RS Review: Beautiful Sacrifice LP: A Novel [Large Print] (Paperback)

I've finished "Beautiful Sacrifice" by Elizabeth Lowell.

According to Maya legend, December 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world as we know it. Is it myth   or will their prediction become reality?

Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Maya artifacts, splitting her time between digs in South America and the classroom teaching college students. But the professor's structured, academic life is about to spin out of control. Some extremely valuable and important Maya artifacts have gone missing. Are the culprits fanatics determined to create chaos and usher in annihilation?

Helping out a friend, former immigration and customs enforcement officer Hunter Johnston is determined to recover the missing pieces and he needs Lina's help. A man used to calling the shots and working alone, he isn't comfortable letting anyone get close, especially a beautiful and brainy woman like Lina. His gift for reading people tells him there's a lot going on below that professional exterior, and he's more than a little curious to probe her depths.

About the Author

Elizabeth Lowell's acclaimed suspense novels include the New York Times bestsellers Death Echo, Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Always Time to Die, The Color of Death, Die in Plain Sight, Running Scared, and Moving Target, as well as the four books featuring the Donovan family: Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove, and Midnight in Ruby Bayou. Lowell has more than thirty million books in print. She lives in Nevada with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.

Product Details
Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: HarperLuxe; Lgr edition (May 22, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062128302
ISBN-13: 978-0062128300

My Review:

Lina Taylor is an Archaeologist and college professor who has dedicated her life to studying ancient Mayan artifacts at South American digs.

Hunter Johnston is a former immigration and customs enforcement officer who helps his friend being accused of stealing some priceless and rare artifacts.  During a recent arrest some rare and priceless artifacts went missing that would guarantee it's owner a wealthy lifestyle and an importance in the social world.   If he can't locate the artifacts he will be fired but there is a complication he is married and his wife Ali is pregnant and they have five kids already.  Hunter enlists Lina's help in recovering the artifacts.

We learn these artifacts are used in a blood sacrifice ritual which revolves around the Mayan calendar prophecy.  As they investigate further blood sacrifices are being conducted and Lina becomes a target of a man named El Maya.  He will make sure nothing will stop him from bringing her to him.

This was a great action romantic suspense mystery with graphic violence and sexuality.  The author did a great job of researching the Mayan culture and it had a lot of edge of your seat suspense.

4/5

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I want to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Wednesday Wish List

Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.


Books I'm Waiting For:

Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 3) [Hardcover]

Product Description

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover — for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves …

Darkness Hunts: A Dark Angels Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur returns to the enthralling Guardian World — and a twilight realm of danger and desire …

Risa Jones, half-Aedh/half-werewolf, can enter the realm between life and death. She can speak to the dying and the dead, and she can see the reapers, collectors of souls. What she can not yet see is the identity of a stranger murdering women and draining their blood. Now Risa must summon her gifts to find him, even if it means putting her own life in danger. But Risa needn’t look far. The killer knows who she is.

He tells her his victims are infected by darkness and he’s fated to destroy them. Fascinated by Risa, he engages her in a sinister game: the chance to save the life of his next victim by deciphering his series of clues. In a race against time, she enlists the help of the reaper Azriel.

But as an attraction between them grows, so does the fear that the stranger’s motives are only part of a larger, more dangerous stratagem — one that that has lured Risa and Azriel into the dark. 

Spellfire: A Novel of the Nightkeepers [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Imprisoned and tortured by the demoness who tricked him into betraying the Nightkeepers and the woman he loves, Rabbit must endure excruciating pain to protect the diminished Skywatch army as the end-time approaches. Although an ancient prophecy says his unique powers are key to winning the final battle in the doomsday war, he hasn’t just lost his credibility — he’s lost his magic.

Myrinne is far from the woman Rabbit once knew — she’s got magic now, and despite emotional scars, she’s strong enough to help the Nightkeepers. And yet she’s not prepared to handle the fiercely driven man he’s become or the new, dangerous feelings that spark between them.

With the barrier ready to fall and a xombi outbreak in the human world, Rabbit and Myrinne must forge a new partnership amid dangerous instability and the threat of an undead army. In the end, it will be up to Rabbit to master his ferocious magic — or all will be lost. For him, for the woman he doesn’t have the right to love anymore, and for the fate of the world … 

Dire Wants: A Novel of the Eternal Wolf Clan [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

The full moon is their mistress. They are predators of pleasure and pain. Feared by humans, envied by werewolves, the Dire wolves are immortal shifters, obeying no laws but their own bestial natures. Once they were many, but now only eight remain, a dangerous wolfpack forever on the hunt …

The supernatural world is rising up against the human one. The weretrappers want to control the humans, and only the immortal Dire wolves stand in the way of total destruction. Stray, a Dire, and his long-lost brother, Killian, emerge as the leaders of their pack. To keep themselves and the humans safe, the Dires must find a witch as powerful as the one who has been helping the weretrappers.

They find what they are looking for in Kate, a human who survived a horrible car accident that left her back scarred with a handprint no one else is able to see. Stray senses in Kate the powers of a witch and recruits her to help the Dires — all the while knowing that she is so powerful that they will need to kill her once she helps defeat the weretrappers.

Stray doesn’t expect the powerful connection that he feels with Kate, or his irresistible need to protect her. They cannot hide their feelings for each other, and what once was taboo now seems inevitable ...

The Perfect Hope: Book Three of the Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy (The Inn Trilogy) [Paperback]

Product Description

A new novel of starting over and star-crossed love.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts introduces you to the Montgomery brothers — Beckett, Ryder, and Owen — as they bring an intimate bed-and-breakfast to life in their hometown.

Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out — with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He’s surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except apparently Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro…

As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate the joys of small-town living. She’s where she wants to be — except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them … a spark that ignited with a New Year’s Eve kiss.

While the Inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope’s experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome — and embarrassing — appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder’s emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him…

A Magical Christmas [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham, a wondrous Christmas story to be reread and cherished anew each year …

Jon and Julie Radcliff are facing the last Christmas of a marriage in trouble. The love they once shared has been tattered by time and torn apart by divergent goals. Their teenagers, Christie and Jordan, are rebellious, and their youngest child, six-year-old Ashley, is showing the hurt and confusion of her family’s turmoil.

Yet somehow the Christmas season must be gotten through, even if their holiday spirit is only pretend. The perfect place for this is the Oak River Plantation, where the Radcliffs are promised a traditional Christmas. So imagine their surprise when they are met by the quaint couple in charge, Jesse and Clarissa Wainscott, dressed in costumes dating from before the Civil War. Have they somehow entered a place that spans the gulf between past and present?

Before Jon and Julie and their children can uncover the secrets surrounding their mysterious but marvelous hosts, they become aware of some profound truths about themselves. They discover that love lost can be found, making the bond of marriage and family strong enough to survive — even triumph.

Stake and Eggs (A Cackleberry Club Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Laura Childs presents the best way to start your day — with a hearty breakfast and a side of hard-boiled murder.

Suzanne, Toni, and Petra found a second life after losing their husbands — opening their own successful business, the Cackleberry Club cafè. But the three women never expected sleuthing to be the special of the day …

A KILLER HAS THE TOWN WALKING ON EGG SHELLS

When a snowmobile crashes into the woods behind the Cackleberry Club cafè, Suzanne finds her town’s most-hated banker beheaded by a wire staked in the snow. Now some of her best customers are prime suspects with a bushel of motives, and the murder investigation is snowballing. An elusive young runaway may be the Cackleberry Club’s only way to crack the case … provided Suzanne can keep her head long enough to track down the cold-blooded killer.

Double Time: Sinners On Tour (The Sinners on Tour) [Paperback]

Product Description

He Craves Her Music and Passion

On the rebound from the tumult of his bisexual lifestyle, notoriously sexy rock guitarist Trey Mills falls for sizzling new female guitar sensation Reagan Elliot and is swept into the hot, heady romance he never dreamed possible.

She Can't Get Enough of His Body

Ecstatic to be on tour learning the ropes with Trey's band, The Sinners, Reagan finds she craves Trey as much as she craves being in the spotlight.

They Both Need More ...

When Reagan's ex, Ethan Connor, enters the scene, Trey's secret desires come back to haunt him, and pleasure and passion are taken to a whole new level of dangerous desire.


Manga:

Vampire Knight, Vol. 15 [Paperback]

Product Description

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

With Kaname missing, Yuki must now step in as acting head of her clan to maintain the fragile peace between the human and vampire societies. Will she be able to regain the trust of the vampire aristocrats, much less Aido?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for T+ audiences.

Ai Ore!, Vol. 7: Love Me! [Paperback]

Product Description

Mizuki is the female "prince" of her all-girls school and the lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Akira is the male "princess" of his all-boys school and wants to join her band. Love may be on his mind, but romance is difficult when everyone keeps mistaking Mizuki for a boy and Akira for a girl!

Akira’s agency cares more about creating idols than music, and Mizuki is reluctant to agree to their terms for Blaue Rosen debuting with a major record label. Akira then decides to go solo, but is he ready to live the life of a female idol?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style).

Strobe Edge, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen audiences.

New Releases 2012 (Oct 30)

 

New Releases

Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever Series) [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

#1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning picks up where Shadowfever leaves off with Iced, the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy set in the world of the blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC — After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules — and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks — and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin — before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Beneath a Darkening Moon (Ripple Creek) [Mass Market Paperback]

Keri Arthur, the New York Times bestselling author of the Riley Jenson Guardian series, returns to the Ripple Creek werewolf reservation of Beneath a Rising Moon — where the past has come back with a vengeance to haunt a beautiful ranger.

Savannah Grant still harbors deep secrets and carries emotional scars from a love affair gone bad many years ago. She has tried to bury her heartbreak in her job as chief ranger of the Ripple Creek werewolf reservation. But now someone is murdering humans on her turf, and the pattern matches a series of deaths she witnessed a decade ago: the same year that she met — and lost — the love of her life.

The murderer seems to have risen from the grave. Then Savannah’s old love appears. Cade Jones is an Interspecies Investigation Squad officer, determined to catch the killer he let slip through his grasp once before — in part because of a bewitching young werewolf. Now, as moon heat reignites their desire for each other, Savannah and Cade are forced to come to terms with long-buried secrets — not only to stop a monster from killing again . . . but to give their promise to the moon one more chance.

Forbidden [Mass Market Paperback]

Sensual new spin-off series in which the Bodywalkers, an ancient race of the night, battles the evil forces who prey on them.

The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper.

When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

Stalked (Lucy Kincaid Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Stalked

Allison BrennanLucy Kincaid returns — as a killer’s obsession.

IN THE GAME OF CRIME

A new trainee at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Lucy Kincaid has already seen more than her share of murder and mayhem. Still reeling from the sex-crime case that sealed her reputation, she’s found a true friend and mentor in Agent Tony Presidio. No matter what goes down at the Bureau, Tony’s got her back — until he’s called to New York to help investigate the murder of a reporter with ties to Lucy.

NEVER PLAY THE VICTIM

But the reporter may not be the first victim of a patient killer with a penchant for revenge, and she’s definitely not the last. Connections between closed cases, a missing person, and Tony himself lead Lucy to fear for those she cares for most. When the FBI is rocked by the death of one of their own, Lucy seeks the help of her boyfriend, private investigator Sean Rogan, to help put together the puzzle — and puts her career in jeopardy. But the harder she pushes for answers, the clearer the truth becomes: There’s a killer inside Quantico. Watching her every move. Waiting to kill again …

Scorched [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Kelsey Quinn set out to trace a murder victim. Now she may become one.

The dead don’t speak, but Kelsey knows their secrets. As a forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center crime lab, Kelsey makes it her mission to identify bodies using no more than shards of bone, and her find at a remote Philippines dig hints at a sinister story. When Kelsey’s search for answers puts her at the scene of her exfiancé’s murder, only one man can help her. The same man who broke her heart just months before, and who is also a prime suspect. Faced with an ultimatum — Kelsey or his job — Gage Brewer did the only thing a Navy SEAL could . . . but that doesn’t mean he stopped wanting Kelsey. Now Kelsey is running for her life and Gage is her last line of defense. As the threats escalate, Kelsey realizes this conspiracy goes deeper and higher than they could have guessed. With the clock ticking down on a madman’s plot, the slightest misstep will have unthinkable consequences . . . .

Stolen: A Novel of Romantic Suspense [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

This thrilling and super sexy novel from bestselling romantic suspense author Shiloh Walker will appeal to fans of Allison Brennan and Linda Howard.

Shay Morgan has stayed hidden for a long time. Living a reclusive life in Earth’s End, Alaska, she’s as far away as she can get from the trauma of her childhood and the man who hurt her long ago. But terror takes over Shay’s life yet again when an unknown stalker steals away the fragile peace she’s built for herself — targeting not only her but the one man who’s ever managed to get past the walls she’s built around herself.

Elliot Winter has lived through being falsely accused before — it ruined his military career. Now it’s happening all over again. And this time, his accuser is a twisted impostor who’s targeting his ex-girlfriend, Shay. Despite a fierce mutual attraction, Shay and Elliot broke up because Shay couldn’t let her guard down, couldn’t let Elliot in. But now they both need to trust each other to confront a psycho who seems to know all their secrets.

The Trustworthy Redhead (Sedikhan) [Mass Market Paperback]

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen gives readers a sensational story of man who has everything . . . except the trust of the woman he adores.

Billionaire Alex Ben Raschid can’t remember the last time he heard the word “no.” As Houston’s economic powerhouse and heir to a vast, oil-rich Middle Eastern sheikdom, Alex is used to getting what he wants. And when he lays eyes on Sabrina, the sensuous redhead hired to belly dance for his party, he wants her . . . and immediately sets out to possess her — heart and soul. But it is clear that his virile and arrogant manner will never win him Sabrina’s heart. Could Alex ever be humble enough to sway her?

From an early age, Sabrina Courtney has had to fend for herself. And ever since the man who has always been like a brother to her suffered a medical tragedy, she’s been caring for him, too. Paying the bills with her NoveltyGram job, keeping them both afloat — that’s what matters to the trustworthy redhead. So when Alex begins to ferociously pursue her, Sabrina is unimpressed. She’s certain that the mansion, the Italian sports car, and the smoldering eyes get him everything he wants and more from other women, but Sabrina is not like other women. She cannot even imagine falling for the billionaire — until she does.

Barefoot in the Rain (Barefoot Bay) [Mass Market Paperback]

A Barefoot Bay Novel

They say you can never go home again . . .

When "Life Coach to the Stars" Jocelyn Bloom is embroiled in scandal, the only place she can hide is the one place she wishes she could forget. She left Barefoot Bay-and the boy next door who knew all her secrets-years ago. Now nothing about the tiny island off the coast of Florida is quite how she remembers it, especially Will Palmer. He's even more gorgeous and tempting . . . and still capable of turning her world inside out.

But what if someone is waiting for you?

To Will Palmer, Guy Bloom is more than the elderly, senile neighbor he looks after-he's the last connection to Jocelyn, the woman Will loved and lost. But the reunion with Jocelyn doesn't go smoothly. Shocked by the change in her father's personality, Jocelyn struggles to reconcile her dark childhood with the sweet, confused man who has grown close to Will. Jocelyn has guided countless clients to happiness-but can she escape the rainy days of her past for a new sunny future with Will?


Manga:

Durarara!!, Vol. 4 [Paperback]

Dollars, rise up!!

When Yagiri Pharmaceuticals crosses the line, the true leader of the Dollars steps forward to take command of the vast network of members at his disposal...Though this unobtrusive boy holds a disturbing degree of power in the palm of his hand, Celty is preoccupied by the powers that still control her head...At the end of the day, will her twenty-year search all be for naught? Or has she found something even more precious along the way?

Yaoi

Awkward Silence, Vol. 2 (Yaoi Manga) [Paperback]

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for mature audiences.

Satoru Tono is too shy to speak to classmate Keigo Tamiya. Instead he fills his sketchbook with drawings of the boy he likes. But perhaps Keigo has noticed him too ...?

Yaoi Review: Punch Up!, Vol. 2 (Yaoi Manga) [Paperback]

I've finished "Punch Up! Vol. 2" by Shiuko Kano.

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for mature audiences.

Architect Maki Motoharu is thoroughly enjoying life with his new roommate, ironworker Ohki Kouta.

Although he’s young, Kouta is responsible and sees to the chores Motoharu tends to forget. Their nightlife together is full of new, wonderful discoveries, too! Things seems perfect for the new couple until Kouta's old crush shows up and Motoharu finds himself grappling with feelings of jealousy for the first time in his life.

Includes bonus comic strips, along with the side story "Honeymoon."

About the Author

Shiuko Kano is the creator of over 30 manga. Her English-language releases include: Affair, I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone, Kiss All The Boys, Maybe I'm Your Steppin' Stone, Play Boy Blues, Tough Love Baby, and Yakuza In Love. A native of Osaka Prefecture, she was born on March 4th with an O blood type, and is the sister of mangaka Kazuna Uchida. You can find out more about Shiuko Kano at her website, http://www.studioe-kennel.com.


Product Details
Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: SuBLime (October 9, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421543508
ISBN-13: 978-1421543505
My Review:

I found Maki's quirky obsession with q-tips hilarious especially his fantasies of where he wants to use it on Kouta (I was laughing so hard).
 
The love scenes are beautifully graphical and rendered hot and explicit and boy are there plenty of them (7 to be exact).  You can tell and feel how much Maki and Kouta love each other during these scenes (and I think they are funny I don't know why but I just find them funny)!  Both finally admit they love each other and those scenes were very tender and loving.

Then Kouta's first love arrives back on the scene when they bump into each other on the subway.  Maki becomes jealous and hurt when Kouta isn't quite truthful about the encounter.  Kouta realizes he hurt Maki and is determined not to do that again.

We also get a bittersweet flashback on the sidestory Honeymoon when Kouta first met his first love and how they became involved and their breakup.

5/5

Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this yaoi manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Yaoi manga in series:

1.  Punch Up Vol. 1
2.  Punch Up Vol. 2
3.  Punch Up Vol. 3 - January 8, 2013
4.  Punch Up Vol. 4 - April 9, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Oct 29)

What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Blue Skies - Robyn Carr
2.  Primal Possession - Katie Reus
3.  Trucker Ghost Stories - Anne Wilder
4.  The Other Woman - Hank Phillipi Ryan
5.  Samurai Game - Christine Feehan
6.  Beautiful Sacrifice - Elizabeth Lowell
7.  Loveless Vol. 9 - Yun Kouga
8.  Punch Up! Vol. 2 - Shiuko Kano

I’m currently reading:

1.  Angel's Landing - Rochelle Ayers

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  Double Time - Olivia Cunnings
2.  Kissed by the Rain - Roxanne St. Clair
3.  Last Wool and Testament - Molly MacRae
4.  Untamed - Sara Humphreys
5.  A Wedding in Apple Grove - C.H. Admirand
6.  Durarara Vol. 4 - Ryohgo Narita
7.  Tale of the Waning Moon Vol. 1 - Hyouta Fujiyama

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-162 

MT Review: The Other Woman [Hardcover]

I've finished "The Other Woman" by Hank Phillippe Ryan.

Product Description

Jane Ryland was a rising star in television news … until she refused to reveal a source and lost everything. Now a disgraced newspaper reporter, Jane isn’t content to work on her assigned puff pieces, and finds herself tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election.

Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer. Twice, bodies of unidentified women have been found by a bridge, and Jake is plagued by a media swarm beginning to buzz about a “bridge killer” hunting the young women of Boston.

As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected … and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.

Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder — it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

About the Author

A former US Senate staffer and political campaign aide, HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, and has won twenty-seven Emmys and ten Edward R. Murrow awards. A bestselling author of four mystery novels, Ryan has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.


Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (September 4, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765332574
ISBN-13: 978-0765332578
My Review:

Jane Ryland loses her TV newspaper reporter job when she refuses to give up her source.  Her friend Detective Jake Brogan recommends her name at a Boston newspaper.  It is far away from her old job but it gives her a pay cheque.

Her first job assignment is to find and interview Moira Lassiter wife of the former Governor who is now a candidate for Senate.  She is given the run around from Lassister's lackey's who would either not or can't tell her where Moira is which makes her think a scandal is involved.

Jake Brogan is the lead detective on a case where attractive young women's bodies are found near or under major bridges by water located in Boston.  Not one of the bodies have identification on them and Jake and his partner are determined to find out their identity, who killed them and why.  Several newspaper articles are covering the killings done by a serial killer they are calling the Bridge Killer.

As both Jane and Jake investigate further they find out both their cases overlap.  To make matter worse Jane realizes her interest in Jake turns romantic which would result in her unhappiness and disaster to her already broken life.

This book had lots of twists and turns with would result in your thinking a certain person was involved, etc and it was very intense.

4/5

Thanks Tor Forge books for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Shonen-Ai Review: Loveless, Vol. 9 [Paperback]

I've finished "Loveless Vol. 9" by Yun Kouga.

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for T audiences.

When his beloved older brother is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to search for answers. His only lead is Soubi, a mysterious, handsome college student who offers him an intimate link to his brother’s other life: a dark and vibrant world of spell battles and secret names. Will Ritsuka’s relationship with Soubi ultimately lead to the truth or further down the rabbit hole than he imagined possible?

Seimei is very much alive and has torn through the Seven Voices Academy like a whirlwind. As Septimal Moon struggles to right itself and keep its secrets from spilling out, a new enemy takes center stage: the unit named “Bloodless” wages a crippling psychological war, ending battles without spilling a single drop of blood. Yet Ritsuka and Soubi must emerge victorious against them — or lose Kio.

About the Author

Yun Kouga began her career as a doujinshi author and debuted in 1986 with the original manga Metal Heart, serialized in Comic VAL. She is the creator of the popular series Loveless and Earthian, along with many manga and anime projects, including character design for Gundam 00. Her works Crown of Love and Gestalt are also published by Viz.

Product Details
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (September 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421543249
ISBN-13: 978-1421543246

My Review:

I highly recommend reading the first 8 volumes or else you will get confused who is who and what is going on like me.  

It's been 4 years since Loveless has been published since Tokyopop is no longer in production.  It is now published by Viz Media and the artwork is beautiful with some interesting characters.

4/5

Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga in series:

1.   Loveless Vol. 1
2.   Loveless Vol. 2
3.   Loveless Vol. 3
4.   Loveless Vol. 4
5.   Loveless Vol. 5
6.   Loveless Vol. 6
7.   Loveless Vol. 7
8.   Loveless Vol. 8
9.   Loveless Vol. 9
10. Loveless Vol. 10 - January 8, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #15

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  This meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Guidelines: 

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

Here's what I got this week:

For Review:

Barefoot in the Rain (Barefoot Bay) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

A Barefoot Bay Novel

They say you can never go home again . . .

When "Life Coach to the Stars" Jocelyn Bloom is embroiled in scandal, the only place she can hide is the one place she wishes she could forget. She left Barefoot Bay-and the boy next door who knew all her secrets - years ago. Now nothing about the tiny island off the coast of Florida is quite how she remembers it, especially Will Palmer. He's even more gorgeous and tempting . . . and still capable of turning her world inside out.

But what if someone is waiting for you?

To Will Palmer, Guy Bloom is more than the elderly, senile neighbor he looks after-he's the last connection to Jocelyn, the woman Will loved and lost. But the reunion with Jocelyn doesn't go smoothly. Shocked by the change in her father's personality, Jocelyn struggles to reconcile her dark childhood with the sweet, confused man who has grown close to Will. Jocelyn has guided countless clients to happiness-but can she escape the rainy days of her past for a new sunny future with Will?

Angels Landing (A Cavanaugh Island Novel) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Sometimes love can take you by surprise.

Kara Newell has a big-city life that needs a major shake-up. Her dedication as a social worker is unwavering, yet her heart tells her that there is more to life than just work. Kara gets the push she needs when she shockingly inherits a large estate on an island off the South Carolina coast. Now the charming town of Angels Landing awaits her . . . along with a secret family she never knew she had.

After surviving war, loss, and heartbreak, ex-marine Jeffrey Hamilton takes his position as sheriff of idyllic Cavanaugh Island very seriously. So he is the perfect person to watch over the beautiful, confident woman who has turned her new family's expectations upside down-and stepped into the crosshairs of angry local residents.

But soon Kara becomes more than just a job to him, and he begins to need her in ways he never expected. As Kara and Jeffrey confront the town gossips together, they'll learn to face their fears and forgive their pasts in order to find a future filled with happiness in Angels Landing.

NYPD Red [Hardcover]

Product Description

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert - and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald - who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend - to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail.


Manhwa:

Chocolat, Vol. 4 (Chocolat (Yen)) (v. 4) [Paperback]

Product Description

Kum-Ji thought the band was going to Miami, but she ends up stuck in the smelly countryside! To make things worse, the water snakes attack her! Ah - the dream of the beautiful beaches of Miami has all blown away! Moreover, when she open her eyes, she finds herself in the arms of E-Wan! E-Soh gets jealous as can be, while Kun-Ji can't make her heart stop beating so fast! Find out more about their love triangle in this fourth book of the series!

Manga:

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Vol. 9 (Yu-Gi-Oh! (Graphic Novels)) [Paperback]

Product Description

Years after Yugi's legendary battles, the game is so popular that special institutions dedicated to the art of the Duel have sprung up all over the world. Join Jaden Yuki and his pals at the Academy for the adventures of the next generation of Yu-Gi-Oh!

Battle to the Finish ... The possessed Principal Mackenzie makes his final bid to crush the students of Duel Academy and seize Chazz and Jaden’s Spirit Cards! Jaden will need all his dueling skill as he battles his way through to the final Duel, fighting for his friends, his mentor Koyo Hibiki, and the fate of Duel Academy itself!

Durarara!!, Vol. 4 [Paperback]

Product Description

Dollars, rise up!!

When Yagiri Pharmaceuticals crosses the line, the true leader of the Dollars steps forward to take command of the vast network of members at his disposal...Though this unobtrusive boy holds a disturbing degree of power in the palm of his hand, Celty is preoccupied by the powers that still control her head ... At the end of the day, will her twenty-year search all be for naught? Or has she found something even more precious along the way?


Yaoi:

Tale of the Waning Moon, Vol. 1 [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Product Description

After a night of serious boozing, a jilted young man named Ryuka speaks his wish for true love atop a starlit hill. His words reach the ears of Ixto, the spirit of the last quarter moon, who decides to grant Ryuka's wish. Unfortunately for Ryuka, Ixto's handpicked selections to be the young man's lover are all men themselves! And when his rejection of these choices leads to an unexpected night of passion that casts a spell on him, will Ryuka give in to his enchanted body's urge to chase after Ixto and journey through worlds unknown, or will his mind win over his heart? Critically - acclaimed boys' love mangaka Hyouta Fujiyama lends her copious talents to this wacky, role-playing fantasy-romance that will tickle your funny bone and tug at your heart!

Tale of the Waning Moon, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Product Description

Enchanted by the Spirit of the Last Quarter Moon to follow in his footsteps, the beleaguered young Ryuka discovers en route that all kinds of men (with varying degrees of morality) are attracted to his body like bees to honey. But despite Ryuka's initial resentment of and rage at his fate, his feelings for the moon spirit Ixto are softening into something like ... possibly ... love? That said, finer feelings won't make his trials and tribulations on this lengthy journey any easier! Standing between Ryuka and Ixto is the door to the moon, a stolid, unmoving thing said to open only if certain conditions are met. However, completing this quest will put the chastity of both Ryuka and his traveling companions on the line! At this rate, will Ryuka even make it to the moon in one piece?

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada, Hachette Book Group and Simon and Schuster Canada!

Iced Chiffon Giveaway Winner

I have picked the winner of my Iced Chiffon Giveaway and they are:

CONGRATULATIONS:

1.  Karen C. (confirmed)

Please fill out this form with your contact information, so I can send the info. to the publishers, thanks!
http://www.emailmeform.com/fid.php?formid=640430

Please comment on this post if you have won this book on another blog, so I can pick a new winner(s), thanks!

You will have 2 days to get back to me or else I will have to pick new winner(s), thanks!

Follow My Blog Friday #121


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 - Book Liason and Knix's Book Nook.

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 ...

Our Feature The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger

When did you start blogging?

I started my blog on January 4, 2012

What is your favorite part of book blogging?

My favourite part about book blogging would definitely have to be being able to connect with my readers. I just love the idea that one of my reviews might introduce someone to a fabulous read that they never would have picked up before!

What is your favorite book(s)?

City of Bones By: Cassandra Clare
Vampire Academy By: Richelle Mead
Obsidian By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Blue Bloods By: Melissa de la Cruz
…..the list goes on !

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?
There have been so many great things that have come from book blogging, but I think the best thing would have to be the people I’ve met and talked to along the way! There are so many great bloggers out there that I’ve gotten to know and have been able to “fan-girl” with (swooning over fictional boys alone just isn’t as fun )

Carmen Jenner




1. When did you start blogging?

Well this little baby has only been in operation Since August, I decided since I was going to be a professional author ;) that I needed a website. The poor thing gets neglected a lot due to all the time it takes to run my review site Book Me!

2. What is your favorite part of book blogging?

Well, on my other site it's partaking in memes and visiting the lovely followers I've made. I've formed some very close friendships with some terrific girls and I'm so thankful to have them in my cyber-life. Carmen Jenner.com is so new but I'm hoping to be able to really use this site as a writing tool. Eventually I'd like to be build a fanbase, post snippets of stories I'm working on, as well as some flash fiction and not just use it as a place where I say, "Oh look, I write books, you can buy them here."

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

There are way too many! I'm a sucker for an Armentrout book, I'll read and love anything by her. But I think my favourite would be Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. That book almost killed me! It was absolutely devastating and so courageous of Tabitha to tackle such a taboo subject, especially in YA. I remember reading the synopsis and thinking, "What would possess anyone to write that, and I wonder whether she pulls it off?" I had to read it immediately, and I'm so glad I did. It's weird how one little fiction book can teach you so much.

4. What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?

Being published, without a doubt. I started blogging on Book Me! just to have somewhere to vent after I'd read a book, none of my friends are particularly Bookish people, and since I spent so much time reading and writing, I really felt like I was missing out on some sort of vital connection. I never really grasped just how big the book blogging community was until I started doing the Feature Follow. I'd been working for years at my writing, but it's the writing to an audience that's really helped me hone my voice and have the courage to seek publication.

Q: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book? For example, if an author employs an omnipotent narrator that is sometimes considered bad form.

The instant in love - the couple see each other, meet each other, I believe I'm in love now let's make love.

The hero and heroine are running from the villains and then they make love. 
 

18 and Over Book Blogger Hop #36

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. 

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:

What book or series would you recommend for a good Halloween read?

I highly recommend the Crimson Vampire series by Trisher Baker if you like vampire books with abusive vampire masters that can be redeemed by love.

 

Annie Wilder's Trucker Ghost Stories Blog Tour with a Review

Annie Wilder is currently touring to promote her new release Trucker Ghost Stories: And Other True Tales of Haunted Highways, Ghostly Encounters and Legends of the Road.

For more information about the book, please visit http://www.anniewilder.com

Thank you Annie and Tor Forge Books for letting me join your blog tour with a Review.

Trucker Ghost Stories: And Other True Tales of Haunted Highways, Weird Encounters, and Legends of the Road [Paperback]

In a uniquely entertaining book by a rising star, here are uncanny true tales of haunted highways, weird encounters, and legends of the road.

It may have happened to you; it’s happened to almost everyone who’s ever driven down a highway at night, or in the fog, or snow. Something suddenly appears: a flash of movement, a shadow ... what was it? It could be, as the true stories in this book attest, a ghost.

These are true stories from the highways and byways of America. These firsthand accounts are as varied as the storytellers themselves — some are detailed and filled with the terror and suspense that made people feel they had to share what happened to them with others; others are brief and straightforward retellings of truly chilling events.

Here is a chupacabra attack on the desert highway between L.A. and Las Vegas; ghost trains and soldiers; UFOs; the prom girl ghost of Alabama; a demon in Texas, and other accounts of the creepy, scary things that truckers and other drivers and passengers told to editor Annie Wilder.

With so many different stories, Trucker Ghost Stories moves beyond the usual haunted house to offer stories to entice any ghost story reader...and anyone who’s ever wondered ....


My Review:

This was a fun and easy read with some stories that brought chills down my spine and made me look around to see if there was anything there. Some of the sightings were seen by more than one person and truly terrifying to experience.

I would recommend this book for a chilling Halloween read!

MT Review: Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice (A Jesse Stone Novel) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Fool Me Twice" a book in the Jesse Stone series originally by Robert B. Parker but now written by Michael Brandman.

Product Description

Summer in Paradise, Massachusetts, is usually an idyllic season — but not this time. A Hollywood movie company has come to town, and brought with it a huge cast, crew, and a troubled star. Marisol Hinton is very beautiful, reasonably talented, and scared out of her wits that her estranged husband's jealousy might take a dangerous turn. When she becomes the subject of a death threat, Jesse and the rest of the Paradise police department go on high alert.

And when Jesse witnesses a horrifying collision caused by a distracted teenage driver, the political repercussions of her arrest bring him into conflict with the local selectment, the DA, and some people with very deep pockets. There's murder in the air, and it's Jesse's reputation as an uncompromising defender of the law — and his life — on the line.


About the Author

Robert B. Parker was the author of more than fifty books. He died in January 2010. Michael Brandman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues. He is the award-winning producer of more than thirty motion pictures, and collaborated with Robert B. Parker for years on movie projects, the Spenser TV movies, and the Jesse Stone series of TV movies starring Tom Selleck. Brandman cowrote the screenplays for Stone Cold, No Remorse, and Innocents Lost, and supervised the screenplay adaptations of Night Passage, Death in Paradise, and Sea Change. He lives in California.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (September 11, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159495
ISBN-13: 978-0399159497

My Review:

A big movie crew has arrived in town to shoot a film with popular actress Marisol Hinton.  Marisol has recently divorced her husband (he's also an actor) and uses this opportunity to get away from him (he's been stalking her).  He has no money and he is determined to get revenge by killing her and receiving the life insurance.  Jesse has suggested a bodyguard and Wilson Cromartie (aka Crow) is hired by his recommendation.

Meanwhile Jesse has witnessed a car accident between a young debutante teenager who is on the phone texting instead of paying attention to the road.  He decides to go all out to get her while everyone around him to leave her alone since her family is wealthy.  He soon realizes she is troubled and hopes he is able to reach out to her and tear down her walls.

Also Jesse has received some phone calls their water bills have been higher than usual.  The thing is there is no mention of any rate increases.

This is a very fast read with a lot of dialogue which kept the plot moving.  Jesse seems more caring and sensitive in this one.

3.5/5

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