Sunday, August 31, 2014

New Additions To The TBR Pile In August

So many new arrivals this month at The Bookworm News And Reviews. I am considering cloning as an option to help me read more. My clone can go to work, run the errands, clean the house and I can read. Anyone know who I need to contact for that? :)

Title: All's Fair In Love And Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant
Description: She's written a recipe for her future, but does it include love?

Katherine 'Kat' Varland is a small town girl, born and raised---and every day, her dreams of owning her own bakery get further away. She has no money, and the cupcake shop she bakes for, Sweetie Pies, seems to get smaller and smaller. Kat might be the sweetheart of Bayou Bend, Louisiana, but she longs to make a name for herself where she can flourish as Kat---not as the girl baking someone else's recipes.

As head coach for the Bayou Bend championship high school football team, Lucas Brannen is used to winning---everything except his best friend's heart. He finally gathers the courage to make a gesture and show Kat his feelings by signing her up for the popular reality TV show Cupcake Combat. But his plan backfires after he realizes the cash prize for the winner also includes a one-year baking contract at one of New York City's most famous pastry houses.

The situation grows sticky when Kat enlists Lucas's help as her baking assistant for the show. Lucas is torn between helping Kat live her dream and selfishly wanting to keep her in town. His plan has always been a dozen acres of land and a farmhouse in Bayou Bend---but Kat is blinded by the stars in her eyes.

Will Lucas and Kat risk their chance at love in order to achieve their individual dreams? Or will they find that sometimes the most delicious happily-ever-afters begin and end in the same place?

Title: Bad Bridesmaid by Portia Macintosh
Description: ‘My wedding is ruined and my marriage is going to fail. And it’s all your fault!'

LA romcom writer Mia Valentina has it all; money, success, a tanned and toned body, golden blonde hair and a string of sexy lovers. She’s almost forgotten her previous self: plain old Mia Harrison. Until a wedding invitation arrives requesting (demanding!) her presence as chief bridesmaid at her younger sister Belle’s upcoming nuptials.

Mia’s barely been back in England before she’s accidentally injured the groom, unintentionally ‘cursed’ the wedding and been caught in a compromising position with her sister’s soon to be brother-in-law!

With the wedding of the year going dangerously off the rails, Mia has no time to waste – especially with sexy fireman and best man Leo on hand to help… Will she use all of her expert romance knowledge to save the day or will she just walk away? No one ever said a bad girl had to turn good…

Girls' Night Out by Kate Flora
Description: When the man who date-raped a friend is found not guilty, the women in her book group decide to take matters into their own hands.

Title: Guilty by Karen Robards
Description: One cold November night when Kat Kominski was fifteen years old, she and some friends held up a convenience store. In the heat of the moment, one of the others shot and killed an off-duty cop moonlighting as a security guard. Kat and her pals fled the scene in a panic, and no one was caught.

Sixteen years later, Kat --- now Kate White --- has built a new life for herself. Now a single mom with an eight-year-old son, she works as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia DA's office. But her dark past rears its head when she walks into court one day and has a devastating encounter with a prisoner, Mario Castellanos, one of her companions from that terrible night.

Hardcore criminal Mario is facing a possible sentence of twenty years. He lets Kate know that he is counting on her, his old friend turned prosecutor, to make sure he goes free instead. If Kate doesn't do what he wants, he'll claim she was the one who killed the off-duty cop.

Kate is in a bind: If the truth about her past gets out, she stands to lose everything, including her son. But she can't do what Mario wants, either. As Mario ups his demands, blackmailing and terrorizing her, she is forced to turn for protection to a sexy homicide detective, Tom Braga, who suspects her of ... something. The two clash repeatedly as Tom keeps digging into her past, trying to learn the truth.

Then another, far more menacing, threat rears its head, and Kate realizes that her life --- and her son's --- are in terrible danger. Frantic, she sees that she has nowhere to turn. Except, maybe, to Tom ...

Title: Life Is Sweet by Elizabeth Bass
Description: Three years ago, Becca Hudson threw a dart at a map, hit Leesburg, Virginia, and decided it was the perfect place to start over. Now she has her own bakery, The Strawberry Cake Shop, loyal customers, and close friends. She also has something that success as a Hollywood child star couldn't give her: a mostly normal existence. Not that it's without complications. One best friend, Pam, is in the wary early days of a new relationship; another is fighting to save her marriage in the midst of infidelity. And then there's Becca's growing attraction to Matthew, surrogate stepdad to Olivia, a smart, sensitive ten-year-old who's become a fixture in the bakery and in Becca's affections.

Still, Becca is content to live in the present and ignore the "Whatever happened to?" speculation and occasional curious fan--until her past barges in again. Amid revelations and unexpeced dilemmas, Becca must confront the life she stepped away from and the love she struggles to accept. It's the only way she'll truly find what she needs: a recipe for living that's honest, messy, sweet, and true.

Title: No Weddings by Kat Bastion
Description: I think I have my act together as a successful bar owner, my master’s degree within reach, and a list of no-strings-attached women warming my bed. Turns out, I don’t.

Hannah believes she has safeguarded her wounded heart by shunning men and focusing on her new baking business. The thing is, she hasn't.

When my three sisters and I start a new event-planning business with Hannah as our baker, I have no idea how my life is about to change. As Hannah and I work closely together, the attraction between us becomes irresistible. And complicated. I've promised my sisters I wouldn't mix business with pleasure. But I've never been one to follow the rules.

Title: Pretty Reckless by Jodi Linton
Description: Welcome to Pistol Rock, Texas where everyone knows secrets last about as long as the sporadic west Texas rain showers.

Laney Briggs has long been considered reckless by the denizens of her hometown, but she’s finally turned it all around—she’s happily engaged to the local veterinarian and she’s become a Pistol Rock deputy sheriff. Everything’s fine and dandy—until a dead body turns up and her ex, Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson, decides to stick his boots into the town’s first murder case. Of course, the troublesome cowboy’s rugged good looks and T-shirt-straining muscles are already leaving Laney knee-deep in hot water, but she’ll be damned if she lets Gunner trample all over her turf. She’s decided that, instead of conflict, she wants a contented, steady life with her vet—a life in which Gunner Wilson and his seemingly endless ability to undermine her resolve and her libido plays no part. Still, it’s hard to keep her head as forbidden sparks ignite and suspicions arise between old rivals and old flames. And when the bodies start to pile up, Laney has to ask the lethal bad boy for a hand—and a truce in exchange for his help. But after uncovering the pack of lies surrounding not only her job but her heart… Having an ex-boyfriend as an ally might not be the best idea, but it’s certainly the most reckless, and Laney has always been pretty reckless…

Title: Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
Description: New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

Title: The Beginner's Guide To The Birds And The Bees by Sophie Hart
Description: Let’s talk about sex… would you share your bedroom secrets if it meant saving your marriage?

A refreshingly open and uplifting romantic comedy about friendship, love and sex. Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone in order to give a relationship a good dose of TLC…

Sex therapist Annie Hall helps couples put the fizz back into their relationships. It’s a shame her own love life is non-existent. When Jamie who works next door catches her eye, she can’t ignore the spark of chemistry.

Most men would jump at the chance to skive off work for an afternoon quickie with their gorgeous wife but Nick knows Julia is after only one thing – a baby. Sex shouldn’t be a chore. Can Annie help Julia see that?

Newly engaged Zoe and Simon can’t keep their hands off each other. They’ve decided to take a vow of celibacy until their wedding night. Will Annie help them stick to it?

Roy and Linda have been married for over thirty years but she’s more interested in the family business than getting intimate with him. Can Annie convince Linda to rediscover her passion for Roy after all this time?

While Annie begins to work her magic with the three couples, she soon finds herself falling for Jamie. But she’s been hurt before – will he be different? It’s time for Annie to take some of her own advice and learn a few life lessons of her own…

Title: The Divorce Party by Laura Dave
Description: Two women at the opposite ends of marriage are trying to answer the same question: When should you fight to save a relationship and when should you begin to let go?

On their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, Gwyn Huntington and her husband, Thomas, invite friends and family over for a most unusual celebration. Their home, Huntington Hall, has been in the family for generations after surviving the Great Hurricane of 1938, which tore Montauk apart. Instead of celebrating their life there, Gwyn and Thomas are toasting their divorce.

The weekend also marks the first time that their son, Nate, brings his fiance, Maggie, home to Montauk. But Maggie finds herself wondering if it will be the last, because she discovers a secret Nate has kept for years.

A multigenerational novel about love, family, and what it means to build a life with someone, The Divorce Party brings us two immensely appealing women: Gwyn, at the end of her marriage, and her future daughter-in-law, Maggie, at the beginning. Though they make very different choices, both women ultimately discover how to create the lives that they most want to lead.

Title: The Dress Shop Of Dreams by Menna van Praag
Description: For fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, and Adriana Trigiani, The Dress Shop of Dreams is a captivating novel of enduring hopes, second chances, and the life-changing magic of true love.

Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets:
With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Title: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
Description: Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Title: Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner
Description: Behind every lost dream lies a second chance…

When adored town spinster Joy Talley ends up in a coma after a peculiar accident, she is surprised and incensed to hear what is being said in her hospital room, including plans for her funeral. When she finally wakes, her well-­‐meaning, but bossy, brothers and sisters dismiss her claims, thinking her accident has knocked her off her rocker, but Joy has never felt better, and is determined to set the past right.

Now Joy must face her darkest secret and risk reopening wounds caused by an old flame who rejected her more than twenty years ago. But taking risks brings change, as well as a new, younger man into Joy’s life, making her feel like a teenager again. Suddenly Joy’s once humdrum life is anything but boring and routine and the future beckons, exhilarating and bright.

Title: What Might Have Been by Matt Dunn
Description: A year ago, Evan and Sarah shared one incredible night. Then Evan’s music—the thing that brought them together—suddenly tore them apart.

Since then, Evan’s not been able to forget about her. And try as she might, Sarah can’t seem to get over him either.

With time running out, Evan’s got one last chance to convince her that the two of them were meant to be. But is one night enough for Sarah to make a decision about the rest of her life—even if it was the best night of her life? And if she doesn’t believe in love at first sight, how can Evan persuade her that what they had will last?

From the bestselling author of A Day at the Office, What Might Have Been is Matt Dunn’s new romantic comedy about two people in love. Though one of them needs a little convincing…

Title: A Hopeaholic's Hallelujah by Vanessa Stevenson
Description: A suspenseful Rom-Com based on a sensational True Story.

'URGINT!
SINERS needed NOW for a Wroking Holliday in Cyprus!
Work six nites/week. Injoy sites in the day. And sun and beech.
3 munth kontrakt. Start ASAP.'

Only desperate people answer dodgy ads . . .

Enter reckless optimist Jessica Hollingberry.

The gamble is audacious. The stakes are high. But all Jess sees is the chance to win back her fiancé and turn her life around.

Anyway, it’s not like it’s a life-or-death situation; it’s just a short stint on an exotic island. What’s the worst that could happen?

Then she meets delectable, irresistible Aidan Reynolds, and she suddenly realises the odds were stacked against her from the start.

She doesn't have a prayer.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

REVIEW: Broken Hearts, Fences And Other Things To Mend by Katie Finn

Title: Broken Hearts, Fences, And Other Things To Mend (Broken Hearts & Revenge #1)
Author: Katie Finn
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
Publication Date: May, 2014
Genre: Teen

Description: Hot sun. Blue waves. New romances. Old secrets.

Gemma had her summer all planned out, but it takes a sharp turn when she gets dumped and finds herself back in the Hamptons after a five-year absence.

Being there puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friends (that is, before Gemma ruined her life). But people don't hold grudges forever. Do they?

Gemma intends on making amends, but a small case of mistaken identity causes the people she knew years ago—including Hallie and her dreamy brother, Josh—to believe she's someone else. As though the summer wasn't complicated enough already.

My Thoughts: New to me author Katie Finn offers up a story that reminds us that honesty is always the best practice. Gemma Tucker is your average high school student who has just been dumped by her boyfriend, Teddy, and suddenly finds herself without the summer she had planned out. At her mother’s insistence, she goes to the Hamptons to spend the summer with her father. Being back in the Hamptons stirs up less than pleasant memories for Gemma as the reader learns that Gemma did some not so very nice things to a girl that she was friends with five years prior. She decides that she wants to make things right, but a huge case of mistaken identity puts her in the position of trying to start over. First of all, the terrible things that Gemma did to Hallie that ruined her life was done when they were eleven years old so I really didn’t understand the extent of animosity that Hallie had for Gemma and the reader is never enlightened as to how Hallie’s life was ruined by what Gemma did. Granted, what Gemma did was cruel and mean, but she feels really bad about it and is trying to make it right. It’s not until the end of the book that the reader is given a glimpse of just how much Hallie hates Gemma and though I understand why Hallie feels the way she does, I am hoping that Gemma will prevail. I don’t expect Hallie and Gemma to become best friends again, but I think Josh and Gemma would be a great couple.

My Final Verdict: I usually get annoyed with stories that drop a cliffhanger at the end instead of tying up loose ends, but this book was an exception. I found the plot interesting and the characters likable and easy to relate to. My interest in what happens next has been sparked enough to want to read the next book and find out what Gemma will do next. This book was a good start to the series and I am hoping that there will be more closure in the next book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Broken Hearts, Fences, And Other Things To Mend from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

REVIEW: Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Title: Takedown Twenty
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: November, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Description: New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

My Thoughts: There are not many authors who have the talent to keep a series fresh and entertaining after twenty books, but Janet Evanovich is one of them. Takedown Twenty is, by far, my favorite of the entire series. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the one-liners delivered by Lula and Grandma Mazur kept me in stitches. I really hope this book is a sign that we will see more of Lula and Grandma in future books. I love Stephanie and the hot mess that is her life and I adore Ranger and Morelli, but Lula and Grandma are what keep me coming back for more. Imagining what these two wonderful characters will get Stephanie into next doesn’t come close to what Ms. Evanovich pulls out of her hat.

The plot was entertaining and kept me interested all the way through the story. There were several interesting twists and turns that kept guessing the identity of the killer difficult and surprised me when it was revealed who it was. Numerous Ranger moments kept the heat turned up and although I don’t see Stephanie ending up with Ranger, I thoroughly enjoy their interactions.

My Final Verdict: Fans of the Stephanie Plum series should enjoy this offering and mark this book as a series favorite. If you are new to the series, you have a lot of catching up to do. This series is best read in order and I promise you will enjoy every bit of it.

Monday, August 11, 2014

REVIEW: The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Title: The Bro-Magnet (Nice Guy #1)
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher: TKA Distribution
Publication Date: December, 2011
Genre: Chick-Lit

Description: Women have been known to lament, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." For Johnny Smith, the problem is, "Always a Best Man, never a groom." At age 33, housepainter Johnny has been Best Man eight times. The ultimate man's man, Johnny loves the Mets, the Jets, his weekly poker game, and the hula girl lamp that hangs over his basement pool table. Johnny has the instant affection of nearly every man he meets, but one thing he doesn't have is a woman to share his life with, and he wants that desperately. When Johnny meets District Attorney Helen Troy, he decides to renounce his bro-magnet ways in order to impress her. With the aid and advice of his friends and family, soon he's transforming his wardrobe, buying throw pillows, ditching the hula girl lamp, getting a cat and even changing his name to the more mature-sounding John. And through it all, he's pretending to have no interest in sports, which Helen claims to abhor. As things heat up with Helen, the questions arise: Will Johnny finally get the girl? And, if he's successful in that pursuit, who will he be now that he's no longer really himself? THE BRO-MAGNET is a rollicking comedic novel about what one man is willing to give up for the sake of love.

My Thoughts: With The Bro-Magnet, readers are introduced to Johnny Smith, a typical nice guy who enjoys guy things and has a lot of friends, but can’t seem to land that one special girl. When he finally meets a woman who he thinks could be the one, he is faced with hoards of advice from family and friends on the image he needs to present in order to win the girl. Based on the advice, he recreates himself into someone practically unrecognizable and he wonders if it’s just a matter of time before the charade blows up in his face or if he will get the girl.

I really liked this story and felt an instant connection to Johnny. The entire story is told from his perspective and through his eyes, the reader is introduced to his family and friends and are given a birds-eye view into his entire life, beginning with his birth and the death of his mother, his awkwardness with the opposite sex, his childhood and adolescent crushes, his numerous stints as Best Man and his near instant friendship with almost every man he meets. In spite of his dismal failure at finding his soul mate, Johnny is a very likable and down to earth guy.

The plot was very easy to get into and though I guessed early on how it would play out, I still enjoyed the ride. I especially enjoyed what Johnny had to go through to acquire a cat and his General Hospital marathons. My only issue with this story was with Johnny’s Aunt and her constant reminders to Johnny how he killed her sister. That really got old and tiresome and I could only imagine how annoying it would be to hear that and have it thrown in your face your whole life. It impressed me that Johnny took it in stride and didn’t let the fact that he grew up without his mother make him feel inadequate or bitter.

My Final Verdict: The Bro-Magnet was a very good story with likable characters, a plot that progresses smoothly, and dialogue that is entertaining and often laugh out loud funny. I highly recommend this story if you are looking for a fresh perspective from the opposite sex with an entertaining twist.

Friday, August 01, 2014

New Additions To The TBR Pile In July

Another active month of new arrivals being welcomed on the TBR pile in July. Is your TBR pile teetering on the verge of falling over too?

Title: A Highlander's Obsession by Vonnie Davis
Description: Two wandering souls discover that true love needs no words in this explosive, fantastical novel from Vonnie Davis.

Somehow able to telepathically communicate with animals, Paisley Munro has found meaning in her so-called gifts by working as a veterinary assistant. But while traveling to Scotland for a relative’s funeral, Paisley fears that she really has lost her mind. Out in the highlands, she hears distinctly human thoughts coming from a wild bear. Terrified and desperate, she returns to the lodge and collapses in the powerful arms of its owner, a mysterious man with whom she shares a simmering attraction.

Creighton Matheson and his fellow shape-shifters have been roaming this land freely for centuries. Now Paisley may inherit his home, putting his kind in grave danger. His mistrust only deepens when he realizes she can read his mind. Yet he cannot deny that this tantalizing woman makes him burn with desire—and hunger for the prospect of a tender love. Now Creighton must decide which would hurt more: revealing the truth or losing Paisley forever.

Title: Chose The Wrong Guy, Gave Him The Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison
Description: Ten years ago, Quinn Barton was on her way to the altar to marry Burke Morrison, her high school sweetheart, when something derailed her. Rather, someone derailed her—the Best Man who at the last minute begged her to reconsider the marriage. He told her that Burke had been cheating on her. For a long time. Quinn, stunned, hurt, and confused, struggled with the obligation of fulfilling her guests’ expectations—providing a wedding—and running for her life.

She chose running. With the Best Man. Who happened to be Burke’s brother, Frank.

That relationship didn’t work either. How could it, when Quinn had been engaged to, in love with, Frank’s brother? Quinn opted for neither, and, instead, spends the next seventeen years working in her family’s Middleburg, Virginia, bridal shop, Talk of the Gown, where she subconsciously does penance for the disservice she did to marriage.

But when the two men return to town for another wedding, old anger, hurt, and passion resurface. Just because you’ve traded the good guy for the bad guy for no guy doesn’t mean you have to stay away from love for the rest of your life, does it?

Title: Four Of A Kind by Shannon Clayton
Description: Have you ever had one of those days where everything that could go wrong does?

Deborah Hayes is dealt that exact hand when disaster strikes at an event she’s managing, giving her publicity for all the wrong reasons, not to mention breaking up with her English boyfriend. And the trouble doesn’t just end there, but when Deborah starts to investigate she can’t help but feel like the universe was trying to warn her.

Determined not to miss any future ‘signs’ and desperate to attract some good luck, she embarks on a journey of divination, dipping her toes into all sorts of spiritual disciplines, Feng Shui, Palm Reading, Tarot Cards...

After scoring an amazing account at work, things look to be on the up, particularly after meeting her gorgeous Irish neighbour. But sometimes the signs are harder to read than we think, and when the latest up and coming sexy Scottish movie star, and a cute Kiwi guy, both take a shine to her, she’s even more desperate for guidance to help her choose.

Bordering on obsession, Deborah gets caught up in asking questions, looking for signs, and searching for hidden meanings and clues.

Can she make the right choice or is she looking for something that has been right in front of her all along?

Title: Rock My World by Sharisse Coulter
Description: Jenna Jax-Anders hit rock bottom in high school. Or so she thought. From rock star heiress to knocked-up has been, she turned it all around, marrying the punk rock baby daddy love of her life. The perfect Hollywood fairytale. Until the day she walked in on him kissing her best friend.

As she struggles to find herself and redefine the world around her, she faces the challenges of raising her over-achieving teenage daughter, the heartbreak of losing her best friend (backstabbing aside), and emerging from the shadows of two famous last names to find her own identity. Oh, there’s also the tiny issue of her husband’s record label, backed by an anonymous mogul whose morally ambiguous creative direction may ruin them all.

But she doesn’t know about that yet.

Title: Sadie Walker Is Stranded by Madeleine Roux
Description: MONTHS AGO THE WORLD ENDED...

...when an unknown virus spread throughout North America and then the world, killing millions of people. However, that is where the horror only started. The dead began to rise and when they rose they had an insatiable appetite for the living. A new hell had been unleashed on earth and the fight for survival had just begun.

Sadie Walker is one of the survivors in this new world. Living in north Seattle behind barrier that keep the living in and the dead out, she trying to get back to a normal life, while raising her eight-year-old nephew, if anyone even knows what "normal" is anymore. Then everything goes sideways when Shane is kidnapped by a group of black market thieves and they bring down a crucial barrier in the city while trying to escape, and flood the city with the walking dead. After rescuing her nephew, Sadie and Shane escape Seattle on the last remaining boat, along with other survivors. However, now they must face the complete chaos of a world filled with flesh eating zombies and humans who are playing with a whole new rule book when it comes to survival in their journey to find a new place that they can call home.

Title: Sail by James Patterson
Description: A perfect family vacation turns into a life-or-death nightmare.

SET SAIL

Only an hour out of port, the Dunne family's summer getaway to paradise is already turning into the trip from hell. Carrie, the eldest, has thrown herself off the side of the boat in a bid for attention. Sixteen-year-old Mark is getting high belowdecks. And Ernie, their ten-year-old brother, is nearly catatonic. It's shaping up to be the worst vacation ever.

SOAK UP THE SUN

Katherine Dunne had hoped this trip would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband died four years earlier. Maybe if her new husband, a high-powered Manhattan attorney, had been able to postpone his trial and join them it would all have been okay....

PREPARE TO DIE

Suddenly, a disaster hits–and it's perfect. Faced with real danger, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family and pull together in a way they haven't in a long time. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the danger that lurks ahead: someone wants to make sure that the Dunne family never makes it out of paradise alive.

With whiplash plot twists, speedboat pacing, and an eye for the evil that can lie behind even the most gorgeous setting, James Patterson delivers Sail–the wettest, most explosive ocean adventure since Jaws.

Title: Taken In Death by J.D. Robb
Description: Two young children disappear from their East Side home in New York City, their nanny killed in cold blood. As Lieutenant Eve Dallas begins to unravel the crime scene and search for the children, she's drawn into the twisted mind of a kidnapper who will stop at nothing to take revenge.

Title: The Black Door by Charlotte Howard
Description: Imogen Pearce is a single mum of four children and fast approaching 40, she works at Ryedale Incorporated where she has to battle a younger and smarter generation to get to where she wants to go. If that means taking on the account of Cherry and Sean Rubin’s adult shop, then she will. But what happens when Imogen discovers the private club that they run at the back? And what happens when she realizes she knows quite a few members?

Title: The Girl He Knows by Kristi Rose
Description: Waking up naked next to a good looking man is not a bad way to start the day. Especially since Paisley missed all those opportunities in college, when she was too busy supporting her no good, thankfully now, ex-husband. The problem? This hottie is Hank, her best friend’s older brother, a guy she’s known her entire life.

Stopping after one night is the right thing to do. Being with him clearly breaks the best friend code, and from his career as a Naval officer to his Boy Scout reputation, everything about him screams monogamy and commitment. Two things Paisley has had enough of.

When Hank presents a “no strings attached” offer, it’s too good to be true. She can enjoy him while still embracing being single. But, poor choices force her to confront old fears of love and loss, and Paisley has to decide if Hank is worth the risk. The alternative is never experiencing the real deal. Or far worse, settling for less.

Title: The Patron Saint Of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout
Description: After fifteen years, Dr. Cyrus Mills returns to rural Vermont to inherit the Bedside Manor for Sick Animals, the failing veterinary practice of his recently deceased and long-estranged father. Cyrus, a veterinary pathologist far more comfortable with cold clinical facts than living, breathing animals (not to mention their quirky, demanding owners), intends to sell the practice and get out of town as fast as he can.

Then his first patient—a down-on-her-luck golden retriever named Frieda Fuzzypaws—wags her way through the door, and suddenly life gets complicated. With the help of a black Labrador gifted in the art of swallowing underwear, a Persian cat determined to expose her owner’s lover as a gold digger, and the allure of a feisty, pretty waitress from the local diner, Cyrus gets caught up in a new community and its endearing residents, both human and animal. Sensing he may have misjudged the past, he begins to realize it’s not just his patients that need healing.

The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs is a winsome tale of new beginnings, forgiveness, and the joy of finding your way home.

Title: What A Lady Craves by Ashlyn Macnamara
Description: Ashlyn Macnamara weaves a delicious tale of two souls torn apart by circumstance and reunited by fate—perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries.

Henrietta Upperton is about to marry Alexander Sanford, when he rushes off to India to salvage his family’s fortune. Then comes the devastating news that he has wed another. Eight agonizing years later, a storm washes Alexander ashore—injured, widowed, and hunted—and one glimpse of his ruggedly handsome face reawakens the desire Henrietta thought she had buried deep inside. Her body still yearns for his touch, but she’s determined not let him wound her again . . . not this time.

For Alexander, honor always comes first. But only now does he realize that when given the choice between two virtuous deeds, he picked the wrong one. On the run with his life in tatters and a pair of daughters in tow, Alexander burns for Henrietta. He knows he does not deserve forgiveness. And yet he longs to wrap his arms around her warm body once again. What’s more, he is sure the lady craves the same.

REVIEW: Taken In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Taken In Death (In Death #37.5)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Jove
Publication Date: September, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense / Mystery / Thriller

Description: Two young children disappear from their East Side home in New York City, their nanny killed in cold blood. As Lieutenant Eve Dallas begins to unravel the crime scene and search for the children, she's drawn into the twisted mind of a kidnapper who will stop at nothing to take revenge.

My Thoughts: Taken In Death originally appeared in the Mirror, Mirror anthology but I only read Taken In Death. I enjoy this series so much that I’m trying to grab every title I can and it doesn’t matter to me if the story is full length or a short story. Eve and her posse are bad ass, no matter the word count. This story may be a short and fast read, but it sure packed a huge punch. Eve is called in to investigate the brutal murder of a nanny and the disappearance of the two children she takes care of. Video surveillance gives Eve her suspect right away, but she quickly learns that the truth isn’t always obvious. This book has a Hansel and Gretel tone as the two children refer to their kidnapper as an evil witch and she lives up to the label by force feeding them sweets. As the killer’s background is revealed, I found her more disturbing and frightening and feeling a great volume of anxiety as to when Eve would locate the children and if it would be in time.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this one to carry a big bang, though it’s small in size. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Eve to put it all together and bring the psychopath to justice, though I was secretly hoping that she would give Eve a reason to kill her. As usual, Eve and her gang are in top form for this case, which isn’t a surprise, but always a thrill to witness. I highly recommend this book as a wonderful addition to the series. If you are a fan of the series, don’t limit yourself to just the full length stories. You will miss out on a true gem if you pass this one by.


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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)