Throwback Thursday - Annie and the Outlaw

Author: Sharon Sala
First published in 1994 by Silhouette Books

Rejected by Hell for one final deed of kindness, outlaw Gabriel Donner is given a second chance by God to make it into Heaven. The price? To spend the next 150 years on Earth righting the wrongs he's done. His task is long and lonely; but just as his time is almost up, he rescues the one woman who could make him want to stay on Earth, Annie Laurie O'Brien. Annie, however, has a deadly secret of her own, and making it all work out in the end literally takes an act of God.

This is not in active print anymore, so you will probably have to hit up the used books stores or get it from the library like I did. So, why am I featuring it on Throwback Thursday? I think it is worth seeking out if you are looking for earlier works by Sharon Sala. This is a really touching story about redemption, faith and hope. Gabriel Donner has been wandering the earth for the past 150 years trying to make up for a checkered past. His last mission comes to him in the form of Annie who is dying, and doesn't believe in God and has lost her faith. Their love story is emotional, strong and very believable. The book is very moving and sucks you right in from the beginning. I do warn you, I cried while reading this; both sad and happy tears. I gave it 4 stars, but only because some of the references did date the book a little. See if you can find it. I guarantee you will like it!

--Kari

'Twas The Night

Author: Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes, Trish Jensen
Publisher: Kindle edition, Bell Bridge Books

“Christmas or Bust!”What do a Blue Angels pilot, a bounty hunter and an ex-NFL football player have in common? The three bad-boy bachelors of Snowdon, Maine have to make a friend’s Christmas Eve wedding on time or die trying! They’re willing to risk anything to make that happen—even dashing through the snow in the goofiest bus on Earth, bright red and filled with a bunch of merry, meddling senior citizens known as the Santa Brigade. All too soon, these men will have met their matches in three special women: a woman from their past, a forest ranger so hot she ought to be declared a fire hazard, and a woman on the run. Ho, ho, OH!While serving up holiday cheer with the Santa Brigade, the guys will discover ‘tis the season for good will and folly. Wise men or not, they are well and truly caught, which means these roguish St. Nicks are willing to jingle a few bells along the way if that’s what it takes to find what they truly want for Christmas nestled in their beds after the stockings are stuffed and the gifts placed under the tree.

This was actually first published in 2001 as "Here Come Santa Claus" by Leisure Books. It has been re-released recently under the new name, 'Twas the night. This is not an ordinary anthology. The authors tried a different approach. Each author took one of the three men and told his point of view in the story; each taking place at the same time. Of the three couples in the book, the only one that I really bought into was Sam and Reba's relationship. They had a history and I could really buy into their reunion and subsequent love story. The other two couples, having only just met, seemed more like lust than the makings for long term love. Especially, Dana who had been infatuated with Stan during his football career and had posters of him in her bedroom. I would think that would creep out most guys. I can usually buy into the "love at first sight" story line, but this just didn't do it for me. Overall, however, I did enjoy the story as a whole. The peripheral characters are amusing and add a lot of life to book. I would recommend for a good, fast holiday read. I gave it 3 stars.

--Kari

Winner!

The winner of the Wither ARC and Goodnight Tweetheart is...

Windy Cindy

Congratulations Cindy!  I've sent you an email. 

On other blog related issues, I've been taking a bit of a break for the holidays.  I've had a lingering cold for the last couple of weeks and it's worn me down so I haven't been posting as usual.  Hopefully I'll be ready and raring for the new year! 

Throwback Thursday - Only His

It's been a busy week getting ready for the holiday, so this one will be brief:


Author: Elizabeth Lowell
First published in 1991 by HarperCollins Publishers

Escaping the ravages of the Civil War, a gently reared lady must leave behind everything she knows -- and trust her life and her future to a dangerous gunfighter with a passion for vengeance.

A team of prize Arabian horses is all that Willow Moran has left -- and Caleb Black is the only man who can help her reach her brother in the Colorado Rockies. But she fears this stranger who burns to avenge the wrongs of treacherous men. For Caleb is as wild and unpredictable as the uncivilized land he loves. Yet, though she challenges him at every turn, the spirited southern lady knows this proud, enigmatic loner is her destiny. And no matter what peril awaits, they must face it together -- for Willow has become a fever in Caleb's blood ... awakening a need so fierce that he would defeat the devil himself to possess her.

This one would have been on my top 10 books read in 2009, had I done a top 10 then. I loved everything about this book. Willow and Caleb are 2 characters that I really liked. Willow is feisty, strong, yet innocent at the same time. Caleb is my favorite type of hero. Only His has everything you could want in a great romance: love, adventure and a steamy relationship that develops slowly. Their first kiss alone is hotter than the average sex scene in a typical romance novel. Aside from romance, this story is also about second chances and learning to trust and love again. This is the first in her "Only" series. I have read the other 3, but this one is my favorite by far! If you haven't read it, give it a shot. Maybe it will become one of your top 10 in 2011! 5 stars!

-- Kari

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway

You are at stop #77.  The full list of blogs participating is located here

I will be giving away an ARC of Wither and a copy of Goodnight Tweetheart to one winner (US address only please).  Since this is such a short giveaway I'm doing this super easy.  Just leave a comment below with an email address.  That's it.  I'll randomly pick a winner then notify the winner Thursday by the email address in the comment.

Review: Wither

by:  Lauren DeStephano
published by:  Simon and Shuster Children's Publishing
publish date:  March 22, 2011

What if you knew exactly when you would die?


Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

Despite my not wanting to get sucked into anymore series I somehow got sent an ARC of this book and how can you not read this book?  Look at that cover!  I loved the circle and line graphics and they continued throughout the entire book.  Kudos to whoever came up with that.  It was something different and I like to see things like that. 

This was a really dark story.  It's a dystopian so it's expected to be, but this one seemed to go beyond the usual YA dystopian.  Kidnapping, forced marriages, murder, horrible nasty deaths, human experiments are just some of the issues touched upon in this book.  Also, these girls are 14, 16, 19 years old when they're taken to be brides.  Pretty young ages for the things that entails.  I imagine that will raise some objections in certain areas.

I will say that I did like the book.  I read it in about 2 sittings.  It was one of those books I had a hard time putting down because I just couldn't believe what I was reading.  Parts of it were just so heart breaking and I felt so terrible for the characters.  I loved Rhine and Jenna.  I even liked Linden.  I wished that Rhine would have given Linden more of a chance.  I never really got what she saw in Gabriel other than someone to go with her when she tried to escape.

Bottomline...definitely add it to your To Read list if you like dystopians.  YA readers will more than likely want to check it out too.

Want my copy?  Check back tomorrow I'll be giving it away in the Mid-Winter Giveaway

The Killing Storm

by:  Kathryn Casey
published by:  Minotaur Books

On a quiet afternoon in the park, four-year-old Joey plays in the sandbox, when a stranger approaches looking for his puppy. While Joey’s mom, Crystal, talks on her cell phone, the stranger convinces the child to help search. By the time Crystal turns around, her son has disappeared. Yet her reaction is odd, not what one would expect from a distraught mother. Is Crystal somehow involved in her son’s abduction?


Meanwhile, on a ranch outside Houston, Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong assesses a symbol left on the hide of a slaughtered longhorn, a figure that dates back to a forgotten era of sugarcane plantations and slavery. Soon other prizewinning bulls are butchered on the outskirts of the city, each bearing a similar drawing. The investigations converge at the same time a catastrophic hurricane looms in the Gulf. Finally, as dangerous winds and torrential rains pummel the city, Sarah is forced to risk her life to save Joey.

This is the 3rd book in a series by Kathryn Casey featuring Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong.  I haven't read the first two, but I didn't feel lost at all.  This book felt like it stood competely on it's own.  That's a real plus in my opinion. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It was very well written and it was really tense and suspensful.  There was the all the action of the initial abduction and trying to figure out what happened to him and trying to find Joey before it was too late.  In addition to that, there was an impending hurricane threatening to derail the entire investigation. 

I've been telling my suspense loving friends to check out Kathryn Casey.  This was this first book I've read by her and I was very impressed.  Her characters were great and story was clever and obviously well researched.  I'll be going back to read the first two books for sure and looking forward to future books as well.

Veil of Night

Author: Linda Howard
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2010

Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

Assigned to the case, Detective Eric Wilder finds that there’s too much evidence pointing toward too many suspects. Compounding his problems is Jaclyn, with whom he shared one deeply passionate night before Carrie’s death. Being a prime suspect means that Jaclyn is hands-off just when Eric would rather be hands-on. As the heat intensifies between Eric and Jaclyn, a cold-blooded murderer moves dangerously close. And this time the target is not a bride but one particularly irresistible wedding planner, unaware of a killer’s vow.

I was really looking forward to this one. As I have said before, I am a big Linda Howard fan, so I flock to any new book by her. I was a little disappointed in this one. I've read better by Ms. Howard. It started out promising, but by the middle, it just fell flat. It was too easy to figure out the mystery. There was nothing overly exciting that happened and I feel like there were some parts that were just unnecessary filler to make up pages. This one might have worked better as a novella. I did like the hero and heroine,though, as their interaction was amusing. I just wish there was more romance. The love scenes weren't up to her usual steamy standard. If you are new to Linda Howard, don't start with this one. Pick up one of her earlier romantic suspense first. 2.5 stars

- Kari

Throwback Thursday - Baby Love

Today's installment features: Baby Love
Author: Catherine Anderson
First published in 1999 by Avon

Desperate and determined, Maggie Stanley grabs her small baby and runs into the snowy Idaho night. In her loneliest, blackest hour, she unexpectedly finds a warmth and comfort she has never known in the tender compassion of a handsome, down-and-out stranger. In Rafe Kendrick, Maggie recognizes a soul wounded like her own—though she knows she must never trust any man ever again.

Rafe is more than he seems—an enigmatic man of secrets who could give Maggie the moon, had he not vowed to spend his life alone. But sometimes love's flames can transform a cold world into paradise—and a man who's lost nearly everything, a woman who's forgotten how to dream, and the helpless child who needs them both can become that most wondrous creation: a family.

This was one of my top 10 of 2010. I absolutely loved this book. It has a classic Cinderella story line that will always be a favorite of mine. It is a story about learning to trust and second chances. I really felt like I got to know Rafe and Maggie and grew to love them and their relationship. Both come to each other with major baggage, but they work through it together. I enjoyed Rafe's courtship of his wife after he marries her. Baby Love is the first in the Kendrick/Coulter series. I have read the books that follow and while they are great stories, this one is still my favorite. 5 stars

- Kari

Goodnight Tweetheart

by:  Teresa Medeiros
published by:  Gallery Books

Abigail Donovan has a lot of stuff she should be doing. Namely writing her next novel. A bestselling author who is still recovering from a near Pulitzer Prize win and the heady success that follows Oprah's stamp of approval, she is stuck at Chapter Five and losing confidence daily. But when her publicist signs her up for a Twitter account, she's intrigued. What's all the fuss?


Taken under the wing of one of her Twitter followers, "MarkBaynard"—a quick witted, quick-typing professor on sabbatical—Abby finds it easy to put words out into the world 140 characters at a time. And once she gets a handle on tweets, retweets, direct messages, hashtags, and trends, she starts to feel unblocked in writing and in life. After all, why should she be spending hours in her apartment staring at her TweetDeck and fretting about her stalled career when Mark is out there traveling the world and living?     Or is he?

Told almost entirely in tweets and DMs, Goodnight Tweetheart is a truly modern take on a classic tale of love and loss—a Griffin and Sabine for the Twitter generation.

I'm not a huge fan of Twitter.  I haven't been able to get the hang of it so I didn't know if I was going really like this book or not.  I was worried it was going to be a lot of @ and # and shorthand that I wasn't going to get.  However, it was was definitely for the Twitter novice.  If you aren't familiar with Twitter at all you can still read this book and get the hang of it.

If you loved movies like You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle you'll love this book.  It was a sweet, emotional little romance novel.  It's a quick read with a really satisfying ending.

The characters were really endearing.  I felt out of the loop half of the time though.  I apparently don't watch enough television.  I didn't know what they were talking about half the time.  I didn't know what TV shows they were referencing.  I guess I live in a cave.  Or a book maybe  ;)

Check out this website for great fun freebies about this book and a chance to win a free copy.

The Dead Tossed Waves

by:  Carrie Ryan

published by:  Delacourte Books

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves.

For those of you that have read The Forest of Hands and Teeth this book The Dead Tossed Waves picks up approximately 17 years later.  At the end of  tFoHaT Mary left the Forest and made her way to the ocean and that was where it had ended.  This book starts with her teenage daughter Gabry hanging out with her friends and making a life altering decision to leave the safety of their protected area for a little adventure.

The behavior that made Mary somewhat unlikeable in the first book continued into this book.  Her selfishness was jaw-dropping at times.  However, she does own up to it in time.  I guess that is somewhat redeeming.  The fact that she raised a good daughter in Gabry is good thing too.  I really liked Gabry's character.  She was one of those kind of characters that we all love with a deep core of inner strength but very humble.

I had to wait forever to get this book from the library and it was well worth the wait.  All the creepiness of the Infected/Unconsecrated continued along with some information about different different types of Infected.  Some great new characters were introduced: Gabry, Elias, and Catcher.  I'm ready for the next book in the series to come out, The Dark and Hollow Places, next March.