The Love Goddess' Cooking School

by:  Melissa Senate
published by:  Gallery Books

Holly Maguire's grandmother was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine–a Milanese fortune teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy.


But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend.

As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories into every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed–and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.

I received this book as part of a blog tour from Gallery Books.  I'm so glad I did.  I adored this book.  It was such a sweet story.  It made me want to cook, something, anything!

This is the second story that I've read recently that takes place on a New England island and it's really making me want to go visit one.  The scenery this time of year must be awesome! 

I'd definitely recommend this book for a light sweet read.  It also has some of the recipes talked about in the back of the book which I thought was a great addition.  I've included this book in my giveaway that ends in a few days.  See the post below for more information.

More for the Giveaway

I said I would add more to Freefall-Nightshade-Replacement giveaway if the response was good.  Well it's been GREAT!!

So I'm going to add some adult books for another winner.   First winner will have first choice of which pack they would like.  Sound good?

The new pack will include:

I just finished up with the first two and will have reviews up this week.  I really liked both of them.  I reviewed Blue Nude awhile back.  My review is here.

Haven't entered yet?  What are you waiting for??  The giveaway ends November 1.  More information can be found on the original post. 

THE FORM TO ENTER IS HERE

XVI

by:  Julia Karr

published by:  Puffin/Speak

publish date:  January 6, 2011

In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, with the government mandated tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina's father. But, first Nina has to find him; for fifteen years he's been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on.  Add to that there’s a murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and he just happens to be her little sister’s dad.

XVI takes place in a dystopian future where 16 year old girls are mandated to get tattoos on their wrists declaring that they are 16 and therefore legally able (and encouraged) to have sex.  They are bombarded constantly by the media with advertisements goading these girls into becoming trampy little whores.  Anyone that tries to buck the system is labeled a Non-Con by the government and is pretty much disappeared.  Fortunately for Nina, her mother raised her to think for herself and question the media.

This book made me think of Fahrenheit 451.  It was very similar in that the government and the media were in collusion to keep the populace as mindless sheep.  In both books they talked about the constant bombardment of commercials at all times.  They also both reference people having earphones (shells in 451 and PAVs in XVI) stuck in their ears almost all the time.  I think it would be an interesting compare and contrast lesson for an English teacher, provided that either book could pass school board muster since 451 is often challenged and I'd suspect this one would be too.

Overall, I liked it.  It was a pretty interesting read.  It comes out in January so add it to your wish list.  While you're waiting you can read the first chapter here.

** I received this book from International Book Tours **

You

by:  Charles Benoit

published by:  HarperTeen

From the book:  This wasn't the way it was supposed to go.

You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore, an average guy named Kyle Chase. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain all the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?

There had to have been signs, had to have been some clues it was coming. Did you miss them, or ignore them?

Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Or is it already too late?

Think fast, Kyle. Time's running out. How did this happen?

In his stunning young-adult debut, Charles Benoit mixes riveting tension with an insightful—and unsettling—portrait of an ordinary teen in a tale that is taut, powerful, and shattering.

This was a really great little book.  It was very unique in that the entire book is written in the second person.  The story was fairly interesting, but I felt like it left the answers to some really big questions out.  Throughout the book it was talked about how Kyle went from the really great student to a below average student and I didn't feel like it was fully explained what happened.  He was always angry and violent, but again you just had to go along with it and it was never really explained.  He was mad at his dad, but why? 

I felt like this book had a lot more potential that it didn't quite live up to.  It was quite good anyway, but I just wanted more.

Giveaway: The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise

by:  Julia Stuart

From Goodreads:  Brimming with charm and whimsy, this exquisite novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amélie.

Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise for the past eight years. That’s right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It’s no easy job living and working in the tourist attraction in present-day London.

Among the eccentric characters who call the Tower’s maze of ancient buildings and spiral staircases home are the Tower’s Rack & Ruin barmaid, Ruby Dore, who just found out she’s pregnant; portly Valerie Jennings, who is falling for ticket inspector Arthur Catnip; the lifelong bachelor Reverend Septimus Drew, who secretly pens a series of principled erot­ica; and the philandering Ravenmaster, aiming to avenge the death of one of his insufferable ravens.

When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interest­ing. Penguins escape, giraffes are stolen, and the Komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives. Balthazar is in charge and things are not exactly running smoothly. Then Hebe decides to leave him and his beloved tortoise “runs” away.

Filled with the humor and heart that calls to mind the delight­ful novels of Alexander McCall Smith, and the charm and beauty of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a magical, wholly origi­nal novel whose irresistible characters will stay with you long after you turn the stunning last page.

Personally, I just couldn't get into this book.  I tried 3 different times and it just wasn't my cup of tea (haha).  However, it's getting quite the rave reviews so it must be really good!  Now you can find out for yourself. 

I have 2 copies of this book to giveaway from the publisher (Thanks Doubleday!) so publisher rules apply.  US addresses only and no PO boxes.  I'll pick winners on Nov. 1. 

To enter just leave a comment on this post with a valid email address.  If you would like an extra entry you can mention this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook and leave a link to it in a separate comment.  Good Luck!

The Island - audiobook

by:  Elin Hildebrand
published by:  Regan Arthur Books

Birdie Cousins has planned a getaway with her daughter Chess on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, a chance to bond before Chess's upcoming marriage. Birdie's been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She's only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.


When Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding and her fiancé shockingly dies in a rock climbing accident, it leaves Chess feeling guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter Tate, and her own sister India to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets and intrigue soon make their way to the surface, as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.

I've never read anything by Elin Hildebrand before and I'm clearly missing out on something.  I won the audiobook of The Island recently.  I absolutely loved it.  I'd have to put this up there with the best books I've read this year.  I have The Castaways around here and it got move up near the top of the TBR Pile after reading this one. 

The story was great.  I loved it.  I loved all four of the women.  They were every woman in different ways and they all dealt with things that all women deal with at some point in their lives.  The island setting was perfect.  They were stuck with each other until their problems got resolved.  I loved the idea of Tuckernuck.  I want to go there, but apparently it's pretty hard to get there.

The audiobook reader, Denice Hicks, was awesome!  I loved the way she portrayed their emotions.  There were times I'd say "Oh Hank" or "Barrett!" to myself and she'd say it the same way.  I'll be on the lookout for more audiobooks read by her for sure.

Paradise Flawed

by:  Daniel Lance Wright

published by:  Dream Books, LLC

All Mike Hanson wants is a relaxing family vacation in the mountains of New Mexico; time away from his stressful Midland, Texas career and a chance to refocus on family. But the explosion of a gasoline tanker truck and subsequent forest fire not only change vacation plans but his entire life, sending Mike and other survivors on a dash for their lives. It’s no accident. He is targeted to be eliminated.

I received this book as a part of Octour with Dream Books.  Check out their website, they're supposed to be doing a Maze with some prizes, but I'm not totally sure how that's going to work.

I thought this was a solidly written book.  Good pacing, the drama was well developed.  The storyline was exciting and interesting with great little twists and turns.

As far as the characters go, I liked Mike, the main character.  I also like Katy the owner of the vacation lodge.  However, I had an immediate and intense dislike for Jojo, Mike's daughter.  I don't know what it was, maybe because she called her dad "Pop", but who knows? 

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  It was a lot better than I had originally expected it to be.

The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen

by:  Joel M. Andre 
On a warm summer afternoon, in Northern Arizona, a double homicide stains the ground with blood. Detectives are called out to handle the investigation, each plagued with their own internal demons, and aren't prepared for what they are about to find.


Detective Lauren Bruni, faces a world of darkness and evil, as a demonic force begins to leash an attack on a small town. As the stakes begin to rise, so does the stunning truth, that not even Lauren can imagine.

In a world where her life had started to fall apart, she must pick up the pieces and push forward in an effort to save those that she loves the most.

This is a hard one for me.  I really don't know if I really liked it or really hated this book.  I think it's somewhere in between.  I think my biggest problem was that I didn't like the main character, Lauren Bruni, on a personal level.  Her personality and dialogue grated on my nerves.  It's hard to look past that, but in trying to do so, I thought the book overall was pretty interesting. 

This is a horror novel, there are demons and a goblin (that reminded me an awful lot of Dobby the House-Elf) and a lot of brutal murder.  There's a really freaky Medical Examiner, that makes me wonder about MEs in general and what do they really do with the bodies after dark.  I thought that part of the book was actually pretty funny.  If there's any reason that this book should be made into a movie, the whole scene with the ME and the bodies after dark is THE reason. 

If this book is ever republished or picked up by a different publisher, I would definitely recommend a different format.  I found the double spacing between paragraphs in the first couple of chapters to be disruptive to the reading flow.   However, in that particular problem isn't present throughout the rest of the book so I don't know what was going on with that.

I could see how this book would really appeal to a certain group of people, but I'd suspect a lot of other people would be really turned off by it.  I think you'd have to like the horror/paranormal genre and have a lot of dark humor.

**I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review which I have provided**

Giveaway Time!

The book situation is getting a little out of hand at home right now.  It's a problem I happily deal with, but I think it's starting to irritate my husband just a wee bit.  So I have some books that I've read that I'm ready to part with that I know y'all want.

I'm going to be giving away an ARC of Nightshade, and ARC of The Replacement and a finished copy of Freefall.  If the response is really good to this giveaway, I might add extra books, maybe extra winners.  So there's an incentive for you to spread the word around!

The fine print:  I will ship internationally!  Giveaway ends Nov. 1.  You don't have to be a follower, but you get extra entries for being one.  I will contact the winner by email at some point on Nov. 1.  They will have 48 hrs to contact me, if I don't hear from the winner, I will select a new one.  (Hearing bad things from other bloggers I'm going to throw in that I'm not going to be responsible for people that don't check their email, or emails that might go to your spam folder or whatever other reason you might come up with for not emailing me back within 48 hrs.)

Please fill out THIS FORM!!  Comments, even though we love them so much, will not count as entries!

The Search

Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Putnam

To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle's coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare...

Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona's cop fiancé and his K-9 partner.

On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He's the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon's house, and he's at his wit's end....

Nora Roberts is one of my “go-to” writers when I am looking for a good solid romance with a bit of action and intrigue thrown in. I listened to the audio version of Nora’s latest, The Search. The romance is the strongest part of the book. It flowed nicely without the any real angst. I loved the hero, Simon. He felt honest and real. His reluctant fall into love is amusing and warm. His and Fiona’s relationship develops nicely over months instead of days. A nice change of pace, if you ask me. As for mystery, well there isn’t much. You know “who done it” pretty soon into the book. This didn’t bother me so much, as I read Nora more for the romance anyway. You will learn a lot about dog training and the dog search and rescue program. I found this part pretty interesting. Would I recommend it? Sure. It’s a good solid Nora. You won’t be disappointed.

Testimony

by:  Anita Shreve
published by:  Little Brown and Co.

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.


Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

I had read a lot of negative reviews of this book before I got to it.  A lot of it centered around the fact that the book was told from about a dozen or more points of view.  It was hard to follow, it was hard to keep track of the various characters and who cared what some of them thought! 

I listened to the audiobook and I liked it.  It was very well done.  Each character had it's own voice so it was really easy to keep track of who was talking.  All the actors did a fantastic job, although I probably would have picked a different one for Silas, I didn't like the sound of his voice, but otherwise they were all really good.

I thought the story was fairly interesting.  I was kind of let down by the reveal of who was behind the camera.  They kept talking about who was behind the camera and how no one was mentioning.  I won't give it away, but I guess I had hoped it would be someone a lot more scandalous.

I don't know if I'd rush out and buy this book, but it's worth a pick up at the library.  I'd definitely recommend the audiobook.