2015 Book #9 – Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Bookish Bingo: Jan-March 2015, Buchanan/Renard/MacKenna series (FBI), Reading Challenges, Romantic suspense by rebeccabook17

Title: Heartbreaker
Author: Julie Garwood
Date finished: 2/2/15
Genre: Romantic suspense
Publisher: Atria
Publication Date: July 1, 2000
Pages in book: 423
Stand alone or series: Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna series Book 1

Blurb from the cover:

In the still shadows of the confessional, the penitent kneels and makes a bone-chilling disclosure: “Bless me father, for I will sin….” Slowly, tauntingly, the man describes his murderous past — how he stalked his victim, worked his way into her life, and then took that life in a violent rage — and his plan to kill again. Only this time, he has raised the stakes in his twisted game, daring authorities to catch him if they can. This time, he has revealed the name of his next intended victim. “I’m a heartbreaker. And I do so love a challenge….” Agent Nick Buchanan has come face-to-face with society’s worst monsters and depraved minds in his work for one of the FBI’s most elite units. He’s about to take a much needed vacation from his high-stress job when he’s called on to stop the killer who has mockingly confessed to the deadly crime he’s to commit. Nick can’t refuse –for this time the threat has hit close to home. The intended victim is his best friend’s sister. Soon he is caught up in an intricate chase with one of the most devious psychopaths of his career — in a case that suddenly, unexpectedly, pulls him in like no other. Laurant Madden found a home and a sense of security when she moved into the small Iowa town of Holy Oaks — but her contented life is shaken to the core as a cagey predator closes in on her. Her brother, Tom, insists that she turn to the only man he trusts to help her: Nick Buchanan. As an electrifying attraction grows between Laurant and Nick, so does the danger — and one false move will cost both of them everything that matters.

My rating: 3.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count towards my “Bookish Bingo” reading challenge, marking off the “over 400 pages” square. This series is one that I enjoyed reading in the past and I have decided to re-read through the series. I liked the story line in this book a lot, there were just enough twists and turns to keep you interested without making it seem like a farce. The characters felt a little bit outdated and honestly didn’t really seem that well matched. I liked the murder mystery piece of this one more than the romance piece. Mystery plot line was thrilling.

The bottom line: I would recommend this book. I like the overall series as well.

Author website: http://juliegarwood.com/
Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaker-Julie-Garwood/dp/0671032992/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1422996587

27Jan2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Would Want to Read in a Book Club

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Top Ten Tuesday by rebeccabook17

Top Ten Tuesday is a book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every Tuesday there’s a different bookish topic and bloggers are asked to post their own top ten list based on the topic. This week is a listing of the Top Ten Books you would pick for your book club to read if you were lucky enough to be in a book club (unfortunately I am not so lucky due to a combo of lack of time and resources). So I put my thinking cap on and thought that if I were in a book club, what books would I like to discuss with my fellow club attendees.

1. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

I am currently in love with Giffin’s books after reading her Something Borrowed and Something Blue recently. Her books are intense and thought provoking and I think that they would make for a great discussion.

2. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

This book has been on my to read list since before it came out in 2014. I think the subject of addiction in this book would make for a great discussion starter.

3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

This was a highly praised book in 2014. I read many good reviews on it and I am honestly fascinated by the topic. A pandemic causes chaos to erupt and a new world forms amongst those who survive. Sounds freaking awesome.

4. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

A young woman without any prospects is asked to marry a wealthy family’s dead son, well actually to marry his ghost. I think this would be a great book to discuss since its subject is so unique and unusual.

5. Redeployment by Phil Klay

My husband and I met when he was in the Marines. I waited (not at all patiently I might add, though I wish I could say differently) while he went to Afghanistan on deployment. I think that I have to read this book. I think it might give me a better glimpse into the complicated world he lived at that time. I also think it would be a great eye-opener for book club readers.

6. It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

Many women in this day and age have weight issues and body image issues. The media blasts us with images of “beautiful” women, all of whom are a size 0. This just isn’t realistic. This memoir is all about learning to love who you are and learning to love your body. I think this would be essential for a women’s book club and a great discussion piece for book clubs that can be candid with one another.

7. The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford

This book brings up a big discussion point: mental disorders. In this novel, a woman with bipolar disorder was the last person to see one of her friend’s alive and suspects she might actually be the killer.

8. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I know this is going to sound like a poor reason to have this on the list, but I heard this turned out to be a great movie. I think it would be an interesting book to read and discuss in a book group.

9. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I almost can’t believe it myself, but I’ve never read this book or the rest of the series. Astonishing, I know, considering how popular the book series was and even how much I have loved the movies so far. For those reasons, I’d love to read this book and discuss people’s thoughts on it.

10. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

This is a classic that I have always wanted to read but never found quite the right motivation to actually pick it up.

So that’s my list! Anyone else see books on my list they’d like to read? Maybe we could start our own book club 🙂 Let me know what you’d put on your lists!

24Jan2015

2015 Book #6 – Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Posted in Book reviews, Bookish Bingo: Jan-March 2015, Fiction, Reading Challenges by rebeccabook17

Title: Something Blue
Author: Emily Giffin
Date finished: 1/23/15
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: March 21, 2006
Pages in book: 338
Stand alone or series: Stand alone kind of but there is a related prequel, Something Borrowed

Blurb from the cover:

Darcy Rhone has always been able to rely on a few things: Her beauty and charm. Her fiance, Dex. Her lifelong best friend, Rachel. She never needed anything else. Or so she things until Dex calls off their dream wedding and she uncovers the ultimate betrayal. Blaming everyone but herself, Darcy flees to London and attempts to re-create her glamorous life on a new continent. But to her dismay, she discovers that her tried-and-true tricks no longer apply – and that her luck has finally expired. It is only then that she can begin her journey toward redemption, forgiveness, and true love.

My rating: 4.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count towards my “Bookish Bingo” reading challenge, marking off the “Blue Cover” square. I absolutely loved Something Borrowed, and after reading it I just couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen to selfish, narcissistic Darcy. I even left work early (8pm but that’s early by tax season standards) and went straight to Barnes and Noble to buy Something Blue because I could not wait one more day to start reading it! This is the second book I’ve read by Emily Giffin and I have to say I just absolutely love her books. I am excited to read her other books that she’s published as well. She infuses such emotion and depth into her characters. Even with this book, I went into it not sure what to expect since after Something Borrowed I couldn’t help but think of Darcy as a bad person. But her growth throughout the novel was astounding. And there is so much put into each characters’ personalities, I feel as if I know them. They become real to me as I read the story and I find myself unable to put the book down. I think it was a wonderful story about love, friendship, and how much a person can change for the right reason. Darcy was determined to become a better person for her sons and I am so glad that she found love.

The bottom line: I would definitely recommend this book! I loved it! The previous book, Something Borrowed, is great too!!

Author website: http://www.emilygiffin.com/
Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Something-Blue-Emily-Giffin/dp/0312548079/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1422112177

23Jan2015

Friday Finds (Jan 23)

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Friday Finds by rebeccabook17

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by Should Be Reading and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list. Whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

My finds this week include an upcoming YA release, a gothic mystery / romance and of course a romance:

1. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

First of all, sick cover. The cover alone would probably make me want to pick up this book. Plus the synopsis of the story sounds really interesting as well. And finally, it is described as being a cross between The Selection (which is very high on my TBR list, I’ve been dying to read this series for awhile) and Graceling (which I hadn’t heard of before but sounds really interesting).

2. Miramont’s Ghost by Elizabeth Hall

Said to be reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, this book is described as a dark and thrilling ghost story. I discovered it in an email that Amazon sent me with a listing of popular romance novels, so I’m not sure exactly where the romance will be in this ghost story but I guess we’ll find out! Some of the reader comments look a little dark (and slightly unnerving) so I have to say I don’t think this book will be good for the faint-hearted. I thought it looked interesting though!

3. You’re So Fine by Kieran Kramer

I heard a lot of good things about Kieran Kramer’s March 2014 release Sweet Talk Me. Though I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, it is also on my TBR list. You’re So Fine also looks like a sweet story and a fun read. Might save this one for a beach read for this summer since the cover is.. well a beach 🙂

So those are my finds this week! Please feel free to share your finds or leave a link to your own “Friday Finds” blog posting below! Happy Friday!

11Jan2015

Finding new books to read

Posted in For the love of books by rebeccabook17

I posted last year about a variety of different book recommendation sites that can be used to find a good book to read next. Other than these sites though, a source that I use constantly for finding new books to read is Bookpage.com. This can be a great source of finding new books in all genres, and even for learning more about authors. I get the print edition of their regular newsletter from my local library (which can be viewed online), but they also have newsletters that you can sign up to receive periodically on certain genres, including a romance newsletter beginning in February, “Smitten.” Readers can also sign up to receive a daily newsletter featuring a different book every day. I think the good thing about the Book of the Day newsletter is that it features a great variety of books. I’ve seen everything from romance to non-fiction to cookbooks to biographies to fiction featured on there. This is a great way to read about books that might be out of your comfort zone and maybe expand your reading horizons. Other newsletters include a top 10 (top ten books of the month), a children’s newsletter, and a YA newsletter.

And if you like romance novels, another great source for new books I highly recommend the Heroes and Heartbreakers website and newsletter. This is a great site to find new romance novels to read. I especially like their “new release shopping list” that they put together. This listing shows different romance genres that have releases during the current month (shown by week). I have found a lot of new books through their newsletter. They also publish great articles and posts about different topics, including first looks at upcoming releases. Check out this article featuring a first look into Erin Knightley’s newest histroical romance release, The Earl I Adored.

So what about all of you? Where do you all find your next great read?

2Jan2015

2014 Recap and 2015 Goals

Posted in For the love of books, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist, TBR Pile Reading Challenge (Roof Beam Reader) by rebeccabook17

Looking back on 2014, I feel I’ve accomplished and grown a lot in my book travels. I started out this year blog-less and having no idea how much I would love blogging and how much I would become involved in it. Blogging, and even specifically book blogging, is this whole other world that you can become immersed in. There is such an audience out there for book bloggers, it is just astounding. And while there are many things I’d like to improve about my blog in the coming year, I think that this past year has been very successful. I held my first reading challenge on my blog, and though I was the only one who participated, it was still very fun.

With regards to my 2014 reading goals, I accomplished many of them but not all. One of my goals had been to read Pride and Prejudice, it is one of my absolute favorite movies and I started it years ago and just never finished it. Unfortunately, I did not read it again this year so I will most likely be rolling that goal over to next year. I also had a goal to read at least 2 books that were made into movies that I like. I read one (Beautiful Creatures) but did not read a second. I actually ended up reading the whole series and it was very interesting. My goal for 2014 was to read sixty books and I far surpassed that during the year. I slowed down in my reading towards the end of the year due to having to work a lot of overtime and therefore not having a lot of extra time for reading but I read over 100 books for the year so I am still quite pleased with my accomplishment.

It’s very hard to decide what my favorite book of 2014 was. Fortunately, I was able to narrow it down to 4 favorites out of the 100+ I read this year. I loved Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger because it was very interesting and different. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was a fan-favorite this year and became a fantastic movie. Glass Kitchen by Linda Lee Francis was beautiful and touching and magical. And finally, In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins was just as wonderful as I expected it to be. Higgins never lets me down, I devour her books as soon as they’re released.

My 2015 goals will not include a specific number goal for the year. I don’t think I will be able to hit the 100 book mark again between having a house now and acquiring 3 pets at the end of 2014 and also dealing with my job, I’m lucky if I can find 20 minutes to read each day. Nor do I want to read books just to get the numbers in and to get up to my number goal. This year I want to focus more on expanding my horizons and reading different types of books that maybe I’ve never read before. I’m also creating goals this year that are more blog-related than reading-related. The following will be my goals for 2015:

1. Read at least 20 different types of the books on the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist
2. Post at least 2 non-book review related posts per month
3. Participate in one book reading challenge (on an external site) per quarter
4. Post at least two posts per month concerning various book memes
5. Read at least 5 books from Amazon’s 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime
6. Participate in Roof Beam Reader’s 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

My books for this reading challenge are all books that I currently have on my TBR shelf and that either I own or someone has loaned to me and I few thrown in that I will get from the library. My goals will be:
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2. Girls of a Tender Age by Mary-Ann Throne Smith
3. Lightning by Dean Koontz
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
6. Lethal by Sandra Brown
7. Running for Women by Kara Goucher
8. I Adored a Lord by Katharine Ashe
9. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
10. The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott
11. The Cage by Meghan Shepherd
12. Cemetery Girl by David Bell

I am looking forward to what 2015 will bring! Happy Reading everyone!

4Nov2014

2014 – Book #99

Posted in Blue Heron series, Book reviews, Book series, Contemporary romance by rebeccabook17

The ninety-ninth book I read in 2014 was In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins. I have been very excited about this book for awhile (in fact, here is my “Waiting on Wednesday” post on the book) and couldn’t wait to start reading it. And once I started I couldn’t seem to put it down! I finished this book on 11/3/14. I rated this book 5 stars out of a scale of 5. This is the fourth book in the Blue Heron series. I have read the previous three books in the series as well and loved them all, though only one is discussed on this blog since the others were read prior to 2014. You can read my post on the other book in the series here. This really is just such a great series by one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend it!! I devour her books, I already can’t wait for the next in the series (hopefully Connor’s story!) to come out!!!

So, In Your Dreams is about police woman Emmaline Neal and town favorite Jack Holland. (Just for reference, Jack is brother to Faith and Honor, who were the heroines in books #1 and #2 in the series.) Emmaline had her heart squashed by her fiance 3 years ago and moved to Manningsport, NY to start over. Unfortunately, the dating pool is limited in the area so when she receives an invitation to her ex-fiance’s wedding, she has to find a man and fast. Luckily, Jack is skilled in helping out damsels in distress. He has been a last minute date for many functions in the past for various women in town, though he doesn’t expect to enjoy spending time with Emmaline quite so much.

Hoenstly I just loved this book. I literally couldn’t put it down, I read it in two nights because I got lost in the world that Higgins created. She is so gifted in character development and drawing you into the story. I love the characters she’s formed in this series and I love their individual stories. It was a great read and I would highly recommend trying it! For that matter, I would highly recommend the whole series!!

Link to author website: http://www.kristanhiggins.com/index.html

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Dreams-Blue-Heron-Series/dp/0373779313/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1415105684&sr=8-1

6Oct2014

2014 – Book #90

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fiction, Paranormal comedy, Reading Challenges, Spooky series reading challenge, Undead series (Betsy Taylor) by rebeccabook17

As part of my October spooky series reading challenge, the nintieth book I read in 2014 was Undead and Unappreciated by MaryJanice Davidson. This is the third book in her Undead series about vampire queen Betsy Taylor. This is the series I will be focusing on this month for my Spooky Series reading challenge for the month of October. I finished this book on 10/5/14. I rated this book 4.0 stars out of a scale of 5. This book picks up 3 months after where the last book left off, starting about two weeks before Halloween. Betsy’s Dad stops by one morning to let her know that even though she received an invitation, no one expects her to come to her stepmother’s baby shower. During this unpleasant visit with Dad he lets it slip (oops!) that the Ant had a baby almost 20 years ago and gave it away.

After interviewing the Ant, Betsy finds out that Eric knew she had a sister all along. Apparently its written in the Book of the Dead that “the Queen’s sister shalt be Belov’d of the Morning , and shalt take the Worlde.” Betsy is just so sick of finding out about all this stuff from the Book of the Dead whenever Eric or Tina deign to let her know about her own life, so she decides to just sit down and read the whole thing. Bad idea. After going crazy from reading the book for too long, she physically attacks Jessica, emotionally attacks Marc, boinks Eric, and tries to kill Tina. Busy afternoon. Once they all figure out that Betsy went a little cukoo, they lock her in a room until they decide what to do with her.

Once Betsy wakes up though she is back to her old self. Unfortunately she remembers everything though and has to work hard to make it up to the people she hurt that she loves. While all this is happening she also has to deal with finding and meeting her sister, rebellious and eventually murderous employees at Scratch (the nightclub she inherited after she staked another vampire in the last novel), and trying to decide if she really loves Sinclair or if she’s just hurt that he has stopped chasing her. All very compilcated.

I’ll say pretty much the same thing I said for the first book here, overall obviously I love this book or else I wouldn’t be re-reading the whole series. I can’t say enough good things about this book and this series. I always end up laughing out loud. I would definitely recommend this series to other readers! The thirteenth book in the series is coming out tomorrow so if you’re looking for a light, fun, easy-read this whole series is perfect!

Link to author website: http://www.maryjanicedavidson.net/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Undead-Unappreciated-Queen-Berkley-Sensation/dp/0425207226/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1412612573&sr=8-1

5Oct2014

2014 – Book #89

Posted in Book reviews, Book series, Fiction, Paranormal comedy, Reading Challenges, Spooky series reading challenge, Undead series (Betsy Taylor) by rebeccabook17

As part of my October spooky series reading challenge, the eighty-ninth book I read in 2014 was Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson. This is the second book in her Undead series about vampire queen Betsy Taylor. This is the series I will be focusing on this month for my Spooky Series reading challenge for the month of October. I finished this book on 10/5/14. I rated this book 4.5 stars out of a scale of 5. This book picks up three months after where the first book left off. Betsy is still mad at Sinclair for his trickery and refusing to speak to him. She also decides that she can’t mooch off her friend Jessica forever and it is high past time she got herself a job.

Through some dumb luck she lands her dream job, working in the shoe department at Macy’s in the Mall of America. Sinclair can’t seem to leave her alone though and he corners her at work to try and convince her that their stalemate has gone on long enough. Around this time Betsy also has to solve the mystery of why a bunch of vampires are being killed. And when the group confronts Betsy herself and tries to kill her, there isn’t any avoiding the issue anymore (Betsy can be very good at that.) And so she enlists the help of Sinclair and Tina to help solve the mystery of who the bad guys are.

Along the way Betsy has to deal with a number of other issues, including her stepmother becoming pregnant, her boss firing her, a gang of vampire killers and their anonymous benefactor, and a power-driven, Sinclair-lusting, crazed vampire. She deals with all of the above with the utmost class (*cough*) and aplomb. Ha! She actually deals with everything with her sarcastic wit and issue avoidance.

I’ll say pretty much the same thing I said for the first book here, overall obviously I love this book or else I wouldn’t be re-reading the whole series. I can’t say enough good things about this book and this series. I always end up laughing out loud. I would definitely recommend this series to other readers! I am looking forward to re-reading the rest of the series this month as well as the new release coming out on October 7th!!

Link to author website: http://www.maryjanicedavidson.net/

Link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Undead-Unemployed-Queen-Betsy-Book/dp/0425197484/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1412548291

10Sep2014

Waiting on Wednesday (3): Undead and Unwary by MaryJanice Davidson

Posted in "Waiting On" Wednesday, For the love of books by rebeccabook17

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

This week’s spotlight is on:

Undead and Unwary by MaryJanice Davidson

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Blurb from the cover (Amazon):

How do you out-devil the devil? For Vampire queen Betsy Taylor, the answer is relative—literally—as MaryJanice Davidson’s “sexy, steamy, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Booklist) New York Times bestselling series continues…

Why Am I Waiting?

This is the thirteenth book in the Undead/Betsy Taylor series by this author. I have to say I absolutely love this series, it is funny, interesting, and fully entertaining. Since this is the 13th book in the series and October is just the perfect month for it to come out, I’m thinking about doing a marathon and re-reading this series during the month of October before reading the newest book. I read two in the series recently, you can check out those posts here.

Link to author website: http://www.maryjanicedavidson.net/

Link to Amazon (pre-order): http://www.amazon.com/Undead-Unwary-Queen-Betsy/dp/0425263444/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410348131&sr=8-1