Tuesday, February 28, 2017

New Additions To The TBR Pile In February

Title: Adventures Of A Vegan Vamp by Cate Lawley
Description: Dead? Someday, sure. But undead and vegan? That's not how this girl envisioned her future.

Waking up thin is one thing. But waking up gaunt, hangry,and undead makes for a very bad day. That's only the beginning. Mallory's killer better hide, because she's just discovered blood, meat, and dairy don't agree with her--and a future with no cheese is grim indeed. She's out to find her killer...and maybe a vegan cheese that doesn't melt her nose hairs.

Find out how Mallory quashes a killer hunger while hunting a vicious vampire!


Title: Echoes In Death by J.D. Robb
Description: This chilling new suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb is the perfect entry point into the compelling In Death police procedural series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman—dazed, naked, and bloody—suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.

Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...

While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:

What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?


Title: Ghostly Paws by Leighann Dobbs
Description: Middle age can be murder ...

At least that’s how it seems to former crime journalist, Wilhelmina Chance, whose near-fatal accident has given her a strange side effect ... she sees ghosts.

After a messy divorce sends her fleeing back to her hometown of Mystic Notch, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Willa finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian who insists Willa solve her murder.

Luckily, she has lots of help, including a quirky cast of small-town characters, the cat she’s inherited from her grandmother, and her best friend, Pepper, who claims her herbal teas can work magic.

But just when Willa thinks she’s discovered who the killer is, she finds out that things are not what they seem in Mystic Notch, and the case takes a strange turn that has Willa adding even some of her long-time friends to her suspect list.

Can Willa find the real killer in time to keep the magical balance in Mystic Notch on the side of good, or will evil prevail?


Title: Just The Three Of Us by Lori Schafer
Description: Meet Kathy, a thirty-seven-year-old drifter who’s constantly on the move: to new towns, new jobs, and new relationships. Imagine her surprise when she’s befriended by lifelong friends Sam and Ted, attractive young men who, though ten years her junior, are far more settled than she thinks she’ll ever be. Cheer them on as their three-way friendship succumbs to passion, then passion to romance, and romance to… well, surely it couldn’t be love. Could it?

With a Heat Level of 4+, dialogue that will make you laugh out loud, and a plot to tickle your most sentimental of spots, Just the Three of Us promises an entertaining read for fans of romance looking for a unique take on love and sexuality.


Title: Self Helpless by Rachel Hall
Description: Jenny Peterson is a single, self-help junkie looking for her soul mate. But despite being an expert in self-improvement, her life still seems to be stuck in a rut. Her designer clothing rental business, even with its well-heeled Orange County clientele, is mysteriously losing money. And although it goes against every fiber in her moral makeup, the one guy she pines for happens to be her best friend’s husband. But are her fortunes about to change? A super-cute mystery guy has just recommended a new book, and from the moment she opens the pages of A Better Life, her world is turned upside down in ways that not even Dr Phil could have predicted.


Title: The Rosewood Whistle by Pat McDermott
Description: Surrounded by Ireland’s music and myths, a widowed American writer meets a tour guide leery of love…

On her own at the end of a long and difficult marriage, Gemma Pentrandolfo still hears the critical voice of her husband taunting her from his grave. To foster her independence, she schedules a summer vacation in County Mayo intending to write her first book, and she’s counting on Ireland for inspiration. An idea presents itself when she tours Achill Island with a silver-tongued tour guide whose good looks prompt her to write more than her high-minded novel: she transcribes her years of longing in a steamy fantasy no one is meant to see.

Years have passed since an accident claimed the self-absorbed wife who scorned Ben Connigan and his music. Since then, the former tin whistle ace has avoided marriage, though he never lacked for female companionship before he traded his high-tech career for the slow-paced life of a hometown tour guide. Ben has accepted the end of his run of discreet affairs, until he takes Gemma touring. Her passion for Ireland impresses him. Her love of Irish music soon compels him to dust off his whistles. Knowing she’ll leave at the end of the summer, he sees no harm in keeping her company—until he dares to dream of spending the rest of his life with her.

But he knows it can’t be, not while the ghosts of their partners still haunt them. Not unless the music and myths of Ireland can help them find their way…


Title: Unfinished Business by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Description: In UNFINISHED BUSINESS AN ANGELA PANTHER NOVEL, #1 AMAZON bestselling author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson introduces her now trademark blend of witty dialog and hilarious banter in the first book of her hilarious and heartwarming paranormal chick lit, cozy mystery, Angela Panther series.

When Angela Panther's mother Fran Richter wakes her up in the middle of the night ranting about stolen Hershey Bars, Angela thinks her mother's got a screw loose. And then it hits her. Her mother is dead. Just a few hours before, Angela watched as the funeral home staff nearly dropped her mother's body off the gurney while sliding her into the hearse. So maybe she's the one that's nuttier than a fruitcake?

But Fran keeps popping in and with a volcano full of drama already brewing at home—crazy or not—Angela's grateful for her mother's presence.

It's the other ghosts Angela can do without.

Seems Fran's return opened a portal between Angela and the other side and ghosts are hitting up the reluctant psychic medium for help. From the naked British guy juggling balls in the coffee shop parking lot to the woman desperately trying to save her sick child, Angela must find a way to balance her own life with the unfinished business of the dead.


Title: Witch by Tim O’Rourke
Description: Twenty-year-old Sydney Hart has always made mistakes and when she meets Michael Grayson, she soon comes to wonder if she hasn’t made the biggest mistake of her life. That one moment of passion between them causes Sydney’s world to spiral rapidly out of control.

Suffering from nightmares, Sydney soon realises her life and the people closest to her aren’t who or what she believed them to be. Fearing she has been cursed, Sydney attempts to unravel the dark secrets that surround her, and is desperate to discover why a dying man called her ‘Witch’.

A racy, paranormal romance with a chilling twist.

Monday, February 27, 2017

REVIEW: Guilt By Degrees by Marcia Clark

Title: Guilt By Degrees (Rachel Knight #2)
Author: Marcia Clark
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: January, 2012
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Description: Someone has been watching D.A. Rachel Knight--someone who's Rachel's equal in brains, but with more malicious intentions. It began when a near-impossible case fell into Rachel's lap, the suspect-less homicide of a homeless man. In the face of courthouse backbiting and a gauzy web of clues, Rachel is determined to deliver justice. She's got back-up: tough-as-nails Detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey stir things up, they're shocked to uncover a connection with the vicious murder of an LAPD cop a year earlier. Something tells Rachel someone knows the truth, someone who'd kill to keep it secret.

Harrowing, smart, and riotously entertaining, GUILT BY DEGREES is a thrilling ride through the world of LA courts with the unforgettable Rachel Knight.

My Thoughts: Guilt By Degrees is the second book in the Rachel Knight series by former L.A. district attorney Marcia Clark. I found this book just as enjoyable as the first book. This story reunites tenacious D.A. Rachel Knight with Detective Bailey Keller on a case that spins a web of deceit and intrigue, revealing dark and sinister layers as they proceed in the investigation.

While awaiting her turn in court, Rachel witnesses a fellow prosecutor drop the ball on his case of a murdered homeless man so badly that she feels compelled to refile it, which is just the tip of the iceberg. When Rachel discovers a connection to the murder of a police officer, the investigation quickly escalates into an intense and frightening ride into the seedy side of L.A. as Rachel and Bailey try to draw out the killer.

This book was a fast read and I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between Rachel and Bailey. Ms. Clark does a fantastic job with the character development, building the personalities of all of the characters on a personal level, which gives the reader a real sense of knowing the characters and feeling empathy for them. I especially liked that Rachel finally shares some of her past history with Bailey, Toni and Drew and I am excited to see what happens next between Rachel and Graden.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend Guilt By Degrees, but make sure you read the series in order. This series offers action, suspense, mystery, romance and humor. I look forward to joining Rachel and Bailey on their next adventure.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Guilt By Degrees from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Sunday, February 12, 2017

REVIEW: Etiquette And Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School, #1)
Author: Gail Carriger
Publisher: Hachette, Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date: February, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Steampunk
Buy The Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Description: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

My Thoughts: Sophronia Temminnick is not your average, run of the mill, fourteen-year-old girl. She has no interest in fashion or boys and could care less about balls, performing the perfect curtsy or dancing. She would much rather dismantle items and climb down dumbwaiters and give her mother as much gray hair as she possibly can. At her wit’s end, Sophronia’s mother sends her off to Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, in the hopes that someone will be able to turn her erstwhile tomboy of a youngest daughter into a lady. Neither Sophronia or her mother realize that this finishing school will teach Sophronia to be a lady, but will also teach her espionage, weapons and how to effectively poison just about anyone.

Etiquette and Espionage is the first book in the Finishing School series and introduces several unique and interesting characters. I really liked Sophronia and felt a lot of empathy for her. She has a quick wit and a strong mind and doesn’t hesitate to stretch the rules, or outright break them, to serve the greater good. Sophronia’s friends, Dimity, Vieve and Soap, were also interesting characters that hopefully will make appearances throughout the series. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this story with characters Professor Braithwope, a vampire and Captain Niall, a werewolf who wears a top hat, even in wolf form. I especially liked Sophronia’s mechanical sausage dog, Bumbersnoot, who consumes coal and emits steam.

My Final Verdict: I enjoyed Etiquette and Espionage for the interesting storyline and tongue in cheek humor with the historical setting and steampunk surroundings. I am curious to see how Sophronia and her friends evolve into ladies and spies.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Etiquette and Espionage from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Wednesday, February 01, 2017

New Additions To The TBR Pile In January

Title: Collecting Isobelle by L.L. Muir
Description: Being buried alive taught her nothing...

Believing that true love can never be hers, Isobelle plunges herself into danger, yet again, for the sake of desperate lovers. But this time, the man who condemns her is much more powerful than any priest, and it is not her death he seeks, but something she considers much worse.

He knows when someone is lying--unless it is himself...

Gaspar is content to hide behind the mask of God’s Dragon until a fiery Scotswoman bursts into his life. He believes his thick scales can protect him while he bends her to his will, but he is sorely mistaken.

And he’s not the only one determined to collect Isobelle...


Title: Dirty Little Secret by Willow Sanders
Description: Who is the girl with the red-soled shoe? A Cinderella she certainly isn't!

A self-proclaimed nerd, twenty four year old Hillary Sloan isn’t the helpless damsel in anyone’s fairy tale. An Ivy League graduate who is hoping to get noticed as she works her way up the corporate ladder, she’s desperate to keep her alcohol fueled night of bad decisions under wraps.

But, what about the DJ?

Bert “DJ XTC” Morder was on the air at his overnight radio job when an old friend called him and asked to use the bathroom. He had a thing for high-heeled shoes, especially those fancy ones with the red soles Hillary was wearing. A little flirting, a kiss or ten and suddenly the pair found themselves smack dab in the middle of a scandal of epic proportions.

How long can their dirty little secret stay under wraps? Hillary and Bert would have loved to keep their tawdry little romp strictly between friends, but there’s the unfortunate incident of the studio’s live stream they have to contend with. Now, all of Chicago is wondering exactly who the girl in the red-soled shoes had been. What other secrets are they hiding, and what will happen when Hillary’s dirty little secret gets exposed?


Title: Divorcees.Biz by Eileen Thornton
Description: Despite their different personalities, Connie, Sadie, Jenny, and Lucy have been friends for years.

Frustrated that they may never find ‘Mr. Right’, these four, thirty-something, divorced women decide to set up an online dating agency with a difference: it’s for divorcees only. But will this be the answer to their problems? Or the beginning of a whole lot more?

And with so many delicious men to choose from, who will be the first to find their ‘Mr. Right’.


Title: Marry Me For Money by Mia Kayla
Description: Leaving her small town behind, Bethany Casse moves to Chicago in search of a new life. Working at a top financial bank brings her into contact with two men who are as different as night and day.

Kent Plack, heir to Plack Industries, has no interest in being with a woman for longer than one night. A spoiled and lazy man-whore, he is completely content with his playboy lifestyle, and Beth is surprised when they form an unlikely friendship.

Brian Benson, a finance banker, is gorgeous and respectful. A man plucked from Beth’s dreams, he is definite husband material. Unfortunately, Beth has a hard rule against dating coworkers, but Brian is determined to change her mind.

When a deadbeat mother and money problems follow her to Chicago, Beth is offered a solution that could fix everything. Marrying for money seems simple enough, but when lines become blurred, Beth faces difficult choices, making her realize that the easy way out just made her life even harder than before.


Title: Not Without Juliet by L.L. Muir
Description: She will let nothing stop her...

Juliet Bell has a hit man, the FBI, a long-lost sister, and a handful of handsome Highlanders hunting her through time. But she's not going back until she gets what's hers. And her hunters won't go back either--not without Juliet.

He's had a change of heart...

Quinn's timing stinks. He's about to die a martyr, which would have been fine with him a year before, but 15th century Scotland has revived his survival instincts and he's decided he wants to live after all. His only hope? Making one of his foes believe Quinn can control the future.

An enemy they never saw coming...

Juliet and Quinn are thrown together, whether by the hands of Fate or a pair of clever witches, and they find love lends a much nobler purpose to their impossible quests. But they'll have to maneuver around a centuries-old curse and a villain with a higher purpose of his own--or everything they want will be out of their hands forever.


Title: Rosie’s Little Café On The Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet
Description: A summer of taking chances!

Rosie Hewitt’s dream of opening a little French café on the Riviera is finally coming true. She’s giving up on love and instead chasing her own perfect recipe for happiness…

Only, she never expected the oh-so-sexy, award-winning chef, Sebastian Groc, to set up his restaurant next door – or for his freshly-baked croissants to smell quite so delicious.

But with just a few days until she opens her doors and all her sugar-coated dreams crumbling around her, Rosie isn’t prepared to give up without a fight!



Title: The Beachside Sweet Shop by Karen Clarke
Description: Chocolate fudge, butterscotch and raspberry bonbons… treat yourself to some sugary treats, a big slice of friendship and a sprinkling of romance at The Beachside Sweet Shop.

When Marnie Appleton inherited a sweet shop from her grandfather she was determined to do his legacy proud. The shop has been a much-loved feature of the little seaside town of Shipley for years, but now Marnie needs to bring it up to date, and she’s recruited gorgeous new assistant Josh to help.

Marnie gets busy redecorating the shop and choosing delicious new sweets to stock, but things are never that simple: new neighbor Isobel, a fame-hungry blogger, is on a crusade against sugar, and she’ll go to any lengths to secure bad publicity for Marnie’s shop.

Marnie fights back with homemade sugar-free treats, but with her best friend Beth heavily pregnant, her grandmother Celia recovering from an operation, and her very recently ex-boyfriend Alex returning to Shipley with a new love, Marnie has a lot on her plate.

And then there’s Josh, with whom Marnie is struggling to keep her relationship strictly professional…Will both the sweet shop and love flourish?


Title: The Difference Between You & Me by Celia Hayes
Description: Can stepping out of your comfort zone lead you to ultimate happiness?

Trudy Watts has everything she's ever dreamed of: a job that she loves, a successful boyfriend and an ultra-modern apartment in one of the most fashionable parts of London. With a long-awaited promotion due to come her way and her wedding just around the corner, Trudy's life is just perfect...

That is until catastrophe strikes and her life is turned upside down. She's transferred to Turriff, a remote Scottish town to manage a small, struggling bank branch.

Her arrival is traumatic and she wishes she was anywhere but here... Until she sees him – Ethan, the charming pub landlord, who seems to enjoy nothing more than to tease her. And it's right there, in that pub, that her life will suddenly change...


Title: The One by John Marrs
Description: How far would you go to find THE ONE?

One simple mouth swab is all it takes.

One tiny DNA test to find your perfect partner - the one you're genetically made for.

A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love.

Now, five more people take the test. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking - and deadlier - than others...

A psychological thriller with a difference, this is a truly unique novel which is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

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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)