REVIEW: The Pink Ghetto by Liz Ireland

Title: The Pink Ghetto
Author: Liz Ireland
Publisher: Strapless
Publication Date: May, 2006
Paperback: 345 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Chick Lit
Rating: 10/10

Description: Rebecca Abbot's life has just gone from vintage feather boas to boring office casual. Thanks to Sylvie Arnaud's heart attack, she's out of a job. But it's Sylvie's French, vaguely famous name on Rebecca's creatively embellished resume that lands her an associate editor position at romance heavyweight Candlelight Books. Editing is a far cry from scouting out exotic groceries, which is pretty much all Rebecca did for Sylvie, but Candlelight is offering an actual salary to go with her position's actual workload, and the rent is way overdue on the railroad flat she shares with her friend Wendy and her mooching ex, wanna-be writer Fleishman.

Working for Candlelight is nothing like the plots of their syrupy novels, though. In fact, it's a lot like being stuck in an estrogen-heavy Fellini film. Between protecting her back from rival editor Cassie's repeated stabs, attempting a relationship with a sexy literary agent, wondering about Fleishman's new secret "project," and discovering her first truly talented author, Rebecca's learning that the business of romance is hardly a nine-to-five thing - and that editing out all her mistakes will never lead her to "happily ever after..."

My Thoughts: The Pink Ghetto was a fast and fun read. Rebecca is working and living in New York City with two college friends when she unexpectedly finds herself out of a job. In a near panic, she revamps her resume and submits it to numerous prospective employers. Rebecca is offered a position at Candlelight Books in an associate editor’s position but doesn’t have the first idea how to edit romance novels. With some uncertainty and a lot of luck, Rebecca finds her niche in the publishing world in spite of her ex and hostile co-worker.

I really liked Rebecca. She brings a realistic lack of confidence in herself as someone who grew up on the outside looking in and had to reinvent herself. In spite of that, she takes on a career she has no experience in and gives it 100% to make it her own. I kept expecting Rebecca to fall flat on her face and watch her career, self-respect and integrity go up in flames, but she manages to keep her head afloat, finds a wonderful man and learns some valuable lessons along the way.

I’m so happy I found this book and chose to read it now. I enjoyed the inside look into book publishing and some of the quirky characters Rebecca interacts with were interesting. I found myself unable to put the book down, capturing every free moment to read.

REVIEW: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Title: Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: June, 2010
Hardcover: 309 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance / General Fiction
Rating: 10/10

Description: Trenton, New Jersey, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, Uncle Pip didn’t specify if the bottle brought good luck or bad luck....

BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up local stoner Walter “Moon Man” Dunphy's vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in security expert Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s mysterious bottle, they just might raise enough money to save Vinnie and the business from ruin.

BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a Turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky---the only question is . . . with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!

My Thoughts: Once again, fans of Stephanie Plum are treated to another wacky adventure with Stephanie and her posse. This time, Stephanie, Lula and Connie are faced with the possibility of losing the bail bonds office when Vinnie is kidnapped by local mobsters looking to collect on a massive gambling debt.

As the deadline to deliver the money approaches, more secrets about Vinnie and his shady dealings are brought to light when it’s revealed that Vinnie has embezzled money from the company that funds the bonds. If Vinnie doesn’t come home, nobody can write the bonds that nobody can fail to appear on and that would mean the end of Stephanie’s illustrious career as Trenton’s most wacky bounty hunter.

Along the way, Stephanie receives help from Mooner and his Hobbits, Morelli and of course, Ranger and his unlimited supply of replacement vehicles.

Stephanie continues to struggle with her feelings towards Ranger and her on-again off-again relationship with Morelli. Unfortunately, didn’t get to see a lot of Grandma Mazur this go around so am hoping the next book will bring more of Grandma’s wacky behavior and commentary. Connie was a surprise in this book with a more active role and her hidden talents of making stink bombs was very entertaining.

All in all, this was an excellent installment of adventure, excitement, wacky hilarity and some intense sexual tension (thank you, Ranger!) starring my favorite bounty hunter and her entourage.

REVIEW: Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead In The Family (Sookie Stackhouse, #10)
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: May, 2010
Hardcover: 311 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 5/10

Description: Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems.

Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place... or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog.

Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

My Thoughts: On the heels of the last story, we see Sookie coming to terms with the losses she endured at the hands of the Fae. She seems to be settled into her relationship with Eric, accepting a new roommate and trying to help Bill heal from the injuries he sustained.

With ten installments to this series, I’m sensing a definite drag. There doesn’t seem to be much forward movement with the characters. I’m hoping it isn’t the series overall but maybe just this book didn’t work for me. Sookie’s intense hatred toward Eric’s maker seemed to have no place in this story either and the introduction of Eric’s “brother” was disturbing for me.

What I did enjoy was Sookie’s determination to help Bill heal. Researching his maker’s history, she is able to find another vampire sired by Bill’s maker. Unfortunately, this subplot seemed to be forgotten as I was left hanging wondering what happened afterward. Perhaps, I will know in the next book.

Overall, this was my least favorite of the series but hoping the next story will recapture my devotion to the series.

REVIEW: Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Title: Murder Is Binding (A Booktown Mystery, #1)
Author: Lorna Barrett
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Publication Date: April, 2008
Paperback: 281 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 7/10

Description: Stoneham, New Hampshire, was a dying town until community leaders invited booksellers to open up shop. Now, its streets are lined with bookstores --- and paved with murder…

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

My Thoughts: A mystery set in and around a bookstore is intriguing, but when there’s a whole town dedicated to a slew of bookstores, how can any true bibliophile pass that up? Where this story lacks in intensity and real mystery, it makes up for in the whimsy of the village of Stoneham. While reading, I found myself not really caring so much who the murderer was as much as I was intrigued by the town and the bookshops. I kept hoping that our heroine would frequent more of them in an attempt to give the reader a broader picture of what this “booktown” entailed.

The reader is given enough clues early on in the story to figure out the identity of the killer with minimal effort. In addition to the primary murder mystery, there are some additional storylines that I found to be interesting and will enjoy seeing how they play out further along in the series.

Though I enjoyed most of the characters, I did not care for Tricia’s sister, Angelica or the Sheriff. As we will be seeing more of these characters in future books, there’s always a chance they will have some redeeming qualities and my opinion of them will change. One can only hope, right?

REVIEW: When You Wish by Kristin Harmel

Title: When You Wish
Author: Kristin Harmel
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Publication Date: February, 2008
Hardcover: 288 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 9/10

Description: Star Beck is super-duper megastar famous. She rocks–literally–every night in concert for thousands of cheering fans. But the pop star life–tour buses, fauxmances, size 0 minis–is getting a little old. Star can’t help wondering what it would be like to be a regular girl–without paparazzi trailing her every move, and without people being nice just because, well, she’s Star Beck. And when she discovers that her mom has been lying to her for years about something very important, Star decides to find out what the world beyond her stage is like after all.

In the blink of an emerald green eye, Star finds herself . . . buying a car. Eating cheeseburgers. Swapping her stilettos for flip-flops. Getting a job that doesn’t require dancing, winking, or mall appearances. And falling for the cutest, realest boy she’s ever met. But how will she know if he feels the same way? Because for once in her life, someone is going to have to like her for who she really is.

My Thoughts: Kristin Harmel is a new to me author though I have acquired several of her titles that are languishing on my TBR pile. Though I don’t normally find myself drawn to the young adult genre, this book appealed to me on several levels. First, the idea of a teen superstar who is likeable when all we ever hear about is the scandal and drama of the teen celebrities inundating the media nowadays is a refreshing and welcome change. Secondly, I liked that the story was clean. I don’t think the young adult genre should cross over into mainstream adult fiction and there have been a few books I have taken on recently that were marketed as young adult but were excessively graphic and explicit and not for a young adult reader. Last, but not least, When You Wish is a feel good story about a young girl on a journey to take back her life who finds love along the way.

I enjoyed going along for the ride when Star Beck decides to find out what the world is like outside of her reality. When she discovers that her mother has been lying to her for the past six years, she alters her appearance and takes off for Florida to find the father she hasn’t seen in thirteen years. When her funds run drastically low, she resorts to getting a job in a restaurant using a false name. She is drawn to a boy in the restaurant and ultimately gets to know him better and he helps her improve her waitressing skills.

I was quite surprised at the direction the story took when Star finally locates her father, but I felt it made Star a stronger and more realistic character. The author does an exceptional job of giving the reader a front-row seat to Star’s life. Several times throughout the book, I found myself wondering how the truth would be revealed and what the consequences would be for concealing her true identity. In the end, this book turned out to be a very fast and enjoyable read that made me smile.

New Additions To The TBR Pile In September

Still adding books to the TBR that have way too many already, but the good news is I only added two books this month, which is much less than I usually do, so there's progress... :o)

Title: Dead In The Family
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: May, 2010
Hardcover: 311 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Description: Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place... or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

Title: The Ghost And The Haunted Mansion
Author: Alice Kimberly
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: January, 2009
Paperback: 281 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Description: Rhode Island bookshop owner Penelope McClure never believed in ghosts -- until she met the spirit of Jack Shepard, a big city private investigator who was gunned down in her store over sixty years ago. Now Penelope not only believes in her hard-boiled ghost, she asks for his help in solving a murder.

A loyal customer of Penelope's bookshop has been found dead on posh Larchmont Avenue. The elderly woman left a will that was recently (and suspiciously) revised to name her mailman, Seymour Tarnish, the sole heir to her estate. Many eyes in the little town turn to the hapless mailman as the murderer, including the town's police chief, but Seymour doesn't care. He's too busy settling into his posh new digs. Unfortunately, Seymour's new mansion also appears to be haunted and when the mansion's ghosts begin plaguing him, he hires a team of parapsychologists to exorcise every last spirit from the entire town. Now Penelope must not only solve a murder, and prove her friend Seymour innocent, she must act fast to save her beloved ghost; because if these "spirit zappers" actually do their job, then the ghost of Jack Shepard finally will be history. And that scares Pen a lot more than rattling chains and cold spots.