Monday, March 29, 2010

Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter

Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter

My Rating: 9*'s

Description: I'm Jackie Laurens and eighteen months ago if you looked at my life on paper, you'd think it was fabulous: gorgeous husband, Daniel, twelve years of marriage, two kids, big house. The not-so-good part? I discovered Daniel was having an affair.

Playful and smart, a coming-of-middle-age story of a woman not ready to give up on love and life.

He got the second home and the Porsche. She got the kids and a broken heart. Now, Jackie, post-divorce and heading toward the big four-oh, is on vacation in sunny Hawaii and staring down her upcoming birthday --- alone. But not for long. She's soon falling for Kai, her gorgeous, much younger surf instructor, and the wild passionate fling they have becomes the the biggest surprise of Jackie's life.

Back home in Seattle, Jackie has to struggle with single parenthood ... and memories of Kai. He hasn't forgotten her. Yet thousands of miles of ocean --- not to mention an age difference that feels even wider --- separate them. And, of course, her friends disapprove. When a choice must be made, can she, will she risk everything for her chance at happiness?

My Thoughts: Very enjoyable story of a newly single mom who finds herself on holiday in Hawaii alone for her fortieth birthday. Surfing lessons and a flirtation with the sexy surf instructor ignites sparks she doesn't anticipate and she finds her life changes in ways she never expected.

I really liked Jackie and found her to be an easy character to relate to. There were major similarities in Jackie's life to mine that I found a little un-nerving but the story was very easy to get into.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Creation In Death by J.D. Robb

Creation In Death by J.D. Robb

My Rating: 10 *'s

Description: Eve has seen this crime scene before: the artfully arranged body of a young brunette, arms spread, palms up, body marked by the signs of prolonged and painful torture. Carved into her torso is the time it took her to die - in hours, minutes, and seconds. And on the third finger of her left hand has been placed a silver ring.

Eve is catapulted back to a case nine years earlier, when a man whom the media tagged “The Groom” put the city on edge with a killing spree that took the lives of four women in fifteen days. Eve and her partner Feeney, her friend and mentor, couldn't stop him before he disappeared, only to resurface in other parts of the world to kill and kill again. But now The Groom seems to have come back to where he started.

When it turns out that The Groom's most recent victim was employed by Eve's billionaire husband, Roarke, she brings him onto the case. A move that proves fitting when it becomes chillingly clear that the killer has made it personal. The corpse was washed in products from a store Roarke owns and laid out on a sheet his company manufactures. With the Groom's monstrous return, Eve is determined to finish him once and for all. Familiar with his methods, she knows that he has already grabbed his next victim.

But his sights are set on the biggest challenge of his illustrious career - an abduction that will test his skills and that promises to give him satisfaction as he's never known. Time is running out on another woman's life…and for Eve.

My Thoughts: I don't think I will ever get tired of this series. With each installment, the reader is given a different view into the characters that keeps us coming back for more.

I enjoyed how this case is one from the past that brings back old resentments and frustrations and a side of Captain Feeney is revealed that I haven't seen before.

Eve and her team take on the bad guy with their usual tenacious determination that fans of this series enjoy and expect. I am getting close to the end of the series and am wondering what I am going to do when I am caught up and between books.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

New Additions To The TBR Pile in February

Some interesting titles made their way into my home last month...

The Diva's Guide To Selling Your Soul by Kathleen O'Reilly

Description: She's the talk of the town....

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful . . .

Call me V. I used to be a nobody, just a girl from New Jersey who was probably going to hell anyway-or worse, mediocrity and a size 14. Now I get whatever I desire just by casting a little spell . . . a flawless body, a luxury penthouse, and a Fifth Avenue shop where rich women clamor for my overpriced handbags. Even better, I have power. I can taunt my ex-husband, break hearts without guilt, and love every minute of it. My secret? I lost the one thing I never needed in the first place: my soul. I sold it. And you'll never guess who's got it now.

She's a devil in disguise.

You know her as the dishiest gossip columnist in the city's trashiest tabloid. I call her Lucy. And our deal is this: the more clients I recruit for her Life Enrichment Program, the greater my rewards. But just between us, my fast track to heartless apathy has hit a few speed bumps --- lately, I've had the totally annoying impulse to do things that are...good. First there was rescuing a kid in the park. Then there was that date with the handsome, decent guy who wasn't even a celebrity. What's next, giving to charity or something? All I know is Lucy doesn't like it, not one little bit. And when she finds out, there will be hell to pay....


Pick Your Poison by Leann Sweeney

Description: Out of school, out of work, and out of motivation, Abby Rose is contemplating her life and wondering what to do next. It's the kind of situation that would get some girls down, but luckily Abby's got a heart the size of Texas-and a bank account to match.

When Abby discovers her gardener, Ben, dead in the greenhouse one afternoon, the emptiness of her own life hits her like a glass of ice-cold Texas tea. Ever since her father died, she's been mooning around the pool, making herself as useful as a june bug on a daisy. When the sexy detective from the Houston P.D. tells her it was poison that killed Ben, Abby realizes what she needs to do with herself: solve a murder. Little does she suspect that the answers to her questions about Ben's death will unlock secrets about her own past --- and might change her entire future....


Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armsrong, et al

Description: You're invited to a celebration of vampires by a bakers' dozen of favorite authors. Sink your teeth into thirteen all-new, never-before-published stories, each one a fresh and unique take on the concept of what birthdays mean to the undead.

In New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris's "Dracula Night," Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula's birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present.

New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher's crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in "It's My Birthday Too," only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don't share their brotherly love.

In "Twilight," Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's Dime Store Magic, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt.

National bestselling author P.N. Elrod's hard-boiled vampire PI Jack Fleming, from The Vampire Files, infiltrates a suspicious seance on the eve of the dearly departed's birthday in "Grave-Robbed."

And in award-winning author Toni L.P. Kelner's "How Stella Got Her Grave Back," vampires become amateur sleuths (with breaks for feeding) to solve the murder of a Jane Doe.

Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous --- these and eight more frighteningly original stories will ensure you'll never think of vampires or birthdays quite the same again.


Lisa Maria Takes Off by Susan Hubbard

Description: With her boyfriend, the enigmatic McAllister, researching his latest book in London, and her thirtieth birthday fast approaching, what better opportunity to take off?
But in London, the solid ground under Lisa Maria's heels gives way. McAllister has fallen under the influence of his bloodless editor, Lisa Maria's advice column is under legal attack and (worst of all) she's sprouted two gray hairs. Now, between fending off a crude rock star, impersonating a Brit and learning to strut in bamboo stilettos, Lisa Maria's feeling something she hasn't felt in a while: out of control -- and more than a little heartsick.

Ah, to be young(ish), jealous and exceptionally good at revenge. But how far should any woman go in the interest of romantic justice? Just ask Lisa Maria - a feisty American fighting for love in London.

Susan Hubbard is the author of Lisa Maria's Guide for the Perplexed, the prequel to this book, as well as Walking on Ice and Blue Money. She teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, and she is the founder and curator of the Gallery of Questionable Taste.

Eternity In Death by J.D. Robb

Description: When club-hopping bad girl Tiara Kent is found dead in her plush Manhattan apartment, the killing has all the earmarks of a vampire attack. The ever-practical Lieutenant Eve Dallas has to deal with superstitious cops carrying garlic and stakes, as well as the ever-hysterical press. None of the wealthy young victim’s friends seem to know much about the Dark Prince she has been secretly seeing. The chase to stop him before he kills again will lead Eve and her team into areas of the city that not even the most intrepid cop wants to visit, and into the very heart of darkness.


Duck Duck Wally by Gabe Rotter

Description: GET SHORTY MEETS THE BIG LEBOWSKI IN THIS ROLLICKING MODERN COMEDY BY A CLEVER AND HILARIOUS NEWCOMER.

Meet Wally Moscowitz. His day job is top secret. As ghostwriter for Oral B, the most famous gangsta rapper in the world, Wally is the real mastermind behind Godz-Illa Records' best-selling artist, and the best-kept secret in the Industry. But if word gets out about Wally's true profession, Godz-Illa's kajillion-dollar rap empire will be sunk, and Wally will be dead meat.

When Wally comes home one particularly bizarre afternoon to find a ransom note and his best friend and dog, Dr. Barry Schwartzman, missing, Wally goes to great lengths to stop the dognappers while keeping the big secret under wraps. He must, if he wants to walk away with his job, not to mention his life, intact.

The hunt for Dr. Schwartzman and the blackmailing thug who is trying to reveal hip-hop's biggest conspiracy becomes a wild-goose chase in which everyone becomes a suspect: Sue Schadenfreude, Wally's girlfriend, who makes a pretty penny massaging Barbra Streisand's papillon, Yenta; Pardeep Vishvatma, Wally's neighbor, who keeps a watchful eye on all the suspicious characters lurking about the hood; Jerry Silver, Wally's slick-rick, self-styled superagent; Abraham "Dandy" Lyons, Wally's boss and Godz-Illa's CEO-badass with Suge Knight's street cred and Tony Soprano's "friends"; Jem, the fiery, achingly familiar vixen who steals Wally's heart; Yo Yo Pa and Teddy Bizzle, Oral B's entourage; and the mysterious mob crew: Five-two Lou, Six-seven Kevin, and Balsamic Vinny, who show up when Wally needs them most.

Duck Duck Wally is a hilarious romp through the absurdities of Los Angeles, the bombastic details of hip-hop culture, and a day in the life of what was supposed to be the painfully ordinary existence of Wally Moscowitz.

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)