Novel Reads

Sweet Magnolias The Next Generation by Sherryl Woods

2010-08-02T12:21:00.001-05:00

Find the review here. I'm sorry, but keeping both sites going is too much for me, so from now on, I'll only be posting over at the WordPress site. I hope you'll continue to read with me there!

Take Care

NOVEL READS ON WORDPRESS

Vicki Lewis Thompson - A Babes On Brooms Series Look

2010-06-05T16:55:00.003-05:00

I just heart Vicki Lewis Thompson. I first fell in love with her "Nerds" books and gobbled them up as quickly as I possibly could. When she came out with her Hex series I was double excited. I do loves me some Paranormal Romance. Unfortunately, they were okay books, well worth my read for a lazy day, but not books that were "Must Buy" for me. With that thought in mind, when I saw Blonde With A Wand on the store shelf I couldn't help myself from grabbing it up. It was after all a VLT book! I really enjoyed the book, where the matchmaking witch and wizard from the Hex books played minor roles. I was most excited to see that there would be a second book, Chick With A Charm and now that I've had a chance to read both, I thought I'd do a double post.

Blonde With A Wand by Vicki Lewis Thompson

From the Author's Website:

Sexy witch Anica Revere has one absolutely unwavering rule: never, under any circumstances, get involved with a man before telling him she’s a witch. Still, what’s one silly rule? Especially when the guy in question is as cute as Jasper Danes. But when Anica and Jasper have a spat, she breaks an even bigger rule of witchcraft and turns him into a cat. Bad news for him. Worse for her.

With Anica stripped of her powers for the witchy infraction, it’s up to Jasper to undo the hex—but he never expected the hardest part of the bargain would be resisting Anica. The stakes are high, and the chemistry is off the charts. But what’ll happen if Anica and Jasper both fall under the strongest spell of all—love?

Anica is what most would call a control freak. The oldest of two sisters, owner of her own coffee shop, Wicked Brew, and witch extraordinare, Anica likes to keep things under control, trying very hard to never act impulsively. That is, until she meets Jasper Danes. Jasper has been coming into Anica's coffee shop and there have definitely been sparks. After Jasper comes in devastated over a break-up with his latest girlfriend, he and Anica begin to connect and make a date for dinner. But, while at dinner Jasper is mortified to see his ex-girlfriend walk through the door. While Jasper hopes that her arrival is strictly a coincidence, when Anica goes to the restroom and she follows he really starts to sweat.

Anica talks with the ex only to find out that perhaps Jasper hadn't told her the truth. You see, Jasper wasn't dumped, quite the opposite--he broke up with the woman. What's worse, Anica finds out that he had given the ex the same story about being dumped by his previous girlfriend. Anica doesn't like to be played and when Jasper doesn't exactly come clean she leaves the date. Only Jasper isn't going to let her get away that easily and follows. A move he and Anica both end up regretting, becasue in her anger, Anica does the one thing she never thought she would--she transforms Jasper into a cat.

The thing is, magic of this sort is strictly forbidden, and Anica soon realizes that she's lost all ability to do magic. In her hour of need, not wanting to get her parents or the Wizard Council involved, Anica turns to her care-free, not entirely reliable sister, Lily for help. But when even Lily seems to have problems transforming Jasper back, the sisters turn to Dorcas and Ambrose Lowell, the quirky matchmaking witch and wizard, also a part of the Wizard Council, but it can't be helped, Anica has to find a way to turn Jasper back into a man, before the guilt and lack of magic do her in.

I have to say, I enjoyed BWAW much more than I did any of the other Hex books. I found that Jasper as a cat, using his paws to painfully type out notes to Anica was endearing, and the "cure" for the spell made it all feel real and believable. I also enjoyed the fact that the spell wasn't reversed immediately but Jasper did get to revert back to his human form for short spurts.

Chick With A Charm

From the Author's website:

Lily Revere is free-spirited and fun loving—two dangerous qualities in a witch. Especially while planning her sister Anica’s engagement party, and she needs a date! She’s determined to bring hot Griffin Taylor, but he’s a divorce lawyer who claims his job has warned him off romance. He may pretend he's just not into her, but she knows better—he only needs a nudge in the right direction.

Slipping a love elixir into Griffin’s drink may not be the noble thing to do—but it sure works! Lily’s dreamboat drops all defenses and the two discover they’re perfectly matched—in every way. There’s just one problem: Are Griffin’s feelings the result of some truly good witchcraft—or is he really in love?

In CWAC Thompson gives readers a dose of Anica's sister Lily. I truly enjoyed Lily in BWAW, I liked that she was a quirky bartender in a wizard owned bar, and I liked that when she did magic she got hopped up like she'd just downed five Red Bulls. In short, Lily was fun and the type of sister I think most of us love to hate.

Since Anica is now getting married, Lily finds herself in the awkward position of being dateless for the wedding. What's worse, is her parents, who she loves dearly, will be in town and Lily was really hoping to be able to impress them with how much she's grown up by having a lovely and stable man for them to meet. Griffin Taylor, divorce lawyer, would be the perfect man.

Griffin and his work buddies have been coming into The Bubbling Cauldron, for happy hour for several weeks now. There is some definite chemistry between him and Lily, but Lily was not the type of girl Griffin always envisioned ending up with. Since his parents had married with little more in common than great sex, and then divorced, Griffin knew exactly what he wanted from a woman--goal oriented and down to earth--Lily is the exact opposite, so while Griffin may be attracted, he's not stupid enough to get involved with her.

When Lily decides Griffin needs a push, like yesterday, in her direction, she mixes an adoration elixir using her newly acquired dog and the adoration she has for Lily as the focus point, she drops the potion in his drink and waits for the sparks to fly. And fly they do, with some steamy scenes that are sure to have beach goers heading to the water for a dip in the water to cool down.

But as the feelings Lily has for Griffin begin to deepen, along with his dependence on her, she'll never be sure if it's the spell or if Griffin's feelings are as real as hers. What's worse, Griffin and his friends seem to have figured out that he's under a spell. What will happen when/if they break it, is the ultimate question both Lily and Griffin have. The feelings of love seem so real but are they strong enough to hold?

Chick was such a good book! I fell in love with Lily and Griffin. And while Lily ocassionally irritated me with her selfish behavior, I can honestly say I could understand. Filled with scenes sure to leave a reader panting, and an ending that had me crying-twice-once from heartache and once for joy, Chick is one book you don't want to miss.

If you're heading to the beach, lake, or even just a lazy day in the backyard by the pool, you'll for sure want to have these two books with you, they're a must buy for any fan of Thompson or any Romance Reader.

Take Care

Embers by Laura Bickle

2010-05-07T13:21:00.001-05:00

Embers by Laura Bickle

(BCC)

Truth burns.

Unemployment, despair, anger--visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.

Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya--who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern--suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya--with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team --can stop it.

Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.

* This review is done from a book Novel Reads received from the publisher.

Anya Kalinczyk, as the BCC says is a Fire Investigator by day and spends her nights for DAGR, the Detroit Area Ghost Researchers. Lately, Anya's been trying to figure out who has been starting several fires around town and leaving no clues behind. When DAGR calls her in on a particularly bad haunting. The group generally only calls Anya when they have to choosing to reserve her for the cases that are simply to hard for them to handle themselves. You see, Anya is a Lantern. A very rare type of medium that can devour ghosts. It's hard on Anya to do this not just physically but emotionally, as well so she is a last resort. When Anya finally traps the spirit and gets ready to devour her, the ghost whispers, "Sirrush is coming."

Anya knows little of Sirrush, just that he was once revered as a god of fire but after this experience with the ghost, who turns out to be that of a young girl, the name Sirrush and the fact that he is coming seems to be just about all the spirits can talk about. What's worse, is it seems the fires could in fact be related to Sirrush and his return. What's more, it would seem that perhaps Anya isn't the only Lantern out there--she just be the only Lantern out there with the desire to stop Sirrush from rising.

Embers takes the reader on a fast paced, page turning adventure, as Anya, Sparky, and DAGR race to save Detroit--and Anya herself--from demons and ancient gods. Bickle has written a fantastically believable world that a reader can get lost in. Embers, is hands down, bar none, the best Urban Fantasy written by a debut author, hell, written by anyone, that I have read in a very long time. I look forward to reading more about Anya and Sparky and the mishmash of others that complete DAGR in Bickle's next release Sparks.

Take Care

Novel Chats: Series Catch Up

2010-04-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

If you're a fairly new reader to the blog let me take a quick moment to explain the Novel Chat posts (one day I'll get that pesky FAQ page set up and not have to bother everyone with this stuff). I'm busy. Most days I'm lucky to remember to eat let alone find time to blog and so Novel Chats was born. I take two to three books I've read in my blogging silence and sum up my thoughts on them in as short a fashion as I can. Sometimes, the books have been out for quite a spell, and in that case, I really try to keep my rambling to a minimum. I grade the books I Chat because it's just easier than going into long details. Since I've been so busy lately, I have more than a few books sitting on my "Need To Blog" shelf, so there may be more of these posts in the coming days.

Real Vampires Don't Diet by Gerry Bartlett

From the Author's Website:

First Glory's stood up on New Year's Eve by her long time main squeeze Jeremy Blade. Then a moonlight boat ride on Austin's Lake Travis with newly turned vampire, rock star Israel Caine (Ray) goes horribly wrong. Who knew there was a Siren lurking in the lake just waiting for her chance to lure unsuspecting vampires into a trap? Now Glory and Ray are racing against time to find vampire sacrifices or they're doomed.

With the storm of the century threatening to wash out her new home and an old enemy taking aim at her, things don't look good for Glory.

As for her relationship with Blade? Well, Glory wonders if maybe it's time to cut her longtime lover loose.

Valdez is at her side as usual, along with her friends who won't let Glory go down without a fight. Surely all this action is bound to help our curvy vamp lose a pound or two. You think?

I've liked Glory since I first started the series with book two, Real Vampires Live Large. There's something about an overweight vampire, with a great vintage clothing store, a self depreciating sense of humor, great friends, and a shifter for a body guard. However, for some unknown reason, I've never added Real Vampires to my must buy list, and I never seem to know when a new one has been released. For that very reason, it wasn't until recently when I ordered the latest two books in the series. It took me quite a while to really get into Live Large, and I still don't know what I think.

What I do know is that I'm fairly sick of the back and forth relationship Glory has with Blade and her role as mentor to the newly made vampire Israel Caine is starting to annoy me, since Glory can't seem to pick which man she wants. I'm a firm believer in shit or get off the potty and Glory's interaction with the men in her life left me extremely cold with this last one. So much so that I haven't even cracked the spine on Real Vampire's Hate Their Thighs. I've no doubt I'll read it--eventually--but I think I need a breather for a while.

I have to give this one a C. I just didn't feel it as much as I did the others, but Bartlett's excellent and funny writing make it worth a read.

Sucker For Love by Kimberly Raye

(BCC)

Divalicious darling of the undead Lil Marchette is this close to finding her own happily-ever-after with hunky live-in bounty hunter Ty Bonner. Unfortunately, reality is biting back in a big way. Lil’s got mounting bills to pay and clients to keep happily hooked up courtesy of Dead End Dating, the ultimate meet-and-greet for New York’s fanged, furry, and fabulous. But leave it to a drop-dead gorgeous eight-hundred-year-old warlock with a big-girl fetish to take the biggest chomp out of Lil’s happiness by kidnapping Esther Crutch, one of Lil’s plus-size clients, now stamped as Grade-A Ritual Meat.

Leaving Ty warming the bed, Lil races to rescue Esther’s curvy behind before she’s turned into a Mayan sacrifice. The trail leads to Texas–hell by any other name–and as if dust, demons, and hopelessly outdated fashion weren’t bad enough, fate gives Lil an unexpected partner: her mom, who is on a mission to meddle (as usual) and grab a little mother-daughter time. Will Lil remain calm in the face of smotherly love and save Esther–or will her client bite the dust?

Sigh. I'm about to make you think I disliked all the books I've read in my long silences, but really, that's not true. What is true is that I didn't really feel this one either. Perhaps I'm growing tired of the sameness that is this particular brand of female vampire. You know, the I'm really nice, hate blood, can kick ass if I need too, but really hate too, and I'm really just a sucker for true love. It was a nice break for a while, and perhaps when the state of current affairs was cleaner, there was a place in my heart for such books. Now though, I find myself wanting more from the heroines of the books I read. I want grit. I don't want fashion and boys to be the top priority.

In truth, I enjoyed this latest adventure of Lil much more than the others and I liked it enough to read the next one, whenever it may be released. I've never been a large fan of this series to begin with so my expectations were low, giving me the freedom to give this one a B-.

I'm out of blogging time for today, hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.
Take Care

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni and Winners Announced (FINALLY!)

2010-03-31T11:50:00.001-05:00

I've been silent for a little over a week, and at the end of the post I'll give a quick rundown of why. For now, let me announce the winners of the two contest currently up and running - CONGRATS to Ryan Collins winner of WILD RIDE by Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer. CONGRATS to Mimi Goh winner of ANGELOLOGY by Danielle Trussoni. Please e-mail me at novelreads at gmail dot com with your snail mail address so we can get the books right out to you.

For those of you that check this blogger site, you can click here to see the Updated Author Promotion Page at Novel Reads and read a letter to readers from author Laura Bickle about her upcoming release Embers.

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

JCC

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.
Genesis 6:5

Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at twenty-three, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller to the late mother superior of Saint Rose Convent plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.

For the secrets these letters guard are desperately coveted by the once-powerful Nephilim, who aim to perpetuate war, subvert the good in humanity, and dominate mankind. Generations of angelologists have devoted their lives to stopping them, and their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris and the mountains of Bulgaria.

Rich in history, full of mesmerizing characters, and wondrously conceived, Angelology blends biblical lore, the myth of Orpheus and the Miltonic visions of Paradise Lost into a riveting tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

*This review is done from a copy of the book supplied to Novel Reads from the publisher.

Sister Evangeline loves her life at Saint Rose Convent. She takes great comfort in the daily routine of prayer and her work in the convent library. Since Evangeline lost her mother and her father brought her to New York to live, she's thought of the sisters as her family. But one day, a letter arrives from a V.A. Verlaine requesting information from the convent about some letters that Abigail Rockefeller may have exchanged with the Mother Superior of the convent of that time. Something stops Evangeline from dismissing the letter in the usual way the sisters are to handle them, and when Verlaine shows up at the convent, Evangeline becomes disturbed by the affect he has on her and the mystery as to why these letters are so important and why the sisters want very badly to keep them hidden.

As Evangeline and Verlaine begin digging, it becomes clear that the man who hired Verlaine may not be simply interested in art history as he claimed. Soon, Evangeline and Verlaine are thrust into a world both know very little about and are fighting not only for their lives but the fate of the world. For it's the Nephilim that want the letters, they have gone from powerful giants of old to a dying race, infected by a horrible disease that could ruin them for all time.

Evangeline soon finds out that Sister Celestine, a nun that came to convent the same time the letters stopped, knows more about Evangeline, her grandmother, and Angelology than she ever could have guessed. Now an old, frail woman on her deathbed, Celestine is the only hope Evangeline and Verlaine have at unraveling the mystery of what past Angelolgist uncovered and the Nephilim would do anything to retrieve.

Written in two view points, Third Person to take us on the present journey and First Person to take us on Celestine's journey, Angelology takes the reader on a journey like no other. It took me a while to finish the book, but I closed the pages and literally looked at The Hubs and said, "Wow!"

There is something about a book filled with angels and giants, biblical references and myth that captures me like no other book can. It didn't hurt either that Trussoni has a voice so distinct and her "pen" writes beautiful lines such as, "The mind and spirit become ripe in their own fashion and at their own pace. Beautiful music plays, but not everyone with ears can hear it."

Angelology is a book filled with danger, intrigue and mystery. A book so riveting it will stay with you for a long, long time. If you've not had the pleasure of reading it, I strongly suggest you find time.

Take Care

*Where I've been: I've mentioned before that Bear was having problems with Bullies at school. Well, it's getting worse. Not only is he having problems, but many 4th Graders are. I have been working on putting together a Student Advisory Program at our school that will empower the kids and help (hopefully) to put a stop to the horrible bullying that is getting out of hand at our school.

I've also been busy wrapping up the Spring Fundraiser for the PTO and writing a "How to Write a Story" book for my daughter's 2nd Grade class.

My part in all of this is winding down now, though, so I should be back more!

Win WILD RIDE by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

2010-03-16T12:42:00.001-05:00

Before I begin with my post let me say CONGRATS to Chirstina Collins. Miss Beautiful drew your name and you've won your choice of TWO Kristan Higgins books. Please e-mail me at novelreads at gmail dot com with your choice of books and the address to send them!

Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Crusie/Mayer joint site

(JCC)

Mary Alice Brannigan doesn’t believe in the supernatural. Nor does she expect to find that Dreamland, the decaying amusement park she’s been hired to restore, is a prison for the five Untouchables, the most powerful demons in the history of the world. Plus, there’s a guy she’s falling hard for, and there’s something about him that’s not quite right.

But rocky romances and demented demons aren’t the only problems in Dreamland: Mab’s also coping with a crooked politician, a supernatural raven, a secret government agency, an inexperienced sorceress, an unsettling inheritance, and some mind-boggling revelations from her past. As her personal demons wreck her newfound relationship and real demons wreck the park, Mab faces down immortal evil and discovers what everybody who’s ever been to an amusement park knows: The end of the ride is always the wildest.

This isn't going to be a typical review (in fact, it's not going to really be a review at all), and if you've read this blog you'll know it's because that's not how I roll (if I ever get my FAQ's up and running I'll explain that). So let me start by saying I'm a HUGE Crusie fan. BET ME brought me back to reading after a long hiatus and I'll always, always love her for that. Yep, she's just one of the authors that I totally crush on. So, when Crusie joined forces with Mayer it was a no brainer that their books would be first on a TBB list. I loved their first release Don't Look Down and I fell even harder for Agnes and the Hitman. I think I've read AATH almost as many times as I've read Bet Me and I've loaned it out just as many. Hell, my father-in-law is now hooked on not only Mayer but Crusie because of me. At first, he was a bit embarrassed to check out Crusie books from the library, and figured he could he would just say it's for me, but at 75 years of age, he decided he could read anything he damn well pleased and the librarians could judge all they wanted. So, again, you get it right? Fan Girl alert coming right up.

I knew going into the book that this was not going to be the typical Crusie/Mayer, just like going into DLD I knew it would not be a typical Crusie, and that was just fine with me. Seriously, my favorite tag team doing Paranormal? SQUEE! And I was right, this wasn't the type of book we normally see from the two partners--it was better.

Dreamland Amusement Park is actually a holding place for the five Untouchables- demons that cannot be killed only contained. The Untouchables are kept in chalices, locked away in certain rides or attractions throughout the park. The Untouchables are kept in these chalices by the Guardia. Five people chosen and given special gifts to capture and hold the Untouchables as they escape.

Mab has been brought back to her home town by her uncle to restore the park and get it ready for the big Halloween event. Mab hated living near Dreamland as a child. Never allowed to go, she was part of the Batty Brannigan family, her mother always picketing the park and trying to get it shut down. Mab loses herself in her work. Never fitting in as a child has left her with no desire to connect with people. Two weeks left on the job and she's out of there.

Ethan has returned to his home at Dreamland after a bullet lodges itself near his heart and cannot be removed without killing him. It's only a matter of time, of course, before the bullet does move and penetrate his heart, but until then he has come home to drink away his sorrows and wait for death.

But when the demons start to escape and the old Guardia begin to die, new Guardia must be chosen and it's suddenly up to Ethan and Mab to bring them together and defeat the Untouchables before they break free of their chalices and destroy the human race. But, it's not just the demons Ethan and Mab have to deal with, a secret government agency has been staking out the park and Ethan and Mab will either find a way to bring them to their side or get rid of them.

When the Guardia are betrayed all hell breaks loose, not only are the demons going to get out, but Mab and Ethan find themselves fighting personal demons that will either bring them all together or tear them all apart.

WILD RIDE delivers exactly what the title promises, a fast paced page turner. And while this book is not the typical book readers of Crusie and Mayer have come to expect, it still has all the traits that this reader has come to love--family, wit, action, and an ending that left me smiling and hungry for more from two of my favorite authors. You can read the prequel to Wild Ride - Wild Night by clicking here.

And so, since I was a bad, bad reader and bought WILD RIDE before the actual release date of today, and I still want to do my part in the whole first week or two of sales I am going to give away a copy of the book. That's right, one lucky reader will have the chance to win a copy of WILD RIDE. Winners choice of Hardcover or eBook. Already own it? That's okay, you can give it as a gift and share the love.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. You can earn extra entries by spreading the word. FaceBook, Yahoo! Groups, your own blog, MySpace, Twitter, you name it, just let me know where you've posted and for each place you do, you name will be thrown in the hat. You can also friend me Novel Reads on FaceBook and let me know it's because you wanted an extra entry and I'll make sure that is counted as well.

Now, go forth and enter, you have until Saturday, March 20 to enter.

Take Care

Don't forget to also enter for a chance to win a Hardcover Copy of Angelology by Danielle Trussoni while you're here. Click on the Current Contest link at the top for the details.

Angelology Contest Kick Off

2010-03-11T10:14:00.001-06:00

Whew! Spring Break starts tomorrow for the kiddos and between Parent/Teacher Conferences, finishing up the Spring Fundraiser, and all the other things I've had on my plate, I'm flat wore out! Both kiddos did great this semester. Bear started State Assessment testing and the Reading part is complete. He scored Exceeds Expectations, but this was not enough for him! NO! The boy wanted Exemplary. We've explained that getting the Exceeds is awesome, not only for a dyslexic kid reading on a computer screen and then answering questions but for anyone! Plus, he was only 4 points from Exemplary, but still not good enough for him. Miss Beautiful was all "A's" and a top reading level. I'm so proud of those two. Now, if we could just get the bullies to leave Bear alone, I think we'd be completely happy with their school experience this year! In fact, the bullying is starting to get out of hand. His markers have been stolen, along will all of his pencils and a kid took his ruler and bent it until it was no longer usable. Sigh. We'll be stocking him up with new school supplies for this last 9 weeks. Anyone have tips to help us help him deal with bullies? Anyway, you didn't come here to read all about my kiddos, did ya?

The winner of the Kristan Higgins books will be drawn by Miss Beautiful tomorrow morning and I will post as soon as we get that done. Thanks to all of you for entering! But today, I have a new contest to run. Thanks to Viking/Penguin, one lucky winner will receive a free copy of Angelology by Danielle Trussoni. This book is excellent, and a review will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime, check out my Author Promotion page and read and excerpt.

Ways to Enter:

Leave me a comment here telling me you want to win. (Or on my WordPress site, which is also where you will find the excerpt).

Read the Excerpt and tell why you'd like to continue reading.

Spread the word. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, your personal blog, GoodReads, or Shelfari. Get the word out and for everyone that stops by to enter and says you sent them, you'll get extra entries.

Every one of the above will get you an entry to the contest. The more you do, the more chances you have to win. The winner will receive the book direct from the publisher. Many thanks to Viking/Penguin and Danielle Trussoni for this great contest!

Take Care and Good Luck!

Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss

2010-03-08T10:01:00.001-06:00

Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss

(BCC)

Annie and Eve are life-long friends who have absolutely nothing in common-except a lack of skill in the kitchen. So when they sign up for a cooking class at the local gourmet shop, they figure the only things at risk are a few innocent fruits and vegetables. But when murder spices up the stew, they find out just how dangerous good food can be...

Cooking and love. Too bad Annie Capshaw stinks at both. Once she almost burnt the house down--boiling a pot of water. And a year ago, her husband ran off with the dry cleaner. Since then, Annie's put love on the back burner and leftover Chinese takeout on the front. Until her bubbly best friend Eve signs them both up for cooking lessons.

On the first night, Annie and Eve see their fellow student Beyla arguing with a man--a man who later turns up dead in the parking lot. Now, with the police bungling the investigation and Beyla acting more suspicious every day, the friends feel bound to uncover whatever secrets she's hiding before someone else's goose, perhaps one of their own, gets cooked.

Sorry there is no clickable link on the author's name. I couldn't find where Bliss has a website, and that almost stopped me from typing up this post. I wonder, why, in this day and age does an author not have a website? It kinda makes me nervous that I've started a new to me series, and maybe, just maybe the author isn't writing anymore? Anyone have any idea? Anyway...

Annie Capshaw has been divorced for a year now, but it's the little things that keep popping up, such as the fact she has no potholders, that keep reminding her of the hurt and betrayal all over again. An organized and logical bank teller, Annie just can't quite figure out how her ex-husband Peter could have been so cruel in leaving her. When her best friend Eve comes over one night and smells something metallic in the air only to discover that Annie has once again burned boiling water, Eve announces that she has enrolled them in a ten day cooking class. Eve figures it's time for Annie to get back out there and try new things and this class seems just the way to do it.

Although Annie has no desire to take the class, she nevertheless shops for the supplies and heads to class with Eve. But when they get there and are almost ran over by a rather large and angry man and the owner of the store the class is being held at is nervous Annie's nerves aren't so much about cooking as they are so much about the weird behavior of those involved. When Eve forgets her watch, a gift from a current boyfriend who she has a lunch date with the next day, the women head back to the school to retrieve it. In the parking lot, they overhear Beyla, an exotic beauty from class arguing and threatening the same large man that had rushed out the door nearly knocking them over before class. When they come back form retrieving the watch and find the man dying in the parking lot.

At first, the death seems to be nothing more than a heart attack. Unfortunately, the police woman that shows up is now the significant other of Tyler, the only man that ever broke Eve's heart, the ladies fudge the truth of the encounter and the few words spoken with the now dead man. When Tyler shows up at cooking class the next day, and informs the class that the man did not simply die of a heart attack but was murdered, then proceeds to tell Eve and Annie they are now lying to him just so Eve can make Tyler look like a fool, the ladies set out to prove, once and for all that they are not liars and they are every bit, if no so much more, smarter than the man that broke Eve's heart.

But being an amateur detective isn't nearly as easy as they first thought, and soon the women find themselves in way over their heads. Exploding stoves, poisoned tomato sauce, and threatening letters soon have the women rushing against the clock to find the killer and save their own hides.

With an extremely good looking cooking instructor making Annie feel something she hasn't felt in a long time and an ever growing list of questions, Annie and Eve have their work cut out for them, in this wonderful first book of the Cooking Class Mystery series.

In my search for more cozy mysteries to read, I came across this series during a B&N search. I loved the cover, it's something about these cartoon covers that I just can't resist, and decided I must give it a go. I am ever so glad I did, and the next book, Murder on the Menu is already in my shopping cart waiting for the next order to go in. Bliss has a way of writing quirky and lovable characters, fast paced dialogue and a mystery with twists and turns that has the reader guessing from start to finish. Cooking is a great addition to any cozy mystery fans library and may even cause a few new readers to the cozy mystery to be hooked as well.

Take Care

Author Promotion Page At Novel Reads Word Press

2010-03-05T17:13:00.003-06:00

I've had Novel Reads over on Word Press for quite some time now and I simply put the same post on each site. However, Word Press allows several pages and Blogger does not. I will continue to update both sites when talking about books I've read and any other posts such as my Reader Expectation series but, I wanted to let you know that if you go to the Word Press site I've added a page specifically for Author Promotion. For the most part, any posts on that page will be author or publisher backed. Unless a book is reviewed by me on the home page, I cannot endorse the work.

So, if you are an author or publisher visiting this site and would like to promote your new book or author, click here to see where it will go. Send any promotion or contest information that you would like to run to novelreads at gmail dot com (you know the drill) and I will add it to the site as I receive it or on a date you specify.

If you're simply a reader, be sure to check the page for new books.

Take Care

Bound By Sin by Jenna Maclaine

2010-03-04T09:59:00.001-06:00

Her story spans the ages, across centuries and continents. Her powers are immortal, her struggles eternal, her battles legendary. She is the vampire warrior Cin Craven, and this is her story--a breathtaking saga of blood, magic, and desire that is bound to live forever...

Bound By Sin by Jenna Maclaine

(BCC)

As the Civil War rages among mortal men, Cin Craven is locked in an epic battle of her own—fighting the renegade vampires whose unquenchable appetites she knows all too well. At her side are the immortal warriors of The Righteous- among them her husband, her lover, her soul-mate Michael. With a passion bordering on possession, Cin’s love for Michael knows no bounds. But when a ruthless plantation owner kidnaps Cin’s cousin the most terrifying battle of all awaits. Cin is drawn to the irresistible lure of dark magic to stop their enemies, while Michael staunchly opposes it- putting their love and loyalty to the ultimate test.

I know I complain a lot about not having a book store in town but it's just so infuriating, not just because I can't get some of the books I want faster, but also because I find that when I actually make it to a book store and am browsing around I find some really great reads. The first book in this series, Wages of Sin was one such book I found by browsing a book store. The cover drew my attention and so did the fact that it was a new author. I didn't read the BCC, I just grabbed and am so very glad I did.

Cin Craven is a witch turned vampire. But Cin isn't just any witch, she is one of the Macgregor witches, a long and proud line of very gifted witches. In order to save herself and the ones left in her life she loves, Cin must give up her mortal life and become vampire. However, Cin doesn't just become any vampire, she becomes the Red Witch of the Righteous. The Righteous are a small group of vampires, before Cin joined them there were only three. Devlin and his wife Justine and Michael. They are the boogeymen of the boogeymen. Whenever vampires get out of hand The Righteous deal out justice and keep them in line.

Fifty years has passed since Cin became a vampire. After a summoning spell returns Cin to her old home Ravenworth, Cin finds that the last ties she had to her mortal life are gone. All but the children of her dearest friends remain. Cin had been expecting this day to come she just had no idea it would hurt so bad. But she was summoned to Ravenworth for a reason. Her cousin, the current Macgregor witch needs her. It seems that Claire, Cin's cousin has been abducted. The mother does not know exactly why only the who and the fact that he seemed mighty interested in an urn that had been given to Claire.

Claire has been taken to America, somewhere in Savannah, Georgia where the Civil War is in full force. What Cin and Michael find when they arrive is that the man, Adrien Boucher, who has taken Claire is an evil man. He knows what is in that urn and he wants it so that he can win the war for the South. So out to Devil's Island Cin and Michael head. The island has on it a large plantation. One that Boucher married to procure and one that he cannot maintain. The island is also heavily dosed in Black Magic. Cin is no stranger to Black Magic, ever since drinking from a user of those arts she has had it in herself. She fights constantly to keep it at bay, but this island, and one slave Pandora, in particular, calls to that magic hidden deep within her and she fears she may never survive the struggle to keep it hidden.

When Boucher refuses to let them take Claire, Michael and Cin buy the island, which has been heavily mortgaged and kick Boucher out. But Pandora, heavily into the dark arts, is loyal to Boucher, and though she does not leave with him, can they trust that she will not harm Claire in his absence? Also, to Cin's great horror, she realizes she is now the not so proud owner of slaves, and simply setting them free will not be an option that helps anyone.

Bound is a fast paced story, filled with struggles, both internal and external that threaten to tear Cin and the life she has come to love apart at the seams. Maclaine has built a world so incredibly rich and real with people a reader can route for. The struggles they face are common in the most pleasantly uncommon of ways and the way they face them will have readers on the edge of their seats with bated breath.

Vampires, witches, and gods, Oh My! Run, don't walk to your nearest bookseller and pick up a copy today!

Bound by Sin is the third novel in the Cin Craven series, and while it stands alone just fine, trust me, if you haven't yet read the other two you are missing out and once you read Bound, you'll be rushing to get your hands on them.

Take Care

Please don't forget my contest for Kristan Higgins books. Click here for the WordPress post or here for the Blogger one.

the next best thing by Kristan Higgins and Contest

2010-03-03T11:20:00.002-06:00

the next best thing by Kristan Higgins

(BCC)

Lucy Lang isn't looking for fireworks...

She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbeque, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important... someone who won't inspire the slightest stirring in her heart...or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can't risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate "friend with privileges" and hello to a man she can marry.

Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere. As far as he's concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

Click here to see the book trailer.

I have, numerous times over, confessed my complete and utter fan girl status as far as Higgins is concerned. I LOVE her books. I mean, if I ever, ever get caught some place where I can only take one book (oh the horror!), you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be a Higgins. It was Millie in Fools Rush In that started my love of the newfound author and that sort of love is lasting. So, today as I stared at my already read when the hell are you going to talk about me books and became overwhelmed, I went to Facebook (talk about procrastinator Heaven!) and saw that Higgins posted this little bit - "Oh, happy day! Too Good To Be True is #2 on the Barnes & Noble best-selling e-books, and Just One of the Guys is #10!" and I realized I never did talk about tnbt and that is just wrong. I don't even have my copy here at the house, I've loaned it out to my sister, but I could not believe I was lax in posting about this wonderful book! My sister got a nook for Valentine's Day as did a few friends (and no, that's not a little jealousy you read here, that's a LOT of jealousy!) and then when asked for recommendations, this book was my first one quickly followed by Just One of the Guys. So you get it, right? That I'm total fan girl and that this post is nothing more than a great big gush of gooey fan girl love for Higgins?

The BCC does, as most of Higgins do, a great job at describing the book inside the pages. What we miss here though is that Ethan is not just a "friend with benefits" he is also Lucy's brother in law. There is what would seem a curse on Lucy's family and every woman, her mother included seems to lose her husband, the love of their lives, very early on. Lucy was no exception, and when she lost her Jimmy, her life was shattered (I can so totally see that, too, I mean if anything ever happened to The Hubs, I would be a complete mess, for all of eternity).

As a trained pastry chef, Lucy now works in her families bakery, only she's not the head of pastry, she's the head of bread. While it's still work baking, she feels stifled that she's not making the decadent desserts she was trained for. It's not like she can actually do anything about it either, considering she works with her mother and aunts, The Black Widows and they have far more stock in the Bakery than she. Her late husband was also in the business of cooking, he was a chef at his family restaurant a place Lucy still supplies with bread.

When Lucy's younger sister has a baby though, Lucy decides it's time to move on. She wants to get married again. Have kids of her own. She just doesn't want to love the guy too much. She doesn't want him to do anything dangerous, like jump off cliffs or ride a motorcycle. She doesn't want him to be too funny, too kind, or too charming. She just wants him to be a normal if not a tad dull man that can give her a decent life. In other words, she wants him to be the exact opposite of Ethan, her former brother-in-law turned friend with benefits. In an effort to find said man, she tells Ethan they need to stop sleeping together. Only when things start to change with the friendship and Ethan starts hanging around a woman Lucy cannot stand Lucy starts missing Ethan more than she ever realized possible.

But Lucy can't be with Ethan. Loving him and losing him, like was bound to happen, would be the final nail in her coffin. She would never overcome that loss, and she's not entirely sure she'd ever be able to put Jimmy in the past enough to give Ethan everything he deserves.

the next best thing was so much more than I could have hoped for. I never thought it possible that Chastity and Trevor's story could be matched, but Higgins has once again outdone herself. Filled with heart, heart break, family, loss and love, Higgins shows women of all ages yet again, that life, love and happiness have to be gained from within before we can truly appreciate them.

To truly smile with your whole heart and fall in love all over again, grab a book by Higgins, you will not be disappointed. And, since I've been in a giving kind of mood lately, I'm going to run yet another contest. This one for two of Higgins books. If you already have them all then, if you're the winner, just choose two books by Kristan's fellow Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills pals, and I'll send those to you.

Ways to Enter:

* Comment here or on my WordPress post letting me know you'd like to enter and why you'd love to read one of Higgins books.

* "Friend" me on Facebook and make sure I know you want to have an entry in the contest.

* "Friend" Kristan Higgins on Facebook and then let me know you've done it.

* Spread the word so that I can spread the word about Higgins and the wonderfulness that is her work and let me know where you posted. Each different place will earn you an entry.

It's as simple as that. The contest will run through March 10, one week from today.

Take Care

Reader Expectations: Author and Genre Part 1 Paranormal and Winner Announced

2010-03-02T13:21:00.000-06:00

I'm the type of reader that reads across the board, I love YA, Paranormal, Women's Fiction, Romance, Historical, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, you name it, and I’ll read it. I may not read it fast, and I may be known to set it aside and read something else, especially if I find it hard to get into, but I'm a Reader, as almost everyone that visits this blog is, and I'll always, almost always find my way back to the book and finish it.

My love of reading proclamation out of the way though, let me make it clear that I am a Reader of the genre fiction variety. I’ll read the occasional memoir, self-help book, or literary masterpiece (aka, whatever Oprah thinks is good), but my reading tends to be all genre fiction. I love it. I can’t get enough of it. BUT, I hate the genre labels. There are far too many out there and it’s tough to keep up.

When a book has a genre label attached, I find my expectations are different for the book and I tend to compare that author’s work with that of other authors, but not just any authors, my crème de la crème authors. The ones that write books I can’t put down and read a million times over simply because I love them. This is a habit that I cannot—for the life of me—overcome. It can be stifling to the TBR pile and it can—and I’m sure, has—leave me out in the cold when it comes to finding new authors. It’s also left me with the question of whether or not I’m the only one who does this, so I thought that I’d do a series of posts, using different genres, and pose a few questions and share some of my expectations and comparisons.

Paranormal: I use this term loosely, because as far as I’m concerned, if the book has anything to do with "other", regardless of how it is portrayed, I call it Paranormal. It may, in fact, be Urban Fantasy or Sci-Fi, I still stick it with the label Paranormal. My first (well, since I started reading again, I used to read a lot Stephen King and Anne Rice) foray into the Para genre was Laurell K. Hamilton. What an introduction huh? Since I soon became bored with her work, I went on to discover, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kim Harrison, Richelle Mead, Gerry Bartlett, Jenna Maclaine the list goes on and on.

Expectations: There will be vampires, witches, weres, mediums, psychics, mythology, angels, demons, something, that is not within societal norms. The protagonist will be strong, both mentally and physically by the end. They don’t necessarily have to start out strong, but they must find a hidden strength or talent that pushes them to do or become something they would never have dreamed of before.

What I Love: I think the thing that keeps me coming back to the Paranormal genre is that other-worldly fantasy. The thought that these different creatures not only exist but co-exist with us and could possibly live in our very neighborhood. The ultimate fight of good versus evil. The idea that an average, every day person finds within themselves or their bloodlines, something that they never knew existed and that struggle to make it all work.

I also very much so, enjoy the erotic feel to many of the books. The sexual connection that is made between the two characters. This is just a side perk to what is normally a very, very well crafted story, but I love it nonetheless. It isn’t a necessity, and I certainly don’t like it when it’s there simply to fill pages (I’ll get to that bit in a second).

What I Hate: I absolutely cannot stand some of the sex for the sake of sex in these books. It’s not just the Paranormal genre this is a problem in, but it sure seems to be a big issue with this genre. I don’t want your forced seduction scenes because your hero is big alpha male that’s had sex with millions of girls and knows what the woman wants better than she does. I don’t want your sex acts that cannot, under any circumstances happen with your average every day human gal, no matter how experienced and limber her partner may be. You cheapen your writing and the genre with these types of scenes and it just absolutely infuriates me.

I don’t want long drawn out self dialogue about some internal conflict your protagonist is having because she may or may not be moral in being or being with one of these “others.” Show me but, for the love of all that is holy, STOP telling me. Fancy prose is okay, but you darn well better move it along. I’m tired of reading twelve pages about the sparkly essence that is your characters sex floating around their head as they perform a magical act. That isn’t to say excessive sex turns me off (hehehe) a book either, there are quite a few books that the sex is a major plot device and when used in that manner and one that makes sense, I don’t mind at all.

In the same way I don’t need sex to make the book enjoyable, I don’t need your blood, gore and violence explicitly laid before me unless it relates to the story and makes a difference. The violence needs to have meaning, it needs to move the story forward—either by taking your protag back a few steps to ultimately move them forward—and not in there simply for the shock factor. You can show me violence but if you’re going to go into graphic detail, there damn well better be a reason.

Where Expectations Bite Me On The Ass: Or the author, take your pick. I’ve named a few favorite authors up there and the problem I find anymore in the Paranormal/UF genres is the comparison factor. Let’s face it, this is a booming genre, and has been for some time. This is a good and bad thing for readers. Good because it guarantees we’ll continue to get new books bad because there are too many books out there and not all of them good. It seems that for a while and possibly still, publishers were in such a hurry to capitalize on the booming genre that they’ve put out an overload of books, and quite frankly, a lot of them are crap.

Now, what I may consider crap, though, is some one elses gold and that’s where I screw myself with comparisons. For instance, if I would pick up a book that is about witches, from page one I would be comparing it to Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan, another series I’ve been with since book one and absolutely adore. In the first couple of chapters this comparison is either going to dissolve away and I’ll be in a new world or the book will fall miserably short. But, every so often, a book will sneak past my preconceived notions and find it’s way to my keeper shelf, such as Jenna Maclaine’s Cin Craven novels and Linda Robertson’s Circle books.

The books that ultimately do make it past my preconceived notions do so because one of a few things happens: Great cover. Great BCC. Fabulous on-line promotion where the book is highly recommended from bloggers I trust. Or even a book gets sent to me to be reviewed and more than once, this has happened and the author gained further sales form me because I bought up their back list.

I’m curious though. Do you have preconceived notions about the Paranormal Genre. Does it hold you back or enable you to more freely explore? If you’re an author what sort of thought do you give some of the things I’ve discussed when writing?

I’ll continue my discussion on genre in a few days with Cozy Mysteries as my target.

Take Care

WINNER ANNOUNCED: Beverly G

Please e-mail me at novelreads at gmail dot com so that I can get the books sent to you ASAP.

truly, madly by Heather Webber and Contest Reminder

2010-02-26T10:50:00.002-06:00

truly, madly by Heather Webber

(BCC)

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and so not qualified to run a matchmaking service. But, when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it's Lucy's turn to stop up and help out -- in the name of love. Plus, her rent is due.

Here's the problem: Lucy doesn't have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read "auras" and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You'd be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone's looking for something. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring--on a dead body--she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she'll find the perfect love while she's at it...

* This post may include what some would consider spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Sorry for the spoiler alert, and in truth, there may be no true "spoilers" in this post, but just in case, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Lucy Valentine comes from a long line of matchmakers. Like the BCC says, her family believes that they have been given a gift by none other than Cupid himself, and they can see the auras of others and this allows them to match people with their true love. However, it seems that Cupid didn't give the gift free of charge, no not at all, it was accompanied by a curse as well, and for generations, no Valentine has been able to sustain a loving relationship with those of the opposite sex. When her father, the current head of Valentine, Inc. is caught, quite literally, with his pants down with a mistress on the beach when he has a heart attack, her parents decide that it would be best for him to step down for a while and for them both to get out of town while the media circus dies down.

Lucy is a bit reluctant to take charge though, but since she long ago decided not to use her trust fund or accept any financial help from her family, she really has no choice. She's between jobs and she's behind on her rent (she rents from her grandmother, who would never throw her out, but it still bothers her that she's behind). So it is with crazy nerves that she steps in and begins her first day on the job at Valentine, Inc. Thank goodness Suzannah, her father's secretary and all around office manager, is there to help get her going, because Lucy is sure if it weren't for the other woman's help that the business would surly go up in flames.

But matchmaking isn't the only thing happening on Lucy's first day. A little boy has gone missing and with the cold winter temps it is very critical he be found before too long. Lucy's upset that her "gift" at finding lost objects can't help the boy - or can it?

When Lucy meets with a client that her dad has not yet seen, therefore has no aura color swatch to help guide her, she listens to his story of why he hasn't found anyone since losing his long ago girlfriend and first love, Jennifer, the story tugs at her heart and she decides that she will try and find Jennifer and maybe, just maybe once she finds out the true story of long ago events, she will be willing to meet back with Lucy's client. But when saying goodbye to her new client Lucy shakes his hand, she immediately sees the engagement ring that he had given her - it's on the ring of a skeleton, buried in a shallow grave. Lucy immediately knows that this is going to be way over her head, and decides to enlist the help of the P.I. that rents the office space above Valentine, Inc. Only when she arrives, she finds out he's gone and his brother, ex-fire fighter Sean is helping out. What's worse, is that when Lucy shakes his hand, she doesn't get an image of what he's lost, but an image of the two of them - in bed together. Is Lucy seeing the future or simply going crazy? Will she and Sean be able to figure out why the engagement ring is on that of a dead girl and will Lucy be able to keep her secret safe from Sean and the world at large?

truly, madly was a mixed bag for me. I loved the author's voice. I loved how the book was filled with humor and quirky dialogue. The characters were real for me and the mystery was great. I enjoyed getting to know Lucy and her eccentric family - those related and those not.

That said, I really didn't enjoy the way Sean and Lucy come together. The attraction seemed forced to me. Yes, I understand that she had this totally erotic vision of the two of them together but - they had just met and BAM they are talking trust. Trust to me is something earned and not to be given lightly. I also didn't enjoy the sexual nature and relationship-esque manner in which Sean and Lucy spoke to one another. I simply didn't buy any of it. Maybe I'm just a cynic but I simply did not like the relationship between the two. I also couldn't seem to get over wanting to throw the book against the wall whenever Lucy cites the family "curse" as a reason not to get involved with some one. We get it, your family thinks they are cursed.

Aside from that, I enjoyed the book. It's a fast read with tons of humor, a great cast of characters, and a mystery that had me guessing to the end. And WHOA, what an ending, I was blindsided with it and that is one of the best things about the book. I can only hope that the next book answers a few questions for me, such as why the hell did Lucy "see" the future when shaking Sean's hand, but never with anyone else. I will definitely continue to follow this series, as Webber left me wanting more of the quirky Valentine's.

Heather Webber is also a Cozy Chick, so don't forget my contest and this could be one of the books you choose! Since Miss Beautiful was very sick this week and I haven't had a chance to blog very much, I'm extending the contest until Monday.

Take Care

Firespell by Chloe Neill

2010-02-18T10:45:00.003-06:00

Before I start I wanted to let you know that Novel Reads is on FaceBook now. Click here to add me as a friend (I can't embed it for some reason), I'll be doing some contests over there that are specific to the page.

Firespell by Chloe Neill ( A Dark Elite Novel: Book 1)

(BCC)

As the new girl at St. Sophia's Boarding School, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she'll have to face - but oh, how wrong she is.

When Lily's parents decide to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she is not happy. Lily's classmates are the ultrarich brat-pack type - and if that isn't enough, she's hearing and seeing bizarre things on St. Sophia's creepy campus.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout's a little weird - she keeps disappearing late at night. When a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout, who's running from a real-life monster. Scout is part of a splinter group of rebel teens who protect Chicago from demons, vamps, and the gone-to-the-dark-side magic users called Reapers. She lets Lily in on her secret, even though Lily has no powers of her own...or at least none she's discovered yet.

* This review is done from a copy supplied to Novel Reads by the publisher.

I've made it clear that I have no love for YA books about spoiled poor me rich girls away at a fancy schamncy boarding school. So when this book came I was more than a tad reluctant. What got me though, is my love of YA/Paranormal, the really cool cover, and the fact that I'd never read this author before. Things I very much love in a book.

Lily Parker, not quite sixteen year old, finds out just after her sophomore year that her parents, philosophy professors, will be going to Germany for a two year academic sabbatical, and she will be leaving her New York town for Chicago where she will go to school at St. Sophia's Boarding School. To say the least, Lily is not happy. She'd much rather stay with her friends and her comfort zone. But when St. Sophia's accepts her into the school, her future is set.

Lily hates St. Sophia's. There are the typical cliques and she's just not fitting in. Thankfully, one of her new roommates, Scout, is most definitely nice and true friend material. But, as the BCC says, Scout keeps skipping out late at night, and she seems more than a little tired after these outings. What Lily doesn't know about Scout and her secrets really piques her curiosity and she begins to follow her one night, that is after all, what a new BFF would do. But it isn't until Lily is on the receiving end of a fairly nasty prank that Lily truly finds out what Scout's been up to.

But Scout's mystery isn't the only one Lily is faced with - could it be her parent's had lied to her all of her life? Made a whole identity to cover up what they were really working on? As clues begin coming Lily's way about this, and evil magic users attempting to suck the souls of young magic users start to attack the school, Lily realizes she just may be in over her head. Or, does she have a bit of latent magic of her own?

Firespell is a refreshing addition to a YA Paranormal genre that is quickly filling up with shifters and vamps. Neill's writing is spot on, with great dialogue and the action packed scenes have the reader turning the pages and spellbound from the get go. I'm eager to read more from Neill and have added her Chicagoland Vampires Series to my wish list.

Take Care

Don't forget about the current contest I'm running, scroll down to yesterday's post or click here to see the details.

Sleeping With Anemone by Kate Collins

2010-02-17T11:07:00.000-06:00

I always love it when it's time for a new Flower Shop Mystery. I've been with the series since book one Mum's The Word and my love for these books just seems to (pardon the pun) grow with each new release! Click here for the posts on Kate's books I did while at deeanddee and click here and here for the posts I've done on them since starting Novel Reads. You'll see what I mean when I say I adore Abby Knight and the entire cast of characters that make up her world.

Sleeping With Anemone by Kate Collins

Click here to see the book trailer (I couldn't get it to embed correctly).

Maybe Abby Knight shouldn't have chosen a home and garden show sponsored by Uniworld Food as the venue for her protest against the corporation's harmful farming practices. But being bodily removed from the event won't stop her campaign. Nor will a burning brick thrown through her flower shop's window.

After she narrowly escapes being kidnapped three times, Abby calls in the big guns-her ex-Ranger boyfriend Marco and her friends and family. And then the stakes are raised by murder...

*This review is done from an ARC sent to Novel Reads by the author.

So, if you've clicked my links and read, you'll see I am an all out FAN GIRL over Kate Collins and her wonderful Flower Shop Mysteries. Kate took me from the occasional cozy reader to this stack (if you could see it you'd understand) of cozies sitting at the side of my desk. It's been a wonderful ride, reading Abby from the start. Each book gets better and better, and I absolutely love watching the characters grow and become more real with each book.

In Anemone love is in the air as Valentine's Day quickly approaches. Abby promises her niece that she and Marco will escort her and her boyfriend to a concert, Marco's family and Abby's are pressuring them to get engaged, and Abby has set her sights on Uniworld, a dairy farm that is moving into town and uses hormones to enhance the milk production of the cows.

Then there is Abby's cousin Jillian (constant - again, pardon the pun - thorn in Abby's side), who sees Abby wearing a broach, and just has to have one, so Abby's mom takes up yet a new form of "artwork" and that is making broaches (and homemade candy - loads of laughs on this). When the broaches continue to be stolen, yet another problem must be solved. But, when the threats that Uniworld is making against Abby and her business, Bloomers, turn to kidnapping, Abby and her friends feel the pressure to prove that Uniworld is to blame - but can they do it and still have everyone come out with their lives? Will the engagement to Marco ever happen or will the plus column of her Marco list be overcome with minuses?

Anemone is by far, the best book yet in the series. The laughs are stronger, the suspense and danger greater, and the heart and love that we get to see between Abby and her family is so touching, a few tears could easily be shared as well. You don't want to miss this action-packed, hilarious, and touching book.

Already love Kate and Abby but haven't had a chance to score Anemone yet? Leave a comment and at the end of the week, one winner will receive the latest in the series and one other book from a fellow Cozy Chicks author (winner's choice of book).

Never read Kate but want to? Leave a comment, and instead of this latest installment, I'll send you the first two books in The Flower Shop Mysteries.

Read all the series? No problem, leave a comment, and if you're chosen, I'll send you two books of your choice by any of Kate's fellow Cozy Chicks.

Take Care

I want to take a quick minute to THANK YOU all for the e-mails and comments I received after the wreck. I ended up with some cracked ribs as did my best friend. Miss Beautiful, thank God, was unhurt. It took a while, but we've finally replaced the van, and are still fighting with insurance, but at least I have a car again! Hopefully, one day soon, I'll be able to drive at night again or out of town by myself. Baby steps.

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

2010-01-18T11:54:00.001-06:00

* I started this post on Friday. We had company stop by and I didn't get a chance to get back to it. Saturday was spent running errands. Saturday night I was in a bad car wreck. Just a reminder, PLEASE, PLEASE always wear your seatbelts. They save lives. No doubt they saved the lives of not only myself, but my daughter and dear friend.

Sorry for the delay in another post. My school dreams were dashed about three days in when the finance office called me in to tell me that the FASFA aid would only happen if I underwent an amazingly long financial review(apparently, our income caused the expected family contribution to be more than the course would actual cost for a semester). That was fine, except some of the paperwork they needed would have to be sent off for and I wouldn't have it in time to finalize and all payments or aid had to be in place before I could continue with school, and the time delay was too long and we simply don't have the monies right now to pay for it ourselves. I also can't really justify taking out a student loan. So, next semester it is then. Unfortunately, I took my disappointment out on my poor kitchen and have been cleaning out drawers, cabinets and installing shelves for the past week. Almost done in that room and off to the next. It helps. Anyway, since I'm unable to go to school right now, I should have time for more posting (once I have all my manic cleaning done anyway :).

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell *Click on the author's name to be taken to her site and a chance to enter a contest.

(BCC) *This review is done from a book sent to Novel Reads from the publisher.

Before Juliet Capelletti lie two futures: a traditionally loveless marriage to her father's business partner or the fulfillment of her poetic dreams, inspired by the great Dante. Unlike her beloved friend Lucrezia, who looks forward to her arranged marriage into the Medici dynasty, Juliet ha a wild, romantic imagination thta takes flight in the privacy of her bedchamber and on her garden balcony.

Her life and destiny are forever changed when Juliet meets Romeo Monticecco, a soulful young man seeking peace between their warring families. A dreamer himself, Romeo is unstoppable once he dtermines to capture the heart of the remarkable woman foretold in his stars.

When I first opened this book I was sure it would be one I would not read. I mean, the cover is beautiful but the potential for disaster in the re-telling of Romeo and Juliet is colossal. Plus, it's an Historical. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the Historical genre, but it's not one I generally search for (there is no clear reason for that, but there it is). So on my computer desk this book set for a couple of days. I kept looking at that gorgeous cover. I kept flipping it over to read the BCC. Finally, I decided to give it a go—I didn't want to put it down.

You all probably know the story of Romeo and Juliet well. What Eighth Grader hasn't read it? But as the front cover of this book says, "Their love was the stuff of legend. But the legend is only half the story." And Maxwell takes the reader on a journey like no other.

Juliet Capelletti's family has known great loss. All of the Capelletti sons have died and without them there is need for a partner for her father's silk business, and plans begin to be made for Juliet to wed Jacopo Strozzi. Storzzi's family is in the wool business and also very wealthy. Though Jacopo is not the first son, so this partnership serves to offer him a great deal. And though Juliet loathes Jacopo, "I cringed at the thought of him. The occasions we had met at my father's house had been grating in every way. His pinched mouth and furrowed forehead bespoke a constipated soul." She knows she has no choice but to wed this man for her families sake, though she desperately wants to marry for love. You see, Juliet is a woman very rare for her time. In love with the works of Dante and poet herself, Juliet longs to find the life for herself that is filled with love and poetry.

Romeo Monticecco is home from years spent with his uncles in Verona. His family has also known loss, as his sisters and brothers have also been lost to fever. Upon his return, Romeo wishes to make peace with the Capelletti, a family that has been feuding with his since the time of his grandfather. Romeo, also loves the works of Dante and dearly loves poetry and writing verse, the same as Juliet.

When Romeo goes to, what I guess would be considered an engagement party, for Juliet's friend Lucrezia in the hopes of seeking out Lucrezia's soon to be father in law, Don Cosimo, a man held in the highest regard of all those in the area, he goes with the intent of getting Cosimo to help him forge a peace between his family and the Capelletti. But it is here that Romeo meets Juliet. The two are instantly smitten. Only it turns out that not only is there an age old feud between the two families that feud was recently reignited when the Monticecco family, unbeknown to Romeo, had sank one of the Capelletti's cargo ships. But, after meeting Juliet, "This woman, this earthly angel-perhaps "Goddess" suited her more, for an angel is merely sweet and gentle, and Juliet was fierce - she inspired me..." Romeo more than ever wants to restore a peace between the families.

Just as it seems peace will be restored, the unthinkable happens. Sabotage at the Capelletti silk factory. Orchestrated by someone they trust, "Jacopo was clever and was now provoked to action by the one emotion whose strength rivaled that of love - jealousy." Romeo is framed for murder of Juliet's beloved cousin and has to flee the country yet again. I think we all know how this story ends.

I'll admit, I had serious doubts before reading this book. The re-telling of a famous love story is always a tricky thing, but Maxwell wove a tale so engaging, made Romeo and Juliet so real, that the story was new again. The tale of two lovers that lived long ago touched me deeply. In Maxwell's O, Juilet, I get to know and love Romeo and Juliet, in a way I had not before. This story of loss and love is one I highly recommend to any love of Romance.

Take Care

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2010-01-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

Miss Beautiful and I sing this song quite often. She's not so good with the lyrics, but she can sing the hell outta, "But baby it's cold outside!" after whatever it may be I sing. "I really can't stay." "But baby it's cold outside," "I hafta go away," "But baby it's cold outside!" "This evening has been..." "But baby it's cold outside!" "So very nice," "But baby it's cold outside!" You get the picture. And in case not - BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE! So cold in fact, that our pipes froze! That's right! The negative temps froze our pipes! We are, quite literally a walk away from the South and the temps haven't reached above freezing in days!

Thankfully, The Hubs is THE MAN, and after I made a trip to Wally World and shelled out a few bucks, our water is now flowing again, and no pipes burst. WHEW! Thank goodness for such an awesome hubby. Also, thank goodness that the temps are supposed to hit above freezing on Wednesday! I can't wait! We've been out of school since Thursday because the temps have been too low. I'm so ready for the kiddos to go back.

Anyway, I've been whiling my time away on FaceBook. Do ya'll have Facebook? Are you as addicted as I am? For instance, I'm "friends" with the likes of Nia (who has a contest ending tonight, go forth and enter!), Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Lani Diane Rich, Joshilyn Jackson, Mari Mancussi, Richelle Mead, and R.L. LaFevers (current contest running, go forth and enter!), just to name a few! I mean, I rub some serious elbow over on Facebook (which would explain the extreme chappedness of said elbows).

I just love a good name drop!

Take Care

Winners Announced

2010-01-05T12:22:00.001-06:00

Hi all, I want to start by saying thank you for all for the words of support. I'm not completely "there" yet - wherever there may be - but I'm getting closer! I also want to thank you for the warm welcome back. I cannot express how your kindness has helped ease some of my worries and fears.

And now, the winners of the two $10 gift card to the book seller of winners choice (as long as I can send it electronically are - Brandy from the blogger account and Donna (Fantasy Dreamer) from the Wordpress account. All names were thrown into a hat and Miss Beautiful picked them. Congrats! Shoot me an e-mail to novelreads at gmail dot com (you know the drill) with choice of retailer and the e-mail to send it to. I will have them in your inbox by the end of the week.

I started school today, so far so good. It's going to take some getting used to, but I think I'll be fine. I can even do a lot of the work from home, so that's nice. Hopefully, another review will be up tonight.

Take Care

Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi

2010-01-02T23:11:00.001-06:00

BAD BLOOD by Mari Mancusi

BCC:

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend, Magnus, is a vampire—and the leader of the Blood Coven. Their differences have never been an issue, until now…

When the Blood Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny’s humanity puts her out of the running. The chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, an Oxford University graduate, who just happens to look like a vampiric supermodel.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes scholar who can’t answer the most basic poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention—where Magnus and Jane’s bonding ceremony will be the main event—Sunny and her twin sister, Rayne, secretly tag along. And Sunny’s not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas—especially bad blood…

*This review is done from a book sent to Novel Reads by the publisher.

I’d never read Mari Mancusi before this book showed up at my door, and I’ll admit I was a tad bit reluctant to read this one. Not because it’s YA, but because it’s book four in an already established series. You see, I have this thing about series books. I don’t like to pick one up in the middle of a series, because I’m always afraid I’ll be lost and not able to follow along. You’d think I’d’ve learned my lesson by now, but alas, I haven’t and I’m always so pleasantly surprised when I find myself not only able to follow along but so engrossed in the story that I can’t put the book down.

The BCC does a very good job at explaining the basics of the plot but the actual story is so much more than the Sunny trying to prove Jane is an imposter bit. First of all, the girls estranged father lives in Vegas, so the little trip stands to be a twofer. Snoop around about Jane (the soon to be blood mate) and spend some time with their dad. Only dad isn’t there and the step family proves to be a bit more complicated than the girls could possibly imagine.

When Rayne, Sunny’s twin takes some major news about their new family badly and all but bails on Sunny, it’s up to Sunny to do all the detective work herself. But, when dealing with vampires (evil ones at that), it would be nice to have a girl’s sister around; especially when said sister is an actual vampire and a vampire slayer.

Bad Blood had me hooked from page one. The plot was fast paced and the writing solid. Sunny was a character I could get behind and bond with immediately. Told from a First Person perspective, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster, unwilling to say goodbye at the end.

I did have a few issues though, but they can only be a testament to a well written protagonist. First of all, Magnus just pissed me off. I understand that he’s a thousand year old vampire, but his condescending attitude when it came to Sunny and her suspicions of Jane made me simply want to stake him myself. I also wasn’t very impressed with Rayne and the way she completely ignored her sister when she needed her most. But I adored Sunny and her complete unwillingness to let down the people she loved and especially loved the end when she realized that things had to change if she and Magnus would be able to have a relationship.

The cliffhanger ending was a bit much, but sets it up nicely for a next book, and I’m more than a little excited to get my hands on it. I’ve also added the first three books in the series to my online book order, and can’t wait to read them. After some reading on the author’s site, I see that the books alternate protagonists between Rayne and Sunny, and I hope that this will help me understand Rayne a bit more, because as it stands, I’m really not a fan.

All in all, the Blood Coven Vampire Novel’s have been added to my must read list. Mancusi writes with a wicked sense of humor and keeps readers turning the pages eager for more.

Take Care

You can still enter for one of two $10 egift certificate to the online book seller of your choice, just leave a comment here or here. Winners will be drawn tomorrow, January 3.

Happy New Year. Contest. I'm SORRY!

2010-01-01T16:16:00.002-06:00

I need to start this post with an apology. An apology to Angie Fox and an apology to all those that read and entered to win the contest I had up. I screwed the pooch and don’t I know it! I'll explain that in a minute, but to try and make amends, let me offer two readers a $10 e-gift card to the book seller of your choice. Just leave a comment here and I'll draw the winners on Sunday, January 3.

Now, for a short explanation: About the time the posts for the Angie Fox contest went live, my life fell apart. It was a long time coming — don't get me wrong — and it was entirely a mess of my own doing, but believe me when I tell you— that made it all the more worse. Only a handful of people know what we went through (my family and my old blogging partner dee to be exact), mainly because I was ashamed. I did everything I could to disguise the pain I was in and I think I did a fairly good job of it. Unfortunately, I could not blog anymore. I barely did any reading and I certainly ceased all writing. I had lost the desire to do much of anything. It took just about everything I had just to get up and get dressed in the morning and continue to be a good mom and wife to the wonderful family I was so (undeservingly) blessed with. It also took a lot of energy to hide it all from everyone else.

I ended up back at work, and that helped. We got a huge break in the fact that I have awesome parents that love me no matter how badly I fuck up, and we’ve slowly but surely gotten back on solid ground. It hasn’t been easy, but my husband is a muffin dressed up as a doughnut, and we made it through.

Fast forward to the present and I’m not working anymore. I will however, start school on the 5^th. I’m terrified by this, as I graduated high school in 1994 and haven’t sat at a desk since. I’m also extremely excited and optimistic. I’m reading again, I’m smiling more, and life, well, it may be bumpy at times, but I see nothing but good times ahead.

I do hope to start blogging again. One of the things that has held me back from blogging has been my deep (and by deep, I mean you could throw a boulder off the edge of it and listen for a century and still not hear it hit bottom) shame at the way I just up and quit. I wish that I hadn’t done that. But it’s done and I can only hope you can forgive me. I need this blog. I need to write again, read again, and find my way back to what I love.

I lost myself. Plain and simple. I let the dark times and depression take me away from who I was at a base level. I am a decent wife. I am a decent mother. I am a reader. I am a writer. And I had forgotten that.

There may be a few changes though. I’m reading more YA and Paranormal/Urban Fantasy. I still love a good Romance, but I’m finding it harder and harder to find one of those. I’m also finding myself more and more in love with the Cozy Mystery genre. I’ve always enjoyed it, how could I not with authors like Kate Collins out there?! But the author that shall not be named took a huge chunk of love for it away (and, I’ll admit played a huge part in my depression).

So basically, there will be more Cozy reviews. Less Romance reviews (though please, if you find a good one, let me know! I’m re-reading all my Crusie’s just so I don’t lose the love). About the same (maybe more) YA and Para/UF. It’s a tough market for book bloggers. There are so many good ones out there. I’m not sure there is a place for me in reader’s hearts but I think I’ll blog anyway.

Take Care

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER FOR ANGIE FOX SWAG!

2009-04-29T11:23:00.002-05:00

So I'm about two days behind schedule here. Between thunderstorms, Teacher Appreciation Week (of which I am organizing 100+ teachers and staff for massages paid for by our PTO), and the general craziness that makes up my life, I'm late yet again. This, however, is good news for you! That's right, that means you get another chance to get your entries into this awesome contest! Just read through previous posts and you'll see how!

Tomorrow my review will go live and with it the announcement of winners. So hurry up and enter. Extra entries for anyone who visits Angie at her blog and gives her HUGE CONGRATS on the fact that The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers is going in for a second printing, and that was even before the official release date!!!!

So go forth and enter. Leave a comment here, leave a comment on Angie's blog, blog it yourself. Just enter!

Take Care

Q&A With Angie Fox - Enter to WIN!!!

2009-04-23T07:42:00.001-05:00

This post on WordPress
One of the funnest parts of hosting authors on here is getting to get a sneak peak, as it were, behind the scenes to their books, writing process, and other fun details that make up the life of an author and then sharing them with all of you. So, grab a cuppa and sit back and read this Q&A I have with Angie. Make sure to post any questions for her in the comments and earn entries into this weeks GREAT contest!

Tell us about The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers.

The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers is the story of what happens when you take a bunch of biker witches to Las Vegas. Well, it’s more than that, I suppose. Lizzie and the gang head to Las Vegas to save her uncle from marrying a succubus.

As she experiences all kinds of new (and weird) things in Vegas, Lizzie is determined, once and for all, to master her powers. In fact, she’s going to write the book on demon slaying. So she begins a journal, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, where she records what she’s learning, starting with newfound discoveries about demons, gargoyles and a particularly mischievous live spell named Beanie who likes to fill Lizzie’s boots with pumpkin spice latte.

Things get dangerous when the demons get their hooks in Dimitri. He’s much darker and sexier in this book. And we introduce a new character, Max, who is half demon and 100% yummy.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Loads, actually. First off, the biker witches ride Harleys, and I’d never been on a motorcycle before. Second, I had to figure out how to get Pirate the dog onto a bike.

I went online and learned about the Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club, made up exclusively of Harley riders and their dogs. I ended up meeting some of them, along with a few other bikers along the way. These bikers were so great to me. They hoisted me onto the back of their Harleys (with dogs in tow). They took me to biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink). And they laughed at me when I tried to put my helmet on backwards (I still say I was distracted by the Pomeranian wearing a tiny pair of motorcycle glasses). After a few outings with my new biker friends, I was able to make my geriatric biker witch characters a lot more realistic. And I took home some great pictures, too.

My second favorite it of research was the behind-the-scenes tour of Hoover Dam. The climax of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers takes place down there, and I was lucky enough to be invited to see first-hand what I’d be writing about. A guide took me far down into the inspection tunnels they used in the 1930’s and 40’s, when the cement was still curing. It was amazing to see the notes these inspectors made on the walls, to hear the stories of those that didn’t quite make it out and to walk the same old metal steps that they did. All of that made it into The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, along with lots of things I had a blast making up (this is fiction after all).

What was your reaction when you learned The Accidental Demon Slayer was a New York Times bestseller?

Complete shock. The phone rang on a Friday afternoon, as I was writing the climax of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. I almost didn’t answer the phone. After all, who would call in smack dab in the middle of a demon invasion?

Luckily, I picked up because it was my agent, saying that The Accidental Demon Slayer would be #34 on the New York Times list the next day. I didn’t know what to think. Heck, I’d just wanted to sell enough books so that I could keep writing about biker witches, demon slayers and talking terriers. I had to ask my agent to please email me too, just to make sure I wasn’t phone-hallucinating.

What comes first: the plot or the characters?

For me, it’s both. For example, when I sat down to write these books, I had no notes about a sidekick for my heroine. But in the second chapter, when she’d learned she was a demon slayer and all hell was after her, she took comfort in her dog. As I was writing, I thought, ‘This is a sweet moment. Now how do I throw her off?’ Simple. I made the dog say something to her. Nothing big. After all, he’s only after the fettuccine from last week. And he knows exactly where my heroine can find it (back of the fridge, to the left of the lettuce crisper, behind the mustard).

It amused me, so I did it. Thanks to her unholy powers, my heroine can now understand her smart-mouthed Jack Russell Terrier. So did plot influence character? Maybe there it did. But I can tell you that as the book evolves, Pirate the dog does his share of influencing the plot too. Bottom line? I think the most important thing when you sit down to the keyboard is to be willing to follow your story in new directions, because if you’re enjoying the surprise, chances are your readers will too.

If you weren't writing, what would you be doing?

Reading…way too much. Oh wait, I do that anyway.

How does your family feel about your career as a romance author?

Well I admit I had these fantasies of my husband saying things like, “Oh let me fix dinner. You look like you’re really focused on getting that dialogue right.” Or my kids saying, “Wow. Mom is a published author. We’d better not use her laptop cord as a jump rope.” Alas, my home life hasn’t changed at all. Well, other than the fact that it might be a bit strange that my four-year-old knows what an editor is. She gets calls from her “editor” on her Tinkerbell play phone.

What do we have to look forward next?

Right now, I’m writing book 3 in the Accidental Demon Slayer series, tentatively titled A Tale of Two Demon Slayers. In it, Lizzie and the gang travel to Greece where they learn more about Dimitri’s past and a threat that could destroy them all. I’m having a ball with it because it’s so much fun to explore Dimitri’s home, his family and his juicy past.

I also have a story in The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2, which comes out on Halloween. And then I’m working on a voodoo novella for this amazing anthology that I’m not allowed to announce yet. But when it is out, and when I do have copies, I’ll be sure to give some out right here because, let’s face it, Charity rocks.

Awe! Thanks Angie! I think YOU ROCK! I've always wondered though, on those anthologies? How do those come to be? Do you the authors get together and decide to pitch it or is it something the editors do? I've just always been curious!

Thanks so much for joining me over here again, Angie. I know you're at RT right now, and what a great time to for it in the ways of promoting, but I know it's tough trying to keep up with us over here! And speaking of RT, how's that going? Has Dimitri been on your heels all night yet?

Take Care

WIN Signed Galley Pages And More with Angie Fox!

2009-04-21T09:49:00.005-05:00

*Click here for Novel Reads on Word Press, as with yesterday,double entries when comments are left over there.

As you know, my guest this week is the uber talented Angie Fox, author of The Accidental Demon Slayer and the soon to be released The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers. In fact, this entire week is just one great big celebration in honor of the release of second book in this great series! Why? Because I love the series, that's why. And I'm sure that once you've had a chance to read it (if you haven't already, which I'm sure you have) you will too!

Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday their would be prizes, and whoo boy do we have prizes! Signed books! Kiss My Asphalt Tee Shirts! Cover Flats, anyone? Oh, and SIGNED GALLEY PAGES from The Dangerous Book For Demon Slayers! So, what do I have to do? you may ask, to win such Novel prizes? Well, first, since we're talking Demons, you must make a virgin sacrifice and your first born, never mind, I require no such thing. Simply help us spread the word about Angie and her new book. We have widgets you can post, click here to get one. You can use your Facebook or MySpace status to send people our way. You can use your own blog. You can use e-mail, chat rooms, or any other form you so choose. If you do blog it, please leave me a link in the comments so I can link to you. All they have to do is leave a comment here (http://novelreads.wordpress.com/)saying you sent them. Easy Peasy, no? The comment can be on any post this week that is about Angie and her books or contest rules. There is no limit to how many people you can send our way, the more the merrier in fact, since we want to spread the word far and wide about this great series. Double entries if the person you send our way also gives us their Biker Witch Name, which today my name BWN is Mantrap Marcie Fancy Pants ! I'm definitely digging that one!

This is a pic of the front of the tee shirts up for grabs, and don't forget all the other loot Angie has graciously agreed to give out. For another chance to enter, simply leave a question in the comments for Angie to answer, as she's going to be doing a little Q&A with us this week. I have tell you, she's one busy lady this week, she's also, as I type this, on a plane to Orlando, FL for the RT Convention, where she'll be shadowed by Dimitri on night, and yes, I have requested pictures.

So, what are you waiting for? Get to entering! And for some reason, some comments are getting sent to me for moderation, I'm trying to catch them as quickly as possible, I don't know how to change that yet, but promise I am working on it. This is definitely a work in progress kind of site right now!

Take Care

Welcome Back Angie Fox!!! CONTEST TIME!

2009-04-20T11:39:00.004-05:00

*Quick Note: I'm trying to move over to Word Press, so if you click over to that site http://novelreads.wordpress.com/ and comment, I'll give you extra entries today!*

I love debut authors. I always have. So last year, when I had the chance to inteview Angie Fox, the chance to give a way cool prizes with Angie Fox, and the chance to read and celebrate Angie's debut novel The Accidental Demon Slayer, I jumped at it and spent an entire week with the wonderfully funny and talented author. (Note, some of these links are to this blog not my blogger one. As soon as I figure out how to import the comments, those'll go up too!). BUT, you wanna know what's even cooler about introducing a debut author? Having that author back the next year to celebrate their SECOND release AND the fact that they are now a NYT Best selling author!!!!! CONGRATS Angie, you so deserve it!

And the best part? Angie not only agreed to come back this year to celebrate the release of the next book in the series, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, she's also agreed to host a contest... right here on this blog! I can't tell you all the prizes just yet, but I can tell you there will be tee shirts are more! So, let's just kick it off today with an easy way to start entering. First, click here and tell me your Biker Witch Name, mine is Mosquito Bite Marcie No Pants, I imagine I'll choose a different one for every day of this Week O' Demon Slayin'. Just leave your name in the comments.

78%

Then, click here to find out How Much of a Demon Slayer You Are, and leave me a comment telling me your percentage. Want even more entries? Use the widget on your own blog, MySpace, or FaceBook page and leave me a linkyloo in the comments and you'll get FIVE extra entries into the contest, and please be sure to link back to this post in yours.

Check back tomorrow for more Angie Fox fun! This is gonna be one WILD week!

Take Care

Novel Reads on Word Press?

2009-04-15T11:37:00.003-05:00

I'm working on moving posts over there, what do you think click here or go here - http://novelreads.wordpress.com/ . I've just started but I think I may like it over there better, since Blogger gives me such fits, but I'm just not sure, give me some insight as to what you think!

Take Care

Evil In Carnations by Kate Collins

2009-04-14T12:29:00.001-05:00

I'm a few months late on a review of this one, but seeing as it took me forever to finally get my hands on it, I'd like to think I can be excused. My local Wally World doesn't carry cozies, so on release day I headed out of town to the mall to see if they had it. I traveled 1.5 hours to not get my book. Called every few days only to be told they didn't have it yet but could order it for me. Well, duh! I finally went online to B&N.com and ordered this one and a few others (I'm not long on on-line orders). I guess that just goes to show how much I love me my Bloomers and crew!

Evil In Carnations by Kate Collins
(BCC)

What do you do when your best friend and roommate can't relate to your relationship bliss? I tried to help her get back her mojo...but I didn't know her first date would turn out to have cold feet - literally.

THE DATING SCENE CAN BE A KILLER.

Determined to help her roommate, Nikki, out of her singles slump, Abby Knight encourages her to give speed dating a try. Of course Nikki wants the guy at the very bottom of Abby's list, Jonas Treat - aka Treat the Cheat - and figures one day with him cant hurt. Her lack of good judgment catches up with her when Jonas is found dead - and evidence points to Nikki as his killer.

To clear Nikki's name, Abby enlists the help of her ex-Army Ranger boyfriend, Marco. But just when Nikki's situation looks dire and Abby needs Marco most, his rambunctious extended family descends, turning Abby's hectic life into a disaster zone. Abby's patience is seriously wilting, but with a killer on the loose, she can't throw in the trowel. She's determined to dig herself out of this mess - before someone buries her instead.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE Abby Knight and the cast of characters that is her family and friends. I want to live in New Chapel and I want to work at Bloomers. Yes, I would have no problems living in that fictional world.

Abby has had many a close call with the police. She's had to clear her own name, her hunky boyfriends name, and many others. But now, her best friend, Nikki is accused of murder. Sweet Nikki. Abby can't believe it when the police show up at her apartment to bring Nikki in for questioning. But what Abby really is having a hard time believing is that maybe, just maybe, she doesn't know her best friend nearly as well as she thought she did. And more than probably she's to blame for putting Nikki in this predicament in the first place.

But poor Abby has more to worry about than Nikki's case, her dear friend and co-worker Lottie has to be rushed to the hospital, Marco's sister doesn't exactly trust Abby with her brother's heart, and finally both families think that Marco and Abby are engaged!

In this latest installment, the eighth in The Flower Shop Mysteries, Collins proves yet again that the roots she's planted in the cozy genre are thriving. I enjoy watching Abby grow as not only a person but also as an amateur sleuth. I enjoy the relationships she's formed and the easy way in which the reader is transported into this world. Collins writes solid mysteries adding just the right amount of humor and romance to ensure something to appease even the pickiest of readers.

Collins has a new site launching on May 1, that's why her name above takes you to her joint blog.

Take Care

I'm BAAACCCCKKKKK!!!!

2009-04-14T10:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been silent a while, again. Sorry about that. Things are nuts, as they often are, around here. Things have also been a bit scary. I've lost my job (no huge loss, and it's for the better), The Hubs has survived one lay-off only to have the company announce they would be doing another one. We're awaiting news on if we survive that one or not. He's thinking he'll be fine, but you just never know. I was literally sick to the stomach for a few weeks before we found out last time and this time I'm not doing much better. However, we've decided to just let it go and give it to God, He's always seen us through, we are nothing if not resilient, so hopefully... This is the time of year when my volunteer schedule fills up quickly and takes a great amount of time, but it too is slowly coming to a close.

Miss Beautiful survived a tough winter, making it through two serious cases of pneumonia, strep poisoning, scarlet fever, and a fever that lasted four days and reached as high as 104.9. She's finally back to pre-sick weight, which is still underweight for her age, but she's healthy, happy and strong and that's all I can ask for.

Bear has almost reached his self imposed goal of 100 AR points. He is 8 away and will be among a very few 3rd graders that will reach that number. He is looking forward to swimming again soon, and while practices and meets take up a lot of my time in the summer, it's worth it to see him so happy. His school work is OK, he has a noisy class and as a dyslexic it makes it tough for him, but he's passing with almost all 'A's and we're proud of him just for trying and studying so very hard. We've been reading The 39 Clues series of books together and are anxiously awaiting the next one in June. I'll be posting about them soon!

So as you can see - we're busy. I had almost decided that it wasn't really worth it to keep up the blog. That money is so tight, and things are so uncertain right now that it would be better if I just quit. But for the same reasons I thought about quitting, I've decided to get back on the horse and continue to talk books. Books are my escape, and if you're reading this, I imagine they are yours as well. So, if I can make it that much easier to decide on a good book or help steer you away from an iffy one, then that's worth it! Also, I would like to thank Fantasy Dreamer for the Let's Be Friends Award. Trust me, I needed that and it played no small part in getting me back to this site!

So, I'm going to type up some book talk next, and a second post for today will go up. I've got an interview with LuAnn McLane to post soon and Best Selling Author Angie Fox will be returning in a couple of weeks to party with us in celebration of her second book THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR DEMON SLAYERS ! We have a some really fun stuff planned, hopefully even bigger and better than the blast we had last year!

Take Care

Let It Snow!

2009-03-28T15:07:00.004-05:00

The kids are on Spring Break today. Can't you tell by the pictures I took just a little bit ago? Ignore the date on the pic, I don't know how to change the date!

Bear playing snowball baseball with the neighbor!
Miss Beautiful not impressed with the snow, because she was cold! Look how those blue eyes stand out!
It was my 10 year anniversary yesterday, and Spring Break is ending. I PROMISE, back to the regularly scheduled blogging as soon as life gets back to normal!

Take Care

Contests And More Coming Soon

2009-03-20T09:10:00.002-05:00

I've spent the last week at the school for the most part. I volunteer a lot and we had our fundraiser and Spring pictures this week, so I felt like I worked there without pay!

Anyway, will be back very shortly (hoping tomorrow but may be Sunday) with some great give a ways and reviews!

Take Care

Grave Sins by Jenna Maclaine

2009-03-12T10:18:00.001-05:00

Before I start in I want to let you know that I'm teaming up with Author Island again and will kick off the contest tomorrow. Also, thanks for the well wishes for Miss Beautiful. She's doing somewhat better, but her teacher requested she not return to school yet. Apparently, there have been a lot of absences in her class, and most of them are because of a different ailment. So, in an attempt to keep her already weakened immune system safe we're keeping her home one more day. Though, nothing gets done when she's home but a whole lot of cuddling!

Grave Sins by Jenna Maclaine
(BCC)

In the arms of her lover Michael, Cin Craven has found satisfaction for her most primal longings, reaching heights of pleasure no mere human could ever imagine. She has also found a purpose for her unearthly powers. Cin is a member of the Righteous, a band of slayers that hunts down vampires who inflict evil upon the world. With Michael by her side, Cin's latest mission brings her face-to face with Marrakesh, a beautiful, half-mad vampire queen charged with slaughtering humans. If she's found guilty, Marrakesh will pay with her life. But Cin is convinced that someone - or something - far more ruthless is trying to steal the queen's throne. It's a mission that will put Michael and Cin against each other for the first time, awakening their darkest instincts and testing their love like never before...

I've talked about the first book in this series and you can see that here. As you can see, I enjoyed it very much. I just love it when a debut author is this good. Love it!

In Grave, it's been thirteen years since Cin has joined the Righteous and she has had no regrets with her life or her mate in all of this time. But when Drake, the Sentinel of the Dark Council shows up at Cin's old homestead (her yearly vacation spot) to tell the Righteous they have been called to investigate the disappearance of, and death of, humans in Marrakesh. While this is what the Righteous do, this particular assignment has them all a bit nervous. The suspect is none other than the Queen of the area, Marrakesh, who can see the truth of a persons soul by touch. The "gift" has turned the Queen to bouts of madness and it has long been thought that Marrakesh, not her King is the person that metes out the punishment and truly does the ruling.

But Cin has her doubts about the Queen's guilt and the Righteous find more questions than answers and danger at every turn and no one can be trusted. Aside from the question of who is out to get the queen, Drake and Michael have a past and that threatens to tear apart the loving and trusting relationship that Cin and Michael have cultivated over the past years. Cin's aunt is after them, and plans to stop Cin from practicing magic. And it seems that no one truly is what they seem.

All fingers seem to point at magic, a magic that Cin can sense, but has no idea what it is or from where it came. A dark magic that may once and for all destroy the Righteous before they can destroy it.

In a page turning tale, Maclaine had me on the edge of my seat and unable to put the book down until the end, but I wasn't satisfied, I wanted more and I wanted it NOW! The unique blend of witch and vampire that is Cin, has this reader hooked and I can't wait to find out what's in store for us next!

If you haven't read Maclaine yet, I strongly suggest you get out there and pick up these two books, they are a definite must have for any shelf of fans of the Paranormal genre. You can also send me a quote for the quote of the day in my sidebar and be entered to win a copy of any book I talk about this month, that includes this one! Send quotes to novelreads @ gmail . com (ya know, without the spaces!).

Take Care

2009-03-09T21:02:00.001-05:00

Miss Beautiful has pneumonia again, bacterial this time. I'll try and get on here tomorrow to do some posting, but she's been needing momma a lot these last few days!

Claiming The Rancher's Heart by Cindy Kirk

2009-03-05T14:37:00.003-06:00

Claiming The Rancher's Heart by Cindy Kirk
(BCC)

THE SURVEY SAYS:
TRUE LOVE

The sleepy town of Wildwoods* was abuzz with romance ever since a doctoral student decided to come there and find everyone's perfect match. When sophisticated city girl Stacie Summers was paired with rugged cowboy Josh Collins, they both thought it was a terrible mistake. After all, they didn't have a thing in common...other than the spark that instantly flared between them.

But even though Josh thought his survey result was way off base, he couldn't push the gregarious Stacie from his mind. And Stacie's low opinion of ranchers inched up with her heart rate whenever Josh was around. Could this unlikely friendship turn into something even unlikelier - love?

* Not sure why the name on the BCC doesn't quite match the one in the book...

Confession time - this is the first category Romance I've ever read. GASP! I know, right?! I have a few in a box somewhere (some one gave them to me), but I've never read them. Why, you may ask? Well, I guess I just don't have a good reason. I've made assumptions about the category as a whole, and while I'm never proud of myself for making assumptions, I continue to do so. First of all, I've ASSumed that the shorter length would make the story pacing too rushed for me to enjoy. Secondly, I figured that the shorter length would mean the ending would be less than belivable because, really how could two people reasonably fall in love within the span of roughly 200 pages? Thirdly, I felt that the characters would feel two diminsional and be lacking in any plausible traits. Lastly, I feared that I'd want more, and not be satisfied.

Well, all but my last assumption turned out to be just that - ASSumption. When I entered a contest over on Kirk's joint blog, The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills, and did not win, but Kirk ended up giving everyone that entered a prize of some sort, I figured now was as good as time as any to give a category a chance. I'm pleased I did.

Stacie has come to Sweet River, with her two roommates, Anna, Sweet River native, and Lauren who is working on her dissertation project of male-female compatibility. When Lauren's computer program spits out Stacie a match, and that match turns out to be rancher Josh, Stacie is less than pleased. She doesn't like ranchers, "She liked her men more artsy, preferring the starving-poet look over a bulky linebacker any day." It doesn't matter that when she first meets him her body immediately reacts. It doesn't matter, because she's on a mission to find her "bliss" and a rancher like Josh was not in her plans.

Josh isn't much happier with Stacie than she with him; he's been burned before by a woman just like her, when his ex-wife decided he wasn't enough. But friendship comes so naturally for the two that it becomes harder and harder for the two to ignore the flame that's growing hotter and hotter between them every time they meet.

I really enjoyed Josh and Stacie and wish I had more time with them. Wish I could have watched a little longer as they discover that past mistakes and future dreams don't have to stop one's true "bliss". And aside from a few choppy moments of dialogue that I felt didn't really jive, Kirk has made a category reader out of me, and I can't wait to read more from this very talented author.

For a Romance that's all heart read this book. Then look for the next book from Sweet River Your Ranch or Mine? in July.

Take Care

Falling For Gracie by Susan Mallery

2009-03-04T09:19:00.002-06:00

I got my books yesterday and all I want to do right now is read! I quit reading on the two books I already had started and have cracked open Evil In Carnations by Kate Collins! I LOVE Kate's books, if I haven't made that clear before now, and am so happy to finally have this book!

Falling For Gracie by Susan Mallery
(BCC)

First comes love, then comes marriage...

At least, that was Gracie's plan at the ripe old age of fourteen. She loved eighteen-year-old heartthrob Riley with a desperation that made her a town legend. Even now that she's all grown up, the locals in sleepy Los Lobos won't let her forget her youthful crush.

And how can she, when she's face-to-face with Riley at every turn? The onetime bad boy has come back to town seeking respectability - but the sparks that fly between them are anything but respectable! Gracie's determined to keep her distance, but when someone sets out to ruin both their reputations, the two discover that first love is sometimes better the second time around.

This is actually a re-issue. I read this book when it was first released, LOVED it, ended up giving it to my sister to read, and never saw it again. Oh, I've looked at the bookstore from time to time, to see if perhaps a stray copy was left on the shelves, but had had no luck. Until I saw the title with a shiny new cover! YAY! I snatched it up and read it again as soon as I got home.

Mallery has always been a hit or miss author with me. Most of her books I enjoy, but others just put me off so badly I think I may never read her again. But FFG has got to be up there as one of my all time favorite Romances.

I loved reading the lengths young Gracie had gone to to get her man. I laughed out loud at some of her stunts, and loved how the town pulled for Gracie at the tender age of fourteen because she knew how to love with her whole heart.

I hated that her mother sent her away and never let her come home. I hated that her sisters were such self-centered bitches. I hated the selfish way her family acted, and the way Gracie dearly wished she was part of their group.

I loved the tension between her and Riley. My heart ached for her when she realizes she'll never have the relationship she wants with her mom and sisters. I was furious when some one tried to ruin her cake business. And I cheered for her when all the pieces started to fall into place.

And that was how I knew this book was such a keeper. I felt these characters as if they were my neighbors. I was emotionally invested in the characters because Mallery's crafted them so incredibly well.

The banter between Gracie and Riley is easy and seems to flow freely. The relationships with Gracie and everyone around her are all so believable. The HEA had my heart smiling for days after and even now as I type this.

I fell for Gracie, and think that any reader of Romance should have this as a must read!

Take Care

Daddy Daughter Ball

2009-03-01T17:17:00.006-06:00

Ignore the date on the bottom of the pic, I'm not sure how to fix it! Anyway, last night was the annual Daddy Daughter Ball and The Hubs and Miss Beautiful were in attendance.

The Hubs bought our little Princess a corsage. They went out to eat first, then to the high school gym for the big dance, where they danced the night away. A good time was had by all!

And this pic, is from my weekend of fun. Friday night was GNO and we had an absolute blast! Last night, after the Ball, The Hubs took me and my friends out to see our favorite band play at a local club.

Back to books tomorrow!

Take Care

Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

2009-02-27T10:23:00.002-06:00

Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
(BCC)

Fleur Savagar is the most beautiful woman in the world...to everyone but herself. With her oversized hands and paddle boat feet, her streaky blond hair and funny green eyes, she lives a life filled with secrets that began before she was born. That was when her bewitching mother left home to find James Dean and met Errol Flynn instead. Now Fleur has to grow up quickly, and life won't make that easy.

Jake Koranda is both New York's most brilliant playwright and Hollywood's hottest actor. Difficult, talented, and tormented, he has no patience for international glamour girls, not even ones with beautiful bodies and smart-aleck mouths. But there's more to the Glitter Baby than shine, and Fleur's tougher than Hake expects. Even with the odds stacked against her, she's fiercely determined to discover the woman she's destined to be.

And ugly duckling who can't believe she's turned into a swan...A tough-guy movie star with a haunted past...In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?

I'm a late SEP bloomer. I didn't start reading her until, oh, about three years ago? Four maybe. Anyway, whenever Aint She Sweet was released for the first time, that's when I started reading her. I fell in love. I loved Sugar Baby. I hated Winnie. I loved the fact that the book created such strong emotions in me. I was hooked on SEP. I immediately went to the library and read all the books by her they had. I pretty much loved just about every book by her since.

I have to say though, that I was less than impressed with GB. I know it's a re-issue with changes. I have not read the original so I can't tell you what any of those changes were. What I do know, is that I expected more of a Romance than what I felt this one was. I expected this to be mainly about GB and Jake, but it was a whole lot of back story of Glitter Baby's mother and her story. Granted, we needed all of that information for the whole convoluted plot to make sense, but still, I just did not feel this one.

It took me days to read this book. I mean, days. Usually I have an SEP read within hours, but I was reading GB for what seemed like forever. I just wanted it to end, but found myself unwilling to give up the reading simply because it was an SEP.

One of the main things that lead to my distaste for this one is the BCC. I haven't had a good ole BCC hate fest in a while, so let me just revel in the fact that I finally have one. As I said, I expected more of a Romance because of that, and the fact that SEP wrote the book. Granted, one of the things I love about SEP is her ability to blend Women's Fiction with Romance so seemlessly that the end result is an amazing read. There was just too much in this for me. Too much drama. Too much story. Ya know?

Anyway, I have SEP's What I Did For Love in my to read stack right now. I have much higher hopes for that one. I'm still a huge fan, so I won't let my distate of this one stop me from enjoying it!

Take Care

MacGowan's Ghost by Cindy Miles

2009-02-26T16:14:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to send me your favorite book quotes, they can be from any genre. I don't care, just so long as they're from a book. If you're name is drawn at the end of each contest month (25-24 of each month) then I'll send you some coffee and a book!

MacGowan's Ghost by Cindy Miles
(BCC)

It's Hard to leave the past behind when it keeps coming back to haunt you...

Odin's Thumb Inn and Pub may be owned by brooding Highlander Gabe MacGowan, but it is actually run by a crew of ornery ghosts, who aren't eager for their home to undergo a change in management. Gabe intends to sell the pub not only to give his son a more stable environment but to escape what really haunts him - his wife's death.

Leave it to fun-loving American Allie Morgan to come to Gabe's rescue. Hired to oust the sneaky spirits, who are chasing away potential buyers of the inn, Allie winds up winning the hearts of everyone in the Scottish seaside village, including those of the ghost of a sea captain and Gabe himself. Now all she has to do is find a way to help the sexy Highlander chase away his own ghosts.

I had dished the first two books Miles published while at d&D, click here for Spirited Away and here for Into Thin Air . As you can tell, I really enjoyed Spirited but had a few problems with Into. I never did pick up the third book Highland Knight, but only because it never was stocked at my local Wally World or the out of town bookstore I frequent, or else I probably would have read it. Anyway...

MacGowan's was a bit different from the previous two Miles books I had read, as it's not actually a ghost or other supernatural entity that is the hero, rather Gabe, the hero is haunted by the ghost of his late wife and also has a group of ghosties that have been a part of his life and that of the towns for as long as they can remember. As he's wanting to sale his pub, and the local ghosties don't want him and his son to leave, he hires Allie to get them to leave, or at least behave until he can find a buyer.

But as soon as Allie arrives she is immediately charmed by the lot of ghosties as well as the pub, the town and Gabe. Soon though, Allie understands that it isn't any undead soul that may need mending as much as it is Gabe's.

I have to say, that I really did enjoy the story, as Miles is a strong storyteller, and she weaves her stories well. BUT, I missed the medieval aspect. I missed the ghost getting the girl and becoming real. While I hate to discourage an author from going out and trying something different, I was fairly disappointed that the ghosts seemed to be mere ghosts in getting Gabe and Allie together.

Am I sorry I read it? Absolutely not. I found myself once again transported by Miles' strong characters and realistic dialogue. Miles is skilled with the written word and a great addition to any Romance readers shelves.

Am I glad that the next book out will be more of the Miles I had come to enjoy? You bet! If only we could go back to the cutesie covers!

For a chuckle or two, and some down right heartwarming moments, I say grab MacGowan's Ghost. I think you'll be glad you did!

Take Care

Monthly Coffee and a Book Contest

2009-02-25T10:33:00.000-06:00

Wanna win a book and a container of flavored coffee? All you have to do is e-mail me with one of your favorite book quotes for my new Quote of the Day. The quote can be funny, sad, silly, touching, sexy, anything, just so long as it's one of your favorites. Send as many quotes as you like, only the first 10 of each month however will go into the drawing.

Each month, I will draw a winner for all the names who sent me a quote. That's all you have to do to win. So send me an e-mail to novelreads at gmail dot com (you know the drill) with the quote, who said it and in what book. Contests run from the 25th of each month to the 25th of the next. Coffee will be your choice of one of these or one of these and the book will be your choice of one I've talked about that month.

Authors, want to sponsor the contest one month? Simply send me an e-mail to same one above. I'll supply the coffee, you can supply the book :)

My Romance With Kristan Higgins...

2009-02-24T12:05:00.001-06:00

... her books, that is, Kristan Higgins' books. And let me just state, this isn't a new thing, either. Nope, I've been in love with Higgins' since I sat down with Millie and read her story in Fools Rush In. I think I've probably scared a few people in bookstores as I hand sell these books. I personally have bought at least 8 copies of FRI and multiples of Catch of the Day and Just One Of The Guys. I send them to friends. I give them to my sisters. I gave one as a teacher gift last year. This is not a joke, people. I love these books so much that if The Hubs ever leaves me, I will marry them! The last three trips to the bookstore I've managed to talk over 5 people into buying her books, only to have my favorite sales lady tell me they came back in and asked if I had more recommendations because they LOVED those Higgins' books.

And it's not just because I'm quoted (though I no longer get the credit for them) in the front of all but Fools Rush In! NO. I adore these books and let me tell you why - Higgins doesn't write characters in a novel, Higgins writes your best friend. Your neighbor. You. She crafts stories that you live. Stories that feel like you're with Millie, Maggie, Chastity, and Grace, laughing and crying with them as they discover themselves and love. So indulge me, if you will (and as a side note: I picture myself saying that in a very Rocky Horror Picturesque way), as I gush my love of all things Higgins.

You can see what I'm quoted from by clicking here, and then read the review I did of this book by clicking here there's even a bit of an interview included in with that review. None of my feelings have changed. In fact, I may actually love this book even more. You all know I've quit smoking. Now I'm trying to get fit and stay in shape - by running. That's right, Chari-Dee is running. It's scary how bad I am. I mean, me and "in shape" aren't even in the same universe right now. What's really funny though, is that if you want a glimpse of what me running is like, pick up this book. Millie will have you laughing your head off, I know I was, until I started running that is. I just finished a re-read of Fools and my heart still broke with Millie and my heart still smiled at the end, just as if it was the first time I had ever read it. For me, Fools is a must for any true Romance reader.

You can see where I'm quoted from for this book by clicking here. What can I say, I loved Maggie's story as well. If not as much as Millie's, it still had the same effect. I closed the page and immediately missed my friend, Maggie. I had a smile in my heart and on my face and just plain felt good about life and love in general. I bawled my eyes out while reading this book. I mean wept people, huge wracking sobs that had my husband a bit worried, and damn I have to go re-read this one now. Who hasn't loved the wrong person and have that love not reciprocated? Maggie's story, like Millie's that will have you laughing and crying and just so darn glad to be a reader. Plus, Higgins won the Rita for this one, so you really should be reading it!

Now it's time for a small confession and one I'm not very proud of. It took me a while to get this book. I was working a lot of hours. Our local Wally World (only place to buy books that's close) did not have it. dee had told me she'd send me a signed copy and she forgot. I was getting irritated. It had seemed like the fates did not want me to have this book. Quotes in it be damned, I was not to have this book. Then finally I had time to run out of town and go book shopping. I grabbed this book as well as many, many, many others, only to not read this one right away. I was mad that it took so long for me to get it. Mad that I have loved and cherished all her other books, bought them as close to release as possible, only to have to wait forever for this one. Mad that it was getting rave reviews everywhere I turned and I still hadn't had it in my hands. Let's face it, I was a big baby throwing a pity party. I had it for a couple of months before I actually read it on our trip to Texas at Christmas time. The minute I reached The End, I opened it up and read it all over again. Then I was mad for a completely different reason, because it had taken me so damn long to grow up and read the thing!

Holy Crap! I LOVE Chastity and Trevor. Lovelovelove them. I didn't think any one could replace Millie in the top spot of favorite, but I was wrong, Chastity had me from go. And, like Millie, Chastity runs in this book. Unlike Millie, Chastity is a very verra good runner. I wanna be Chastity when I grow up. I already have my Trevor, but I'm nowhere near as cool as my new best friend Chastity. This book goes with me everywhere. It's in my purse almost constantly and every long(ish) trip we take, I'm reading this. The spine is wearing out. It really is sad, but in a good kinda way, right? I've bought copies and sent them to friends. This is one of the books that I nearly scared the book store customer with my recommendation. I'm sure I looked a bit like a fanatic while expelling the virtues of Just One Of The Guys. This book has gone from me being mad at it, to me loving it for all eternity. It has surpassed just about every book I've read and landed itself as Numero Uno on my Keeper Shelf. I'm giddy just thinking about it!

Upon the release of Higgins' latest book, too good to be true, I wasn't foolish enough to wait this time. I rushed out to the book store and nabbed it up. I read it the minute I got home. I enjoyed it, but hate to say that Chastity kind of stole the show from Grace. I really did enjoy just about every aspect of Grace and her story, but her irrational worship of her younger sister kind of bothered me. While still a definite keeper and a book I'm sure to re-read multiple times, tgtbt and Grace just didn't grab me has hard as Millie and Chastity. But I definitely recommend this one!

Now tell me, am I the only one who goes nuts about certain authors and their books? Are there any books you absolutely adore and can read over and over and over again?

Take Care

Bragging Auntie

2009-02-19T20:36:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to share these pics my sister just e-mailed me. I don't get to see my Texas family much, and I miss them. Look how BEAUTIFUL my youngest niece is. I promise, back to books tomorrow!

Thanks

2009-02-19T15:53:00.000-06:00

I want to thank everyone for the kind words of sympathy on the loss of my cousin. I must admit, that the funeral hit me a little harder than I had expected. There have been a lot of changes in my life this past week - for instance, I quit my job and am back to being a full time mom again. Now, if the volunteering would slow down a bit I will be able to be more regular here, where I really want to be. My last major function of the year is tomorrow so it won't be long!

I am working on a post, but may not get it up until tomorrow evening, so I wanted to say a quick thanks, and let everyone know that prizes have all been shipped earlier this week. Should be arriving soon.

Take Care

My Cousin - May He Rest In Peace

2009-02-11T18:57:00.001-06:00

My cousin died yesterday. He was killed in an accident at work. From what I know, he was working on scaffolding when the storm kicked up faster than expected and blew him off. He will be missed.

I was around 11 or 12 when he was born *I think* I can't tell you exactly. I remember being at the hospital, trying to keep his older brother amused and I can remember hearing him cry one of his first cries. I remember him as a cute little ragamuffin with the blondest of blond ringlet curls, and a smile that promised mischief. He was a loving little guy, but whoo boy did he like to be ornery!

I remember that, but I can't say that I really knew the young man he had become. I know he was to deploy over seas soon. I know he had an absolute shit for dad, and not much more for a mother the first few years of his life. I know that, despite, or perhaps in spite, of that, he was a sweet kid. I know my parents would drive the hour or so out of town ever so often to take him and his brothers out to buy new clothes and just spend some loving time with them.

I know that he was a sweet kid. I know that, despite his fathers faults, he loved him and saw something good. I know that, if not for him, his father may not have found a way to act half decent. And I know without him, my mother worries very much about her baby brother and how he will be now that the one son out of three that loved him is gone.

I know that part of my family is gone and I feel it in my heart. My family may be large, but I find each and every one of them necessary and irreplaceable.

I know that he is with his true Father and that He is holding him and seeing to his happiness. I know that he is looking on us with love and I know that Heaven is blessed with one more angel. I know this, but it doesn't stop me from wishing that just once more I could have hugged that big bear of a young man and made sure he understood how loved he was.

Take Care

Reviews to follow tomorrow.

And the winner Is...

2009-02-05T17:14:00.007-06:00

blackroze37yahoo.com

Congrats! E-mail me at novelreads at gmail dot com (ya know the drill) with your snail mail addy and choice of your favorite flavor of coffee!

AND, since there were quite a few entries, Miss Beautiful wanted to pick more names, so:
Raven99

donnas

TezMiller

if you'll send me your snail mail addy and your choice of ONE of the books I had up for grabs, I'll send you a copy as well, compliments of my beautiful daughter.

For everyone else, check back often, I plan on holding contests more often, because it makes me happy to give good books, and times are tough, I need to get with the happy things!

Last Day To Enter

2009-02-04T06:40:00.003-06:00

To Enter, just leave me a comment here! You could win the following:

Dogs And Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart.

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

Mistress of Pleasure by Delilah Marvele

Wages of Sin by Jenna Maclaine

And your choice of one of these flavored coffees.

So hurry and enter to win. I'll close the contest at midnight tonight.

Take Care

WIn Dogs And Goddesses by Jenny Crusie, Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich

2009-02-02T18:42:00.003-06:00

OK, so crappy week with severely sick daughter. Can't find What I Did For Love at any store near me in my little piece of nowhere Kansas. Did my taxes today and discovered it would be more beneficial to us as a whole if I quit my job. Just crappy all the way around lately. BUT, I was lucky enough to find this book yesterday, a book I've been drooling over! And I'm loving it.

SO, since it's brought some happiness to me in my crap filled days lately, I'm making it the final book to go in my prize package to make some one else happy, especially with tax time here!!! You won't be getting mine, as it will already be on my keeper shelf before the contest ends!

So, to read more about this fantastic book you can view the website Dogs and Goddesses or the authors individual sites. Jenny Crusie , Anne Stuart , Lani Diane Rich

Quick Note: All books will be new unless specified and unsigned, I'll be shipping them straight from an online store.

Novel Chats Paranormal Style - Part the First

2009-02-02T10:03:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes going out to Miss Beautiful. We were pretty scared for a while. She has pneumonia, strep poisoning and scarlet fever. Thanks to a shot of Rocephin at the hospital and heavy doses of twice daily antibiotic she's on the mend. And although we had a note saying she could return to school today, the school thought it best that she rest one more day before trying it. I agree. She's still very congested and she tires very easily. And now, on with it!

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland
From The Author's Website:

Darkness will summon her…

Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department's fight against injustice. But when Liz's foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci?

To places she's never been before…

While the police question Jimmy in the murder, Jimmy opens Liz's eyes to a supernatural war that has raged since the dawn of time in which innocent people are hunted by malevolent beings disguised as humans. Only a chosen few have the ability to fight their evil, and Jimmy believes Liz is among them. Now, with her senses heightened, new feelings are rising within Liz—ones that re-ignite her dangerous attraction to Jimmy. But Jimmy has a secret that will rock Liz to her core…and put the survival of the human race in peril.…

I received this book quite some time ago, and truth be told, I almost didn’t read it. I had seen that Handeland was a NYT Bestseller and that it was part of a series from the cover, and just assumed (I have to learn to quit that!) that it was a mid-series novel. Plus, I had never read Handeland before and the touting of bestseller always makes me nervous when I haven’t read the author before. Anyway, with a tip from a Yahoo! Group I belong to from a fellow reviewer, I went ahead and read it. They had enjoyed the book, plus I was seeing a lot of reviews – all good – all over the net. That, coupled with the fact that this was the FIRST book in a series had me cracking the spine.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. The concept is exceptional, but the writing I found to merely mediocre. While enjoyed the actual plot, the characters left me somewhat cold. I did, eventually warm up somewhat to the people of this fantastic world, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long. I’ll definitely give the second book a try, but it’s not one I will be rushing to the stores to own. I give this one a C.

Blood Bargain by Maria Lima

(BCC)

Keira Kelly has settled in at Wild Moon Ranch with handsome Adam Walker, her vampire lover, but her life is not so hot. Not only is Keira still struggling with the Change that will bring her an as of yet unknown paranormal power, but Adam’s avoiding intimacy and mysteriously growing weak. At least she has Tucker, her 1200-year-old shapeshiting ex-Viking brother, around to help. When a ranch hand is reported missing and some teens disappear, Keira and Tucker have a heap of unexpected trouble piled on ‘em. There’s a lot of weird doing down around Rio Seco, Texas, and after Keira and Tucker stumbled across some dangerous clues in an abandoned cemetery, things get even stranger…

Bargain is the second book in the Blood Lines series, and I had talked about he first book, Matters of the Blood here. I can’t link to a purchase button right now, as Bargain and Matters were both Juno releases and as you know, they’ve partnered with Pocket Books, According to Lima’s blog though, it looks like they should get re-printed from Pocket later in the year.

When I read Matters it was a dark tale. Terrifying yet witty. Scary yet Romancy. I had expected Bargain to be the same and was eager to delve into this richly written world with its complex characters yet again. I quickly noticed one thing – this wasn’t the world and the character I had left when Matters closed. Keira seemed more fluff in this book. She had apparently gotten used to the good life with Adam, and lost all of her edge. Even when the mystery starts, the lack of characteristics that made Keira so complex and fantastic in the first book left a huge gaping hole in this fictional world. The tone was far lighter even when the plot would have left much room for some dark, kick ass Keira moments. All in all, the tone was entirely too different from the first book and left this reader feeling betrayed. The third book will be released in November and I’ll eagerly crack the spine in anticipation that the dark and twisted world, balanced perfectly with wit and humor has been restored, and the light, trying too hard to be comical Keira is gone. If this were the first book in a series, I would grade it much higher, but since the feel of the book and overall character assassination was too much for me to handle, I have to give this one a D. Lima can do better, she’s already proved that.

Don’t forget to enter the contest! You have two more days.

Take Care

Miss Beautiful

2009-01-30T20:47:00.001-06:00

My daughter has been extremely sick. Should be back on tomorrow or Sunday with another Novel Chat.

Take Care

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost

2009-01-28T10:38:00.001-06:00

Let me just get this over with, SQUEEEEEEE!! I won a signed copy of this book on Frost's MySpace contest! I tell you this not to rub it in, but to let you know that since I won a signed copy, my copy is going into the prize package for the current contest. I've read it, but you'd be hard pressed to prove that, so I feel good about including it as a give away!

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
(BCC)
Some Things Won't Stay Buried...
At Grave's End

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.

As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to lean the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself-and Bones-from a fate worse than the grave.

I posted a dish on the first book in this series while at d&D, you can see it by clicking here. I'm not sure why I never posted on the second book, but suspect it was during my quiet time. But trust me, I totally dug it. And now that the third book has been released, I'm not really gonna bother with a "review."

I will say that I LOVE this series. I was hooked with book one. This world that Frost has created is one I look forward to visiting and one I hate to say good-bye to at the end of the books. Cat is a hell of a kick ass heroine. Bones is my favorite vampire and I have a serious case of literary lust. Every book thus far has taken me on a roller coaster ride that has me turning the pages faster and faster. In a time when vampire fiction is around every corner and growing old to some, Frost has staked a claim in my MUST buy category.

So, if you wanna win this book and the other prizes mentioned so far, help me out! In the flap of the book is a picture of Cat with a man whom I'm assuming to be Bones. This is not my idea of Bones. In fact, he looks kind of like Lewis Smith in The Heavenly Kid. So, all you have to do to be entered is point me in the direction of someone hot enough to be Bones. I don't even have to agree with your idea of hotness!

Take Care

Novel Chats - Debut Authors- Contest

2009-01-21T14:31:00.000-06:00

I'm going to be doing a few Novel Chats within the next few posts. I was quiet for quite some time and I didn't quit reading, so I have a lot to talk about! Plus, I really kinda like the NCs. They're fun to write.

Mistress of Pleasure by Delilah Marvelle
(BCC)

REAL PLEASURE CAN'T BE TAKEN... Granddaughter of a renowned courtesan, Maybelle de Maitenon has no interest in her grandmother's school in London where gentlemen receive instruction - in the art of seduction. Her only desire in life is to remain independent, free from men and the shackles of marriage. But when Maybelle lays eyes on Edmund Worthington, the Duke of Rutherford, at a soiree, and hears of his scandalous reputation, she decides he's the perfect person for her to have a tryst with no strings attached... IT MUST BE GIVEN... Unbridled passion has again muddied Edmund Worthington's family name. After his very public dalliance with the strikingly beautiful and sensual Maybelle, his mother insists he marry her. But much to the Duke's surprise, Maybelle scoffs at his proposal. Never has he encountered such a brazen - and maddeningly irresistible - woman. But when Maybelle's grandmother falls ill, forcing Maybelle to take over the operation of her school, Edmund devises a plan to make her his. He enrolls in the school, where no one other than Maybelle must give him expert lessons in carnal pleasure...

Cold in your neck of the woods? Well, save on heating bills by picking up this book, trust me, Marvelle's debut is sizzling hot. Maybelle de Maitenon has no intentions of marrying, nor does she have any intention of going into the family business of teaching gentleman the fine art of seduction. However, it's up to Maybelle to instruct the first group of students when her grandmother falls ill. Much to her irritation, one of the students just so happens to be the man she had a scandalous fling with, Oh, yes, I'll bed that one please. Worthington has enrolled in the school strictly to gain Maybelle's hand in marriage, since his father has already disgraced their family name, he doesn't want his very public encounter with Maybelle finish what little honor they have left.

I've always enjoyed the few Historical's I've picked up, but never enough to really follow a particular series or author, Marvelle has changed that. I don't plan on missing a single semester of The School of Gallantry and neither will you once you've read this one. I have to give this one an A+.

Wages of Sin by Jenna Maclaine
(BCC)

She is a warrior of extraordinary power - the ultimate creature of the night. Her story is one that spans the ages, from historical England to modern-day America and beyond. Welcome to eternity...welcome to the night.

Dulcinea Craven descends from a long line of witches, and she has just inherited wild, untrained magical powers that she has no idea how to control. now a ruthless vampire and an age-old demon are determined to enslave Cin and steal her power for their own. Her only hope is the Righteous, a band of warrior vampires who slay the rogue undead. Among them is Michael, a fierce swordsman who inflames Cin's most primal hungers. Showing her a sensual pleasure beyond anything in the mortal realm, she must choose between the human existence she has always known, and immortality as a vampire - a new life filled with forbidden urges, dark yearnings, and unearthly passions...

I cannot express how much I love to hit a series with book 1. Sure it's fun to find a good series like The Southern Vampire series or The Plum Series, in the middle and have tons of books to read to catch up, but there is just something amazing at catching a series from hello. I bought this book shortly after it was released and read it during my silent time and I feel bad that it has taken me this long to stand up and say - GO GET THIS BOOK!

Maclaine had me engrossed in her world of witchcraft and vampires from the first page. Wages had me turning pages so fast I didn't realize I had stayed up half the night reading until I hit The End. The Righteous are the boogeymans boogeyman, and when Dulcinea is hunted by an unspeakably evil and powerful vampire, she summons The Righteous to her, but they can only do so much, and soon Dulcinea has choices to make and finds herself in a fight for more than just her life. Maclaine successfully weaves together the best elements of the Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, and Historical genres and gives readers a suspenseful thrill ride that will have them craving more, more, MORE Craven! Another A+.

For the next two weeks I'll be running a contest here on Novel Reads. Baby it's cold outside, and I want you to stay nice and toasty, so I'm offering up winners choice of one of these four flavors of Folgers Coffee (I'm totally digging the Hazelnut and French Vanilla right now). But wait! That's not all! I'm also going to give away a copy of each of today's books from the Novel Chat and at least two more books that will be announced throughout the next two weeks, because let's face it, books these good will warm ya right up (and I'm all about pimpin' a new author esepecially when they write this good!) :). Plus I'll throw in a tee shirt. Not sure what it'll say, I may even let the winner choose the saying.

There will be several chances to enter, and you may enter more than once. Simply visit each of the author's websites and tell me something you found there (please actually go look, don't just state the same fact as the person before you). There will be a new way to enter on each post until the contest deadline of February 4, 2009. Extra entries for blogging it and pointing people my way. Just let me know so I can make sure to link back to you.

Authors, if you're interested in offering up a prize for this contest, drop me a line at novelreads at gmail dot com (ya know, with the symbols and no spaces) and we'll see what we can do!

Take Care

Hands Are Frozen...

2009-01-14T22:03:00.001-06:00

...can't type! This cold weather is nuts. It's awful. It's so cold I can barely move my fingers to type. OK, so it's not really that cold in my house, but it's cold outside and that makes me want to do nothing more than lounge in the chair, book in one hand, coffee mug in the other (totally diggin' the Hazelnut variety right now). I feel a contest coming on. One to deal with books and coffee. Just cuz, ya know, I can!

Oh, and American Idol. I can't blog when American Idol is on. Tomorrow. More on books tomorrow. I'm going to go cuddle into my fleece sheets (yep, fleece, those babies are SO nice) and several heavy blankets, and dream of warm temps.

Take Care

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

2009-01-11T21:46:00.002-06:00

Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
(JCC)

Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey.

According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys.

Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He's chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he's chosen the Barrens as his new playground

Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He's now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn't made it out of the boys' department at Macy's. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn't met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree.

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court. Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel.

Diesel pops in and out of Plum's life like birthday cake - delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He's an uber bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He's after Grimoire, and now he's also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn't mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs.

Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.

I really didn't have very high expectations for this one as I have been increasingly disappointed with the Plum-verse. I think 12 was the last book that I really enjoyed and the Between the Numbers have never been my favorites. That plus that JCC and I just knew I was in for yet another disappointment. I mean, what the heck was it with the monkeys?!

I am happy to announce, though, that I WAS WRONG!! I remember now why I fell in love with Plum. Here's just a few examples...

"It's not our juju," I told Lula. "It's our skill level. We're incompetent."

"I got a high skill level," Lula said. "I just shot a rat off a rafter."

"You weren't aiming for it."

"Yeah. My skill level is so high I do things I don't even try to do."

*******

...I got out of the car and examined the dirt like I was Tonto running point for the Lone Ranger."

***

"Ranger this and Ranger that," Lula said. "Don't none of you people think for yourself? I bet you can't wipe yourself without Ranger telling you."

Tank looked at her in the rearview mirror. "I'm telling him you said that."

"I might have misspoke," Lula said.

**** And since I'm a Babe, this one is my favorite quote of the book:

I allowed myself a moment to relax into Ranger. He was warm and strong, and all the bad, frightening things in life went away when he held me like this.

Those are just a few examples of things that made me smile or laugh. The monkey story line that they seem so proud of on the JCC, wasn't nearly as horribly slap-sticky as I had figured it would be. Carl the monkey (from book 14) was back, and I actually liked him. Joe was in the book but not really, Evanovich kept him out of the way and mostly I just had to deal with him over the phone. And really, with characters like the fire farter, who could ask for anything more?Even Diesel didn't bother me much. In fact, I know of liked the way he teased Stephanie, and the dynamic between the two of them.

There were a few things that gave me pause, but all in all, I am SO glad I read this one. For the first time since closing the pages of 14, I'm excited about 15!

Take Care

I Am NOT A Cyber Bully

2009-01-11T08:17:00.000-06:00

I have noticed on my stat counter that over the course of the last few days I had received a number of hits from a familiar IP address in Austin, TX. So it was with dread that I checked her website. The blog has been resurrected and I have yet again been mentioned, and it's not to apologize either. It's not to put me down either, so kudos on that one. It is, however, a gross misrepresentation of the events that went down.

I want to state, for the record, I am not a cyber bully, Victoria Laurie. In fact, if you look closely at the events and posts of the time, you were the one being the bully. You are the one who had threatening letters sent to me. You are the one who caused me much embarrassment with some very cruel words on your blog. I look back over my posts and can, in fact, find not one instance where I attacked you. Where as, if you look at the files I have on my computer, you'll see where you very publicly harassed me.

I'm glad you're taking a good hard look at yourself and considering that you may be the problem. But believe me when I tell you, that's not enough. You owe me an apology. You owe me a very public, very sincere apology. What you did to me was incredibly hurtful. What you did was threaten and defame me. You caused me many nights without sleep. Many days of worry. You caused my family the same.

You now also owe me another apology for the untruths you are spewing on your blog. I did not make phone calls, as in plural. I made ONE. I did not seek out other cyber bullies. In fact, I had moved on to other subjects when your attorney sent me an e-mail. I then contacted some one who has a law degree and just so happens to blog books as well. You are still, in such a passive-aggressive manner, trying to off your blame onto me. The events of what happened are clear here on my blog. Everyone can follow and see the truth of this. My blog is still here with all the posts. I had nothing to be ashamed of in that whole debacle. Where is your blog posts?

I deserve an apology. I know I'll never get one, but at the very least, have the decency to admit FULL RESPONSIBILITY for the events and stop painting me as the antagonist.

Sincerely,

Chari-Dee

Welcome to Serenity by Sherryl Woods

2009-01-08T13:39:00.003-06:00

I first discovered Sherryl Woods with her first Sweet Magnolias book, Stealing Home. I adored it. I fell in love with the Sweet Magnolias and made sure I had the next book in my hand as soon as it was released. I mean, I wanted to be a Sweet Magnolia. You can read what I had to say about the three books if you click here and here (these were from my days at d&D). Heck, I even went on Wood's message boards a couple of times, so enamored of the books was I. I thought that there was only going to be three books in the series and that we had seen the last of the Sweet Magnolia, until I spied this beautiful book in an e-mail I receive from somewhere about books being released (and contest information that I never win!). I nearly hooted with glee. I ran out, bought the book, read it and wanted to weep. Be warned, this is a post by the cynical reader me...

Welcome to Serenity by Sherryl Woods
(BCC)

The Sweet Magnolias are branching out...

When Jeanette Brioche helped launch The Corner Spa in Serenity, South Carolina, she found a hole lot more than professional satisfaction. She discovered the deep and loyal friendships that had been missing from her life. Nut even the Sweet Magnolias can't mend the terrible rift between Jeanette and her family or persuade her that the holidays are anything more than a season of misery.

Pushed into working on the town's much-loved annual Christmas festival, Jeanette teams up with the sexy new town manager. Tom McDonald may be the only person in Serenity who's less enthused about family and the the holidays than she is.

But with tree decorations going up on the town square and a bit fo romance in the air, Jeanette and Tom take a fresh look at the past and a hopeful look into the future. Together they discover that this just may be a season of miracles after all.

Like I said, I hadn't expected any more Magnolia books so when this one was released I was pleased but perplexed. Woods explains with a short letter at the beginning that so many readers were asking for more from the Sweet Magnolia's, and she enjoyed them so much as well, she's returning to Serenity to give us readers what we wanted.

Unfortunately, the story is Jeanette's, the woman the Magnolia's hired to run Spa Services in The Corner Spa, their new business. IIRC, Jeanette had been a third POV in at least one of the books. This, however, was not enough for the reader to really bond with her in any way, at least, not this reader. So when I say that Jeanette's graduation into Sweet Magnolia-dom was a bit of a shock.

Jeanette and her family suffered a horrible loss over the Christmas holiday when she was just a teenager, and ever since then, Jeanette's parent's barely know she's alive, let alone function well enough to want to celebrate in the merry fashion they once did. It's no wonder she hates the holidays. So when Maddie asks her to take the responsibility of The Corner Spa's contribution to the towns annual Christmas Festival it's the very last thing she wasn't to do.

Tom McDonald is also a non-lover of the holidays, as his family over-celebrates with the motive of impressing the other upper crust families. Growing up his house may have had multiple Christmas trees but they were all put up by decorators, not with love by his family. But even though he has a serious hate on for the holiday, as the new town manager the mayor insists that he be on the planning committee as well. In his quest to work off some of the stress of the new job, Tom tries to get into The Corner Spa to work out, only to be denied entrance (and quite rudely, I might add) by a beautiful woman. Tom is instantly smitten and takes her obvious distaste for him as a challenge.

The book also has a nice subplot about Mary Vaughn, the woman who had tried to get Ronnie away from Dana Sue (second book in the series). In the letter at the beginning Woods explains, "I think you'll gain some new insights into what makes her tick and maybe even feel some sympathy for all she's gone through in her life."

This book, no matter the fact that it was a Sweet Magnolia book, fell so far short of its mark for me. First there's Jeanette, who yes, has had a rough time of things, but was so absolutely insane I was praying that Tom would wise up and steer a wide path around her. And by insane I mean absolute raving bitch one minute, snapping the heads off of everyone, including the people there to help her only to do a complete 180 where Christmas was concerned and then upset when Tom doesn't have the same change of heart.

Then there's Tom, who falls in love with a woman who is all kinds nasty to him but he seems to have real chemistry with. I tell ya folks, you've heard of the Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) heroine, well, meet Tom, the TSTL hero.

Then their is Mary Vaughn and her ex-husband Sonny. Okay, I actually kind of enjoyed their story, and the Jeanette/Tom storyline notwithstanding, if Woods would have been writing to her normal high standards, I think Mary Vaughn's story would of have been far better suited to a full length novel rather than the measly sub-plot she got. Mary Vaughn's struggles and poor choices, her hard work to be respectable and her desire to be liked, coupled with the fierce animosity between her and Dana Sue, could have made an amazing book. I suppose though that it would take too long to write such a tale and make it believable that the Magnolias and Mary Vaughn could ever come to terms. I have no doubt though, that if Woods would have put her mind and pen to it, she could have pulled it off and we would have had a book that actually fit with the other Sweet Magnolia books.

As it stands, Jeanette doesn't really ever seem to treat any of the Magnolias or Tom very well, yet the Sweet Magnolias consider her one of their own and Tom falls in love with her. Jeanette was a selfish woman who talked sharply to too many people and yet got her happy ending. And while I know it's a Romance and the HEA was required, it was a stilted love story, with an ending that leaves much to be desired. In short, I'm willing to suspend reality for a while but even my fiction must be believable and this one just didn't add up.

Truthfully? I'm sort of hoping that in the next book which would seem to be about two of the Magnolia's children, Ty (Maddie's son) and Annie (Dana Sue's daughter who had anorexia), will show that Tom has wised up and left Jeanette for some one that deserves him. And yes, I still plan on reading the next book, it is this readers opinion that Woods rushed herself to get this one done and the next book (hopefully) will be much more up to the level of feel goodness I'm used to from Woods and The Magnolias.

Take Care

Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine

2009-01-07T21:58:00.003-06:00

I must admit that I had my doubts about this book when it arrived in my mailbox early last week. It's not that it's YA as I lurve me some YA. It's not that it's Paranormal, anyone who has ever read this blog or my posts from d&D knows that. What gave me pause was the whole Book Five thing. Now again, don't get me wrong, I love series, but I was leery about starting this one on the fifth book, especially in a series that so many friends of mine have already raved about. Crazy I know, I started Evanovich with TO THE NINES and I didn't come to Charlaine Harris until CLUB DEAD, of course I immediately ran out and bought the earlier books in those series and haven't missed one since, but I wasn't sure that could happen again, I mean, hello, did you read yesterdays posts, remember me? The newly cynical reader? But alas, it would seem that my bank account is going to be missing the exact dollar amount it would take to buy four books. Sigh. I think the publisher may be on to something - wanna sell lots of books? Give away one in the middle of a series, trust me if it's as good as this one, the rest of the books in the series will be bought up at lightening pace.

Lord of Misrule The Morganville Vampires-Book Five by Rachel Caine
(BCC)

MORGANVILLE TEXAS. JUST SOUTH OF NORMAL.
In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans have coexisted in (relatively) bloodless harmony...until the arrival of Bishop, a master vampire who threatens to put the evil back in evil undead and smash the fragile peace. But Bishop isn't the only threat...

Violent black clouds promise a storm of devastating proportions. As student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against the elements- both natural and unnatural - the unexpected happens: Morganville's vampires begin to vanish one by one. Discovering why leads Claire to one last choice: Swear allegiance to Bishop ...or die.

Sounds good, right? Well, that would be because it is. Now, since the author is obviously a doll, there is a THE STORY SO FAR... chapter, which does a fairly good job of giving a quick rundown so that the "new to the series" reader (me) can follow along. Of course this pre-book rundown is only a couple of pages, so I was still lost on a bunch of points.

Basically, from what I could gather, there was a vampire that founded the town of Morganville, Amelie. Now, in Morganville vampires and humans co-exist. It's a safe haven sort of town for vampires, and some or most of the humans there pledge their allegiance to certain vampires and are then under their protection (? - if you've read the series and I'm botching this up but good let me know). Bishop, Amelie's dad has come to Morganville and now wants to take it over and make sure that vampires really do rule and only humans who are a walking vending machine (they actually use this term in the book) will be allowed.

Of course, Amelie is not going to go down easily, and Claire along with her best friends Eve and Michael, as well as her boyfriend Shane are all willing (if not so calmly) to help stop Bishop from taking over.

Also from what I can ascertain is that Claire, though in college, is actually only 16 or 17. It was also clear that Claire was vital to the vampires, but I was never really sure why they needed her alive and protected so badly. There is some sort of disease floating through the vampire community, and Claire seems to be helping to find the cure, and by her age and the fact that she's in college it's obvious she's extremely gifted. However, I also got the impression it was more than just her mind that had the vampires so keen to keep her around. It also seemed hinted at that her boyfriend Shane may have more to him than even Claire knows. Hence me gonna go buy the other books in the series.

Anyway, we follow Claire as she and her friends race against time to save Morganville from total destruction. But all Hell's breaking loose, some of the humans have decided they think it would be a good thing if the fighting vampires killed each other off, and they're more than happy to help speed that along any way they can, and a monster of a storm is heading right towards Morganville with more than enough power to destroy the town on its own. Before long it's clear that Claire can't really trust anyone, because friends could turn out to be enemies and enemies may very well turn into, if not friends, allies.

When storm meets war the end result is so terrifyingly fantastic, that I was sitting on the edge of my seat unable to tear myself away until the very end where I was left panting for more. Caine has crafted a universe that is so well built that while reading there is no doubt in your mind that this place and these people really do exists. Caine has found a new fan and cheerleader in this reader, and I look forward to catching up with this series and continuing to follow it until the end. I expect I'll also be buying Caine's other series, but I think I'll start that on Book 1 (unless of course, some one *hint, hint* wanted to send me, oh I don't know, and autographed complete set *BG*).

Go get the book if you're a fan of the series, I really think this is one book you'll not want to miss. For those of you who have yet to start the series, I really do suggest starting with Book 1 (Glass Houses) just so you don't have as many questions as I did/do. Plus, we can go on that particular reading journey together!

But just in case you have any doubts, let me share with you a small bit of one of my favorite scenes from the book:

Shane said, "Some of those same people killed your son."

Theo looked at him with calm, unflinching eyes. "And without forgiveness, there is never any peace. I tell you this from the distance of many centuries. My son gave his life. I won't reply to his gift with anger, not even for those who took him from me. Those same poor, sad people will wake up tomorrow grieving their own losses, I think, if they survive at all. How can hating them heal me?

Take Care

Cynical Reader and Go Buy This Book

2009-01-06T18:10:00.001-06:00

You may have noticed that I've been eerily silent all over the blog-o-sphere lately and I apologize for my silence, I sincerely do, but please give me this chance to explain with this handy-dandy little list.

I've been busy: Well, duh. Who isn't these days, right?
I quit smoking so I don't have as much time to read: Bear with me here, I didn't smoke in the house, I would go outside, so when I had a smoke break, I had a book in my hand. It really did make reading so much simpler. Now I feel kind of guilty if I just sit down and read.
I've been sick and so have the kids: This is all true, but of course, not for the entirety of the past few months that I've been MIA.
I have been uncommonly addicted to the aps on MySpace and have been spending way too much computer time on them when I should be doing other things: This one, unfortunately, is true. Thankfully, my addiction is waning and I'm able to tear myself away from them fairly easily.
My schedule at work has been way wonky and is causing me all sorts of stress: Very true, but thankfully, we're getting a bit of a schedule worked out and I should have my afternoons free to clean house and blog.

"Cynics are made, not born."

And while all of these are true, they aren't the real reason. No, the real reason is that I've went from Rabid Reader to Cynical Reader.

I haven't always been this way, but I've noticed that for the past several months I look at the books I'm reading with more harshness than before. When I used to be able to fall in lurve with a book fairly easily, I've gotten to where it takes an author working their ass off to make me enjoy the thing. I mean, the book has to bring its A-Game if it wants me to even like it a little, where as before, I was a pretty easy sale.

Will this help me as I begin to pick up the blogging reins again, or will it hurt me? I actually kind of liked the old Reader me and while it took me a while to come to terms with new Reader me, I think I may like this side of me too. Only time will tell if this will make me a better book blogger or worse. At first, I thought I was maybe just in a funk, but when my standard cure for that didn't work, I realized it was something else, something was shifting in my reading life.

And while I can attribute my cynsism to a few key aspects, I can't really pin point when the change occurred. So, bear with me these next few posts as I find my new voice to go with this new view.

I've also realized that with the job and kids, my writing, and oh yeah, those darn MySpace aps, I can't do this blog completely alone, so I've asked a friend of mine to chime in every once in a while, she's graciously agreed, and Jenny will be joining me here on Novel Reads very soon. I'll have a formal introduction in a few days.

I will say this though, I'm not completly unable to enjoy books, it just takes me a little longer to finish them. I'm not quite finished with Lord Of Misrule The Morganville Vampires-Book Five by Rachel Caine (started it Sunday, it's out today) and I'm totally diggin' it. I'll blog it tomorrow, but it was released today, GO GET IT! I really think you'll enjoy.

Take Care

Breaking Radio Silence

2008-10-27T12:39:00.000-05:00

Will be back live shortly. Things have been insane around here, but hopefully will be normal soon. Here's a short video for the book I just finished.

See ya soon.

Take Care

Marta Acosta Contest

2008-09-12T18:03:00.000-05:00

My review of The Bride of Casa Dracula will be posted tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this wonderful book trailer that the extremely talented Marta Acosta made for her newest release. Once my review goes live, there will be 1 day left to enter the contest. All you must do is leave a question for Marta in the comments of one of these posts and you're entered. I will then gather all the questions, send them to Marta and randomly pick a winner. The winner will be announced when I post the interview with Marta.

In the meantime, check out some of these other reviews of The Bride, trust me, you're gonna want this book!

Bitten By Books

Amberkatze's Blog

the book girl

Darque Reviews

Take Care

Update

2008-09-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

I'll be back tomorrow. I've been sick lately and today was Bear's birthday. I'm gonna hit the hay right now but will post a review tomorrow. Sorry for the radio silence.

Novel Chats - Part ?

2008-09-07T18:15:00.000-05:00

Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake

If ever there was a BCC that did the worst possible job in describing the book within, the BCC on this book would be it. I almost didn't buy this book and I would have been missing out. Thank goodness for other online review sites though, because I went ahead and bought it and fell in love. There are several reasons I'm not doing a full post on this one, 1) the books been out a while and everyone seems to have already read and reviewed it because 2) the book has hit the lists and doesn't actually need my little bitty help in getting word out. I did want to chat it though, because I really enjoyed Drake's style. Her writing had a very poetic quality to it, that under most circumstances would bore me to death or have me rolling my eyes, but in this instance captured my imagination. Drake used beautiful prose to build a very convincing world with real characters I can't wait to read more about. This one gets a very solid A.

fringe benefits by Valerie Frankel

I was a bit slow in picking this book up, as it is Book 4 in a series I had never heard of. However, once I did pick it up, I really enjoyed it. I found it easy to follow the story line and grasp relationships. Since fringe is YA, I tend to look at these a bit different, and as far as my would I pass this on to the young women I know to read test, the answer is, probably, once they hit a certain age. While Adora Benet was a nice change from some of the superficial teen queen of some YA novels out there, she still spoke way too freely about sex with her boyfriend, and hey, I'm not dumb, I know this happens, but as a mother of young children I shudder to think about it. Other than that, I adored this strong willed young character and enjoyed watching the world through her eyes as she spent a summer separate from her friends and faced some very life altering situations. I give this one a very solid B.

Cutting Loose by Susan Andersen

I've been a fan of Andersen for some time. I love the way she can take a storyline that's been done over and over again, and make it seem new again. I love how her characters seem so real and how she's always been able to draw me into their lives and seriously care about them. But Cutting Loose just really fell short for me. It's only been a few weeks since I read the book, and I can't really remember much about it except for my great disappointment in the heroine. In fact, I remember thinking that the wrong name was put on the cover of the book, so disappointed in CL was I. All of the reasons I have come to enjoy Andersen were absent in the writing of this tale, and I found myself disliking just about every character in it. I know that I will not like every book a favorite author pens, but more times than not I can find something redeeming in the pages, but this was a not time. I can only hope that the next book of the Sisterhood Diaries is back to the Andersen I've grown to love. This one gets a D.

Don't forget my contest right now, just look for the link over in the sidebar for details.

Take Care

Marta Acosta Contest

2008-09-03T18:34:00.000-05:00

Egads! Has it really been a week since I blogged last? Sorry, really sorry about that. However, it would seem that when a person quits the smoking habit, they lose half their brain. I have no attention span right now, my house is getting cleaner and cleaner, and my Books That Need Reviewed Before I Totally Forget What They Were About list is getting larger by the minute. But at least my health is going to benefit!

Anyway, I think I've finally come down from the smoke-jones enough to blog regularly again. I haven't forgotten my contest, so let's officially kick it off now. Those that have already entered, don't worry, you're still good.

Marta Acosta has this wonderful book trailer for her first book Happy Hour at Casa Dracula. I'm also gonna post this handy little linky loo to my "review" of the same book.

So, get those questions left in the comments and help me give Marta a great interview!

Take Care

Let's Celebrate!

2008-08-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

It's official. I just took the last drag on the very last cigarette in my pack and I don't plan on buying anymore! "Yay Me!" Now, I have no illusions, this quitting thing is not going to be easy. However, it is time. The Hubs and I discussed quitting last night and had decided that we would stop Sept 1. You know, start the new month off with a new non-habit, but today when it was time to run to the store to get smokes for a new day, I decided that I was just going to quit now. I had four smokes left. That was six hours ago. I swear, it's been a long time since I had four smokes last that long. I am officially quitting. Wish me luck. I wanna celebrate!

And I don't just want to celebrate because The Hubs and I are kicking a nasty habit, NO! I also want to celebrate because one of my favorite authors is getting ready to release the third book in a wonderful series. So how are we gonna celebrate? With a contest of course!

Marta Acosta, author of the Casa Dracula series will have a new book hitting the shelves in September, and she'll be joining me this next week as I talk about her books. She'll also be giving away a signed copy of her latest book to one lucky winner! "Yay, You!"

All you have to do to be entered is visit one of Marta's blogs, her personal one or Vampire Wire, check 'em out and then come here and help me prepare my interview questions (as much as I like doing interviews we all know I'm not very good at it). Just leave a question for Marta in the comments of this post and I'll be sure to include them in the interview. One lucky questioner will be chosen at random for the free book. That's it.

Take Care

Ethical Blogging

2008-08-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

I had planned on posting about a book tonight, but as I sat down to log into blogger and post I did my blog hopping first (why yes, I am a procrastinator, why do you ask?) and I read a post by Janet over on Dear Author that got me thinking. In the post Janet poses some great questions about bloggers and what the responsibilities and standards (if any) we should have. Should there be a standard set of rules (so to speak) that all bloggers should follow? Certain ethics that all bloggers should agree to?

I don't really think so. I think one of the greatest things about blogs (as with books) is that there is something for everyone. I can't speak for every blogger out there, only for myself, and I will say that when I started blogging, I went through some internal debates about what I would post about and how I would do it. Probably most bloggers do this. Or maybe not, how do I know. What I see as the biggest obstacle in putting up a standard Blogger Code of Ethics, is not everyone has the same idea of ethical, and who are we as readers and writers of blogs to try and push our own set of ethics on others? Can you imagine the work and debate and headaches that would happen just trying to pick the bloggers who would head the Ethics Committee?

I thought I'd share tonight my own personal set of "rules" I play by here and the reasons for them. It's not a long list, only 3 items, but it's all I've got.

ChariDee's Blogging "Rules" for Novel Reads

1 - Every post does not have to be about books. While most of the posts here on Novel Reads is about books or authors, there have been a few times where I veered off that path just to talk about what's going on in my life. I do this because a) I just don't have the time to keep up my personal blog and I do have friends that aren't readers that check in here and b) because my outside life does play a great part in what I'm currently reading and how I feel about it.

2 - I will post about books I don't particularly like, though I will try and be objective when I do it and not personally attack the author. For a long time I thought about only posting "reviews" on books I liked. I figured it didn't do a bit of good to say I didn't like a book because that could hurt some one's feelings. But the truth is, I don't like every book I read (though I do like most of them), no one does, so as long as I refrain from personally attacking an author (calling names, insulting their hair, that kind of thing) I'm good with stating how I really feel about the book.

3 - Since I also read blogs, if I want to discuss something I read on one, I will. I did this very thing a couple of weeks ago and look where it got me. However, rule number 2 applies to these posts as well. I may not like what another blogger has to say (be it an author or reader blog) but I will do my best to never personally attack the poster. I will also do my best to not over-exaggerate what I read and am blogging about.

That's it. Those are my own personal set of "rules." I'm sure that as time goes on and I continue to blog, I will cross the line one day. I hope, that if that time comes I will be blogger enough to admit it.

Take Care

Back Tomorrow

2008-08-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Will be back tomorrow with a post. Sorry for the silence, but it's been a crazy couple of days. Was gonna post tonight but I'm so tired I'm repeating phrases, I'm so tired I'm repeating phrases (couldn't help it, sorry).

I will let you know real quick though, that later this week I'll be kicking off a week of celebrating with Marta Acosta for the third release in her Casa Dracula series. I'm super excited, because not only is Acosta absurdly talented, but she's agreed to an interview and we'll be having a contest. So check in Wednesday for the details on that.

Take Care

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

2008-08-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

I just want to take this time to thank each and everyone of you that has made a comment in support of all that has happened these last few days. It has been an insane time. I especially want to thank you for all of the wonderful and informative links I have been given for information about the similar situations. I will be spending the week-end doing research. Unless something more comes to pass or I am asked to comment on what has happened, I will be moving on with Novel Reads in my usual fashion. THANK YOU ALL! READERS and Bloggers are the best!

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
(BCC)

"Hey you," said the grouchy ladybug. "want to fight?"
"If you insist," said the yellow jacket, showing its stinger.
"Oh, you're not big enough," said the grouchy ladybug and flew off.

The grouchy lady bug is looking for someone-anyone to fight, no matter how big. From sunrise to sunset the ladybug badgers and bullies, until finally it meets its match.

We're big Eric Carle fans in our house. Ever since Bear and Miss Beautiful were introduced to The Very Hungry Caterpillar they look for books by their favorite (maybe second, since we also lurve Dr. Suess) author.

The latest book by Carle to line our shelves is this one, and we absolutely adore it. From the author's website, " A grouchy ladybug who is looking for a fight challenges everyone it meets regardless of their size or strength. How this bumptious bug gets its comeuppance and learns the pleasures to be gained by cheerfulness and good manners is an amusing lesson in social behavior. Die-cut pages add drama and dimension."

First of all, Carle's illustrations are amazing. True works of art. Painted tissue paper? My God, the man is a genius. Second of all, the pages are designed to grow from big to small as the animals that the grouchy ladybug challenges become bigger. There is also a clock at the top of each page, so that the children can see the time of day it is on the clock, which also helps us illustrate to our children, that one bully wasted her entire day by being mean, when she could have gotten what she wanted and enjoyed a wonderful day, had she just started out by using common decency and manners.

As this book was first published in 1977, I think it just proves how timeless the lesson it involves is. In his dedication, Carle gives a small lesson on ladybugs and their nature, which is both entertaining to read and educational.

If you are looking for a great book to read with your children, pick up any book by Carle, you won't be able to go wrong. And for some great ideas on ways to use Carle's books to further your child's experience, head over to his website and find ideas listed that have been sent to him over the years from teachers and parents.

For those of you lucky enough to live in or near Amherst, MA, be sure to visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Miss Beautiful and I spent quite a bit of time on their website last night making a wish list of things we'd like to see when we get a chance to go.

Take Care

In The Immortal Words of Tom Petty...

2008-08-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

... I WONT BACK DOWN!

So, aside from the fact that I got zero hours of sleep last night, today started just like any other. I got the kids to take their baths, I made their lunch, I drove them to school, walked them to their classroom, went to work, had a day where everything that could go wrong - did, left work with just enough time to pick up the kiddos, said "Thanks" to their teachers for learning them yet another day, and went home.

It's the after I got home part where things start to get interesting. Usually when I get home I have a few e-mails from friends and family to tend to and an occasional e-mail from some one who visited my book review blog (ya know, NOVEL READS, the one you are reading right now). On a typical day, I would respond (or not) to these e-mails, throw a load of laundry in the machine, cook dinner, read with my kids, kiss them goodnight and snuggle with The Hubs. Today, however, was anything BUT typical.

Most of you are reading this because you heard about the letter I received from an attorney representing Victoria Laurie and the subsequent post on her blog http://www.victorialaurie.com/blog/ (OOPS, her entire blog has been taken off her website, I tired to link her).

Anyway, in an attempt to make sense of this madness for myself, I have decided to break down events.

On January 21, 2008, while blogging for another site, I posted this blog. Notice, I state how much I enjoy Ms. Laurie's books. Notice the fact that while I don't personally like her on-line behavior, I will continue to read her books.

Shortly there after, I leave dee & Dee Dish...About Books.

I am silent in the blog-o-sphere for a few months. I post to my personal blog (not often mind you, but some) and read a LOT. I continue to read my favorite blogs, but use that time to re-group.

May 15, 2008 (Happy Birthday A!), I decide I miss this small world of readers I belonged to. Mind you, I've never been a big addition to the fiction world, but I did have my own corner, and even when I had only myself for company I enjoyed it!

Fast forward to August 11, 2008 and Victoria Laurie is back on my radar. Please note, that the post I have linked there is the Original Post with minor changes. The minor changes include the addition of "AKA I QUOTED Victoria Laurie" and the little "Update" at the start. Otherwise, I left the post in tact.

That same day, I post to two Yahoo! Groups I belong to and post the question about the author's behavior.

August 12, 2008, starts like any other day, only the kids are still on Summer Break and my babysitter is NOT. SO, I'm home and still receiving e-mails (some very hateful) about my post of (at the time) a particular author - OK, it's Victoria Laurie. I don't have to pretend anymore! Since my question to the Yahoo! Groups gives me some good food for thought, I do another post.
I will adress this post again shortly, if you aren't already asleep, bear with me ;).

After hitting "PUBLISH POST", I think to myself, " Go ahead and be brave! Try and contact this publisher for a quote!" So, in all of my, I AM WOMAN (erm, READER!) HEAR ME ROAR glory, I work up the nerve to call the publishing house. I ask to speak to Laurie's editor. I am transfered to voice mail. I leave a message, and trust me, we'll discuss this in more detail in a bit, asking for a quote. I DO in fact say that I was "deeply disturbed" about something I read on her blog. I say this, because I am, in fact, deeply disturbed by this behavior.

After my phone call, I do my blog hopping. One of my first stops is Dear Author. A site I miss visiting on a regular basis, but ya know, life happens and I must work for the money. I see that Jane has outed the author in question (and seriously, why am I still referring to her as "the author in question?" We all know who the heck I'm talking about!). I then check out one of my favorite author's blogs and find out that she is thinking about quitting blogging. More hate mail to novelreads at gmail dot com ensues.

August 13, 2008, I link to the Dear Author post outing Laurie. The same day I moved on.

August 14, 2008, I address (in a general way) some of the letters I received about my initial post. And again, I get on with blogging as usual.

August 15-18, 2008 all is business as usual.

August 19, 2008, I receive the following letter in my in-Box, (IN-BOX, people, not even through regular mail) upon returning home from work:

Dear the owner of email address titled “novelreads@gmail.com” (a.k.a. “ChariDee”),

I represent Victoria Laurie, an author which you recently address in a posting titled, “Authors Getting Even” on http://novelreads.blogspot.com . In this posting you excerpt from a website that is copyright protected, thus violating federal copyright law. There is and has been an existing disclaimer on Ms. Laurie’s website, (www.victorialaurie.com), which states that; “No part of this website may be directly copied or duplicated and all of the content herein is copyright protected.” These quotes you have posted to your blog should be immediately removed or Ms. Laurie will be forced to take appropriate action.

In addition to the above violation of law, on Tuesday, August 12, you contacted the voice mail of someone you thought to be Ms. Laurie's editor at Penguin Group USA and left a voice mail claiming that you were "deeply disturbed" by a blog posting and requesting a comment (a copy of which we have in our possession). Please consider this letter a cease and desist letter. While you are free to express your opinion under the First Amendment, taking impulsive and inappropriate action with the attempt to interfere with a contractual relationship is unacceptable; therefore, in addition to the above Ms. Laurie is requesting that you not contact her, her agents, editors, business representatives, or assigns personally at any time now or in the future.

Feel free to contact me at the above post office box should you have any questions regarding this letter and its directives.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Gustafson

I immediately freak out, thus causing me to make one of the best decisions of my life, and contact Jane at Dear Author. I needed advice from another blogger. I'm a guppie in the blogger pond, I've never claimed to be more. So getting a letter like this is flippin' scary.

Later that day, Jane stands up for me (God Bless Jane!).

And that brings us to today. Are you as exhausted as I am yet? Today, I work all day. I have no idea of what happens until I get home. What happened? Well, Victoria Laurie totally bashes me on her blog. I'd link, but her entire blog has been removed. I do, however, happen to have a cached version of the post. Since Laurie found it OK to fling accusations my way, I find it OK to defend myself. I will not post the entire blog entry here, I will however, as allowed by Fair Use, quote her post for comment and criticism.

Quote:

ANYhoo, to catch you all up, last week I got a very upsetting phone call from my editor who was really creeped out. She said that some crazy woman had called the voice mail of another editor in her department. The caller clearly thought that editor was my editor and had demanded to be called back saying she was â€œdeeply disturbedâ€� (mental diagnosis or state of mind?) about a blog that Iâ€™d written and she demanded a comment from my editor.

First of all, I demanded nothing. Laurie's editor and attorney claim to still have the VM, they can listen to this again and see that I in no way demanded a thing. I called Penguin Group and asked to speak to her editor, I was transfered and left a message.

Quote: My wonderful editor was so freaked out that she became concerned for my safety and wanted to alert me that there was a crazy cyber stalker out there and maybe I wanted to increase my own security.

If I ever get the cash flow to hire an attorney, I want that voice mail released. If this editor read anything "crazy" into my simple voice mail, I don't know what it could have been. Laurie also states that I did not leave my name. I call BS on this one. I most certainly DID leave my name. Not only did I leave my name, I left my telephone number, e-mail address and blog address.

I'm getting ready to sign off on this post, but before I do, I want to address one more thing that Laurie says in her blog post: Quote: but donâ€™t start making phone calls that will end up costing you your kidâ€™s college fund. To this I say, I will take a lot of shit. However, the minute you threaten my children and their future, is the minute I start to take the gloves off.

I have much more to say on the topic, and I probably will blog more about it tomorrow. Right now, I'm going to get in some comfy PJ's and get some sleep.

I want to thank each and every one of you that has commented on my blog and on Dear Author showing your support. I am humbled by your kindness and cannot express how much it has meant to me.

I promise that I will post more on the subject when I get some sleep and can make some sense. I also promise that my posts will remain here on Novel Reads until such time the law dictates otherwise.

Take Care

Where In ChariDee Is Threatened by an Author that Wanted Revenges Attorney...

2008-08-19T19:46:00.000-05:00

That's right, you read the post title correctly, I, ChariDee received a rather threatening letter today from one attorney "claiming" to represent Victoria Laurie. I admit that I am (like they had hoped) scared spitless. I am a very small blogger in what is a very small reader world on the World Wide Web.

For the most part I try very hard not to rock the boat. Not because I feared something like this would happen, but because it is in my nature to keep the peace. I "talked" to Jane at Dear Author today after I received the e-mail. I needed advice from another blogger. Jane made it clear that she would not think less of me for taking the post down or for removing the quotes (Jane posted a very wonderful blog tonight about this letter I received today, check it out here). However, the more I read up on Copyright Law, the more I felt that I did nothing wrong. I did however edit my post, I have since added the name of the author in question. I would have linked to the post in question but it was removed shortly after the posts went live.

I have also contacted a lawyer who is versed in Copyright Law for my state. Since the business day was nearly over by the time I received the e-mail, I will have more information from this lawyer tomorrow.

I don't like being scared. I don't like being bullied. BUT, should it be necessary that I take the post down, I will. Until the time comes, however, that I am forced to take down my post, it will remain up.

I will keep ya'll posted.

Take Care

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

2008-08-17T14:47:00.001-05:00

The Elite by Jennifer Banash
(BCC)

It's the most exclusive luxury apartment building on New York's Upper East Side. If you don't live there, you don't know how to live...

When Casey McCloy steps into The Bramford, she's overwhelmed by the sophistication and elegance of it all. Fresh from the Midwest, she's moved to New York City to live with her grandmother and attend the prestigious Meadowlark Academy. Here, all that matters is who you know. The designer to know is Zac Posen. The girl to know is Madison Macallister: popular, pretty and platinum blond. She's not just Casey's new classmate and neighbor; she's an icon. So Casey aims to get in with Madison and her gorgeous gal pals from the start. As the reigning queen of coolness, Madison is capable of destroying reputations with one well-times whisper. Better to be on her good side.

After a haute makeover from her new frenemy Madison, Casey is wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people. Including Drew, the boy-about-town Madison thinks belongs to her and her alone...

Casey McCloy finds herself moving from Normal, Illinois to New York City, which is anything but normal, to live with grandmother while her mother heads to London. Casey's grandmother lives in The Bram. Only the most exclusive apartment building in town. She's nervous. She's sweating bullets (what an embarrassing habit!) and her hair won't behave. On her way to her grandmother's apartment, Casey runs into Madison Macallister and her friends Phoebe and Sophie. It's obvious by the looks of the girls that they are only the most popular IT girls. So when they invite Casey to join them across the street to sunbathe, Casey jumps at the chance to hang out.

When Drew shows up and starts flirting with Casey she's immediately smitten. But Madison is less than thrilled. Drew is hers, and hers alone. When the heat starts to really ratchet up between Casey and Drew so does Madison's anger. Casey knows these girls have the power to make or break her in her new life, the problem is, Casey's not so sure she wants to be made but she is sure she doesn't want to be broken.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It's been a long while since I've picked up a YA novel and felt that it was less than fabulous. Unfortunately, I just didn't really connect with this one. For one, when I read books in this genre, I always think about the young ladies I know and would I feel comfortable giving this book to them to read. The answer with this one was No.

The kids in this book are starting their Junior Year of high school, and let me tell ya, the way they drink alcohol (and apparently have been for some time) and the way they casually talk about lust was just a bit scary to me as an adult. All of the characters save Drew have horrible relationships with their parents.

The Elite is written in Third Person, and there are five, yes five, POV's. While this isn't unheard of, the book is but 237 pages long and I didn't really have enough time with any one story line to really connect to the characters. I realize that this is a first book in a new series, but there was just too much set up for what I think must be future story lines, for me to really feel the major plot (the Casey-Drew-Madison plot).

I'm not a big fashion kinda gal. My wardrobe is fairly basic and consists mostly of jeans and tee shirts. There were so many name brand and high fashion names being thrown at me in the pages of this book my head was spinning. I realize that the book is set in Upper East Side New York, where fashion is a big deal and money is no issue, but I'm from the real world, and well, I didn't like all the name dropping.

The Elite is getting rave reviews all over the 'net these days, and you should really read up on them and decide for yourself on this one. It just didn't fit in with my idea of what good YA fiction is all about. I don't like reading about over-privileged poor little rich girls, that have a mean streak wider than their parents bank accounts. I think that Casey could have been a superior character, but her growth was really more told than shown, and with so many POV's the characters all fell flat.

Will I read the next book in the series? I just don't know. I'd like to see Madison grow up a bit, and I'd like to see a bit more of her friends, Phoebe and Sophie and how they deal with some of the things going on in their lives. But I just don't think I'll be able to bring myself to do it. With so many wonderful YA titles out there yet for me to read, I'll probably pass on this next one.

Take Care

Not So Much About Books

2008-08-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, today has been an extremely busy day! First of all, I haven't worked much this week because my babysitter is in a different school district and she started school this week and mine don't until next. So I've been home with them (which I have to admit, I sure as hell have missed that this summer!) but today, I enlisted the help of a dear friend and she kept the kids so that I could go in early and give my boss the day off with her kids before school started. So, it was tough to be gone all day, I'm just not used to that.

Then, as soon as I got off, I ran home, grabbed the things I needed to mail, and headed straight to the Post Office. I sent off SEVEN priority mail packages this afternoon. That means, tee shirts, and Fantasyland and Brandy your books should all be arriving Monday (Tuesday at the latest).

Then I rushed to Wally World to grab a few last minute school supplies because tonight was Meet The Teacher night at the kids school. For those of you that don't know, Bear is dyslexic yet extremely, well let's just say near genius level IQ, and we've had a few struggles with teachers in his short school career, so this is always a bit of a nerve wracking day. Miss Beautiful will be in 1st Grade, and well, she's a bit ahead of her time, both in style AND in brains, so once again, getting a teacher that is willing to challenge her more than the rest of the class has been our main concern. Well, I can say with all honesty we are very much optimistic about this year. Miss Beautiful is going to be in a veteran teachers class, a teacher that is known for her individual approach to teaching. We are most definitely blessed with this! Bear will be in a classroom with a fairly new teacher, and all I really know is that she is very kind and her former students seem to adore her. Bear needs more structure than most, so while we're very optimistic, if she cannot administer to his needs, we may need to switch. We are going into it with much enthusiasm though, and she was very easy to talk to tonight, very open to hearing what we had to say, so all should be well! I'm just so EXCITED about this!

Then of course, we ran and fed the kids (Chinese at our favorite resteraunt that was seriously a disappointment tonight :(), because God Bless my friend, but she invited the kids to stay the night. I imagine we will be getting a call in a few hours telling us the kids are ready to come home. They just don't do sleepovers. We usually have kids spend the night at our house, and our friends who have them tonight have three boys we adore who have spent the night here, but our kids just don't do well away from home. We'll see. Our friends know the kids are like this, and they are great people, so we'll see how the night goes.

So, no kids right now and how sad is this, but I miss them! The Hubs is playing poker on his laptop, I'm typing this with a cold beer in hand, and then I'm going to get back to reading a book I've started. Another YA title, that I think I'll like, I just have to get over all the designer names and such being thrown at me, and the alcohol intake of the kids. I think I like where to story is headed, but we'll see. After all, I'm a small town girl, what the hell do I know about the upper crust of society?!

Take Care

Novel Chats - A Series

2008-08-14T19:00:00.001-05:00

Before I begin, can I just say now that I highly doubt that I am the reason Jenny Crusie is considering leaving the blog-o-sphere behind? Yes, I linked her blog post in my rant. Yes, I JCF was one of the Yahoo! Groups I posed the question to. No, I don't think it caused the incredible Ms. Crusie to re-think her entire position on blogging. Thank you to the few of you that have e-mailed me to let me know that you consider me so influential. I appreciate it. I also respect that perhaps you were trying to teach me the lesson of just how hurtful those nasty e-mails can be and believe me when I tell you, I already learned that lesson after my review of Fearless Fourteen. However, I do believe I will keep my collection of Crusie books on the book shelf - because yes, I truly do consider myself a fan of the writer, Bet Me has seen my through many a reading slumps. I also believe that I will continue to blog, as I don't think that I am the heart of evil and malice that has spread across the blog world causing innocent "authors with more talent in their pinky finger than I have in my entire body" to give up their on-line presence. If you have read any of my blog posts, you would see that I may not always like a book (and if you don't like those less than glowing reviews skip the following post), however I don't think I've written anything especially nasty and even while I was ranting about an author I believed was behaving in an incredibly ridiculous manner, I never publicly announced the authors name, not until the story "broke" out on a much more popular blog than my own. But again, I am flattered you think that I have such influence over some one I've never met and so very much admire. And you know what? I'm not even going to post your e-mails. I'm not even gonna let a soul other than my family see them. And God willing, should I ever be published, you will NOT see an antagonist with a name closely resembling yours. Instead, those e-mails will be printed out and stuck in my "I HAVE ARRIVED" folder that The Hubs suggest I start when I received my first nasty e-mail. And now, on with it...

I read the first two books in this series when they first came out. I was still at d&D at the time, and had seriously considered dishing them, had talked to dee about how I felt about them, but just couldn't bring myself to do so. It seemed like so many people were just in love with these books. Thought they were great. I have to say, that while I enjoy the mythology behind the books, I didn't particularly like the "forced seduction" in them. In fact, I didn't feel like it was so much forced seduction as I felt like the "hero" was raping his woman. But truth be told, I don't see much of a difference. No, in my opinion has always meant NO. It means STOP! It does not mean, oh I really do want this, I want to be terrified of you and what you are doing, because if you just keep it up I know I'll get over myself and LOVE it.

That said, the premise of this series is unique and if you can skip the hero forcing sex on his soon to be wife to gain her love, then they are damn fine reads. An amazingly evil man makes a deal with the devil. In return for his soul, the soul of his descendants and their eternal loyalty, the devil will give them the ability to change into fierce warriors. They will be long lived, will only be able to be killed by another of their kind, and they will have the ability to change at will into a fierce predatory animal. They will only bear sons. However, one day, a descendant falls in love. Not any descendant mind you, but the current ruler of the fierce clan. He runs away with his gypsy bride, has children and loves them all dearly. However, one day his wife has a vision, a vision that tells his doom. He will burn forever in hell unless the family can find the family icon and restore it to break the curse. The prophecy his wife has seems impossible to the family. For one, it states that the true loves of his four sons will bring the icons back together - but he only has three sons and one daughter.

I continued to read the series this summer when the final two books were released. I enjoyed them, because I wanted to see the curse lifted. I wanted to see how Dodd worked around the four sons thing. All in all, I think the series was worth the read. The premise is fascinating. There were, however, several lose ends. For instance, in the first book Ann (the true love of son #1) is found out to have something "other" herself, and I had seriously thought that this would come into play later. It didn't. I have no idea why it was such a big deal in the first book, if it has no real bearing on the overall story-line.

So, if you like forced seduction you'll be able to read these books without discomfort. However, if like me, you don't care for it, then either skip this series all together or skip pretty much all of the sex, because most of it read like rape to me.

Since this is a Novel Chat of a post the series gets a grade, I give it a C-. Probably would have been an A, but ya know, that whole forced thing.

Take Care

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker

2008-08-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

I "reviewed" (let's be honest, we all know that's not really what I do) the first book in this amazing series while at D&d. You can check it out here. And since I've already posted a rant for the day, I'm just gonna dive right in...

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker
(BCC)

IT'S TIME TO JOIN THE REAL WORLD - IF SOMEONE WOULD JUST TELL ME WHERE THAT IS.

I know I'm supposed to be Violet Greenfield the fresh-faced runway model, a cultured and worldly nineteen-year-old with super-high confindence because I've done fashion weeks internationally. But the truth is, modeling hasn't raised my self-esteem all that much. And now that I'm finally headed to college, I'm afraid I'll turn back into that girl who blended into the walls all throughout high school...

Vassar is just a two-hour train ride from New York City, so technically I could keep working. But I'd rather accept an editorial internship at Teen Fashionista. It's a chance to be appreciated for something besides my height and weight! My friends in fashion think I'm crazy to stop modeling, but my best friend Roger is all in favor of it. Of course, things have been weird between us ever since we kissed - and now he's got a new girlfriend. So I guess the question is:

If I'm not "Violet on the Runway" anymore, who exactly am I?

I Love the Ya genre. Seriously. The reach of the YA book is going far beyond that of the age range it's geared toward which is awesome, in and of itself. But what I really love about a good YA book, is that it holds the power to suck a reader in and change them from semi-reader to Reader. It's books like this one that do that.

In VIP Walker once again takes us into the shoes of Violet Greenfield. She's off to college and she's pretty sure she's done with the modeling thing. But the modeling thing won't let her go. But sometimes that's not always a bad thing. Being a model helps Violet land a great internship, allows her to speak to high schoolers about body image, and has brought her one of her best friends.

Walker's is one of the freshes voices in the YA genre. Violet is a character that females of all ages can relate to. She faces victories, self doubt, and yes even heartache, "Still, I don't know if I'm ever going to get over this betrayal. It's completely weird how your heart can physically hurt. Like, I can feel this actual pain in my chest right now, and I'm not just imagining it. It aches, like if someone hit me really hard on my left boob, or like I broke something there." It is rare for me to want to cry and smile at the same time, but Walker managed that feat.

If you have a daughter, niece, granddaughter, friend, whatever, give her these books. Read them with her, experience this wonderful world together. Where super models don't always feel so super and real life and love cause us pain as well as bring us joy.

VIP will leave you with a huge smile on your face and a desire to run to the bookstore to find more wonderful YA titles. If you've been hesitant about picking up a book labeled YA, nows the time to give 'em a try, I say start with Walker.

Take Care

Authors Getting Even - Update

2008-08-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

The blog post has been removed from her site. If you are wanting to know who it was that got my hackles raised Monday, Jane at Dear Author was braver than I and posted all about it. She even knows how to do that cool cache thing, so you'll be able to read the post in question.

Take Care

More Thoughts on Authors Getting Even

2008-08-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

So, as you can tell by yesterdays post I was a bit on the upset side about the behavior of a certain author. In fact, I not only blogged about it, I posted the question on a couple of Yahoo!Groups I belong to. As with the blog post, I did not mention the authors name. A few people asked, and I did let them know off list. There were also a few readers of the blog that were able to track the author down by a clue (not an intentional one) that was in the post.

One of the reasons I felt compelled to pose the question of how readers felt about this behavior was because of the comments left on the authors blog. You see, they all thought the idea was great and couldn't wait to read the humiliation of the reader who e-mailed. Also, the editor thinks this is a great idea and wants other authors to begin doing it (according to the author).

What I found out is that I was not alone. This kind of revenge is not something most people agree with. Some of the responses to my question had great points and I thought I'd share a few (I am not including names, as both groups are members only, though anyone can join :) you just have to before you're privvy to the posts).

1 - The concept of the revenge is hilarious. The manner in which it was executed and then bragged about is NOT.

I agree with this whole heartedly. It is one thing to do something that only you and maybe a few people know about. To brag about it. To make sure that people are looking for the readers shame so that they may revel in it, is quite another.

2 - Isn't bragging about the fact the character is indeed modeled on and named after some one, though changed just a bit as to avoid being sued, still grounds for a lawsuit?

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Hell, I'm not even smart enough to know where to find a definite answer to this. Now, if I were Jane at Dear Author, I'd know. That chick is amazing. But alas, I'm not. I did entertain the idea of e-mailing her and asking her what she thought, but I chickened out. Anyway, that is an interesting idea. I would think, and again I don't know for sure, that it would be grounds for the reader to sue. The author makes it known you will know what scene is about this reader. She makes it known that the name is so very close that her friends and family will know who she's referring. To me, that sounds like grounds for a suit. Maybe defamation of character? Not sure. Anyone know? I mean, after all isn't this in the fine print at the begining of every fictional book: ...and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, .... is entirely coincidental.

3 - By the author publicly announcing this, they are very much so acting like a very large bully.

From Dictionary.com - –noun

1.	a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.

I'm not saying that the reader is smaller or weaker. What I am saying is that I assume this person to be an average joe, whereas the author is known. The author is using her name as a published entity to belittle and mock some one who may or may not have the same outlet or reach. They preach against bullying in schools. I tell my kids daily they are not to bully. Ever. In any way, shape or form. Bullying is bad. Turn the bullies in. And yes, I realize I am a hypocrite for not saying who the author is. But seriously people, I don't want to end up in one of her books! So unfortunately, I'm starting to feel like the bully wins.

I'm trying to use my very limited powers of google search to hunt down this editor of the authors so that I may contact them to ask a few questions about this. I'm very much interested in why the editor loves this idea enough to encourage it. Why the editor sees nothing wrong with it. I have no doubt my questions will go un-answered, but I still feel the need to try. Heck, I'm even thinking about contacting the agent of the author, asking if they know about the behavior. I think I'll wait tough, because I'd like to know about the legal angel here.

Anyway, those are some more thoughts. I'm like a dog with a bone people. This aggravates me! I really enjoyed this authors work, and in one blog post she tore that down. I don't think I'll ever be able to support those books again.

Take Care

Authors Getting Even AKA I QUOTED Victoria Laurie!

2008-08-11T15:47:00.001-05:00

Update: I was trying to be nice in the following blog post about a certain author that I believed to be acting unproffesionally. Since I did not give credit where credit is due, let me just say now, that the author in question is Victoria Laurie.

OK, so I know I've been silent lately, and I'm sorry. Things will hopefully start looking up soon and I'll be regular again. In the meantime, I'm trying to get some things typed up and saved for later posting (but since I'm still on bloggers hit list, I have to do it in WORD).

So, just a little bit ago, as I'm working on a post I was reminded of a couple of series that should have books released soon. The thing is, I love the books, I just don't much care for the author and her online personality. Thankfully, I've been able to distance the work from its creator. But it has hindered my close watch on the newest book release.

Anyway, I head to the authors website to get the low down on the next two books and find myself drawn to her blog. I just wanted to see if maybe I was having an incredibly bad day and took everything the wrong way. However, what I found instead, really bothered me.

Here's the thing. Jenny Crusie posted on her blog Argh Ink a while back about reader letters, and I loved how the situation was handled on that one (here's the post linkage). This author though, isn't quite into so subtle. No. Basically, she posted in this blog entry about one particular letter she received from a reader that said they were a fan of one of her series, but thought the new series sucked eggs (actually, if the author is to be believed the person really slammed the new series).

I can't imagine how hard it would be to get one of those letters. I dream of being published, and I understand how hard writing can be, so I can imagine out heartbreaking it would be to receive such a letter. It is how the author handles it though, that irks me.

From the authors blog post: And so, come September…my little “fan” and some of her close friends and family will likely read about a character with a very similar name, (i.e. nearly identical but not enough to get me sued) depicted in one of the most comical and fabulously scandalous scenes within Death Perception. And trust me…this isn’t a scene which in any way flatters that character. :) (Also trust me….you’ll know it when you read it!)

This bothers me greatly. The author also talks about a reader on Amazon that was trashing her books and how she has gotten those posts removed (because obviously this person has never read the books) and how this person has something against her yet she's a complete stranger. I know the review system on Amazon is flawed. I know some people go way out of their way to be mean on there. BUT, the revenge she is talking about taking in the same manner as she did with the other reader seems wrong to me. She even mentions the Amazon "reviewers" screen name.

The author finishes her blog post with this little bit of advice: And by the way - anyone else out there thinking they can just arbitrarily slam an author and feel good about being particularly nasty…be warned….my editor thinks this concept of mine is hilarious and she’s going to suggest the idea to her other authors who are fed up with being targets for the mentally deranged…in other words I’d advise being very careful whom you choose to direct a personal barb at lest your alter ego appear in a less than flattering way in that author’s next book.

Is it just me or does this seem ridiculous? I can understand the appeal of such revenge. I cannot understand the appeal of making it known to several thousand readers, some of which may recognize the reader being mentioned. Because now that reader will be publicly humiliated when the author was NOT. As long as that book is in circulation, that person will be forever mocked. When their greatest crime could have been flying off the handle after a world shattering bad day. When they could have had everything ripped out from under them the day that wrote that letter. Should they pay for one letter that vented everything, albeit to the wrong person? I think this is wrong. What about you? Am I being silly to be upset by this? Help me understand peeps!

Take Care

Novel Chats Part III

2008-08-05T18:44:00.001-05:00

Or, at least, I think it's part III. Not real sure. Yeah, I'm late. I'm sorry about that. Remember I said I was overwhelmed? Well, that was nothing. Nothing, compared to what is going on right now. I really just want to crawl in bed, pull the covers over my head, and never come out again. The kidlets, however, would not look too kindly upon this, so here I am. Anyway, I'm sorry for my silence. You didn't come here to listen to me whine anyway, that's why I keep a personal blog. So let me just get on with it...

Live Alone And Like It by Marjorie Hillis

This is a Non-Fiction book, and normally, you just won't find me reading them. However, if this is what Non-Fiction is like, count me in! I absolutely adored reading this. Originally written in 1936 LAALI is now re-released by Hachette Book Group USA. Do not let the title fool you. This is a book that has some great advice for any woman, any where in her life. Hillis was for sure a woman so far ahead of her time, she makes Gene Roddenberry look positively contemporary. You'll laugh out loud at this one and at the same time, you'll find yourself re-examining certain aspects of your life for the better. Whatever the stage of life you are in, you should read Live Alone And Like It, because I can almost guarantee you'll LOVE IT! Definite A for this one.

The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square by Rosina Lippi

There were a lot of things right with this one, although, there were also a lot of things wrong, too. I enjoy a great Women's Fiction story, always have, always will. That said, I came to reading through Fantasy and Romance, so it has to be a great WF for me to really enjoy the book. This was not a great book. It was simply OK, for me. First of all, the protag in this one gets very little "head" time. Mostly, we see it through her hero's POV, and given many circumstances I enjoy that, this one was one I did not. He was a good character. He went through an amazing character arc. The heroine, however, crept towards the finish only to sprint so fast I nearly missed her growth. Also, the title is GIRLS, not GIRL, so the fact that I hardly knew the other woman that had a sub-plot (and she was FAR more interesting) really bothered me. I wanted more about this woman, her character was deep and we never got past the shallow end with her. All in all, the story line was good, just not particularly written in a fashion I enjoy. I give this one a B-.

Your Coffin of Mine by Kimbery Raye

I've read and reviewed the first two books in this series, here and here. As you can see, I thought the books were just OK, but I did enjoy them. Same with this one. Actually, I enjoyed this one more than the other two. This still isn't a series I rush out to get. In fact, as I went to Raye's website, I saw that the fourth book is released and I didn't know that until just now. I do enjoy the series enough though, that as soon as I get some cashola, I'll be buying the newest. Lil Marchette, the narrator of this tale is not the most original of characters. She isn't the most likable either, but I think that's the biggest part of her appeal. I've started the series, so that means I'll be finishing it. I'll enjoy it, I'm sure, as I have enjoyed every other book so far. If you're feeling in a bit of a funk, brain dead, or otherwise in need of some mindless fun, I say read this series. I give it a solid B.

Take Care

Winner Announced!

2008-08-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I never did hear from the Grand Prize Winner of the Angie Fox contest, so I threw all the names back in and the winner of both the book and the tee was WORDVIXEN. Since I already have that address I will be forwarding it on to Angie so she can send out the book.

And since WordVixen was a tee winner, I drew another name for that prize and it is MARGAY. Please e-mail at novelreads at g mail dot com as soon as possible with your snail mail addy and size.

The winner of my Speed Contest is ArkiRN. Also, since I have a couple of copies of the book, Cathy, you get one too. If you would both send me your snail mail addy, I'll get those in the mail.

And yes, Dumb A$$, is what Dumas stands for. My poor, cute, cuddly kitty! We were joking, because we absolutely adore cats at our house, but the first day we brought him in, he laid on one side of the food bowl to eat, spilled the water bowl and licked it off the floor, and scratched the wall instead of the litter. He is awfully cute, just not very bright LOL

Thanks all who took a guess! Later today I'll post a review, so check back!

Take Care

Shoots to Kill by Kate Collins

2008-07-30T13:43:00.001-05:00

Scroll down or click here for some important information on my last contest and for a speed contest. And now, on with it!

*Quick note: This review is done from an ARC, so the BCC or any other mentions may be slightly different from the official book*

Shoots to Kill by Kate Collins
(BCC)

Last I heard, being a five-foot-two, green-eyed redhead wasn't a crime. But that's precisely why I, Abby Knight, was yanked out of my Corvette by a state trooper, handcuffed, and thrown in jail.

This isn't your average case of mistaken identity.

Eight years ago Abby babysat Elizabeth Blume, a teen who seemed intent on making Abby's life miserable. Elizabeth imitated Abby's dress, pored over her diary, and sabotaged her love life. Now Elizabeth is back in New Chapel, and she soon adopts a new look: Abby's. Elizabeth, now going by Libby, copies Abby's entire life - she even drives a bright yellow car and opens a nearly identical shop. But when Libby comes between Abby and her boyfriend, Marco, imitation becomes the sincerest form of trouble, and that's before Abby is accused of murder. Is Abby's devious double the real killer? Or is there a more sinister suspect in town who's using them both to cover his evil crime?

Back in my d&D days, I "reviewed" (can I even say that's what I do?) two of the books in this series. Click here to read those first, and then come back for this! Go ahead. I'll wait.

Do you see a pattern in those posts? Ya know, kind of that I ADORE these books and Abby Knight? Or maybe you could see that I want to live in New Chapel and work in Bloomers? Or perhaps you noticed that I think Kate Collins ROCKS OUT LOUD?! Let me just say, all of that is true and even more so now that I've read the latest in this series!

Kate Collins has truly outdone herself in Shoots! You've all heard about identity theft, right? You know, when some one steals your social security number and ruins your credit while living high on the hog?

Well, forget identity theft. In Shoots, Abby is faced with the extreme version, which I have come to refer to as Life Theft. The last time Abby Knight saw Elizabeth Blume, she was an obnoxious pre-teen with a famous mother and slightly off-kilter wanna-be Army man brother. Elizabeth wasn't just the run-of-the-mill annoying that most of those kids we used to babysit for were. No, Elizabeth wormed her way into dinner at Abby's, Christmas and Birthday presents from the Knights, Abby's brothers refered to her as the other little sister, she read her diary - and wrote entries in it as Abby! - and broke into Abby's locker and humiliated her. Boy, was Abby ever glad to see the last of that brat.

But Elizabeth is back, and she wants a job at Bloomers. But when Abby says "NO Thanks" Elizabeth isn't quite happy. Before Abby can blink, Elizabeth is now Libby, driving a car like Abby's, hiring Marco, charming her dear friends and staff, stealing her mother's "art" from Abby's shop, and out and out making herself into a clone of Abby.

To Abby's dismay, she's the only one who sees it at first! When Abby loses her boyfriend (I nearly CRIED people, that is how close I feel to these characters!) and then gets arrested for murder - of Delphi Blume, Libby's super bitchy, uber famous mother, no less - she doesn't care if anybody believes her, because she knows that things have gone too far and it's time to act!

After all, Abby is great at righting the injustices of the world, it just so happens that this injustice happened to her! But, as Abby digs deeper and faces more danger, the questions mount, and this may just be the first time that justice is not served.

I'm telling you people, this book is by far THE BEST book in the series, and that's saying something, because The Flower Shop Mystery series is stellar. In the review for the last book in the series, I said this - I also don't know if I've just gotten really good, or if this mystery was an easy one to solve. I had it figured out really fast. Collins is good though, she almost had me changing my mind, and that was fun, but I stuck firm to my culprit and I was right. Well, mostly right, my motives were a bit off. - and I think Collins took it as a personal challenge, because I was guessing until the very end.

Filled with laugh out loud moments, an amazing mystery, fantastic sub-plot, and all the great people that live in New Chapel, SHOOTS TO KILL is one book you do not want to miss.

Cozy Mystery Fan? Clear your schedule and get thyself to the book store when they open August 5. You'll want your copy of this great book and you'll want to find a spot where you can read uninterrupted, trust me, this one is a page turner.

Never read cozy mysteries? Get thyself to the book store now so that you can buy the first books in this fabulous series. Then, no one will be able to stop you from waiting at the door on release day.

Take Care

P.S. While blog hopping, be sure to check out Kate's joint blog, The Cozy Chicks: Cozy Up To Some Killer Books , it's a great blog written by some great authors!

UPDATES And A Speed Contest

2008-07-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

OY! I have been completely overwhelmed lately! OVERWHELMED! First of all, apparently blogger has declared me public enemy No. 1, because all week-end I could not post. Work has me swamped, but my sitter is sick so I'm squeezing in a full days work into four hours. My alergies are insane right now. It's so flippin' hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. I seriously could go on, but then you'd quit reading.

Anyway, I am still waiting on the Grand Prize winner of the Angie Fox contest to contact me, so I haven't yet gone to the Post Office. Here's why, I am now calling LAST CALL, if I do not hear from the winner by tomorrow night, I will re-draw for the Big Prize. I am keeping the three tee-shirt winners in the draw, so if one of you happens to be drawn for the BIG prize, I'll draw another name for the tee. So, if you are LadyTink_534 , click here and send me your details by tomorrow night, or I have to draw a new name. Why tomorrow night? Simple, I'd like to go to the Post Office after work on Friday, and get ya'll your things! Brandy, I haven't forgotten your box either :)

And although things have been crazy insane lately, we have had some good things. One of which is the little guy at the top. That's Dumas, our newest kitty (that makes two). He's adorable, tiny and a cuddle bug. Some one had been a bit on the mean side to this little guy, because he had one side of his whiskers cut and his tail shaved! He was skin and bones when he found us, and now he's got a belly like you would not believe.

And in the spirit of the happiness Dumas has brought us, I'm offering you a chance to win a signed copy of Fantasyland by Michele Bardsley and some bookmarks. This is a speed contest, because I want to send this one out with the others on Friday.

The Details: The Hubs and I were in silly moods the night Dumas found us. We jokingly said we should name him Dumas after the kids had laid down for bed. The kids heard us say this (they should have been asleep) and the name Dumas stuck.

To WIN: Tell me what Dumas is short for. Remember it was a JOKE meant to be between only The Hubs and myself, and now our poor love-bug of a cat is stuck with it.

I'm also getting ready to post a review, so check back in a few to see if it's up!

Take Care

When Authors Completely Waste Your Time

2008-07-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

This post, believe it or not, is not a rant about bad writing. No, this post is about what can happen when you visit one of your favorite author's blog and end up playing away the rest of the afternoon, instead of you know, actually doing something constructive like writing or reading.

Today I got off work a little early because Bear was sick. I ended up blog surfing for a bit, and lo and behold I see this post on Jenny Crusie's Argh Ink blog. Well, what can I say, I had to play too. The next thing I knew, The Hubs was home and it was time to cook dinner (past time actually)! That iVillage Makeover , it is addictive.

First, you start off with a picture or yourself sans make-up and with your hair all slicked/pulled back. Here's mine:
Then the fun begins. You get to choose hairstyles from a selection of celebrity styles or from regular people styles and several shades of color. You also get to do your make-up (lips and eyes), can choose contacts, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and yes, even hats. The following are my three of the day:
and finally, me as a blonde, because everyone always said if I had blonde hair I'd look just like my younger sister (everyone was right):

And then, once we had our family swim, Miss Beautiful wanted in on the action too, here's my darling little diva:
It's amazing what difference hair cut and color make. That picture looks nothing like my beautiful little girl!

If you visit the site, have fun, but don't say I didn't warn ya about it being addicting. More reviewing tomorrow. I'm off to go get a few scenes ready for my crit partner.

Take Care

Midnight Brunch At Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta

2008-07-22T06:32:00.002-05:00

Blogger is still giving me pains whenever I try to post. I still have that stupid word verification showing before I hit publish. To solve this problem, they say I merely must hit the '?' beside the letters. There is no '?'. Sigh. Hopefully soon the problem will be fixed or I shall have to go all WordPress on their bottoms. On a better note though, our family has a new member. We found (or shall I say he found us) a new kitty. Just a tiny little thing that some one had obviously not been kind to. His whiskers had been cut on one side and so he walks off balance and part of his tail had been shaved off. However, he is a loving little thing and Mayhem our other kitty is slowly getting used to not being the only one. Good thing, because we all already love our new baby. But enough about me, let's talk books.

I have already reviewed the first book in this series and you can find it here. As you can see, I LOVED it and couldn't wait to read more. Well, Marta was kind enough to send me the book I'm getting ready to review today and an ARC for her third release The Bride of Casa Dracula. I read both in one day. Not one day each mind you. One day. I flippin' love this world that Acosta has created. I love it so much, in fact, that I want to share it. So closer to the release day, probably around the first of September, look forward to a Launch Party here at Novel Reads for The Bride! There will contests! There will be interviews! There will be a review! There will be fun! So mark your calendars and be sure to join in on all the fun.

Midnight Brunch at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
(BCC)

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO WHEN SHE DISCOVERS SHE'S THE MAIN COURSE ON THE MENU?

Hip, funny Milagro de los Santos thinks she's finally found love and a home at the California ranch of fabulous Oswald Grant and his urbane relatives, who have a rare genetic disorder that some call vapirism. But Milagro is bewildered when she's excluded from an ancient and mysterious midnight ceremony whose participants include Oswald's unfriendly parents, a creepy family elder, and Milagro's ex-lover, the powerful and decadent Ian Ducharme. What skeletons are the vampires keeping in their designer closets?

When Milagro's life is threatened by a rogue family member, she flees to teh desert to hide. Instead of solitude, she encounters an egomaniacal actor, a partying heiress, a sly tabloid reporter, and a lavish spa full of dark secrets - all of which might help her find her way home.

Milagro de los Santos, the miracle of the saints, is back in this second installment of the Casa Dracula series. Things have been going great in her little bit of the world. She's in love with Oswald. She loves his family and they love her. She's a new auntie (well, sort of), life on the ranch is peaceful, she's getting ready to go back to The City to attend her good friends wedding, and see Mercedes her best friend, yep, her life is good. That is until Oswald's parents show up, along with a bunch of other vampire family to celebrate the babies birth with a naming ceremony that she won't be able to attend. Oswald's parent's hate her, but there are some vampires who don't. Oh no, there are other vampires that covet her. Her blood that is. Since she is a rare survivor of the infection, and she came through it new and improved, it appears that Mil has become a target, not of the anti-vampire sect, but of the vampires themselves. There are some that believe her blood holds the answer to all their problems and they will do anything to get their hands, erm, mouths, on it.

Secrets abound, and Mil is sick of it. She wants to be included in the family ceremonies. She wants to know all about the genetic disorder that infected her, giving her strange cravings. But most of all, she wants to completely belong to the world of her new friends. She wants to completely belong with Oswald. But it is this very curiosity of their world that throws Mil into a dark and dangerous fight for her life. Where, if she's not careful, she could lose everything she's trying her hardest to be a part of.

But luck steps in just as Mil needs it and she is offered a job re-writing a script for a new movie. The production company pays for her to stay at an upscale spa in the desert while she works, and since she needs to run far away from those she loves and those that want her dead, Mil jumps at the chance to escape.

Soon, Milagro finds herself living with an aging ex-sex god of an actor, running around with a tabloid reporter/English teacher, partying with her new friend the heiress, and trying to figure out how to survive being drained to death by the vampires who seem to have their hand in everything, including this very upscale spa.

What can I say? This book was over way too fast for my tastes. I absolutely adore Milagro and the people that make up her life. Again, don't let the term vampire fool you. These aint your mamma's vamps. In fact, most of them don't even like to be referred to as such. They are simply people who have a rare genetic disorder.

Midnight Brunch has it all. Laughs, romance, mystery, friendships, and a fantastic fictional world you'll never want to leave. Acosta has found the perfect combination for all of the paranormal fans out there that wanted their vamps but wanted something different too. I'm telling you, I could not put it down, and know that these books will grace my keeper shelf, to be re-read and loved for many years.

Take Care

2008-07-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight! It's tonight! I'm SO excited about tonights movie on Nick! The Avatar: Sozin's Comet is TONIGHT! The whole family is so ready we're doing a countdown!

Novel Chats

2008-07-19T12:48:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday, which means it's time for another edition of Novel Chats. Some of the books I've read but not talked about here yet are part of a series, some are not. I hope you that if you've read some, you'll leave me a comment and let me know what you thought as well! Just a note, please forgive the fact that the pics are all over the place, Gooe Ole' Blooger, OOPS, I mean Blogger, won't let me copy and paste now to make them line up!

Real Vampires Live Large by Gerry Bartlett

What can I say? I LOVED this one. Glory is a hoot. Her world is amazingly believabel, and OH Baby does Blade every do it for me. With a great cast of characters, Bartlett is a fresh voice in the genre that will have readers craving more. I know I was left wanting more. And thanks to a great contest over on Darque Reviews, I got to read the next book too. I'll post a full length review on it soon! This one gets an A+

How To Knit A Wild Bikini by Christie Ridgway

Another book I adored. I have to admit, this is the first Ridgway I've read and I can't really explain why. Maybe because I'm not a fan of a certain Romance author's work, and I've always associated the two. I don't know why, because I see no evidence that they are even similar, but whatever. It was my loss. Because I absolutely LOVED this book. It made me smile. It made me FEEL. It made me want to learn how to knit! Ridgway has found her way into my TBR list from now on! This one gets an A.

Road To Hell by Jackie Kessler

I just didn't feel this one. I didn't really feel the first book in the series either, but in the end enjoyed the bits that made the whole. I guess I felt the same way about this one. I just don't care much for Jesse. I can't sympathize with her, and that makes the reading hard. It was worth the read because I'd read the first book, and I'll probably even read the next one. Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment when it comes to series books, what can I say. All and all, I have to give this one a C.

That's it for Novel Chat today. More next Saturday.

Take Care

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

2008-07-18T13:20:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the last few days of silence, but apparently blogger tagged me as a SPAM blog. I noticed the problem a couple of weeks ago, it suddenly was making me do word verification before I could post. And then, I went to log in and was unable to do anything. I've contacted blogger and now I can post, but I still have the stupid word verification. I think it started when I added their stupid blog feed. I've removed it and will do a regular blog roll instead. We'll see if that stops the problem. Until then, I'll continue to jump through their hoops and hope they come to their senses. ARGH! Anyway, Thanks to Random.org I now have the contest winners name to announce!

Three KISS MY ASPHALT t-shirts go to:

HEATHER HIESTAND
WORD VIXEN
LADYVAMPIRE2U

The Grand Prize Winner of a signed copy of THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER and a KISS MY ASPHALT t-shirt is:

LADYTINK_534

If you could all please send me your snail mail addy and t-shirt size, I'll make sure your prizes make it in the mail soon! Send the information to novelreads at gmail dot com. You know the drill. And now that business is taken care of..

(BCC) *Please note, this review is being done from an ARC, changes may have been made by time the actual book lands in your hands.

It's never a good day when an ancient demon shows up on your toilet. For Lizzie Brown, that's just the beginning. Soon her hyperactive terrier starts talking, and her long-lost biker-witch grandma is hurling Smucker's jars filled with magic. Just when she thinks she's seen it all, Lizzie learns she's a demon slayer - and all hell is after her.

Of course, that's not the only thing after her. Dimitri Kallinikos, a devastatingly handsome shape-shifting griffin, needs Lizzie to slay a demon of his own. But how do you talk a girl you've never met into going straight to the underworld? Lie. And if that doesn't work, how dangerous could a little seduction be...?

"Simple. You're a demon slayer. That means you're attracted to danger, problems, things that need to be fixed."

When I first heard about this book, I was thrilled. It sounded fun. It sounded sexy. It sounded loaded with danger. It sounded right up my alley. And boy, was I right! I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed Lizzie and her crazy world.

Imagine you're a pre-school teacher who can't even cuss right. Imagine you plan your life down to every detail. Now imagine you're turning 30. You're getting ready to go out to a great party, and you know it's great because YOU planned it. You'll finally have your shot at the hot guy from the gym, because he'll be there and you know this of course, because you invited him. You're almost ready when a knock at the door comes and low and behold, your long-lost grandma is at the door. You then find yourself locked in the bathroom while said grandma tries to do something, what you have no idea, and a demon shows up on your toilet.

Let's pretend for a moment that you are able to defeat said demon. Of course, then your grandma would want you to jump on her Harley and run for your life. Because you know what? This demon is only the beginning, and you have a bad, bad, fifth level demon on your tail. One who has a grudge against your entire family. One who wants you dead.

Then imagine that you finally meet the biker gang your grandma hangs with and find out that their are actually witches who think you are their only hope of slaying this awful demon once and for all. Then imagine, that you're supposed to be trained, but before that can happen, you make a HUGE mistake, your grandma is trapped in the first level of hell, her biker coven seems to have it out for you, a very sexy griffin that you don't exactly trust offers you his protection, a pack of werewolves you thought were allies turns out to want you dead, and your dog Pirate won't shut up. Oh yeah, and everyone you need to trust won't even tell you the whole story. Everyone has a secret, and the secrets could very well cost you your very safe, very stable life. Well, if you can imagine all of that, you've got a good picture of what Lizzie goes through in TADS.

From page one, Fox takes you on a ride that is non-stop action. I've heard the saying "whirlwind, wild ride" but I don't think I'd ever truly knew what that meant until I read this book. Lizzie is an amazingly real character, thrown into an amazingly believable paranormal world, where curses are kept in jelly jars, roadkill is a delicacy, and demons want your soul. It was refreshing to read a paranormal novel that had a heroine not obsessed with shoes/clothes (not that I don't enjoy those). It was wonderful to read a paranormal that showed real growth in the heroine. I can't wait to see where Lizzie will go from here!

Make sure your day is clear before cracking this one, trust me, once you pick it up you won't want to put it down!

I want to thank Angie for hanging with us this past week. I've had a ball and I hope everyone else has too!

Take Care