Throwback Thursday - Future Perfect by Suzanne Brockmann

 Author: Suzanne Brockmann

First published in 1993 by  Kismet

Juliana Anderson is perfectly content running her bed and breakfast in small town Massachusetts; she doesn't think there's room in her life for romance or adventure, and she's okay with that...until a handsome, rugged stranger arrives at the B&B and offers her everything that she never knew she wanted. In Future Perfect, Brockmann delivers the kind of straight-up contemporary romance that readers are clamoring for—unforgettable characters, a juicy love story with a page-turning plot.

Future Perfect is one of Suzanne Brockmann's earlier romances.  I'm not sure I loved it even though I really wanted to love the book.  There was a definite a role reversal in this book.  For once it was the guy who fell in love first; pretty much from first sight. I thought that Webster was a great character.  You don't find many sensitive guys like him much in romances anymore. Juliana is the reluctant one.  She has been too independent for too long to want to give up her life.  The issue I had with this book was the secret that Juliana keeps from Webster throughout the book.  This secret causes a HUGE misunderstanding and conflict.  Then, when the secret is revealed instead of apologizing, Juliana makes Webster crawl back to her. If she hadn't kept it all a secret in the first place, none of the conflict would have happened.  While I am all for conflict in a romance because it does make things interesting, this was just frustrating. 

If you missed it try it out and see for yourself.  This book was re-issued recently. Personally, I like the new cover much better. Yum! 

Blog Tour: Tumbleweed Heights by Joan Bird

Author: Joan Bird

Publisher: Borough Publishing Group

Date of publication: December 2011

Danger won't find Gilly in tiny Briarwood, Colorado. Right? Banking on her instincts is all she has left. That and a dream of a simpler life as a rancher. Luke Hudson has secrets. Living a lie, he recognizes a kindred spirit the moment he lays eyes on Gilly. What are her secrets quickly becomes how can he protect her when violence slams through her front door. Will truth ruin their fragile bond or will time run out before they have the chance to admit their love?

Moving to Briarwood, Colorado had not been in Gilly Casey’s original life plan. Sure, she’d dreamed of owning a horse ranch, but as kind of a part-time gig, in Topanga Canyon maybe. But the best laid plans of this high-powered L.A. attorney turn to dust when more than her bar card is threatened. Fleeing to a life she had never imagined quickly becomes a cat and mouse game just to stay alive.

Luke Hudson’s road to Briarwood was no less bumpy. Hiding from his own demons, he’s no longer able to float below the radar when he recognizes the feisty Miz Casey is in more trouble than she’ll admit. Donning the hero mantle years after he’d shed that skin, Luke realizes that rescuing Gilly might just save him, too.

With so many secrets between them, does love stand a chance? When the past trains its loaded gun on them, truth may not be enough to safeguard Gilly and Luke.

I was very interested in reading Tumbleweed Heights when I read the synopsis. While I liked the overall story, I found it was just OK for me.

What I liked:  The main characters, Gilly and Luke were very good together.  I really enjoyed their easy banter between each other.  There were a few times I couldn't help but giggle.  Their attraction was instant and I liked that they built up to loving each other.  I was intrigued by both of their secrets and I was rooting for them in the end.

What I didn't like:  I had a hard time getting through the book.  The writing seemed a bit disjointed to me.  There were times when I felt I had missed something or wasn't given a bit of information to figure out what was going on. Also, there was a lot of inner reflection in the middle of conversations and that made some scenes drag on longer than necessary.    

It is a pretty quick read and I think the characters are interesting.  Give it a shot and see for yourself.

About the author:

Joan Bird has been telling stories for years. In her first incarnation she was a singer/song writer with a rock band (yes, her Fender guitars are awesome), then she started writing books, mostly for herself.

Joan’s storytelling is legendary amongst her family and friends. For years she’s been including short stories with her holiday greetings each December and for years her friends and family have been encouraging her to write a book. Little did they know she had a storehouse of novels just waiting to be read by more than just her mailing list.

A couple of years ago she began working on polishing the stories she had already written, which sparked new ideas that led to writing more novels. Tumbleweed Heights is her first published book, but there are more on the way and she can’t wait for you to read them.

Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Tumbleweed Heights.
Facebook | Amazon Kindle Store | Smashwords | Boroughs Publishing Group

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

by:  April Henry
published by:  Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
publish date:  April 10, 2012

Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also works part time as a delivery girl at Pete’s Pizza. One night, Kayla—another delivery girl—goes missing. To her horror, Gabie learns that the supposed kidnapper had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Gabie can’t move beyond the fact that Kayla’s fate was really meant for her, and she becomes obsessed with finding Kayla. She teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete’s. Together, they set out to prove that Kayla isn’t dead—and to find her before she is.

April Henry does an excellent job with the YA suspense genre.  I read Girl Stolen awhile back and thought it was great read.  The Night She Disappeared is very good.  I was hooked from the beginning.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints so the reader knows what's going on in everyone's head.  It's also told from 911 calls, transcripts of interviews, and other interesting items like police evidence.  This was a unique story telling method that I thought was quite effective.

The other reason I find April Henry to be impressive in the YA genre is that she keeps it clean while still appealing to a wide audience.  I wouldn't have a problem with my 10 year old reading this book.  There were some vague sexual references, but I think kids would take it a different way than adults would.  There was no vulgar language and the violence was fairly minimal.  Boys would probably like this book too, but might be turned off by the jacket summary because it sounds like it's all about Gabie and Kayla, which it isn't...half of it is told from Drew's point of view. 

Overall, it's a solid suspense novel and I definitely recommend it for the mystery lovers.

Spring Cleaning Hop

Welcome to the Spring Cleaning Hop!  You are at stop #9

You can find the full list of participating blogs HERE


We are giving away:

Adult Box #1:

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon (HC)
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (HC)
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova (PB)
Dominance by Will Lavender (PB)

YA Box:

Fat Vampire by Adam Rex (HC)
Ruthless (Pretty Little Liars Series) by Sara Shepard (HC)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (PB)
Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi (PB)
Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu (PB)


Adult Mystery/Thriller Box:

Code Blood by Kurt Kamm
Promissary Payback by Laurel Dewey
Unrevealed by Laurel Dewey
Cold River by Liz Adair

We are shipping to US addresses only!  Sorry...these are heavy boxes!
Please fill out the form below



While it's not required we really appreciate any tweets or google+ shares!  Thanks  :)

Author Spotlight and Giveaway: Nobody's Angel by K. T. Wells

Today, we are spotlighting author, K. T. Wells.  She is promoting her book Nobody's Angel.

Giveaway Details: 

We are giving away 1 e-copy of Nobody's Angel by author K. T. Wells.  This will run until March 25, 2012. Just leave a comment with a valid e-mail address.  This is open to everyone since it is an electronic copy.  Good luck!



Author: K. T. Wells
Publisher:
Date of Publication:

Jake and Angie’s twentieth high school reunion sets the perfect stage for their lifelong friends to reunite the former sweethearts. Major roadblock – they have to trick Angie into coming home after twenty years. An elaborate ruse ensues at the same time they work on browbeating Jake into attending.
Maneuvering through emotional minefields rates a 10 for difficulty level, particularly when Angie lives the maxim: Time does not heal all wounds. And Jake? Check the Wiki pic next to Pride comes before the fall. Yep, that’s him tripping all over himself year after year.
But the firm conviction that these two were meant to be together propels a cast of quirky, determined friends into action. When tragedy derails the best laid plans, will Jake and Angie’s love rise to the occasion?

About K.T. Wells

K. T. Wells has been telling stories since before she could read. She used to narrate books for her baby brother, concocting a plotline from the pictures. Not much has changed. One of her husband’s favorite pastimes is to listen to her tales after asking her to tell the story of people they observe in restaurants, airports or the subway.

Fascinated by the human condition, K. T.’s writing captures the emotions that drive the engines of our hearts. She is captivated by the rituals of love and believes everyone is entitled to a happily ever after.

Join her in celebrating her first published novel –Nobody’s Angel.

You can visit her at http://ktwells.wordpress.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Kindle Store | Smashwords | Buroughs Publishing Group| Koko Books | Apple iTunes | Official Tour Page 

Dark Divine and Lost Saint by Bree Despain

by:  Bree Despain
published by:  Egmont USA
publish date:  December 28, 2010

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.
So looking at that cover what would you think this book is about?  If you didn't read the back of it and you hadn't heard anything about it before you saw that cover.  Obviously, your first thought would be werewolves, right?   Ethereal floating legs and shrouds...not angels, not mermaids...not even vampires for goodness sakes, but hairy dogs.

I intentionally left myself in the dark on this one so maybe it would make it harder to figure out.  I didn't read anything about these books beforehand because I didn't want to know so maybe I could have a little surprise.  Didn't really happen.  There are so many little clues leading up to the big reveal a 2 year old could have figured it out.   

That said, I didn't think it was bad or disappointing really.  There was a bit of the insta-love with the bad boy thing going on, but it was tempered by the fact that she did know him previously.  Other than that, I didn't really have any complaints.  It was pretty typical YA paranormal fare.  So I started right in on the second one.

Again you can totally see the werewolf influence on the cover of The Lost Saint.

At the end of The Dark Divine Grace's brother Jude runs away after she is bitten by a werewolf.  The Lost Saint picks up with Jude missing and Grace feeling the effects of werewolf's influence on her. 

I liked this book a little better than the first mainly because of the ending because it was so heartbreaking and sad.  Also, there was a lot more fighting and action going on in this book.  The town is being invaded by dark forces and very few have the power to keep them at bay.  Grace, because she has the power of the wolf inside of her, is one of these and with some training she gets to be a tough girl.

I liked these first two books enough that I'll get around to the third book whenever the library has it in.  I'm curious to see how Daniel's story ultimately plays out and what happens with Jude in the end.  Funny...I'm not too worried about Grace...

Blog Tour: Review and giveaway Finding Katie by John J. Smith

Giveaway details:

 The author has kindly offered 1 copy of his book, Finding Katie, for one lucky winner.  The giveaway is for one copy of the book.  It is available for giveaway in print for Canadian and U.S. Winners or in ebook for Canadian, U.S., and international winners.  Just leave a comment with a valid address.  This will be open until March 25, 2012.  Good luck!

Author:John J. Smith

Publisher: Createspace

Date of Publication:

The very wealthy and very sheltered Preston Meadows lives his life protected from even the hint of harm. His world is safe and secure until someone kidnaps his sister, Katie. Against his parents’ wishes, Preston sets out on his own to find her. Preston works hard to blend in with the “regular” people roaming the streets of Dallas – but the real world is zany, insane, full of danger and ruthless criminals. Preston soon begins to learn more about himself and finds he has a knack for foiling certain crimes. In his adventures, during his search for his sister, he makes friends with some of the strangest people he could ever imagine. Along the way, Preston falls in love, comes face-to-face with a self-described Drug Lord, and discovers a side of himself he never knew existed, especially after the Drug Lord kidnaps his girlfriend. 

Finding Katie is a unique and well written book.  Preston has lived an extremely sheltered and privileged life.  He is a pretty much a loner with no real friends, except his sister Katie.  When he finds out that his sister has been kidnapped, he decides to leave his safe world and try to find her.  His journey takes him to a world that is completely foreign to him.  For a guy who is a virgin both literally and in the ways of the "real" world, he does pretty well for himself.  

I liked Preston.  He is courageous and really smart. I think the thing about this story that appealed to me the most is what Preston discovers about himself.  By his having to go search for his sister, he finds his true self along the way.  He also finds out that sometimes true family isn't the one that you are born into.  Finding Katie is filled with many interesting and colorful characters. There are also some real laugh out loud moments. I definitely recommend taking this journey along with Preston.  

About the author:

John writes under two names John J. Smith and pen name Jonathan Black. Why does he do this?  He has been told when a reader sees his work they have an expectation, hence the two names. He has won several awards under each name.He has been called a prolific Fiction writer. He enjoys writing romance and mainstream as John and paranormal and paranormal romance as Jonathan.Several of his novels have been converted or rewritten into screenplays; for which he has also have won several awards.John J. Smith resides in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, Texas.  John's website 

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop. You are at stop # 37.  For a complete list of blogs participating go here.


Today we have 3 books to give away.  3 lucky winners will be chosen.  Just fill out the form below.  Go luck and thanks for stopping by!

Book 1: 1 ARC  of Alienation by Jon. S. Lewis

Book2: 1 ARC of The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Book 3: 1 PB of Gone to Ground by Brandilyn Collins

Blog Tour: Sugar and Spice and Not So Nice by Janet McNulty

Today, we welcome author Janet McNulty who is promoting her new book Sugar and Spice and Not So Nice.


Author: Janet McNulty
Publisher: Self
Date of Publication: January 2012


Mellow Summers just wanted to go to college and get her film degree. She moved into a furnished apartment with her friend Jackie only to find that it already had a tenant: the ghost of a girl who was murdered a year earlier. Now it is up to Mellow to not only discover who the murderer is, but to prove it as well.

With the help of the ghost Rachel, Mellow sets out to solve the year old mystery. She soon finds out that she may have taken on more than she can handle. Pursued by someone who wants the identity of the killer to remain a secret, Mellow will have to use all her resources to outwit him and help the spirit of Rachel move on. 


My Take:   Sugar and Spice and Not So Nice is a pretty quick read.  It was a cute and, at times, funny mystery.  Mellow Summers heads to Vermont for college.  What she didn't expect was getting a mystery and a ghost as well.  Rachel was murdered a year before and she wants Mellow to help her figure out what happened.  After agreeing to help, Mellow finds herself in some sticky situations.  She also acquires some unique friends, like an entire biker gang!  I enjoyed this mystery as it was a lot of fun to read.  My only problem with it was that Mellow is 26, yet at times, she acted more like a typical college student of 18 or 19.  Not a big deal, but it did bother me.  If you are looking for a fun read, pick this one up!

Janet was kind enough to answer a few questions for us:

Kari :What inspired you to become a writer?

Janet: I had a friend in high schools who loved to write and some  his passions rubbed off on me.  Back then I wrote a few short stories and poems, none of which I published.  But at the same time I began writing a novel which I worked on for ten years.  Writing started out as a hobby, but now it is time to turn it into a way of life.

Kari: Where do you come up with the idea for your books?

Janet:I was watching Ghost Whisperer  one night and reading a mystery novel an thought, why not have a book where a ghost helps solves a mystery.  I’ve always liked a good ghost story and a good mystery so I figured I’d put both into one book.  The title Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice I had bouncing around my head for quite a while before I penned the first sentence.   My goal was to make this a fun but entertaining read, and that is why I wrote this book.

Kari: What exciting projects are waiting in the wings?

Janet: I plan to write a sequel to Sugar And Spice And Not So Nice.  I probably won’t be released until later this year.  Currently, I am working on the second novel in my fantasy trilogy Legends Lost.  I plan to have that one completed before the end of this coming summer.  After I am finished with it, I will write the sequel to Sugar and Spice.

Kari:  Who is your favorite literary character and why?

Janet:That is a tough one.  There are three that I will have to list here.

Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings: Sam is the epitome of a loyal friend.  Through all of the dangers that he and Frodo face in their quest to destroy the One Ring, Sam never leaves Frodo’s side.  Not once does he consider turning back and leaving Frodo.  Instead he remains by Frodo’s side even after Frodo turns against him and allows Gollum to poison his mind.  While in Mordor near the end of their journey, Sam literally carries Frodo up Mount Doom to ensure that he succeeds in his mission.  One of the things that really brings Sam to life is at the very end of the story when Frodo decides to keep the One Ring.  Not once does Sam consider telling the others about Frodo’s betrayal.  Instead, he keeps is a secret and forgives Frodo for his moment of weakness.

Severus Snape from Harry Potter: Everyone loves Harry and his friends, or even Voldemort.  But I think Snape is often overlooked.  His cold manner through most of the series is a bit off putting, but there is something about his character that makes you feel sympathy for him.  Snape is one of those courageous people that literally sacrifices everything to bring down the stories villain.  He puts his life in constant danger spying on Voldemort while at he same time pretending to be Voldemort’s loyal servant.  But one of the things that really makes me sympathize for Snape is the fact that he was never able to make up with Lilly before she died.  Through immaturity and an act of selfishness, he pushed away the only woman he ever loved. Even after Lily married his arch-rival, he never stopped loving her.  After her death, he spend the reminder of his life protecting her son.  Severus Snape is the a man who lost everything he ever loved because of a selfish desire to be great.  Afterwards, he spends the remainder of his life trying to atone for his sins.

Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:  What is not to love about a clinically depressed robot?   Marvin is a new model robot that is supposed to be able to relate with people.  The problem is he suffers from depression and usually comes across as a downer.  His poor me attitude brings a certain amount of dark humor to wild ride through the galaxy.

Kari :Just for fun, if you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

Janet: I’d be a cat.  I’ve always loved cats and have three of them.  I find them fascinating.  They are highly intelligent and have a way of getting people to do their bidding.  I also find their ability to sneak up on you without making one sound to be intriguing.

About the author:

Janet McNulty currently resides in West Virginia where she moved after receiving her B.A. in History. She lives with her three cats who keep her on task.

Ms. McNulty has also recently published a novel, Legends Lost: Amborese, under the pen name Nova Rose. She is currently working on the second novel in the series called Legends Lost Tesnayr, but also has another nonfiction book in the works, that is untitled at this point. 

Purchase Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Spice-Mellow-Summers-ebook/dp/B00727XQI2/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Spice-Not-So-Nice/dp/1469951312/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_6

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/surgar-and-spice-and-not-so-nice-janet-mcnulty/1108440466?ean=2940014057141&itm=1&usri=sugar+and+spice+and+not+so+nice

Throwback Thursday: Reckless by Amanda Quick

Author: Amanda Quick

First published in 1992 by Amanda Quick (AKA Jayne Ann Krentz)
Audiobook: Brilliance Audio

Phoebe Layton had always imagined Gabriel Banner a brave and valiant knight, which was why she went to him when she was in desperate need of help. but when she lures her shining knight to a lonely midnight rendezvous, Phoebe finds herself sparring with a dangerously desirable man who is nothing like the hero of her dreams. She fears she's made a dreadful mistake when Gabriel sweeps her into his arms and passionately embraces her. Yet it's a kiss that seals her fate. Now Gabriel must possess her -- even if he has to slay a dragon to do it!

 I have read several of Ms. Quick's historical romances and have really enjoyed them.  While I liked Reckless, I didn't love it.  I'm not really sure why.  I did like the mystery.  Trying to figure out who keep trying to kill Phoebe was hard.  While I was able to call some of the ending, I was a bit surprised as well.  

I think it had to do with the characters.  I didn't care for Phoebe. She was brave and determined, but she was a little stupid as well.  If someone is trying to kill you, stay home.  There is a time to be courageous and a time to be smart.  I will admit that Gabriel did go about trying to keep her home the wrong way though. I would probably want to rebel if I had been ordered to stay home. I did like Gabriel though.  He was a great match for Phoebe.  I loved the scene where she is assessing his performance during her "first time".  That was pretty amusing.  Poor guy, I felt bad for him.  So, for fans of Ms. Quick, it is probably worth a listen.  Definitely not my favorite though.

Kill Switch by Neal Baer & Jonathon Greene

Authors: Neal Baer & Jonathon Greene

Publisher: Kensington Publishing group; 

Audiobook by Blackstone Audio

Date of Publication: December 2011

Meet Claire Waters, a young, dedicated forensic psychiatrist with unnervingly personal insights into the criminal mind. Haunted by a disturbing childhood incident--and driven by her demons--Claire has always been drawn to those rare "untreatable" patients who seem to have no conscience or fear. She has a natural ability to put people at ease, to help them face their darkest secrets. But one shocking case could make or break her career--and it's waiting for her in the psychiatric wing of New York City's Rikers Island. 

His name is Quimby. A deranged inmate whose boyish good looks hide a sordid history of dysfunction and abuse, Quimby triggers something in Claire she'd rather not face. As she tries to unlock Quimby's past, she unwittingly reveals her own painful secrets--leaving herself dangerously vulnerable. For Claire, the patient's obsessions are just the beginning. When the case propels her into the mind of another killer--a homicidal maniac who's watching her every move--it could only end in madness, or murder, or both. . .

When I saw that the writing team for this book are former producers of Law & Order: SVU, I became very interested.  While I love the Law and Order series, I am happy to say that this was nothing like a  TV episode. I was hoping for something a bit different. Although, I did think it would make for a great movie.  Claire is a forensic psychiatrist who has dealt with a major trauma in her past.  This is one of the forces that drives her career.  I liked Claire's character.  She is tough and determined, but you can see her human side as well.  She definitely has issues with her past and knows deep down that she needs to heal from them.  I did think her therapy ideas were a little unconventional and a bit overly dramatic, such as dying and cutting her hair to get a suspect to confess.   I can't see a psychiatrist doing that in real life.

The other characters in the book were interesting.  I especially liked Nick.  He is a cop who has a secret of his own.  He is going blind and no one knows.  He is brought in to work the case and finds himself having to rely on Claire to help him solve it.  There is no romance in this book. So this book was a little outside of my comfort zone, since I am a sucker for romantic suspense. In the end, I was surprised to find it was actually kind of refreshing that Nick and Claire don't fall in love, but instead parted friends.  They both had a lot of stuff to still deal with and a romance would have felt forced.

This book has a few mysteries going on at once.  It was at first hard to figure out how they were all related, but the authors did a great job of tying them up in the end. I wasn't able to fit all of the pieces together and that makes it a better book to me. The twist at the end was interesting and not what I was expecting.     I listened to the audio version and the narrator was pretty good.  The authors make a great writing team and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next!