Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I want to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

MT Review: Red Mist (A Scarpetta Novel) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Red Mist" the 19th book in her Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell.

Product Description

The new Kay Scarpetta novel from the world's #1 bestselling crime writer.

Determined to find out what happened to her former deputy chief, Jack Fielding, murdered six months earlier, Kay Scarpetta travels to the Georgia Prison for Women, where an inmate has information not only on Fielding, but also on a string of grisly killings. The murder of an Atlanta family years ago, a young woman on death row, and the inexplicable deaths of homeless people as far away as California seem unrelated. But Scarpetta discovers connections that compel her to conclude that what she thought ended with Fielding's death and an attempt on her own life is only the beginning of something far more destructive: a terrifying terrain of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale. And she is the only one who can stop it.

About the Author

Patricia Cornwell is one of the world's major international best-selling authors, translated into thirty-six languages across more than fifty countries. She is a founder of the Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, a founding member of the National Forensic Academy, a member of the New York OCME Forensic Sciences Training Program's Advisory Board, and a member of the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital's National Council, where she is an advocate for psychiatric research. In 2008 Cornwell won the Galaxy British Book Awards' Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year - the first American ever to win this prestigious award. Her most recent bestsellers include Scarpetta, Book of the Dead and The Front. Her earlier works include Postmortem - the only novel to win five major crime awards in a single year - and Cruel and Unusual, which won the coveted Gold Dagger award in 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American writer.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition first Printing edition (December 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399158022
ISBN-13: 978-0399158025

My Review:

Kay's former Deputy Chief Jack Fielding was murdered, shot in the head by his daughter Dawn Kincaid with Kathleen Lawler who molested Jack when he was 12 years old.  

Kathleen has requested that Kay come talk to her and it's urgent.  When Kay arrives she is given a note with a mobile phone number which she calls.  She is shocked when she finds out it's New York high profile District Attorney Jaime Berger and her niece Lucy's ex-lover.

She learns that Pete Marino is involved too and then when Kathleen is killed there is an investigation that involves everyone including her FBI profiler forensic psychologist husband Benton and her niece Lucy.  During Kay's investigation she uncovers a conspiracy that involves the local prison.

There were a lot of twists and turns that made you learn towards a certain person as the killer but were they actually the one though?

3/5

Other books in series:

1.  Postmortem
2.  Body of Evidence
3.  All That Remains
4.  Cruel and Unusual
5.  The Body Field
6.  From Potter's Field
7.  Cause of Death
8.  Unnatural Exposure
9.  Point of Origin
10. Black Notice
11. The Last Precinct
12. Blow Fly
13. Trace
14. Predator
15. Book of the Dead
16. Scarpetta
17. The Scarpetta Factor
18. Port Mortuary

Melanie Atkins Blood Rite Blog Tour with Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Melanie Atkins in a guest post here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

Melanie is currently touring to promote her newest release Blood Rite.

Thanks so much Melanie and Goddess Fish Promotion for allowing me to join your blog tour with a Giveaway and Guest Post!

Please take it away, Melanie!

Blood Rite excerpts

Excerpt 1:

The crime scene was awash in blood, its warm, coppery scent mixing with the fresh odor of rain that had fallen during the night.

New Orleans Police Department Detective Nick Marconi pulled on a pair of latex gloves and popped a square of mint gum into his mouth. Weary resignation set in as he sidestepped the overturned trash receptacle serving the far corner of the tiny park. Crime scene techs swarmed the scene, taking pictures and eyeing the rain-dimpled sand for any evidence, no matter how small, the murderer may have left behind.

Even with the icy tang of gum cleansing his palate, the stench of death made Nick’s stomach buck. He cursed himself for not getting the jar of menthol salve out of the sedan.

“Mornin’, Marconi. Got a grisly one for you.” Orleans Parish Medical Examiner, Pal Stewart, bobbed his thick gray head in greeting. “She’s cut from ear to ear and exsanguinated.”

“Well, hell. That explains all the blood.” Nick looked at Pal, who raised his eyebrows.

Then he steeled himself and looked down at the nude corpse. The woman lay on her side facing away from him, her pale hips cocked at an odd angle. Blood had crusted in her spiky blond hair, and a bright silver hoop earring stood out in stark contrast to her purplish right earlobe. The sand beneath her was stained a dull red, made pale by the rain.

“It’s a lot, but not enough.”

“What do you mean?” Nick frowned. “The ground’s saturated with it.”

Pal walked around the body. “He drained her blood here—” He turned and acknowledged a row of metal swing sets behind them. “And took it with him.”

Excerpt 2:

Gracie Simmons stepped around her desk and rechecked her appointment book for the fifth time that day. Since lunch, she’d dealt with a woman with bi-polar disorder, an obsessive-compulsive fireman, and a shy teenager trying to find herself. Next up was a burned out cop.

Not the best way to wind up the day. She rubbed her tense neck. Her nerves had been on edge ever since this morning, when she’d met with him. She closed her eyes and pictured her nurse’s neat handwriting on the crisp new folder. Thirty-nine year old white male. Presenting with non-specific complaints of depression and anxiety. The description didn’t even come close.

She was afraid he was deeply disturbed. His cool, calculated answers to her questions had scared the hell out of her.

“Dr. Simmons?” Ashley, her part-time twenty-something receptionist, stuck her head in the door. Her long brown hair gleamed in the muted light. “Would you like some coffee before your four o’clock arrives?”

“Yes, thank you.” Although it would take a hell of a lot more than a brimming mug of high-octane java to get her through her next appointment. She never should have volunteered to handle cases for the police department while their regular psychiatrist was on military leave. Her dad had been a cop. A bad cop. And her childhood had been hell because of it. She certainly had no love for law enforcement professionals, especially those with problems on the job. If Dr. Myers wasn’t a good friend, she’d call him back and tell him she’d changed her mind.

Her head pounded. She reached into her drawer for an oversized bottle of ibuprofen.

Ashley came in and set a brimming cup of cream and sugar laced coffee on her desk. “Your patient’s in the waiting room.”

“Already?” Gracie eyed the sunburst clock on the wall in surprise. She’d expected this guy to balk. “He’s ten minutes early.”

Ashley shrugged. “At least you’ll get out of here on time today.”

“True.”

“Shall I send him in?”

“Give me five minutes, okay?” Gracie picked up her coffee cup and took a small sip. “I need to do some deep breathing exercises.”

“Sure.” Ashley smiled. “Yoga’s great when you’re feeling tense.”

Gracie had to agree. She downed another mouthful of steaming coffee, set down her cup, and leaned back in her chair. If only she had time to get out her mat and do some simple stretches. Her body was as tight as a bow string.

She rested her hands in her lap, palms up, and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she drew in a long breath, careful to fill her lungs and expand her ribcage. The stretch relaxed her. She held the breath for another long moment, and then slowly released a slow, steady breath.

A sense of calm enveloped her.

She repeated the action three more times, growing more relaxed with each extended breath. Her neck grew less taut. Breath in, she told herself. Breathe out.

Her cell phone rang. She muttered an ugly word.

After two more rings, she yanked it from her purse and stared down at the display. Jerry Howard. The annoying guy she had dated for a while, and was now trying to blow off. There was no chemistry between them. No attachment, at least on her part. Why wouldn’t he take no for an answer?

A brisk knock rattled the door. Gracie blinked, and struggled to orient herself.

The knock rang out again.

“Come in,” she said, quickly putting the phone on silent and dumping it back into her purse. She sat up straight in her chair.

The door opened and Ashley appeared, followed by the most handsome man Gracie had ever seen. At least, he would be handsome if he got some sleep and maybe shaved once in a while. He was tall and rugged, with short jet-black hair and glacial blue eyes. Inky stubble rimmed his taut jaw. His gray suit fit him, but his coat looked like it had been worn for a week.

“This is your four o’clock,” Ashley said, her eyes glued to the strapping man beside her despite his dishevelment. “Detective Nick Marconi.”

She stood there as if rooted to the floor.

“Thank you, Ashley.” Gracie said, rising. Her mouth was as dry as river sand.

Ashley didn’t move.

Nick’s full lips curved in a weary, knowing smile that conveyed a world of information to Gracie. Namely, that he was arrogant, smug, and didn’t want to be in her office.


Women in New Orleans are dying; women New Orleans Police detective Nick Marconi has dated. To make matters worse, they have all been found with vials of his murdered sister’s blood in their throats. Nick is walking a tightrope between depression and rage. His superiors are worried about his mental health, so they send him to see psychiatrist Gracie Simmons.

Gracie is walking a tightrope of her own. She became a psychiatrist because she wants to help people, and in addition to private practice, she also treats police and parolees. The extra work gives her flashbacks about her father, however, a bad cop arrested when she was fifteen. Then a former flame harasses her, and her best friend turns up dead. Desperate for a distraction, she makes Nick her special project. Only … he doesn’t want to be saved.

Giveaway Rules

A reader who leaves a comment on today’s blog can win a $25 Amazon Giftcard (US and Canada eligible only). Contest will be open until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, March 18th. Please leave your email address in the comments section. Good luck and thanks so much for stopping by!

Follow My Blog Friday #90


If you are new to the FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES and Features and Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read on Fridays.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {Parajunkee.com} {Alisoncanread.com}and any one else you want to follow on the list.

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - Reading With ABC! and The Fairytale Nerd.

3. Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing.

4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

7. If your new to the Follow Friday Hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

The Friday Follow Feature are ...




Reading With ABC!

My name is Liza and I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I have been living in the US for over 15 years, since the Love of My Life joined the military. We have three wonderful boys:

A – is a teenager
B – is going to start middle school next school year
C – is going to first grade soon

Yes, my children’s names actually start with one of the first letter of the alphabet, and I will refer to them by A, B and C in my blog.

Created my blog in May of 2011 to have a place to share one of biggest passions in life (besides my family and my work) READING. I have always loved reading. Yes, I was the kind of girl that read all the time, the kind to teenager that read all summer, and the kind of adult that still finds time to read and talk about it.

Lately I have re-discovered Young Adult literature and I have been reading mostly YA and following YA blogs for over a year. Since my husband went to Iraq about two years ago I found refuge in reading and I fell in love again with YA.


The Fairytale Nerd

My name is JoAnne. I like pink. It's actually my favorite color. I absolutely love reading. I just graduated from law school (2011), and I'm supposed to be studying for the bar (key word is suppose). In truth, I don't know if I still want to be a lawyer. I really love reading. I have an e-reader. I am not sporty. Reading is my life. I can't dance. I can't sing. I co-own an internet cafe with my boyfriend. I am a freelance writer. I love reading! And the only thing I want to do for the rest of my life is read YOUNG ADULT BOOKS. When I was in law school, I did't have the time for blogging, or anything else for that matter. So, it was only 2 months ago when I tried blogging about books, and now I am completely addicted to it. As for my favorite reads, I LOVE the Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa. It's my number one favorite book!

Q: What is the best book you've read in the last month? What is the worst book you've read in the last month?

The best book I've read this last month is between "Not Wicked Enough" by Carolyn Jewel and "Celebrity in Death" by J.D. Robb.

The worst book I've read this last month is "Blood and Fire" by Shannon McKenna.

18 and Over Book Blogger #28

18 and Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines and Kelly at Secrets of a Book Lover.

The 18 Over Book Blogger Follow is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 and over crowd, and make new friends!

How to join in:

You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 and  Over adult reads should be your majority.

Make a separate post for the 18 and Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

List and answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

Visit the other blogs on the list. If you like what you see make sure to leave a comment and follow so the blog owner knows you stopped by and can return the favor. Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. It’s always nice to spread the 18 and Over Book Blog love!

Question of the Week: If you could take one book character on vacay with you who would it be and where would you go? 

I would love to go Ireland with Roarke from J.D. Robb's In-Death series.  We would check out the lovely landscape, eat some of the local food and listen to the interesting music.

ARC Review: Assassins in Love: Assassins Guild [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Assassins in Love" the 1st book in her Assassin's Guild series by Kris DeLake.

Product Description


When one killer falls for another

Agent: Misha
Profile: Highly trained in every method the assassins guild has to offer. Always goes by the book.

Agent: Rikki
Profile: Rogue assassin who kills only to rid the world of hardened criminals. Hates organizations. Always does it her way.
Love becomes a matter of life and death

Misha's mission is to get Rikki to join the guild or give up her guns. He completely underestimated the effect she would have on him...and what heat and chaos they could bring to each other ...

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402262825
ISBN-13: 978-1402262821

My Review:

Rikki is a rogue assassin who is one tough mama!  She is struggling to throw dead Elio Testrial out an airlock when Guild Assassin Misha interferes by setting off alarms pretending to be intoxicated.  He takes her to his room on B Deck with a guard escort.

They are tied together from an event from their past which Misha remembers but Rikki has blanked out.  His goal is to persuade Rikki to join the Guild and she wants nothing to do with them.  What neither one of them expected was to have a irresistible attraction to each other and then falling in love.

The romance between Rikki and Misha is certainly very steamy and graphic.  There isn't a lot of time for them to get to know each other that well but Misha follows to keep an eye on Rikki.

I really enjoyed the banter between Rikki and Misha - made me laugh out loud!

4/5

Thanks Sourcebooks for sending me this ARC to review, greatly appreciated!

K.T. Wells Nobody's Angel Blog Tour with Giveaway and Guest Post

I am so excited to have K.T. Wells here to talk about What Makes an Ideal Hero in a guest post here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

K.T. is currently touring to promote her newest release Nobody's Angel.

Thanks so much K.T. and Pump Up Your Book Promotion for allowing me to join your blog tour with a Giveaway and Guest Post!

Please take it away, K.T.!

What Makes an Ideal Hero?

Flaws.

Perfection is boring. Well, it is for me, anyway.

Heroes have to overcome inner demons, dark torment, soul-shattering loss or heartache to be interesting and compelling. Every good Romance has a hero that has needs, even if he doesn’t acknowledge them. And every good Romance has a heroine that fills those gaps or helps heal her hero into love.

Our most celebrated love stories have just such heroes. Case in point, everyone’s favorite hero, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Initially we loathe him. He’s arrogant, self-important, imperious and rude. Not much to recommend him, even if he did have £10,000 per year.

As the story progressed, we, along with Elizabeth, came to understand the basis of his flaws and over time we forgave him, especially as we got to know him better. Slowly he became the man we wanted him to be, the catalystfor his transformation? Elizabeth’s lesson in humility - didn’t we all love when she turned down that first marriage proposal? Darcy had to work to show Elizabeth he was worthy of her and by the end of the book we knew he was the hero we had hoped for the minute she set eyes on him.

The best stories start out with a hero that can’t love, refuses to love or has sworn off a committed relationship. As the layers of his pain are peeled away, we watch his attraction for the heroine morph into something deeper and even then his head refuses to admit what his heart already knows. When finally he realizes the inevitability of his emotions we’ve taken a journey with him from darkness to light.

True, not every hero travels the road of drastic extremes, but the ones that do tend to evoke the strongest reactions out of the reader. Which is why we LOVE Romance!

Author Bio:

K. T. Wells has been telling stories since before she could read. She used to narrate books for her baby brother, concocting a plotline from the pictures. Not much has changed. One of her husband’s favorite pastimes is to listen to her tales after asking her to tell the story of people they observe in restaurants, airports or the subway.

Fascinated by the human condition, K. T.’s writing captures the emotions that drive the engines of our hearts. She is captivated by the rituals of love and believes everyone is entitled to a happily ever after.

Join her in celebrating her first published novel – Nobody’s Angel.

You can visit her at http://ktwells.wordpress.com.

Giveaway Rules

A reader who leave a comment on today’s blog will win a copy of Nobody's Angel (US and Canada eligible only). Contest will be open until 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, March 29th. Please leave your email address in the comments section. Good luck and thanks so much for stopping by!

About Nobody’s Angel

Jake and Angie’s twentieth high school reunion sets the perfect stage for their lifelong friends to reunite the former sweethearts. Major roadblock – they have to trick Angie into coming home after twenty years. An elaborate ruse ensues at the same time they work on browbeating Jake into attending.

Maneuvering through emotional minefields rates a 10 for difficulty level, particularly when Angie lives the maxim: Time does not heal all wounds. And Jake? Check the Wiki pic next to Pride comes before the fall. Yep, that’s him tripping all over himself year after year.

But the firm conviction that these two were meant to be together propels a cast of quirky, determined friends into action. When tragedy derails the best laid plans, will Jake and Angie’s love rise to the occasion?

Deborah Coates Wide Open Blog Tour with Giveaway and Guest Post

I am so excited to have Deborah Coates here to talk about 10 Things About South Dakota in a guest post here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

Deborah is currently touring to promote her newest release Wide Open.

Thanks so much Deborah for allowing me to join your blog tour with a Giveaway and Guest Post!

Please take it away, Deborah!

10 Things About South Dakota

Thanks so much for letting me visit on your blog today!  I wanted to talk a bit about the setting for Wide Open since it's an important part of the story and why things happen as they do.

Wide Open is set in western South Dakota.  To give you a little grounding before you dive into the novel, here are a few things about South Dakota you might not know:

1.      Sioux Falls is the largest city.  Population:160,000.

2.      Harney Peak is the tallest mountain between the Alps and the Rockies.

3.
The geographical center of the US is 20 miles northeast of Belle Fourche, SD (that's the geographic center of the entire US, not just the contiguous states)4.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD draws up to 450,000 people every year

5. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in western South Dakota covers 3,500 square miles

6. There are 3.7 million cattle in South Dakota and 800,000 people.

7. Jewel Cave is the third-longest cave in the world with more than 120 miles of passages.

8. The Corn Palace! (http://www.cornpalace.org/)

9. The Minuteman Missile National Park. http://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

10. Wall Drug (www.walldrug.com)

Wide Open is set in western South Dakota for a couple of reasons.  One, I consider it a liminal space, a space that's in-between.  It's not quite the green rolling hills of the typical Midwestern state nor yet, the romantic old West of the more Western states.  My characters felt like they belonged in western South Dakota, in wide open spaces and in-between spaces.   At the beginning of Wide Open, Hallie doesn't really know where she belongs anymore and western South Dakota looks to her like a place both familiar and alien.

But mostly I set Wide Open in western South Dakota because I love the prairie and the big sky and the wide, wide open.

Toward the beginning of Wide Open, Deputy Davies takes Hallie to the remote location where her sister's body was found:

They headed down a shallow slope toward Seven Mile Creek itself. There were scrub trees along the creek. To the north were two groupings of big old trees seven or eight deep separated by a hundred feet or so, windbreaks for a ranch house that no longer existed.

Deputy Davies stopped the car, and Hallie climbed out while he was still turning off the engine. She thought it was warmer than it had been when they left West Prairie City, but it was hard to tell be - cause Dell and Eddie exited the car with her, like traveling with her own personal blast of arctic air. The clouds broke apart just then, the sun streaking through like the victor of some ancient battle.

“Here?” Hallie said as the deputy came around to her side of the car. “What was she doing here?”

“I don’t know,” he said. But he thought he knew, Hallie could tell. He thought she’d come out here to kill herself.

She stalked away from him. Between the road and the windbreaks was mostly prairie grass, some still green from summer, but most of it gone dry and brown. Tangled brambles tugged at Hallie’s pant leg as she walked. She could see tracks through the hip-high prairie grass, tire tracks that crossed and crisscrossed each other. Dell, the police, an ambulance maybe, but also old tracks — high school kids and hunters, couples and loners looking for someplace no one would find them, at least not for a while.

Giveaway Rules

A reader who leaves a comment on today’s blog will win a copy of Wide Open (US and Canada eligible only). The contest will be open until 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, March 29th.  Please leave your email address in the comments section. Good luck and thanks so much for stopping by!

Wide Open [Hardcover]

Product Description


When Sergeant Hallie Michaels comes back to South Dakota from Afghanistan on ten days' compassionate leave, her sister Dell's ghost is waiting at the airport to greet her.

The sheriff says that Dell's death was suicide, but Hallie doesn't believe it. Something happened or Dell's ghost wouldn't still be hanging around. Friends and family, mourning Dell's loss, think Hallie's letting her grief interfere with her judgment.

The one person who seems willing to listen is the deputy sheriff, Boyd Davies, who shows up everywhere and helps when he doesn't have to.

As Hallie asks more questions, she attracts new ghosts, women who disappeared without a trace. Soon, someone's trying to beat her up, burn down her father's ranch, and stop her investigation.

Hallie's going to need Boyd, her friends, and all the ghosts she can find to defeat an enemy who has an
unimaginable ancient power at his command.

Waiting on Wednesday

 Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection are:

Born to Darkness [Hardcover]

Product Description

As the New York Times bestselling author of the Troubleshooters series and a “superstar of romantic suspense” (USA Today), Suzanne Brockmann has an acclaimed history of taking readers’ breath away with her novels of hot passion and high adventure. Now she takes her talent for sexy, action-packed storytelling in a thrilling new direction: forward — into a future, both fantastic and frightening, that only the brilliant Brockmann could envision.

Dishonorably discharged, former Navy SEAL Shane Laughlin is down to his last ten bucks when he finally finds work as a test subject at the Obermeyer Institute, a little-known and believed-to-be-fringe scientific research facility. When he enters the OI compound, he is plunged into a strange world where seemingly mild-mannered scientists — including women half his size — can kick his highly skilled ass.

Shane soon discovers that there are certain individuals who possess the unique ability to access untapped regions of the brain with extraordinary results — including telekinesis, super strength, and reversal of the aging process. Known as “Greater-Thans,” this rare breed is recruited by OI, where they are rigorously trained using ancient techniques to cultivate their powers and wield them responsibly.

But in the depths of America’s second Great Depression, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots has grown even wider, those who are rich — and reckless — enough have a quick, seductive alternative: Destiny, a highly addictive designer drug that can make anyone a Greater-Than, with the power of eternal youth. The sinister cartel known as The Organization has begun mass-producing Destiny, and the demand is epidemic. But few realize the drug’s true danger, and fewer still know the dirty secret of Destiny’s crucial ingredient.

Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie knows the ugly truth. And as one of the Obermeyer Institute’s crack team of operatives, she’s determined to end the scourge of Destiny. But her kick-ass attitude gets knocked for a loop when she finds that one of the new test subjects is none other than Shane, the same smoldering stranger who just rocked her world in a one-night stand. Although Shane isn’t a Greater-Than like Mac, as an ex-SEAL, he’s got talents of his own. But Mac’s got powerful reasons to keep her distance from him — and reasons that are just as strong to want him close. She’s used to risking her life, but now, in the midst of the ultimate war on drugs, she must face sacrificing her heart.


Product Details
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 20, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345521277
ISBN-13: 978-0345521279

Afterglow (Lodestone) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description


Pleasure with a price.

A high-profile celebrity wedding in Monaco is the kind of A-list event security specialist Rand Maguire excels at. Everything goes like clockwork, until guests start inexplicably losing all their inhibitions . . . .

Painful secrets from the past.

Rand is no stranger to the effects of Rapture. His chemist father’s attempt at a cure for depression caused Rand’s mother’s death years ago, and put his father away for her murder. Now someone is circulating Rapture in a campaign of terror, intending to manufacture and sell it on a global scale. But with no leads, Rand feels the heat.

Passion with no limits.

Sexy Lodestone agent Dakota North is sent to help Rand kick-start his search, armed only with her uncanny sixth sense. But what they discover in their race across Europe is more far-reaching and lethal than an erotic street drug. From a Barcelona bank heist to a million-dollar arms deal in Paris, Dakota and Rand give in to an insatiable craving for each other in nights of pure carnal delight, no senses left untouched. No Rapture necessary.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (March 20, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439153833
ISBN-13: 978-1439153833

Guilty Wives [Hardcover]

Product Description

No husbands allowed

Only minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step off of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, sensually pampering hotel they have ever been to. Their lavish presidential suite overlooks Monte Carlo, and they surrender: to the sun and pool, to the sashimi and sake, to the Bruno Paillard champagne. For four days they're free to live someone else's life. As the weekend moves into pulsating discos, high-stakes casinos, and beyond, Abbie is transported to the greatest pleasure and release she has ever known.

What happened last night?

In the morning's harsh light, Abbie awakens on a yacht, surrounded by police. Something awful has happened -- something impossible, unthinkable. Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested and accused of the foulest crime imaginable. And now the vacation of a lifetime becomes the fight of a lifetime--for survival. GUILTY WIVES is the ultimate indulgence, the kind of nonstop joy-ride of excess, friendship, betrayal, and danger that only James Patterson can create.

Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (March 26, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031609756X
ISBN-13: 978-0316097567

Videogame:

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Product Description

The game takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and is set in Raccoon City, whose residents have been turned into zombies after an outbreak of the T-virus, a biological weapon developed by the Umbrella Corporation. Players will take the role of either an officer of the Umbrella Security Service (USS) or the United States Special Operations force. The two sides have a vastly different objectives: members of the USS are tasked with destroying evidence of Umbrella's illegal activities, including killing survivors of the outbreak, while the Special Operations team has to expose the actions of the company. Operation Raccoon City will allow the player to make major "what-if" decisions such as killing Leon S. Kennedy, one of the protagonists of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4.

Product Details
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
ASIN: B004UDB9SA
Media: Video Game
Release Date: March 20, 2012

Historical Review: Not Wicked Enough (Reforming the Scoundrels) [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Not Wicked Enough" the 1st book in her Reforming the Scoundrels series by Carolyn Jewel.

Product Description

When Lily Wellston heads to the Bitterward Estate to comfort her widowed friend Eugenia she certainly does not have romance in mind. In fact the playful but level-headed Lily is amused to no end when, en route, a gypsy gifts her with a beautiful medallion, claiming it will ensnare the romantic desires of a stranger.

But Fate has other plans in the form of Eugenia's ruggedly handsome brother, the Duke of Mountjoy. One day at Bitterward and Lily can't deny the sizzling attraction between her and the roguish duke. Nothing can come of it, of course. She's not looking for entanglements and he's practically engaged. But whether it's her outgoing nature and the duke's outlandish ways sparking off one another; or the mysterious gypsy medallion working "magic" -- hearts are stirring in the most unexpected and wicked ways ...

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (February 7, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425246604
ISBN-13: 978-0425246603

My Review:

It's 1816 and Lily Wellstone comes to Mountjoy to comfort her best friend Ginny whose husband just died.  On the way a Gypsy gives her a medallion and claiming it will lead her to a romance with a stranger.  She arrives late at night in the rain and meets Ginny's older brother "The Duke of Mountjoy" while inherited the title and estate.  She knows she will never love again after losing her first love and she scoffs at this prediction she will find another love though she is wildly attracted to the handsome and fascinating Duke.

The Duke of Mountjoy was a former farmer who was raised with his brother and sister and never thought he would be a Duke.  He is staying at the estate to keep his sister Ginny company but he has become comfortable with his position of keeping the lands and his tenants quite happy and satisfied but it has left him short sighted of his sister's grief and what's expected of a man in his position.

I really loved the details that was researched for the fashion of this era.  Lily was a fashion hound and must be dressed up for each occasion and it was a delight to read about the details.  It was a hoot that Mountjoy didn't really have a sense of fashion and Lily was shocked by it - especially that certain coat.  

The romance between Lily and Mountjoy was very hot and steamy from the first encounter of foreplay to the last.

I really liked Lily because she is smart, independent, confident, stylish, caring and fun-loving but proper.

I really liked Mountjoy because he didn't care how he looked and he takes his responsibilities very seriously.

Favorite quotes:

"I adore your cock.  He's lovely and awe-inspiring.

He tastes delicious, and I love the sound you make when I kiss him.

I'd rather kiss your cock, your grace."

5/5

Thanks Penguin Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Other book in series:

1.  Not Proper Enough - Sept 3, 2012