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Author Archives: Dee

About Dee

I'm one of those people that no matter how many books I have, I can't turn down a sale or a trip to the bookstore. There are no limits to what I'll read and I hope you enjoy my reviews.

Review – Naughty and Nice: Three Holiday Treats

25 Dec

naughty and nice I would be remiss if I didn’t actually review a Christmas book on Christmas – so even though it is still a couple of hours away, voila! Now time to go back to NORAD and tracking Santa 😉

Naughty and Nice: Three Holiday Treats
Authors: Ruthie Knox, Molly O’Keefe, Stefanie Sloane

Description:
ROOM AT THE INN by Ruthie Knox
Carson Vance couldn’t wait to get out of Potter Falls, but now that he’s back to spend Christmas with his ailing father, he must face all the people he left behind . . . like Julie Long, whose heart he broke once upon a time. Now the proprietor of the local inn, Julie is a successful, seductive, independent woman—everything that Carson’s looking for. But despite several steamy encounters under the mistletoe, Julie refuses to believe in happily ever after. Now Carson must prove to Julie that he’s back for good—and that he wants her in his life for all the holidays to come.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU by Molly O’Keefe
Maddy Baumgarten and Billy Wilkins are spontaneous, in love, and prepared to elope the day after Christmas—that is, if Maddy’s family doesn’t throw a wrench in their plans. After all, Maddy’s barely out of high school and Billy’s a notorious bad boy. Maddy doesn’t care about Billy’s rough past—all she cares about is living in the here and now. But after Maddy’s mother stops speaking to her in protest, and a Christmas Eve heart-to-heart with her father leaves her with butterflies, Maddy starts to get cold feet. She loves Billy, but is she taking this big step too soon?

ONE PERFECT CHRISTMAS by Stephanie Sloane
After being jilted by her fiancé, Jane Merriweather turns to her dear childhood friend, the Honorable Lucas Cavanaugh, for support—and unlocks the smoldering desire simmering in the man’s troubled heart. Frightened by his newfound feelings, Lucas flees to Scotland. But when the Christmas season brings them together again, one glance is all that’s needed to reignite his yearning. If Lucas can convince Jane that his intentions are as pure as the falling snow, they’ll turn a dreary December into a joyous Yuletide affair.

Review:
I always have a hard time writing reviews when it comes to anthologies, but an even harder job rating the book – do I rate it overall or do each story separately; should I average out the reviews for an overall (and yes, I know that I am probably overthinking this!) Anyways, I think for this instance, I am going to break them down into individual ratings and then average the ratings out.

The star of the anthology was definitely Ruthie Knox’s book – i have to say that she has become one of my favorite new authors that I discovered in 2012. Her romance set while biking across the US is a top 20 book for me. I loved the tension between Julie and Carson until they finally caved and gave into their feelings that had never really gone away. Carson’s relationship with his father was entertaining – you could see a hint of a matchmaker in him – a bit of deviousness. I have to admit when I saw the title of this story that I was expecting a trite play on the birth of Christ that seems to always happen in books set around Christmas – so I was pleasantly surprised to not have to deal with that. I’d give this story a solid 4 stars.

My least favorite of the three was Molly O’Keefe’s. I think mostly because it was the shortest and I just didn’t feel like I got a chance to know any of the characters. Maddy drove me nuts with her naivity and it was like I could easily see what was going to happen in the future (which was confirmed with the glimpse into the next book in the series that I saw). I honestly don’t know if I will be picking up any books by her in the future – probably only borrow from the library, or with a very strong recommendation from a friend. Overall, I’d only give this story 2 stars

The last book in the anthology fell right in the middle for me. I didn’t like it as much as Ruthie’s, but I am intrigued enough, that I added one of the authors other books to my ever expanding TBR list to read in the future. I liked that it was the only historical in the bunch – it was something different that was needed. The secondary characters/animals kind of made the story for me – especially the donkey – I just laughed as his antics. There were a few moments of stupidity between the main couple (and I wanted to Gibbs slap them for sure) – but they did kind of grow on me. I hope that they appear in other books by her in the future, because I want to know more.

The anthology in general was well-written, and aside from the one disappointing story, it was well worth the read. And even then it wasn’t like the disappointing story was badly written, it was (for me) just too short and lacking omph. Overall, averaging out the ratings, I would give it 3 stars, but making it 3.5 to weigh in the fact that the story I liked the most, was a chunk of the book (I think that is good justification!).

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope to see you all in the New Year!

1 Comment

Posted by Dee on December 25, 2012 in Book Review

Tags: 3.5 stars, anthology, contemporary romance, historical romance, Molly O'Keefe, romance, Ruthie Knox, sports romance, Stephanie Sloane

Audiobook Review – The Ruby Ring – Diane Haegar

23 Dec

The Ruby Ring
Author: Diane Haegar

Narrator: Elizabeth Wiley
Run Time: 13 hours and 23 minutes
Publisher: Audible, Inc.

Review copy provided by Audible.com via Audiobook Jukebox

Description:
Rome, 1520. The Eternal City is in mourning. Raphael Sanzio, beloved painter and national hero, has died suddenly at the height of his fame. His body lies in state at the splendid marble Pantheon. At the nearby convent of Sant’Apollonia, a young woman comes to the Mother Superior, seeking refuge. She is Margherita Luti, a baker’s daughter from a humble neighborhood on the Tiber, now an outcast from Roman society, persecuted by powerful enemies within the Vatican. Margherita was Raphael’s beloved and appeared as the Madonna in many of his paintings. Theirs was a love for the ages. But now that Raphael is gone, the convent is her only hope of finding an honest and peaceful life.

The Mother Superior agrees to admit Margherita to their order. But first, she must give up the ruby ring she wears on her left hand, the ring she had worn in Raphael’s scandalous nude “engagement portrait.” The ring has a storied past, and it must be returned to the Church or Margherita will be cast out into the streets. Behind the quiet walls of the convent, Margherita makes her decision . . . and remembers her life with Raphael—and the love and torment—embodied in that one precious jewel.

Review:
So prior to listening to the Ruby Ring, i knew very little about Raphael – as a man and as an artist – in fact, most of my knowledge steams from what I looked up when the original Teenage Mutant ninja turtles were on when I was a kid – because the 4 of them were all famous painters. But other than that, I was never really interested in artists or reading about them. But there was something about the description of The Ruby Ring that caught my eye. Possibly the idea that he had that forbidden but ultimately love – or that he went against what society believes to have this woman in his life.

I loved the story that developed between Margherita and Raphael – there were something pure about it. Especially the fact that she didn’t just fall into his arms – she had some mettle in her, and wasn’t going to be tricked into just sleeping with him and being ruined. A lot of the themes in this, reminded me of the similar story told in Course of Honour (Lindsey Davis) which followed the love story of Emperor Vespasian and the former slave, Caenis. I laughed with the characters in parts, and there definately wasn’t a dry eye in my car as I was driving around totally at random, trying to listen to the last 10 minutes of the book because I had to know what happened. My only disappointment was that we knew what happened to Raphael, but Margherita’s story just ends without a resolution – how long did she live? did she live out her days in the convent?

I have to admit that while listening to this, I have to wonder how the Catholic Church has remained the fixture that it has over the years. Pope Leo X (Pope from 1513 to 1521) seemed pretty much a corrupt individual, second only to Cardinal Bibbizena who was integral to the suffering between Raphael and Margherita. The book also made me think about how many celebrities etc are treated not as people, but as the stuff that they produce and that as a society we often forget that. Until something happens (they do something, something is done to them) and then that perspective completely changes, for a brief period of time. Then everything is back to normal.

Whether this story is the true story of Raphael’s love for a woman, or a fictional account we will never know – there is a lot of debate over who Margherita Luti was, and what brought about Raphael’s death. The romantic in me, wants to believe this story – that he went to his grave with the passion of love for her driving him on. And I can only hope, also as a romantic, that they were together again in death when she died.

I’m conflicted on the narration – while I think that the narrator did a good job of Margherita and Raphael’s voices, many of the other ones (Pope Leo for example) left a lot to be desired. It seemed as though she was really straining to accentuate some of them, and making them sound not suited in general. I think this book would have been a good one where a female narrator would have worked predominantly, but using a male for some key parts (similar to other duel narrations like Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series).

The quality of the audiobook was good for the most part. There were a few places where it got very quiet, so I had to turn up the volume, and then it would jump back to normal – but it wasn’t enough to be distracting. More of a minor irritation. I know that I will be looking for more books produced by Audible in the future – but whether I listen to anymore by the narrator is uncertain. 3.5 stars for the book, but only 2.5 for the narration – giving it 3 stars overall.

Review – Escape to New Zealand series #1-3 – Rosalind James (@RosalindJames5)

21 Dec

Just This Once (#1); Just Good Friends (#2); Just For Now (#3)
Author: Rosalind James
Publisher: Self-published

So originally, I had planned on writing a separate review for each of the books in the series – but then I figured that since I managed to read all 3 of them (the 4th wasn’t available at the time), in the space of about 5 days, that maybe reviewing them together would work.

I discovered Rosalind James when her name popped up as an opportunity to host a promo blitz for the release of the 4th book in the series (Just for Fun) – but I decided that I wanted to read the other three so that I could read the 4th one (since I don’t like promo’ing books that I haven’t read/don’t plan to read).

Just This Once
just-this-once Description:
Everyone needs to be rescued sometimes.

Everyone but Hannah Montgomery, that is. She just needs a vacation. Three weeks in New Zealand to sort out her life, figure out what she wants, seems just right. Oh, and to relax. She should definitely put that on the agenda. She certainly isn’t looking for a fling with a professional rugby player, no matter how attractive he is. Hannah doesn’t do casual. But maybe just this once. . .

As much as he’s shared with Hannah, Drew Callahan has kept one very big secret. And learning the truth, now that she’s back home again, has made Hannah warier than ever. Drew knows that she’s right for him. But how can he convince her to let down her guard enough to explore what they could have together?

Review:
This first book in the series started off with a kick – I have to admit that I am a sucker for the knight rescuing the damsel in distress theme – in this case, Drew was most definately a life-saving knight (even in all-black – no laughing at my bad puns please), and Hannah needed his help. I thought that Rosalind was able to do a good job with the short-fused tension between the two of them – and loved that there was a quick resolution and that the story continued to grow. The long-distance part of the story was hard for me to accept – not because it was badly written but because I couldn’t see myself in a situation like that – even though I have lots of friends who have done it (heck, my parents did it in the time before emails – egads…yes, there was such a time). I learnt quite a bit about the All Blacks while reading this – having grown up in a country that played the All Blacks on a regular basis, I loved watching them do the Haka before the games.

Just Good Friends

Description
Some bets were made to be lost.

Kate Lamonica isn’t Koti James’s type. Too small. Too dark. And heaps too much work. So it’s an easy bet that he can be her friend for six weeks without making a move on her, no matter what his mates would have said.

Kate can’t believe she’s made the bet at all. New Zealand had seemed like the perfect escape from the stalker who’d threatened first her peace of mind, and then her life. She certainly doesn’t need any more trouble. Why on earth has she agreed to spend time with a Maori rugby player who’s far too handsome and charming for his own good–and knows it?

But there’s more than one game Koti’s good at playing…

Review:
Ahhh, the playboy who falls for a woman that sees past the brash bravado. I think of the 3 books that I read in the series, Kate is my favorite female lead. There is just something ballsy about her (but don’t worry, I won’t say what). She reminds me the most of me, if I was going to try and see aspects of myself in characters (which I did in weird ways sometimes). Unfortunately, I haven’t found my Koti yet (or my Drew or Finn, for a matter of fact). But at the same time, I can’t say that Koti was my favorite guy out of the three – I think that award might have to go to Finn in #3 (see below). I just had a hard time connecting with him as a character – of all the characters in the series so far, I think he was one of the weakest ones developed. Their love story was cute however.

Just For Now
Description:
There’s no place like home . . .

For teacher Jenna McKnight, nothing spells “heartbreak” like finding her husband with somebody else–in her bed. It’s clearly time to reinvent herself. A new body, a new city, and a new job later, she’s done just that. The beautiful Auckland villa isn’t really her home, though. Finn Douglas and his kids aren’t really her family, however much she wishes they were. And playing house can be a dangerous game.

Rugby star Finn Douglas is just looking for a temporary nanny and housekeeper. Not a girlfriend, and definitely not a wife. He can’t resist Jenna’s cooking, it’s true. Who knew he’d have so much trouble resisting her? He wants to do what’s right for his kids. But waiting is so hard . . .

Review:
Ok, I am going to be extremely biased and say that Finn is probably my favorite male character so far in the series. There was just something strong about him, yet sweet at the same time. He kind of reminds me of the guy that The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) plays in the Game Plan. Large gruff exterior, but a heart of gold on the inside. I especially loved his interaction with his kids.

One thing that I didn’t touch on in the previous reviews was the reoccurring characters – I liked how Kate and Hannah both made continued appearances in the books. But even better was the one All Black (although I am completely blanking on his name ahhh!!!!) and his wife who appeared in all 3 of the books, and were like the stability couple (for lack of a better word).

But enough of my ramblings – in case you can’t tell, I enjoyed all three of books, and would rate them as 3.5-4 overall, but going to round up to 4. I can’t wait to read the 4th book now that it has been released. Oh and one more thing – I have to go squee over the covers – they are brilliant – some of the best covers I have seen on self-pub’d work – these covers are part of the reason why I made the decision to read the books – because I could tell from looking at them, that there was a level of professionalism that I don’t always see.

1 Comment

Posted by Dee on December 21, 2012 in Book Review

Tags: 4 stars, All Blacks, Escape to New Zealand series, multiple books, New Zealand, romance, Rosalind James, Rugby, sports

Audiobook Review – Hostage – Elie Wiesel

20 Dec

hostage Hostage
Author: Elie Wiesel
Translator: Catherine Temerson

Narrator: Mark Bramhall
Run Time: 6 hrs 51 minutes
Publisher: Random House Audio

Description:
It’s 1975, and Shaltiel Feigenberg—professional storyteller, writer and beloved husband—has been taken hostage: abducted from his home in Brooklyn, blindfolded and tied to a chair in a dark basement. His captors, an Arab and an Italian, don’t explain why the innocent Shaltiel has been chosen, just that his life will be bartered for the freedom of three Palestinian prisoners. As his days of waiting commence, Shaltiel resorts to what he does best, telling stories—to himself and to the men who hold his fate in their hands.

Review:
It has been years since I’d read/listened to anything by Elie Wiesel – I remember reading Night in school – but didn’t realize that it was the first book in a trilogy. I also knew that he had written other stuff, but for some reason never actually read any of it – I’m not sure why. So when a reading challenge task arose to read a book about a renaissance author (in this instance, defined as one who is know for their writing as well as something else), I decided to finally read something else by him. Hostage is his newest book and I found that I really enjoyed it.

It had the same writing style that I vaguely remember from Night, that just sucks you in. Since I was listening, I couldn’t see for sure, but the appearance was that there were no chapters to disrupt the flow of the story. Although, this lack of chapters occasionally made it hard for me to figure out where I could safely stop when I finished my commute (I even sat in the car for a few minutes waiting one day), but at the same time, it was also easy to pick the narration back up at the end of the day/the next morning.

When I read the description and saw stories – I was expecting made up stories with morals, kind of what you would expect from a storyteller – but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the “stories” were actually reflections on his life. I also thought that Elie did a good job of walking the line between preaching about the establishment of Israel as a recognized country and the plight of the Palestinians – he was even able to work real-life events into the book (the killing of the Israeli athletes at the Olympics etc).

Mark Bramhall is another new to me narrator (I seem to have been doing a good job on exploring the wonderful world of them this year) and i think that he was perfect for the voice. It was how I would imagine a guy being held hostage, in fear for his life would talk – not too powerful, but at the same time, not too timid. Since the only other 2 people to really talk in the book were the hostage takers (aka, the Italian and the Palestinian), he didn’t have to exhibit a wide range of voices. But I would definitely be interested in checking out some more of his narrations in the future.

This was a hard book for me to rate, because it was so thought-provoking about the role of nations and nation-building; but at the same time, the struggles of the individuals who aren’t always considered or remembered. But I’d give it 4 stars overall.

Review – The Meeting Point – Lucy Caldwell

19 Dec

The Meeting Point
Author: Lucy Caldwell
Challenge: ATW80 – Bahrain

Description:
When Euan and Ruth set off with their young daughter to live in Bahrain, it is meant to be an experience and adventure they will cherish. But on the night they arrive, Ruth discovers the truth behind the missionary work Euan has planned and feels her world start to crumble. Far from home, and with events spiralling towards war in nearby Iraq, she starts to question her faith – in Euan, in their marriage and in all she has held dear.

With Euan so often away, she is confined to their guarded compound with her neighbours and, in particular, Noor, a troubled teenager recently returned to Bahrain to live with her father. Confronted by temptations and doubt, each must make choices that could change all of their lives for ever. Compelling, passionate and deeply resonant, The Meeting Point is a novel about idealism and innocence, about the unexpected turns life can take and the dangers and chances that await us.

Review:
I have to admit that I was looking forward to reading this book when I picked it for my Around the World in 80 books challenge. Over the last 8 years in the military, I have had the opportunity to visit Bahrain several times (and loved every visit), so I was really looking forward to reading a book set there and seeing how much I recognized of the country. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the result. The vast majority of the book (probably about 75%) was set in the compound where Ruth and Euan were staying while in Bahrain. Now I know that recently Bahrain hasn’t been the safest place in the world to be, but prior to the “Arab Spring” as it is called, it was a great place to visit. There was so much to do and see. so the fact that there was really only one place highlighted that was visited during the book (the Tree of Life), it was like, oh well, she can google – that’s awesome…maybe I am being too harsh, but it always sucks when you are looking forward to reading something and it is disappointing. Ruth, as a character just pissed me off (sorry for the expletive), she was like a doormat to Euan – I guess she was supposed to be the submissive wife – but she wasn’t even that…she just drove me nuts.

The aspect of the religion in the book didn’t bother me that much, because I was able to see where it was heading. But it is still fustrating to see that in the 21st century, people still believe in trying to convert others to their beliefs – yes, I know – I shouldn’t be surprised, but it is still fustrating. Especially in middle eastern countries like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia (where some of the characters actions took place without every actually being there). The mystery as to what was going on with the Bahraini girl (Noor), seemed under developed and just thrown in for some conflict and to add another character for interaction purposes.

I would have a hard time recommending this book to anyone and I know that I won’t be looking at any of her stuff in the future. I am actually considering possibly looking into another book on Bahrain to replace this one because I was so disappointed.

1 Comment

Posted by Dee on December 19, 2012 in Around the World in 80 Books, Book Review

Tags: 1.5 stars, ATW80, Bahrain, Christianity, Islam, Lucy Caldwell, religion, religious conversion, Saudi Arabia

Audiobook Review – The Silent Girl – Tess Gerritsen

18 Dec

The Silent Girl
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Series: #9 in the Rizzoli and Isles series

Narrator: Tanya Eby
Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Description:
Every crime scene tells a story. Some keep you awake at night. Others haunt your dreams. The grisly display homicide cop Jane Rizzoli finds in Boston’s Chinatown will do both.

In the murky shadows of an alley lies a female’s severed hand. On the tenement rooftop above is the corpse belonging to that hand, a red-haired woman dressed all in black, her head nearly severed. Two strands of silver hair—not human—cling to her body. They are Rizzoli’s only clues, but they’re enough for her and medical examiner Maura Isles to make the startling discovery: that this violent death had a chilling prequel.

Nineteen years earlier, a horrifying murder-suicide in a Chinatown restaurant left five people dead. But one woman connected to that massacre is still alive: a mysterious martial arts master who knows a secret she dares not tell, a secret that lives and breathes in the shadows of Chinatown. A secret that may not even be human. Now she’s the target of someone, or something, deeply and relentlessly evil.

Review:
I was conflicted going into my listen of this. It is one of the few audiobooks that I have started and then got distracted before continuing (mostly because I had a bad case of BSN disease – bright shiny new). So when I went back to the Silent Girl, I wasn’t sure what my overall opinion of it was going to be. Added to that, I had read a blog post by the author (or something on her website) where she talked about complaints from readers about this being similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which I loved)…but it took me a long while to figure out the similarities – so to me it wasn’t that obvious.

This is one of the books in the series that I really struggled about how I felt – I did like the mystery and the solving of the crime – but it hasn’t had the same relationship between Jane and Maura that was so prevalent in previous books – which was part of the reason why I enjoyed the series. And it wasn’t similar to Ice Cold, the previous book in the series, where Jane and Maura were literally cross-country from each other – this time it was a matter of personalities, beliefs, job roles…I admire Maura for standing by her beliefs – she is definately no shades of grey kind of person – it is either right or wrong – this is one of the first times that I have been disappointed in Jane as a character – I guess after 8 books, I expected more of her (lol – I can’t believe I am talking like she is a real character).

The mystery was fulfilling – I had my normal jumping back and forth trying to figure out who did it and who “The Silent Girl” really was – it wasn’t who I thought that it was originally. I did figure it out maybe about 2/3’s of the way through. I’ll be interested to see if any of these characters make an appearance in later books – I was sufficiently intrigued by the character development.

I have to admit that Tanya Eby’s narration is growing on me – I wasn’t so sure if I truely enjoyed her narration – but I did like this one. I hadn’t noticed any of the issues that I had with her narration of Ice Cold (what seemed to be a slight lisp and an irksome narration for Jane’s voice). In fact, by the end of it, I was really getting into the narration and enjoying it. It was also nice to see that she is narrating the next book in the series (after the series has played musical narrators for a good portion of it)…

Overall, a good addition to the series – not my favorite one, but an improvement over Ice Cold which I just didn’t enjoy…3.5 stars overall

2 Comments

Posted by Dee on December 18, 2012 in Audiobook Review

Tags: 3.5 stars, audiobook, Brillance Audio, murder, mystery, suspense, Tanya Eby, tess gerritsen, thriller

Deja Vu Review (8) – A Classic

16 Dec

The Deja Vu Review is a weekly meme hosted by Brittany at The Book Addicts Guide. Its an opportunity to revisit old books you might have read before you launched your blog, but that you think should maybe still be highlighted.

A Classic

For as big of a reader that I have been for many years, my knowledge of the classics is sorely lacking. In part because growing up in Australia, lots of the classics that kids read in the US aren’t read – I also didn’t take the English class where they did read some of those classics. So it wasn’t until college when I optionally took a Shakespeare course for English (yes, i was that person) and moving into my 20’s and now 30’s, that I have started reading more classics. In fact, just recently, I decided to participate in the The Classics Club 5 year challenge – where the goal is to read 50 classics (you determine what makes a book a classic) in the next 5 years. I had a great time picking my books, now to actually read them 😉

But onto the Deja Vu Review question – this was actully a relatively easy pick for me. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. This was one of the first classics I read after I graduated from college and started listening to audiobooks on a regular basis and I was blown away. I loved reading/listening about Jane’s trials and tribulations and came to love her as a character. While I haven’t yet, I easily forsee myself re-reading JE in the future. As well as watching several (if not all) of the various movie adaptions that have come out over the years.

I am also excited to see what lays in the future for me with the other classics that I have chosen to read.

1 Comment

Posted by Dee on December 16, 2012 in Deja Vu Review

Tags: Charlotte Bronte, classics, Deja Vu Review, Jane Eyre, literature, The Classics Club

2013 – A Year of Giving

16 Dec

tax-charitable-donation

In November, inspired by a group of authors who were auctioning off stories in support of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, I made the pledge to donate $5 for every post I did that month to a charity. I had a great time doing it and it was a very productive month with 21 posts being written (on a variety of topics). So I am going to continue this into 2013.

Every month, I will be choosing a different charity to donate to. I will donate $5 for each post that I write (minimum $50 each month). I will be using Charity Navigator to help me decide which charities to give to (this website rates charities on their overall donation to the cause/compared with costs of running etc).

If anyone has any idea of a charity that they would like to see supported, please let me know. (While I realize that charities like St. Jude’s do a lot of life-saving research, I already donate to them on a monthly basis, and so will not use them for this goal).

If anyone wants to join in – feel free – if I get some interest, I’ll put up a Mr. Linky tool in the overall tracker.

4 Comments

Posted by Dee on December 16, 2012 in Charity Challenge

Review – I’m the Vampire, That’s Why – Michele Bardsley (@michelebardsley)

09 Dec

i'm the vampire I’m the Vampire, That’s Why
Author: Michele Bardsley
Series: #1 in the Broken Heart Vampires series

Ebook provided by the author

Book Description:
Broken Heart is the city with the highest rate of divorce and highest percentage of single parents in Oklahoma. And I, Jessica Matthews, have been a member of that club ever since my husband dumped me for his twentysomething secretary and then had the gall to die in a car accident.

Now I’m not just a single mother trying to make ends meet in this crazy world….I’m also a vampire. One minute I was taking out the garbage; the next I awoke sucking on the thigh of superhot vampire Patrick O’Halloran, who’d generously offered his femoral artery to save me.

But though my stretch marks have disappeared and my vision has improved, I can’t rest until the thing that did this to me is caught. My kids’ future is at stake…figuratively and literally. As is my sex life. Although I wouldn’t mind finding myself attached to Patrick’s juicy thigh again, I learned that once a vampire does the dirty deed, it hitches her to the object of her affection for at least one hundred years. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of commitment….

Review:
So, funny story how I came to get an ebook copy of this. I had seen it reviewed on Goodreads by a friend of mine and was intrigued, so I went looking. I saw that Amazon had later books in the series as ebooks, but me with my OCD likes to read all books in a series in the same format. So I emailed the author to ask her. she was super-nice, but told me that her publisher hadn’t negotiated ebook rights – however, she had a PDF of the book for her followers and would happily send it to me – I jumped on the opportunity. That was two years ago…somehow, the file got lost in the magical world that is my gmail account…and then a couple of weeks ago, I was searching for another email and came across the file – and decided what the heck and read it (plus it fit into like 3 reading challenges that I was doing).

I think there were several times where I about pee’d my pants, I was laughing so hard at Jessica’s (mis)adventures of becoming a vampire. The idea of blood being able to be flavored as chocolate was funny – I wonder if beer or coffee would work equally as well, if you like those? Guess it goes to prove that because of the amount of chocolate I eat, my blood probably would taste like it.

The conflict between the Vampires and the bad guys were interesting – but a bit more history would have been nice. I got to the end of that and was like, oh, i’m done…then realized I was only at the 60% point, so I knew that there was much more that was going to happen. But towards the end it started to get silly – it was like sequence after sequence of something bad happening…you would finish one part, think all was good, and then something else would happen. And the whole book took place over like a 2 week period (I think)…but that being said, I am intrigued enough that I am going to check out the second book, but I will likely get from the library, rather than buying. 3 stars overall.

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Review – Naughty and Nice: Three Holiday Treats

Audiobook Review – The Ruby Ring – Diane Haegar

Review – Escape to New Zealand series #1-3 – Rosalind James (@RosalindJames5)

Audiobook Review – Hostage – Elie Wiesel

Review – The Meeting Point – Lucy Caldwell

Audiobook Review – The Silent Girl – Tess Gerritsen

Deja Vu Review (8) – A Classic

2013 – A Year of Giving

Review – I’m the Vampire, That’s Why – Michele Bardsley (@michelebardsley)

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NetGalley Challenge 2015

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