Goodbye to 2011...

I can't believe it has been a year since I've started my blog and frankly, find myself disappointed that I have not posted more reviews on books that I have read. I have conflicting numbers regarding the number of books I read this year. On Goodreads website it says 50 (half of what I originally challenged myself for), and the badge on my blog says 46. Go figure.

I saw Book Vixen's "Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge for 2012." I'm trying to see how many more books I can read than I did for 2011. These are the levels she has posted:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books


I think I'm going to give myself a realistic challenge and do the "Out of Breath" level. 6-10 more books is definitely a possibility for me this year. I will include audiobooks in my challenge, so definitely do-able for me. I'm not one for sweating or burning up - a little out of breath works for me! LOL!

Some future books I plan on reviewing are:

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins
Lover Unleashed (BDB #9) by J.R. Ward
All Through the Night (Troubleshooters Series #12) by Suzanne Brockmann
It Happened One Autumn (Wallflower Series #2) by Lisa Kleypas
Nocturne by Syrie James
Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
....and many more books!

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year! May 2012 be the best year yet!

Keep On Reading...
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Review: A Lot Like Love by Julie James

This was another great book by Julie James! I read it in a few days and couldn't put it down.

The story is about Jordan Rhodes and Nick McCall. Jordan is a wine store owner and Nick is a FBI agent. The FBI approaches Jordan to help them get one of their people in a charity event that is very exclusive and for only most of Chicago's "upper crust." Jordan is part of this crowd since her father is very rich and she's very well respected in her field. In exchange for Jordan's help, the FBI would offer releasing Jordan's twin brother from prison. He was in prison for apparently crashing Twitter after a big breakup with his girlfriend. Kyle (Jordan's brother) is a computer genius which was why he was able to crash Twitter.

Jordan agrees to this plan, and Nick, the FBI agent, who is very blue collar to Jordan's high-end upbringing, definitely feels the attraction to Jordan. Jordan is not the snooty socialite like Nick thought she would be.

Xander Eckhart, restaurant and business owner, is the person that the FBI is trying to find out more about as they suspect he is possibly working with the Chicago Mob. Xander is quite attracted to Jordan, and she finds out how unsavory he really is.

Jordan and Nick's relationship is so enjoyable to read and every scene between these two seems to bring smoke from the pages!

I highly recommend this book and to give Julie James a read if you haven't already. She's definitely one of my favorite authors!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff

Wow - can't believe how long it's been since my last review! Without further adieu, here is a review on a great book that I read a few months ago that I highly recommend!

I love all things fashion and to be honest, the book cover is what peaked my interest. Then when I read a description of what the book was about, I thought I'd give it a read. The story proved to be not only a great story about love and friendship, but it also gave quite a bit of insight to vintage fashion.

Phoebe Swift opens her own vintage clothing shop after deciding to quit her job with Sotheby's. Geared with the knowledge of all things vintage, her vintage shop opens with mild interest from people around town. The day of her opening, she is interviewed by a reporter who runs the story about her vintage shop and that sparks interest from Mrs. Bell, an elderly woman who wants to sell Phoebe her vintage clothing. Mrs. Bell is interested in selling everything but a blue coat that she seems very possessive of. Mrs. Bell then tells Phoebe what the history of the blue coat is and why it is so important to her.

Phoebe also has a relationship with a man who has a spoiled teenage daughter. It's interesting to see where the relationship goes after a few of their dates and an encounter Phoebe has with his daughter.

Lastly, throughout the story, we are left to wonder the cause of Phoebe's best friend death, and her subsequent broken engagement with her fiancee. Her relationship with her divorced folks is another interesting aspect of the story.

This book was very well written and had me enthralled from beginning to end. If you're into vintage fashion, and love a good story about love and friendship, you will want to read this book!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: A Shore Thing by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

Hmmmm...what to say? I am one of those people who started watching Jersey Shore because of all the hype. I got hooked because it was like watching a bad accident. You know you shouldn't watch, but you can't look away. In a way, that is what this book was like for me. I have heard that even though Snooki is listed as the author, someone else actually wrote most of this book. True or not, for me, this book was like reading an episode of Jersey Shore instead of watching it.

I won't go into detail about this book. If you like Jersey Shore, you'll like this book. If not, then you will hate it. It was an entertaining read but not sure I would read another book by Snooki or anything Jersey Shore-related. Just saying...

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflower Series #1) by Lisa Kleypas

I have not read a historical romance in quite some time. Not usually my cup of tea, but I have read contemporary romance stories written by Lisa Kleypas (Sugar Daddy, Blue-Eyed Devil, Smooth Talking Stranger) and thoroughly enjoyed those books. They are what I would call a series since most of the characters in the story repeat themselves in either future books or past books. With that being said, I thought I would give a historical romance a try written by Ms Kleypas and I wasn't disappointed!

Secrets of a Summer Night is book #1 of the Wallflower series. The book is about Annabelle Peyton and Simon Hunt. Annabelle is a beautiful young lady whose family is experiencing financial struggles since Annabelle's father is no longer alive. She gives the pretense that her family is still well-to-do but quite a few people can tell due to her clothes that are looking a little threadbare and a few other clues. Simon enters the picture almost immediately and is instantly attracted to Annabelle and starts pursuing her immediately. Since Simon doesn't come from "old money" he is considered a commoner to London society even though he is a wealthy and successful entrepreneur. Then there are the wallflowers. Two American heiresses who are outcasts because they are American, a stuttering English heiress, and of course, Annabelle. I love the interaction between the wallflowers. It adds another dimension to the story besides that of the relationship between Annabelle and Simon. Simon proves to be a very worthy mate for Annabelle (after much debating, arguing and chasing on Simon's part), and the love scenes between these two hold nothing back. Pretty steamy!

I look forward to reading the next book in the Wallflower Series. If the next book is as interesting as this one, I'll start giving historical romance a try again!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Healing Luke by Beth Cornelison

After reading a previous book by Beth Cornelison, Under Fire, I knew I had to check out some of her other books. Ms Cornelison has written some contemporary fiction as well as category romance books, and quite frankly, can't understand why we haven't heard more from this talented author. The plots are very original and I love the dialogue between the main characters as well as the secondary characters in her books. This book, Healing Luke, was no exception!

Luke Morgan, who was once a ladies' man, survives a horrific boating accident where he loses an eye, a thumb and has numerous scars (physical and emotional). Enter Abby Stanford, a physical therapist on vacation (actually her honeymoon...she was jilted by her finance) where Luke's father asks for Abby's help once he knows what her occupation is, and also notices how Luke seems to respond to Abby. Luke is under the assumption that his dad hired Abby to help out with the boating business they own. Once he finds out she is actually there to work with him, he is at once infuriated, but then mellows as Abby's therapy and their attraction for each other comes to light.

I enjoyed this story about Abby & Luke. As a therapist, Abby shows so much patience with Luke, and as a man, Luke shows Abby that she can love again.

I'll definitely be looking out for more books by the talented Ms Cornelison! She's a great storyteller!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Kiss and Tell (Sunrise Key Trilogy #1) by Suzanne Brockmann

I never got around to reading this Suzanne Brockmann book when it was first published in 1996 as a Loveswept category romance. I did finally take the opportunity to read Kiss and Tell (Book 1 in the Sunrise Key Trilogy) and thought it only okay.

The book's heroine, Leila Hunt who is an accountant from New York, comes home to Sunrise Key for a much needed vacation to visit her brother. Marshall Devlin, the hero in the book, is a doctor and also happens to be Lelia's brother's best friend and has always bucked heads with Leila, but in reality, has always had a crush on her. When Leila's brother hosts a New Year's Eve party, Leila gets a bone-melting kiss from a ninja (did I say this was also a costume party?) when the clock strikes midnight then has to promptly leave. Since she has no idea who this mystery man is, she makes it her task to find the man who gave her that wonderful kiss that she couldn't forget. It's a little hard to do since she seems to know almost every man on the island!

I have to say, sometimes these category romance books drive me crazy! Can someone who is supposedly as smart as Leila really not realize who would have given her that kiss? Knowing that the man who she thought she could never consider was actually her masked ninja?

I'm glad Suzanne Brockmann moved the greener pastures and decided to write romantic suspense with her Troubleshooter series. Those books are definitely more enjoyable!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Kiss Me If You Can by Carly Phillips

Carly Phillips' books are what I consider "fun" and this book is no exception. The first book of the "Bachelor Blog" series is about Sam Cooper, news reporter, and Lexie Davis, a web designer, meet after Lexie sees Sam interviewed on TV after he foils a robbery attempt at a jewelry store. As a reward, the jewelry owner's daughter let's Sam pick anything from the store as a reward. Sam, not wanting anything but does pick something since the daughter insisted, picks a ring that looks vaguely familiar to Lexie as she watches this all play out on TV. Come to find out, it's a ring that looks like it matches a necklace that Lexie's grandmother (who she lives with) has that her grandfather had given her grandmother. Since Lexie's grandmother's birthday is approaching, Lexie thought she would track down Sam to see if she could buy it from him.

When Lexie and Sam meet, there is an instant attraction - especially when Lexie proves that she is not one of those groupies who read the Bachelor Blog from the newspaper that is making Sam appear like a rock star to the females who read the blog. Sam soon learns that the ring he picked as his reward has a potential great story to it (he's wanting to be a novelist) and enlists in Lexie's help to find out what the story is behind it.

The character I absolutely LOVED in this story was Lexie's feisty grandmother. This lady had so much personality especially when she was around her best friend, Sylvia. I always looked forward to dialog with Lexie's grandmother and any one of the other characters in the story. She was a hoot!

This was a fun, fast read and would recommend this book. Looking forward to reading Book 2 in the Bachelor Blogs Series!

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Stranger by Megan Hart

This is the first Megan Hart book have a read and thought it very intriguing. I don't think I've read a story where the heroine owns a funeral home. Also the unconventional way she met Sam, her love interest, definitely kept me interested.

Grace spends a lot of her money "being" with other men. She does this because she would rather pay to be with someone instead of fall in love with someone as she doesn't want to risk the loss since she sees this all the time in her job. Her plan goes awry when she meets the "Stranger" (which ends up being Sam). Grace is a very strong person but we do see some of her vulnerable side once her and Sam hook up.

The sex in the book is very steamy as you would expect in a book written by Megan Hart. Definitely on the erotic side!

I would recommend this book because it's an unique love story and I found Grace's job as a Funeral Director quite enlightening. It gives you some background in the funeral home business (this might actually turn some people off) but thought this added to the story.

Keep on Reading...
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Review: Force of Nature by Suzanne Brockmann

It's been a few weeks since I completed Force of Nature, book #11 in the Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann, but thinking about writing this review reminded me how good this book was. Ric Alvardo & Annie Dugan as well as Jules Cassidy & Robin Chadwick were great characters in this book and I enjoyed reading how their relationships developed. I liked the terrorist plot and how they tried to fool the "bad guys" but failed to do so. There was definitely some suspense in this book that kept you reading a little faster, and of course, the ending didn't disappoint. If you have been like me, and was ready to stop reading the Troubleshooters series, you should keep plugging along...I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I was, and am looking forward to the next book in this series!

Review: Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis

This story was a good, fast read and I did like Cam Wilder and Katie Kramer.  You knew from the first time they had an interaction with the other, there was an "Instant Attraction."  Both Cam & Katie are strong but vulnerable people based on their past and both involved in separate major life-changing incidents where they both were never the same again.  I also really liked the Wilder family.  Cam's brothers and foster mother aunt who really love him, but were all very hurt when Cam decided he needed a year away to find himself after his life-changing accident.  Once he returns and meets Katie, he feels his life is slowly turning around and there might be a reason for him to stay in Wishful after all and help run the Wilder Adventures and Expeditions business.  Katie, who is the temporary help and accountant, lands in Wishful after surviving a horrific accident and needed to get away from Southern California.  With the help of Cam and the Wilder family, she overcomes fears and starts taking chances to get her life back on track again.  Both Katie and Cam realize that they are worth taking a chance on each other after all.

This book was really good and look forward to the remaining books in this Wilder series. 

Upcoming Book: A Lot Like Love by Julie James

Julie James has become one of my favorite authors.  I have enjoyed all of her books and am looking forward to her upcoming book A Lot Like Love that will be released on March 1st.  Check out the cover:

Here is a link to the excerpt:
http://juliejames.com/books/a-lot-like-love/excerpt/

I can't wait until this book comes out!  Once I have read, I will make sure to write a review here on my blog!

Keep on Reading!!!
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Review: Restless Heart by Wynonna Judd

When I found out that Wynonna Judd had a book that came out, I was one of the first ones to get it from the library the day it was released. I really like Wynonna's music, and was curious if she is as good at story writing as she is in song writing. I thought the book was good but not great. The book is about Destiny Hart, an up-and-comer country singer, and her journey that gets her to stardom. Her relationship with Seth, her hometown sweetheart, is sweet but the whole time I was reading this, wondering how realistic a relationship would like this would be? Girl becomes famous, boy stays in hometown to coach and teach and they see each other when they can. The end was obviously a happy one but can't help but think that there is definitely still issues that can't be resolved just by saying the words "I love you." Just saying...however, I would recommend this book and think it's a good first effort from Wynonna Judd. I would like to see future protagonists she writes in her books to be a little more complex. And I do think we will be seeing more books from Wynonna!

It's a Suzanne Brockmann Marathon!!!

Review:  Into the Storm 

I was in the habit of reading Suzanne Brockmann's books as soon as they came out - especially her Troubleshooter's Series. However, along the way I found that I wasn't quite excited when her books came out as I used to be simply because the stories didn't do anything for me anymore. Like once Sam & Larissa got married, I kind of lost interest. I liked Into the Storm because the storyline was interesting to me, but some of the characters in the book REALLY got on my nerves (Tracy - the office receptionist comes to mind), but she redeemed herself at the end to me showing she had some backbone after all. Mark Jenkins and Lindsay Fontaine, the main hero and heroine in the story had what I thought was a "high school" relationship. This also got old after reading half way through the book. The secondary characters (Izzy comes to mind) had a big role in this book and I will be looking forward to reading their stories in future books. The villain in the story truly gave me goosebumps and his main victim (Number 5) was a very brave woman. I found myself wondering if I could ever survive what she went through at the hands of this psycho. I would recommend this book but would advise those that haven't started reading this series, to start with the first book, Unsung Hero. It still is my favorite one!

Review:  Stand-In Groom

I started reading this book on a whim since I knew it would be a fast read. This originally came out as a Loveswept romance and was reissued. I enjoyed this book about Johnny Anziano and Chelsea Spencer who met when Johnny rescued Chelsea from some thugs that were trying to still her purse. I liked how their relationship developed but there were a couple of things in the story that was kind of hard to swallow. Johnny was a very "easy going" man and went with the flow on EVERYTHING - including marrying Chelsea so she could get an inheritance after a friend who had already said he would marry Chelsea, backed out because he ended up falling in love himself with someone else. I also thought that the fact that Chelsea didn't get to know Johnny that well (she didn't event know what he did for a living - she just assumed) was pretty far-fetched. I understand this is fiction, but give the reader some credit for at least having some smarts! LOL! Wouldn't you find out all you could about him before you took that big step - even though it would be short term? With all this aside, this was a fun, light read and would recommend if you were in the mood for something like this.

Review: Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison

This is actually my first audio book of the year I have completed (one down - 11 to go to meet my audio book goal for 2011!).  Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison is your typical chick lit book.  Fun, light and fast reading (or listening in my case).  

 The story revolves around 4 women who have various issues in their personal lives and they all come together when Lorna, who is in financial debt because she can't stop buying expensive designer shoes,  puts an ad on "Greg's List" for Shoe Addicts Anonymous.  Helene, Sandra and Joss end up joining the group and the ladies get together every Tuesday night and exchange size 7-1/2 designer shoes.  It was fun to read each of the character's story and how they develop personally throughout the story (for the better, of course - this is chick lit after all!).  This audio book had a good narrator's voice and handled each person's voice very well.  I really think a narrator's voice can make or break an audio book and this one was one of the better ones.  Whether you read or listen to story on audio book, I think you will really enjoy this fun story about women who bond over...SHOES!!!

Review: Crossfire by Lisa Marie Rice

Since I'm a big romantic suspense fan, I had seen this book when I was surfing on the web and after reading description what the book was about, decided to give it a read.  Sam Reston, very much an alpha male and former Navy SEAL had his sights on Nicole Pearce.  Nicole is a beautiful, intelligent woman who is trying to keep her business afloat as a translator while taking care of a very ill father.  Sam, who owns a security company, works across the hall from Nicole's office and that's how they meet.  I liked the steamy relationship Sam & Nicole share, but the story was only "okay" for me.  There was definitely suspense in this story, but the terrorist plot seemed a little off.  Especially the end of the book.  Like most books, everything ended up rather "neat and tidy" as most endings in these stories do. Since this is the first story from the Protectors series, I look forward to reading about Sam's "brothers" (not actual brothers but foster brothers) and the relationships they will have in upcoming books. 

Review: Under Fire by Beth Cornelison

 
If you're a romantic suspense fan, then Under Fire by Beth Cornelison will not disappoint!  I found this book at my local library when I was browsing the shelves.  Never heard anything about the book or the author.  I read the description on the back of the book that included the words - terrorists, father and daughter kidnapped, female smokejumper - and was intrigued so checked it out.  I have to say I have never read a book with this type of story.  The book started with a bang, and kept you reading until the last page.  I loved the hero, Jackson McKay and his daughter Emily.  Emily is a 9 year old little girl who is quite brave and is one of the main protagonists in the story.  Jackson is a researcher who does nanotech research for a biochemical firm.  He has created some research that the terrorists want and threatens Emily's life as assurance that Jackson will give them what they want.  Since the terrorists who kidnapped Jackson and Emily took them up in the mountains where a forest fire is starting, this is where Lauren Michaels "Mike" has her fellow smokejumpers call her, come in.  I really liked the heroine in this story.  She is brave, resourceful and intelligent, but also has a vulnerability about her that I really liked.  I also thought her fellow smokejumpers, Boomer & Whitefeather, were very entertaining.  Whitefeather ends up playing a huge role in Emily's rescue...I won't say more than that!

The story flowed really well and the relationship with Jackson and Lauren was fun to read - and very steamy!  I'm so glad I found this book and this author.  It was a great story and I would highly recommend.  

Thanks for stopping by!

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I Want a NookColor!

Pam at Bookalicio.us has this great giveway going on right now.  It's her Two Year Blogging  Anniversary, and to celebrate, she is giving away a NookColor and some other great prize packets.  Check out this link http://bklc.us/2y.  My sister-in-law got a NookColor for Christmas, and I "drooled" playing with it when we were there Christmas Day.  What a great thing to be able to have!  The fact you can view everything in color in addition to viewing magazines, makes it all the more on the "cool scale" for me!  Look at this thing of beauty:

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that this might be in my hands one day!  LOL!  Thanks Pam for this giveaway and thanks for blogging for two years!

Read On...
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Now "Hear" This!

I was meandering through blogland, and found the 2011 Audio Book Challenge hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner.   The challenge goes from January 1 through December 31, 2011.  Here are the following levels of the challenge:

Curious:       3 Audio Books

Fascinated:  6 Audio Books

Addicted:  12 Audio Books

Obsessed: 20 Audio Books

I think I'm going for the "Addicted" level!  12 audio books is definitely do-able for me.  Matter of fact, check out the cover of the audio book I'm currently listening to:

This is definitely your typical "Chick Lit" book.  But what fun it is to listen to!  I'm half way through it and am truly enjoying the story.  I'll write a review of this when I finish listening to and this will give me an audio book to put under my belt for the 2011 Audio Book Challenge!  Cool beans!

Until next time...


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I'm Addicted...

I find myself always in possession of more books that I can read in a certain amount of time.  Does that happen to you?  For example, I get in a groove where I'm reading one or two books, finish them, then find myself surfing the web checking out other blogs, reviews and Amazon and see if the books I'm interested in are available at my local library.  It they're not available, I reserve them and if they are available, I try to get down to my library so I can check them out.  Of course, I always check out WAY more books that I can read until they're due back to the library...does that make me a book slut???  LOL!  I think so!  Keep in mind, I already have a HUGE TBR pile here at home.  I think I'm hopeless...but HAPPY!

Here are a couple of books I'm in the middle of reading:

 Under Fire by Beth Cornelison.  I happened upon this when I was looking from something to read at the library.  Saw the spine, so pulled the book from the shelf and read the description.  Never heard of the author and this is the first book from Samhain Publishing I've read.  All I can say is I have not been disappointed so far.  A lot of action, romance and the dialogue is great.  I will have more of a summary of the book after I read.  I'm glad I stumbled upon this find!


Cover your eyes on this cover!  LOL!  I saw this available via eBook that I can check out from the the library.  Pretty cool!  I have heard of Lisa Marie Rice but never read any of her books.  Thought I'd give it a try with this one.  I'm pretty pleased with it so far.  I will also give a summary of this book once I finish it.  I installed an app on my iPhone called OverDrive.  Since the eBook system that I check out from uses this program, I can download these eBooks right to the OverDrive app. It's pretty cool.  NOTE:  It must be in Adobe ePub Format.  I've already got a few on my wish list and a couple on reserve.  I get an email when they are available.  What a great find this was!

Trying to get in the swing of things again after having time off during the holidays.  Unfortunately, that's less time for reading, but I'll definitely make the time! 

Happy New Year!
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