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May 15th, 2012
TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly event, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, where you ‘tease’ others with a little bit from the book you’re currently reading, making them want to read it, too! How to participate:
- Grab your current book and open to a random page
- Share two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page
- Make sure what you share is NOT a spoiler
- Include the title, author and page number so that others can read the book if they like the ‘teaser’
- Head on over to Should Be Reading and leave a comment on the Teaser Tuesday post there
This weeks teasers:
As his eyes dirfted close, he heard her whisper, “You have to leave with me. I can’t face everything without you.”
“I can set you free,” he said, but by the sound of her light breathing, he didn’t think she heard him. He pressed his lips to her hair, knowing he’d be damned if he wold let Satan have her soul now.
Found on page 190 of Where There’s Smoke by Karen Kelley
*Note: This is from an ARC and the actual quote may be different in the finished product!
May 14th, 2012
 Where There’s Smoke
Author: Karen Kelley
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 1, 2012)
Full Disclosure: Recieved from Publisher via NetGalley
What’s it About According to GoodReads:
When sexy wannabe-demon, Destiny Carter, is kicked out of Hell, she lands in Ft. Worth, Texas with one week to corrupt a soul. Or else. She slips into a slinky red dress, and heads straight for the delicious, corruptible looking cowboy at the bar.
But Chance Bellew has his own agenda-saving souls. He’s not your typical angel. He’s a nephilim, to be exact. Centuries ago, angels came down from Heaven and mated with mortal women. When the women bore children, a new race was created. Immortals with powers—demigods, nephilim.
But the children don’t live by the same rules as mortals, or that of the typical, robe-wearing, bright light-surrounding-them angels. Hell, most of the time the nephilim are breaking the rules, and making up new ones as they go. As long as they don’t cross over to the dark side, everyone pretty much stays out of their way.
But sometimes a demon-in-training, who looks like Destiny, comes along and all Hell breaks loose.
What I Thought: Reading through the synopsis that GoodReads offered I thought that Where There’s Smoke would be more like Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead. Instead I got something that just fell slightly short. The characters were likable and funny, but a lot of the interaction between them seemed forced.
I would have really liked to see Destiny’s friendships grow, since yanno she wasn’t supposed to make friends with humans at all. She was supposed to get their soul and then scoot her butt back to Hell. I also would have liked more background information on Chance’s character. He’s supposed to be this good guy who is going to save Destiny, and he’s got all these rules for himself, but there isn’t any reasoning behind them. At least none that I could distinguish. His buddies were pretty funny though, and I am assuming that there will be subsequent stories with them in them, although at the time of this review I couldn’t find any information on them.
Do I Recommend: Kinda. The story was fast paced, and interesting. I just wish there had been more. It is something I could easily see reading on the beach or in the backyard while relaxing.
April 16th, 2012
 Crazy For You
Author: Jennifer Cruise
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (March 28th 1999)
Full Disclosure: Purchased
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
On Wednesday, Quinn McKenzie changes her life. On Thursday, she tries to get somebody to notice. On Thursday night, somebody does.
Quinn McKenzie has always lived what she calls a “beige” life. She has a good job as a high school art teacher, and she’s surrounded by family and friends who rely on her. She’s dating Bill, coach of the championship high school football and baseball teams and all-around perfect guy. It’s a perfectly happy and secure life, and she’s bored to the point of insanity.
But when Quinn decides to change her life by adopting a stray dog over everyone’s objections, everything begins to spiral out of control. Soon a man from her past comes back into her life and the old attraction is ignited again. Now she’s coping with dog-napping, breaking and entering, seduction, sabotage, stalking, more secrets than she really wants to know, and two men who are suddenly crazy…for her.
What I Thought: Beige sums up this book perfectly. The premise was really interesting to me. Someone changing up their boring life, and trying to just shake things up, but for some reason it just fell flat. I feel like Quinn as a character could have expanded more, there really wasn’t much to her. She was the fixer of her group, the one that everyone turns too when their life is out of control, but there really wasn’t anyone Quinn could count on. Well other than her sisters ex-husband Nick, who honestly seemed like a jerk.
I don’t understand how the Nick and Quinn ended up together, or how they even fit together as friends. He seemed to be selfish and although he claimed to love her, he constantly held her at arms length and when they finally did hook up he treated her like he treated all of his other conquests. I just don’t get it. Not to mention he’s her sisters ex-husband, which is just a whole ‘nother ick factor for me.
The one thing that was done really well in Crazy For You was the insanity of Bill. I really did enjoy watching him kind of unravel as a character, and show how he was actually really insane and controlling. I didn’t like how Quinn kept excusing his behavior, but it was very realistically done which is one thing that honestly kept me reading the story. I wanted to see if he would ever get what was coming to him.
Another thing that kind of raised an eyebrow for me was Quinn’s mom and her relationship with her best friend Edie. I felt like it was supposed to be something serious but towards the end turned into kind of a joke. I really wish that Cruise would have either made the relationship serious, or made it so that it hadn’t really happened. Instead of having it where her mom just kind of flitted back home and dad knew all along.
Do I Recommend: Honestly, I would like to say I do but I don’t. Crazy For You fell very flat for me and just was not my cup of tea. I will however check out another book by Jennifer Cruise to see if it was a one time thing or not.
April 13th, 2012
 The Duke And I (Bridgertons #1)
Author: Julia Quinn
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (January 5, 2000)
Full Disclosure: Purchased
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
— Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphney Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth–it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her…but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke…for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love…
What I Thought: A cute read that left me feeling baffled, to be honest.
I loved Daphne, she was a head strong character who knew what she wanted and was willing to do whatever she wanted to achieve it. I also ADORED her family, for some reason they reminded me of the Weasley’s. Just a large brood that geniunely cares for one another, and really didn’t let station dictate how they should behave with one another.
Simon on the other hand, he wasn’t a huge favorite for me. I got the whole tortured past thing, and the wanting to deal with anything my father has ever touched. I kind of get that, but what I don’t understand is WHY if you know you’re falling in love with someone, and you know that person is falling in love with you, you would hold back.
I enjoyed their journey of getting together though. It was something that while has been done before, it was done in a more humorous way, which I’m pretty sure isn’t how Quinn meant it to be written, but it worked really well for me and for the story as a whole.
Another real neat thing that I liked was the little gossip blurbs that would appear at the beginning of each chapter. For awhile I was convinced that I knew who was writing them, and was sadly disappointed when I found out that I was wrong. I do have a couple other ideas, but I’ll have to read the rest of the series to see if I am proved to be right.
Do I Recommend: If you like feisty heroines and brooding heroes then The Duke And I would be a great fit for you.
Other Books in this Series:
The Duke And I
The viscount Who Loved Me
An Offer From a Gentleman
Romancing Mister Bridgerton
To Sir Phillip, With Love
When He Was Wicked
Its In His Kiss
On The Way To The Wedding
April 11th, 2012
 Nice girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors (Jane Jameson #4)
Author: Molly Harper
Paperback: 337 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (February 28, 2012)
Full Disclosure: Received from publisher for review
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Just as Jane Jameson’s unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of all things marital, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend Gabriel are coming along smoothly. But the road to wedded bliss gets bumpy when a teenage acquaintance is fatally wounded in front of Jane’s shop and she turns him to save his life. The Council pronounces Jane responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.
Jane’s kitchen at River Oaks barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen’s appetite and maintain Gabriel’s jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighborhood isn’t enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane’s newly deceased Grandma Ruthie has declared a war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly, choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake that she can’t eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.
Tensions inside the house are growing…and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel’s heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that at this rate, she’ll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of…
What I Thought: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again the Jane Jameson series is a series that will make you laugh so hard that it hurts, and then make you feel so sad that you’re crying into a handkerchief wondering where it all went wrong.
I was over the moon excited when I found out that there would be another Jane book, and then when the chance to review it landed in my lap I lept on it with a hell yes! I couldn’t wait to see what happened with Jane and her crew of misfits. And let me tell you Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors did not disappoint.
Jane’s life has finally settled down. She’s got her bookstore, her great group of friends, a fiance and a new childe. Yup, you read that right. In what appears to be hit and run, Jane is presented with the choice to either let a local teenager die, or give him the wonderful gift of unlife.
You would think that would be enough for poor Jane, but nope. Tack onto all of her problems the fact that someone is trying to kill Gabriel and is using her to do it, and you’ve got enough stress to make someone go insane. However in typical Jane fashion she seems to handle everything with a bit of snark and a prayer.
I think the best part was the helpful childe rearing tips that appeared at the start of the chapters, they were really funny and just kind of helped set the tone for each chapter.
As with the rest of the series there was some things that were predictable but honestly nothing that took away from the story and there was enough going on in the background of the story that there could easily be another book in this series. Or even a spinoff of this series because even though Jane and Gabriel get their happy ever after there’s still enough emotional baggage with the secondary characters that I feel could still be explored.
Do I Recommend: Yes, plop yourself down with a nice cold beverage and dive right in. I would suggest reading the other books in this series first for all of the good background details, but I don’t think if you picked this one up you’d be too terribly lost.
Other Books in this Series:
Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs
Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men
Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever
Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors
April 10th, 2012
 With This Kiss
Author: Bella Ramsey
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever (March 1, 2012)
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher for review
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Love can find you when you least expect it . . .
Fireworks. That’s what innkeeper Rebecca Campbell wants. And no matter how close their friendship, she and her former fiancé never shared that. Now, with a broken engagement behind her and a promise she’s vowed to keep, Rebecca is determined to make a new life for herself in Emerald Lake. She just never expected sparks to fly this quickly . . .
Coming home and falling for his little brother’s girl wasn’t Sean Murphy’s plan. Rebecca’s sweet smile and kind heart make Sean feel at home-something he’s never felt before. But a secret lingers between them, and no matter how powerful their attraction, Sean can’t give his heart to a woman he can’t trust. Or can he?
As the days pass, Rebecca and Sean find it harder and harder to deny their desire. And they are in beautiful Emerald Lake, the perfect place for falling in love . . .
What I Thought: I had a very hard time finishing this book. It was one of those books where I would put it down, and come back to it days or hours later and just find myself wanting to put it right back down. To me, Rebecca was the kind of character who seemed to need validation, or something. If she were a friend of mine I would ask her if she’s ever happy without a significant other in her life, because to me it seems that she wouldn’t be.
As the book went on I never did warm up to Rebecca or to Sean. Sean was, to put it frankly an asshole. Yeah, his mother did something horrible and shattered his trust, but for him to treat everyone with such contempt really threw me off. I couldn’t imagine falling in love with him like Rebecca did.
As for Rebecca’s ex-fiance … seriously, I saw that one coming, I just really REALLY wish that it would have been handled differently throughout the book. I didn’t like that even though it was his secret to tell, it was made out to be a bad thing.
Do I Recommend: Honestly, I have a hard time recommending this book. There were parts that were interesting, but for me it just wasn’t there. It might be up your alley if you like books that are sweet, with a little bit of mystery.
 Note from Jess: This is part of a blog tour that was supposed to be posted during the first week of March, but because of my illness and hospital stay I am extremely behind. I apologize for any mishaps that result from this late posting.
April 3rd, 2012
Without further delay, I would like to announce the winner of the Cynthia Garner and Stella Cameron blog tour give away.
Tina B
Congratulations!
I will be emailing you for your mailing information.
If I do not hear back from you by Friday April 6th I will have to pick a new winner
March 12th, 2012
 Last Chance Beauty Queen (Last Chance #3)
Author: Hope Ramsay
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Forever (February 1, 2012)
Full Disclosure: Received from publisher for review
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Dear Reader,
Gracious me, my beautiful daughter Rocky sure could use my help. I always knew she wasn’t much interested in the local boys – but who’d have thought she’d come home with English royalty?
Trouble is, Hugh wants to buy some of our folks’ land. We don’t want to sell, but Rocky’s job depends on her closing the deal. And though Hugh’s obviously smitten, I’m not sure he’s right for my Rocky. Oh, he’s classy and handsome – and you should’ve seen the way he judged pies and fixed stock cars at our Watermelon Festival! – but what do we know about him, really? I know I sound like a nervous mother hen, but after forty happy years with my Elbert, all I want is to see my little girl find the same.
Well, time for me to quit chattering and get back to Miss Bray’s wet set. Always nice talking to you, and remember: the Cut ‘n Curl’s got hot rollers, free coffee, and the best gossip in town.
See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes
What I Thought: I fell in love with Last Chance Beauty Queen right away, it kind of surprised me. I was almost sure I was going to hate it once I read the back jacket because it reminded me of those super cheesy books I would see at the doctors office. Anyway, once I got past the judgement I was able to really fall in love with the story. I don’t know if it was because Rocky reminded me so much of myself, or because I just needed a happy story, but either way I loved it.
Rocky was this perfectly flawed character. She’s a southern girl to the core, who is trying to hide it. She constantly tries her hardest to not lose her temper, to be this perfect problem solver, and to be the person who she thought everyone else wanted her to be instead of the person she really is. I also really liked how she tried to run from her past, I don’t know why that struck such a chord with me but it did. Rocky spent most of her time apologzing for things that had happened in the past that she kind of let it dictate her future and screw it up … a lot.
Hugh, was dashing and because of his name I spent most of the movie imagining him as Hugh Grant. I think that if this book were to ever get made into a movie he would be perfect … if you could some how travel back in time about 20 years. Anyway, his character was this flawed individual who was way to trusting, but trying not to be. So he tries his hardest to emulate his grandfather (who sounded like a total dick throughout the whole book, I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad that a character was dead in like ever) and just fails miserably.
Towards the end of the book both Rocky and Hugh come to terms with the fact that they aren’t the people they’re trying to be, in fact when they’re together they are the people they are supposed to be. Which to me is what love truly is. I also really liked that they didn’t immediately fall in love, they worked towards it. Even though Rocky thought Hugh was hunky right from the get-go.
The only weird thing I have to say about the whole book was this whole “my father and niece talk to angels” thing. I wasn’t sure what Hope Ramsay was attempting to do with that, but towards the end it seemed to wrap itself up and kind of made sense.
Do I Recommend: Yes, and even though Last Chance Beauty Queen is the 3rd book in a series, it stands alone pretty well. I do think that my confusion over the whole angel thing would have been more understandable had I read the other books, but I can’t say for sure.
Other Books in the series:
Welcome to Last Chance
Home at Last Chance
Note from Jess: This is part of a blog tour that was supposed to be posted during the first week of March, but because of my illness I’m slightly behind. I apologize for any mishaps that result from this late posting.
March 7th, 2012
As a part of this blog tour I was also given the chance to interview the authors. First I present to you Cynthia Garner, author of Kiss of the Vampire.
Find the Time to Read: Which vampire is your favorite vampire, Edward Cullen or Dracula?
Cynthia Garner: Oh, boy, I hope the tar and feathers don’t come out—I haven’t read any of Stephanie Meyers books. Or seen the movies. I know, I know. What planet have I been living on?! But at the advanced at I am, I’d have to say even if he’s actually 150 years old (or whatever), I’d have a hard time looking at someone who looks like he’s 17 and getting all lusty over him. I’d feel like a pedophile! But a grown man who’s powerful, charming, sexy… Yeah. I’m so there!
Find the Time to Read: Nix sounds like she’s pretty bad ass. What are your favorite parts about her?
Cynthia Garner: I love that Nix is a survivor, and she’s her own woman. Others have expectations of her and she’s determined to go her own way as much as she can. The love of her life walked out on her and her life didn’t end. That says strength to me.
Find the Time to Read: If you had the chance to either save the world or let it go into chaos, which would you choose?
Cynthia Garner: Unlike the villain in KISS OF THE VAMPIRE, I’m not a big fan of chaos. I like a certain amount of order in my life even while I know unexpected things will happen. When they do, I deal with them. And I definitely like living in a world that has laws that the majority of people try to follow.
 And now I present to you Stella Cameron, author of Darkness Bound
Find the Time to Read: If you could be a were something, what would you be and why?
Stella Cameron: I would be a wereelephant. I’m not very brave. I think a wereelephant would be such a shock that any enemies would think twice before attacking me.
Find the Time to Read: Do you think there could possibly be some were creatures out there?
Stella Cameron: Yes, I do. I think all things are possible and there is so much we don’t see, mostly because we don’t want to.
Find the Time to Read: In a horror move, would you be the character who dies first, the one who dies last, the one who survives or the one who runs into a dark room thinking it’s safe?
Stella Cameron: The one who runs into the dark room because that feeling is one I am addicted to when I write. As a kid in England I was sent to bed up a flight of dark stairs and I would run like mad to get to the top. What I felt then, is what I want my readers to feel sometimes. If I had to go into that dangerous, dark room I would gain even more insight.
Want to win a copy of both books?
I have a set of books to give away to 1 lucky reader
All you have to do is fill out the form below.
COMMENTS WILL NOT COUNT FOR AN ENTRY
U.S only — No P.O boxes
Winners for today’s contest will be announced
MONDAY MARCH 19th
March 7th, 2012
Darkness Bound (Chimney Rock #1)
Author: Stella Cameron
Publisher: Forever (March 1, 2012)
Paperback: 326 pages
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher for review
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
WHEN NIGHT FALLS
After her husband’s tragic death, Leigh Kelly arrives on Whidbey Island determined to start over. Yet the tiny town of Chimney Rock is not as peaceful as it seems. Women have been disappearing, and Leigh can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched . . . especially at night. Soon, she’s experiencing visions she can’t explain and fighting her attraction to a handsome stranger who seems to know her most intimate desires.
PASSION TRANSFORMS THEM
As the leader of the Team, a pack of werehounds forced to hide their very existence, former special ops soldier Niles Latimer is desperate to prove a man’s heart beats beneath his predator’s body. And Leigh-the mysterious beauty possessing powers she doesn’t yet understand-may be the one woman who can help him. But Niles isn’t the only one who recognizes Leigh’s true identity. Something evil is waiting in the woods-and the hunt has begun . . .
What I Thought: I was mildly put off at first by Darkness Bound. It seemed that Stella Cameron had taken every romance cliche and shoved it all into the first few chapters. There was the whole crappy childhood, the sad past, the brooding male figure, all of the things that make me love romance novels, but they were just jumbled in there.
Leigh moves to Chimney Rock after her husband passed away because she wanted to do something for herself, and she wanted to move on with her life, which I totally understand. Her first day there Niles scares the crap out of her by being at her house before she is even there, and its like BAM instant attraction between the two of them. Honestly at first I thought it was going to end up like a Twilight thing, where Niles would later confess to watching Leigh sleep at night.
Once I got past those parts and really focused in on the story line, I was sucked right in. There were some things that were predictable, and some things that just made me raise an eyebrow and go WTF is this!? But over all I really enjoyed Darkness Bound, it was that right mix of reality and fantasy that I feel most paranormal romances just don’t achieve. I would have liked for Stella Cameron to talk a little bit more about Leigh’s life with her husband, and maybe explored Niles’ past a little more as well, but I think that as the series goes on it will all be explained.
Do I Recommend: I would, but I’m not sure what other books I could compare it too. For me it seemed that Darkness Bound was a little bit of everything, were-creature, fairy and the like.
Note from Jess: This review was supposed to a part of a blog tour that happened on March 1st. Because I spent most of February sick I will be posting the final part from this tour tonight.
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