Author/Series Spotlight: Steve Berry and the Cotton Malone series

This week's letter is B for the Alphabet in Crime Fiction challenge.  When I went again to my spreadsheet of books I have read from 2004-2010 to find something to go with B, I came up with author Terri Blackstock, but I also noticed that I had read several books by Steve Berry.  Now Steve Berry doesn't really write crime fiction but I wanted to do something on him because I just received his newest book, The Emperor's Tomb in the mail for review.

Steve Berry is a suspense/thriller writer at least by my definition.  There is a mystery/suspense plot line in his books, at least the ones I have read which revolve around Cotton Malone (who I am secretly in love with) ;)

I mentioned above that I received his newest book for review, but I also have another book of his in my library tbr pile.  So which books do I have?

First is The Paris Vendetta.  Yes I am huge Cotton Malone fan but somehow with blogging and reviewing I missed reading the new book from 2009.  And the second book is his new one The Emperor's Tomb which I mentioned before (and since I love Cotton Malone you know I jumped on getting that book when the publicist contacted me).  So now to get down to business and read these two books.  I'm excited, I love getting immersed in Cotton's world and how he doesn't want to be a part of the investigation, but he just can't help himself.  I love learning about bits of history, sometimes things I didn't even know about.  The books are fast-paced, have interesting characters and great mystery.

So check him out if you haven't, or catch up if you need to like me.  I keep telling myself when I finish the Cotton Malone books I will go back and read his stand-alones.  It won't be a problem, the library has all of them :)

I realize I have never reviewed a Cotton Malone book on the blog.  Well that will be remedied soon, but there is no way I could go back and review the earlier books, so I'll just say they were great.  The books kept me hooked from the beginning to the end and next time my husband is looking for a new series to read I will be quick to recommend these to him.

So what books are in the Cotton Malone series?
   

1. The Templar Legacy
2. The Alexandria Link
3. The Venetian Betrayal
4. The Charlemagne Pursuit
5. The Paris Vendetta
6. The Emperor's Tomb

 Just a little bit about Steve Berry (from Fantastic Fiction)

Steve Berry lives on the Georgia coast in Camden County. He's a lawyer who, for twenty-five years, has helped people both in and out of the courtroom. He's also active in local politics, having served on the Camden County Board of Education and, currently, he is one of five members of the Camden County Board of Commissioners.

His website

Bloggiesta Update #1

It's Bloggiesta update time.  For those of you unfamiliar, Bloggiesta is hosted by Natasha at Maw Books Blog and is a weekend long event to help those of us who blog tidy up, spruce up and just do things in general to make our blogs a better place.  I have lots of goals and who knows what I will accomplish.  But here is what I have accomplished so far.

1. 1 review written to be posted next week to coincide with a blog tour
2. Lots of reading on twitter
3. participated in 3 mini-challenges so far (goals, organization and email)
4. Formatted 2 reviews that are to post in the near future - just waiting for the actual review
5. Made new Book Review and Book Feature templates
6. 1 Interview formatted for next week 
7. Minor changes to About Me and Review Policy pages
8. Cleaned up sidebar (thinking of further purging, but I'm doing it in stages)
9. 3  memes written & scheduled for next week (part of me becoming more of a member of the blogging community again)

More work to come - it looks like it may snow here this afternoon, so it will be a perfect time to curl up in my chair with my blanket, a warm beverage and my laptop warming my lap and do some more work.

Bloggiesta Time!

Bloggiesta, hosted by Natasha of Maw Books is a great event for bloggers. I participated some last year, but not enough.  This year I hope to participate more and it looks like I will be able to as my health has me slightly sidelined at the moment, so it looks like laundry will be my only chore this weekend and the rest of the time will be spent reading, working on my blog and watching playoff games :)  Go Bears and go Steelers :)  I would love to see a superbowl with my two favorite teams but first they have to beat two tough teams.


Here's some of what I hope to do this weekend:

• Catchup on reviews.
• Clean up my email inbox, make sure responded to review requests and file in appropriate mailbox, also make sure calendar is up-to-date, schedule reviews with no timeline
• Re-vamp my interview questions
• Start some posts that are rattling around in my head for rainy day posts
• Re-create my template posts for reviews, features, interviews, guest posts, giveaways, etc.  My posts have evolved over the past year, but my templates have not.
• Clean up my tags
• Clean up my sidebars
• Look over my about me page/review policy and update.
• Clean up and update your challenge lists.  Link up your posts with hosts.
• Participate in challenges and visit other participants to see what they are doing and get ideas :)

So are you participating? What are you planning on doing? I know there is more I want to do and I know I won't get through this list but it will give me something to think about in the weeks to come as well.

Book Review: Awakened by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Awakened by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Publisher: Atom

Publish Date: January 4, 2011

Hardcover, 290 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal
House of Night #8

My Review:
Why I read this: I am hooked on this series.  I was actually getting a little burned out on it but I listened to the previous book on audio and it kind of put the voices in my mind so I was eager to get this one as soon as I could from my library.

How is the novel driven:  Plot


My thoughts: I know a lot of people are complaining about this series and there are a lot of people that love this series.  Before listening to the last book I was more ho-hum about it.  But after listening to the audio as I mentioned above, I was back into the series.  So how was the latest installment?  It was short, 290 pages and only covered a span of a few days, but there was a lot of things going on in the book.

First Zoey and Stark are still on the Isle of Skye and debating staying there.  I love the scenes on this island, it is so magical and so removed from the bleak winter landscape of Tulsa that it is a wonderful change.  Back home Stevie Rae is steal dealing with feeling for Rephaim and her red fledglings and the House of Night.  Then tragedy strikes, Neferet returns and it all turns into a great big pile of bullpoopie as Stevie Rae would say.

As the gang reunites over the tragedy and deal with Neferet and Stevie Rae's feelings for Rephaim (and his for her) the book moves at a fast clip.  I enjoyed every page and I am disappointed to find out I have to wait until November for the next installment.  While not ending on a cliffhanger and nicely tied up for the moment, I know there is much more excitement to come for the fledglings at the Tulsa House of Night.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:

At the start of Awakened, the pulse-pounding eighth installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey has returned, mostly whole, from the Otherworld to her rightful place as High Priestess at the House of Night. Her friends are just glad to have her back, but after losing her human consort, Heath, will Zoey—or her relationship with her super- hot Warrior, Stark—ever be the same? Stevie Rae is drawn even closer to Rephaim, the Raven Mocker with whom she shares a mysterious and powerful Imprint, but he is a dangerous secret that isolates her from her school, her red fledglings, and even her best friends. When the dark threat of Neferet—who is coming closer and closer to achieving her twisted goal of immortality—and Kalona returns, what will it take to keep the House of Night from being lost forever, and what will one desperate girl do to keep her heart from being irreparably broken?

About the Authors:

P.C. Cast is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author as well as an experienced speaker and teacher.  Her novels have been awarded the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, Prism, Daphne du Maurier, and Affaire de Coeur, as well as others.  She lives in Oklahoma.
Her daughter, Kristin Cast, has won awards for her poetry and journalism.  She also lives in Oklahoma, where she attends college in Tulsa.

Website 

FTC Information: I received this book from my wonderful local library system.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction: B, author Terri Blackstock

Another week, another perusal of the 2004-present spreadsheet I keep of books read.  Since the author thing was pretty easy last week, I thought I would do that again this week.  So who is the author?

Terri Blackstock

I started reading Terri Blackstock with her Cape Refuge series.  It's four books that focus on a small town and crimes and mysteries and on it's police chief, Chief Cade and Blair and Morgan Owens.  There are romance threads that run through the books, but what stood out to me the most was the central plot line of each book being a crime that needed to be solved.  They were great books to me and I will hunt down more of her books when I get a chance (she has several more series and most are mystery).  She is a Christian writer and though there are Christian themes in her books, they are well done and not just thrown in there for fun, they become central to the story.

The Cape Refuge Series:

 

 

1. Cape Refuge
2. Southern Storm
3. River's Edge
4. Breaker's Reef

A little bit about Terri Blackstock (from Fantastic Fiction):

Terri Blackstock is the bestselling author of the Newpointe 911 and Sun coast Chronicles suspense series and other books, including Cape Refuge, Emerald Windows, Seaside, and her novels with Beverly LaHaye.

So check her out if you haven't, if you have, tell me what your favorite series or book by Terri Blackstock is.

Also check out the other posts for this fun meme at the Mysteries in Paradise blog.

Waiting on Wednesday - January 19, 2011

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

I love Lisa Gardner and the D.D. Warren series so I can't wait until this releases March 8, 2011

Love You More by Lisa Gardner (D.D. Warren series, #5)

Release: March 8, 2011

WHO DO YOU LOVE?

One question, a split-second decision, and Brian Darby lies dead on the kitchen floor. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defense, and bears the bruises to back up her tale. For veteran detective D. D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?

AND HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO . . .

As the homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic statewide search for a missing child, D. D. Warren must partner with former lover Bobby Dodge to break through the blue wall of police brotherhood, seeking to understand the inner workings of a trooper’s mind while also unearthing family secrets. Would a trained police officer truly shoot her own husband? And would a mother harm her own child?

. . . TO SAVE HER?

For Tessa Leoni, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with nowhere to turn, no one to trust, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training, every trick at her disposal, to do what must be done. No sacrifice is too great, no action unthinkable. A mother knows who she loves. And all others will be made to pay.

Love you more . . .

So what are you waiting on this week?

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop Winner

Wow - I had 390 entrants into my giveaway for this hop - I think that is the most I have had.  Thank you all for visiting and I hope you return.  I will be involved in the Valentine's Hop soon as well as holding some more giveaways.

So the winner is . . . 

Jacinda at The Reading Housewives

Jacinda has been contacted by email.  Thanks again everyone!