Deadly Cool

by:  Gemma Halliday
published by:  Harper Teen
publish date:  October 11, 2011

First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

I thought this was a fun book.  Hartley is a high school student that finds out her boyfriend, Josh, is cheating on her with the president of the Chastity Club.  When she goes to confront them she stumbles upon the Virgin Queen's dead body.  Convinced that Josh is innocent she sets out with her best friend Sam to prove that he's a cheater, but not a murderer. 

This was definitely not one of the more serious type mysteries.  I would compare it to a YA version of the Stephanie Plum books.  Hartely and Sam get up to some goofy shenanigans, but they figure out who the culprit is behind the murders and it isn't who you think it is!

I liked it.  I would read more YA from Gemma Halliday.  I thought it was age appropriate as well.  No language, the girls were censoring, that was explained in the book.  Some sexual references, but no actual sex, definitely nothing out of line. 

Blog Tour: Echoes of Savanna

by:  Lucinda Moebius
published by:  StoneHouse Ink
publish date:  July 20, 2010

Every generation has their defining moments, events that change history and turn the course of lives. Forever will the children of that generation be identified by those moments.Savanna Taylor is a medical doctor in 2036, the same year terrorists release a series of plagues and viruses into the world. She is a nineteen year old Brain Trust whose task it is to find a cure for the diseases and develop vaccines to prevent their further spread. The world is thrown in turmoil and Savanna needs to find a way to survive with her sanity and family intact.Can Savanna cope in a world in constant flux brought on by war and disease? Can she save the world and protect her loved ones or will she make the ultimate sacrifice? How will she be defined?

I did like the idea behind this book.  The general story was a pretty good one.  The concept of terrorists releasing not just one plague on the world, but several different modified diseases was a solid idea.   I really liked the way the book started out on the Indian reservation.  Once the story line got to The Haven, I found myself somewhat less interested.  I think this was because the reader loses touch with what's going on in the outside world, just as Savanna does.

I really didn't like Savanna.  I thought she was going to be all tough and kick-ass.  She's genetically modified to be tall and strong and disease resistant, not to mention she's a genius.  Instead, she spent most of her time hiding away in The Haven, a protected colony her father built.  I felt like she was letting down most of the people she cared about, starting with Emily, then Travis and Caleb. 

I had some issues with the editing in this book.  It got sloppy at times.  Again, authors, I would encourage all of you to not to rely on the editors (if any) provided by the publisher.  Get your own.  While I'm on my soap box, curiosity gets piqued not peaked.

If you like dystopian, medical thrillers this might be your thing.  Maybe you'll like Savanna a lot more than I did.

Dogs Don't Lie

Author: Clea Simon
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc (audiobook) (April 2011)

Pru Marlowe isn't your ordinary animal psychic. A tough girl on the  run from her own gift, Pru left the big city to return to her   picturesque Berkshires hometown looking for a little peace. Too bad   that her training as an animal behaviorist got her mixed up with  Lily, a rescue dog, and Charles, her person. Now Charles is dead, and   Lily looks good for it. After all, Lily is a pitbull, a fighting-ring dropout, and way too traumatized to give Pru a clear picture of what   she has witnessed. But Pru knows something about bad girls trying to  clean up, and, with a sense of justice strong enough to overcome her dislike of human society, she takes the case. Listening to the animals, Pru picks up clues—and learns there are secrets in the  pretty little town that make murder look simple. Unable to tell  anybody about her psychic abilities, uncertain at times about her own  sanity, Pru comes to realize that if she clears Lily, she’ll likely   become the prime suspect—or the next victim. While the only  creature she can totally trust is her crotchety tabby Wallis, Pru’s  got to uncover the real killer—and find a way to live with her gift—before the real beasts in the town savage her and those she   has come to love.

Pru is a psychic who can hear animals thoughts.  She has also been working toward her animal behaviorist degree when her gift showed up.  One of her clients is murdered and she feels she must prove the dog didn't do it.   I listened to the audiobook and at first I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  The narrator's transition from Pru to animal was not always apparent to me. Once I got used to the very subtle difference in the narrator's voice for Pru and the one for animals, it went much more smoothly.  I'm glad that I stuck with it.  The mystery itself was a surprise.  There are multiple suspects and I thought I had it figured out when the author threw in a twist at the end.  That made me like it even more. 

I liked the Pru and her ability to listen and talk to animals.  I often wonder what my cat is saying to me.  Wallis is amusing and in a way her best friends and confidant. One thing I had an issue with is that her cat seems to be the only one with whom she can have a full conversation. With all of the other animals, she must communicate using pictures and images in her mind. This is never fully explained or explored as the story mainly focused on the murder.  I hope that in future books, the reason for the appearance of her ability and her strong connection to Wallis is explored further.  I would also love to see it become stronger over time.

I do recommend this one. It was a quick "read" and I know animal  and mystery lovers will enjoy it.

--Kari

Throwback Thursday - The Baron

Author: Sally Goldenbaum
First Published in 1987 by Loveswept


While playing the part of a glamorous contessa for a murder mystery weekend, Halley Finnegan finds herself in the arms of dashing baron Nick Harrington. For the first time in her life, Halley feels captivating, enchanting, a worthy companion to a wealthy, elegant man. But beneath the costume, Halley is just a nobody, while Nick remains a baron. After the festivities, the fantasy is over; Halley’s simply not in his class.

After Nick tracks down his mystery lady, Halley is sure that he’ll discover his mistake and run for the hills. Instead, he is all charm, teasing smiles, and gentle caresses, as if he never stepped out of character. How can she trust that this gentleman is the real Nick, and not just a part he plays? And how could Nick fall for a woman he wouldn’t have given the time of day a week before? Unless they start being honest with each other, Halley and Nick will lose each again—this time, forever.

Sally Goldenbaum is a new to me author.  What better way to discover a new author than to start back at the beginning.  The Baron was recently reissued as an e-book by the new Loveswept.  It is a quick read.  Perfect for an afternoon escape or a secret indulgence while waiting for swim lessons to end. Personally, I like the new cover much better:

Nick and Halley were great characters.  I loved the way Nick discovers love and how to open his heart through witnessing all of the open affection in Halley's circle of family and friends. Both Halley and Nick are wary.  Coming from different backgrounds, they both have to learn how to meet halfway.  I liked that their relationship built up over time and they became friends first.  It made their HEA more believable to me.  There is no real mystery here, the "secret" he is hiding is pretty easy to guess.  

I definitely recommend this throwback.  It's a sweet love story that will leave you with a smile on your face.

--Kari

Blog Tour & Giveaway - Night Secrets

 Giveaway Details:

Thanks to the generosity of the author, BK Walker, I have been authorized to giveaway 2 e-copies of Night Secrets.  2 lucky winners will be randomly chosen.  Since these are e-books, this can go international.  Just leave a comment with a valid e-mail address.  If you want to tweet or facebook the giveaway, leave a link for an extra entry.  The contest will be open until October 10, 2011.  Good luck!!

Author: B.K. Walker
Publisher: Self

Keara Crosby had the perfect life. Her family was not hurting for anything. When her parents are suddenly killed, Keara must learn to live without them. After mourning their death for two months, Keara starts to live again. She follows her favorite band, hangs with her best friend Jared, and falls for the new kid on the block.

When her favorite band is playing at Night Secrets, a new club downtown, she takes her first outing since her parents death and finds this mysterious boy watching her. Mesmerized by his lapus blue eyes, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Her body responds to him in ways she never thought possible, and she needs to figure out why. What is it about Channing that has her yearning for his touch?

Not only is Keara drawn to Channing, but the owner of Night Secrets seems to be drawn to her. Giving her special treatment, she can't help but wonder what he's hiding, and the sense she's seen him before. When she's attacked in the parking lot, her world turns inside out, literally. Keara will soon learn that secrets of the night, just may be the death of her.

Keara Crosby's life changes t when her parents are killed in an airplane crash.  Her weird aunt comes to live with her and she constantly has the feeling that someone is following her.  When she starts to fall for a mysterious guy and is attacked in the parking lot, she finds out that monsters do exist.  Keara and Channing are great together and their chemistry heats up the pages.  The peripheral characters round out the story nicely. My favorite was the best friend, Jared and Buddha, the drummer.  He sounds gorgeous! I also loved her use of twin vampires for good vs. evil.

Night Secrets is well written and engaging.  It was a very quick read and I was able to finish it in an afternoon.  The world that Ms. Walker has created is intriguing and I want to know more about it.  My only complaint about the book is that I wanted more.  It was too short for me and ends in a cliffhanger.  I look forward to the next one and to learning more about the Night Secrets world.

--Kari

About the author:

BK Walker currently lives in Central Pennsylvania with her three children, Brittney, Hunter and Danny, her dogs Rancid, Sadie and Haven, a cat named Whiskers and a goldfish named Fat Albert. She has always had a love for reading and writing, even as a child she created stories reading them to her stuffed animals. With a love for vampires and werewolves, you will not be disappointed with her writing as she mixes up the paranormal juice. Aside from writing, BK also supports Indie Authors organizing virtual book tours, helping them to market and promote their work. Her book review site, BWB Reviews, is just another small way she contributes to the reading world. With many stories floating around in her head, she writes when she gets the time between working as a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, being a single mother, and continuing her college education in Graphic Art Design.When she's not arguing with her muse, you will often find her at a baseball game with her boys or drinking iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts enjoying a good book.

The Sixes

by:  Kate White
publisher:  HarperCollins
publish date:  August 1, 2011

Phoebe Hall’s New York life is unexpectedly derailed off the fast track when her long-term boyfriend leaves just as she is accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to pick up the pieces, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach at a small private college in a rustic Pennsylvania town run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johnson.

But the campus’s quaint cafes and looming maple trees belie evil happenings. The body of a junior girl washes up from the nearby river and soon, hidden secrets begin to surface among the students: rumors of past crimes and abuses wrought by a mythic secret society known as The Sixes.

Determined to find answers and help Glenda, Phoebe quietly embarks on a search for clues—a quest that soon raises dark memories of her own boarding school days. Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she’s close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a deeply terrifying revelation: the past can’t be outrun . . . and starting over can be a crime punishable by death.

I won't say that this was my most favorite murder mystery book, but I did end up liking it in the end.   It felt slow and plodding in the beginning.  It was like there was just the teensiest bit of something interesting that kept me going.  But I did keep going and that's what counts right?

Usually books like this are fairly predictable, kinda chick-lit cozies, but this one was well thought out.  It had some surprising little twists and turns.  The pranks of The Sixes were more evil than I would have expected.

The last third of the book has much better pacing and I enjoyed it much more than than the beginning.  I was more engaged in what was going on, whereas before I almost cheering for the bad guys so something interesting would happen.

There's an interesting little topic that kept coming up in this book.  It talked about the dumbing down of men in our society.  Basically it talked about how we're all so focused on Girl Power that boys are getting left behind.  As a mother of 3 daughters I don't have much experience with that, but I wondered if there was anything to it.

Blog Tour: Bird of Paradise

by:  Kathy Handley
publish date:  April 16, 2011

When trucker Joe-Mack picks up a runaway in Vegas and drops him in Hollywood, he offers to help him. When the call comes, he reaches out to the boy and becomes embroiled in Freddie’s life along with Starlet, the homeless girl who desires stardom. The three have in common a search for love and for a place to belong.
Set in California’s beautiful, yet challenging neighborhoods, the characters, like lost Birds of Paradise, take on risks and maintain thin threads of dignity amidst troubling situations with surprising twists along the way.

This book is a surprisingly good little gem.  I found it to be a well written, well paced story. 

I initially thought I wouldn't like Starlet because wanna be super stars usually annoy me, but she was a very well developed character.   My sympathies were in her camp.  I liked Freddie too, but I didn't completely understand everything that was going on with him.   I didn't understand why exactly he ran away.  I didn't understand what the deal with the blue dress was.  I did sort of, but maybe a little bit more development there would have been better.  I just wasn't getting a complete picture of Freddie, but maybe I'm just a little ignorant of the scams and such going on in Vegas.

I particularly liked Onge and how he watched over his flock.  However, this again, was another area when the book could have used a little more....MORE.  One minute he was there, the next he was gone, and that was it.  There was only the vaguest of explanations and no follow up.  I understand these were all street kids, but they have their ways of getting information.

My criticisms are only because I wanted more out of the story and not because there was anything wrong with it.  I was pleased with it.  I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Blog Tour - Perfectly Crazy

Author: Mitzi  Penzes
Publisher: New Year Publishing (Sept 2011)

Sexy, stylish and successful, Nell always prided herself on her common sense. So why is she suddenly crazy for David, her married best friend of twenty years? With a single kiss, Nell s perfect Californian life turns upside down. All the safety of her well-adjusted marriage to a respected plastic surgeon and her growing fashion business pale in comparison to the passion experienced in that kiss. Can she go on as before, or will she make the biggest change of her life? Will she face disaster and tragedy, or perhaps adventure and a second chance? Or possibly both? Find out from this fast paced book where the sceneries are changing as fast as the movies. Life is full of surprises and challenges that anyone would call perfectly crazy yet they may become reality one day. Or will they?


Perfectly Crazy explores what happens when life as you know it changes in an instant.  What would happen if you thought you were perfectly happy, then something happened to make you question your life.  A kiss from her best friend makes Nell question her life and marriage.  Should she take a risk, or keep what she has? 

I liked the idea for the story and was intrigued by the synopsis. I did like that even though Nell realizes she has feelings for her friend David, she doesn't just throw away her marriage on a whim. I started out liking the book, but after the first few chapters, I found I really didn't care for Nell.  I thought Nell was incredibly selfish and immature.  She seemed very superficial to me.  Her husband conveniently died and she jumped right into a relationship with David.  She barely mourned her husband, making me question the trueness of her fidelity in the first place. She also fled the country to "find herself" leaving a 16 YO daughter on her own at home.  She then had an affair while on her quest and didn't seem to feel very guilty about it.  I just couldn't find anything to like about her.  

The peripheral characters didn't add much to the book.  I found their dialogue a bit too fluffy and immature for the characters' ages.  At times, they sounded like they were in high school.  For the seriousness of the material, everyone seemed too happy-go-lucky.

Perfectly Crazy is a quick read, so you could probably read it in an afternoon. As I said, I think the author had a great idea, it just fell short for me

--Kari

About the Author:


Mitzi Penzes grew up in Hungary, where she trained and practiced as a neurologist. She has lived in the US for the last twenty-five years, where she pursued a career in lab management before becoming an entrepreneur. She lives with her son, husband, and cat in Napa, California.

Giveaway winners!!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaways this week. The following winners have been contacted by e-mail.

Banned Books Blog Hop:  Amanda M

The Heretic's Daughter:  Martha

The Traitor's Wife Giveaway:
Reema
Kara
Leigh Ann

The Promise Giveaway:

Prize pack #1 Misusedinnocence
Prize Pack #2 Nicolesender
Prize Pack #3 readingrhinopress

Congrats to everyone!!

Autumn & Kari

Blog Tour: Touch and Go

by:  Thad Nodine
published by:  Unbridled Books
publish date:  September 27, 2011

To escape an addiction, a young blind man in California steps into a station wagon with his friends and their foster kids to deliver a handmade casket to a dying grandfather in Florida. As they battle their way across the southern half of the nation, this rag-tag American family falls prey to love and lies, greed and violence, crime and Katrina. With a voice reminiscent of John Irving, Nodine produces a classic road-picture novel that is part Travels with Charley, part As I Lay Dying, and part On The Road. Touch and Go is a rich and rangy story about the careful and careless ways we treat each other,and ourselves, in a fast-paced, changing world. Kevin, the novel s blind narrator, is one of the most perceptive figures in recent fiction. And his desire to do no harm is contagious. Through Kevin's rich senses and boundless compassion, Nodine gives us a multicultural portrait of a true America. And he does so with deep affection for everyone along the way.

This was a very unique book since it's told by a blind narrator.  It makes for an interesting way of getting the visual aspects of the setting across.   His was an interesting perspective to read the story from.   As I'm sitting her thinking about it, I wonder how different the story would have been if the tale had been told from Devon or Patrick's viewpoint.

I liked this book, but I found the first 3/4 of it to be kind of meandering and not particularly exciting.  The last couple of chapters of the book more than made up for it and left the book in a major cliff hanger.  The the Publisher's Weekly review (at the bottom) said that it makes you want a sequel, but I don't.  I like it ending with questions. 
I came away with mixed feelings about most of the characters in this book.  The one that I consistently didn't like was Isa.  I think she was very manipulative and acted crazy on purpose to get the people around her to do what she wanted.  I wanted to despise Patrick and all his get rich quick schemes, but I really had a hard time and especially once I learned all his secrets. 

One particular issue that I want to commend the author about his dealing with hurricane Katrina.  I was a little wary about approaching that issue.  I'm from South Louisiana so it's always a touchy subject.  He handled it in a realistic way without getting political which I really appreciated.


It also got a Publisher's Weekly starred review
"Nodine's cinematic novel deserves to be hailed as one of the year's finest fiction debuts.  In addition to creating a memorable cast of characters . . . Nodine treats readers to a realistic portrayal of multi-cultural America. . . . An extended denouement and a last-minute plot twist will leave readers hoping that Nodine will pen a sequel." — Publishers Weekly, Starred

Fahrenheit 451

By:  Ray Bradbury

Summary:  The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnights runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do...


***Reposting from Last Year because I think this is a very important book to read***

I read this book in High School and apparently I didn't retain any of it, because as I made my way through the audiobook, I didn't remember much of it at all.  I listened to the audio read by Scott Brick and as usual he did a fantastic job.

If you do read this book, make sure you read the afterword and the coda.  They were very enlightening.  Particularly the coda and it's extremely relevant today.  In it, he talks about how the book burning and book banning started not with the government but with the people and with what he calls minorities.  However he doesn't mean racial minorities necessarily but anything that you identify yourself with that separates you from other people, cat-lover, tea drinker, tree hugger, Republican, Catholic, etc.  The phrase he didn't have then was Political Correctness.  He was right, you can see it happening all the time.  One person gets offended by one little thing and it's a major deal.

He also touched on another issue that we don't ever see or know much about.  How much "censorship" or book burning goes before the book is even published?  Or in later editions.  He talked about editors and publishers changing things around to make them more suitable to the target audience, not considering what the author had intended or wanted.  Is that right?  Where does it stop?  You take out one "damn" or "hell" and then a sentence or two, then maybe a paragraph, then what's the point of the book if you've started to change the whole flavor?

He brought up some things in the book that are happening now.  That it started with the newspapers dying.  That's evident now.  Subscription rates are down, they're laying off workers, they're going out of business.  He talked about how kids would be going to school at younger and younger ages so their parents wouldn't have to deal with them.  Our parents (for the most part) didn't have public school Kindergarten, now our kids have public school Pre-K. 

I thought this was a very timely book to read considering the Koran burning going on this weekend.  So go read this book, go read another book, hoard the ones you have and don't let anyone burn them!