Saturday, May 31, 2008

Weekly Geeks - Week 6


This week’s theme is simple ~ Catch Up On Reviews Week


Since I usually post my review when I'm done reading the book, I'm going to use this week to catch up with the book I have to review for B&N First Look, as well as the books I've really wanted to read the past few weeks, but haven't had the time for.


Visit the rest of us geeks here and join the fun. Weekly Geeks. Don't forget to come back at the end of the week and post your wrap up of the week :)

Tempting Evil

Tempting Evil (Prison Break, Book 2) by Allison Brennan ~~ Joanna Sutton can cope with the fierce winter storm bearing down on the small rural community of Centennial Valley, Montana; the popular romance writer has survived much worse in life. Haunted by the loss of her husband and child, Jo has found refuge at her family’s secluded lodge, but her haven soon becomes a hell. During the ferocious blizzard, a local Boy Scout troop is stranded in the wilderness, compelling Jo to spearhead a desperate rescue mission, aided by a newly arrived stranger with an unknown agenda.Meanwhile, Sheriff Tyler McBride hears that three escaped convicts are fast approaching Big Sky Country. Hoping to warn Jo, he faxes over the men’s mug shots. But they never reach their intended recipient. Then Tyler makes a shocking discovery: Two people are dead, and a killer is among the group, along with the woman Tyler loves, searching for his lost son.More than one innocent life is at stake. For the sake of those Jo cares about most, and for her own survival, she’ll need all the cunning, courage, and passion she can muster to survive the mounting terror.


This is book two in the Prison Break series. Joanna Sutton has moved home to be with her sister and grandfather in the mountains after having lost her husband and son to murder 4 years earlier. She is struggling to admit her love for the county Sheriff, Tyler, for fear it will mean she has "forgotten" her husband and child. Meanwhile, three of the escaped convicts are heading toward Jo. One of which feels that Jo belongs to him and is the love of his life - also thinking the feeling is mutual. He loves Jo so much that he's even killed the man who took her family away from her. What ensues is a hunt through blizzard like conditions to stop this madman (and his partner) from killing more people, especially Tyler and Jo. How are they going to stop this psychopath?? Ms Brennan has the knack for pulling you in from page one and keeps you turning the pages well into the night, until you finish. In the midst of death, desperation and secrets being told - new love is found! A

Winner - May Pay It Forward Book Exchange :)

We have a winner :) My handy dandy Randomizer picked # 15 ~

15. Lenore

Congrats to Lenore. Please get in touch with me with your mailing addy so I can get the books out to you on Monday. Please let me know when you "pay it forward" :)

I'll be starting June's Pay It Forward Exchange either Sunday or Monday, so keep your eyes out. I've got 3 brand new books to offer. Depending on the number of sign ups, one person may win all :) Or we may have 3 winners.



Friday, May 30, 2008

Read-A-Thon


What is the 24 Hour Read-a-thon?


It’s sort of a reading challenge, only everyone participates at the same time. For 24 hours, we read books, post in our blogs about our reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day.


June 28th, starting at 9am Pacific DST.


Since I have my niece's baby naming on the 29th, I can't actually participate in the read-a-thon this year (bummer!) BUT I am going to be a cheerleader for those of you that do sign up. We'd love to see you there. Click on the picture above to get to the site of the Read-a-Thon. Make sure to also click here Read-A-Thon Page for all the info. Have fun everyone. I'll be "cheering" from the sidelines :)

TAGGED!

I was tagged by Shhh I'm Reading for an author meme.

1. Who’s your all-time favorite author, and why? Too many to list: Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, James Patterson, Lee Child, Brian Freeman, James Grippando, Andrea Kane.......

2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites? From when I really started reading? Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts. I was really into romance at first.

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why? Jordan Dane - she's new to the mystery/thriller genre and I love her books. Cozy authors too. I just found this genre about a year ago and I've got a lot of catching up to do!

4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection? Same as above. Also ~ Hunter Morgan, Allison Brennan, Rick Mofina

Friday Fill Ins


1. For me laziness is the opposite of creativity.

2. Do I have to pick one? was the last excellent book I read.

3. I like fill-ins because they'r fun and make me think.

4. In nature I like looking at sunrises & sunsets.

5. I haven't decided yet who should win the US elections.

6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was last week with my 2 1/2 year old neice.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to starting a new book, tomorrow my plans include reading and sleeping and Sunday, I have to go to my cousins birthday party and then I'm doing more reading and sleeping ;)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

No One You Know

REVIEW : No One You Know by Michelle Richmond ~~ All her life Ellie Enderlin had been known as Lila’s sister. Until one day, without warning, the shape of their family changed forever. Twenty years ago, Lila, a top math student at Stanford, was murdered in a crime that was never solved. In the aftermath of her sister’s death, Ellie entrusted her most intimate feelings to a man who turned the story into a bestselling true crime book—a book that both devastated her family and identified one of Lila’s professors as the killer.Decades later, two Americans meet in a remote village in Nicaragua. Ellie is now a professional coffee buyer, an inveterate traveler and incapable of trust. Peter is a ruined academic. And their meeting is not by chance. As rain beats down on the steaming rooftops of the village, Peter leaves Ellie with a gift—the notebook that Lila carried everywhere, a piece of evidence not found with her body. Stunned, Ellie will return home to San Francisco to explore the mysteries of Lila’s notebook, filled with mathematical equations, and begin a search that has been waiting for her all these years. It will lead her to a hundred-year-old mathematical puzzle, to a lover no one knew Lila had, to the motives and fate of the man who profited from their family’s anguish—and to the deepest secrets even sisters keep from each other. As she connects with people whose lives unknowingly swirled around her own, Ellie will confront a series of startling revelations—from the eloquent truths of numbers to confessions of love, pain and loss.A novel about the stories and lies that strangers, lovers and families tell—and the secrets we keep even from ourselves.

When her sister is murdered, Ellie thinks life will never be the same again. Especially since Lila was the "good" child. The one who excelled. But eventually Ellie's heart began to heal and she made a life for herself as a coffee buyer. On one of her coffee trips she randomly runs into the person everyone thought was responsible for her sisters death - even though there was no concrete proof - and based info in a book that a "friend" of Lila & Ellie's had written. While searching for the truth about her sister's death Ellie finds out that not everyone is what they seem and not all the stories that they tell are the truth. While most of the math explanations (Lila was a math prodigy) can be confusing at times, the author does an excellent job of explainging them in "plain english". And they all seem to have something to do with an aspect of the story that is being told. An emotional novel that grabs you from the start and keeps a hold of your heart until the truth is finally revealed. A



Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mercy Street


Mercy Street: A Novel by Mariah Stewart ~ On a balmy spring evening, four high school seniors–three boys and a girl–enter a park in the small Pennsylvania city of Conroy. The next morning, two of the boys are found shot to death, and the girl and the third boy are gone. After three weeks with no leads and no sign of either of the two missing teenagers, the chief of police begins to wonder if they too were victims. But with no other suspects, the authorities conclude that one of these kids was the shooter.The missing boy’s grandmother, a secretary at the local parish church, maintains his innocence. On her behalf, the parish priest, Father Kevin Burch, hires former detective Mallory Russo as a private investigator to figure out what happened in the park that night. Mallory had ended her nine-year stint with the Conroy police force some time ago after becoming a target of a smear campaign. Now a true-crime author, Mallory is surprised to receive the priest’s offer–and highly intrigued by the case. She can’t help but accept the challenge–especially when she learns that her investigation will be financed by Father Burch’s cousin the reclusive billionaire Robert Magellan, a man whose own wife and infant son disappeared without a trace a year ago, a man who understands the heartache of not knowing what happened to a loved one. Detective Charlie Wanamaker is facing another sort of tragedy. He fled Conroy years ago with no plans to return to what he considered a dying factory town–until a family emergency brought him back. Finding the situation much worse than he’d thought, he trades his job as a big-city detective for one with the Conroy police department. Assigned to the park shooting case, Charlie quickly realizes that the initial investigation left a lot of questions unanswered. Unofficially, he teams up with Mallory to uncover the truth and find the two kids, dead or alive. What Charlie and Mallory discover will take them down a twisted path that leads to an old unsolved murder–and justice for a killer with a heart of stone.


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Buy A Friend A Book (BAFAB)


I completely missed this last time so I'm glad I caught a post about it now. July will be here before we know it and this time we don't want to miss out!


The Good Stuff

The winner will receive the book of their choice up to a $30 value.

Or, if you'd like a $30 certificate from Amazon


The Details

1. Not limited to Book Blog members in the U.S. I know Amazon has UK and Canadian stores so things should go smoothly there. If the winner lives outside the US, UK, or Canada we will work out the details.


2. Stop by this blog post and leave a comment with your name (first name only is fine), Book Blog ID (so that I know I have right person!) and your selected book title.


3. Entry deadline is June 30th. I will annouce the winner the 1st week of July. I will draw a random winner from all entries received. I promise this will be fair as I'm going to use Random.org


4. I believe in sharing the wealth so if you'd like take what you want from this post and share with other readers.


5. If you'd like to know more about BAFAB check out: Buy A Friend A Book

Ta Da Tuesday



If I could go on a dream vacation, it would be to a deserted island
My 3 favourite things to do are: sleeping, reading and my nieces
If I could change the world, I would start by filling it with happiness

Monday, May 26, 2008

The Mournful Teddy


The Mournful Teddy (Berkley Prime Crime Mysteries) by John J. Lamb ~~ Bradley Lyon spent twenty-five years with the San Francisco Police Department until a murder suspect shot a bullet into his fibula and tibia in Ghirardelli Square, which led to three things. His disability retirement he and his wife of over a quarter of a century Ashleigh returning to her hometown in Remmelkemp Mill, Virginia and his aversion to hot chocolate. --- Ash collects and creates teddy bears. She enjoys attending the conventions and has an entry, Miss Susannah S. Seraphim in the nearby Shenandoah Valley Teddy bear Extravaganza. The highlight of the gala is the auctioning of the renowned Mourning Bear made in 1912 to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic with a short run of 655 thus its value is tagged at $150,000 or more. However, the pleasant trip is interrupted when their canine Kitch finds the corpse of a murder victim in the nearby river. Without seeing the body, Sheriff Holcombe rules death by accidental drowning or suicide, infuriating the cop resting inside Bradley’s brain s he knows a strangled victim when he sees one. Unable to stay out in spite of warnings to mind his business or else, Bradley begins making inquiries that tie the victim to the Mourning Bear.



Sunday, May 25, 2008

Pointe and Shoot



Pointe and Shoot (Jenny T. Partridge Dance Mysteries, No. 3) by Natalie M. Roberts ~~ Studio owner Jenny needs her girls to win the Ultimate Dancer Championship—and the prize money—to expand her business. But first she’ll have to do some fancy footwork to stay alive.



Poor Jenny can't seem to stay out of trouble. She's hoping and praying her girls win teh UDC so that, with the prize money, she can open up a dance store inside her studio. Finally earning her enough to stop eating Ramen noodles for dinner every night. But once again, someone wants Jenny dead. Her boyfriend/detective Tate will do whatever it takes to protect her from the mysterious person in the grey Hummer. Could it be a psycho dancer mom? A friend? Or someone in the dancing world?? Can she handle the ultimate betrayal?

Murder on Marble Row

Murder on Marble Row (A Gaslight Mystery) by Victoria Thompson ~~ Thompson transports readers back to New York City at the turn of the century in her sixth Gaslight Mystery. Wealthy industrialist Gregory Van Dyke dies when a bomb explodes in his office. When Detective Sergeant Frank Molloy arrives at Van Dyke's home to investigate, he finds Sarah Brandt, a widowed midwife from an upper-class family, already there. The two have worked together on other cases, but Molloy swore that he would never see her again because he knows that the rigid social hierarchy prevents the expression of his true feelings. Sarah, on the other hand, is delighted to be involved in another investigation and puts her social connections to good use. As Molloy learns, there are plenty of dark secrets and as many suspects on Fifth Avenue as there are in the tenements.




Once again Sarah and Frank are thrown together to solve a murder. This time Frank is investigating by special request of Teddy (Roosevelt that is). When a wealthy friend of the family is murdered, it's up to Sarah and Frank to figure out who is responsible. Is it the prodigal son who left the home? The daughter who is secretly pregnant? The younger wife who cheated? Or none of the above? Ms. Thompson does a terrific job of making you feel like you're right there in 19th Century New York with Sarah, Frank and the rest of the regular characters. I've always been a huge fan of this series and I think this is the best one to date. A+



Saturday, May 24, 2008

Round 2 - This Book For Free

Shoshana has added a second round to her free book giveaway. How generous can she be??

I'd love the chance to win the new Lee Child book - so I'd love it if you'd come and vote for me ;) I would greatly appreciate all of the votes I can get. And you never know - you must just see it in a future Pay it Forward Book Exchange :)



There is no shame in my game ~~ come vote for me!!!!!

Free Book Giveaway Contest


Free Book Giveaway Contest ~ Bookshipper (Tina) is giving away an ARC of The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro. Come check it out and enter for a free book ;)
Tantalizing words written on an ivory card. It is the first clue that will lead an intrigued and intriguing London lady on an odyssey of sensual experience designed to awaken her romantic nature.
Out-of-work actor Hughie Venables-Smythe has found a profitable new outlet for his talents. He is hired, often by distraught husbands, to flirt with wives who are feeling neglected in their relationships. His current seductive campaign is focused on Olivia, the spouse of a narcissistic billionaire, and the lady is responding quite nicely to the cream-colored missives he secretly leaves for her. So nicely, in fact, that Hughie decides to employ a similar technique—and shockingly similar messages—in his pursuit of his own heart’s desire: the aloof and charming lingerie designer, Leticia. But the canny, professional flirt’s brazen anonymous intrusions into the lives of two women are about to set in motion a series of remarkable events that no one could have anticipated—setting the stage for shocking revelations about love, friendship, and domestic bliss.

Book Giveaway


"Booklogged" is giving away a copy of Did I Expect Angels by Katheryn Maughn. Come visit the site and sign up for a chance to win :)
Jennifer Huffaker knows that grief is normal, but she thought she’d get over it—that’s what people do. But it’s been eighteen months since her husband Jack died, and she still can’t focus on her young daughter Kaitlin, can’t accept support from her family, and can’t allow herself to live without the love of her life. Jennifer is angry at everything and everyone—including herself for being so unprepared. But what did she expect? Angels?
On the day after Christmas her anguish finally becomes too much, and Jennifer’s pain culminates in a shattering decision. But this is also the night she runs into Henry, an elderly friend from Costa Rica who has seen more of life’s trials than anyone could know. Henry realizes the devastating depths to which Jennifer has sunk, and he decides that tonight is the night to tell her his story.
Touching and incisive, poignant, and sometimes bitingly funny, both Jennifer’s and Henry’s stories intermingle into a tale of love, despair, faith and, ultimately, hope, as Jennifer realizes she has been blessed with the most unexpected angel of all …

Friday, May 23, 2008


1. On my laziest day I like to sleep and read!
2. Making collection calls makes me feel like I'm being productive.
3. I love little kids and big smiles.
4. This summer I want to relax.
5. My PBS friends made me start my blog.
6. Red is hot and orange is juicy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching some tv, tomorrow my plans include a waxing and a pedicure and Sunday & Monday , I want to read, sleep, read, sleep, read and sleep some more !

The Dollmaker


The Dollmaker by Amanda Stevens ~~ And now a new clue has surfaced...a doll that is the spitting image of Claire Doucett's missing child, right down to the tiny birthmark on the girl's left arm. A chance sighting of the eerily lifelike doll in a French Quarter collectibles shop leaves Claire shaken to her core...and more determined than ever to find out what happened to her beloved Ruby.
When the doll is snatched and the store's owner turns up dead, Claire knows the only person she can turn to is ex-husband Dave Creasy, a former cop who has spent the past seven years imprisoned by his own guilt and despair. He let Claire down once when she needed him the most. Can she make him believe the doll really exists? She'll have to if they're to survive an encounter with a brutal psychopath— the dollmaker—who stole their future to feed an obsession that will never die.

Seven years ago a little girl names Ruby is kidnapped. Around the same time a stripper is murdered. And today, another dancer disappears. What brings them all together?? Claire happens to be shopping with her sister when she spots a doll in a window that looks exactly like her daughter Ruby, right down to the pink dress she was wearing when she disappers. No one believes Claire when she descirbes the likeness, and everyone wants her to let it go all ready, including her soon to be ex-husband. Clair's first husband Dave is also back on the scene -asked to investigate the disappearance of the dancer. Now a PI, Dave used to be a cop. Until his daughters kidnapping turned hin into a raging drunk. Now sober, he vows to find the truth. While the murderer of the first stripper and the "dollmaker" are revealed early on, this is more of a story of secrets, lies and finding your way back to the ones you love. While I really enjoyed this book, I didn't find it 'thrilling". Then again -I don't find Silence of the Lambs to be a scary movie either! A-

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Books vs Movies


Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?
I'm a book girl all the way. I love to get into all of the fine details of a book. Movies leave so much of that out. I usually don't watch the movie at all. I'm too afraid I'll spend the whole movie comparing it to the book.

New Contest at Books For Free!



You've got to check out this blog ~ This Book for Free . She's given away a lot of books already. And the contest she hosts is SO FUN! You can win the not-yet-released book from your favorite author! Here are the rules ~~


1. Blog about a book written by one of your favorite authors. Tell us why you like it, what’s good about it, and your favorite parts. Make sure to post my button/banner in the post, or mention about this game in your post.
2. If you have no blog, you can post about it in a bulletin/message board of your choice. Leave the link in the comment form below.
3. Mention this site at http://thisbookforfree.com/.
4. Paste one of my buttons from the sidebar. (if you have questions about pasting buttons, please email me, or click on contact me at my navigation bar.)
5. Leave your comment with a link to your specific post to be eligible to win.
6. You can post more than once, about different authors, if you have more than one blog. (But only one blog post per blog).
************************************************************************************
I'd love to win Nothing to Lose by Lee Child due out on June 3rd. This is the 12th book in the Jack Reacher series.
I've always been a huge fan of this series and have read every single one. This author is on my "must by the day it comes out" list as I can't wait to see what drifter and ex-military cop Jack (think Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne) gets into with each new book. Hard to believe, but each book is better than the one befor it. And I just found out that each one has been optioned as a motion picture movie. That would be awesome!!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Clubbed to Death

Clubbed to Death: A Dead-End Job Mystery by Elaine Viets ~~ Helen Hawthorne’s latest dead-end job is in a country club’s complaint department, dealing with the gripes of the rich and spoiled. Then Rob, her deadbeat ex-husband, sails back into her life aboard the yacht of his new lady, Marcella—known as the Black Widow for her string of dead spouses. The next day Rob’s reported missing. If the Black Widow has such a murderous reputation, then why is Helen led from the club in handcuffs?When Marcella helps Helen get released, the two form an uneasy alliance to find out what really happened. Helen’s barely begun digging when a club patron is discovered beaten to death with a golf club —his membership permanently expired. Someone got more than a little teed off and it’s up to Helen to get to the truth—without getting clubbed herself…



Another cute addition to the series. This time Helen is working at an exclusive country club where her husband and new wife are members. People start dying, others are getting robbed, and Helen's ex has disappeared. It's up to her to find him (how ironici since she's been running FROM him) and clear his name. Not one of my faves in the series - but a solid outing. B+

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesday Thingers






This week's topic: Discussion groups. Do you belong to any (besides Early Reviewers)? Approximately how many? Are there any in particular that you participate in more avidly? How often do you check?

My answer ~~ I've just started joining groups so I'm exploring and adding as I go :)

  • On Library Thing ~ Early Reviewers, B&N First Look, Bloggers, Book Reviewrs
  • On Shelfari ~ Paperback Swap, What Are You Reading?, Play Book Tag, Good Reads, Crime Thriller & Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers, Mystery, New Releases
  • Readers Anonymous.Com
  • Yahoo Groups ~ Cozy Mystery Corner, Cozy Discussion, Cozy First Mysteries

What's your pleasure?

Monday, May 19, 2008

Twenty Wishes

Twenty Wishes (A Blossom Street Book #4) by Debbie Macomber ~~ Macomber returns to Seattle's fictional Blossom Street of A Good Yarn (and others) for a hopeful tale of four widows who meet at 38-year-old Anne Marie Roche's bookstore. Separated from her husband after he refused to have a baby with her, Anne Marie felt certain they would reconcile until he suddenly died. Lillie Higgins lost her husband in the same plane crash that claimed the husband of their daughter, Barbie Foster. Elise Beaumont entered widowhood after cancer claimed her husband. Together, the four make life-fulfillment wish lists. With Elise's prodding, Anne Marie decides to fulfill one of her wishes do good for someone else and becomes a lunch buddy to an at-risk third grader. Anne Marie, meanwhile, must deal with the reappearance of her adult stepdaughter, Melissa, who always held her in disdain. Elise mainly serves as a catalyst for Anne Marie's journey, but there is plenty of focus on Lillian and Barbie, who find purpose in unexpected and difficult relationships.


Four widows gather at Anne Marie's bookstore to "celebrate" Valentine's Day. Each one of them continues to mourn the husbands that they lost. Each one is looking for something special in their lives - something they don't think is possible since they feel they'll never love again. The women decide to each start a list of "Twenty Wishes". Things that they would like to accomplish. And each one has "fall in love/find somone special" on their lists. Ms. Macomber takes you along as each of these women try and find that one thing they are missing. You're right there with them as they find new love, connect with people they never thought they'd have a relationship with and find the one thing that they're missing - that some one special. For some, it's a new love and for others it's the one thing they've been hoping and praying for all their lives. You will laugh and cry as you read this, because you're going to feel as if you stepped into the pages of the book and are right there with each one of them. A+

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Scream for Me

Scream for Me by Karen Rose ~~ For her exciting debut in hardcover, New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose delivers a heart-stopping suspense novel that picks up where DIE FOR ME left off, with a detective determined to track down a brutal murderer.Special Agent Daniel Vartanian has sworn to find the perpetrator of multiple killings that mimic a 13-year-old murder linked to a collection of photographs that belonged to his brother, Simon, the ruthless serial killer who met his demise in DIE FOR ME. Daniel is certain that someone even more depraved than his brother committed these crimes, and he's determined to bring the current murderer to justice and solve the mysterious crime from years ago. With only a handful of images as a lead, Daniel's search will lead him back through the dark past of his own family, and into the realm of a mind more sinister than he could ever imagine. But his quest will also draw him to Alex Fallon, a beautiful nurse whose troubled past reflects his own. As Daniel becomes attached to Alex, he discovers that she is also the object of the obsessed murderer. Soon, he will not only be racing to discover the identity of this macabre criminal, but also to save the life of the woman he has begun to love.


Once again Karen Rose has done it - she grabs you from page one and doesn't let go until the very last sentence. Scream For Me continues where Die For Me left off. Daniel is still reeling from the deaths of his parents, at the hand of his brother, and the knowledge that his brother was a serial killer. Unfortunately the story doesn't end there. Just returning to work at the GBI after the burial of his parents, Daniel is drawn into a new case that has ties to his brother and a group of evil men. Alex Fallon is an ER nurse who becomes involved in the case when she gets a call her step-sister has gone missing and abandonded her child. Alex goes to her old hometown to care for the child and to find her sister. Alex struggles with going home, since 13 years earlier her identical twin sister was raped and murdered and she hasn't been back since. But she knows her niece needs her and she is desperate to find her sister. Little does Alex know that she is now the target of this new serial killer - who is killing people in the exact same manner as her sister was killed. Daniel & Alex both struggle to overcome their past while trying to save her life. And in the meantime, grow closer :) There are so many twists and turns in this book that you'll feel like you're on the most fantastic roller coaster ride of your life. You'll stay up late into the night to find out how it ends. I've always been a huge Karen Rose fan, and for me - this is her best to date! A+

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Booking Through Thursday



Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not? Only if I can't figure it out myself.
Do you ever read manuals? Not usually
How-to books? Nope
Self-help guides? Never
Anything at all? There is always a book nearby!

By Reason of Insanity

By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer ~~ After a series of kidnappings and murders in Virginia Beach, newspaper reporter Catherine O'Rourke experiences disturbing dreams that detail each crime. In an effort to aid the investigation, she shares them with her confidential source--a detective working on the case. Catherine's intimate knowledge of the crimes immediately makes her a prime suspect. When scientific evidence corroborates her guilt, she's arrested and charged with murder. As she begins to doubt her own innocence, Catherine turns to Las Vegas lawyer Quinn Newberg, a high-priced specialist in the insanity defense. Quinn believes in justice, Vegas-style. But he doesn't believe in the supernatural, or that Catherine's dreams are anything other than the result of a fractured personality disorder. Who can understand the human mind? Quinn knows that insanity cases are unpredictable, but nothing had prepared him for this! To win, or even survive, Quinn will need more than his famed legal maneuvering and biting skepticism. On this case, he needs a miracle.


Quinn Newberg, a Vegas lawyer, used to defend white collar crimes. Until someone dear to him was accused of murder. Now he's fighting for the insanity defense to get his client off. In the middle of this trial he's brought into the case of Cat O'Rourke - a newspaper reporter who was covering Quinn's trial. Now Cat is on trial for her life. While covering a another story, not only does Cat get fed confidential information, but she also starts having visions of the murder. Unfortunately the police think she is the culpit and arrest her for the murder. Is Cat a murderer, insane or a damn good actress or did she not even do it??? There are so many twists and turns in this story that you'll never see the end coming at you. A

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Last Time I Was Me

The Last Time I Was Me by Cathy Lamb ~~ I wrapped up my grandmother's tea cup collection and my mother's china, then grabbed a violin I'd hidden way back in my closet that made me cry, a gold necklace with a dolphin that my father gave me two weeks before he died of a heart attack when I was twelve and, at midnight, with that moon as bright as the blazes, I left Chicago. When Jeanne Stewart stops at The Opera Man's Cafe in Weltana, Oregon, to eat pancakes for the first time in twelve years, she has no idea she's also about to order up a whole new future. It's been barely a week since she succumbed to a spectacularly public nervous breakdown in front of hundreds of the nation's most important advertising and PR people. Jeanne certainly had her reasons--her mother's recent death, the discovery that her boyfriend had been sleeping with a dozen other women, and the assault charges that resulted when Jeanne retaliated in a creative way against him, involving condoms and peanut oil. Now, en route to her brother's house in Portland, Jeanne impulsively decides to spend some time in picturesque Weltana. Staying at a B&B run by the eccentric, endearing Rosvita, she meets a circle of quirky new friends at her court-ordered Anger Management classes. Like Jeanne, all of them are trying to become better, braver versions of themselves. Yet the most surprising discoveries are still to come--a good man who steadily makes his way into her heart and a dilapidated house that with love and care might be transformed into something wholly her own, just like the new life she is slowly building, piece by piece. As heartfelt as it is hilarious, The Last Time I Was Me is a warm, wise novel about breaking down, opening up, and finally letting go of everything we thought we should be, in order to claim the life that has been waiting all along

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Takeover

Takeover by Lisa Black ~~ Forensics scientist Theresa MacLean is at the scene of a grisly murder when she gets the word that her fiance has been taken hostage in a bank robbery, along with seven others. She rushes to the scene where Cleveland's best hostage negotiator has been brought in. The handsome, high–profile Chris Cavanaugh hasn't lost a victim yet, but Theresa wonders if he might be too full of himself to save the day this time around. Not sure she can trust Cavanaugh, she seizes an opportunity to trade herself for her injured fiancĂ© as a hostage. Theresa is inside the bank with her life in danger and must use all her training and skills to figure out what really is happening. Yet, even she is astonished at the final outcome. (LT - early reviewer)


Make sure you have a full day to devote to this book, because it will takeover your time. From the first page to the last. When Theresa MacLean, forensic investigator, met the two detectives (one her cousin and the other her fiance) at the scene where a dead man has been found, no one had a clue of the trouble that lay ahead. They had know way of knowing that the death of the man they were investigating was connected to the robbery of the Federal Reserve! Paul goes to the bank to talk with the manager regarding the murder of his employee, only to be taken hostage with several others by the bank robbers. Luckily the robbers do not know Paul is a cop, until something happens that makes him shoot at them. In return, Paul is wounded. Can Theresa trust negotiator Chris Cavanuagh to save her fiance, or does she need to take matters in her own hands??? This is exactly what she does. She trades her life for Paul's. And in the mean time tries to figure out if this is just a normal bank robbery, is it an inside job - or is there something more sinister going on! Will Chris keep is perfect record of getting everyone out alive? This action packed thriller will keep you turning the pages deep into the night as secrets are revealed and time begins to run out. A little innuendo at the end will leave the reader hoping the author writes more featuring these great characters. A+

Monday, May 5, 2008

May ~ Pay It Forward Book Exchange


Welcome to my first Pay it Forward Book Exchange.


Since this is my first giveaway I thougth I'd get started with a BANG. One lucky person will win 5 brand new books :) Sign ups end on May 30th and the winner will be announced on May 31st.



What Looks Like Crazy by Charlotte Hughes
Dying Breath by Wendy Corsi Staub
The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner



If you'd like to win these books, here is what you must do:


1. On your blog, write a post about this giveaway, using my "Pay it Foward" button, and then link back to my post. I am sure your readers would appreciate learning about the chance to win a book. You must complete this step to be put in the drawing, unless of course you don't have a blog ;)


2. Sign the Mr Linky (the Mr Linky is that list of name at the end of this post - just type your name in the box) with your name and specific URL of your Pay it Foward post. Note, if you are not a blogger, you may still enter to win. Just sign your name on the Mr. Linky without a URL and then email me (lori @ frandanbolt dot com) your contact information. Please note on your email that it is for the Pay It Forward Book Giveaway.


3. If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway and you have your own blog I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book). If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive. If you're a non-blogger who has won the book, please consider donating the book to your local library or shelter after you're done with it.


4. If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time this month, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let me know so I can publish a post on my blog plugging your giveaway and directing my readers your way!

Make sure to visit Overwhelmed with Joy for other Pay it Forward giveaways.

If you have any books that you'd like to Pay It Forward yourself this month, please leave a comment below and I'll link you in this post.


Saturday, May 3, 2008

No One Left To Tell


No One Left To Tell by Jordan Dane ~~ A Dark Message
The body of a brutally slain man is found on the holy grounds of a chapel, and a cryptic message pinned to his chest unravels the lives of people touched by a dark secret. Detective Raven Mackenzie and her partner uncover the dead man's connection to a powerful female crime boss, leading them to her mysterious head of security, Christian Delacorte, who soon becomes the prime suspect.
Triggers His Nightmares
Yet when Raven sifts through Christian's past, she discovers the man is plagued by deeply rooted nightmares—and a shadowy childhood tragedy linking him to the case. Convinced his past holds the key to finding the real killer, she defies her partner, following her gut instincts and trusting her undeniable bond with Christian.
And Arouses a Killer
But Raven shares her own date with destiny when she crosses paths with a heartless killer. And when he unleashes his rage, there will be no one left to tell.