Theme Thursday (15)

Theme Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Between Pages.

This week's theme is ANY ACTION (go, walk, close, clap etc)

My entry comes for Dr. Feelgood by Marissa Monteilh:

He danced with everyone, including doing the cha-cha with Dr. Lois Gotta-Find-Me-a-Man Taylor. But, I snatched him away when "I Don't See Nothin' Wrong" by R. Kelly began. It was time to slow dance and she needed to back up. One song is my absolute limit for sharing. There'll be no bumpin' and grindin' with my man.

Review-Fantasy in Death

Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The game started with a murder. Now, it's Eve Dallas's move.

It is the most puzzling case Eve Dallas has ever faced: the founder of the computer gaming giant U-Play is found decapitated in his locked, private playroom. And now Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction-and the price of defeat is death...
Typical Eve Dallas thriller. I did enjoy it, however since I'm not into the fantasy games, parts of this went over my head a bit and I found it a tad too futuristic and unbelievable. I kinda liked how Eve had already figured out who the killer was but wouldn't tell us, and I was happy to know that I guessed right (although I hadn't figured out the motive.) While this won't be one of my favorites from the series, I definitely recommend it if you're an Eve Dallas fan.



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Source: Library
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year, Mystery and Suspense Challenge

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (25)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Journey.

Last week: I finished Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

This week: I'm reading Fantasy in Death by JD Robb.
My goal is to finish this and then at least 2 of the other paperbacks I got from the library before we head to the beach on Sunday (and while at the beach to read a ton of books that have been sitting patiently on Strawberry waiting to be read). Hopefully now that my two-week science course is done, I can squeeze in some more reading time.

Have a great reading week!

Series Sunday Review (3): Fools Rush In

Series Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews.

Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ever wonder how Italian sounds with a Southern drawl?
Bella Rossi's life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding-planning business, Bella quickly books a Boot-Scootin' wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she doesn't know a thing about country music. Where will she find a deejay on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his George Strait? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding?

Fun, fresh, and full of surprises, this flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex highlights the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.

This was a really cute story. Bella and her crazy Italian family kind of reminded me of Stephanie Plum and her crazy family, only without the bounty hunting, pot roast, and sexy Officer Morelli. Instead Bella has wedding planning, lasagna, and her sexy cowboy DJ.

Bella has just been placed in charge of the family's wedding planning business and she's a nervous wreck that she will screw up. She has to hire a deejay who loves country music for her first country western themed wedding and a mix up leads her right into the arms of DJ: Dwayne Neeley, Jr. As Bella and DJ grow closer, we're introduced to all the wacky hi-jinx that happen when their two families get together.

I really enjoyed the character of Bella, although she was a bit too much of a worrywart. I thought she and DJ were really cute together, however I thought their relationship moved a little too fast in the beginning and that they really didn't get to know each other a whole lot. I thought this would be solely a romance novel and focus mainly on their relationship, but it was more Christian-fiction and focused mostly on Bella's family, with her and DJ's relationship as a nice little side plot. I did enjoy the Christian element to the story and it did give me a lot to reflect on as well.

There are two more book in this series and I look forward to reading them.



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Source: freebie for the Nook from B&N, you can snag it here.
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year, Contemporary Romance Challenge, Summer Romance Reading Challenge, Show Me the Free E-Reader Challenge, 2011 E-Reader Challenge

Theme Thursday (14)

Theme Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Between Pages.

This week’s theme is SMILE (Laugh, Grin, Giggle, Guffaw, etc).

My entry comes from Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson.

Once again the song distracted me. I found myself smiling as I heard "Just like birds of a feather, a rainbow together we'll find."

Review-Summer at WIllow Lake

Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Real estate expert Olivia Bellamy reluctantly trades a trendy Manhattan summer for her family's old resort camp in the Catskills, where her primary task will be renovating the bungalow colony for her grandparents, who want one last summer together filled with fun, friends and family. A posh resort in its heyday, the camp is now in disarray and Olivia is forced to hire contractor Connor Davis—a still-smoldering flame from her own summers at camp. But as the days grow warm, not even the inviting blue waters of Willow Lake can cool the passions flaring or keep shocking secrets at bay. The nostalgic joy of summers past breathes new promise into a special place and people…a promise meant to last long after the season ends.

I downloaded this freebie awhile ago and am just now getting around to reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it! The main character, Olivia, travels back to her family's old camp resort to renovate it for her grandparent's wedding anniversary. Olivia spent many summers there as a child and teen, and while there, she met and fell in love with Conner Davis, her first love who ends up breaking her heart.

Olivia heads back to Camp Kioga with 3 failed engagements under her belt, and she's not looking for any type of romance. But who ends up being the only contractor in town who can help work on the camp renovations? Conner Davis. As they get reacquainted with each other, the chapters flashback to when they were teens at the camp, and what drew them to each other, caused them to fall in love, and what forced them apart. I generally don't like stories that use a whole lot of flashbacks (like in Sweet Valley Confidential...yuck) but I didn't mind it at all in this instance, because we got a lot more insight into Olivia and Conner.

Also, there are two sub-plots, one involving Olivia finding out a shocking revelation about her father, and the second involving Olivia's younger cousin Daisy whose parents are going through a divorce that reminds Olivia of her own parents' divorce years ago, and Julian, Conner's rebellious half-brother who is sent to spend the summer at the camp with him. Again, I generally dislike sub-plots in romance novels, because they usually involve people I don't care about, and they take away focus from the main characters. But I really enjoyed reading the back story on Olivia's father, and the budding friendship between Daisy and Julian. Apparently Susan Wiggs has a whole series of these books, focusing on the people from Camp Kioga, and I look forward to reading them all.



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Source: Freebie from B&N
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year, Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge, 2011 Summer Romance Challenge, Show Me the Free E-book Challenge, 2011 E-Book Challenge

Theme Thursday (13)

Theme Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Between Pages.

This week's theme is BODY PARTS (Hands, feet, fingers, waist etc).

My entry comes from my current read, Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs.

"My God, Mariska," her father whispered. He lowered his head to his hands, and rested his elbows heavily on his knees. He looked diminished, somehow, as though the revelation had destroyed some vital part of him.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (24)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Journey.

Last week: I finished Remember Me by Christopher Pike and Diamond Revelation by Sheila Copeland

This week: I'm reading Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

What are you reading this week?

Review-Diamond Revelation

Diamond Revelation by Sheila Copeland

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Apparently this book is the third in a series (preceded by A Chocolate Affair and Chocolate Star). I wish I had known that before reading this book, so I could've read those first and then I might've liked this one more.

The main characters in this story are Sabre, a young up-and-coming music star; Topaz, a veteran musician with the perfect family; and Nina, Topaz's cousin who is trying to revamp her recording company.

None of these three characters was likable at all. Sabre sets out to destroy Topaz's life once Topaz decides to return to the music industry. Topaz's stupidity continues to cause problems in her marriage. And Nina is too busy smoking pot to properly run the music label. In between all that is a typical baby switching/who the baby daddy drama. The ending, while sad, is very predictable.

Source: Library
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year



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Theme Thursday (12)

Theme Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Between Pages.

*A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
*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.

Tis week's theme is FACIAL PARTS (Eyes, Ears, Nose, Lips etc)

My entry comes from Diamond Revelation by Sheila Copeland:

Germain put his hands around Topaz's forehead and massaged her temples. "Sometimes I wish I could get inside your pretty little head so I could know what you're really thinking. You're not keeping anything from me, are you?"

Review-Remember Me

Remember Me by Christopher Pike

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Shari Cooper was a typical teen with boyfriend trouble and cravings for chocolate cake. Now she's a ghost trying to solve her own murder.

This has always been one of my favorite Christopher Pike books. Excellent story with interesting characters, especially the main character, Shari. Through Shari we get an in depth look at death as she sets out to prove that she did not jump off a balcony to her death at a friend's birthday party, and that she was in fact, murdered. The suspects are the other kids at the party: Jo, Shari's best friend; Dan, Shari's boyfriend who has been cheating on her; Beth, the birthday girl whom Dan is cheating with; Amanda, a shy, quiet girl who is the daughter of Shari's housekeeper and the girlfriend of her brother; and Jeff, the guy Jo has a crush on. As Shari travels in the afterlife trying to make some sense of her death, she is joined by a former classmate, Peter, who was killed in a motorcycle accident and Jeff's brother.

This story is full of twists and turns and is an enjoyable, creepy read. Shari Cooper definitely gets her one wish when the reader is finished this story: people will remember her.



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Source: Library
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year, Mystery and Suspense Challenge, Young Adult Books of the '80s and '90s, Read Me Baby One More Time

Theme Thursday (11)

Happy Fourth of July and Happy 100th post to me! Fitting that it would be on July 4th. Anyway, this Theme Thursday is late, but I couldn't find any references to the theme in the book I was reading last week, so I was just gonna skip it altogether, but I found a perfect one this morning in the book I'm reading now.

Theme Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Between Pages.

*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.

This week's theme is JULY 4th (Celebrations, Independence, Freedom, Flag, Fireworks etc)

My entry comes from Remember Me by Christopher Pike:

But I used to have more important things to think about than God. Like whether I should try to have sex with my boyfriend before I graduated from high school or whether I should wait until the Fourth of July and the fireworks. I wanted it to be a special moment. I wantd my whole life to be special. But I just hardly ever thought about God.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (23)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Journey.

Last Week: I finished reading Drop Shot by Harlan Coben.

This Week: I'm reading Remember Me by Christopher Pike.

Up Next: Diamond Revelation by Sheila Copeland

Series Sunday Review (2): Drop Shot

Series Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews.

1. Read an installment of a series.
2. Post a review/recommendation on your blog, FB, Twitter, Goodreads, or Shelfari pages.
3. Share your review/recommendation by posting the link in the comments section below.
4. Include the title, author, and name of the series so that other Series Sunday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.

My Series Sunday pick for this week is Drop Shot, the second book in the Myron Bolitar series.
Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Valerie Simpson is a young female tennis star with a troubled past who's now on the verge of a comeback and wants Myron as her agent. Myron, who's also got the hottest young male tennis star, Duane Richwood, primed to take his first grand slam tournament, couldn't be happier. That is, until Valerie is murdered in broad daylight at the U.S. Open and Myron's number one client becomes the number one suspect.

I liked the first book in the Myron Bolitar series, but I loved this one! Harlan Coben seems to be more comfortable with his characters and they all really shined in this story. I also liked the mystery better in this one, it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I was way off on who I thought the murderer was, but once I found out who actually did it, it made sense.

The humor in this book came a lot more naturally than it did in the first book. I really like Myron, he seems like a sweet, smart guy, although I wish he would start carrying a gun with him. At least he's always got his best friend Win to have his back.

I'm still a little iffy on the relationship between Myron and Jessica, although I did find them to be really sweet together in this book. I hope she doesn't hurt him again, although it seems like that's probably going to happen.

A solid five stars for this one, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series (which will be whenever it is available at my library).



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Challenges: 100 Books in a Year, Mystery and Suspense Challenge
Source: Library