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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Judas Kiss by J.T. Ellison

Sex, lies and videotape.

It was a murder made for TV: a trail of tiny bloody footprints. An innocent toddler playing beside her mother's bludgeoned body. Pretty young Corinne Wolff, seven months pregnant, brutally murdered in her own home.

Cameras and questions don't usually phase Nashville Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson, but the media frenzy surrounding the Wolff case is particularly nasty...and thorough. When the seemingly model mommy is linked to an amateur porn website with underage actresses and unwitting players, the sharks begin to circle.

The shock is magnified when an old adversary uses the sexy secret footage to implicate Taylor in a murder--an accusation that threatens her career, her reputation and her relationship.

Both cases hinge on the evidence--real or manufactured--of crimes that go beyond passion, into the realm of obsessive vengeance and shocking betrayal. Just what the networks love.

Wow, this series just keeps getting better and better!!!! The character development through the 3 books so far is fantastic and the suspense just keeps building and building throughout the book. This was definitely a book I only put down because I absolutely had to, it sucked me right in from the very first page!!!! I absolutely love Ellison's writing style, she is quickly moving up my favorite author list!!!! :) 5/5

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Fatal Slip by Melissa Glazer

When a building inspector is found drowned in a bucket of liquid clay slip, potter Carolyn Emerson's husband Bill is the prime suspect. It's up to Carolyn to clear his name and not let the real killer give her the slip.

Another enjoyable addition to this series, although I have to say it wasn't my favorite so far. I really enjoy reading about Fire at Will and the other shops on the river walk in Vermont. As well as the colorful people you will find walking the streets. I really enjoy this series, it is one of my favorite cozy series, and I hope to see it continue on!!! :) 4.5/5

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Drugs Cass. Kidnaps her. Puts her in a box-underground. He buries her alive. But Kyle makes a fatal error: Cass knows the power of words. She uses fear as her weapon to keep her nemesis talking - and to keep herself breathing during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.

This is a really quick read, but that doesn't mean it isn't a chilling and psychotic teen thriller. This book really makes you think about how what you say to someone can turn their world around. Things that you never meant for someone to hear or read............is, and their life turns upside down. Is it possible for the words of a note to push someone over the edge or is the problem deeper. A twisted and intriguing book that really makes you think.........how harmful can a few sentences really be?!?! 4.5/5

Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Flock has built a reputation for writing fiction that conveys the resiliency of the human spirit. In her novels, But Inside I’m Screaming, Me & Emma, and Everything Must Go, Flock poses tough questions about the complexities of life with characters that face difficult decisions. Now in her fourth novel, SLEEPWALKING IN DAYLIGHT, she returns with yet another strong characterization, adroitly entering the psyche of a mother and a daughter, both stuck at a crossroads in their lives and trying to cope with life’s disappointments.

Sam is a stay at home mom who seems to have it all: a beautiful home, successful husband, and three wonderful children, but beneath the surface lies a darker reality—she feels stuck at this stage in life and constantly wonders if this is all that life has to offer her. Cammy is Sam’s teenage daughter, battling depression and isolation. As Cammy spins out of control, exhibiting risky and dangerous behaviors, Sam misses her silent cries for help and in the end, SLEEPWALKING IN DAYLIGHT is the story of how a contemporary family deals with change and, ultimately, tragedy.

This is a wonderful and chilling tale of the relationship between a mother and daughter. As a parent it is sometimes so easy to become so overwhelmed with your life and the lives of your children, that things just pass you by. Sometimes it is easier to pretend you have tried to deal with a situation to make yourself feel better even though you know you haven't even scratched the surface. This book deals with all of that, and then some. Told in alternating chapters by mother and daughter as a reader you are ensconced into their lives and deepest thoughts. This is one of those books that really makes you sit back and think about how you are living your own life, dealing with your own problems and how you can try to make things better before they end up getting worse. Great writing, great reading!!! 5/5

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Mates, Dates, and Chocolate Cheats by Cathy Hopkins

"Hey listen guys. I need you to tell me something and I want you to be really really honest...." "Sounds serious," said Nesta. "It is. I want you to tell me, do you think I've put on weight?" Nesta, Lucy, and T J looked at each other. "No," said T J after a moment too long. "Not really. Well, we all did a little on the school trip. So no more than the rest of us."

Izzie has always been "curvy," but since Christmas she has gained eight pounds, and nothing seems to fit anymore. In an attempt to lose weight, Izzie tries everything: one diet after another, a punishing exercise program, and every bit of conflicting advice anyone can give her.

Her constant worrying about her weight causes her to lose her confidence, and she stops appreciating the things in her life that are special -- her supportive friends, the fact that she has been selected for a TV teen panel, and a cute boy at the TV studio who seems to like her just the way she is.

I am really enjoying this series, I think I say that every time I review a book from it!!!! ;) One of the things that really appeals to me is the fact that these girls come across as real!!!! They are so easy to relate to, and while it's a book for entertainment, I feel myself invested in the lives of these girls!!! Dealing with real life problems, and nothing over the top makes the reader feel as if the the girls could be sitting in their living room. Love, this series and as usual, I'm already looking forward to the next one!! :) 4.5/5

Monday, November 10, 2008

Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge

Montauk lawyer Tom Dunleavy's client list is woefully small - occasional real estate closings barely keep him in paper clips. When he is hired to defend a local man accused in a triple murder that has the East Hampton world in an uproar, he knows that he has found the case of his lifetime.
The crime turns the glittering playground for the super-rich into a blazing inferno. Dunleavy's client is a local hero, but Dunleavy knows the case rests atop a volcano of money, deception, and forbidden desires. His client is the perfect fall guy - unless he can find the key that unlocks the secret rooms of the gilt-shrouded set.
When Dunleavy is joined by his former flame, the savvy and well-connected attorney, Kate Costello, he believes he has a chance. But payback is a bitch - especially from the rich. The violent retaliations of billionaires threatened by his investigation exceed anything Dunleavy has ever seen. With the entire nation's eyes on him in a new Trial of the Century, Dunleavy orchestrates a series of revelations that lead to a stunning outcome - only to find afterward that the truth is wilder than anything he ever imagined.

Wow, Patterson always seems to amaze me!!!! This book had such an incredible twist at the end I still don't believe it!!!! What a great suspsense/thriller this book was!!!! Wow, let me just say that again!!! This book brings along with it lots of interesting twists and turns along the way. A truly enjoyable read, that had me picking it up at any time I had even a moment to get in a chapter. One of my favorite things about Patterson's books is the short chapters, where I can fit them in when I just have a free minute here or there!!! Again, this was an awesome book........I just loved it!!! :) 5/5

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Gone With The Witch by Annette Blair

The Cartwright triplets use their magic for good and their good looks for seduction.

When beautiful bad girl Storm Cartwright hears the sound of a baby crying every time she's near Aiden McCloud, she turns on the charm. Because she's sure it means a child is in need-and that the handsome antiques restorer is the key to finding it. And when she lures Aiden into her seductive trap and kidnaps him, something magical happens between them.

Another fantastic book by Blair!!!! The chemistry between Storm and Aiden sizzles on the page, and the emotion evoked by the *crying babies* Storm hears is incredible. One of my favorite contemporary romance writers, Blair certainly does not dissapoint in her 2nd book of the Cartwright Triplets Trilogy. I also had the honor of meeting and having my book signed by Ms. Blair this weekend, which of course made it even better for me!!!!! I am anxiously awaiting Destiny's story which is coming out early next year!!! :) 5/5

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Mates, Dates, and Great Escapes by Cathy Hopkins


"Do you think that room service will deliver chocolate?" asked Izzie, who was on her knees on the floor with her face in the minibar. "We're all out here."

"Yeah," said T. J. "Who needs boys when you can have chocolate?"

"Ah, but they come in handy when we haven't any," said Nesta. "Let's call the boys in their rooms. Maybe they haven't eaten their supplies."

A school trip to Florence seems like the perfect escape for Lucy. She wants time away from Tony, who is pressuring her to take their relationship further. In Italy she meets an American boy and thinks he might be the ideal way to get over Tony.

He seems to be the perfect gentleman, and Italy introduces Lucy to a world of culture and sophistication. Will she be able to move on from Tony? Or is it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire?


Another great addition to this series. What I really like about this series, is that it deals with real life issues and in a manner that is true to life. This book finds Lucy trying to figure out if she wants to bring her relationship with Tony to the next level. I really like getting to know these girls more and more and watching them grow and mature. I truly love this series, and this book was no exception!! :) 4.5/5


Monday, November 3, 2008

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

About three things I was absolutely positive:
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

“I’D NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO HOW I WOULD DIE– I’d had reason enough in the last few months –but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. . . . Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of something else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.”
When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.
What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . . .
Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight will have readers riveted right until the very last page is turned.
!!

I finally get all the hype behind this book, what a fantastic read!!!! You must understand that I am basically a 300 page book girl, and anything with alot more pages, like 200 more intimidates the crap out of me, which is part of the reason this series has been sitting on my tbr for AWHILE!!!!! I am so glad I finally picked it up and read it. The graphic details the Ms. Meyers portrays throughout the book paints such a vivid picture in ones head, it was like I could close my eyes and envision the scenes perfectly. She captures emotions so well, also, I could feel what the characters were feeling. Although I was a little worried that the book would not live up to the hype, it far surpassed it. A beautifully, descriptively written story of love, and how much one will put on the line just to bask in the glow of it. 5/5

Saturday, November 1, 2008

My October Reads: