Let’s Review ~ Nearly Departed in Deadwood
by Beth on May 1st, 2012
filed under Book Review
I don’t know why I initially thought this book had zombies in it (maybe the cover?), but it doesn’t. Not a one.
Sometimes I’m frightened by the leaps my brain takes.
Zombies… crikey.
So now that we’ve determined there are NO zombies in Ann Charles’s Nearly Departed in Deadwood we can move along to the review. Hold on to your wig because this one’s a twirly dervish of effusive gush.
Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota. Fearing her daughter might be next, single mom, Violet Parker, is desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. With her savings dwindling and just three weeks left to sell her first house or lose her Realtor job, Violet is ecstatic when a handsome jeweler hires her to sell his century-old, Victorian masterpiece, until she sees the dilapidated dwelling. Now, if she could just convince her only buyer to stop rejecting vintage homes as if they’re haunted. Short on time and long on worry, she refuses to give up her dream of a fresh start in Deadwood. But with a malicious coworker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending her creepy messages, and a sexy stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, will Violet end up as one of Deadwood’s dearly departed?
This little back cover blurb doesn’t quite do the writing justice. This book is flat out funny. Janet Evanovich, Darynda Jones funny. Spit at the page, draw stares from strangers funny.
Here’s the opening line- “The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass.”
See? Funny.
I swear if it wasn’t for bad luck, our protagonist, Violet Parker, wouldn’t have any luck at all. But somehow despite the obstacles thrown in her path she manages to bob, weave, and eye-twitch her way through it all. I read all three books in the series in less than a week. Since then I’ve been telling everyone I know that they have to buys these books.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted mystery that makes you cross your legs for fear of peeing yourself then this book’s for you. If you’re looking for zombies… well, sorry. No zombies here! I give Ann Charles’s Nearly Departed in Deadwood a set of twins who do their darnedest to snap Violet’s last nerve, two sexy clients and a ghost who may or may not be real. Seriously people. Buy this book! You won’t be sorry. I promise… and I’m not even crossing my fingers behind my back. 
(Inside Violet joke)
Pop on over to my friend Barrie Summy’s blog for more amazing book reviews.
Button#ManCandyMonday ~ Latin Lovers
by Beth on April 30th, 2012
filed under Man Candy Monday
Ay, papi! This week’s Man Candy Monday theme is Latin lovers. Que caliente!
Eduardo Verástegui
Jay Hernandez
Jesus Luz
Son muy guapo, verdad? Quiere mas?
Join the ladies of Man Candy Monday every Monday night on Twitter from 6-7 PM PST.
Look for the hashtag #ManCandyMonday and bring enough candy to share!
Man Candy Monday ~ The Irish Have It
by Beth on March 19th, 2012
filed under Man Candy Monday
I was too sick on St. Paddy’s day to partake in the green beer or to even care if I was wearing green so this week’s Man Candy Monday theme cheered me right up… Irish men. *Osna* (that’s ‘sigh’ in Gaelic).
Jamie Doran
Patrick Dempsey
Ryan Reynolds
Colin Farrell
Johnathan Rhys-Meyers
What fear dóighiúil (handsome men)! Join the lovely ladies of Man Candy Monday on Twitter tonight from 6-7PM PST for more Irish hotness. Look for the hashtag #ManCandyMonday and bring enough milseán (candy) to share!
Let’s Review~Angelfall, Bonds of Earth & First Grave on the Right
by Beth on February 1st, 2012
filed under Book Review
This month’s book review is a buy one, get two free. As you may know (or not) I’ve been endeavoring to expand my reading horizons. This means reading books I normally wouldn’t and genres I normally wouldn’t. I’ve discovered some meh books, some I-wished-I-liked-this-book books and some really terrific books that blew my wig off. The three I’m reviewing this month completely knocked me over. So let’s get on with it and let me tell you about these great books.
The first book I’ll be reviewing is Angelfall by Susan Ee. I first heard about this book on Twitter by eavesdropping on a conversation between 3 published authors. One was asking the others for a recommendation on self published books. The other two overwhelmingly recommended Angelfall. That was enough of an endorsement for me!
It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.
Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.
Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.
Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.
Young Adult novels are not my favorite for many reasons the main one being that I have a teenager in the house so reading about teens ain’t so exciting. I’m also not a huge fan of paranormal books (even though I’m reviewing 2 this month) especially ones involving creatures, shape shifters, demons and what we have here– angels. But these authors recommended it so I thought what the heck I’ll check it out. I went to Ms. Ee’s website where she kindly posts the first 5 chapters of her book for free. A clickity click later I was reading this, the first lines of Angelfall-
Ironically, since the attacks, the sunsets have been glorious. Outside our condo window, the sky flames like a bruised mango in vivid orange, reds, and purples. The clouds catch on fire with sunset colors, and I’m almost scared those of us caught below will catch on fire too.
Three little sentences. Three sentences that had me clicking over and buying this book. I didn’t need to read any further, I was sold. Ms. Ee paints a post apocalyptic world that is shocking in its violence and depravity, but sprouting through the cracks in the pavement is a Penryn, a teenager trying to keep what’s left of her family safe and fed. The story is told through her viewpoint and through her eyes we learn what it’s like to survive, to defend ourselves and the desperate realization that even if you achieve your goal, it may not be the victory you expected. I give Angelfall 2 cups of noodles, an angel sword, a first aid kit and a pair of snowy white wings.
*****
My friend Alison emailed me that I might be interested in a book her friend, G.N. Chevalier, wrote called Bonds of Earth. She wasn’t sure if I’d like it, knowing that male/male romances are not my usual thing. But she’d recommended the only other male/male romance I’d read and liked (although not enough to review) so I thought what the heck. Plus she lent me the book electronically so really what did I have to lose?
In 1918, Michael McCready returned from the war with one goal: to lose himself in the pursuit of pleasure. Once a promising young medical student, Michael buried his dreams alongside the broken bodies of the men he could not save. After fleeing New York to preserve the one relationship he still values, he takes a position as a gardener on a country estate, but he soon discovers that the house hides secrets and sorrows of its own. While Michael nurses the estate’s neglected gardens, his reclusive employer dredges up reminders of the past Michael is desperate to forget.
John Seward’s body was broken by the war, along with his will to recover until a family crisis convinces him to pursue treatment. As John’s health and outlook improve under Michael’s care, animosity yields to understanding. He and John find their battle of wills turning into something stronger, but fear may keep them from finding hope and healing in each other.
1918 is an unusual time to set a romance and intrigued me from the start. I really wish publishers would publish romances set in the 20th century. I’d be all over them like chrome in a diner. Ms. Chevalier paints a vivid picture of post World War New York, slipping bits of history in so skillfully you’d swear you really were riding in a motor car for the first time. What really drew me in was her main character, Michael and how we get the story from his point of view in third person. Yes, the whole book is in one characters point of view and there’s not an ‘I’ in sight.
Michael is sweet and battered from his time in the war, he struggles to help care for his sister and her children after her husband left them to supposedly seek work in another state. He hides the secret of his homosexuality from his devote Catholic sister and despairs that if she knew his proclivity, she would reject him. His fears are not unfounded, 1918 is not a time when homosexuality was even marginally accepted. Chevalier does a terrific job of giving us a feeling for the way homosexuals were considered without beating us about the head with it. Michael doesn’t wallow in the discrimination and cruelty inflicted upon him, he understands how others feel and yet has relatively no shame in who and what he is. I loved that.
Michael meets John and it’s not love at first sight. Slowly the two of them form an uneasy alliance that builds toward attraction. I loved this too. I’ve read so many romances with tingling touches & burning looks that are so cliched that if it wasn’t for the promise of the love scenes, I wouldn’t bother to read them. Chevalier does a masterful job of building their relationship. Both men have their reasons for resisting the relationship so when they finally come together you’re like ‘Yes! Good for you. You deserve happiness and someone to share you life with.’ As for the love scenes (because I know you’re wondering), they are well placed and appropriate for the romance Chevalier builds. This story is about two people finding each other despite all of the obstacles in their path. It’s what romance should be– beautiful and complicated. I give Bonds of Earth a walking cane, a bath house, a nasty uncle and two flower beds in need of weeding. Please give this book a try. You won’t be disappointed.
*****
I’d first heard about Darynda Jones on Twitter (and seriously why aren’t you all on Twitter?). There was much talk about her books and her 2009 Golden Heart win for First Grave on the Right. After some snooping around investigating I learned that First Grave, Jones’s debut novel, was published in hardcover. That fired up my pre-published heart and I had to know what was so special about Jones’s book that her publisher debuted her in hardcover instead of mass market paperback.
A smashing, award-winning debut novel that introduces Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper
Charley sees dead people. That’s right, she sees dead people. And it’s her job to convince them to “go into the light.” But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e. murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she’s been having about an Entity who has been following her all her life…and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely.
Not much to go on, huh? How about I give you the beginning of the first chapter?
Better to see dead than be dead. —Charlotte Jean Davidson, Grim Reaper
I’d been having the same dream for the past month–the one where a dark stranger materialized out of smoke and shadows to play doctor with me. I was starting to wonder if repetitive exposure to nightly hallucinations resulting in earth-shattering climaxes could have any long-term side effects. Death via extreme pleasure was a serious concern. The prospect led to the following dilemma: Do I seek help or buy drinks all around?
This night was no exception. I was having a killer dream that featured a set of capable hands, a hot mouth and a creative employment of lederhosen when two external forces tried to lure me out of it. I did my darnedest to resist, but they were fairly persistent external forces. First, a frosty chill crept up my ankle, the icy caress jolting me out of my red-hot dream. I shivered and kicked out, unwilling to acknowledge the summons, then tucked my leg into the thick folds of my Bugs Bunny comforter.
Second, a soft but persistent melody played in the periphery of my consciousness like a familiar song I couldn’t quite place. After a moment, I realized it was the cricket-like chime of my new phone.
With a heavy sigh, I pried open my eyes just enough to focus on the numbers glowing atop my nightstand. Four thirty-four a.m. What kind of sadist called another human being at four thirty-four in the morning?
A throat cleared at the foot of my bed. I turned my attention to the dead guy standing there then lowered my lids and asked in a gravelly voice, “Can you get that?”
He hesitated. “Um, the phone?”
“Mmm.”
“Well, I’m kind of–”
“Never mind.” I reached for the phone and grimaced as a jolt of pain ripped through me, reminding me I’d been beaten senseless the night before.
Dead guy cleared his throat again.
“Hello,” I croaked.
It was my Uncle Bob. He bombarded me with words, of all things, apparently clueless to the fact that pre-dawn hours rendered me incapable of coherent thought. I concentrated super duper hard on concentrating and made out three salient phrases–busy night, two homicides, ass down here. I even managed a reply, something similar to, “What twirly nugget are you from?”
He sighed, clearly annoyed, then hung up.
‘What twirly nugget are you from?’ Hahahahaahahaha. Humor gets me every time and this book is chock full of it. Again this is a paranormal and not my usual thing, but Jones combined the paranormal with romantic suspense, sprinkling liberally with humor and viola! You get an entertaining story, a mystery to solve and steamy love scenes with an incorporeal being. What’s not to love? I give First Grave on the Right 3 dead lawyers, a bitch of a step mother and a smokin’ hot lover who may or may not be alive.
Pop on over to my friend Barrie Summy’s blog to check out more amazing book reviews.
Self Published Books We Love ~ As Chosen by Readers
by Beth on January 24th, 2012
filed under Fun Stuff
Over on Twitter yesterday there was a discussion about self publishing between myself and a few friends. We decided to start a list, completely unscientific of course, of self published books we loved. These are original works, not re-releases of previously published books. I’ll list them alphabetically by title to make it fair. I’ll also list the author with a link to their website and the genre of the book.
Please give me your suggestions in the comments section and I’ll add them to the list as they come in. They can be books of any genre or length. The only thing I ask is for authors to not recommend their own work. These books are strictly reader recommended.
Oh, this should be fun!
A Tea Party by Janet Quinn -Middle Grade Fiction
Angelfall by Susan Ee -Young Adult Paranormal
Captain Andrew’s Flying Christmas by Heather Hiestand -Steampunk Romance novella
Captain Fenna’s Dirigible Valentine by Heather Hiestand -Steampunk Romance novella
Changed by Rebecca York -Romantic Suspense
Dangerous Affairs by Gardner Brooks -Historical Romance
Dark Moon by Rebecca York -Paranormal Romantic Suspense
Demon Possession by Kierstan Fay -Fantasy Romance
Destiny United by Leia Shaw -Paranormal Romance
Emperor’s Edge by Lindsey Buroker -Steampunk Fantasy
Enchantment by Charlotte Abel -Young Adult Fantasy
Fall into Winter by Eden Baylee -Literary Erotica
Forged in Fire by Trish McCallan -Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements
Heat by R. Lee Smith -Erotic SciFi Romance
It’s in His Kiss by Catie Quinn -Contemporary Romance novella
Not Nice and Other Understatements by Annetta Ribken -Flash Fiction
Sower of Dreams by Debra Holland -Fantasy Romance
Starry Montana Sky by Debra Holland -Sweet Historical Romance
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley -Contemporary Romance
The Brenda Diaries by Margo Candela -Women’s Fiction
The Bro-Magnet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted -Contemporary Romance
The Collective by Maxwell Cynn -Mystery novella
The Devil Made Me Do It by Amelia James -Erotica
The Genesis Project by Gardner Brooks -Science Fiction
The Prodigal’s Foole by R.B. Wood -Paranormal Fantasy
The Rake and the Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc -Time Travel Romance
The Source of Magic by Cate Rowan -Fantasy Romance
Timepiece by Heather Albano -Steampunk/Time Travel with Romantic Elements
Unlocked by Courtney Milan -Historical Romance novella (2 recommendations for this one!)
Wild Montana Sky by Debra Holland -Sweet Historical Romance
.45 Caliber Jitterbug by Maxwell Cynn -Cozy Romantic Mystery
Okay your turn… what books would you add to the list?
Man Candy Monday ~ Sexy Captains
by Beth on January 23rd, 2012
filed under Man Candy Monday
Oh captain, my captain…
This week’s Man Candy Monday theme is sexy captains. Whether they’re commanding a team, an army, an industry, a country or a vessel these men lead by sexample. (Oh that was a bad pun)
Tom Brady-New England Patriot’s captain
Captain Harry Wales aka Prince Harry
Roman Abramovich- Russian billionaire
Captain America-Chris Evans
Captain James T. Kirk-William Shatner
Be sure to check out the Man Candy Blog for more authoritative candy.
Please join the ladies of Man Candy Monday every Monday night on Twitter 6PM PDT/9PM EDT.
Look for the hashtag #ManCandyMonday
And be sure to bring enough candy to share!
Man Candy Monday ~ Conveniently Placed Items
by Beth on January 16th, 2012
filed under Man Candy Monday
This post is titled Conveniently Placed Items, but I find them very inconvenient!
Be sure to check out the Man Candy Blog for more inconveniently placed items. Please join the ladies of Man Candy Monday every Monday night on Twitter 6PM PDT/9PM EDT. Look for the hashtag #ManCandyMonday
And be sure to bring enough candy to share!
Let’s Review~ Down the Darkest Road ~Guest Review
by Beth on January 4th, 2012
filed under Book Review
This month I asked my friend Riccarla Roman to review Tami Hoag’s newest release Down the Darkest Road. I hope you enjoy her review.
Once upon a time I had the perfect family. I had the perfect husband. I had the perfect children. I had the perfect life in the perfect home. And then, as in all fairy tales, evil came into our lives and destroyed us.
Four years after the unsolved disappearance of her sixteen-year-old daughter, Lauren Lawton is the only one still chasing the ghosts of her perfect Santa Barbara life. The world has given her daughter up for dead. Her husband ended his own life in the aftermath. Even Lauren’s younger daughter is desperate to find what’s left of the childhood she hasn’t been allowed to have.
Lauren knows exactly who took her oldest child, but there is not a shred of evidence against the man. Even as he stalks her family, Lauren is powerless to stop him. The Santa Barbara police are handcuffed by the very laws they are sworn to uphold. Looking for a fresh start in a town with no memories, Lauren and her younger daughter Leah move to idyllic Oak Knoll. But when Lauren’s suspect turns up in the same city, it feels to all the world that history is about to repeat itself. Leah Lawton will soon turn sixteen, and Oak Knoll has a cunning predator on the hunt.
Sheriff’s detective Tony Mendez and his team begin to close in on the suspected killer, desperate to keep the young women of their picturesque town safe. But as the investigators sift through the murky circumstances of an increasingly disturbing case, a stunning question changes everything they thought they knew.
Riccarla’s review:
This is the kind of book I like to read. Tami Hoag is a very popular, prolific author. That being said, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.
At the beginning, we are introduced to Lauren Lawton and her teenage daughter, Leah, as they move to Oak Knoll, California. It has been four years since her oldest daughter, Leslie, went missing. She had sneaked out of the house after being grounded so she could go to a softball game. She never returned. The crime was never solved. The only suspect, Roland Ballencoa, was never charged due to lack of evidence. There was a spot of blood in his van but since it’s the 90’s, forensics couldn’t test for DNA without destroying the sample. The solution has to wait for more advanced technology.
Lauren devotes herself to keeping the case open. The local police in Santa Barbara are sick of her insinuations that they were lax in their investigation. Two years after Leslie’s disappearance, Lauren’s husband Lance drives off a bridge on a dark night. It’s declared an accident but the specter of suicide hangs over the case. Moving to Oak Knoll should be a fresh start.
However, in Oak Knoll, Lauren keeps a tight grip on Leah, panicking whenever she wants to go to a friend’s house. During the day, she writes about the tragedy and drinks a lot. She ventures out to get food for dinner and runs into Roland Ballencoa at the store. She tried to follow his van but is so erratic that a police detective stops her. Before long, Detective Tony Mendez is trying to solve the case.
It’s fascinating to realize how far crime investigation techniques have come since the 90’s. When Tony tries to get information from the DMV or another jurisdiction, he has to wait for them to look it up and fax it. If they had had the equipment and personnel they have now, the crime would have been solved four years ago. Ms. Hoag does a good a job of letting the reader solve the crime right along with the detectives. The reader can also be as frustrated as they are when Lauren keeps interfering and hindering the case.
My problem with the book was Lauren herself. She did not grab my sympathy as a heroine. She annoyed me. Her life, besides writing, crying, and drinking, was the fixation on Leslie’s disappearance. She completely ignored her younger daughter. She was overprotective about where Leah went and who she was with, but when they were together in the house, they didn’t talk or relate at all. She had no idea what was going on with Leah. I know – she lost her oldest child in a horrible way – but she needed some perspective. As the mother of two children , the oldest being a special needs child, I know that the younger one feels all the attention is always on the older child. Leslie got all the attention when she was alive and she’s still getting all of it.
This is the third book of a trilogy. Two of the other female characters, Anne and Sara, had prominent roles in the previous two books. Maybe if I had read those books, I would have had a better feel for Oak Knoll and a sense of recognition when certain characters appeared. I was almost halfway through the book before I got really interested. The police investigation was well-done and the action really picked up as evidence was revealed, forcing the culprit to act. I would like to see more stories about Detectives Mendez and Tanner – they were intriguing. I think Tami Hoag/Oak Knoll fans will enjoy this book. It might be the end of the trilogy but Oak Knoll is a good place to visit again.
Thank you Riccarla!!!
Pop on over to my friend Barrie Summy’s blog to read more awesome reviews.
Disclaimer: (man I hate these) Ms. Hoag’s publisher sent me Down the Darkest Road and Riccarla volunteered to review it for me. We didn’t receive any compensation, chocolate or promises of riches for this review.
All Is Quiet, On New Years Day
by Beth on January 1st, 2012
filed under About Life
Happy New Year everyone. Let’s make it a good one.
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
by Beth on December 30th, 2011
filed under Nothing Really, Undecided
I’ve learned to embed video and now I’m crazy with it. Here’s a cute video of the song What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve by Zoey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. What are you doing for New Year’s eve?
