Thursday, November 3, 2011
Trailer Thursday: The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Check out the trailer for the new book, The Keeper coming out January 2, 2012 from Suzanne Woods Fisher. This is the first book in her new Stoney Ridge series, and if you've read Suzanne Woods Fisher you know you want this. If you haven't read her yet, then watch the trailer and give her a try. I love her books, I just read and reviewed A Lancaster County Christmas which was excellent!
Author Interview: Joseph Monninger (Finding Somewhere)
Today I welcome Joseph Monninger, author of Finding Somewhere. Joseph is currently on tour with Teen Book Scene Tour, so check out the other tour stops to find out more about the book and the characters. Right now join me and find out more about the author.
1. What was your inspiration behind Finding Somewhere?
Well, I like animals. But I also like a straight-forward narrative. There’s nothing better than a trip for a plot device. It has a natural beginning, middle and end. Add a horse, and two young women, and you have Finding Somewhere.
2. What is a typical writer's day like for you?
I wake up early and write. I have a small shed in a meadow behind our house and I go there and write. In winter I have to make a wood stove. It’s a beautiful spot and entirely silent. I write standing up. Have for years. I try to write 1,000 words a day. I usually manage to do that. When I finish, I come into the house and have breakfast. A second cup of coffee or tea.
3. What is you least favorite thing about being an author?
The hardest thing for me is the time between books. I am casting around, trying to come up with something new, and I get impatient. I know the idea will come eventually, but sometimes it takes a while. I get grumpy. I’m better off when I am working on a manuscript.
4. What is your favorite thing about being an author?
When a scene really goes well. When you know what you’ve written is truthful and honest and has an impact. That doesn’t happen all the time, but it does now and then and it’s a great feeling.
5. Which character spoke to you the most in Finding Somewhere?
I like Hattie. I like her vulnerability, but I also kind of like the two main characters together. They form a third character in some ways. They have courage, but they are unsure. Still, they conquer their fears and do what they believe is right. I like that about them.
Finding Somewhere by Joseph MonningerTwo girls: Best friends Hattie and Delores feel that life in their small New Hampshire town is a dead end.
One horse: Old and about to be put down, Speed gets a reprieve when Hattie and Delores decide to save him.
A road trip: Determined to set Speed free, Hattie and Delores drive him west in search of rangeland. But the road takes some unexpected turns as the girls get their own taste of freedom—and as they confront the reasons they left home.
2012 Men in Uniform Reading Challenge
Another great challenge to take part in the 2012 Men in Uniform Reading Challenge. Specific details can be found at The Book Vixen, but the main gist is to read as many books as you would like featuring men in uniform (police, firefighters, paramedic, doctor, vet, army, navy, air force, marine corps, etc.).
I am going to choose the Chief level and go for 16+ books featuring Men in Uniform.
I'll list the books I read here in 2012 and link up the reviews. Have a suggestion of a book for me to read, put it in the comments. I love suggestions!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Book Reviews: The Caldwell Sisters Trilogy by Lucianne Rivers (Hold Me, Thrill Me and Entice Me)
Hold Me by Lucianne RiversPublisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publish Date: August 2011
ebook, 69 pages
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781937044169
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781937044169
My Review:
Wow, spicy and romantic. Quick yet tells the full story. Ms. Rivers does a great job introducing the sisters and telling Jane's story in Hold Me. As Jane goes off in search of the first Zachary Caldwell that could possibly be their long-dead father, this book heats up when she meets a handsome stranger in Mexico heading to Guatemala.
I liked Jane, underneath it all she's practical (despite the high heels) and when she sees something she likes, like sexy Harrison, she knows how to go for it. I also like Harrison, who is obviously hiding something living down in Guatemala, but you know he is a good guy at heart because he is so protective of Jane and takes care of her. The story speeds along and their attraction is instant, but they took a little time to act on it (even though the story is short). I felt that the attraction was believable and definitely steamy.
I enjoyed Jane and Harrison. I also enjoyed the plotline of Jane looking for Zachary and where that led. I found the novella as a whole to be a very satisfying experience and a great read. I couldn't wait to go from the finish of Hold Me right to Thrill Me to read Margo's story which was happening at about the same time.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
About the Book:
Still reeling from her mother’s death, news anchor Jane Caldwell’s life is upended further when she learns the father she lost twenty years ago is still alive. Her mother’s will unleashes a manhunt—the Caldwell sisters must find their father, or their mother’s estate will not be settled, and their questions about his disappearance will remain unanswered.
Jane’s search leads her to Guatemala to investigate a man who claims to be her father and heir to the family fortune. Needing a translator, she enlists enigmatic Harrison DeNeuve, a sexy ex-patriot with a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses in public.
As Jane struggles to reunite with her would-be father, Harrison fights to suppress his desire for Jane. He has a secret—one he’s sequestered himself in a third-world jungle hideaway to keep safe—and falling for Jane puts more than his heart at risk.
Jane finds two men in Guatemala—a father and a lover—but can she trust either of them
Hold Me can be purchased at Amazon and B&N for $0.99 for a limited time, so make sure you check it out!
Link to Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hold-
Thrill Me by Lucianne RiversPublisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publish Date: September 6, 2011
ebook, 80 pages
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781930744
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781930744
My Review:
I'll admit I'm writing this before reading Entice Me, but I'm pretty sure this book will be my favorite in the series. I thought Harrison was sexy, but I am in love with Adrian and he's 13 years my junior and I'm happily married for 14 years next week. Okay now that I got that off my chest. This was another satisfying romp. Margo heads off to the Virgin Islands in search of the second Zachary Caldwell and first she finds Adrian Prince. Margo is self-sufficient and has just made detective in the Santa Fe Police Department. She goes through men and has never really found one that she wanted to stay around for long. Until she meets Adrian.
Adrian is a local boy who has been dating a local girl for several years. He has his dream job owning his own charter service and owns his own boat. He never imagined a woman like Margo would step into his life and turn it all around.
As Margo and Adrian island hop making deliveries for his injured cousin and look for Zachary Caldwell, the romance blooms and it gets steamy. They also find themselves in hot water with one delivery. The action ratchets up Ms. Rivers will definitely hold your interest in this novella between the romance and the suspense.
Another great installment in this series. I loved this one, great combination of romance, steamy scenes and suspense, add in a couple of "awww" moments (without the cheesy factor) and this novella was a complete winner for me. Margo and Adrian make an amazing couple!
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
About the Book:
Santa Fe Police Detective Margo Caldwell needs a vacation, but the wild goose chase her mother’s death triggers isn’t quite what she had in mind. Margo and her sisters must locate their father, or the Caldwell estate will remain unsettled—and they’ll never know why their father didn’t return from the Gulf War.
Pursuing a lead, Margo heads to the Virgin Islands in search of Zach Caldwell. To navigate the waters of the Caribbean, she needs a boat and a captain. Too bad Captain Adrian Prince, with his mesmerizing muscles and wicked grin, may be gunrunner.
Adrian takes Margo on his delivery route to small islands near St. Thomas that hide more than wildlife, booze, and sexy boaters. On a remote, mangrove-ridden patch of sand, they find gun-toting Zach Caldwell. When their mission turns deadly, Margo must save Adrian’s life—and her own—even if she loses her heart in the process.
Entice Me by Lucianne RiversPublisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publish Date: October 4, 2011
ebook, 76 pages
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781937044329
Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella
ISBN: 9781937044329
My Review:
Entice Me is Allison's story and it's the least steamy of the three, though it is still plenty warm and has plenty of romance. It focuses more on the relationship building and on the search for Zach Caldwell in Afghanistan. It was a great ending to the series and I enjoyed this third installment very much. It still had great relationship building and good suspense plot as well.
I really liked both Allison and Robert. I liked Allison's innocence yet her strong will and her knowing her own heart. Robert had a little harder time coming to grips with his heart due to the age difference and the difference in life experience. But I really liked him. He cared for Ally and it really showed.
Ms. Rivers did a great job crafting this story and creating a realistic and happy ending to the series in this novella and I look forward to future works by her and hopefully longer ones. Though I must admit the novella length does lend itself to nice quick reading when you don't feel like getting bogged down in a whole book.
All -in-all The Caldwell Sisters series is well worth your time and money to read and enjoy. It has romance, heat, suspense, and happy endings, what more could you ask for?
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
About the Book:
Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order to settle the Caldwell estate.
Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s lived through it. Barely.
But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone. Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.
The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?
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