BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Showing posts with label Harper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harper. Show all posts

Monday, January 26, 2015

Quote-Tastic: Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper


Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

"Better Homes and Hauntings" was a disappointing book but it had some humorous moments. After being awoken in the middle of the night by screams, a group of workers, including our heroine, find themselves at loose ends. This little bit made me laugh.



Nina looked up at Deacon. "What are we going to do now?"
Deacon only shook his head. "I have no idea."
Jake adjusted the basketball shorts he wore as pajamas. "Well, I'm wide awake. Being jolted into consciousness by bloodcurdling screams will do that."
Dotty ran her fingers through her hair and gave a forced, cheerful smile. "We're playing Vodka Pursuit!" Nina asked, "What is Vodka Pursuit?"
"It's like Trivial Pursuit, only with more vodka. It will cheer everybody up, trust me. It will help." Dotty jumped off the bed and went scampering down the hall, yelling for Stolichnaya and pie pieces.
Jake glanced at the clock, which read 12:42."This is not going to end well."

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Bea Reviews I'm Dreaming of An Undead Christmas by Molly Harper

Publisher: PocketStar
Series: Half Moon Hollow #2.7
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review 
Release Date: November 17, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Kobo* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Experience the vampire world for the holidays through the eyes of Gigi Scanlon in this e-novella prequel to The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire from beloved paranormal romance author Molly Harper!

College co-ed Gigi is headed home to Half-Moon Hollow for her first Christmas since her sister, Iris, was turned into a vampire by her beloved undead husband, Cal. Iris is working overtime to make this holiday as normal and special as possible. After all, it’s taken her months of working with Jane Jameson and the Hollow’s vampires to convince herself that she won’t bite her baby sister on sight.

Gigi has her own worries. She’s falling out of love with her high school sweetheart, Ben, and has no idea how to tell him. She’s got a secret job interview with terrifying teen Council official, Ophelia Lambert. And there’s a handsome but cagey vampire following her around town and then disappearing before Gigi can confirm that he’s not, in fact, a figment of her fertile imagination. Holidays with family are complicated. Christmas with an undead family can be downright dangerous.
 

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Bea Reviews Better Homes And Hauntings by Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Books 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Author of the beloved Half Moon Hollow series of vampire romances (Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs), Molly Harper has created a standalone paranormal romance in which a dilapidated haunted house could bring star-crossed lovers together—if it doesn’t kill them first!

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

GIVEAWAY! Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

Thanks to friend and former reviewer Liz, I have a print copy of Molly Harper's newest release, "Better Homes and Hauntings", to give away. It's for US residents only. Enter using the rafflecopter below. Please read the Giveway Policy.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18755773-better-homes-and-hauntings 


Author of the beloved Half Moon Hollow series of vampire romances (Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs), Molly Harper has created a standalone paranormal romance in which a dilapidated haunted house could bring star-crossed lovers together—if it doesn’t kill them first!

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Monday, May 26, 2014

Bea Reviews Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Books
Series: Jane Jameson #4
Format Read: paper ARC
Source: publisher for participatjng in an online conference
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads: SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS

Just as Jane Jameson's unlife seems to be stabilizing, fate sinks its fangs firmly into her butt. Despite her near-phobia of wedding planning, her no-frills nighttime nuptials to her sexy boyfriend, Gabriel, are coming along smoothly. That is, until she turns a fatally wounded teenage acquaintance, and the Council pronounces her responsible for the newborn vamp until he can control his thirst.

Jane's kitchen barely holds enough Faux Type O to satiate the cute teen's appetite and maintain Gabriel's jealous streak at a slow simmer. As if keeping her hyperactive childe from sucking the blood out of the entire neighbourhood isn't enough to deal with, the persnickety ghost of Jane's newly deceased grandma Ruthie has declared war on the fanged residents of River Oaks. Suddenly choosing monogrammed cocktail napkins and a cake she can't even eat seems downright relaxing in comparison.

Tensions inside the house are growing...and outside, a sinister force is aiming a stake straight for the center of Gabriel's heart. Most brides just have to worry about choosing the right dress, but Jane fears that, at this rate, she'll never make it down the aisle for the wedding all nice girls dream of...

Monday, March 31, 2014

Bea Reviews A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Books
Series: Half Moon Hollow #2
Format Read: paperback
Source: my local library
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A new comedic paranormal romance featuring a witch who finds love while searching for a magical artifact and set in the same “terrific vamp camp” (Publishers Weekly) world of Half Moon Hollow as the Nice Girls series. 

Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: The artifacts are lost somewhere in vampire Jane Jameson’s occult bookshop. Complication Two: Her new neighbor Jed Trudeau keeps turning up half-naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially since Jed’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard. Can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

Monday, March 3, 2014

Quote-Tastic #38 Wait, it's unfair to leave a girl not quite dry!


Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

I read a light and fluffy paranormal romance, "A Witch's Handbook to Kisses and Curses", by Molly Harper. I loved her Naked Werewolf series and liked the sound of this so I got it from my library. It had lots of funny scenes and lines, picking one was hard. 

Friday, February 28, 2014

The Friday 56 #17 A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper


This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.


I'm reading a paranormal romance, "A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses" by Molly Harper. The quote is from page 56 in the paperback.


I didn't know how to feel about this. I'd pictured Mr. Wainwright as this lonely little hermit, living above his shop. And somehow, that's what I wanted. He'd left my Nana Fee alone all those years. Some part of me was unsure that I wanted him to be this happy. I'd never understood why Nana Fee never married Jimmy O'Shea, a charming bachelor who lived down the lane. He had been courting Nana Fee since they were in school. But she'd refused him, so many times. His failed proposals were the stuff of legend in Kilcairy.

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

My Favorite Books of 2011 So Far



So today's Armchair BEA topic is our favorite books so far in 2011. Surprisingly, that wasn't easy to decide at first. But after thinking about it, I came up with some. So, in no particular order, my fave books so far in 2011:

"These Things Hidden" by Michelle Gudenkauf - It grabbed me from the first page and I didn't put it down until I finished it. By turns, agonizing, hopeful, emotional and coldly rational, it was a fascinating read about families, choices, and what we do in the name of love.
"Shackled" by Morgan Ashbury - A sweet mix of erotica and romance that's also a nice intro to the world of bandage and dominance and 
submission. Not perfect, but well done.















 "The Gathering" by Kelley Armstrong - Sigh. I wouldn't change a single thing about this book. Do you like YA? Do you like Urban Fantasy? Want a break from vamps and weres? READ THIS BOOK.


















"How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf" by Molly Harper - Slightly misleading title, but fun story, well written. A light read but not silly or stupid and lots of likable characters.















"The Survivor" by Sean Slater - Grim, gritty, full of twists and turns and multi-layered, this is not your basic murder mystery or procedural (though it was fun me, a US citizen, to learn about Canadian police procedures), it's not a happy feel-good but it's smart, solid, and hard to put down.















Very good and very HAWT. This is a well written, engaging book. Cleansing, lots of yummy smex, solid, well written, and not a blind drunk monkey anywhere in sight, lol

Heh, I read this after I read an incredibly badly written romance that left me needing to cleanse my mind. This book sure fit the bill. :D













These aren't the only good ones this year, it's actually been a good year for books so far. I hope the rest of the year will be as good.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Review of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release date: February 22nd, 2011

More info: goodreads

Series: #1 in the Naked Werewolf series

Book Blurb:

Northern Exposure

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.
 
For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.
 
If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

My Thoughts:

I had not read Ms. Harper before, but friends of mine who had, raved about her, so when I had a chance to get this one, I took it. I knew it would  be light and probably humorous. It was. It was also well written, a light romance with some depth and some good writing. I enjoyed it very much.

Mo and Cooper are the cliched couple who are physically attracted to each other but don't like each other so they try to resist. Harper makes their dislike feel real and not forced so it took me a while to realize the cliche she was using. Their relationship develops over time instead of happening instantly or in a brief period of time. Harper allows things to unfold naturally and doesn't rush them.

Mo is from the mainland of the USA, specifically Mississippi. She makes the radical move from the Deep South to Alaska, despite not having a job lined up, because her life needs shaking up and she really, REALLY wants to put distance between herself and her parents. Mo and her fiancee called off their engagement and she doesn't want to stay in her small town. Plus, her parents make her crazy, especially her mother. Her parents are hippies who have never quite transitioned out of being hippies and her mother tries to run her life, even letting herself into Mo's home and throwing out any food that she disapproves of.

So Mo moves to Alaska where the women are scarce and the men are eager to court them. She gets a job, makes friends, and in short order realizes that the wolf she has encountered on several occasions is actually hunky, cranky Cooper, trail guide. She begins to wonder if Cooper may be the wolf responsible for attacking and killing some of the locals. Cooper himself believes that he may be (Harper's werewolves sometimes have trouble recalling their actions while in wolf form). The wolf attacks are devastating to the town and the local US Forestry ranger, Alan Dahling, is working overtime trying to track the wolf responsible.

The story is primarily a romance with paranormal and mystery elements but it's really Mo's blossoming and finding her place in Grundy which really held my interest. Mo is strong and stubborn without being  TSTL, or too stupid to live; she's smart, funny, loyal, and able to admit when she's wrong. Harper is funny and sharp, I tweeted some of my favorite lines as I was reading the book - "Wait a minute, I recognized that scowl. That was Cooper's scowl. That was Cooper's sister." "So, it's like an olfactory chastity belt?" "Werewolves could be such horndogs." were among them.

Overall, this is a funny, easy sweet read that doesn't skimp on story or development.

This paperback was received from the publisher for review.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Guest Post by Molly Harper

 Molly Harper , author of novels such as "Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs" and "Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men" recently wrote and shared with us, and other bloggers, a post about being snowed in. That experience led to her upcoming release, "How to Flirt with A Naked Werewolf". Read on to find out the details. 

     An ice storm. Stranded in a strange, isolated place without power. Children with an unsettling ability to win staring contests. This is how horror movies start.

     Watching the news coverage as cities across the Midwest are pelted by the much-touted historic blizzard, I’m having strange sympathy pangs. In January 2009, an ice storm ripped through Kentucky, taking out power and phone lines for thousands of homes, including mine. The first night I spent camped out in my in-laws’ darkened living room with my two young children, I was sure this was just a temporary blip.  It was going to be a funny story we could tell the next winter. As in, “Remember that night we had to sleep on an air mattress in front of Grandma’s fireplace and cook on a gas grill in the garage?”

     By the sixth night, I was no longer amused.

     Over the next week, Kentuckians were cold, cranky and progressively ill-groomed. I returned to my dark, cold house to forage for supplies one afternoon, only to find my neighbor shaving his head in his driveway. I sincerely hoped that was related to the lack of electricity and not just a personality quirk I'd never noticed before. Neighborhood block parties have been stilted and awkward since.

     But I managed to channel my cabin fever, before going the full fire-ax-through-bedroom-door and elevator-full-of-blood route. I started writing. Having recently published the Nice Girls books, a vampire romance series about an undead librarian in small-town Kentucky, I’d already decided that I wanted to write a werewolf story. And being isolated, in the dark, in an increasingly crowded, enclosed space, I decided to set the story in the frozen regions of Alaska.

     While we waited for the power to come back on, I wrote about twenty pages of notes by candlelight.  What emerged was the story of Mo Wenstein, a woman who moves across the country to escape her intrusive hippie parents and make a life for herself in the remote town of Grundy, Alaska. Cantankerous neighbor Cooper has been giving Mo a hard time about her place in her new community since day one. But when Cooper stumbles onto her porch, naked, with a bear trap clamped around his ankle, she realizes there’s more to him than a surly- though attractive- surface. A series of werewolf attacks, for which Cooper may or may not be responsible, dysfunctional werewolf clan drama, and romantic hijinks ensue.

     The manuscript grew over the next few months and became HOW TO FLIRT WITH A NAKED WEREWOLF, which is due to be released by Pocket Books on Feb. 22, wherever books are sold.  The sequel, THE ART OF SEDUCING A NAKED WEREWOLF, will follow on March 29.

     So, while the encroaching claustrophobia is frustrating, make the best of your snow days. Use the milk, eggs and bread you hoarded to make French toast. Plow through the To-Be-Read pile of paperbacks on your nightstand.  Write journal entries about the sights, sounds and emotions you’re experiencing as a blizzard survivor.

     You never know.  You could turn this experience into your first manuscript.

Note: This post was provided by Ms. Harper's publisher, Simon & Schuster.