Review: Wake by Lisa McMann

Wake by Lisa McMann





rating: 4.0/5.0











From the back of the book:

Not all dreams are sweet.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

This is a very interesting young adult read. It moves very fast. Since the paranormal only involves dreams, it doesn't take much setup for this book and that makes it easy to get right into the story. I liked getting to know Janie and watching her grow in her ability. I also liked her interaction with her best friend and neighbor Carrie and of course the snobby girl that inhabits all high schools, Melinda. I found Janie's mom sad, but she only plays a minor role (and that in itself is sad). I really like Cabel, though he was shrouded in mystery a lot of the book. The dreams that Janie is sucked into can be anything from amusing (the typical naked in front of a class) to terrifying.

I didn't find the book predictable at all - it kept taking me by surprise and I really enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to learning more about Janie and Cabel and the other adventures they are in in Lisa McMann's next book in the series, Fade which came out in February.

I think this is a good, easy-to-read series for young adults and older adults alike.


Binding: Trade paperback
On-sale Date: December 23, 2008
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 224

Buy Wake at IndieBound
Buy Wake at Amazon.com

Review and Giveaway: The Texas Billionaire's Bride by Crystal Green

The Texas Billionaire's Bride by Crystal Green

Genre: Romance (Silhouette Special Edition)
Series: The Foleys and The McCords (book 1)










Rating: 4.5/5.0




Melanie Grandy grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. She worked her way through school and has made a name for herself as a nanny. Now she is given the opportunity to become a nanny to Olivia Foley, the only daughter of Texas businessman Zane Foley. The is the opportunity of a lifetime for her. Olivia seems to go through nannies rather quickly, so this is a great proving ground for Melanie. It is also a perk to the job that Zane Foley is very handsome, a fact that Melanie is well aware of.

Zane is a quiet man. He conducts his business and stays out of the public eye. His daughter Olivia needs a new nanny and Melanie is well-qualified for the job. He also likes her spunk and hopes that she will be the one that finally stays with his daughter. He worries about his daughter and wants the best for her. He is also attracted to Melanie, but as her boss and also for himself he will not act on that attraction.

But not all is as seems for either Melanie or Zane. Melanie quickly learns of problems in the family, she wants to fix them for Olivia's sake and she just can't help her attraction to Zane. Her spunk is what quickly lands her in his sight and around him frequently. And when Melanie and Zane are around each other sparks start to fly.

I enjoyed watching the relationship of Melanie and Zane develop. They both felt the attraction but did not feel right to act on it (the employer/employee angle plus other secrets that they both have). The makeover scene is wonderful and Olivia fits into everything perfectly. Seeing the faults of both Zane and Melanie endear them as characters to you. I really felt them, their emotions, as I read about them. They came to life for me. I think almost everyone can identify in some way with Melanie. She's the woman most women want to be - strong, yet feminine and when she sets her mind to something she will do everything she can to get it. Yet she has insecurities too. All this deep layering of emotions make the book very real and enjoyable.

This is the first in The Foleys and The McCords series and it sort of sets the stage between the two families, why there is a rivalry and why the rivalry is coming back into play after years of a kind of truce. You learn about the Magdalena Diamond which figures prominently in the arcing storyline of the series. All of this not only makes The Texas Billionaire's Bride a very interesting book, but also piques your interest in continuing the series. Not only that but I would like to see a little more of Zane and Melanie later on and learn more about the family members introduced in The Texas Billionaire's Bride.

In short, this is a book you should run out and grab then sit in the sunshine for the summer afternoon and get to know Zane and Melanie. Watch them fall in love and just enjoy. (That is what I did).

Thank you Crystal Green for sending me this wonderful book.

Publisher: Silhouette
Release Date: July 2009
Pages: 210
Format: paperback

Buy The Texas Billionaire's Bride at eHarlequin.com
Buy The Texas Billionaire's Bride at Amazon.com

For the giveaway - the author Crystal Green has graciously offered to send out a copy of The Texas Billionaire's Bride (Book 1 in The Foleys and The McCords) to one lucky commenter on this blog. Thank you Crystal for offering this giveaway!

Contest will run through Friday July 10th at midnight and I'll draw the winner and post by Monday the 13th. Giveaway is open only to the U.S. and Canada. For entries:

1. Leave a comment (and make sure I have a way to contact you)
2. Become a follower or if you are already a follower let me know (for an additional entry)
3. Follow me on twitter (see sidebar for link or I am cfulcher)
   
4. Twitter about the contest (use @cfulcher so I will see it) and let me know about it (for an additional entry)
5. Blog about the contest, sidebar mentions are fine (for an additional entry)
6. Tell me if you have read any Crystal Green/Chris Marie Green books before and what they were.

So there are 6 ways to enter! Good luck.

Author Interview: Crystal Green

In honor of Crystal Green's July Silhouette Special Edition release of The Texas Billionaire's Bride, she allowed me to ask her some questions for my first author interview. So read on to hear about her current book and learn a little more about her. Her official bio is on her website here. Her website where you can learn more about her books is here.

• What was the first book you sold? How did you find out it was sold and how did you celebrate?

Crystal Green: My first book was a Silhouette Special Edition, too, and I sold it back during my teaching days. It was called BELOVED BACHELOR DAD, and I got “the call” after I came home from work. I was stunned for about twenty-four hours. I even thought it was a cosmic joke until they started talking contracts, numbers, and the dreaded revision! I celebrated by buying a nice bottle of wine and drinking it with my family.

• What are your favorite types of books to read? Do you get much chance to read?

Crystal Green: I try to find time to read because I’ve found that it makes me much happier in general. It fulfills something that I don’t get anywhere else, maybe because it’s private time where I can relax and explore other dimensions. I read just about everything, but when I’m deep into a project, I’ll concentrate on books that make me push my thinking on the subject I’m writing about. For instance, I just finished writing one of my Vampire Babylon books and I was reading nonfiction about female rage as well as Jungian psychology applied to fairy tales. (Gah! But it’s all very interesting, LOL. Really.) All of that just helped me find out more about these characters I’ve written about for six books now. But I also love romances (I grew up with historicals!), urban fantasy, and “bestsellers.” I like non-fiction, too, just so I can find out more about the world.

Me: Female rage and Jungian psychology - definitely interesting :) But hey if it helps you write your books I'm all for it!

• What is your favorite room in your house?

Crystal Green: I like the kitchen a lot, because it makes me think that I can cook, LOL. That’s a huge fantasy, of course, but I do dabble. The results are not always successful, but I try.

Me: I love my kitchen as well and I'm a dabbler too. There is just something fun about trying things out.

• What is your favorite spot to read in?

Crystal Green: If I can’t be at the beach reading, I’m good with cuddling up in bed. Hopefully there’s a nice rainstorm outside to accompany the book. To me, that’s a great day.

Me: That sounds wonderful - I love reading on dreary days.

• What is your favorite snack food?

Crystal Green: Popcorn. So good. And anything chocolate. Always. Anytime.

Me: I started craving popcorn yesterday so it's funny you said that. Of course chocolate - who functions without it?

• Do you have a schedule for writing each day or do you just do it when you can?

Crystal Green: When I’m into a project, I do have a firm schedule, but my day’s work depends on whether I’m writing a chapter or if I’m revising. On a chapter day, I’ll wake up, write the entire chapter, let off steam with some exercise so my butt doesn’t fall asleep, then come back and take care of promo and business. If it’s a revision day, I’m pretty much at my computer the entire time. Guess which day I enjoy more?

• Where did the idea for The Texas Billionaire’s Bride come from?

Crystal Green: I was invited to participate in this “continuity”—my book is the first one of the series. A continuity involves six authors who get a story bible from Silhouette and work together to tell six different stories about six couple falling in love. There’s a premise connecting the entire miniseries though.

The bible provides a plot outline as well as character details, so I can’t take credit for the outline—but the authors flesh everything out and do our best to maintain continuity. I love these series because it’s a different way of writing—it’s like being given paper dolls with a certain set of clothes and a basic storyline, but I get to dress them and send them on daily adventures, LOL.

• Where did your character of Melanie Grandy come from (by the way I really love her – she feels like a real person)?

Crystal Green: Thank you! She was in the bible, and she already had all the elements of being that “girl from the wrong side of the tracks who wants to better herself.” She was spunky, determined, and fun. I fleshed out her family background, etc. I made her sew Barbie clothes and look good during the makeover scene. J

Me: I loved the sewn Barbie clothes. I like to sew also so I thought this was cool and a great way to connect Melanie and Olivia. I also loved the makeover scene - you did a good job :)

• Where did the idea for the Foleys and the McCords miniseries come from?

Crystal Green: The fantastic editors who came up with the bible wanted to feature two rival families who go after a mysterious, cursed diamond. They wanted Romeo and Juliet type stories as well as rich Texas businessmen and businesswomen who take charge of their lives and find true love while they’re at it. They put all that together and gave it to us!

• I know you work on your own series with your Chris Marie Green books, and you have done your own series under Crystal Green, so what is it like working with other authors on a series?

Crystal Green: I love it. There’s great energy on these projects, like we’ve all been connected by a wire and the ideas are sizzling from one author to another, LOL. With every continuity, I have to go out and buy the other five books because I’m dying to know how the other writers handled their stories. I’m actually reading one of the continuities in which I participated right now: Montana Mavericks, Strike It Rich. I grew up loving soap operas, and continuities are very similar: you get to spend a lot of time in this community that’s been developed and touch base with old characters while you get to know upcoming heroes and heroines.

Me: I never thought about continuities as being like soap operas, but you are right. I love continities because I am never ready to let go of the characters when the book is done. So seeing them again is great. I know I will continue reading the series because I am intrigued by the other members of the families that you had in your book and also for the continuing search for the Magdalena Diamond

• I know you write for Silhouette Special Edition and Harlequin Blaze and that you also write the Vampire Babylon series under Crystal Marie Green. Is it easy for you to shift back and forth for each of these styles
  of writing? Are you ever working on more than one book at a time?

Crystal Green: It’s easy go shift back and forth because I’m always looking forward to being challenged by that change. It’s refreshing, and I think it helps me to write at the pace that I do. It does take a bit to ground myself in the flow of what each book requires, but that’s all part of the challenge.I try not to work on more than one book at a time, but it occasionally can’t be helped. You’ve always got line edits and galleys that come in during another project, and the deadlines for those copies are usually urgent. But if I can, I like to live and breathe in one world at a time—it makes writing easier.

• What books do you have coming out in the near future?

Crystal Green: This July, I have THE TEXAS BILLIONAIRE’S BRIDE, plus a mass market reissue of the second Vampire Babylon book, MIDNIGHT REIGN. In August, the sixth Vampire Babylon book, THE PATH OF RAZORS, comes out in trade edition.

• Any book signings/conferences/public appearances in the near future?

Crystal Green: I’ll be signing at the Romance Writers of America national conference in Washington, D.C., both at the literacy signing and the Penguin/Berkley signing. Then I’ll be at San Diego Comic-Con, signing at the Mysterious Galaxy booth on Thursday at 3pm. I’ll also be on a speaking panel there, with a signing at about 2:30pm.

• Any last words on The Texas Billionaire’s Bride?

Crystal Green: This is a really fun series that I think people will love, mostly because of the two rival families and their search for the Santa Magdalena Diamond. As for my book, I hope there’s a lot of emotion as my hero and heroine fall for each other!

Thank you Crystal/Chris for the interview!


So there you go - check out Crystal Green's new book - The Texas Billionaire's Bride the first book in The Foley's and The McCords series from Silhouette Special edition. It's a wonderful book. And also check out her Chris Marie Green Vampire Babylon series.

Winner: The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

The Winner is: RebekahC who has never read Lisa Gardner before. I hope you enjoy this one - it's good. I have emailed Rebekah and her book is going out tomorrow. Thanks to all who commented. Please see the sidebar for other giveaways and look for even more in the weeks to come! Until then - The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner is out and available.

Waiting on Wednesday - June 24

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My "can't-wait-to-read" selection for this week is:

Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline

Release: August 11, 2009











Four people, two marriages, one lifelong friendship: everything is about to change

It was an accident. It was dark, it was raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison finds herself trapped under the crushing weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly estranged from her husband . . .

Charlie, who has his own burdens. He's in a job he doesn't love so that Alison can stay at home with the kids (and why isn't she more grateful for that?); he has a house in the suburbs and a long commute to and from the city. And the only thing he can focus on these days is his secret, sudden affair with . . .

Claire, Alison's best friend. Bold where Alison is reserved, vibrant where Alison is cautious, Claire has just had her first novel published, a thinly veiled retelling of her childhood in North Carolina. But even in the whirlwind of publication, Claire can't stop wondering if she should leave her husband . . .

Ben, an ambitious architect who is brilliant, kind, and meticulous. And who wants nothing more than a baby, or two—exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison seem to have. . . .

In each of her novels, Christina Baker Kline has explored how people tell the stories of their lives and what those stories reveal about who they are. As they set out on their individual journeys, Alison, Charlie, Claire, and Ben explore the idea—each in his or her own way—that every moment of loss contains within it the possibility of a new life. Alternating through these four intertwined perspectives, Bird in Hand is a searing novel about friendship, love, marriage, loss, and the choices we make that irrevocably alter everything we believe to be true.

So what are you waiting on this week? Go here to see what everyone else is waiting on.

Spring Reading Thing 2009 Wrap Up

Wow - the date slipped up on me, but the Spring Reading Thing 2009 hosted Katrina at Callapidder Days is now over. For the wrap-up post she gave us some questions we could answer. So I thought I would do that. In quick summary I read 56 books during this time. I reviewed some of them (don't have an actual count at this moment and enjoyed all of them.

• Did you finish reading all the books on your spring reading list? If not, why not?

I must confess that my reading list kept evolving. I would say I read about 50% of what I originally posted and then changed the other 50%. I also read more books than I thought I would.

• Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along?

Changed my list - I just can't seem to help it - I want to be organized and have a plan on what to read, but then I seem to revolt when that list is in front of me.

• What was your favorite book that you read this spring? Least favorite? Why?

My favorite(s) (I can never choose just one) were The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale, Fragment by Warren Fahy, and Ms. Taken Identity by Dan Begley

I don't think I have a least favorite - the lowest score was to Strange Angels and I enjoyed it, I just wanted a little more action - but know that will come in the next book in the series. I really liked the characters.

• Did you discover a new author or genre this spring? Did you love them? Not love them?

I think I started finding the more general fiction that leans toward the literary - I had read these from time-to-time, but not often. I explored it a little more lately and have found they are not stuffy boring books, but very good books so this was good for me.

• Did you learn something new because of Spring Reading Thing 2009 — something about reading, or yourself, or a topic you read about?

I have read several small facts and things during the reading challenge. I have also learned that I like to read just about anything. I have read scientific suspense, chicklit, romance, young adult, general fiction, romantic suspense, regular suspense, paranormal and just about everything in between.

• What was your favorite thing about the challenge?

Trying to stick to my reading list (which I failed out - but it was a good exercise) and setting a goal. I also think it was this challenge that helped springboard getting a good start on my blog.

Teaser Tuesday - June 23

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I'm relieved the story has a happy ending."
She looked at me without blinking. I noticed that her eyes were watering. "My mother and Sir Mortimer were married by Captain Edward John Smith, master of the Titanic."
Pause.
"You mean--?"
She bit her lip and nodded.
So much for a happy ending.

From Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford, which is out today 6/23/2009 and so far is an excellent read!