Happy Birthday Nay Nay!

Happy Birthday to most precious 5 year old who has Pickle Baby to thank for the nickname Nay Nay!  (How appropriate that you nicknamed each other)  It seems like just yesterday that I was holding you in my arms for the first time.  I love you more than words can say....even when you change your outfit 5 times a day :)  You will always be my baby girl!  Happy Birthday!

My Scandalous Viscount by Gaelen Foley (thoughts)

I honestly don't think that I could have read this book at a better time because My Scandalous Viscount fit my mood perfectly!  An entertaining romance that kept me immersed in its' pages, this book was a joy to read and exactly what I was looking for.  Carissa isn't your typical proper lady but instead is a bit of a nosy busybody that finds herself entangled with the infamous Viscount Beauchamp.  After Sebastian and Carissa find themselves caught up in a precarious situation, they end up being pushed into marriage.  But Carissa's nose for ferreting out secrets instantly lands her in trouble when she learns more about her new husband than she was intended to.  Will her knack for finding out "information" end up being helpful or will it end up destroying their marriage before it even begins?

I love a romance that sweeps me into its' pages and carries me away!  I love when the hero and heroine have instant chemistry even while fighting their attraction to one another.  And I love when an author does the unexpected and keeps me guessing throughout the book.  My Scandalous Viscount fit the bill for me with all three of these things which made it a surefire hit for me!  The heat between Carissa and Sebastian started from page one and didn't let up until the very end.  I was rooting for them to find their happy ever after (yes I know this is a romance but still) from the beginning of the book.  I really liked Carissa's character and found her to be quite spunky at times.  I love a good heroine with a backbone so for me she made the book that much better!  This is my first book by Gaelen Foley and I had no clue that it was part of a series.  Other than not knowing some of the back story that the author alluded to, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all.  In fact, it made me want to go back to the beginning and grab book one so that I could experience all of the other romances for myself.  My favorite thing about this book though was that I never knew what to expect next in regards to the storyline.  Every time that I thought that I knew what was going to happen, then the author took the story in a more unexpected route.  I loved that!  Yes, maybe it made it all slightly less believable but I honestly didn't care.  Because like I said before, I was immersed in the book and just along for the ride.  This was the perfect way to break up some of the darker books that I have been reading lately (IT, I'm looking at you!).

Altogether a delightful read and an author that I will read more of.  If the other books in this series have the chemistry in them that this one did, I will be set!  This is a book that I would highly recommend to fellow romance readers especially those who love historical romance!  And since reading this book out of order didn't take away from my enjoyment, I say start here or read from the beginning of the series.  It sure didn't matter to me.

Bottom Line:  The perfect read for a rainy day when you need a good romance to suck you in!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to TLC Book Tours.  The thoughts are my own but I do think that you should check out the other stops on the tour to see other readers' opinions :) 

Deadly Descendant by Jenna Black (thoughts)

Second books in a planned series are quite a tricky maneuver in my opinion as the world building has already been started in the first book and the series isn't ending.  Happily enough Deadly Descendant blew the first book out of the water in my opinion and left me wanting more!  In this installment, Nikki is up against a mysterious man who seems to be causing random fatal "wild dog attacks".  Interestingly enough, these aren't actual wild dogs but instead are deadly jackals which have the ability to harm even an immortal like Nikki herself.  Nikki will have to figure out who is controlling the jackals while also keeping herself out of harms way.  But who better than an immortal descendant like herself??

As soon as I cracked this book open, I knew that I was going to be well and truly hooked.  The story started off with a bang and just kept going throughout.  I love a book that keeps me turning pages without taking the time to check and see how far along I am or how many pages I might have left.  This was one of those books.  I just HAD to see what was going to happen next and I was finished before I knew it.  I loved that while Nikki is still learning about her new abilities and skills, her character grew stronger and more self confident in this book.  She was more kick-ass which is never a bad thing in my opinion :)  I also enjoyed the fact that the author took strands from the first story and really tied them into this storyline.  I'm curious to see what will happen in the next book especially in regards to Anderson and his wife.  Hmmm...the plot thickens.  And Jamaal.  Yum!  I seriously hope that we get to see more of his character in the 3rd book and learn more of his history.  I'm so intrigued!

Overall, this was an amazingly strong follow-up to Dark Descendant!  I. Need. More!  I love the way the author was able to continue on the storyline from book one without telling it all over again.  I'm anxious to see the way the ending of this book will play out in regards to the next book.  I want more of Nikki and Jamaal!  I just plain want more of this series!  The series is fresh and different from a lot of what is out there in urban fantasy which makes me like it all the more.  And I really enjoyed the fact that this book was darker and grittier than the first.  Because you should all know by now that I love a dark urban fantasy series.  My favorite!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A surprisingly good follow-up to Dark Descendant and actually WAY better than Dark Descendant if I'm being honest!

Disclosure:  Checked out from my local library.

On My Wishlist (Radar) #14

On My Wishlist is my way of sharing all of the books that I cannot wait to get my hands upon and read. These are a mixture of books that are about to be released along with some older titles that I really want to read as well. (All summaries are from Goodreads).

I haven't done one of these posts for awhile now but that sure doesn't mean that I'm not adding to my TBR on a daily basis.  In the spirit of R.I.P. VII, I thought that I would share some horror reads that have been added to my wishlist lately (along with a few others of course).  Here are some of the books that I'm just dying (LOL!) to get my hands on:

The Uninvited by Liz Jensen
 
"A seven-year-old girl puts a nail gun to her grandmother's neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious? As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry." 

I cut the summary on this one short because just reading this was enough to creep my out!  And look at that freaky cover...I MUST read this one!  I was lucky enough to get an advance copy for my Kindle and I'm chomping at the bit to begin it.  As soon as I finish some of the other books that I've already started I will be diving in to this one!

Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye

"The village of Hemmersmoor is a place untouched by time and shrouded in superstition: There is the grand manor house whose occupants despise the villagers, the small pub whose regulars talk of revenants, the old mill no one dares to mention. This is where four young friends come of age—in an atmosphere thick with fear and suspicion. Their innocent games soon bring them face-toface with the village's darkest secrets in this eerily dispassionate, astonishingly assured novel, evocative of Stephen King's classic short story "Children of the Corn" and infused with the spirit of the Brothers Grimm."

Another freaky cover!  Look at that little girl's eyes!  I'll be hiding this one in my drawer at night when I read it but read it I must!  I have no idea why I enjoy horror novels so much by the way...they all freak me out.  Yet I can't stop wanting to read them :)

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

"Sarah Piper's lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist a ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis-rich, handsome, scarred by World War I, and obsessed with ghosts- has been summoned to investigate the spirit of nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is haunting the barn where she committed suicide. Since Maddy hated men in life, it is Sarah's task to confront her in death. Soon Sarah is caught up in a desperate struggle. For Maddy's ghost is real, she's angry, and she has powers that defy all reason. Can Sarah and Alistair's assistant, the rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and what is driving her desire for vengeance-before she destroys them all?"

I love the sound of this one!  And the cover is pretty awesome as well.  I have this one checked out from the library already but I think I'm going to have to send it back unread since it is due.  I'll definitely be checking it out again though as it sounds like my kind of book!

The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse

"On an icy winter weekend, seven friends celebrate New Year’s Eve at Stoneborough, a grand manor in the English countryside. They’ve been brought together by Lucas Heathfield, a young man who recently inherited the property after the tragic death of his uncle Patrick. Though still raw from the loss of his last family member, Lucas welcomes this tight-knit group of friends to the estate he hopes will become their home away from home–an escape from London where they can all relax and rekindle the revelry of their college days."

I'm cutting the summary for this one short too but I'll admit that I skimmed the rest and it left me intrigued.  This is an older book but one that I cannot wait to get my hands on either.  I just need to grab a copy from the library the next time that I am there!  (And I'm pretty sure that I was sold after the phrase "icy winter weekend".  Sounds like a perfect fit for R.I.P. VII!  Too bad my library isn't open on Sundays.)

A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis by Jillian Stone

"Special Inspector Rafael Lewis hasn’t seen the woman he jilted on the night of their engagement ball in five years. Fanny Greyville-Nugent has spent five years working side-by-side with her recently deceased father, a captain of industry in the steam revolution. When Detective Lewis and the Scotland Yard suspect that the late Mr. Greyville-Nugent was targeted for murder by an anarchist group determined to stop the proliferation of machines in the workforce, Lewis must guard his former fiancée with his life—much to her chagrin.

As Rafe and Fanny set out across the countryside from Edinburgh to London, danger lurks around every corner, but the biggest danger might turn out to be the embers of their previously smothered attraction smoldering to life."

Yay, yay, yay!  My current read has me in the mood for some more good romances and I loved the first book in this series!  Loved it!  I had no idea that this one was out already but I NEED it.  Seriously, I'm off to see if my library website has this one right now!  (And what gorgeous covers this series has!)

I think that this is enough out of me for today.  What books have you added to your wishlist recently?  Please tell!

On My Nightstand (October Edition)

October is already here and I have lots of good reading ahead of me.  That is if I actually find the time to get some reading done.  Yikes!  Here are just a few of the books that I'm hoping to read in October. 

• My Scandalous Viscount by Gaelen Foley- This is a review book for a TLC book tour that I will be hosting on the 15th of October.  You'll have to check back then to hear my thoughts on it.
• Promises in Death by J.D. Robb-  I'm flying through this one which is kinda nice since my reading has been pretty pathetic lately.
• It by Stephen King-  Still chugging along with this one although I'm way behind when it comes to the read-a-long.  I'm loving the creepy feel of it too.  Perfect fall weather reading!
• On my Kindle I'm reading Tarnished by Karina Cooper.  Good so far but I have a tendency to read my actual physical books rather than ebooks.  Hmmm...
• The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters-  So I totally missed the read-a-long with this one but I'm still planning on reading it for Carl's R.I.P. event.  I've cracked this one open but haven't gotten very far yet.

What else am I planning on reading in October???  The list could go on and on but it just might be the 3 other TBR choice books from my Goodreads groups.  I didn't end up reading any of my September choices but I also had a pretty bad month of reading.  I'm hoping to chance that in October but I'm shaking my head right now just thinking about it.  There are just WAY too many books that I want to read.  Thank goodness there is a read-a-thon coming up soon!  I'm gonna need it!  What's on your nightstand for October??

So Pretty It Hurts by Kate White (thoughts)

So Pretty It Hurts had all of the ingredients of a good mystery in the making but unfortunately I found it to be lacking.  Part of this may be my fault as I'm jumping in to the middle of a series (which I absolutely hate) but I didn't realize when I picked it up that it was part of a series.  The story begins when Bailey Weggins goes on a weekend away with a close friend of hers to a house in the country.  Bailey finds herself closed in with a bunch of strangers including a famous model named Devin Barr while a snowstorm brews outside.  When Devin is found dead the real mystery begins...

Like I said previously, this book had all of the ingredients for a really good thriller or mystery.  An isolated house in the country, a snowstorm that cuts off contact with the rest of the world, a dead body....what more could you ask for?  For whatever reasons though, this book just didn't quite work for me.  One of my main problems that I had was that I never connected with Bailey.  I'm not sure that if I had read the previous books in this series if it would be an issue but I just never quite figured Bailey out.  Her actions and need to "figure out" the mystery just rang a bit false.  And I just didn't connect which took away from my enjoyment of the book.  On a more positive note, I really enjoyed the creepy setting that the author created with this book.  I loved the tense atmosphere during the time of the snowstorm and after Devin's body had been found.  The author has a knack for creating really great settings as I felt similarly when I read The Sixes by her.  I just wish that I had been more interested in the mystery and characters in this book.

Overall, I found that this just wasn't the book that I had been expecting.  I didn't hate it by any means but found it to only be an okay read.  If you are thinking about trying this author, I would recommend The Sixes instead which I found to be a much better read.  As for me, I think that I'll go back and start with book one in this series at some point.  Because I'm hoping that it will help with my lack of connection to Bailey and because the author has such a knack for great settings.  Recommended with reservations (unless you are already a fan of this series...then I'm sure that you will enjoy it more than I did).

Bottom Line:  A mystery that could have been so much more...

Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher.  The thoughts are my own.

I thought I should share a link to my thoughts on The Sixes since I enjoyed this book so much more.

Bloggiesta 2012 (and a Request)

All week long I've been spotting Bloggiesta posts filled with plans and goals for this weekend.  But honestly since my blogging has been so spotty lately, I didn't think that I would find the time to participate.  One sparkling clean house later (which will last approximately 2 hours) and I've decided to dive in for a few hours.  And not feel guilty about the parts of my house that are most definitely not clean.  (cough...laundry...cough)

Anyways, I've already completed one task that I've been meaning to complete for awhile now.  I've finally updated my blog list links that are in my sidebar!  I am SO EXCITED about this!!!  There were so many inactive blogs on there that it was just kind of sad.  Especially because a few bloggers that I considered friends no longer blog anymore :/  But what can you do?? 

Now here is where the request comes in.  I know that I am missing some of my favorite blogs on this list.  There is just no way for me to remember them all.  This bothers me like you wouldn't believe.  So....if I ever comment on your blog or you are one of those people reading this that isn't on my list, won't you please tell me??  I love to connect with book bloggers and the easiest way for me to do that is visit other blogs.  Considering that I hadn't updated my blog roll for over two years tells me that I'm missing quite a lot of my favorite blogs.  But if you add to the fact that I have a crazy bad memory...well, you should be getting the picture.  Please, please, please tell me if you aren't on there!  And if it feels awkward to do so just know that I'm pretty much begging you right now to do it.  So that should make it all better :) 

I'm not setting any other Bloggiestsa goals for this weekend.  I'm just going to see where the weekend takes me but hopefully it will mean some sprucing up of the old blog.  Because posting once a week just isn't quite working for me..happy blogging to all of you!

Ole!

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (thoughts)

How had I never heard of the awesomeness that is Mary Roberts Rinehart??  The Circular Staircase was one of the first books I downloaded for free onto my Kindle, and I only grabbed it because the author was compared to Anna Katherine Green whom wrote The Leavenworth Case (a book that I enjoyed when I read it last year).  After reading The Circular Staircase I've downloaded every single book by this author that I can get my hands on.  I want more! 


The Circular Staircase begins with Rachel Innes deciding to spend the summer in the country with her nephew and niece.  Little does she know that renting Sunnyside for the summer will mean murder, mystery, and intrigue.  For mysterious happenings are going on at Sunnyside and Rachel instantly finds herself a part of them.  Rachel is a great main character to be narrating the story because of her dry sense of humor.  I found myself laughing out loud at various points in the story thanks to her opinions and musings on everything that was happening.  In fact, being able to laugh at the story while still being intrigued by the mystery was one of my favorite parts of the book!  I find more and more that I love classic mysteries like this because the authors know how to spin a good tale without lots of blood and gore.  Instead Rinehart created a mystery filled with atmosphere and tension as the reader wondered what could possibly be going on at the house.  It made for a great read that left me wanting more!  My only issue with this book is something that goes more along with the time period that the book was written.  The book does have some racial undertones in it but if you take in consideration when it was written then it makes more sense as to why the author included these viewpoint into the story.  I didn't care for it but obviously I wasn't born in this time period either.  Anyways....

Overall a really, really good read and a book that I enjoyed WAY more than I expected to.  Just writing up my thoughts on this book makes me want to try more by her or grab up something by Agatha Christie.  If you are ever looking for a gothic mystery novel then I think you should give this one a try.  Just don't expect to be surprised by the ending.  That part I could see coming from a mile away but luckily it didn't matter because I was enjoying the book too much.  Highly recommended especially to mystery fans!

Bottom Line:  One of those books that instantly makes you add the author to your must read list!

Disclosure:  This was a book I downloaded for free onto my Kindle thru Amazon. 

Wordless Wednesday (Football)

This is what I've been doing with my time lately.  Lots of football practice and tonight the 1st game of the season.  It was fun to watch and he did great.  I just look at him and wonder how he got so big so fast...

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (thoughts)

This Rough Magic is my first read by Mary Stewart but it definitely won't be my last! Lucy Waring is visiting her sister on the island of Corfu while also taking a break from her acting career. She believes that she is relaxing in paradise until strange events begin to occur. And when two young men both mysteriously drown while fishing, Lucy finds herself impossibly caught up in the mystery of what is happening on this island.

This Rough Magic started off slowly for me but I'm really glad that I stuck with it. The author had me thoroughly entranced by the end of the novel as I couldn't wait to see how it would all play out. Just trying to collect all of my thoughts on this book is amusing for me as I feel like I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. Without giving too much away, there were many moments of unbelievability in this book that usually would have bothered me. Instead, I found myself both charmed with this book and the storyline that the author had created. For instance, the love angle between Lucy and another (sorry too spoiler-ey if I say who) happens within a matter of pages. One moment they hate each other and the next they are practically ready to exchange vows. I couldn't help but shake my head and smile though. None of the improbable (and there were a lot of them upon consideration) events took away from the story. Instead, it made it all a bit more magical which was how the island was portrayed itself. The ending of the book tied everything up quite nicely and left me ready to read more by Stewart.

All in all, quite an enjoyable read despite the slow start and improbability of it all. I am excited to have found a new author with a nice sized backlist of books for me to peruse. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author! And this was also the perfect way for me to begin Carl's R.I.P. VII event as this book definitely fits! Recommended!

Bottom Line: A solid romantic suspense with magical qualities!

Disclosure: Checked out from my local library. I need to get on their catalog and see what other books they have by this author for me to read!