Friday, June 29, 2012

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!! Week 69!

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!!

This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie.

This week’s statements:

1. My cats make me laugh! ALL the time when I watch them. They do so many comical things without even knowing how much they make my day I bet. :)

2. Sometimes hearing certain songs makes me sad. I can't help but be reminded of certain times or people when I hear some songs and can't help but be sad. For instance...Vince Gills Go Rest High on That Mountain, makes me cry or tear up EVERY time. It was played at my Grandpa's funeral and reminds me of him every time I hear it.

3. My hair looks like a rats nest after riding in a vehicle with my son. LOL, why? Because he isn't happy in summer riding in a vehicle unless every window possible in that vehicle is open, to "let in that fresh smelling summer air".

4. When I hear the chirp of the bird KillDeer I always think of my son's dad. When we were first dating we would go hiking or just sit outdoors and enjoy our time together away from work. One day we were outside and heard the Killdeer chirping their "killdeer" sound and he looks at me all angry and says, "Ang, those birds make me angry...I mean, what did Deer ever do to them?" LOL!! Now I hear a Killdeer say it's "killdeer" chirp and I think of him and laugh.

Book Review: Definitely Dead

Title: Definitely Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Pages: 324
Publication Date: 2007
Version: Paperback
Genre: Adult Fiction/Fantasy/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"As a person with so few living relatives, Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never guessed that it would be her cousin Hadley—a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. After all, technically speaking, Hadley was already dead. And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers the inheritance definitely comes with a risk. Someone doesn’t want Sookie looking too deeply into Hadley’s past—or for that matter, Hadley’s possessions. And they’re prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. But who? The range of suspects runs from the Rogue Weres who reject Sookie as a friend of the Pack to the Vampire Queen herself, who could be working through a particularly vulnerable subject—Sookie’s first love, Bill.
Whoever it is, they’re definitely dangerous—and Sookie’s life is definitely on the line…"

My Review:
Sookie Stackhouse just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Even a simple task of cleaning out a cousins home after she dies is made into a fiasco with Sookie. When Sookie gets to her cousin’s place she was renting she learns that a witch lives in the apartment below her cousin Hadley. The witch did Sookie a favor by sealing the apartment up so nothing would start to smell or get that closed up smell. Little did Sookie know that when she opened Hadley’s apartment door and undid that spell, she would regret it. She finds a dead man in the closet…only she soon finds that he is NOT dead. He was a Were, but when he died Hadley seems to have turned him into a vampire, one that is new and can’t control his waking hunger. Therefore, Sookie is soon on the menu. She survives but soon the new vampire is the least of her worries, when she finds out that her relationship with Bill, her ex-lover vampire, was nothing but a set up and a sham. She is devastated but moves on to take her place at the meeting she is required to be at of the queen vampire’s. The queen has married and not for love, for ruling and power. The new husband is quite okay with this arrangement, but would much rather have the new power all to himself and sets up a plan to make this so. Well, Sookie helps break his plans, but not before she has much adventure and mayhem with her new boyfriend Quinn (the tiger shape shifter) by her side.

I rather liked this book for it’s easy read and quick moving plot. I didn’t find it to be the best of the series so far, but I still enjoyed reading it as a continuation of Sookie’s life and all the drama and hard times that seem to find her. I really like Quinn and think Sookie is making a very good choice by looking into the prospect of becoming his girlfriend. Who wouldn’t want a man that turns into a tiger? I never liked Bill and this book sealed that deal for me when I found out what he did to Sookie. I liked the witch characters that were more a part of this book too. I think they add something to the book. I found the Hadley angle a bit confusing at first though because I didn’t remember her being introduced anywhere at all. Eventually it all came to make sense to me, but it was a bit of a setback as far as how I liked the book. Being confused for the first part of it I feel I may have missed some other things because I was so focused on worrying why I was so confused by the Hadley murder.

3 /4 Stars!

This counts toward the following challenges: 100 Books Read, 1,000,000 Pages Read, Mount TBR, Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Off the Shelf Challenge, TV Addict Challenge, Witch and Witchcraft Challenge and Sookie Stackhouse Challenge.

Book Review: Two for the Dough

Title: Two For The Dough
Author: Janet Evanovich
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 1996
Version: Hardcover
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:

"Bounty hunter Stephanie Pum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso - a suspiciously weatlhy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend - the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli - who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch - only makes the hunt more thrilling...

Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol packing Grandma Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move... and his next move might be Stephanie's last."
My Review:
Stephanie Plum is determined not to give up her new found job with her cousin Vinnie as a bounty hunter. She may still not be the best at it, but she makes good money at it….when she actually can catch the skipper of bail that is. In this second book in the series Stephanie is on the hunt for Kenny, a supposed “easy” retrieval for her. Well, Kenny turns out to be a little bit on the unstable side…ok a lot on the unstable side, and Stephanie decides to team up with Joe Morelli, the cop that she helped prove was innocent last time she was after a big name bail skipper, who is now back on the job. Theirs is a relationship of love and hate…she loves to hate him. Kenny turns out to be in more than just the shooting he was put in jail for in the first place. He is into smuggling military guns and lots of other illegal activity, so Stephanie gets to play detective again. Also she is working a side job for the funeral undertaker to find some missing caskets. Only odd thing is that these caskets are a little to plain for the people in the town they live in, so why did he buy them, and so many of them? Should she believe him when he says they have nothing to do with his best friend Kenny? Can Stephanie put up with Morelli again to catch Kenny? When she gets closer to finding out the truths she and her Grandmother, who loves “helping” Stephanie bounty hunt, are put in some very dangerous situations. Can they both make it to the capture of Kenny alive?

This was a great continuation to the Stephanie Plum series. Again the author did a great job writing this book and building on the characters from the first book. I really think that Stephanie should give Joe a chance again and see if a relationship would work for them. Personally I don’t think it could be any worse than the many men her Mother and Grandmother keep inviting for dinner with the family so they can meet her. Joe’s a cop too, which is a huge perk for someone in the bounty hunting profession if you ask me. I have to say that I just loved the building up of Grandma Mazur’s character. What a card she is! She also reminds me of my own Grandmother with some of the things she will say or do. I also just love how she is so in to Stephanie’s bounty hunting job, that’s hilarious. What better than a bounty hunting Grandma!?! Lots of twists and turns in this book and lots of things happening, never a dull moment. It keeps right on trucking along and keeps the reader enthralled with all the action, adventure, and drama right up until the end. I have to say that I read this book so fast and was so into the book I got to the last pages and was surprised that I had read the whole book already.

4/5 Stars!

Counts toward the following challenges: 100 Books Read, 1,000,000 Pages Read, Cupcake War Challenge, Mount TBR, Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Off the Shelf Challenge, and Stephanie Plum Challenge.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Theme Thursday! June 28th

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. It is hosted by Reading Between the Pages. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday's)
Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don't necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have "They kissed so gently" or "Their lips touched each other" or "The smooch was so passionate"

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

TREES Plant; Shrub

Here's my Snippet: "On a day so overcast, once we were under the overhanging trees, we would be almost invisible to our pursuers, which was good; but the same conditions also meant that any lurking wildlife would be seen approximately when we stepped on it, or when it bit us." page 269-270 of Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris.

Cat Thursday!! June 28th

Hosted by The True Book Addict.

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy!

All I could do here was LOL!!

LOL, you can try kitty.

AAAHHHH, it all makes sense now. ;-)

This doesn't just happen with baby kitties...kids come to mind too. LOL!

LOL! Hhhhmmm, wonder if the man knows he just gave up all his fish? LOL!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun! Week 68

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!!

This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie.

This week’s statements:

1. I love a good rain and the smell it leaves behind.

2. If I could eat anywhere I would eat at Red Lobster! One of my favorite spots, but don't get there much because of the prices and the fact that most of my friends/family don't care for seafood much.

3. When I grow up, I want to have someone that loves me unconditionally.

4. the best friend I ever could ask for I met when I was just a baby and became best friends with when I was 5 years old and have been friends with ever since! :-)

Theme Thursday!! June 21!

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. It is hosted by Reading Between the Pages. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday's)
Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don't necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have "They kissed so gently" or "Their lips touched each other" or "The smooch was so passionate"

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

FLOWER Bouquet

Okay, so this isn't the word flower exactly, but it has to do with a flowering bush. So that worked good enough for me. LOL.

Here's the snippet: "Ranger and I were squatting behind a hydrangea bush at the corner of Paterson and Wycliff, and we weren't enjoying Indian summer, each other's company, or much of anything else."

From Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

Cat Thursday!! June 21st!

Hosted by The True Book Addict.

AAAWWWWW!!! How can you resist that face?

This is SO true!! I know I haven't found one on any of my kitties.

Hehehe. :-)

LOL! Attack of the spider blanket!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Versatile Challenge Post: Black Magic Woman

Title: Black Magic Woman
Author: Dan Anderson
Pages: 220
Publication Date: 2012
Version: Kindle (free from author through Library Thing)
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery

Favorite Saying:
In the book I couldn’t help but continually laugh when the characters use a saying in many different contexts. It was started by a crew member saying that a girl he knew could do more tricks in bed with him than a monkey can on a long vine. Then that was continued on with different situations. It was just hilarious the way the author incorporated it in and used it and when it was used. Made me laugh every time.

Favorite Character:
MUST be Chauncey!! He is hilarious, determined, and laid back.

Least Favorite Character:
Alameda the Miami PD Officer. She was degrading, deceiving, and inconsiderate.

I love a good mystery and this book was it for me! Chauncey, a PI, is the main character and he, in my opinion, makes the book with his comedy relief, but professional attitude. Not everyone can have that after all when they are investigating a serial killer who is after crew members on a cruise ship and after killing them leaving chicken heads in their mouths. This book had more twists in it than a twizzlers licorice piece, but that is what made it all the more enjoyable!

B-Very Good Read!

Book Review: Black Magic Woman

Title: Black Magic Woman
Author: Dan Anderson
Pages: 220
Publication Date: 2012
Version: Kindle (free from author through Library Thing)
Genre: Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Amazon.com:
"Chauncey McFadden, a Los Angeles PI, receives a frantic phone call from the president of a Miami-based cruise line. Two employees have been killed in port and Chauncey is hired to solve the crime and prevent further atrocities. MacFadden has little homicide experience, and things quickly fall apart as the body count climbs onboard ship and in Caribbean island ports of call. Smuggled drugs have disappeared from the vessel, which unleashes a terrifying, vengeful vendetta."

My Review:
No one is a more unlikely looking candidate for a private investigator than Chauncey. He is a man on the shorter side and comes in high on the scale side. Even he has to kid about his weight when he is talking to people because he is not what anyone expects from a private eye when they call him and then see him. None the less, that is exactly what Chauncey is, a private detective who is good at what he does, but isn’t having his phone rung off the hook for his services. That’s why he was elated to get the call that a cruise ship wants his help figuring out a murder that has happened on their boat to an employee. They give Chauncey an offer he can’t refuse…$3,000 plus any expenses, plus he can bring his girlfriend along and get the cruise FREE! As Chauncey and the ship’s owner are mulling over the particulars on the phone, the owner is interrupted to be told that yet another crew member has been murdered. Now murder is one thing, but they are being murdered in a particular way and a peculiar one, they are killed, their tongues cut out and a head of a dead chicken is stuffed in their mouths. Some serial killer is on the loose and he or she is after the crew of the cruise ship for some reason. Chauncey agrees to go with his girlfriend on the cruise, but first stops in to the local Miami PD to get more details and tell them what he is doing, just so he isn’t stepping on anyone’s toes. The police captain is not sure what she should make out of Chauncey and his help, but doesn’t really see him as a competent PI anyway, so just tells him to let her know if she can help him. On the ship and undercover, Chauncey finds some clues and more mysteries too. Also, as the cruise is underway more murders happen and some crew members take it upon themselves to just “jump ship” at the next port. The passengers on the cruise have nothing to be desired either, most of them have very shady pasts. Could one of the passengers be a serial killer? What have the crew members done to be getting picked off one by one? Is there something more here than a serial killer of cruise crew? If Chauncey does his job and digs a bit is he going to be next on the list?

This book was very well written and contained a TON of twists and turns that make the reader go all over the place with an opinion about who the killer is. I know every time I thought I had it, some other event would happen or come to light and I would discover I didn’t have it at all. The characters were also portrayed in such a way that you just had to like them all, even the bad characters. They were well developed and easily made to flow into the plot. The plot also was amazing, it was well written in the respect of it seeming very real and like something that could very easily happen in real life. I must say that if you are a lover of a wonderful mystery with very likeable characters, this is the book for you to read. It has action, adventure, comedy, mystery, and friendship. The plot also was good about keeping on moving, there was no true lull points in the plot or writing at all. Never did I find myself needing to “talk myself into” reading more of the book, I was anxious to keep on reading to see what would happen on the next page. I must say again how the twists from the author kept the book moving too. It was a very good book that deserves reading.

5/5 Stars!

Counts toward the following challenges: 100 Books Read, 1,000,000 Pages Read, Color Coded Challenge, Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Rainbow Reading Challenge, Serial Killer Challenge, and Versatile Challenge.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Book Review: One For The Money

Title: One For The Money
Author: Janet Evanovich
Pages: 234
Publication Date: 1994
Version: Hardcover
Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.
Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.
Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man."

My Review:
Down on her luck Stephanie Plum has no where to turn except to her Uncle Vinnie who runs a bounty hunter business. She has lost her job, has pawned off most of her belongings, is in collections for all her credit cards, and is about to be evicted to top it all off. She hears from her family the Vinnie is looking for a file person, so she goes to him to see about the job. Well, her bad luck only continues when she finds that the position has been filled. However, there is a temporary opening for a bounty hunter if she can handle the job. Stephanie has no choice really, so tells him to let her prove she can do it. For every skipped bail person she brings in she get a percent of the bond worth. She has her sights set on Joe Morelli, a police officer that has been accused of shooting an unarmed man and killing him and now is missing. Her payout would solve a lot of her problems right now…$10,000 can go a long way after all. What could go wrong? Well to start with, she knows nothing about bounty hunting and nothing about guns or how to protect herself or how to handle the skippers she is trying to catch. When Joe proves a bit harder to catch than she thought she takes on smaller time skippers to make some money to keep her afloat for now while she keeps on looking for Joe Morelli. Stephanie seeks out the help of a fellow bounty hunter that works for Vinnie, but he is less than thrilled to help her. He does give her advice and when push comes to shove help too. Stephanie finds there is much more to the Joe Morelli case than just catching him and it doesn’t help that she and him have a personal past either. She soon finds herself in a very rough spot…a hot shot boxer is trying to have his way with her and isn’t known for his soft touch, Morelli still eludes her and when she does see him she never seems to have the upper hand, and she finds her life in danger more than not. Is it possible that Morelli is telling the truth and he was set up? Can she manage to keep herself safe and alive to even find the truths? Who is it that seems to want her dead…the boxer she turns down who is not happy she did and threatens her or the cop turned killer Morelli who is less than excited that she wants to bring him back in, or could there be someone else she doesn’t even know about?

I have heard SO much about this book and the series that I was more than excited to read it. I was not disappointed either. This book was great, it had a wonderful female main character that is very easy to relate to and had a great plot to go along with her. The characters were memorable and easy to like…or not like depending on the character. The book got moving right away and kept right on plugging along. Sometimes books that start off great turn slow and then speed up again at the end; not the case in this book. The action kept right on going from beginning to end. Every time I thought I knew what would happen and who was trying to kill Stephanie something else would happen forcing me to re-evaluate the whole theory I had. It was a pretty easy read which I also liked. I look forward to continuing on with this series to see where Stephanie goes from here! Stephanie Plum quickly took up residence on my top favorite characters in a book or a series list. She was portrayed as a down to earth woman who comes from a loving family, but is also very headstrong, determined, and not willing to let some bad luck in life stop her or slow her down.

5/5 Stars!

Counts toward following challenges: 100 Books Read, 1,000,000 Pages Read, Cupcake War Challenge, Mount TBR, Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Off The Shelf Challenge, Stephanie Plum Challenge, and Semi-Charmed Challenge.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Book Review: ARC Claus, Legend of the Fat Man

Title: Claus, Legend of the Fat Man
Author: Tony Bertauski
Pages: 190
Publication Date: 2012
Version: ARC PDF (Free from author for edit/review)
Genre: Fiction

Summary Via Author:

"In the early 1800s, Nicholas and Jessica Santa attempt the first human trek to the North Pole and stumble upon an ancient race of people left over from the Ice Age. Short, fat and hairy, the elven are adapted to life in the Arctic. Their scientific advancements have yielded great inventions, such as time-stopping devices, gravitational spheres that build living snowman bodies and reindeer that leap great distances with helium bladders. They've also unlocked the secrets to aging.

For 40,000 years, they have lived in peace. Until now. An elvan known as The Cold One has divided the elven and wants to conquer the rest of the world, including the warmbloods (humans). One elvan – white-bearded and red-coated – stands between The Cold One and total chaos. Can the Santa family survive this civil war long enough to help the legendary elvan known as… Claus."

My Review:
This book has so much that happens in it all I can say is…WOW! It is about a small family, the Santas, that seeks adventure, so they go on a family adventure to try and be the first to go to the North Pole. They know it will be a hard trek that may make one or all of them sick…or worse dead, but they do it anyway knowing this is something they want to do and do as a family. They are taken further into the north by some guides they find along the way, but they leave the family while they are sleeping. Not only leave them, but leave them without supplies or food too. The family then is stuck in a snowstorm/blizzard in their tent, which is very near collapse. The Dad, Nicholas, thinks he hears voices so he ties a rope to himself and tells his wife, Jessica, to hold it so he can find his way back after he finds the people talking. Well, the rope is cut and Nicholas is separated from his wife and son, Jon. They are all found by elven, but Nicholas is found by elven that are associated with an evil leader, Jack. Jessica and Jon are found by good elven who are trying to live separate from the evil ones. They broke away from the evil ones many years ago and have been on the move since to stay hidden and safe. Eventually Nicholas has his memory removed by Claus, the evil Jack’s brother. Claus is a good man that stayed with Jack’s evil side only to protect the elven who stayed with him. Jack is not only evil, but is dangerous in another way too, he is so cold that he freezes anything he touches and has blue skin. Claus couldn’t be more different with his cheery disposition and need to help others and make them happy.

A war eventually ensues between the good (run by Jack and Claus’ Mother) and the evil (run by Jack). A lot happens during this war, some of which concerns reindeer, sleighs, elven, living snowmen, and a very unusual cure for Jon when he is overexposed to the cold when fleeing in the sleigh when an attack happens. The elven are thousands of years old and very smart, they have figured out the key to aging, how to stop time when needed, and how to make snow a great defense weapon. How can Jessica and Jon possibly reconnect with Nicholas when they are not only with opposite sides of the elven/leaders, but also when Nicholas is slowly having his memory sucked out? Will they survive the war to even stand a chance of finding each other? Who will win the war?

This book was a fantastic read, which I enjoyed very much. It had action, adventure, fantasy, and humor. I loved the twist of the characters being Claus and Jack and elven. The whole story puts a whole new twist on how you will view the concept of Santa and how he came to exist that’s for sure. I loved the writing and I loved the characters! They were such fun loving characters for the most part that you couldn’t help but love them. Even the evil Jack was likable just because he was so different and has such a neat dynamic to him. This book is truly wonderful and wakes up the kid in your heart as you come to find out the legend of Santa Claus. It’s one of those things that is so crazy, it makes you believe all over again in the magic (no, no, science…according to the elven) of the North Pole and the elven that live there. As I read this book I found myself smiling and thinking…ah ha, it all makes perfect sense. If you want a great read that is full of action, you must read this book. It truly is amazing and calls out to the inner child of yourself that still can believe in the magic (er…science) of Santa, elven, reindeer, snowmen, and the North Pole.

5/5 Great big snowy stars!!! GREAT READ!

Counts toward the following challenges: 100 Books Read and 1,000,000 Pages Read.

Book Review: Closing Costs

Title: Closing Costs
Author: Liz Crowe
Pages: 205
Publication Date: 2012
Version: PDF Via Kindle (free for honest review)
Genre: Adult Fiction/Erotic

Summary Via Goodreads.com:

"Love conquers all? Not likely, according to Sara Thornton. She’s spent eight years coming to terms with the new parameters of her life while resigning herself to the idea that “happily ever afters” are best left to fairytales. Sales manager for her successful real estate office and juggling an added element of responsibility she never thought she’d face, Sara continues to struggle with the men in her life. Love, for her, has only meant hurt, broken trust and anger; all of which she’s completely banished from her life, so she claims.

Jack Gordon has come a long way since his earlier days of obsession with Sara. As general manager of Stewart Realty, his own level of responsibility for others’ well-being has ramped up. He’s even honed his caretaking skills, now that he has someone who loves him unconditionally.
Continuing to try and rebuild their relationship, they grow close as friends. But, the ultimate question remains unanswered; the one he keeps asking, no matter how many times she says no. Sara isn’t prepared for the keen focus of his need–to have her back, once and for all. And her stubborn resistance nearly rips both lives apart
The epic conclusion to The Realtors series, Closing Costs brings Jack and Sara truly full circle. Proving that the heat of lust and obsession; the need for control and to be mastered in many areas of life can lead to love —surprising you when you least expect it – if you will only allow it."
My Review:
This book continues Sara and Jacks journey in their lives. This book goes a bit off the track of nothing but passionate sex and the yo-yoing of Sara and Jacks relationship. Sara just had a baby and this book follows Sara, Jack, Craig, and all the other great characters from the other books as they watch Katie grow. Sara makes a bold call when she says that she doesn’t know if Craig or Jack is really the father of Katie, but doesn’t want to find out either. She insists to do the mommy duty on her own. She has great family and friends that are helping her raise her daughter, but she still misses and loves Jack. The confusion only continues as they interact more when Jack decides he needs to be a part of Katie’s life no matter what. Craig helps Sara too, until he goes off to medical school. When he is done with school he gets a job at the local hospital so he can be near them all again. Sara battles her emotions for Craig and Jack a lot in this book and how to be a good Mom. She finally makes a huge, life changing decision, when Katie has to be rushed to the hospital with a ruptured appendix. Can she face Craig and Jack after they find out who the true father of Katie is? Is she willing to try to make it work with one or the other?

I did enjoy this book, but I still would have to say that the best one, in my opinion, was the first book. The back and forth of the relationships and feelings/emotions in this book is almost dizzying, but it works in the context of the book. I don’t know how it works, but it does. The addition of Katie to the mix adds a “real life” aspect to the book. One that the reader can relate to, to some extent. Sara struggles with her decisions and what is right by her daughter throughout the book and isn’t this that what all parents think? A lot happens in this book, but if I were to reveal too much it would ruin the book. So I will keep it short and sweet this time. However, I will say that you should read this book, the plot, situations, emotions, and characters are great. It was a great read by a great and talented author!

4/5 Stars!

Counts toward following challenges: 100 Books Read, 1,000,000 Pages Read, Erotic Challenge, and Semi-Charmed Challenge.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!! Week 67

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!!

This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie.

This week’s statements:

1. There never seems to be enough time in my days. No matter what I do, before I know it the day is over and I still have to do's on my list.

2. I love to sit outside with my son while he plays. I either play with him or, if he is "exploring" on his own I enjoy reading outside.

3. I could just throw my computer outta the window some days. It seems to not always like to cooperate with me.

4. The last time I went out drinking with friends, my co-worker friends and I went out to "drown our sorrows" about our store closing and us having to split up. How is it you always vow to stay in touch, but it never seems to really happen?

Theme Thursday! June 14th!

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. It is hosted by Reading Between the Pages. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday's)
Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don't necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have "They kissed so gently" or "Their lips touched each other" or "The smooch was so passionate"

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

DAY Weekdays or actual day usage etc.

Here's my snippet: "No way," Gruber said. "You're damn sneaky. I've been chasing after this car for five days." From Janet Evanovich's book One For The Money.

Cat Thursday!! June 14th!

Hosted by The True Book Addict.

LOL!!

LOL, this is my husbands response when my son and I try to take the remote while he is "resting his eyes". :-)

Hehehe, too cute!

How true this is!!! LOL!

LOL!! Not gonna lie I laughed until I cried when I saw this!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!! Week 66

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun!!

This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie.

This week’s statements:

1. When I go to bed at night I just can't seem to shut my mind off sometimes. It just keeps going and going and makes sleep very slow in coming.

2. I wish I was able to take summers off of work to do nothing but have fun with my son while he is out of school.

3. If the world is my oyster then am I the sand that turns into a pearl?

4. My favorite meal of the day is supper and the food I think would be my favorite to eat then would be PIZZA!!!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Out of the Blog "Office"

Image from google

Hello everyone! I have not fallen out of the blog world again...just have been having some Mommy/Son time. We took a day trip to Wisconsin Dells with my friend and her daughter, then my son and I went to Noah's Ark, and then we had a day with one of my other friends and went mini golfing and to a local amusement park. So...that's where I have BEEN, and now I will tell you that I am going to be GONE for the remainder of the week and into next week. We are taking a family trip to Wisconsin Dells (my hubby, son, and I). We will be gone until Tuesday of next week. So I may not get any of my usual posts done (cat/theme Thursday or my Fill In Friday) due to being gone. I have promised and vowed to not touch an online anything until we come home! ;-) Also, just so you are not disappointed when I do return...I have not read a single thing either. So I won't have reviews when I come back either. When we get home I will be reading a book for an author and editing some for him, so I will have that review up after I am done. Also I have another author who needs an upcoming book read/reviewed, so that will be coming too. Besides that though, there will be very little activity from me. Summer is the time that I can enjoy my son and my family more, so that is what I intend to do! :-)

See you all when we return! Have a great week/end!

Friday, June 1, 2012

May Wrap Up!!

Image from google search

Hooray for May!!! Once again it is the end of the month, where does the time go???!!!?? Months seem to just be flying by! I had a rough personal month, this month, but ended the month strong with reviews. I actually had one of my better reading months, which is HUGELY surprising to me given the number of days I had to take off this month. Guess I really made the most of the time I did read/review. :-)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS AND THOSE THAT STOP IN TO READ MY BLOG!!! YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ME EVERY DAY!

Here's what I have read in March: Grand Total of 13 Books
You can click on the title of the book to get to my review of that book. :-)

~ 3 Young Adult Fiction:
~The Faustian Host by Dave Becker (free from author for honest review)
~Sweetness (Bold As Love) by Lindsay Paige (free from author for honest review)
~I'm Yours (Bold As Love) by Lindsay Paige (free from author for honest review)

~ 8 Adult Fiction ( Paranormal Romance/ Mystery/ Fiction):
~The Hellcat by Carter Brown (Fiction/Mystery)
~Shaman, Healer, Heretic by M. Terry Green (free from author for honest review)
~Shaman, Friend, Enemy by M. Terry Green (free from author for honest review)
~The Sun Zebra by R. Garcia (free from author for honest review)
~Floor Time by Liz Crowe (free for honest review)
~Green as a Garden Hose by Fran Stewart
~Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris
~Sweat Equity by Liz Crowe (free for honest review)

~ 2 Adult Non-Fiction
~Mennonite In A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
~Blood runs like a river through my dreams by Nasdijj

How are my Challenges looking?
You can click on each challenge and you will go to my post for that challenge to see which books counted for each challenge or what each challenge entails.

1,000,000 Pages Read Challenge: (this is a perpetual challenge) 17,780/1,000,000
100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge: 53/100
2012 Reading Addict Challenge: 2/15
3660 Minutes Reading Challenge: Read 3660 minutes in 2012 to a child 320/3660
A to Z Reading Challenge: I chose the title challenge A to Z: 20/26
Books Published In The First Years Of My Life Challenge: “Pre-Teen” level (read at least one book published in first 10 years of my life) 1/10
Color Coded Reading Challenge: Read 9 books in the given categories 4/9
Cupcake Wars Reading Challenge: 10/24
Erotic Reading Challenge: “Dipping my Toe In” read 5 erotic books 3/5
Finishing the Series Reading Challenge: I chose Level 2 (complete 2 series) 0/2
Getting Lost In a Comfy Book Reading Challenge: Read 5 books off of the given list. 0/5
Immortals After Dark Reading Challenge: Read 12 books in the series 0/12
Kinsey Millhone Reading Challenge: Read the Kinsey Millhone Series (this is a perpetual challenge) 9/22
Mammoth Book Challenge: Level 1 (read 2 mammoth-sized books, aka 450 + pages) 0/2
Mixing It Up Reading Challenge: “Mixing Bowl” (read a book from 9-12 of the given categories) 4/12
Mount TBR Reading Challenge: I chose to “climb” Mt Vancouver (read 25 books from my TBR pile) 8/25
Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge: 19/24
Nightwalkers Reading Challenge: Level 3 read 5-6 books of the series 0/6
Off the Shelf Challenge: 11/50
Rainbow Reading Challenge: Read a book title that contains certain given color words every month ALL MONTH'S GOALS ARE COMPLETED SO FAR FOR 2012!!
Read Your Name Challenge: 1/5
Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge: I chose Level 1 (read 4 romantic suspense novels) 4/4
Sea Haven Reading Challenge: 0/9
Serial Killers Reading Challenge: Read as many books as you can about serial killers (fiction or non-fiction) 1 COMPLETED
Sookie Stackhouse Series: Read the series 5/12
Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge: Complete the Series (this is a perpetual challenge) 0 COMPLETED
Stephen King Reading Challenge: (perpetual challenge) 0/100
Time Travel Reading Challenge: “Surprise Trip” level (read 1-3 books that have time travel in them) 0/3
TV Addict Challenge: “Single Play” Read 1 series that was basis of a TV series 0/1 (5 books complete toward goal)
Versatile Reading Challenge: I am doing all four quarters of this challenge (all year) (read at least one book per month from the categories for those months) ALL MONTH'S GOALS WERE COMPLETED SO FAR FOR 2012!!
What An Animal Reading Challenge V: 0/6
What's In A Name 5 Reading Challenge: Read one book in each of the 6 categories/guidelines given 0/6
Why Buy The Cow Reading Challenge: “Coupon Clipper” read 12 free eBooks 2/12
Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge: “Initiate Level” (read 1-5 witchy books) 1/5
Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge: Level 1 (read 1-3 books in the series) 0/3
Young Adult Mythology Reading Challenge: Read 10 YA or Middle grade novels that incorporate any type of mythology 2/10
Young Adult Reading Challenge: I chose the “Mini YA Reading Challenge” (read 12 YA novels) 12/12