Review: 150. Hammered by Kevin Hearne...

I enjoyed this series so much I couldn't put it down. It should come with a contagion warning...

Title: Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles #3)
Author: Kevin Hearne
ISBN-13: 9780345522481
eBook:
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Oh. My. Goodness. Be prepared to snort, chuckle, and flat out laugh-out-loud when reading Hammered. Not that facing off with the Norse gods just to fulfill a couple of promises is laughing matter, especially since one of those gods has a reputation for being a complete tool... Nevertheless, Hammered definitely tickled my funny bone.

So much so, in fact, that I had the guys (the Mr.'s friends who were hanging out at our place) asking why I was laughing so much. I think I may even have one of 'em interested in checking out this series... ;-)

Anyway. Back to the review. Apparently Thor has amassed quite the number of aggrieved enemies in his long and annoyingly ramification-free life. Not any more. After waiting centuries to hone his skills, Leif is ready for his revenge--along with a half-dozen others. And who's the lucky duck who gets to lead this group of vengeance-seekers to Asgard? Why, our very own favorite druid, of course. Never mind that he'd most likely not survive the trip...

If you've read any of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, you'll know that he liberally sprinkles it with gods from various mythologies. His reach is far and wide, and part of the reason I really enjoy his stories are because of this breadth of characters. And not only does he bring them in, he gives them background and color, and purpose. One of my favorite parts of the story brings to mind Terry Pratchett's Small Gods--which brings forth the premise that gods only existed insofar as they had followers. Once your last faithful follower is gone, you're history. But we're not here to talk about Small Gods (though I'd suggest you pick it up if you happen to like irreverent humor and philosophy in your books), we're here for Hammered. So. One of the vengeance-seekers is a former thunder god--one whose name is no longer known because Thor convinced myriads other gods to have their followers forgo verbal histories in favor of drawing on cave walls and chiseling in stone, not much of which withstood the test of time... And so they languished, forgotten by the fickle humans...

So. There's humor. There's fighting and magic-slinging. There's death and destruction. And more humor. What else do you need to know? Go start with Hounded!

drey's rating: Outstanding! Kevin Hearne just gets better and better. I can't wait to find out what Atticus does next. After all, he'll have a whole horde of Norse gods on his tail...

Have you read Hammered? What did you think?

Review: 149. Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara...

I love Kaylin, and I love watching her growth in Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra series.

Title: Cast in Ruin (Chronicles of Elantra #7)
Author: Michelle Sagara
ISBN-13: 9780373803309
eBook: 325 pages
Publisher: Luna, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
She started out in this series an awkward young woman, on the beat for the Halls of Law, irreverent and impetuous, and known more for being late than anything else. With each installment Kaylin Neya's grown a bit more--either in her magic, or her understanding of it. Of course, it's still in dribs and drabs, considering that there's nobody around who could tell her about her magic...

In Cast in Ruin, Kaylin's back at lessons. Etiquette lessons, which she needs if she's to survive a meeting with the Emperor, because apparently dragons don't have any sense of humor at all... And if you've followed Kaylin's journey, you know she's not very good at lessons. It's almost a miracle she's still alive, actually...

Lessons aren't the only thing Kaylin has to do in this installment, of course. She's called to Tiamaris' fief to do some investigating when bodies start appearing. Seven identical bodies, to be exact. And nobody knows who they are or where they've come from.

What follows is a tale of epic proportions, complete with backstory, a villain, a hero, and a damsel. Of sorts. And Kaylin, of course--even if she's gotten a hold of her irreverence (or at least attempts to not verbalize it) and sometimes checks her impetuousness at the door. I love the new characters introduced in Cast in Ruin, and I loved that Severn and Kaylin's relationship hasn't changed much, even with a few more things out in the open. I love the dialog and the action, too. And I love how things worked out, which isn't something I can always say about a book in a fantasy series! I'm looking forward to the next installment, Cast in Peril, even though I have no clue when it'll be out. Please make it soon!!

drey's rating: Outstanding! If you haven't read this series (yet), start with Cast in Shadow.

And if you have read it, what did you think?

Review: 148. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich...

I'm addicted to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, even though the last few books have seemed like recordings stuck in an endless loop...
 
Title: Smokin' Seventeen
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-13: 9780345527684
Hardcover: 308 pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts: Oh Stephanie. Working out of a borrowed motor home, Stephanie and her gal Lula get into the same hijinks as always. They get fooled by the perps they go looking for (again), Steph's wheels go up in flames (again), Grandma Mazur causes a ruckus at the funeral home (again), Steph's mom sets her up with another it'd-be-better-to-not-go-there date (again)... If you're familiar with the series, I don't need to say any more. If you're not, start with One for the Money, where it's all fresh and new.

 Honestly, I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep picking these up. At some point, the same-story-all-the-tiime routine gets old and stale. And I hate that she's with both Morelli AND Ranger in this one. Pick one and stick with it, or dump 'em both and go find someone else! (Not that it would be easy to dump Ranger, in my opinion!)

Stephanie needs to get off of this wheel she keeps running around in. Really.

 drey's rating: Ok. What about you? Have you read Smokin' Seventeen? What did you think? Or have you given up waiting on Stephanie to grow up?

Blog Tour: 147. A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready...

I am a sucker for a good contemporary romance... It lightens up the darkness--war and fighting, good-vs-evil, and save-the-world-or-else --that we get in urban fantasy and fantasy.

About the author:
Gwyn Cready is the recipient of the 2009 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance and the author of Tumbling Through Time, Seducing Mr. Darcy, Flirting with Forever, Aching for Always and A Novel Seduction. She has been called "the master of time travel romance." A Novel Seduction is her first foray into contemporary romance as well as men in kilts, and she found both eminently satisfying. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

About the book:

When snobbish book critic Ellery Sharpe screws up at Vanity Place magazine, her boss assigns her the ultimate punishment: write an ode to romance novels, a genre she considers the literary equivalent of word search puzzles. To make matters worse, he hires her sexy former party boy ex, Axel Mackenzie, to shoot the photos. Axel really wants the project to succeed. For one, the magazine will double his fee if he convinces strong-willed Ellery to write a story no woman can resist. Besides, getting Ellery to fall for romance novels might be just the push she needs to believe people can change . . . even him. At his sister’s advice, Axel gives Ellery a copy of Kiltlander, a much-adored romance whose warrior hero is utterly irresistible. To her dismay, Ellery finds herself secretly falling in love with the story—and with Axel, who’s drawing his own lessons from the book’s compelling hero. With her carefully crafted image of herself crumbling and her dream job on the line, will Ellery risk it all to make the leap from tight-lipped literati to happily-ever-after heroine?

drey's thoughts:
I was really in the mood for something light and heartwarming when I picked up A Novel Seduction. And how could I go wrong with a half-nekkid dude in a kilt? (Yes, even though I can tell this half-nekkid dude isn't wearing his kilt like a true Scots! ;)

Anyway. Ellery is stubborn and opinionated. Alex is a reformed rake who still loves her, and has no idea why they broke up five years ago. Well, he has an idea, but no confirmation, as Ellery has steadfastly avoided the entire topic--and him. For us readers, A Novel Seduction has back-flashes to provide some insight into the state of their relationship then, to go with the reminiscing today, especially in Ellery's case. And I'm sorry, but I think she totally made a mountain out of a molehill and placed the responsibility for said mountain squarely on Alex. Not that he's all shiny-halo blameless himself. But still.

In any case, these two find themselves thrown together in an assignment she doesn't want to do, and he can't afford for her not to. And he makes a feeble attempt at keeping her on track, but mostly just brings along romance novels to see what all the fuss is about. The story was mostly so-so for me, until they got to Edinburgh and Alex dons a kilt. Ah, that savior of all romance novels, that kilt. :D The plot was believable enough--but I have to say I didn't care for the scenes with her boss and his paramour. What I did enjoy was the banter between Ellery and Alex. It swings from almost-hostile to downright warm-fuzzy, and had plenty of "awwww" moments that romance fans love. All in all a pretty good read.

drey's rating: Pick it up!

Have you read A Novel Seduction? What did you think?

Title: A Novel Seduction
Author: Gwyn Cready
ISBN-13: 9781451612646
Paperback: 373 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books

Review: 146. Hexed by Kevin Hearne...

I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin Hearne's Hounded--what a romp! So of course I had to pick up Hexed, tout suite!

Title: Hexed (Iron Druid #2)
Author: Kevin Hearne
ISBN-13: 9780345522498
eBook:
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased


drey's thoughts:
In Hexed, our favorite druid runs into witches. Bad witches, good witches, witches who try to kill him, witches who wreak havoc, witches he's trying to sign a non-agression pact with... You get the idea: LOTS of witches. And if that wasn't headache enough, he's got a fallen angel chomping on high-school kids, demons coming down his street, and followers of the god Bacchus are heading to town to--you guessed it--wreak more havoc. Did somebody put up a neon "C'mon Over, All Ye Troublemakers" sign?

So off he goes to take care of the problems, and make sure the peaceful witches stay that way. I particularly enjoyed his messing with their magic with his ward--like a "neener, neener my ward's better than your magic" thing... Of course, he can't just let 'em do what they want--one of them might figure out how to kill him, and Atticus hasn't lived this long by letting that happen.

Atticus is still my new-favorite-hero. And I love, love, love, Oberon. Granuaile's irreverence provides yet more amusing reading. Coyote makes an appearance, which should foretell trouble to anyone remotely familiar with the legends... Laksha shows up to help out in a fight, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of her. The Morrigan on the other hand scares the bleepers out of me!  And oh my, the promises we make to get the help we need to keep our world and its people safe... All I know is, Atticus is going to have a heck of a time fulfilling those vows to Laksha and Leif--the latter might actually kill him.

There's something for everyone here, whether you like Shakespeare, urban fantasy, mythological gods, snippy vamps, lovable wolfhounds, baseball, ass-kicking action, or plain ol' flat-out laugh-out-loud funnies. Go pick it up. Seriously.

drey's rating: Excellent! This series just keeps getting better and better!

Have you read Hexed? What did you think?

Review & Giveaway: 145. The Shattered Vine by Laura Anne Gilman...

I've been looking forward to Jerzy's journey since Weight of Stone... And here it is.

About the book:

An island nation has vanished. Men of honor and magic have died unnatural deaths. Slaves flee in terror. . . . Are the silent gods beginning to speak? Or is another force at work in the Lands Vin?

Laura Anne Gilman’s critically acclaimed, Nebula Award–nominated Flesh and Fire introduced a brilliantly imagined world where the grapevine—cultivated by the Vinearts who know the secrets of wine magic—holds together disparate lands. Now, confusion, violence, and terror are sweeping over the Lands Vin. And four people are at the center of a storm.

Jerzy, Vineart apprentice and former slave, was sent by his master to investigate strange happenings—and found himself the target of betrayal. Now he must set out on his own journey, to find the source of the foul taint that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. By Jerzy’s side are Ao, who lives for commerce and the art of the deal; Mahault, stoic and wise, risking death in flight from her homeland; and Kaïnam, once Named-Heir of an island principality, whose father has fallen into a magic-tangled madness that endangers them all.

These four companions will travel far from the earth and the soul of the vine, sailing along coastlines aflame with fear, confronting sea creatures summoned by darkness, and following winds imbued with malice. Their journey will take them to the very limits of the Sin Washer’s reach . . . and into a battle for the soul of the Lands Vin. For two millennia the Sin Washer’s Commandment has kept these lands in order: Those of magic shall hold no power over men and those princes of power shall hold no magic. Now, that law has given way. And a hidden force seeks the havoc of revenge.

Title: The Shattered Vine (Vineart War #3)
Author: Laura Anne Gilman
ISBN-13: 9781439101483
Hardcover: 343 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books

drey's thoughts:
Jerzy heads home in this final installment of Laura Anne Gilman's Vineart War trilogy. He's left his vines, traveled far and wide, seen creatures real and fantastical, and avoided the Washers. He's more aware now of the power a vineart mage can wield, yet realizes that with power comes responsibility. Oh how I wish that were true of our politicians! Ok, sorry, I got distracted. Won't happen again...

The first part of The Shattered Vine covers Jerzy's return (with his friends) and getting settled back in. Things have changed while Jerzy was away. Lords are making pacts with their Vinearts, and the Washers are understandably nervous. Though Jerzy has no love for the Collegium at all, he realizes that their role is a necessary one--even if they go overboard with that responsibility. Because the alternative is far worse than some overzealous Washers, as he well knows.

I liked the scenes with Ao in them, his sense of humor is infectious. And wish there was a bit more of Mahault and what shape her future takes. As for Kainam, he's still a Prince--there'll always be a place for him in the world.

The second part of The Shattered Vine reveals the anti-climactic conclusion to this series. It was honestly a tad underwhelming, especially after all the build-up of evil and taint so far. But still, this is a very satisfying conclusion to a very imaginative world from Gilman.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read The Shattered Vine? What did you think?

Giveaway!
It's release week for The Shattered Vine, and in celebration, the publisher has one copy of the book for you! This one's US-only (no PO Boxes, please). Enter by filling out the form before November 3rd. Good luck!

Review & Giveaway: 144. Ashes of a Black Frost by Chris Evans...

Hello, Publication Day! Chris Evans' third book in the Iron Elves series is out today!

About the book:

In the bestselling traditions of Terry Brooks, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Bernard Cornwell comes the third novel in the acclaimed epic fantasy series following The Light of Burning Shadows.

Musket and cannon, bow and arrow, and magic and diplomacy vie for supremacy once again in this all-new epic adventure from acclaimed author Chris Evans. As the human-dominated Calahrian Empire struggles to maintain its hold on power in the face of armed rebellion from within, the Iron Elves’ perilous quest to defeat the power-hungry elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, now takes on greater urgency....

Packed with wit, high adventure, and political intrigue, Ashes of Black Frost will hook readers on this bold and exciting series.

Title: Ashes of a Black Frost (Iron Elves #3)
Author: Chris Evans
ISBN-13: 9781439180662
Hardcover: 435 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books

drey's thoughts:
Ashes of a Black Frost picks up after the bitterly hard-won battle with Major Konowa Swift Dragon emerging from the haze of blood and guts barely cognizant of those around him. He's lost so much to get to this point, and it's not even a point he wanted to be at. But being a soldier, he has to go on, because the Iron Elves' salvation is the most important task to him. Plus, someone has to kill these obnoxious hordes of evil.

This is still an epic military fantasy read--there's lots of battle, orders, guns, strategies, and guts and gore and death. But there's also the characters caught up in the mayhem and chaos. The Major is one, of course. Worried about his family and friends, missing (yes, even if he only admits it to himself) his crusty Sergeant--one of my favorite characters in this story, trying his best to keep the remnants of his troops alive to get to the end, hoping to get to the Shadow Monarch to end this curse, the Major is a pivotal character in this series. However, my favorite character in this installment is Viceroy Alstonfar, the diplomat-turned-entertaining-solder-and-strategist. He takes the place of Yimt in providing a touch of humor in this otherwise bleak and despairing landscape. And I'll leave the character-talk here since I can't discuss some of the other characters from the series without letting you know whether they're alive or dead, which would be very spoiler-esq. And you all know I don't do spoilers!

Will Konowa find his Iron Elves? Will he be able to free them all from the curse of the Shadow Monarch? You'll have to pick this up and find out. Fans of military fantasy will love this conclusion to Chris Evans' Iron Elves series.

drey's rating: Pick it up!

Have you read Ashes of a Black Frost or Chris Evans' Iron Elves series? What did you think? If you haven't, check out the giveaway below!

GIveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have a copy of Ashes of a Black Frost for you! US residents only, no PO Boxes please. To enter, fill out the form below before November 1st. Good luck!

Reviews: Janet Gurtler's (142.) If I Tell and (143.) I'm Not Her

I have two reviews for you today--and both are contemporary YA fiction from Janet Gurtler. I also have a guest post from Janet! Now, how to fit it all into one post...

I'm Not Her was released in May, and tells the story of a girl whose sudden rise in popularity unfortunately coincides with her sister's cancer diagnosis.

"For the first time in my life, I didn't feel envy..."

Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that's okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. But, the smiles of her picture perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn't hold it together, who will?

Janet Gurtler tests the bonds of sisterhood in this moving debut that readers of Jodi Picoult and Sarah Dessen will savor.

Title: I'm Not Her
Author: Janet Gurtler
ISBN-13: 9781402256363
Paperback: 285 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks

drey's thoughts:
Janet Gurtler's I'm Not Her is a moving story about a fifteen-year-old dealing with her older sister's cancer. And if dealing with a life-changing (and potentially life-threatening) illness isn't enough, Tess also has to deal with her parents acting like completely delusional dorks about it. (I totally understand that they were having a hard time with the diagnosis; however in my eyes it doesn't excuse their leaving everything in the hands of a fifteen-year-old because they "couldn't handle it"--they're the adults.)

And then there's school. School, where every one of Kristina's friends keep asking Tess where Kristina is and why she isn't in school (delusional parents didn't want anyone to know). School, where Tess has to skip class to accompany her mother to the hospital for Kristina's treatments (again, without being able to tell why). School, where Tess is now noticed (see above); and the other kids are making up stories about her and Kristina because they aren't getting any information. Not easy for a freshman to deal with, that's for sure.

I liked Janet's portrayal of Tess. She's resentful of all the negatives affecting her, and feels guilty for that resentment. She wants her life to stay the way it was, but she knows it's most likely temporary, whereas her sister's life is irrevocably changed. There's nowhere for her to go with this, without feeling like she's selfish. This is YA drama and angst as it should be.

drey's rating: Excellent!

If I Tell explores the ramifications of keeping secrets--your best friend's, your mother's, her boyfriend's--and the mess it can make of your own life...

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

Title: If I Tell
Author: Janet Gurtler
ISBN-13: 9781402261039
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks

drey's thoughts:
Jaz is seventeen, and the only biracial kid in her small town. At least, as far as she knows. She doesn't have any friends in school, and is thrown into a whirlpool of emotions when she sees her best friend Lacey making out with her mom's boyfriend. And that whirlpool gets deeper and wider when she finds out her mom's pregnant. What a mess!

Jaz can't confide in anyone--the only two people she's ever felt comfortable talking to have betrayed her. So she keeps things bottled up, only to find out that she has too many emotions fizzing inside her all at the same time. And her anger leaks out in spurts and splashes as she lashes out at her (former) best friend, at Simon, and even at her mom.

The emotional roller-coaster Jaz is on pulls you along as it goes up (new boy) and down (facing Simon or Lacey) and up (new friend at school) and down (her mom's emotional state), so much so that you wonder when she's going to let it all out. Which will happen, of course. The only question is when. And where. And who's going to get hurt in the process... (ok, that's more than one question)

This is an addictive read--you can't put it down until you find out how Jaz fares. Excellent teen read covering topics far and wide, including racism, bullying, depression, self-identity, and trust.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read either books? What did you think?

Review: 141. Ganymede by Cherie Priest...

I love Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series, and couldn't wait to get my hands on book number three four, Ganymede!

Title: Ganymede (Clockwork Century #4)
Author: Cherie Priest
ISBN-13: 9780765329462
Paperback: 346 pages
Publisher: Tor, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Tor

drey's thoughts:
I know I sometimes start things off with an assumption. Sometimes it's valid, sometimes I just can't count--which I guess is what happened when I thought Ganymede was the third Clockwork Century title... How did I miss Clementine??

Oh well. I'll have to hunt that one down. The good news is, reading the Clockwork Century books in order isn't an absolute requirement. Sure, you'll get the backstory straighter than if you hadn't, but Cherie Priest does such an excellent job at introducing new characters and plots that you won't realize you've missed anything... I'll let you know if that holds true once I've gone back upstream and read Clementine!

In Ganymede, former air pirate Andan Cly heads to New Orleans to help out an old friend. Josephine Early is a madam, Union spy, and has ties to the local rebellion. She's also looking for someone to pilot a Confederate submarine lying to the Northern forces waiting in the Gulf. All while avoiding the Confederate and Texian armies, and the local version of Seattle's rotters... Yes, the dead are alive in New Orleans (heh).

The story is entertaining, the characters interesting, I love Huey's enthusiasm for all things techie, and I want more of Josephine and the Ranger. I love this world Cherie Priest has created for us. Where's the next one? *grin*

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Ganymede or any of the Clockwork Century books? What did you think?

Blog Tour: Christopher Meeks' (140.) Love at Absolute Zero...

I'm pleased as punch to be part of the blog tour for Christopher Meeks' Love at Absolute Zero... I mean, the main character is a geek, he's in Wisconsin, and his method of finding love is unconventional to say the least!

About the author:
Christopher Meeks began as a playwright and has had three plays produced. Who Lives? A Drama is published. His short stories have been published in Rosebud, The Clackamas Literary Review, The Santa Barbara Review, The Southern California Anthology, The Gander Review, and other journals and are available in two collections, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea and Months and Seasons. He has two novels, The Brightest Moon of the Century, a story that Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews describes as "a great and truly humane novel in the tradition of Charles Dickens and John Irving," and his new comic novel, Love At Absolute Zero.

Find Christopher online at his website http://christophermeeks.weebly.com/ and on twitter.

About the book:

"Love at Absolute Zero" is the story of Gunnar Gunderson, a 32-year-old star physicist at the University of Wisconsin. The moment he’s given tenure at the university, he can only think of one thing: finding a wife. His research falters into what happens to matter near absolute zero (−459.67 °F), but he has an instant new plan. To meet his soul mate within three days--that’s what he wants and the time he can carve out--he will use the Scientific Method. His research team will help. Can Gunnar survive his quest?

“As if Einstein didn’t struggle hard enough failing at a unified field theory,” says Philip Persinger, author of Do The Math, “Meeks ups the ante by tossing philosophy, anthropology, hashish, and love (with a capital L) into the mix. And while we’re so sorry, Uncle Albert, in 'Love At Absolute Zero,' Meeks succeeds absolutely.”

ISBN-13: 9780983632917
ARC: 300 pages
Publisher: White Whisker Books, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository Source: Virtual Author Book Tours

drey's thoughts:
Gunnar Gunderson is a geek (yes, he is) who gets hit with the revelation that he doesn't want to live out the rest of his life alone. So he decides it's time to find love. But where? And how? And oh my gosh, he's only got three days to do it!

So the scientist sets out to conquer matters of the heart,  scientifically (of course). And what follows is sheer entertainment, as he sits thru speed-dating, runs into former classmates, fends off an over-zealous student, and falls--hard--for a Danish visitor. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Gunnar is giving his lecture in Copenhagen. If my Physics professor had started out my class with that, I might not have lost interest completely...

Love at Absolute Zero is funny and warm. Gunnar is so smart, yet has a sense of humor he rarely let show through. His buddies are hilarious, with references to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Extreme Makeover as they attempt to help Gunnar get set up right for his "dates". And boy, the things Gunnar does... I guess when you really want something, you go all out.

There's a lot of physics references thrown around--don't let that intimidate you. You don't need to know what he's talking about, to know this man on a mission isn't going to let anything stand in the way of finding true love. I'm just impressed that Christopher Meeks makes it all sound so easy.

Will Gunnar find his happily-ever-after? Well, you'll have to read Love at Absolute Zero to find out...

drey's rating: Pick it up!

Giveaway!
Thanks to Virtual Author Book Tours, I have one copy of Love at Absolute Zero for you. This one is open internationally--an international winner will receive an e-copy, a US/Canada winner will get their choice of an e-copy or a paper copy.  To enter, just fill out the form below before October 28th. Good luck!

Review: 139. Hounded by Kevin Hearne...

I'd seen mentions and reviews of Kevin Hearne's Hammered all over the blogosphere recently, and decided that I needed to check out his Iron Druid Chronicles books. So I started at the beginning...

Title: Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
Author: Kevin Hearne
ISBN-13: 9780345522474
Paperback: 289 pages
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
I finally picked up Hounded, and it sat on my shelves for a week before I gave in to its call. I know, I know, I should be ashamed of myself... But 'tis the truth, and I promised to be honest.

If it makes Atticus O'Sullivan fans feel better though, I regret that wait. This centuries-old druid has definitely found the fountain of youth--and while his tea helps, I firmly believe his attitude and outlook on life has plenty to do with his longevity. He is a smart-mouthed smart-alecky young man who along with his wolfhound Oberon made me laugh out loud. I loved his "translations" of old-time speak into modern-day vernacular, and his gentle chastising of the other long-lived who haven't quite adjusted their speech patterns (yet).

There are gods, a special sword, and lots of action in Hounded. Thank goodness Atticus isn't just a normal dude--he wouldn't have survived. As it is, he's lucky he's still standing after all the dust settles. And after killing gods, you know that what follows is going to keep him on his toes.

Kevin Hearne's Atticus O'Sullivan is going to go on my list of favorite urban fantasy protagonists, and Kevin's on my author-to-stalk list now... Check this series out if you haven't already!

drey's rating: Outstanding! The characters entertain, the plot is crazy yet works well, and the myriad mythological figures makes this a must-read for those who can't get enough of the old(er) gods... I'm off to find Hexed and Hammered, so I can stalk Atticus' next adventures. Don't forget to check out Kevin's visits this month as our Featured Author!

Have you read Hounded? What did you think?

Review: 138. Stealing Mona Lisa by Carson Morton...

I thought the premise behind Stealing Mona Lisa was interesting--a tale involving a group of con artists and a crime caper... Where's the movie?

Title: Stealing Mona Lisa
Author: Carson Morton
ISBN-13: 9780312621711
Hardcover: 335 pages 
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Wunderkind PR

drey's thoughts:
Carson Morton's retelling of the theft of La Joconde from the Louvre is an entertaining read. His heist crew are an interesting bunch--from the suave gentleman to the street orphan to the pickpocket. His mark is not someone you'll feel bad for. And his storytelling will keep you turning the pages...

We don't start out with the big caper, of course. Instead Morton teases us with a smaller painting, in a smaller location... This is where we meet Mr. Hart and his wife, and while we don't have an active dislike for him yet, we just shrug when he's fleeced. Then the group moves to Paris, and plan for their next (and final?) heist. The big one.

Of course, things don't ever work quite as smoothly as planned.

Stealing Mona Lisa started out a bit slow for me, as we are introduced to the characters. Once they arrive in Paris and start things in motion, however, the story picks up the pace and doesn't slow down until you get to the end. I'd say the back half of the book is definitely worth sticking through the first half if you find the beginning slow going.

drey's rating: Pick it up!

Have you read Stealing Mona Lisa? What did you think?

Review & Giveaway: 137. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern...

I was soooooooooooo excited at the opportunity to review Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, which has been showing up all over the blogosphere! 

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
ISBN-13: 9780385534635
Hardcover: 387 pages
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Doubleday

drey's thoughts:
Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is fun and charming, with a dash of mystery. At its heart are two young people who've been set up as competitors in a game where there are few rules and only one winner. Their playing field is a mysterious circus that appears and disappears on an irregular schedule, filled with spectacular performances to thrill your senses.

The story started in spurts, which along with the short chapters confused me until I started getting the flow of it.  Eventually though, everything tied together nicely, and you really appreciate this enchanting masterpiece.

The cast of characters are varied and unique. I loved Celia, and wished for a better childhood for her. I didn't care for her father at all--what kind of (insert not-so-nice word here) would set his own daughter up for something like this? Marco is a bit more mysterious than Celia--we know nothing other than his selection, his learning magic, and his eventual job with the "proprietor" of the circus, Christopher Lefevre. He knows Celia the moment he meets her, though she has no idea that he's her competitor. I'm surprised he didn't take advantage of that knowledge, but that's the kind of guy he is. We can't have Celia falling for a jerk, after all...

I really enjoyed The Night Circus, and will probably re-read it if I can find the time--just to see if I'd missed anything in the original reading...

drey's rating: Excellent! The Night Circus is all it's cracked up to be, even though it took me a little while to get engrossed in it.

Have you read The Night Circus? What did you think? And if you haven't, c'mon and enter to win a copy!

Giveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have TWO copies of The Night Circus for you! This one's for US residents only (sorry!), no PO Boxes please. To enter, fill out the form below by October 16th. Good luck!




Some fun stuff:
Erin Morgenstern on facebook
A Wall Street Journal interview with Erin
Erin on NPR (along with an excerpt)

Review: 136. Queen of Diamonds by Barbara Metzger...

I was intrigued by the story of an orphan child who is determined to stand on her own two feet, so I said "of course!" when approached with this title...

Title: Queen of Diamonds (House of Cards #3)
Author: Barbara Metzger
eBook:
Publisher: Untreed Reads, 2011
Purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Source: Untreed Reads

drey's thoughts:
Queenie Dennis is a woman in hiding--from the truth of her origins, from the Endicotts, and from the authorities. Her mother's lies set Queenie on the path towards redemption, and she hopes that she can make it up to the Endicotts, at least. After Paris, of course.

Returning to London with a quick needle and quicker eye for fashion and designs, Queenie sets up shop. She figures the quicker she can make money, the faster she can repay her mother's stolen money. But before she knows it she's hanging out with Lord Harkness (aye, even in her shop!), and attracting more attention than she'd like...

This third House of Cards book is very different from the first two. Those were about the men, and even rakish Jack was a gentleman who had his brother's name and money to fall back on if needed. Queenie has nothing and nobody, except an air-headed friend who stands by her. So by its very nature, Queen of Diamonds has a darker and grittier background and feel to it.

But I loved the characters. Queenie is strong and determined, even if she doesn't know that she's wrong. And Lord Harkness is a perfect foil for her personality, even if he doesn't mean to be. I loved the scenes where he's helping out in her shop. Him, a fancy lord and all... *grin*

Fans of regency romance will love Queen of Diamonds, and the entire House of Cards trilogy.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Barbara Metzger's House of Cards trilogy? You don't need to, but start with Ace of Hearts and Jack of Clubs for the story of Queenie's brothers Alex and Jack...

Review: 135. Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep...

Hurrah! 'Tis time for more Gin Blanco! I've been waiting sooooo patiently...

Title: Spider's Revenge (Elemental Assassins #5)
Author: Jennifer Estep
ISBN-13: 9781439192641
e-ARC:
Publisher: Pocket Books, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Jennifer Estep

drey's thoughts:
Well. Mab Monroe has messed with Gin for the last time. Now Gin's on the warpath, and she'll do anything to keep Mab from hurting her sister Bria. But her first attempt at Mab almost costs her her life... And earns the wrath of her friends.

And Mab's trying to turn the tables on Gin, because suddenly Ashland is overrun with visitors--and not the kind that the Visitor's Bureau invited over. Nope, Ashland's playing host to a horde of bounty hunters and miscellaneous low-lifes. All at Mab's invitation. And money, of course. You know it doesn't take long before they're tripping all over each other to get Bria.

Gin is still the super-sassy assassin I know and love. But there's always room for improvement, right? In this fifth installment, Gin makes (*gasp*) mistakes... She learns from them, but they almost cost her her life. Knowing that her anonymity protects those she loves, she's loathe to go public--but soon runs out of options. And you know I'm not the only who loves this assassin when she finds herself with unexpected (or maybe not quite so unexpected!) allies...

Will Gin make it through alive? (Isn't that always the questions?) Jennifer Estep sure keeps you on your toes... You'll have to pick up this fast-paced read to find out.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Spider's Revenge? What did you think?

Blog Tour: Katrina Kittle's (134.) Reasons to be Happy...

Today's tour is for Katrina Kittle's Reasons to be Happy, a book about the heart-breaking and impossible standards of body image.

About the author:
Katrina Kittle taught middle and high school English for 11 years. She is the author of four other novels and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University in Louisville.

Find Katrina online at her website katrinakittle.com, the Reasons to be Happy blog, on facebook, and on twitter.

I asked Katrina for a guest post on what prompted her to write this particular book. Here's what she says...

Do you remember middle school? Was your experience pretty horrible? Mine was. Such a crazy, miserable time of insecurity. My life had been great leading up to sixth grade…and suddenly it was a trainwreck. Most memories of that time seem all fuzzy with self-doubt, humiliation, unbearable shyness. Ugh. I would no more want to re-live that time that I would want to chop off one of my own hands!

When I became a middle school teacher myself, I kept a photo of my seventh grade self in my desk drawer. This awful photo—of me with a hideous perm (I'd had a friend give it to me so that I could have curls like the popular girls), goofy glasses (how I longed for the contact lenses I would finally get in high school), and wearing outrageous, ridiculous high heels (were they comfortable? no! did I look natural in them? no! did I do much that made sense then? no!)—was my reminder on the days the students were making me to want to go drink vodka in the teacher's bathroom! That photo gave me compassion and patience for my students. That photo reminded me: they can't help it. I mean, I could walk into my classroom and feel the hormones and anxiety in the air.

But then I started thinking: why can't they help it? Remembering my own experience, I grew so disheartened by a particular phenomenon I saw unfold over and over again: bright, bold, curious girls—strong and confident in their abilities—would hit the wall of self-doubt around seventh grade. They'd lose all sense of their own unique identity, stop taking any risks, and retreat into approval-seeking behaviors that made them all seem like watered-down clones of each other. Every single one of my novels has begun with a social issue I'm passionate about, and one day I realized this concern and obsession I had with “keeping girls brave and confident” was my new story. I began to seek the cast of characters who could inhabit this story, and Hannah Anne Carlisle came into existence.

As a writer, I'm fascinated with how story ideas will simmer a long, long time before they take shape. I'll often have several different story “threads” and suddenly one day it will finally become clear which threads I might be able to braid together to make a book. That certainly happened with Reasons to Be Happy. Hannah's “list” was something I did in my own classroom—putting a reason to be happy on the whiteboard every day. I already had the drama of the middle school pecking order playing out in front of me on a daily basis. I knew that body image was still a huge part of the middle school girl identity crisis. I could pull specific knowledge of the particular workings of bulimia and anorexia from my years as a serious ballet student, and, sadly, from some experiences with my own students. (Instead of improving the situation with our awareness and understanding of body image and eating disorders, these issues seem more pervasive than ever before—40 percent of nine-year-olds have already dieted!) Add to this my own secret obsession with celebrity gossip (friends are sometimes horrified to discover this about me. I guess they all think I'm much more lofty-minded than I really am!), which led me to make Hannah's parents into A-list actors. I also have local friends who are twice-Academy-Award-nominated documentary film makers (hence, the creation of Hannah's Aunt Izzy). And I had the amazing privilege of traveling to Ghana once with a group of students, and had long been looking for the right place to use some of my experiences from that life-altering trip. (I actually had a goat under my bed one night in Tafi Atome, just like Hannah does).

What I hope readers take away from the book is that our authentic selves are so much more interesting and beautiful (and less maintenance!) than anything we “manufacture” to please others. It took Hannah being plunked down in a culture where she had no idea what was even considered beautiful, for her to be kind to herself and accept her own body. We all spend so much time comparing ourselves, judging ourselves against that teensy percentage of women who are supermodels (airbrushed supermodels, thank you very much) instead of accepting our imperfections and embracing our own unique beauty. Hannah discovers that what she perceived as an imperfection is actually one of her strengths.

That's the real beauty of the writing life to me: we use everything. Anything I see or experience, no matter how random or trivial, might just become a piece of “the story behind the story.”

About the book:
Title: Reasons to be Happy
Author: Katrina Kittle
ISBN-13: 9781402260209
ARC: 277 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks

What Happens When You’re Not So Perfect?
How could so much change so fast?
Let’s see, you could be a plain Jane daughter of two gorgeous famous people; move to a new school; have no real friends; your mom could get sick; and, oh yeah, you could have the most embarrassing secret in the world. Yep, that about does it.

Hannah is an eighth grader trying her hardest to cling to what she knows and loves while her world shatters around her. Her parents are glamorous Hollywood royalty, and sometimes she feels like the ugly duckling in a family of swans. Faced with her mother’s death and her father’s withdrawal into grief, Hannah turns to the one thing she can control: her weight.

Hannah’s self-destructive secret takes over her life, but the new Beverly Hills clique she’s befriended at school only reinforces her desire to be beautiful, and not even the quirky misfit Jasper—the only one who seems to notice or care—can help. It will take a journey unlike any other to remind Hannah of who she really is, and to begin to get that girl back. Reasons to Be Happy is about standing up for all the things you love—including yourself.

drey's thoughts:
Hannah Carlisle should be on top of the world. Her parents are movie stars. She herself is an artist and an athlete. Her life is good…

Then she starts at a new school, and all at once everything changes. Why? Because she can’t seem to get herself—her real self—unstuck from the person she becomes with the group she hangs out with at school… Seems like an easy solution: stop hanging out with that group! But Hannah’s bravery has deserted her, and she can’t. So she finds another way to deal with that stress.

I couldn’t believe that such a lovely and talented girl would fall prey to the clutches of the mean girls at school, right from the get-go. Then again, I was never in that situation, so I’m not in any position to say what could be real or not… I wanted to read this book to see how an author addresses one of the many problems that our young girls and women face as they battle their own body image. And see how a young girl's own self-image could become so skewed.

What happened to Hannah can happen to any other eighth-grader, or any other young girl or woman you know. We are too often bombarded with negativity--we're too fat, too tall, to short, too flat, etc. Even when we do well at school or other pursuits, even to those who love us best, it seems our looks are still our most-used measuring stick--and we never seem to measure up. Why is that?

Who defines beautiful? Is it the media? The entertainment industry? Our families? Friends? Acquaintances we barely know? Whose opinion carries the most weight? Why? And most importantly (to me at least): Why do we give control of our own selves over to those who certainly (usually?) don’t give a rat’s behind what happens to us? And what can we do about it? Ok, so maybe I'm being a little harsh--after all, we expect that our parents and loved ones do give a rat's patootie. And we're all just a bit (hah!) too sensitive...

Hannah's being "outed" by her aunt is one step towards recognition, and possible recovery. And when she has to go to Ghana for four weeks, that's four weeks dedicated to something other--other than thinking and stressing about her self, her weight, her insecurities... Can she keep up the progress once she's back in the USA though? You'll have to read Reasons to be Happy to find out.

drey's rating: Pick it up! We need more books like this to reinforce a healthier self-image for our young girls and women! And not just books and messages; we also need to follow through with action. What we say and do is definitely worth more than what we say to do!

Have you read Reasons to be Happy? What did you think? And if you haven't, here's your chance to win a copy!

Giveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of Reasons to be Happy for you, if you live in the US (no PO Boxes, please). To enter, fill out the form below. Good luck!
 

Blog Tour: (133.) Flawless by Carrie Lofty...

Today's tour is for a historical romance laced with mystery and a sweeping backdrop... Say hello to Carrie Lofty and Flawless...

About the author:
Carrie Lofty holds a Masters degree in history, which she puts to good use as a devoted historical romance writer (What a Scoundrel Wants and Scoundrel's Kiss), teacher and lecturer on the craft of writing, and as founder of the blog Unusual Historicals. An active member of the Chicago North and Wisconsin chapters of Romance Writers of America, she lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Find Carrie online at her website www.carrielofty.com, on facebook and twitter.  


About the book:

Sir William Christie, ruthless tycoon and notorious ladies’ man, is dead. Now his four grown children have gathered for the reading of his will. What lies in store for stepsiblings Vivienne, Alexander, and twins Gareth and Gwyneth? Stunning challenges that will test their fortitude across a royal empire . . . and lead them to the marvelously passionate adventures of their lives.

Lady Vivienne Bancroft fled England for New York, hoping to shed the confines of her arranged marriage to unrepentant rogue Miles Durham, Viscount Bancroft—though she never forgot the fiery desire he unleashed with his slightest touch. And when the gambling man arrives on her doorstep for a little sensual revenge for her desertion, he is met with Vivienne’s dilemma: She must earn her father’s inheritance by profitably running a diamond business worth millions in colonial South Africa. Swept together in an exotic undertaking filled with heated passion and hungry temptation, will Vivienne and Miles discover that the marriage vows they once made are the greatest snare—or the most treasured reward?

Title: Flawless (Christie Saga #1)
Author: Carrie Lofty
ISBN-13: 9781451616385
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books

drey's thoughts:
Carrie Lofty's Flawless sets up the story for the series quite nicely, with the Christie children getting together for reading of their father's will. Of course, it's not exactly what they'd expected, which throws them into quite the tizzy. Vivienne doesn't have much of a choice other than to do as she's directed to--you can't live on nothing, after all. So after packing and preparing and waiting for the fighting to be over, she heads to Kimberly and her father's diamond mine.

What she doesn't expect is to see her rogue of a husband there. And she definitely doesn't know what to think of his efforts to get back in her good graces--or into her bed. The fireworks between the two are zingy hot. And the dialog deliciously cutting.

Carrie Lofty's vivid descriptions cover both the lush landscape and the workers' pitiful living conditions. And her characters are moving and beautifully written. I just have one teeny tiny problem. All throughout the book were missed punctuation errors, specifically where it referred to Miles in the possessive form. That would be "Miles'" not "Miles's". Yes, I'm nit-picky like that. Feel free to blame it on my English-teacher mother. And I'll volunteer to proof-read the other books in the series, just in case... *grin*

drey's rating: Pick it up!

Have you read Flawless? What did you think?

Review: 132. Summer in the South by Cathy Holton...

Cathy Holton is this month's Featured Author, and Summer in the South is her latest novel...


Title: Summer in the South
Author: Cathy Holton
ISBN-13: 9780345506016
Hardcover:
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Cathy Holton

drey's thoughts:
Summer in the South is a story about a young woman who's trying to figure out her life--who she is and what she wants. She's rallying though the loss of her mother and getting dumped by her lover, when a college friend offers her sanctuary at his family's home in a small town in Tennessee.

Ava hopes the solitude will spark her creative juices and get her started on writing again. She hopes to find out about her roots, and reaches out to the man who might be her father. What she gets is some of that, along with a decades-old mystery that nobody will talk about. Of course, this being a polite Southern town, nobody's actually going to tell her outright to let sleeping dogs lie. They'll just hint at it instead, even while knowing that this Yankee gal isn't going to get it...

I enjoyed Ava's journey, even when I thought that she was a little clueless at times and a little stubborn at others. I also enjoyed reading passages from the novel she's writing, even though I was confused at first--was this history, or her imaginings?

Summer in the South is a lovely piece of Southern fiction that'll immerse you in its hospitality and gentility. Enjoy it with a glass of sweet tea.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Forever Texas Tour Part 2: 131. Heartstrings and Diamond Rings by Jane Graves...

Here's Part 2 of the 3-parter that is today's Forever Texas tour organized by Hachette Book Group for two delish contemporary romances.

The second book in the Forever Texas Tour is Jane Graves' Heartstrings and Diamond Rings.

About Jane Graves:
Jane Graves is the author of eighteen contemporary romance novels. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's Rita Award, the industry's highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Booksellers' Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others.

Jane’s books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, with three titles reaching the Top 100 on Amazon Germany. Her most recent release, TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS, appeared on the Barnes & Noble Bestseller List. Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband of twenty-nine years and a beautiful but crafty cat who rules the household with one paw tied behind her back.

Find Jane online at her website www.janegraves.com, and on facebook and twitter.

About Heartstrings and Diamond Rings: 

HE'S THE MAN OF HER DREAMS . . .

In a world full of frogs, Alison Carter is determined to find her prince. Maybe her dating past is more Titanic than Love Boat, but she's seen enough happy marriages to know that true love is possible. No matter what, she won't give up on happily-ever-after. If she can't find Mr. Right, she'll simply hire someone who can.

SHE JUST DOESN'T KNOW IT YET

When Brandon Scott inherits a successful matchmaking business, he thinks his prayers have been answered. Set up a few lonely ladies, collect the fee, how hard can it be? No one needs to know he's not really a professional matchmaker-especially not his first client, the beautiful, spirited Alison. Soon he's falling for her-and her dreams of kids and carpools. But Alison is getting close to figuring out his secret, and if she learns he's deceived her too, she'll walk right out the door, taking Brandon's heart with her.

ISBN-13: 9780446568487
Paperback: 402 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Hachette Book Group

drey's thoughts:
Heartstrings and Diamond Rings is a sweet contemporary romance with a matchmaking man at the heart of it. A man who has nothing left to lose, except maybe his dignity... And his heart. Brandon is charming and smart, not to mention gorgeous. He's in this matchmaking gig temporarily, just until he makes enough money to move on to what he's really interested in--real estate. His attempts at matches for Alison are seemingly normal, but end up to be completely ridiculous. I think he subconsciously did it on purpose just to have her banging on his door after each date... *grin*

Alison. Now Alison I have a wee problem with. I'm not much of a fan of a gal who's so stuck with the idea of marriage and family that she'd settle to get it. Yes, it's a pain digging thru crap to find the diamond, but if you don't dig thru it, you end up with it. And that's no way to start a happily-ever-after. She eventually comes to her senses (who wouldn't, it's Brandon we're talking about!), but is it too late?

Never mind that. This is a romance novel after all. Come and check this out--"watching" Brandon figure out matchmaking is worth it!

drey's rating: Pick it up! 

A note from Jane Graves:

Plano, Texas is a perfect setting for my series because it's an exercise in contrast, just as my characters are. In West Plano, people live in McMansions, drive Lexus SUVs, drink a lot of Starbucks coffee, and play a lot of golf. West Plano is upper-class Texas living with a sprinkle of glitter and a swimming pool in every backyard. East Plano used to be home only to blue collar folks who live in fifty-year-old tract homes with pickup trucks out front. Then the light rail came through and connected Plano to downtown Dallas, and the old downtown area was revitalized with trendy condos, restaurants, and bars. East Plano is middle-class Texas living with a touch of urban cool.


Alison Carter from HEARTSTRINGS AND DIAMOND RINGS owns a condo in downtown Plano, while the hero of that book, Brandon Scott, lives in a Victorian house on the edge of downtown he inherited from his grandmother. Because of its diversity, Plano, Texas gives me a great opportunity to show who my characters are by where they choose to live.

Forever Texas Tour Part 1: 130. Don't Mess with Texas by Christie Craig!

Hoo boy! Hold on to your horses everybody, today's going to be a busy busy day!

I'm participating in the Forever Texas tour organized by Hachette Book Group for two delish contemporary romances. There's lots of stuff for this tour, so take your time and grab a cup of tea/coffee. I split up the post into three segments that'll all go up today, so keep an eye out!

First up is Christie Craig's Don't Mess with Texas. Who would, with a title like that?

About Christie Craig:
Award-winning author Christie Craig grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she's still fascinated with lightning bugs and mostly wears shoes, but focuses on rescuing mammals and hasn't kissed a frog in years. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats, one dog (who has a bad habit of eating furniture), a son, and a prince of a husband who swears he's not, and never was, a frog.

Find Christie online at her website www.christie-craig.com, on facebook and twitter.


About Don't Mess with Texas: 

Nikki Hunt thought her night couldn't get worse when her no-good, cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the bill. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three-thousand-dollar suit. Now not only is Nikki nearly broke, she's a murder suspect.

Former cop turned PI, Dallas O'Connor knows what it's like to be unjustly accused. But one look at the sexy--though skittish--suspect tells him she couldn't hurt anyone. The lead detective, Dallas's own brother, has the wrong woman and Dallas hopes a little late-night "undercover" work will help him prove it . . .

ISBN-13: 9780446582841
Paperback: 428 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Hachette Book Group

drey's thoughts:
Christie Craig always makes me laugh, and Don't Mess with Texas is no exception... The cast of characters are interesting and varied. Their issues are all love-related. And the murder-mystery is a doozy. What's a suspect to do?

Well, how about not falling for the hunky PI who swears he's just helping her out? Never mind that he's gorgeous, oh-so-earnest about helping her out, and have I mentioned gorgeous? I have? Well, I guess it bore repeating... And I guess the "don't fall in love" warning really doesn't belong in a romance novel, does it?

Anyway. Prepare to be entertained if you pick this up. And you'll pick this up if you like your love stories hot, funny, and with more than a dash of cheek.

drey's rating: Excellent!

Have you read Don't Mess with Texas? What did you think?

Christie Craig presents: 15 Things you’ll learn from Don’t Mess With Texas that might surprise you

1. Never, ever feed a dog broccoli.
2. You might be surprised how the weight of a dead body in the trunk of your car can go unnoticed.
3. Don’t ever joke about killing your ex . . . in front of witnesses.
4. In the right situation, vomiting on someone can endear them to you.
5. When a good-looking detective steals your underwear, he may not be a pervert; he could just be looking for blood splatter evidence.
6. Some men think hospital gowns are sexy, especially when a breeze comes by and a detective already stole your underwear.
7. When your grandmother is getting more action than you are, something’s not right with that picture.
8. Bed bugs are nasty little creatures but they can come in handy when trying to get someone to fall back in love with you.
9. In the right set of circumstances, morphine can be an aphrodisiac.
10. The consumption of five cupcakes when your heart is hurting is not always a bad thing.
11. The way a couple shares an ice cream cone tell the viewing public if they’re sharing bodily fluids.
12. Nothing can bring all the unresolved issues to the surface in a romance more than finding a naked woman in your boyfriend’s bedroom.
13. The journey to fall in love isn’t all sweetness and light; it can also have its darker moments where you hurt like hell but it’s still a journey that makes life worth living.
14. Love can make you laugh so hard you pee in your pants, but it can also make you feel like as though a pit bull just used your heart as a chew toy.
15. Things really are hotter in Texas.

Don't forget there are two more posts coming up!