV as events happened. Natalie was a good heroine - clever, open-minded, loyal, and kind-hearted. I kind of feel like we didn't really get a good look at Lord Denbury's personality, mostly because the story was told from Natalie's POV, and, of course, because he was trapped in a painting - there wasn't much he could do.

I liked the secondary characters, especially Mrs. North. Her niece was a bit annoying and I have the feeling we'll be seeing her again. The villian in Darker Still is suitably creepy - I think Natalie did a much better job of standing up to him than I would have done! I loved the mystical/spiritual aspect of the story and hope that will continue with the series.

There were spots where the story moved slowly; I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I did find myself occasionally trying to read ahead to where we get more information or something exciting happens. That being said, while I liked the ending, it was the only part of the book that felt a bit rushed; it seemed to wrap up quickly. I am looking forward to the next book in the series though; I can't wait to see what Ms. Heiber has in store for these characters!

My Rating:

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes

2011-11-10T06:00:00.019-06:00

Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish
~Grace Burrowes

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402261543
ISBN-13: 978-1402261541
ASIN: B005EU5092

From Goodreads:
It's just before Christmas, and Lady Sophie Windham has an abandoned baby on her hands with nobody to help her but a handsome stranger who hates the holidays. Sophie and Lord Vim Charpentier succumb to a vulnerable moment, and he feels he must leave before he compromises her. But they're trapped by a snowstorm in a ducal mansion full of well-placed sprigs of mistletoe...

Lady Sophia Windham wants some time to herself this holiday season. She does not expect to be left with an abandoned baby. Having no clue as to why the child is crying, she is in luck when Vim Charpentier approaches her and offers assistance. She allows it because he seems very knowledgeable about children. Vim ends up accompanying Sophie and the baby, Kit, home because he is worried for them in the snow storm. He agrees to spend the night because of the snow and to help with Kit. Also, he assumes that Sophie is a housekeeper or a lady’s maid, otherwise she wouldn’t be unchaperoned; so he believes that his staying the night would not be scandalous in this case.

Vim gets snowed in with Sophie and the baby for a few days. During this time Sophie becomes more confident with Kit; she starts to recognize what his different cries mean and what to do about them. She also starts to have feelings for Vim, even though she knows he is bound to leave as soon as the snow clears up. What she doesn’t know, however, is that Vim is also having those same feelings for her.

My thoughts:
I really liked this book, it was so sweet. I felt cozy just by reading it. Honestly, most of the book was about them snowed in at her house, but it wasn’t boring at all! I felt like I was snowed in with them; I smelled Sophie’s cooking, watched Kit learn to crawl, and listened in to their conversations.

Also, the characters were definitely unique and likeable. Vim Charpentier is not your typical alpha male that I’ve gotten used to reading in romances, and I really liked that he was different. He has this sense of calmness about him, and patience too. I felt like he was soft spoken, but not a pushover. Sophie, a duke’s daughter, is very knowledgeable, not a complainer, and knows how to take care of herself. She speaks up for herself while at the same time she is cautious with her feelings; she is another likeable character.

I definitely suggest reading Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish this holiday season. Curl up under a warm blanket, grab some hot chocolate, and get trapped in the snow with Sophie, Vim, and Kit.

My rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead

2011-11-09T06:00:00.102-06:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine,

that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating:

One of the books I'm most excited about reading is Richelle Mead's Shadow Heir. Even though I love her other two series, I put off reading her Dark Swan series forever...I just didn't think I'd like a fairy story. Then, Parajunkee convinced me to give it a try - OMG it's awesome!!! I read the first two books back-to-back and pestered her until she gave me the third book :) Since then, I've been waiting with baited breath for the fourth and final book in this series - I cannot wait to find out what's in store for Eugenie!!!

Shadow Heir
~Richelle Mead

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Zebra; Original edition (December 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420111809
ISBN-13: 978-1420111804
ASIN: B005JSZOOK

From the author's website:
Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham strives to keep the mortal realm safe from trespassing entities. But as the Thorn Land's prophecy-haunted queen, there's no refuge for her and her soon-to-be-born-children when a mysterious blight begins to devastate the Otherworld...

The spell-driven source of the blight isn't the only challenge to Eugenie's instincts. Fairy king Dorian is sacrificing everything to help, but Eugenie can't trust the synergy drawing them back together. The uneasy truce between her and her shape shifter ex-lover Kiyo is endangered by secrets he can't--or won't--reveal. And as a formidable force rises to also threaten the human world, Eugenie must use her own cursed fate as a weapon--and risk the ultimate sacrifice...

What are you waiting on?

October Wrap-Up

2011-11-08T06:00:00.016-06:00

Well, this is kind of an abbreviated wrap-up, as I'll explain below. October started out with a bang and ended with a whimper...

What I read (I stopped keeping track around the middle of the month but this is what I remember reading):
1. Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks (3 stars)
2. Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks (4 stars)
3. If I Tell by Janet Gurtler (4 stars)
4. Drink Deep by Chloe Neill (4 stars)
5. Legend by Marie Lu (4 stars)
6. Sold to the Highest Bidder by Donna Alward (3 stars)
7. A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready (4 stars)
8. Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber (4 stars) (review tomorrow)
9. Long Time Coming by Scarlett Parrish (4 stars)
10. Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James (5 stars)*
11. Fifty Shades Darker by E L James (5 stars)*
12. Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes (3 1/2 stars)
13. Come Monday by Mari Carr (3 stars)
14. Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley (1 star)
15. Sins of the Highlander by Connie Mason (3 stars) (review to come)

*I know this series is a bit "controversial", but I loved both books (apparently it was originally Twilight fanfic, and while I could point out the similarities, it's definitely it's own story)! Were there some problems? Sure there were, but it's been a while since I read something that grabbed my attention and held it as I breathlessly turned each page, waiting to find out what was going to happen next. For that reason alone I gave them 5 stars. Christian is my latest book boyfriend. Yes, he's fifty shades of fucked up, but man he's sexy!!! Can. Not. Wait. for the next book, Fifty Shades Freed, out in January.

Pam reviewed:
1. Lethal by Sandra Brown (4 stars)
2. Riversong by Tess Hardwick (4 stars)
3. Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda Greene (3 1/2 stars)
4. Unleashed by Sara Humphries (3 1/2 stars)

I did a character interview with Chloe Neill - Merit's grandfather, Chuck Merit. That was my first "character interview" and it was fun...

_____________________

(me, Janna, Leontine)

GayRomLit came to New Orleans in October, and while I did not go to the conference, I did get to meet some of the bloggers who came into town! First I met the lovely Leontine (Leontine's Book Realm) and Janna (Rarely Dusty Books), who came in from the Netherlands a week early. We spent a day running around the French Quarter and I took them out to a Barnes & Noble just for kicks. We found a little bookshop I'd been wanting to visit - Faulkner House Books. They filled my kids with candy and then we parted ways :)

The next weekend the rest of the group came in: Kris (Kris n' Good Books), Chris (Stumbling Over Chaos), Kassa (three am), Tam (Tam's Reads), and Tracey (Tracey's Place). I met them for drinks Thursday night at Lafitte's in Exile, where we were treated to drinks made by Jimmy, a most excellent bartender, and naked and semi-naked guys on the bar. Saturday night I met the ladies at the GRL wine and cheese party, then headed out to the gay bar crawl. It was a bit unorganized, and we didn't stay with the group for long...and ended up back at Lafitte's. There might have been too many alcoholic beverages consumed, and someone might have been sick the next day, but I'm not telling *winks*... It was such an awesome experience to meet these ladies - they were all so lovely and I had a genuinely good time. For someone who gets very anxious in social situations, that's saying a lot.

_____________________

And lastly, I announced that after 2 1/2 years, I'm shutting down the ol' blog. As I mentioned in my post, I do have a few books left to review, but I think I'll have everything wrapped up by the end of December (with a LOT of help from Pam...she's a lifesaver, truly). It's not one specific thing, but a lot of little things - basically what it boils down to is that I can no longer juggle work, family, and the blog - something had to give and giving up work and/or family was not an option. (If I ever win the lottery I'll be back in action, lol) So....I'm still very sad about it but it is what it is.

_____________________

I've got some great reads coming up this month that I'm pretty excited about.

What are you looking forward to in November?

Review: Home Sweet Home by Bella Riley

2011-11-07T06:00:00.067-06:00

Home Sweet Home
~Bella Riley

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0446584215
ISBN-13: 978-0446584210
ASIN: B004QZ9PB0

From Goodreads:
Ten years and two hundred miles. That's what separates Andi Powell from quiet, secluded Emerald Lake-and that's exactly how she likes it. But now her job brings her back to the hometown she's tried so hard to forget . . . and to Nate Duncan, the man she's never been able to.

Nate once looked at Andi with love in his eyes. But that was before she left him in the dust to pursue her big-city dreams. Now he's the town's ruggedly handsome mayor with the power to break Andi's career like she broke his heart. As the two clash over the future of Emerald Lake, the sparks that fly between them rekindle a passion neither of them can deny.

Andi may have left town looking for the life she thought she wanted. But could everything she needs have been in Emerald Lake all along?

After 10 years, Andi Powell has returned to picturesque Emerald Lake. Not because she's homesick, but to save her job. She's got to convince the townsfolk of Emerald Lake that they'd like new vacation condos on the lake for rich out-of-towners.

Nate Duncan was the love of Andi's life, until things went horribly wrong when they were teens. He's never seriously dated anyone since Andi, and he can't believe she's back in town. Nate is now the town mayor, and while he's having mixed feelings about seeing Andi again, he's wholeheartedly opposed to the condo idea.

When they're together, it's like the years never happened, until reality sets in and they're on opposite sides of the condo issue. How can they make a relationship work if Andi doesn't want to live in Emerald Lake and Nate doesn't want to leave?

My thoughts:
I just couldn't get into this story. Andi and Nate were nice enough, but that's part of the problem, I think...they were so nice...no fiery passion or exciting action, and I really couldn't get excited about their story. Andi's father was a politician who was gone a lot while she and her mother stayed home, and she's terrified this will be her future as well, so she leaves Emerald Lake as soon as she can and doesn't look back.

For about the first third of the story I kept thinking I had already read this book; I actually checked the publish date to make sure this was the book I was supposed to be reviewing. The quaint lakeside town, the knitting shop on Main Street, the three generations of women, it all felt very familiar. There was also a storyline involving Andi's grandmother as a young girl and a mysterious stranger she was in love with at that time. This plot did not interest me at all and I skipped over those portions.

Nate's backstory was very sad and I found myself judging Andi, which may have been part of my issue with enjoying Home Sweet Home. Was it a sweet story? Sure. It just didn't grab and keep my attention.

My Rating:

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Friday Funk: Dystopian Edition

2011-11-04T06:00:00.003-05:00

My Sister-in-law Hannah does a regular Friday feature over at her place called Friday Funk. I thought it might be fun to occasionally feature a song that makes me think of books or characters.

Today's Funk is currently my favorite song: Uprising by Muse. I recently read Legend by Marie Lu and then this song shuffled onto my iPod and I couldn't stop thinking about Ms. Lu's two main characters, June and Day, and their situations in the dystopian future. Every time I hear it I want to go back and read Legend again; excellent read, excellent song - a perfect match!!! (Legend is on shelves November 29 - mark your calendars for this one!)

Uprising by Muse:

The paranoia is in bloom,

The PR transmissions will resume,

They'll try to push drugs to keep us all dumbed down,

And hope that we will never see the truth around

(So come on!)

Another promise, another scene,

Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,

With all the green belts wrapped around our minds

And endless red tape to keep the truth confined

(So come on!)

They will not force us

They will stop degrading us

They will not control us

We will be victorious

Interchanging mind control,

Come let the revolution take its toll,

If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,

You'd see that we should never be afraid to die

(So come on!)

Rise up and take the power back,

It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,

You know that their time's coming to an end,

We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us

They will stop degrading us

They will not control us

We will be victorious

Hey .. hey ... hey .. hey!

Legend
~Marie Lu

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publish Date: November 29, 2011
ISBN-10: 039925675X
ISBN-13: 978-0399256752
ASIN: B0052RDJAO

From the author's website:
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Pam's Review: Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts by Claire LaZebnik

2011-11-03T06:00:00.026-05:00

Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts
~ Claire LaZebnik

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: 5 Spot (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446555029
ISBN-13: 978-0446555029
ASIN: B004RD8558

From Goodreads:
Despite her name, Keats Sedlak is the sanest person in her large, nutty family of brilliant eccentrics. Her parents, both brainy academics, are barely capable of looking after themselves, let alone anyone else, and her two uber-intelligent siblings live on their own planets. At least she can count on one person in her life, her devoted boyfriend Tom. Down-to-earth and loving, he's the one thing that's kept Keats grounded for the last decade. But when Keats's mother makes a surprise announcement, the entire family is sent into a tailspin. For the first time, Keats can't pick up the pieces by herself. Now she must re-evaluate everything she's ever assumed about herself and her family - and make the biggest decision of her life.

Keats Sedlak is living a content, comfortable life. She is living in an apartment with her boyfriend of ten years and has a not so challenging job as an office manager. However, she is the oddball in her family, the normal one to say the least. Her brother, Milton, hasn't left their mother's house for two years. Her sister, Hopkins, is a genius, and she is currently saving lives as a neurologist. Her father, also a genius, is a published author and a professor at Harvard. Lastly, her mother drives her insane for many reasons, one of those is for always implying that Keats's boyfriend, Tom, isn't good enough or smart enough for her. In fact, her whole family seems to think that about Tom. They also don't like her job; none of them understand why she is working there and not getting a higher education.

While her family definitely drives her nuts, she is there for them when she is needed, like for going through items in the house she grew up in because her mother wants to sell it. In spending more time with her family, she is also spending more time with her dad's personal assistant, Jacob. Keats starts to question certain aspects in her life and witnesses all the changes taking place around her. She starts to see that change isn't always a bad thing.

My thoughts:
This was a very good read, but it made me a little depressed at the same time. Let me try to explain why without giving too much away. Keats’s parents, who have been separated for years, are finally going through a divorce, a family member suffers a medical emergency, and I think the fact that Keats has to constantly defend her boyfriend and her happiness made it a little sad for me.

Keats is a great protagonist though. Although her family is constantly on her case and questioning her happiness, Keats stands up against it and defends herself. She also clearly loves them and lends them a hand, or even a stubborn threat, to help them out. I definitely felt for Keats when she was dealing with her family, but it wasn’t always depressing. When she did interact with them there was usually some humor to be found in the struggle too. Here is Keats describing time with her dad:

“When he finally moves on from the topic of Keats’s Wasted Life, it’s to give me a lecture about the heart, both as muscle and as a literary trope. It’s clearly something he’s put a lot of thought into, but none of his observations seem all that original to me, and after a while, I can’t restrain a yawn, which sends him into a long rant about the deterioration of the American attention span—which makes me so bored I could scream, which I guess proves his point.” (p. 137)

While I wouldn’t say that this is the best book I’ve ever read, it was an enjoyable read with a melancholy sort of feel.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Last Breath by Rachel Caine

2011-11-02T06:00:00.207-05:00

Review originally posted at FictionVixen.com

Last Breath
~Rachel Caine

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451234871
ISBN-13: 978-0451234872
ASIN: B0052RDK12

From Goodreads:
With her boss preoccupied researching the Founder Houses in Morganville, student Claire Danvers is left to her own devices when she learns that three vampires have vanished without a trace. She soon discovers that the last person seen with one of the missing vampires is someone new to town—a mysterious individual named Magnus. After an uneasy encounter with Morganville's latest resident, Claire is certain Magnus isn't merely human. But is he a vampire—or something else entirely?

Claire Danvers is an extra-ordinary girl living in the extra-ordinary town of Morganville, Texas. What makes Claire so special? She's super-smart, having started college early, and, among other things, works after school in a lab with Myrnin, who's a little crazy...and a vampire. In Morganville though, that's no so unusual - there are lots of vampires in Morganville.

While there is usually an uneasy truce between the humans and the vampires, things are currently a little strained. Someone's planning a wedding, and as the countdown ticks down, it's plain that the wedding is one thing that everyone in town seems to agree on: no one thinks it should happen; not the vamps, and definitely not the humans.

But while the town is focused on the approaching nuptuals, Claire and the gang learn that vampires are going missing. Just a few at first, but as the days go by and there's no sign of the missing vampires, things start to get ~~weird~~ weirder than usual. Claire sees something she shouldn't but can't remember what it was, Amelie gets a cryptic message that leads her to the decision to close down Morganville, and Myrnin has a decision to make. Will Claire and her friends solve the mystery and save Morganville? Do they even want to save Morganville? Or is this their chance to be free of the vampires forever?

My thoughts:
Last Breath is a can-not-miss installation to The Morganville Vampires series! As I've come to expect from this series, the story is fresh and the players are like old friends. As an added bonus, in Last Breath, we are treated to viewpoints from not only Claire, but also Amelie, Eve, Michael, and Shane.

Fans of Myrnin will love Last Breath: he continues to be one of my favorite anti-heroes. Even faced with the possible demise of Amelie, Morganville, and possibly himself, he steps up and does what needs to be done. And Shane...oh Shane...*sniffs* Shane faces possibly the most heartbreaking section of the book.

Without giving anything away, we do learn why this book is titled Last Breath; and believe me, you're going to be holding yours. After 10 books in this series of characters we have grown to love, Ms. Caine continues to captivate the reader with jaw-dropping scenes like this:

I lifted my head, and I knew my eyes were flaring with white power, driven by my rage, my revulsion, my desperation. "Silence them Myrnin. You know you must."
He stared back at me for a moment in mute horror, and shook his head. "I can't," he said. "God witness me, I cannot do it. Not to her. The boy, yes, but not her. Amelie, there must be another way."
"Jesu, you think if there was, I wouldn't take it?" I shouted it at him, fists clenched against the need to strike. "You will do it. You must." And I put my will on him, pushing in a way that I so rarely did these days. That I so rarely had to do.
~page 74, Last Breath

Last Breath was impossible to put down; every time I thought I knew where Ms. Caine was going to take us, I was wrong. This new villain in Morganville is dangerous and scary; so terrifying that even the vampires are panicking. And it's stealthy, sneaking up on us while we're busy looking somewhere else.

I have one complaint...usually Ms. Caine ends her stories nicely and things are as wrapped up as they can be, without ending the series of course, but that's not the case in Last Breath. Last Breath ends with a definite cliffhanger, and I felt like the story was left unfinished.

Last Breath is probably the most emotionally-charged installment in the series to date; fans of the books will not be disappointed. Between the surprise twists and the seemingly impossible challenges Claire must overcome, Last Breath left me gasping for breath.

My Rating:

Book received from the publisher.

Pam's Review: Unleashed by Sara Humphries

2011-10-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

Unleashed
~Sarah Humphries

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402258437
ISBN-13: 978-1402258435
ASIN: B005EU511O

From goodreads:
What if you suddenly discovered your own powers were beyond anything you'd ever imagined...

Samantha Logan's childhood home had always been a haven, but everything changed while she was away. She has a gorgeous new neighbor, Malcolm, who introduces her to the amazing world of the dream-walking, shapeshifting Amoveo clans...but what leaves her reeling with disbelief is when he tells her she's one of them...
And shock turns to terror as Samantha falls prey to the deadly enemy determined to destroy the Amoveo, and the only chance she has to come into her true powers is to trust in Malcolm to show her the way...
Get swept away into Sara Humphreys's glorious world and breathtaking love story...

Samantha Logan tries to make it as an artist in New York, but her work isn’t selling, she just ended a relationship with a man who is turning into a stalker, and then there are the dreams. Samantha has been having strange dreams lately; dreams involving a man, one that she can’t see. There is also something about these dreams that makes her want to return home to live with her grandmother. Samantha decides to do just that. She starts to settle in back home, but then she meets her neighbor, Malcolm Drew, and she starts to feel anything but settled.

Malcolm Drew is a shapeshifter, part of the Amoveo clan. It is important for the Amoveo to find their mates; not only does it increase their power, but it significantly lengthens their lives. Malcolm is happy to have found his mate, Samantha. There is one problem. Samantha has no idea that shapeshifters actually exist. Will she be able to open her mind to all that Malcolm will present to her? Most importantly, will she be able to open her heart?

My thoughts:
I liked this book. It was different then any other shapeshifter books that I have read. I was able to vividly imagine all of the settings and scenery the way they were described; that doesn’t always happen easily for me. I could clearly see Sam’s art studio and her paintings that she was working on, and I had no problem picturing her house and bedroom.

Nonie, Sam’s grandmother, was a riot. Here’s something that she said that I’m going to hold on to and use when I get older.

“Don’t even think of arguing with me. I’m an old woman. If you fight me about it, it could give me a heart attack.” (p. 44-45)

She made me laugh out loud. I loved how she always seemed to know what was going on, and how she even had a few secrets of her own.

Malcolm was strong, tall, handsome, and confident. What’s not to like? Well, the one thing that irked me about him was the nickname that he used for Sam. The endearment itself was cute; I just thought it was a little overused. However, Sam didn’t seem to mind.

I had a hard time relating to Samantha, I’m not sure why. I liked her as a person. She is driven, and caring about her family and friends. One thing that bothered me was her acceptance to everything that Malcolm told her. She would be bothered by it but then would forget about it for a minute because she was so attracted to him. I just felt like it wasn’t realistic in that respect.

All in all, this was a good book. Even though it is about three hundred pages, I read it in about three days; it’s very fast paced. I enjoyed getting lost in the story and look forward to the next book in the series.

My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready

2011-10-25T06:00:00.079-05:00

A Novel Seduction
~Gwyn Cready

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 1451612648
ISBN-13: 978-1451612646
ASIN: B004T4KWWY

From the author's website:
When snobbish book critic Ellery Sharpe screws up at Vanity Place magazine, her boss assigns her the ultimate punishment: write an ode to romance novels, a genre she considers the literary equivalent of word search puzzles. To make matters worse, he hires her sexy former party boy ex, Axel Mackenzie, to shoot the photos. Axel really wants the project to succeed. For one, the magazine will double his fee if he convinces strong-willed Ellery to write a story no woman can resist. Besides, getting Ellery to fall for romance novels might be just the push she needs to believe people can change . . . even him. At his sister's advice, Axel gives Ellery a copy of Kiltlander, a much-adored romance whose warrior hero is utterly irresistible. To her dismay, Ellery finds herself secretly falling in love with the story-and with Axel, who's drawing his own lessons from the book's compelling hero. With her carefully crafted image of herself crumbling and her dream job on the line, will Ellery risk it all to make the leap from tight-lipped literati to happily-ever-after heroine?

Ellery Sharpe is head of the literary section at Vanity Place magazine. She's trying to get on as editor of another prestigious magazine, and her next assignment is going to be her piece de resistance. The only problem? Her most recent article, a piece on the uber-popular book "Vamp" lambastes the book and the romance genre in general. This would normally be fine, except her married editor is having an affair with Vamp's author. Needless to say he's not happy, and to make his mistress happy, he's assigned Ellery a piece on why women like romance novels, and Vamp in particular.

Axel Mackenzie is a free-lance photographer who often works with Vanity Place. He and Ellery dated several years back, and while their romance didn't work out, they remained friends. Not close friends, but friends nonetheless. He's trying to buy a small, independent brewery, and when Ellery's editor offers him a large sum of money to make sure she's doing a positive article. He agrees, but doesn't know a thing about romance novels, so he consults with his sister, who recommends her favorite romance, Kiltlander.

As the story moves on, both Ellery and Axel remember their former relationship (the good parts and the bad), travel the world meeting readers of all shapes and sizes, and learn to appreciate a good romance novel.

My thoughts:
OMG this book was so cute!!! I read and loved Ms. Cready's Seducing Mr. Darcy, and when I saw the blurb for this book I knew I had to read it.

A Novel Addiction has everything I want in a contemporary romance, plus Outlander references, for a book full of win!!! The humor is funny, the hero and heroine are likable, the secondary characters help move the story along without confusing or overshadowing the main story.

I loved the Vamp fans - they broke down into Team Britta or Team Ynez, and the fans are just as rabid as Team Jacob and Team Edward fans...

The Kiltlander scenes were my favorites: Jemmie and Cara =Jamie and Claire. The scene where Ellery sneaks into the bathroom to read Kiltlander because she's got to know what happens at the wedding scene is so funny. And the fact that everyone she talks to has read and loves Kiltlander but won't spoil any of the book for her is such a true depiction of the camaraderie of the romance reading community in general - I loved it!!! (And I had to go back and read my favorite parts of Outlander as soon as I finished A Novel Addiction *winks*)

The back story of Axel trying to come up with enough money to buy the bar, and Ellery's competition to win the spot at the other magazine added interest to the plot, but for me the most enjoyable parts were Ellery and Axel each reading Kiltlander and their reactions to it, as well as the romance that re-blooms between them.

I definitely recommend this book to any romance readers, especially fans of Outlander and "converts" to romance from other genres (like me). This one goes on my "keeper shelf".

My Rating: Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Drink Deep by Chloe Neill

2011-10-24T06:00:00.042-05:00

Drink Deep
~Chloe Neill

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451234863
ISBN-13: 978-0451234865
ASIN: B0052RERL4

From the author's website:
Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city iself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

*SPOILER FREE REVIEW*
As Drink Deep opens, Vampire Merit is trying to get over the events that took place in the previous book, Hard Bitten. She's made the decision to soldier on and be the vampire she needs to be in order to do her job of protecting Cadogan House and its inhabitants. To that effect, she's been working with Jonah, from Grey House, who's been teaching her a few new things and is still trying to recruit her for the Red Guard.

When Lake Michigan suddenly turns black and stops moving, Chicago immediately blames it on their favorite supernatural scapegoat - the vampires. Merit's job is to find out what's happening and make it stop, but in the absence of any clues she doesn't know how to fix it. Adding to Merit's problems is Frank, the receiver appointed by the Greenwich Presidium to review Cadogan House; he's instituted a new policy of blood-rationing and is trying to edge Merit out of her position at the House.

While trying to solve the city's problem and dealing with Frank's machinations at the house, Merit is also trying to salvage her fractured friendship with Mallory, and that's not going so well either. Has Merit finally taken on too much to handle? Are the vampires going to finally be ousted from Chicago, or will it only be Cadogan House that suffers....

My Thoughts:
Ms. Neill's world-building is so well crafted it's like going back home after vacation each time I pick up the newest installment - as soon as I open the book I fall right in and immerse myself in this fictional, vampire-infused Chicago. Merit continues to be one of my favorite UF heroines - she's tough, smart, loyal, and persistent, but not obnoxiously so. She's definitely the kind of chick I'd love to have as a friend, if she wasn't a vampire ;) The cast and crew of secondary characters are well-rounded and consistent - they stress me out right along with Merit!

I've got a little confession to make: I liked Jonah in Hard Bitten and like him even more in Drink Deep. *points to self* I'm definitely a Jonah fan; he's a stand-up guy and I think he and Merit work well together. Is there some attraction there? Sure, but Merit handles it nicely and I like the underlying tension between them; I"m a sucker for a love-triangle and usually try to see one whether it's there or not.

After the last book, I didn't want to see Tate ever again. He's back in Drink Deep and creeps me the *f* out. He talked Merit out of something that I hope won't come back to haunt her.

As far as the mystery of the lake, I enjoyed it - I kept flip-flopping between two theories but was wrong on both counts. I did figure out the problem before Merit did though...

There are some changes that take place in Drink Deep, including two shockers near the end of the book. I think most people will be happy with the surprise and not so happy with the twist (I'm sorry I can't be any less cryptic without giving away spoilers). I surprised myself by being not so happy about the surprise, but can't wait to find out what's going on with the twist - this one's going to be good, I can feel it!!

So, again, I've got to trust Ms. Neil that she knows what's best for Merit and that she'll get her HEA by the end of the series. Biting Cold is going to kill me, I can tell already!!

My Rating: Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Character Chat with Chuck Merit from the Chicagoland Vampire Series

2011-10-21T06:00:00.042-05:00

Please join me in welcoming a special guest to Caught in a FAB Romance: Merit's grandfather and Chicago Ombudsman, Chuck Merit!!!

_____________________

Patti: Hi Mr. Merit; thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions. Can you tell us a little bit about Merit as a child? Was she always this headstrong and passionate about solving problems?

Chuck: Thank you for having me. And please, call me Chuck. *Laughing* As for Merit, I think you've hit the nail on a the head. My granddaughter has always known who she was--even if her father didn't exactly approve. I think that's why her change to vampire was so hard at first.

Patti: I know her relationship with her father is strained, at best. Do you see any hope for a reconciliation there?

Chuck: They are so much alike, Joshua and Merit. Headstrong. Stubborn. Independent and incredibly self-reliant. But I think that stands between them, as they are both convinced they're right. I would love to see reconciliation and understanding between them, but only time will tell.

Patti: It’s obvious that Merit loves you very much. Did she spend a lot of time with you as a child? How were you able to hide the existence of supes from her?

Chuck: My wife and I saw Merit more than anyone else, I suppose. She spent summers with us, and afternoons after school. I was still on duty in those days, of course, so she spent more time with my wife than me, but yes, she was a constant fixture in our house. She loved cheese sandwiches; I remember that well. Always wanted a cheese sandwich as a snack.

Patti: You’ve got your finger on the pulse of the supernatural community. Is there anything that ever surprises you?

Chuck: *Belly laughing* My dear, rarely a day goes by when something doesn't surprise me. That's the nature of the supernatural, I think.

Patti: I love when we read about the river nymphs and their reaction to quiet, sort of nerdy Jeff. What’s going on there?

Chuck: *Chuckling* It's fascinating, isn't it? The skill he has with those girls. I've never asked him outright, but I assume the magnetism is some kind of magical attraction. Not that the boy doesn't have fine qualities of his own.

Patti: How did you end up with Catcher and Jeff as employees? Was there some sort of job announcement? A supernatural interview process?

Chuck: Now, I can't exactly give away confidential information. Let's say I knew exactly what I was looking for, and when Catcher and Jeff were brought to my attention by certain interested parties, I knew how good they'd be and snatched them up at the first opportunity.

Patti: What are your hopes for Merit’s future?

Chuck: I wish her love. Happiness. A family of her own so that she can know she's loved and truly feel it.

Patti: Thank you again for answering my questions! Best of luck to you and the guys!

Chuck: Thank you, doll. I appreciate having the chance to chat with you.

(Patti: *blushes* He called me doll!!!!!)

Drink Deep
~Chloe Neill

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: New American Library
Publish Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 0451234863
ISBN-13: 978-0451234865
ASIN: B0052RERL4

From the author's website:
Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city iself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

About the author:
Chloe Neill was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest–just close enough to Cadogan House and St. Sophia’s to keep an eye on things. When not transcribing Merit’s and Lily’s adventures, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys–her favorite landscape photographer/husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout. (Both she and the photographer understand the dogs are in charge.) Chloe is represented by Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency. Chloe is a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Pam's Review: Caressed by Moonlight by Amanda J. Greene

2011-10-20T06:00:00.015-05:00

Caressed by Moonlight
~Amanda J. Greene

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Amanda Greene
Publish Date: May 6, 2011
ISBN-10: 0578064006
ISBN-13: 978-0578064000
ASIN: B004EEONLK

From the author's website:
Dorian Vlakhos is no ordinary aristocrat. He is a vampire king, who will do anything to save his clan from complete annihilation, before an ancient curse can claim his immortal life.

Penniless and orphaned, Victoria Kingston has nothing to bring to a marriage, yet she must shackle an unsuspecting gentleman into marriage by the end of the month or forfeit her rights as guardian of her younger sister. With the help of her dearest friend, Victoria begins her hunt, and vows to stay far away from the dark, mysterious, Dorian Vlakhos.

After meeting the beautifully innocent Miss Kingston, Dorian had to have her. He would do absolutely anything to make Victoria his. One sweet stolen kiss would bring them together while a force, more powerful than any vampire, would bind them for all eternity, but treachery, war, and death rule Dorian’s dark world and Victoria would be fortunate to survive.

Victoria Kingston’s father killed himself, leaving her as the sole provider and caretaker for her eight year old sister, Margaret. Because Victoria had to sell almost everything to pay off her father’s debts, she has no choice but to go live with their only living relative, Aunt Nelly. Aunt Nelly loathed Victoria’s mother and seems to feel the same way about Victoria. Aunt Nelly tells Victoria that she has a month to get married so she can provide for her younger sister, or else she will never be able to see Margaret. Victoria is determined to find a husband, and starts attending balls and such to do just that.

Dorian Vlakhos is a very old vampire and a king of his clan. He escapes to London to try to divert the attention of the witches that are attacking his people. Dorian must make sure that people see him in London; therefore he must attend the social gatherings of the Season. At one such gathering he meets a young lady, Victoria, and feelings that he doesn’t recognize slowly start to stir.

My thoughts:
This felt different than your typical vampire book, but in a good way. Victoria, as a woman who had an extremely difficult task set upon her to marry within a month, just took it in stride and decided that if that is what it would take to keep her younger sister with her, then that is what she would do. Her character is refreshingly strong, and in other circumstances which I can’t mention because of spoilers, she acts in the same way.

Dorian, for his extremely old age, wasn’t as hard, or emotionally unavailable, as would be expected. Honestly, although he was a vampire he seemed emotionally human to me most of the time. A vampire that Dorian looked up to did as well. Here is a quote that that vampire once told Dorian:

“Love is not a weakness, Dorian, but a strength. It can give you more pleasure, more sorrow, more power, and more pain than anything on this earth.” (p. 221)

The one thing I didn’t like so much in this book was the shifting of the point of view. I don’t mind so much if it shifts from one chapter to the next, but sometimes it gets confusing when it happens in the same chapter with no page break or anything to notify of the change.

This was a romantic adventure that kept me up late wondering what was going to happen, but in the end all my questions were answered and I was fulfilled. Because of the ending I believe another book is in the works, and I’m excited to read it when it becomes available.
My Rating:

Pam

Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Beginning of The End

2011-10-19T06:00:00.136-05:00

Yes, that means exactly what you think it means: Book Addict/Caught in a FAB Romance is ending its run. Yet another book blog succumbs to the triple threat of stress, lack of time, and real life. I have books for review through January, so I'll be around for a little while, but after those reviews are done, so am I.

It has been a fabulous two years and I am thrilled to have 'met' each and every one of you, but I need to spend more time with my family. This was such a hard decision to make, I agonized over it for quite some time. The writing has been on the wall for a while now, I just didn't want to read it. Thank you for welcoming me into the book blogging community - it's been an experience I'll treasure.

Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

2011-10-18T06:00:00.162-05:00

If I Tell
~Janet Gurtler

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402261039
ISBN-13: 978-1402261039
ASIN: B005EU50PG

From the author's website:
It was like watching a train wreck. I wanted to look away but couldn't take my eyes off them.

Her best friend and her mom's boyfriend. Locking lips. This is the secret Jasmine Evans has to keep at all costs. Because her mom is pregnant, and Jaz doesn't want to ruin her life-again (just being born did it the first time). But the harder Jaz tries to pretend everything is okay, the faster her life spins out of control. Until Jackson. He doesn't care about the popularity of her friends or the color of her skin. But can she really trust a guy who just transferred in from reform school? She might be willing to chance the heartbreak, but telling him everything and risking the truth getting out is a whole other level of scary.

If I Tell is the story of Jaz Evans, a young, biracial girl who catches her mother's boyfriend, Simon, kissing Jaz's best friend, Lacey. Jaz has convinced herself to tell her mother what she saw, then her mother suddenly announces she's pregnant. Jaz is torn between telling her mother and keeping the secret. She's devastated that Simon, someone she looked up to and trusted, could betray her mother, and, in a round-about way, he betrayed Jaz too. So now she's lost Simon and her best friend, and she's angry and hurt. While she's trying to work through it, there's a new guy, Jackson, hanging around, and Jaz thinks she could like him, but he's bad news, so she really should stay away from him. But she can't. And between Jackson and her new friend, Ashley, Jaz finds that life is full of surprises, some good and some not so good, but it is the choices you make that ultimately determine who you are.

My thoughts:
While If I Tell starts off with a secret, it ultimately spirals into so much more. In only 244 pages, it touches on several difficult subjects: race, teenage drinking, pregnancy, betrayal, homosexuality, depression, rape, and "second generation parenting". The problems that teenagers face today are realistically portrayed, and the actions of the characters are not cookie-cutter solutions where everyone gets along and goes home happy.

While at times I was frustrated with Jaz and felt like she was feeling sorry for herself, I thought to myself, "What teenager doesn't, really?" Add to that her mother left her for her grandparents to raise and is now having another baby, she doesn't feel like she fits with either the black or white community, and the two people she confides in have betrayed her. Who wouldn't be feeling sorry for themselves?

The secondary characters were varied and interesting and each character had their own story to add to the reader's perception of all the things going on in Jaz's head.

If I Tell was a wonderfully written journey of self-discovery: for Jaz to realize she does have a place where she fits in, to understand what you see isn't always what you get, and to know that it's okay to ask for help.

My Rating:

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Interview with Kristine Grayson, author of Utterly Charming

2011-10-17T06:00:00.018-05:00

Please join me in welcoming author Kristine Grayson to Caught in a FAB Romance! Ms. Grayson's latest release, Utterly Charming, is out now. (More info after the interview)

First the obvious question: Where did you get the idea to take a traditional fairy tale and “change it up” to modern times?
I never quite know where the ideas come from. One of my favorite editors asked me to write a short story about Battle Wizards—fights and magic—and somehow I came up with a story called “The Strangeness Of The Day.” I wrote it under my real name, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and the story won all kinds of awards, including a really prestigious French Fantasy award. (You can find it in my collection of award-winning stories, Recovering Apollo 8 or as a stand-alone e-book.) That story featured the opening of Utterly Charming—the fight with Blackstone and Ealhswith, all from Nora’s point of view. When I finished, I felt really uncomfortable. What about poor Emma? And then my husband (and first reader) said, “This is a novel, you know.” So I wrote it, and it came out as romance, which made me happy, because I love the genre.

If you would, please tell us a little bit about Utterly Charming.
I always tell people the high concept: Prince Charming falls in love with Sleep Beauty’s lawyer. In some ways, though, it’s about falling in love as an adult versus as a kid. Blackstone—my Prince Charming—fell for Emma—Sleeping Beauty—as a boy. He falls for Nora as a grown man, and isn’t sure what to do, because he’s been protecting Emma for all of these years.

I love that Sleeping Beauty was ticked off when she woke up. Do you plot out the stories ahead of time or wait and see where the writing takes you?
I let my stories take me where they want to go. I kept thinking that if I had missed 1,000 years of life, I’d be really mad. So Emma woke up mad, and stayed that way. After all, all the burdens fall on her—a new world, new language, new life, plus her guy is 1,000 years older than she is. Not romantic at all, in my opinion.

If they turned Utterly Charming into a movie, who do you imagine would play your characters?
I have trouble envisioning this with modern actors. I suppose George Clooney would have to play Blackstone and Danny DeVito (or the guy who just won the Emmy for Game of Thrones) would be Sancho. But Emma? There aren’t a lot of black-haired beauties in Hollywood, so she’d probably have to be an unknown. And Nora? That’s the real tough one, because she’s short and perky and not traditionally beautiful. I actually prefer thinking of the casting this way: Rosaline Russell as Nora (I know, she wasn’t short, but a real Tough Gal) and Cary Grant as Blackstone, with Audrey Hepburn as Emma. That’s the perfect casting for me.

What kinds of books do you like to read when you’re not writing? What are some of your favorites?
I read in all genres, which explains why I write in all genres under different names. Long-time favorites—books I reread every year—are The Great Gatsby and Rebecca. But I pretty much read everything. I do a recommended reading list every month on my blog, www.kriswrites.com, and discuss books from nonfiction to Regency to hardboiled noir to science fiction.

What made you pick romance as your genre to write?
It picked me.

Do you have any input in your covers? They’re gorgeous – I fell in love with the cover of Wickedly Charming the first time I saw it, and Utterly Charming and Thoroughly Kissed are also stunning!
Sourcebooks asks me for scenes and cover recommendations, but other than that, I don’t have a lot of say. I’m happy with that because I’m not a visual person. I love what they’re doing with the covers. Wait until you see the cover for Emma’s story, Thoroughly Kissed, coming in June. (It’s on my website, www.kristinegrayson.com) It’s spectacular.

I see that you also write under Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Kristine Dexter. How does that work, keeping the pseudonyms separate? Does it help with keeping the series separate?
I also write as Kris DeLake (upcoming) and Kris Nelscott (mystery), and a bunch of names I can’t tell you for contractual reasons. On my original work, I use the pen names to help my readers. Kristine Grayson books are light and fun; Kris Nelscott books are so dark that I’m pretty sure my hero (Smokey Dalton) has never ever cracked a joke. As a reader, I like to know what I’m getting. I want to pick up a book and know that no one will die or no blood will be shed. I have nightmares, so my bedtime reading is always romance. It used to be romance and YA, but then YA got really dark, and you couldn’t tell by the cover. I read a great YA book with a really graphic rape scene right in the middle and got upset. If I had read that over lunch it wouldn’t have bothered me, but I read it in bed. I was up for another three hours. I don’t want to do that to my readers.

Do you have anything new in the works or is there something else you’d like to spotlight while you’ve got the floor, so to speak ;)
I’m doing a bunch of side stories about characters in the Kristine Grayson universe. If you liked Wickedly Charming (from last May), you might want to look up Standing Up For Grace, which follows two side characters in an adventure I couldn’t put in the book. Right now, the book is e-only, but it’ll be in trade paper soon. And there will be more, including some light mysteries set in the same world. Those will come out of a new company, WMG Publishing, who also do my short fiction.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and congratulations on the release of Utterly Charming!
Thanks for asking me! It’s been fun.

Utterly Charming
~Kristine Grayson

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402248512
ISBN-13: 978-1402248511
ASIN: B005EU50K6

From Goodreads:
Bestselling author Kristine Grayson's fairy tale romances bring the classic stories into the present day, where fairy tale characters must grapple with the complexities of modern life as well as their own destinies.

This time when Sleeping Beauty wakes up, she wants nothing to do with the man who kissed her. Consoling Alex Blackstone, the rejected suitor who is a brilliant magician but inept when it comes to women, falls to modern career woman and lawyer, Nora Barr. Nora now has to deal with Beauty's evil stepmother, and the discovery that Alex just might be her own personal Prince Charming...

About Kristine Grayson:
Kristine Grayson always wanted to be a romance writer when she grew up. She became one in the late 1990s with the publication of her first romance novel, Utterly Charming. Since then, she has published five more novels. Her next, Wickedly Charming, will appear from Sourcebooks in May.
Her work has won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and she has been nominated for several other awards. Publishers Weekly has called her work "a delight," and Best Reviews labeled her "the reigning queen of paranormal romance."

Friday Funk: This One Feels Dirty...

2011-10-14T06:00:00.019-05:00

My Sister-in-law Hannah does a regular Friday feature over at her place called Friday Funk. I thought it might be fun to occasionally feature a song that makes me think of books or characters.

I recently read and luuurved Cara McKenna's Willing Victim. So good. So dirty. Gritty and hard. So, when this song rolled around on my iPod, I immediately thought of Willing Victim by Cara McKenna:

If you've read the story you know it's not exact, but yeah.... dirty, gritty, rough, naughty. Just like this:

Willing Victim~Cara McKenna

From the author's website:
For the past couple years Laurel's been coasting, hiding in the backseat while her life drifts off course. Then one summer afternoon a tall, built bruiser named Flynn strides in and steers her straight into an infatuation she never saw coming.

Flynn introduces Laurel to things she’s never imagined before—to the violent but exciting realm of the underground boxing circuit, to rough sex and even rougher role-playing, and to an attraction she craves even as it intimidates her. As Flynn invites her deeper into his world and his life, Laurel has to make a choice—let fear keep her holed up where it’s safe, or take a chance and fight for the man who makes her feel more alive than she’d dreamed possible.

Reader advisory: Although all of the sexual acts in this story are 100% consensual, it contains role-playing scenarios that may upset some readers who are sensitive about rape, even in a simulated capacity.

Have a great weekend!!!

Pam's Review and a Giveaway: Riversong by Tess Hardwick

2011-10-13T06:00:00.051-05:00

Riversong
~Tess Hardwick

Paperback: 278 pages
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Publish Date: March 30, 2011
ISBN-10: 1935961144
ISBN-13: 978-1935961147
ASIN: B004WDRYVE

From Goodreads:
Author Tess Hardwick assembles a colorful cast of endearing small-town characters and takes you on a journey that will make you believe in the possibilities of life - even in the face of overwhelming adversity and unimaginable grief.

Lee Tucker is the kind of woman you find yourself rooting for long after the last page is read. When her husband commits suicide,he leaves her pregnant and one million dollars in debt to a loan shark. Out of options, she escapes to her deceased mother's dilapidated house located in a small Oregon town that, like her, is financially ruined, heartbroken and in desperate need of a fresh tart. Lee's resilience leads to a plan for a destination restaurant named Riversong, to new chances for passion and love, and to danger from her dead husband's debt as her business blooms.

A surprising mix of romance, humor, friendship, intrigue and gourmet food, Riversong entertains while reminding you of life's greatest gifts.

Lee Tucker grew up in a small town with an agoraphobic drunk for a mother. Anxious to leave her house, Lee takes off for college early and heads to Seattle, following her dream to become an artist. Fast forward; Lee is now in her thirties and her husband just committed suicide. Turns out he secretly borrowed money from a loan shark and saw no way out; now that loan shark is coming after Lee for his money, money that she doesn’t have. To top it all off, Lee just found out that she is pregnant, something that was not planned. She decides to run back to her house where she grew up, the one that was left to her when her mother died.

Going back to her hometown brings back unpleasant memories. But Lee is determined to make enough money to pay off the loan shark so she will not have to live her life in hiding. She decides to fix up and sell her mother’s, now her, house, and while she is waiting for that to be finished she gets a job. She starts working at a restaurant as a consultant, trying to figure out what to do to bring in more money for them. On Lee’s journey she finds love, makes true friends, and finds some long awaited answers.

My Thoughts:
This was a great book! I couldn’t believe it was Ms. Hardwick’s first novel. It starts off a little dark with Lee growing up feeling like she isn’t wanted, to having her husband leave her by shooting himself. But it lightens up along the way.

The characters are so real; it was so easy to lose myself in the story completely. Lee’s neighbor, Ellen, is like a second mother to her when Lee returns home. Ellen is in her seventies, but is still young at heart, and in body. Ellen makes sure Lee has good meals to eat when she comes home from work, is there to lend an ear when Lee needs to talk, and even helps Lee out by bearing arms a time or two.

Tommy, a musician who plays at the restaurant Lee works at, and a local EMT, has the ability to see Lee and connect with her on a level that no one has before. This scares Lee for a few reasons, and even makes her feel guilty because her husband has not been deceased for that long. I really liked Tommy’s character; he had his own mishaps in life and there was something really soulful about him.

From when a bear is climbing up the side of Lee’s house, to when she is finding love again, this book never has a dull moment. Let me be honest with you, when I first looked at the cover of this book I wasn’t a fan, but I am so happy that I read the synopsis and in turn, gave the book a chance. I guess what they say is true to never judge a book by its cover. This was truly a great read, one that I will be passing on to my family and friends.
My Rating:Pam
And now for the giveaway: Thanks to Melange Books, we have a copy of Riversong to give away! To enter, leave a comment about a book cover you've loved (or hated). US Only, ends Oct. 20*.
*The small print: Caught in a FAB Romance is not responsible for books lost or stolen in the mail.
Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Posting at Fiction Vixen today...

2011-10-12T06:00:00.005-05:00

I'm over at Fiction Vixen today reviewing

Last Breath by Rachel Caine.

Hop over and say hi - she's giving away a copy!!

Review: Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune

2011-10-11T06:00:00.169-05:00

Bear, Otter, and the Kid
~TJ Klune

Paperback: 350 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publish Date: August 12, 2011
ISBN-10: 1613720874
ISBN-13: 978-1613720875
ASIN: B005H3MRVK

From Goodreads:
Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living—with a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that. Until Otter comes home.
Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect. This time, though, there’s nowhere to run from the depth of emotion between them. Bear still believes his place is as the Kid’s guardian, but he can’t help thinking there could be something more for him in the world... something or someone.

Darryl "Bear" McKenna was days away from his 18th birthday when he came home to a letter from his mother: She's leaving town with her latest boyfriend who does't want kids; so his mother is leaving Bear's six-year-old brother, Ty, in Bear's care. Bear is devastated - he's about to graduate and go to college on a scholarship, but now all that's about to change. Luckily he's got his girlfriend, Anna, his best friend, Creed, and Creed's older brother Oliver (Otter). They all staunchly support Bear and Ty and rally around to make sure things are okay - not perfect, but they're making it work.

As the story opens, Bear, Ty, and Creed are headed Creed's parent's home for the summer. Their house is supposed to be empty, but Otter is there. Bear hasn't spoken to Otter in almost three years - since the "incident" that Bear doesn't want to think about. He's still angry Otter left the way he did. But everyone else is happy Otter is back, and maybe Bear is just fighting how he really feels...

Otter has been living in San Diego, but he's come back to get his head together and try to salvage his friendship with Bear: he knows Bear is the only person he's ever loved without reservation. Sure, he had a boyfriend in San Diego, but he never stopped thinking about Bear and what happened between them. He thought he was doing the right thing when he left, but now he's not so sure, and he's come home to try to fix it.

What follows is a heartwarming, heartbreaking, frustrating and beautiful story of finding love and finding yourself.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed Bear, Otter, and the Kid. TJ Klune has a knack for writing sympathetic characters and the reader will be feeling all the ups and downs in the story right along with them. Klune writes a heartbreaking situation, but he does so with bits of humor interspersed to keep the reader from wallowing in pity:

Creed scowls. "Hardly. All he does now is mope like a goddamn teenage girl. Anytime I'm home, he's in his room with the door locked. I'm telling you guys, he got worked over really bad in San Diego. I thought the whole point of having a gay brother was that they were supposed to be all cool and shit. I've got a defective gay."
~ 21%, Bear, Otter, and the Kid

The secondary characters are written into the story in such a way that you think about them when they're not on the page. You find yourself wondering how Ty is doing at his first sleepover or how Anna has been since the breakup. Ty, Creed, Anna, and even the neighbor Mrs. Paquinn add depth to an already emotion-filled story. I'll warn you up front, Bear, Otter, and the Kid is full of angst, but it's sooo good. Bear does a lot of internal monologues, things he wants to say, needs to say, but doesn't say:

But everything else was crumbling around me, and I didn't know what else to do. I know that I can't keep using that as an excuse, no matter how hard I try. But something funny happened, Creed. Otter came back. Otter came back and something in me shifted, something in my broke free. For the first time in a long time, I saw myself through somebody else's eyes. It was blinding because it was like looking into the sun. I've never had anyone look at me that way before. Something in me changed, and I've been struggling with it since. It's an uphill battle every day, and I don't see the end in sight, and that terrifies me. But if you want to know the truth, I want you to know. I love him. I love Otter. I think I always have, and I think I always will. It sounds weird, I know, coming from me. I'm the last person you'd expect to hear say something like this. I just don't want to keep it in anymore. I'm tired of fighting it, and Otter told me the fight for me was all he's ever known, and I couldn't do that to him anymore. Not when he finally came home to me.
~56%, Bear, Otter, and the Kid

In case you can't tell from the monologue, Bear has a hard time accepting he's gay. He does love Otter but can't admit he's gay. I found this one of the most endearing and frustrating aspects of the book. While I understand Bear's reluctance, at the same time I could feel Otter's pain and feelings of rejection.

One part of the story I had a problem with was Bear's mother. Without giving away spoilers, her part in the story didn't make any sense and was never explained. I think the story could have ended the same way without her appearance.

The last thing I'm going to mention is Bear's younger brother Ty. Ty is absolutely adorable: he's super-smart, and at first I was worried he'd be an annoying kid with a saccharine personality. Not so - he was quite yoda-like with his knowledge of how the world works and his ability to read people. Great kid, fun to read, full of smart advice for not only Bear, but the rest of the gang as well.

Poignant, funny, hopeful and heartwarming, I absolutely recommend Bear, Otter, and the Kid. The sex is secondary to the storyline, very mild, so this would be good for new readers of gay romance, as well as those with a bit more experience in the genre.

My Rating:
Book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Review: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

2011-10-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

The Iron Knight
~Julie Kagawa

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harlequin
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 0373210361
ISBN-13: 978-0373210367

From Goodreads:
Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing. Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.>

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Prince Ash of the Winter Court is on a quest - he intends to gain a human soul and thus be able to reside in the Iron Kingdom with his half-human love, Megan Chase, the Iron Queen. As a fairy, he cannot be in the Iron Kingdom without becoming deathly ill, so he begins a journey to the End of the World to fulfill his promise to find a way to be with her. No one has ever come back from the End of the World however, and Ash is going to need some assistance. His traveling companions are quite a surprising and eclectic group, but they each have a reason for joining Ash's travels and hoping for his success.

My thoughts:
I absolutely loved the Iron King trilogy (my 5-star review of The Iron Queen here) and I was looking forward to Ash's story - I have been Team Ash from the first book. That being said, The Iron Knight fell a bit flat for me. Don't get me wrong - the writing was fabulous; Ms. Kagawa's imagination never ceases to amaze me.

We don't see much of Megan in this book, which makes sense since it's Ash's book, but I missed her. We do get a big surprise in the form of a character from Ash's past. I really didn't like her, though, and spent the whole book yelling at Ash to quit mooning over her. Even though she redeemed herself near the end of the story, I still don't like her. (I think that might make me a bad person, lol). Ash was also very moody around Puck. I figured since their feud was over they'd be chums or whatever but no, he treated Puck pretty badly. Upon retrospect, Ash has always been moody, so I don't know why this surprised me.

There were several aspects to the story that I did love: The back and forth between The Big Bad Wolf and Grimalkin left me wanting more. I'm pretty sure there's a good backstory there; I'd love to know what it is. That would probably involve knowing what, exactly, Grimalkin is, so we'll probably never know...

The River of Dreams and the town of Phaed, where names are forgotten, were fascinating and creepy. I am still continually amazed at the depth of Ms. Kagawa's creativity - the creatures that her characters encounter and the trials they go through are beautifully written and vivid.

I think, for me, the problem was that The Iron Knight was the story of Ash Finding His Way To Megan, not Ash And Megan's Happily Ever After With Adventures Together. So the issue is with me, the reader, not Ms. Kagawa, the writer.

Would I still recommend this series? ABSOLUTELY. This is a series you don't want to miss.

My Rating:

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson

2011-10-07T06:00:00.095-05:00

Utterly Charming
~Kristine Grayson

Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
ISBN-10: 1402248512
ISBN-13: 978-1402248511
ASIN: B005EU50K6

From Goodreads:
Bestselling author Kristine Grayson's fairy tale romances bring the classic stories into the present day, where fairy tale characters must grapple with the complexities of modern life as well as their own destinies.

This time when Sleeping Beauty wakes up, she wants nothing to do with the man who kissed her. Consoling Alex Blackstone, the rejected suitor who is a brilliant magician but inept when it comes to women, falls to modern career woman and lawyer, Nora Barr. Nora now has to deal with Beauty's evil stepmother, and the discovery that Alex just might be her own personal Prince Charming...

Nora Barr is a young attorney who decided to open her own practice instead of joining a big law firm out of law school. Money's running short because she doesn't have a lot of clients, so when Aethelstan (Alex) Blackstone shows up in her building looking for an attorney, she agrees to talk to him. It turns out he's trying to contact a dear friend in a coma, but the friend's guardian won't let him near her. He is not related to this friend, nor does he have any sort of custody, so Nora tells him she can't help him and sends him on his way. A few days later, Nora gets a call from Alex's friend telling her he's in desperate need of an attorney and to come right away.

What follows is a story about true love and what happens when you get what you think you want.

My thoughts:
I kept expecting this story follow Sleeping Beauty and that's not at all what happened....

Nora is a tough attorney, even though she looks like a cheerleader. I like that she doesn't let anyone walk all over her - even magical beings who could turn her into a frog, lol. She's practical, except where Alex is concerned, something about him just keeps Nora off-center. But not so off-center that she doesn't continue to do what she thinks is right.

Alex did not grow on me as much as he could have. His blind infatuation with Emma (the close friend in a coma), I think, in part was responsible for this - how can a romance grow and develop with Nora while he is pursuing Emma?

I loved Alex's friend, Sancho - he was funny and vividly written; I loved the scenes he was involved in! Sancho was the kind of wise but irreverent secondary character who lights up the page.

Utterly Charming was a fun, modern twist to a traditional fairy tale, full of magical characters learning to navigate life the 20th century. A cute, light read.

My Rating:
The first book in this series, Wickedly Charming, is currently free in ebook format from your favorite retailers through October 9!
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Pam's Review: Lethal by Sandra Brown

2011-10-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

Lethal
~Sandra Brown

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: September 20, 2011
ISBN-10: 1455501476
ISBN-13: 978-1455501472
ASIN: B004QZ9QLO

From goodreads:
When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

Honor is making cupcakes for her father in law’s birthday party when her four year old daughter, Emily, comes inside to tell her that there is a hurt man on their lawn. After Honor processes this statement, she rushes out to help the man. The man puts a gun to Honor’s chest and implies that she better cooperated so no one gets hurt. Honor figures out who the man is, Lee Coburn, a suspect on the run for murdering seven people the night before. She is terrified but willing to cooperate for her daughter’s safety. Coburn is trying hard to find something in Honor’s house. Honor has no idea what it is. Will Coburn find what he is looking for? Will Honor and Emily survive?

My thoughts:
I think that is all I feel comfortable saying about the plot without giving anything away. This was such a great book; it’s no wonder that Sandra Brown is a bestselling author. When I first read the synopsis about the book I was a little confused but didn’t try to figure it out because I rather not know much about the books I’m reading. But wow, this book was something else.

I don’t like when people say things like, “you’ll never guess the ending,” or “the ending is going to leave you shocked.” Because when I hear those things, I figure out what’s going to happen and then it’s ruined. So I’m not going to say that, even though that is not the case at all with the ending. However, there are other parts in this book that are like that so I can’t say too much without giving anything away which makes reviewing it pretty tough!

Here’s what I can say: The story is written from several points of view; while this usually bothers me that was not the case here. The author is talented and you automatically feel like you know the characters you are reading about. I was a little confused at first with all the characters, but I quickly learned who everyone was.
Honor makes a great female lead. She is a widow, living in a secluded area with her four year old daughter, facing this alleged murderer so bravely. She is such a good mom, and I found myself thinking, could I be that brave if I were in her shoes?

So while I don’t really want to say too much about the story, I hope that I still got my point across. Great story, great writing; this is definitely a book that I will be passing on to my friends and family to read.

My Rating:

Pam

Wrap Up: Sassy September

2011-10-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

September was an awesome month here at Caught in a FAB Romance!!! I read a few good books, did a few giveaways, interviewed one of my favorite authors!!

Here's what I read:
1. Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins (4 stars)
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern (4 stars)
3. Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl (4 stars)
4. Last Breath by Rachel Caine (4 stars) review to come at Fiction Vixen's place
5. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (4 stars)
6. Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl (4 stars)
7. Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl (2 stars)
8. Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy (5 stars)
9. Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews (4 stars)
10. Willing Victim by Cara McKenna (4 stars)
11. In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks (4 stars)
12. Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson (3 stars) review to come
13. Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune (4 stars) review to come

_____________________

I need to stop a minute and tell you about The Night Circus. I have tried and tried to write a review, but nothing I write expresses how I feel about the book. It was amazing: magical, heartbreaking, wonderous, dark. This is a book you need to set aside time to read - it's not for reading while you're on hold with the cable company, or while you're waiting in the pick-up line at school. You need to pay attention or you'll miss the nuances that make this book so special. It took me forever to finish; my copy is battered and torn in several places, I took it with me everywhere. I highly recommend.

_____________________

Now, what did Pam review in September? Quite a varied selection:
1. Sweet Venom by Terra Lynn Childs (4 stars)
2. Chosen by Paula Bradley (3 stars)
3. Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong (4 stars)
4. In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener (2 1/2 stars)
5. Deep Disclosure by Dee Davis (2 stars)

In addition, I interviewed one of my favorite authors - Lauren Dane (that giveaway is closed, btw). It was so hard not to fangirl squee all the questions, lol.

Some great new covers are out for Molly Harper and Chloe Neill, and October is looking to be a FABulous month of new releases! I've got a few author interviews and giveaways coming up on October, so WATCH THIS SPACE!!

How was your September?

Read anything you absolutely have to share?

Found some new covers or something you want to spotlight?

Review: Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl

2011-10-04T06:00:00.113-05:00

Real Men Will
~Victoria Dahl

Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: HQN Books
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 0373776098
ISBN-13: 978-0373776092
ASIN: B005JSRB0U

From the author's website:
It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his own identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good” one.

But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he cannot forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared one night of passion. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he cannot be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being did not burn to call him back.

Eric Donovan is the oldest of the three Donovan siblings. When their parents were killed in a car accident, he stepped in took over running the family brewery and raised his brother and sister through their late teens. He's always been responsible, and lately it just seems like that's all there is. Now that his brother and sister are taking on more responsibilities at the brewery and have significant others in their lives, he's feeling lost...and alone.

Beth Cantrell is the manager of The White Orchid, an adult novelty shop that also carries sexy clothing, runs an advice column in the local paper, and holds classes on a variety of sexual subjects. Beth does't feel like a sex expert, but feels like the men in town view her as such, which is hard to live up to when dating. She wants to find someone she doesn't feel like she needs to perform for or prove anything to, someone she can be herself with.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, Good Girls Do (Tessa's story), and Bad Boys Don't (Jamie's story). Eric was kind of a jerk in both books, but I thought he was misunderstood and was at heart a pretty good guy. While this did turn out to be true, I just couldn't warm up to his story.

For me, there was just too much angst - between Eric's midlife crisis and Beth's past chasing her into the present, and I had a hard time with this book. Don't get me wrong - they each have a good story, but I think both of their stories together were overwhelming. Eric is battling childhood demons related to his parents, as well as dealing with the changing dynamics of the brewery now that his siblings are taking on more responsibilities. His back-and-forth with his brother Jamie, which has been a constant throughout the series, is frustrating.

Beth's history was traumatic in a different way and she definitely has her own issues to resolve. She's stressed in her personal life in part because of her job, and I couldn't figure out why she didn't just quit. Even after learning her reasoning for working at The White Orchid, I just didn't get it. Also, her relationship with the Kendalls, the villains who have been a constant in the series, felt weak. Based on her personality and social standing, the extent of their interactions seemed convenient for the story.

Would I still recommend the series? Absolutely. Victoria Dahl has a gift for writing witty, sexy scenes and characters you grow to care about. I think Eric and Beth will resonate with some readers as a couple who overcomes their fears to grab their HEA.

My Rating:
Book received from the publisher via NetGalley.

Review: Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

2011-10-03T06:00:00.390-05:00

Until There Was You
~Kristan Higgins

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: HQN Books
Publish Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN-10: 037377611X
ISBN-13: 978-0373776115
ASIN: B005JSRAO2

From the author's website:
Posey Osterhagen can't complain. She owns a successful architectural salvaging company, she's surrounded by her loveable, if off-center, family and she has a boyfriend—sort of. Still, something's missing. Something tall, brooding and criminally good-looking...something like Liam Murphy.

When Posey was sixteen, the bad boy of Bellsford, New Hampshire, broke her heart. But now he's back, sending Posey's traitorous schoolgirl heart into overdrive once again. She should be giving him a wide berth, but it seems fate has other ideas...

Cordelia "Posey" Osterhagen is not looking her best when she runs into the former (unrequited) love of her life: She's helping out in her parent's restaurant, sporting a traditional German waitress outfit (which she does not fill out, at all) and a mouth full of potato dumpling when Liam Murphy walks in to their kitchen, looking even better than he did when they were kids. He's just as disdainful of her as she remembers. She's sorry to hear his wife died; Posey remembers her as a genuinely nice girl. Posey has decided that Liam's decision to back to Bellsford is not going to affect her one bit; there's no reason for her to interact with Liam now that they're adults and their lives have gone in different directions. Although he doesn't know it, Liam broke her heart and she's never forgiven him. Now all she has to do is convince her heart...

Liam Murphy is bringing his 15-year-old daughter Nicole back to the town he feels closest to and is opening a custom motorcycle shop. He moved to Bellsford when he was 15, after some unfortunate youthful choices landed him in juvie for car theft. He met his late wife Emma in Bellsford, so it's as close to home as it gets for him. Plus, Emma's parents live nearby, and although they're not his favorite people, they do love Nicole and deserve to spend time with her. And even though he knows that by moving back as a widower he'll be like a minnow in a shark tank, he's determined to concentrate on raising Nicole and has no plans for anything even resembling dating. But he keeps running into Posey, and suddenly she's not just that skinny kid who crushed on him in high school...

My thoughts:
I have a checklist that must be complete before I even think about opening a Kristan Higgins book: Favorite comfy chair? check. Pajamas on? check. Giant glass of diet coke? check. Tissues (for laughing and crying)? check. Kids asleep or out of the house (so as not to disturb Mommy while she's reading)? check. Then, and only then, I can settle in and enjoy reading.

Until There Was You is classic Kristan Higgins, but with a twist - we get not only the heroine's POV, but the hero's POV as well. Posey is cute - she's got an interesting career as a salvage artist; she rescues architecturally interesting things from homes and buildings and resells them. It sounds like a dream job (sweaty but fun). She's a people pleaser, especially as it pertains to her family. Example: She's seeing the owner of another restaurant in town and keeps it secret from her parents because it will upset them. Posey is adopted, but has never felt like her parents didn't love her or didn't consider her their own child. She's also petite and has a crazy-fast metabolism - she ate all the time, this book made me so hungry, lol.

Around the same time Liam comes back to town, Posey's cousin Gretchen shows up. Gretchen is a self-obsessed TV cooking show hostess, "The Barefoot Fraulein", who's quietly been fired from the network and comes home to Bellsford to "revamp the family restaurant". Her parents love Gretchen and don't realize that Gretchen and Posey don't get along. When Gretchen sort of moves in with Posey, then starts dating Posey's ex - the restaurateur - things just get more uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Meanwhile, Liam is trying valiantly to navigate the waters of being father to a 15-year-old girl and all her hormones. The scenes between Liam and Nicole are so funny - he was the "bad boy" in high school, so he knows what the boys in Nicole's school have on their mind:

"Look," Liam whispered, and against her will, Posey's entire side tingled. "She's fifteen years old. Bozo there's a senior. Do the math."
"What Math?" Posey asked.
"The sex math."
"You're an idiot," she muttered, shoving another fistful of popcorn into her mouth.
~ebook at 41%

I love that we get Liam's POV. He's a little young to be so curmudgeonly, but we see how the past affected his attitude present-day and the reasons he's so protective of Nicole. The differing POVs from Posey and Liam regarding the incident that broke Posey's heart so many years ago was an eye-opener. I will admit that even seeing Liam's mindset, I was frustrated with the way he treated Posey present-day; she deserved better. If they had just talked to each other, it would have been so much easier for everyone. I wasn't just mad at Liam though, I was mad at Posey for letting him treat her that way.

With a charming cast of secondary characters that enhance the main characters, I found myself falling in love with the town of Bellsford and it's inhabitants. In addition to Posey's parents, who only want Posey to be happy but are completely oblivious to her feelings, we are treated to Posey's (also adopted) brother Henry and his long-term partner, Jon, who is also Posey's best friend. Henry and Jon are great together - Henry is a surgeon and is almost comically obsessed with amputations, Jon is a popular high school teacher and he absolutely loves Posey to death (Big love for Jon from this reader, he's awesome!). There are also some deliciously awful characters who made Posey's life miserable as a teen and continue being horrible right into adulthood.

Until There Was You is both comical and compassionate. There's a movie theater scene that will make you laugh out loud and a prom horror story that will break your heart. Until There Was You touches on several difficult topics: adoption, homosexuality, family, death, and self respect, and gives the reader hope where a different author might make you feel only despair.

Kristan Higgins can put another notch on her bookshelf - Until There Was You is fabulous: I laughed and cried and was ready to pack up the family and move to Bellsford by the time I was done!

My Rating:

Book recieved from the Publisher via NetGalley.

An Award, some Ebook Deals, and a Winner

2011-10-02T06:00:00.072-05:00

Gini says:
Congratulations, your blog has been nominated as a Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Blog!

The award was created to honor those whose blogs who exemplify the qualities Katherine “Kitty” Katt has -- those who always stay cutting edge, who always find the fun, the funny, and the cool, and who are always one step ahead of the competition.

The “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Award” is only given to the amazingly awesome, so get down with your bad self, you’re deemed worthy to run with the A-C’s! And you’re also one step closer to being in the running for some cool prizes. (Contest is international.)

Now you get to spread the awesome by nominating other bloggers who are also harder, better, faster and stronger than the average blog bear. Not everyone’s as cool as you, so choose carefully!

Anyone who's known me for any amount of time knows what a huge Gini Koch fan I am - her Alien series is FABulous! All you need to say is #Martini in the twitterverse and you get a universal round of *sigh*. If you're not in the know about #Martini, you should be - this series rocks. And I gotta be honest - I WANT THAT BAG!!!

I was nominated by Gini herself! So what awesome blogs am I nominating for the Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Award? How 'bout these specimens of awesomeness:

1. Smash Attack Ash

2. Paperback Daydreamer

3. Hanging with Bells

4. A Jane of All Reads

5. Bookaholic Cat

Congratulations ladies! Your blogs rock! Here's what you need to do to be in the run for some pretty impressive prizes:

Your mission details:
Slap the graphic on your blog.
Give link props to the person who gave you the award (keep the hard, best, fast and strong on your side!).
Spread the awesome and nominate five (5) other bloggers who you think exemplify what it means to be cool, fun and cutting edge.
Let the recipients know they’ve won this honor on their blogs.
Last but not least, shoot Gini Koch an email at gini@ginikoch.com and let her know you’re the best of the best of the best, sir! (put “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” in the subject line!) by sharing that you’ve been nominated and telling her which other bloggers you nominated, and she’ll enter you into the “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” Contest.

Find out more details and what the loot is at http://www.ginikoch.com/winstuff.html.

______________________________

Sourcebooks has some eBook deals you won't want to miss! These prices should be available at all online retailers, so no matter what you use for reading, you won't miss out:

Cover Me by Catherine Mann will be $0.99: 10/04/2011 – 10/17/2011

Hot Zone will be in stores in December, so get a jump start on Catherine Mann’s

hot new military romantic suspense series!

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession by Abigail Reynolds will be $2.99: 10/03/2011 – 10/09/2011

Abigail’s latest Pemerbley Variation -retellings of Austen’s quintessential classic P&P-

Mr. Darcy’s Undoing, will be in stores next week!

Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson will be FREE: 10/03/2011 – 10/09/2011

Utterly Charming, another fairy tale with a twist by Kristine Grayson, will be in stores in October!

______________________________

And lastly, I wanted to announce the winner of my ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer:

Aeicha @ Word Spelunking

Aeicha said:This is a great review. I'm intrigued by your feelings of being unbalanced and off center after reading this book, which must be incredibly powerful or emotional to provoke such feelings in a reader. I really like the idea of a dark, uneasy read.Thanks for the giveaway!

(Aeicha has been contacted)

______________________________

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Many thanks to all who entered my Mara Dyer contest and

don't forget to check out those e-book deals!

Review: Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl

2011-09-30T06:00:00.032-05:00

Bad Boys Do
~Victoria Dahl

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: HQN Books
Publish Date: September 27, 2011
ISBN-10: 0373776020
ISBN-13: 978-0373776023
ASIN: B005HRT7D2

From the author's website:
Olivia Bishop is no fun. That’s what her ex-husband said. That’s what her smart bob and glasses imply. And with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’s going to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for some man. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, the dark-haired beauty realizes that trouble – in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan – may be too tempting to avoid.

Jamie Donovan doesn’t mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. But it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong.

Olivia Bishop wants to have fun; the thing is, she doesn't know how. She married young, gave up her ambitions for those of her husband, and then when she caught him cheating on her, she divorced him. His parting shot: If you knew how to have fun I wouldn't have had to look elsewhere. She's a teacher at the local college, and when another employee suggests joining a book club, one that meets once a month at the Donovan Brothers Brewery, Olivia hopes this is her first step on the way to 'fun'.

Jamie Donovan is the middle sibling in the Donovan family. His older brother Eric is responsible for most of the business end of running their family brewery andis younger sister Tessa is responsible for the marketing aspect. Jamie feels like the black sheep in the family - he looks pretty but isn't reliable. He wants to prove himself to his siblings: he dreams of adding a restaurant to the brewery but knows he needs a plan before presenting it, so he signs up for a class at the local college.

Olivia and Jamie each have something the other wants, so they agree to help each other out - Jamie will help Olivia loosen up and have fun, and Olivia will help Jamie with his restaurant plans. What neither of them counts on are the feelings that develop between them.

My thoughts:
I am a huge Victoria Dahl fan, and Bad Boys Do did not disappoint. Prior to reading Bad Boys Do, I had just finished a heavy, emotional read and wanted something sweet and humorous to cheer me up - and Bad Boys Do did the trick!

Olivia is 35, divorced for about a year, and her ex-husband Victor is a real jerk. He cheated on her, and since they both work at the same University, he flaunts his younger girlfriends whenever he gets the chance. Olivia's had enough, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, she invites Jamie (who's 29) to be her date to a University function. I kind of had a problem with Olivia using Jamie like that, but giving her credit, she felt guilty about it too. Her ex did a real mind-f*ck on her, essentially molding her from a young student into what he wanted her to be - a professor's wife. She put her dreams on hold, giving them up in place of Victor's wishes. When she found out he was cheating she was angry and hurt and determined to never give up any part of herself for a man again.

Jamie has a different problem - he's viewed by friends and family as a carefree guy with no responsibility and not really caring about anything but himself. While this was true when he was younger, he's grown and wants to take on more responsibility but no one, especially his brother, will believe he's changed. Every time he tries to show he's more responsible, it backfires and usually makes things worse. He sees in Olivia someone who's responsible and knowledgeable about a project he's determined to make succeed. I really liked Jamie (and not just because he's a sexy bartender who wears kilts on a regular basis) because he was so earnest in his endeavors to be more than a hunk in a kilt. I really felt for him when his brother or sister would disregard his input.

Bad Boys Do is a great "opposites attract" story. I could see where each half of the couple brought to the table something the other needed, and also how their differences could create problems in their relationship - especially when Olivia wasn't viewing it as a relationship but as an arrangement. Each made the other stronger, whether they realized it or not. When Jamie's "activities" come to light from the last book (Good Girls Do), Olivia is understandably upset. Jamie's explanation, however, was heartbreaking; I just wanted someone to believe in him!!!

Favorite quote:

"We get along," she whispered. "Of course. as friends. As people who...see each other."
He took her hand. "It's more than that. You bring out something better in me.
Her heart lept at his words, but it quickly fell back down again, thumping in fear. Was he saying he loved her? That couldn't be right. "Have you been drinking?" she blurted.
"No," he said with a laugh. "I'm sober. And sincere. When I'm with you, I feel mature. Responsible. It's what I liked about you from the start. You're so serious-" When she gasped, he held up a hand. "I know that's not what you want me to say, but it's true. You're serious and smart, and I like that. You make me want to be more."
~Bad Boys Do, location 3664

And if you think that's their HEA, you'll be as surprised as I was at what comes next! Ms. Dahl took Jamie and Olivia's story to highs and lows and dragged my heart right along with it...

Bad Boys Do is the second book in the Donovan Brothers Brewery series; I am thoroughly enjoying these characters and watching each their stories unfold. Eric, the oldest of the siblings, seems pretty uptight and I'm looking forward to his story next: Real Men Will (October 2011).

My Rating:
Book received from the publisher via NetGalley.

Pam's Review: Deep Disclosure by Dee Davis

2011-09-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

Deep Disclosure
~Dee Davis

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Forever
Publish Date: September 1, 2010
ISBN-10: 0446582921
ISBN-13: 978-0446582926
ASIN: B0047Y0EU6

From the author's website:
After spending years in prison under deep cover, black ops agent Tucker Flynn joins A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college. Nothing can shake him-except a vulnerable young woman marked for death.

DUAL DECEPTION

When Tucker is assigned to protect-and secretly investigate-Alexis Markham, he expects a routine mission. But this mysterious beauty has a past even darker than his: her father created a horrifying new biochemical weapon-and was murdered to keep it secret.

Alexis has spent the last decade racing to stay one step ahead of the shadowy operatives who will stop at nothing to possess her father's formula. She can trust no one, not even her handsome new bodyguard. But the heat that flares between them is impossible to resist. Will giving in to passion bring her the safety she's always craved, or will her love for Tucker draw him into a killer's sights?

Alexis has been in hiding her whole life. Her family died in an explosion when she was in high school and ever since then she only has her father’s friend, George, to rely on. She grows up constantly having to watch her back and leaving no trace of herself behind in fear of being discovered. Then something happens that leaves her more alone and frightened than ever. Alexis goes home to get her belongings before she goes on the run once again; and there she meets a man who tries to kill her. She might have been killed if not for Tucker.

Tucker is part of a secret organization in the CIA, but he can’t tell Alexis this because the government are the people that she has been running from her whole life. So instead, he tells her that he is a friend of George’s and he is there to help her. While he does help her, the real reason he is there in the first place is to find out how Alexis is involved in a recent bombing that took place. While Alexis and Tucker both try to find answers, they find love with each other along the way.

My thoughts:
This book took me days to get through. I was so bored; I could not wait for it to be over. I felt like I was just reading a bunch of words. The characters had no depth. They said things, I just didn’t believe them. I wasn’t fond of Alexis either. Again, I felt like I needed to see inside her more to get a feel for her. Also, certain situations that occurred in the story annoyed me because they weren’t believable, but I can’t mention what they were without giving anything away. This was the fourth book in a series; I didn’t read the previous ones. Would it have changed my opinion if I knew some of the characters previously? Who knows, but this book on its own was not good.

I feel like this is a really negative review, so I want to leave with something that I liked; a quote:

She wished it were as simple as all that. That the world was divided into black and white. But she’d learned a long time ago that things were far more complicated, the world filled instead with muted shades of gray. Good and evil looking practically the same. The trick being to choose wisely.
~Deep Disclosure p. 215

My Rating:Pam
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

2011-09-28T06:00:00.134-05:00

Silver Shark
~Ilona Andrews

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 242 KB
Publisher: NYLA
Publish Date: September 14, 2001
ASIN: B005N9FPOO

From the author's website:
Claire Shannon is a Kinsman, a woman gifted with enhanced mental capabilities. Her skills and her life were taken over by the military to fight in war that has raged on her home planet for decades. But as the war ends, she is forced to hide her abilities in order to make a new life for herself as a civilian. It’s a new persona, a new planet and new job that has her crossing paths with the powerful and alluring Venturo Escana. Is she strong enough to hide her true nature from her perceptive new boss? And as they grow closer, will she even still want to try?

Claire Shannon was born in a country at war. Brodwyn has been at war with Melko since before she was born; her entire life has been one of service and sacrifice - hot water, food, happiness, her life - all given up for the war cause. Claire is a soldier; she has been since the age of 14 when she was taken from her sick mother's bedside. She's a member of an elite team of "psychers", or soldiers who fight with their minds instead of their hands. Claire can disarm or kill any threat in a matter of seconds.

Claire's team is on a mission when she finds out the war is over and her side lost. They're killing all the psychers, so she's forced to hide her identity and manages to get deported to the planet of Rada, where she must learn to assimilate and hide her abilities or be killed immediately, no questions asked.

When she gets a job with Guardian Inc. as an assistant to the handsome and powerful Venturo Escana, she thinks all she has to do is hide her "talent" and blend in. Then, one of her countrymen gets into some trouble and Claire is the only one who can help, but by helping will she destroy everything she has done to survive?

My thoughts:
Silver Shark is the second book in Ilona Andrew's Kinsman series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. I read the first book, Silent Blade, because I have Book OCD and couldn't read out of order - with Silver Shark it really wasn't necessary.

I consider myself a "light" sci-fi reader, and Silver Shark was a nice fit for me - not too complicated as far as world building, and a bit of romance to keep me happy. The world building was very good: I loved the contrast between Claire's home planet - grey, drab, depressing - and her new home, the planet Rada - colorful, friendly, vibrant. You would think she would be thrilled to be there, but the mindset she was raised with is difficult to shake off, as when another refugee meets her on the street and tells her she stands out, which is a bad thing on her home planet. She's scared but determined to adapt to her new life.

Silver Shark actually had two different types of world buiding - the physical world and the world Claire enters when she hooks into the system to use her psycher abilities: This world is lush and full, as if Claire could escape her physical surroundings when she went to work. I love that her "mental" world also changes after her deportation to reflect her new surroundings.

Claire is a great heroine - smart and resourceful, ruthless yet at times compassionate in her psycher mode. Her attraction to her boss is achingly wonderful - she cannot reveal herself but yearns for him nonetheless. I liked Venturo but feel like I would have benefited from knowing more about him; he was a good match for Claire though.

My main issue is with the ending - we're rolling along and the story is moving nicely and then BAM! It's over. Don't get me wrong - I'm happy with the outcome, but it was fast.

Silver Shark is a captivating short story, wonderfully descriptive and with a nice romance that doesn't overpower the plot. I would absolutely recommend Silver Shark for readers who aren't sure if they'd like sci-fi and are looking for something to try, or for seasoned sci-fi readers who are looking for a quick, entertaining read.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-09-27T06:00:00.139-05:00

Lola and the Boy Next Door
~Stephanie Perkins

Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publish Date: September 29, 2011
ISBN-10: 0525423281
ISBN-13: 978-0525423287
ASIN: B004RKXHZY

From the author's website:
In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Delores "Lola" Nolan has just turned 17 and thinks her life is moving along just fine - she's got a boyfriend who loves her, a great best friend, and she loves her two dads. Well... things are fine if you don't count the fact that her dads don't approve of her 22-year-old boyfriend. Then, the Bell twins move back in next door and her birth mother shows up, and Lola's life gets turned upside down.

My thoughts:
I absolutely loved Anna and the French Kiss, so I was super-excited to read Lola and the Boy Next Door; Ms. Perkins writing shines again in this wonderful story of love lost and found anew.

Lola is a sweet kid with a style all her own - wigs, glitter, dresses made from tablecloths. She works in a local movie theatre (with Anna from Anna and the French Kiss), hangs out with her best friend Lindsey, and sees her boyfriend Max as often as her fathers will let her. When the Bell twins move back in, she's devastated. Calliope Bell is just a witch, and her twin brother Cricket Bell was Lola's True Love. Then, right before they moved away, something happened between them. It took Lola a long time to get over the hurt, so when he moves back in, she's determined not to let him get under her skin. But he does, again and again and again...

Cricket walks several steps behind me. It's a careful distance.
I wonder if he's looking at my butt.
WHY DID I JUST THINK THAT? Now my butt feels COLOSSAL. Maybe he's looking at my legs. Is that better? Or worse? Do I want him looking at me? I hold on to the bottom of my dress as I climb into the backseat and crawl to the other side. I'm sure he's looking at my butt. He has to be. It's huge, and it's right there, and it's huge.
No. I'm acting crazy.
I glance over, and he smiles at me as he buckles his seat belt. My cheeks grow warm.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
~Page 128, Lola and the Boy Next Door

Cricket is absolutely adorable - tall, stylish but geeky, smart, and kind. He's so interested in Lola; everyone can tell, especially Max, who's not happy about it, and Lola's dads, who are happy about it. He's absolutely the kind of boy I'd want my own daughters to date.

Deep breaths. Take deep breaths. I adjust my dress, but the fabric sticks to my leg, and I accidentally flash Cricket my thigh. This time, I catch him looking. His fingers are messing with his bracelets and rubber bands. Our eyes lock.
A rubber band snaps and shoots into the windshield. Nathan's and Andy's heads jolt back in fright, but they laugh when they realize what happened.
Cricket's body shrinks up in his seat, "Sorry! Sorry."
And I'm strangely relieved to know that I'm not the only one freaking out.
~Page 129, Lola and the Boy Next Door

In Lola and the Boy Next Door, Ms. Perkins has written wonderful characters who leap off the pages: Lola's dads, Max the boyfriend, and Cricket's twin sister Calliope are all integral to the plot without overshadowing Lola and Cricket. I also loved seeing Anna and St. Clair again.

I think the only reason I didn't give Lola 5 stars is that I didn't identify with Lola like I did with Anna. That sounds like a bad thing but it's not - the characters are very different, but the writing and story are still fabulous. I tore through Lola and the Boy Next Door in a day. This is definitely a series I will be keeping up with! I'm looking forward to Isla and the Happily Ever After; do we really have to wait until Fall 2012?

My Rating:

Book received by publisher at ALA.

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

2011-09-26T06:00:00.206-05:00

Bloodlines
~Richelle Mead

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Publish Date: August 23, 2011
ISBN-10: 1595143173
ISBN-13: 978-1595143174
ASIN: B004XFZ9CC

From the author's website:
Blood doesn't lie...
Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

Sydney Sage is an alchemist: a member of a "secret society" of sorts, one sworn to protect humans from vampires or any knowledge that they even exist. Right now, the vampire world is in an uproar - there's a new, young queen, Lissa Dragomir, who is tenuously hanging on to her crown, and she's bringing in changes to a system that has been in place for centuries. The queen's young half-sister, Jill, is in danger, as she is the only living relative to the queen and if she is killed Lissa will have to step down - one of the rules Lissa is trying to change is that the current ruler must have living family; they cannot be the last of their line.

Sydney is chosen to go into hiding with Jill, to "manage things" in case anything comes up; she will be posing as Jill's sister while they attend a private school in Palm Springs. Sydney is still on probation for the events that took place in Ms. Mead's other series, Vampire Academy, so she wants to do this job well to prove to the Alchemists that she's not a "vampire lover".

Things are off to a bad start though: her supervisor, Keith, hates her, Jill is acting weird and getting in trouble, and the local vampires are giving her more stress than help.

My thoughts:
I am a huge Vampire Academy fan, it is one of my favorite YA series. I've been looking forward to Bloodlines with a little trepidation, as my reaction to the last VA book was just "meh" (I still absolutely recommend the series to anyone who hasn't read it). I should not have been worried - Richelle Mead absolutely delivers!

While Bloodlines is set in the VA world, it is a different story - where Rose is a kick-ass, take charge heroine, Sydney is more reserved. She's been raised with the belief that knowledge is power, and has been groomed since childhood to become an Alchemist. Sydney likes to think things through and be sure about it before she acts. She's also aware of the political aspects of her assignment with regards to the Alchemists, and she holds back where other UF heroines might not. This works for her though - she needs to analyze and plan and see the whole picture before acting. It does, however, make for a slow start to the book as Sydney and Jill get in and settled and Ms. Mead sets up the story. Once her investigations get going though, I spend the rest of the book guessing who the villian was - was it the obvious choice or maybe someone less obvious but with definite motivation? I was very surprised by the end of the book.

I was thrilled that the secondary characters I loved in the VA series are here; especially Adrian Ivashkov, the chain-smoking, hard-drinking royal who is in turns charming and broody. He is such a fabulous character and I loved him in Bloodlines:

I shook my head, still smiling. "You'll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. But I can say you're okay for an irreverent party boy with occasional moments of brilliance."
"Brilliant? You think I'm brilliant?" He threw his hands skyward. "You hear that, world? Sage says I'm brilliant."
"That's not what I said!"
He dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, giving me a devil-may-care grin. "Thanks for the ego boost. I'm going to go tell Clarence and Lee all about your high opinion."
"Hey, I didn't-"
But he was already gone. As I drove away, I decided the Alchemists needed an entire department devoted to handling Adrian Ivashkov.
~Bloodlines page 145

While I like Jill's character, she comes across as a wishy-washy character who doesn't figure much in the story except to provide a purpose for Sydney's assignment. She was pretty forgettable, but did come to life near the end of the story. I'm hoping her character will grow with the series.

I must also address Sydney's potential love interest. Without giving away any spoilers, I think this is going to be a long journey but ultimately a good one. I see a lot of frustration in my future waiting for Sydney to come to terms with her feelings for this particular character.

I was intrigued by Sydney in the VA series, she was a secondary character who seemed to have an interesting story, and I wanted to know more about her. In Bloodlines, we get some of her story, but you can tell there is much, much more to tell. All in all, Bloodlines is another mark in the "awesome" column for Richelle Mead! I'm looking forward to the next book, The Golden Lily, scheduled for release in June 2012.

My Rating:
Book received from the publisher.

A hodgepodge of things to be excited about:

2011-09-25T06:00:00.003-05:00

There's a couple of things I'm excited about this week that I thought I'd share:

First, I'm super excited about Chloe Neill's upcoming Chicagoland Vampires novel, Drink Deep. I know a lot of people were upset about the last book, Hard Bitten, (my review here), but I loved it. Was I upset? Of course! But Ms. Neill has promised an HEA for Merit and I'm going to trust her. I don't know if I can wait until November; someone pass the Valium and keep me away from spoilers...

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can’t tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city iself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven’t been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That’s when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago’s mayor insists it’s nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She’ll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who’s behind this, and stop them before it’s too late for vampires and humans alike.

Drink Deep is on shelves November 1. More info at the author's website.

On that note - Ms. Neill has released the cover of the NEXT book in the Chicagoland series, Biting Cold (out August 2012). This will be book 6 in the series. *drumroll please...*

Isn't it gorgeous?!? I really love all the covers for this series; they did a fabulous job of catching Merit as I see her.___________________________________
Another favorite author of mine, Stacia Kane, revealed the new cover for the next book in her Downside Ghosts series, Sacrificial Magic:

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.

Sacrificial Magic hits shelves March 27, 2012. Dark Faerie Tales has an exclusive look at Chapter 2!!!

___________________________________

Also, Ilona Andrews has posted a snippet from Andrea's book - Gunmetal Magic (due on shelves May 31, 2012). Go here for the snippet. You want to. Trust me on this.

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And, for you Becca Fitzpatrick fans, Sea Lion Books has this Hush, Hush wallpaper:

They've got several great books being adapted into graphic novel format - go check them out!!

What have I missed?

What great book news are you excited about?

Giveaway Winners!!!

2011-09-24T10:19:00.001-05:00

I've had a few giveaways going on here at Caught in a FAB Romance and it's time to announce the winners, chosen by Random.org:

The winner of the signed galley of NEVER ENOUGH by Lauren Dane is:

BreiaB

who said...I have loved so many of your books. I love the Browns, the Chases and the Murphys. You are at the top of the charts in my book. Awesome giveaway!

The winner of CHOSEN by Paula Bradley is:

Melissa (Books and Things)

who said...I can see why that would bother you. I would bother me as well. However, now knowing that they don't deal with her initial suicide attempt, I think I can deal with it better. I think it might bother me but not as much now that I know! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

Winners have been sent an e-mail.

Thanks to everyone who entered and to the authors for offering their books for giveaway!!

(Don't forget, there's still a chance to win
my giveaway for my ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer; it ends Monday! )