Book Review and Giveaway: Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust

Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust


rating: 4.0/5.0






From Amazon.com:

All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems.

A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos--and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home.

Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers.

I loved the first Daniel X book and I was eagerly awaiting the newest one. So I was thrilled to receive this as a review copy from Miriam Parker at Hachette books.

The second installment doesn't disappoint, it has Daniel back facing 2 new nemesis aliens from The List. I love his secondary characters who are from his imagination. His interaction with them is fascinating. This book also brings in interaction with a new real character and possible love interest. This added a new dimension to the book.

The background happenings and the reason Daniel is after 2 aliens on the list makes and interesting story line and it catches your attention and you don't want to put the book down.

It's a quick, fun read and I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. These books are rocket science, they really don't require much thought, just time to read for genuine enjoyment.

Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: July 27, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 288

Miriam Parker at Hachette books has kindly offered to send one of my readers a copy of the newest Daniel X book. The contest will end on August 15, 2009. US and Canada Entrants only please. Please enter by:

1. Commenting on my blog, make sure I have a way to contact you. (+1)
   
2. Become a blog follower or let me know if you are already a follower (+1)
3. Tell me if you have read the first Daniel X book and whether you liked it or not (+1)
4. Tweet about this review and giveaway, use @cfulcher in the tweet so I can find it (+1)
5. Follow me on Twitter (or let me know if you are a current follower) (+1)
6. Blog about this contest and let me know the link (sidebar or post is fine) (+1)

So there you go - 6 ways to get an entry into this contest. You can leave them in separate posts or one post, it doesn't matter, I will make sure you get your entries, just make sure to let me know what you do.

Review: Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro





rating: 4.0/5.0






From Goodreads.com:

Kim, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports readers to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors.

I am a big James Patterson fan. I have read his books since Along Came a Spider and kept up with the new releases and then went back and read his earlier books. I love the Alex Cross series and the Women's Murder Club and the standalones. So I was thrilled to get an early copy of his newest standalone - Swimsuit from Miriam Parker.

Swimsuit does not disappoint either. From the first page I was sucked into Ben's story of how he came across Henri and the missing swimsuit model Kim.

Ben is a very compassionate character as are Kim's parents and Ben's girlfriend Amanda. This is one of the things I really liked about the novel - Ben is the ordinary guy, the caring guy, he's not a tough guy, he's just a guy who wants to do what is right and help people. He just gets thrown into an insane set of circumstances.

The story moves along quickly and doesn't lose you as some have in the past. I was able to follow along, but not guess the next thing that happened. There were quite a few twists and turns and the usual James Patterson "evilness" in the serial killer. He just does serial killers the best. They are always twisted and egotistical and stand out against the good-guy, who is usually just an average guy, like Ben.

If you like the thriller genre then I encourage you to pick up Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Patreo - it will not disappoint, it may make you lose sleep from trying to finish it, but I don't think it will disappoint. You will find great suspense, evil bad guys, compassionate good guys and a great story to follow along with.


Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: June 30, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Pages: 400