Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate

The Love Goddess' Cooking SchoolPublication Date: Oct 26, 2010
Pages: 321
Genre: chic-lit
My Rating:


Summary: Holly Maguire’s grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine—a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can’t make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that’s why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla’s Cucinotta, she’s determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother’s legacy.
But Holly’s four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla’s chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter’s heart. Juliet, Holly’s childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can’t find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad, Liam, from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla’s essential ingredients of wishes and memories in every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed—andtested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.


My Thoughts: I love stories that deal with people from your past coming back, whether its an old friend or an old crush/flame; and this book had both. I had hoped the book would go into a little more depth with the friendships that were formed in this book, then again it may have made it like too many other books out there if that had been the case. Especially since this one dealt a little more on the romance side between Liam and Holly. When we first meet Holly in this book, she is leaving a romance that she had thought was the one. The man who seemed perfect, yet he wouldn't eat Sa Cordula which is her curse so to speak. Her grandmother told her she would find her great love when he would eat this dish. Sa Cordula just happens to be a pasta dish with goat guts. Yuck, I know! So, who she felt was this great love of coarse took one bite and he hated it. This is how she gets back to her hometown with her grandmother, who unfortunately passes away and leaves her cooking business to Holly. Holly takes over, trying to make it her own and still offers the cooking coarse.

Mia is Liam's daughter who wants to take the class so she can learn to cook for her dad and get rid of his current girlfriend. This is when Liam enters into the picture, who also just so happens to be someone she had always had a crush on when she was in high school. However, the book really doesn't dive into that. Its mentioned a few times, but there is never any dialect between Liam and Holly about this, so its easily forgotten.

This is a really good book. Its interesting and will hold your attention for the most part if your into just a classic story where you don't need a little suspense. When reading this book, make sure in you weekly menu you have something Italian on there. Your going to finish this book and crave something warm, cheesy and full of marinara sauce!




**This book was provided to me by the publisher's in return for an honest review.**

Tour: Gena Showalter- Ecstasy In Darkness

Ecstasy in Darkness (Alien Huntress, Book 5)

Publication Date:  Oct 26, 2010
Pages: 416
Series: Alien Huntress; Book 5
Genre : Paranormal


Due to just receiving this book yesterday, I was not able to get this book read in time for the tour. I apoligize to the author and I will try to get this book read with in the next week and get my review up. This book just from the cover has me craving to read it and the summary makes it sound like its going to be good. Then again, is a Gena Showalter book ever not good?

New York Times bestselling sensation Gena Showalter enthralls with a dark, tantalizing world of humans, otherworlders, powers beyond imagining, and a seductive vampire undone by his insatiable hunger for one woman. . . .Growing up poor on New Chicago’s meanest streets, Ava Sans had two options: be the predator or be the prey. No contest. Now, working for Alien Investigation and Removal, she’s been ordered to capture the biggest, baddest warrior of all—a vampire too beautiful to be real, with the abilityto manipulate time. Once the leader of the entire vampire army, McKell has been deemed savage and unstable, spurned even by his own kind.To McKell, humans should be nothing more than sustenance. Yet the petite, golden-skinned Ava is a fascinating contradiction—vicious yet witty, strong yet vulnerable, lethal but fiercely loyal. Against his better judgment, McKell craves that loyalty, and much more. When the chase leads to seduction, McKell and Ava will race to discover the truth about his past. But the answers will come at a price, even for a woman who thought she had nothing left to lose

Yes, this one sounds good! Check back soon for my review and thoughts on this book!


**This book was provided to me by the publishers in return for an honest review.**

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

This Weeks New Romances (10/27/10)

This week looks like a good week! I think my list of books I want to buy has just grown! As always, clicking any book will take you to Amazon for more info and if you want to buy.

There seem to be some crazy spaces, mainly due to blogger for some reason. So sorry about some of the gaps.

Trust Me on This (Loveswept)Midnight Kiss: Midnight Confessions\Midnight Surrender\Midnight AssignmentChristmas Eve at Friday HarborChristmas in Cedar Cove: 5-B Poppy Lane\A Cedar Cove Christmas



Ecstasy in Darkness (Alien Huntress, Book 5)Cold DawnA Christmas PromiseKade: Armed and Dangerous





Someone Like YouLie with Me: Shadow Force Series, Book 1And Then There Was You: Island of Flowers\Less of a StrangerThe Christmas Brides: A McKettrick Christmas\A Creed Country Christmas (Hqn)



Entice Me at Twilight (Doomsday Brethren)Tall, Dark and Devastating: Harvard's Education\Hawken's Heart (Hqn)Rising TidesInvincible

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Driftwood Lane by Denise Hunter

Driftwood Lane: A Nantucket Love StoryPublication Date: July 6, 2010
Pages: 325
Genre: Christian Romance
My Rating:


Book Summary: (GoodreadsMeridith can handle anything: guardianship of three distant siblings, a dilapidated Bed-and-Breakfast, even an ever-present handyman who's dismantling more than her fireplace--or can she?
When the death of Meridith's estranged father leaves her with custody of three siblings she's never met, she reluctantly goes to Nantucket to care for them--but only until their uncle returns from his trip. Little does she know, the uncle is already there under the guise of her friendly handyman, with plans of his own.
Will the love that grows between them be strong enough to overcome the secrets that brought them both to Driftwood Lane?

My Thoughts: When I first started this book, I thought "oh no, the classic woman left with kids after their parents die and  falls in love with man" book. However, you quickly learn that is not the case with this story. Meridith is a level headed 25 year old and sometimes she came across as much older then that. I often forgot  she was that young until it would be referenced. Meridith has never met her siblings, since her father left her and her mother years ago. In the beginning she wants to wait on the kids uncle, Uncle J to arrive so she can transfer guardianship of the children to him. However, Uncle J decides to pretend to be a handyman who Meridith has hired to fix up the house. The children are in on this. Meridith begins to have feelings for Jake. You spend the story waiting for her to figure out that this Jake is actually Uncle J. It leaves for an addictive story of wondering how she is going to find out. Are the kids going to slip up, will someone in town mention it, or will Jake come out and finally tell her?

This is a great romance and you will fall in love with the characters and Nantucket. I know I want to book a vacation there. It sounds like a special place. Being a christian romance, this is a very clean romance story.




***I received a copy of this book for review from Crazy Book Tours.***

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Review: The Most Intimate Wish by F.L. Bicknell

This book is only for readers 18 and over.

The Most Intimate Wish
Publication Date: October 9, 2010
Format: E-book
Genre: Erotica
My Rating:


Summary: When Dinah and Jeff move in to be the Wheillercarts’ companions, their lives change for the better and the worse. Dinah loves Jeff, but after five years together, he still refuses to marry her, and Dinah’s dreams of starting a family begin to crumble. Regardless of their hot lovemaking sessions, she fears Jeff is cheating on her. Dinah will do anything to keep Jeff, even if it means sharing him with another woman.
However, strange occurrences and a seemingly psychic landlady keep Dinah guessing about her life and relationship with Jeff. And what about the bizarre statue in their landlady’s atrium? Little does Dinah know it holds the key to her most intimate wish.


My Thoughts: This is an easy and short read. There is an underlying mystery in this book, which is what helps keep you intrigued. The landlady Ameila has a mystery to her, that Dinah and the reader want to figure out. I must say that I did not see the ending coming. It was a twist that I enjoyed. I liked the story line to this book. I rated this book a 3 because I felt like Dinah repeated her thoughts quite a bit. I would have liked to see Dinah with more confidence in herself, then being fully dependent on Jeff. She needed a little more to her. When the book begins you can see some spark in her, but as she starts to think Jeff is cheating on her, she really loses her backbone and just comes off needy. This may however have been how the author wanted her to be perceived.  I think for anyone who is curious as to what the difference between an erotica book and a romance book is, this book is a good choice. It was well written and tasteful. You could feel the love between the two characters and the passion between them.




**This book was provided to me by Turquoise Morning Press in return for an honest review**

Saturday, October 23, 2010

A look at Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love

Blood Trinity: Book 1 in the Belador Series
Publication Date: October 19th 2010
Pages: 512
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Series: Book 1 of Belvador
My Rating:



I wanted to give you a look at the new book Blood Trinity by Sherrliyn Kenyon and Dianna Love. This book did not take long to read. It story line captivates you from the beginning. This is not a paranormal with vampires and werewolves, which was a but refreshing. This dealt with demons, other types of non humans, and a few demon killing humans. The book is easy to follow and figure out the lingo so to speak. Many books where authors create their own worlds, often takes awhile to learn everything and can leave some readers confused. This was not the case with Blood Trinity. One thing I also really liked was that this book takes place in Atlanta, GA and being a GA girl, I could really picture this book in my head since it had dealt with places near me.  If you are a romance reader like me, there is really no romance in this book. There are two potential romances in this book and I am at odds if I had a choice who I would have chosen for Evalle. This seems like a series where you will have to read them in order. I am assuming that book 2 is still going to deal with Evalle, because it just didn't seem like her story was over when this book ended. So I look forward to the next one, which I think comes out in 2011.

Summary: Atlanta has become the battlefield between human and demon. All her life, Evalle has walked the line between the two. Her origins unknown, she’s on a quest to learn more about her past and her future. 
But when a demon claims a human and there’s no one else to blame, Evalle comes under fire. It’s no longer a question of learning about herself, it’s a question of survival. Through the underground of an alternate Atlanta where nothing is as it seems to the battleground of where her VIPER allies have become the force that is now hunting her, Evalle must prove her innocence or pay the ultimate price. 
But proving her innocence is the least of her problems if she doesn’t stop the coming apocalypse. The clock is ticking and it’s about to become a lot hotter in Atlanta.


**This book was provided to me by the publishers in return for my review. I was not required to make this review positive**

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Winner Time! A Season of Seduction

Once again a big thank you to Forever Romance for this chance to giveaway 5 copies of A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore. Thank you to everyone who entered. I really appreciate you following my blog if you are a follower. So, onto the winners. Winners were picked by random.org.

The Winners:
Devonna Wick (completed)
Renee Grandinetti (already won)
Linda Henderson (completed)
ylime1981 (completed)
Sue Ahn (already won)
Crystal Fulcher (completed)
Marian (completed)

I will get an e-mail out to all of you in the morning for address's and to make sure you have not won this book anywhere else. Thanks for entering. 


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Rescue Me by Jennifer Johnson

Rescue MePublication Date: August 28, 2010
Formats: book and e-book
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating:



Summary: (Goodreads) Sitting in front of her parents’ house in a U-Haul truck at midnight, Amy Mann decides it’s time to break it to them that she’s divorced from her husband and moving back home with her seven-year-old son, Toby. As Amy settles into her hometown, she has a plan to get out of debt, get her college degree, and put her life together. 
Enter Captain Riley Pennimon, local firefighter and superhero to Amy’s son. Riley is kind, brave, and civic-minded. The captain does not fit into Amy’s putting-her-life-together plan, and yet he is way too good looking without a shirt. Much to Amy’s chagrin, Toby decides that Riley is just what they need for a happily-ever-after. 
But, can Amy make peace with the demons of her mistakes and let the captain rescue her? And…can Riley let go of the pain of his past and grab onto the family he’s always wanted?


My Thoughts: I sat down with this book and it didn't even take me 24 hours. Wow, this book was great. This writer is talented! Amy was a very well liked main character. I enjoyed getting to know her and going through her struggles with her as she started her life over after getting divorced from her cheating husband. I think this book was real and very in touch with reality. Well, maybe minus the hunky, rich, fireman Riley, but lets just hope someone like him really exists. Someone who can swoop in and make all right again. Of coarse the journey isn't easy for Riley as he makes his intentions clear to Amy. Amy is out right sure she is through with me and that even hunky Riley can't stir any of those feelings up in her.

This book is a very well written book. There is chemistry between the two characters and you can feel it. Luckily it isn't too steamy though, because those scenes are left out. But since the chemistry isn't over the top, you feel satisfied, even if your one of those romance readers who likes for the extra details. If you pick up this book in either book or e-book format, you won't be sorry. If I could give this book 6 stars, I would!


**This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for my review. I was not required to make this review positive**