Give Away & Spotlight On: The Taken by Vicki Pettersson

Urban fantasy author Vicki Pettersson, author of the popular Zodiac series, has expanded her repertoire to include mystery. She has a UF mystery noir series, Celestial Blues, and the first book, "The Taken", was released a few days ago on June 12th. I haven't been wildly impressed with the one book and two short stories in her Zodiac series but I do like mysteries so I will give this book a try.

At the end of this post is a giveaway.

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Photo from author website

A little about Vicki: She's the author of the NYT-bestselling Signs of the Zodiac series – a six-book urban fantasy series set in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Vicki holds a BA in English, essentially qualifying her for nothing (her words, not mine! ~ Bea), which was why she opted for a decade-long career as a showgirl in the now-retired Folies Bergere. That’s fine; she's now retired too, passing the time as a scribbler until she's old enough to join the cast of the Palm Springs Folies (55 is the minimum age requirement). There she hopes to once again fritter away her nights with sequins, eyelash glue, and her best girlfriends. You gotta have a dream, right? Besides, you know the saying: You can take the girl out of the show, but you can’t take the show out of the girl.

Since Vicki has a few years yet before she can un-retire, she's now writing a new supernatural noir trilogy, also set in Vegas, but with an entirely new world and cast of characters. Featuring a supernatural private eye, and a rockabilly reporter with a nose for trouble, the Celestial Blues series debuts with THE TAKEN, on July 12, 2012.

She currently divides her time between her family in Las Vegas and Dallas. It’s a hell of a commute.

By the way, Pettersson is pronounced “Pet-ter-suhn” – it’s Swedish.

Book Blurb:

He’s a fallen angel. She’s a rockabilly reporter. Together they must solve a deadly string of murders plaguing the mortal and the immortal worlds.

Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was over fifty years ago when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Now he’s a Centurion, an angel who assists other murdered souls through their journey to the afterlife. But while Shaw might be an angel … he’s no saint. Haunted by the mysterious events surrounding his own death, he seizes a chance to wreak some vengeance when he witnesses a deadly attack on journalist Katherine “Kit” Craig.

Joining forces, the unlikely avengers take to the streets, hunting a killer whose trail of bodies stretches across Las Vegas and into an immortal netherworld. It is a dangerous trek that lead them into the darkest corners of Sin City and into the heart of an evil conspiracy extending beyond the lights of the Strip that could destroy them both.

But destruction isn’t the only threat Griffin faces. The closer he gets to Kit, the more he finds himself bewitched by her mortal charms. Can he resist falling under her spell? And does he want to?

THE TAKEN
By: Vicki Pettersson
Publisher: Harper Voyager
ISBN: 9780062064646
Genre: FICTION, URBAN FANTASY, MYSTERY
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 711 KB, 432 pages
Release Date: JUNE 12, 2012
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Thanks to Harper, I have one paperback copy of "The Taken" for one lucky US resident. Harper will mail the book directly to the winner. 

To enter, follow the directions in the rafflecopter widget.

Please read my Giveaway policy. 

Using Personal Stories In Writing: A Guest Post by Linda Lael Miller & A "Big Sky Country" Excerpt

 
I'm sure you've wondered, as I sometimes do, when reading whether the author has used anything from their personal life, real events, in their writing. Have you ever thought about whether or not an author should use personal events? Romance author Linda Lael Miller offers up her opinion today.

Photo from author website

As the daughter of a town marshal, Linda has come home to the western lifestyle that gave birth to one of today’s most successful authors. She left Washington years ago and pursued her wanderlust, living in Arizona and London and traveling the world. Now the author of more than 100 novels, the “First Lady of the West” is glad to be back home, writing contemporary and historical stories that have earned her awards and placements on all the national bestsellers lists.

Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold FLETCHER’S WOMAN in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Linda’s 2011 contemporary Creed Cowboy trilogy—A CREED IN STONE CREEK, CREED’S HONOR and THE CREED LEGACY, released in March, June and July, respectively—each debuted in the number one position on the New York Times bestseller list.

First up is Linda's guest post, then a brief excerpt and book info at the end. Enjoy!
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 Using personal stories in writing: do or don’t?

Yes, I use personal stories in writing, but they’re usually heavily disguised or simply a jumping-off point for working out the plot.  For example, my dad told me lots of stories about his youth, and many of them served to inspire story ideas—especially the ones about old-time ranchers and the rodeo circuit.  A particular favorite concerned one of his employers, a bachelor farmer whose hay crop was ruined by a sudden hard rain, with some hail mixed in for good measure.  This man was outside his cabin when Dad saw him from a wisely-chosen hiding place nearby, stark naked except for work boots and socks, shaking his fist at the heavens and challenging God to “come down and fight, you so-and-so.” Modified, this became the opening scene in my historical romance, “Memory’s Embrace”, in which the hero is arguing with God.  In Keith Corbin’s case, though, his anger was tied in with a deep spiritual belief, since he was a minister.  Another favorite came from my mother, who was raised in Choteau, Montana.  It seems there was an elderly bar-fly who rode his horse to town every day of his life and tied him up in front of the saloon.  The old man eventually died, but the horse came to town anyway, for days on end, and stood there patiently waiting.  I used that one, too, in “The Man from Stone Creek”.  Any writings about story-telling and its effect on my writing would be incomplete without the fabulous tales my honorary grandmother, Florence Wiley, told about her childhood outside of Coffeyville, Kansas.  She actually remembered hearing the shots the day the Dalton brothers tried to rob the bank in town.  Later, the dead outlaws were strapped to boards and displayed along main street, to show the wages of sin is death.  Fortunately, grandma’s parents were forward-thinking people for their time and didn’t take the kids in from the farm to see the grim exhibition, but plenty of others did.  On another occasion, a man rode up to the gate and stood talking with Grandma’s pa, who was working in the field.   The man slept in the family barn that night, and his name was Jesse James.

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Excerpt

Practically everybody I knew said I ought to put you up for adoption, once I knew John had intended to marry someone else all along, but I just couldn’t do it. I guess it was selfish of me, but you were my boy and I wanted to see you grow up.”

“I know,” Slade said, as he stooped to kiss her forehead. He’d heard all of it before, after all, and while he understood Callie’s personal regrets, the fact of the matter was, he was glad she’d kept him. She’d sacrificed a lot, working long hours to build the business that had supported them both, though just barely sometimes, passing up more than one chance to get married, move away from Parable and finally enjoy a degree of respectability.

Instead, she’d stuck it out, right there in the old hometown, where she believed she had every right to be, as did her son, whether John Carmody, his high-society bride or the snootier locals had liked it or not.

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Book Blurb (from author website):

The illegitimate son of a wealthy rancher, Sheriff Slade Barlow grew up in a trailer hitched to the Curly-Burly hair salon his mother runs. He was never acknowledged by his father…until now. Suddenly, Slade has inherited half of Whisper Creek Ranch, one of the most prosperous in Parable, Montana. That doesn’t sit well with his half brother, Hutch, who grew up with all the rights of a Carmody—including the affections of Joslyn Kirk, homecoming queen, rodeo queen, beauty queen, whom Slade has never forgotten.

But Joslyn is barely holding her head up these days as she works to pay back everyone her crooked stepfather cheated. With a town to protect, plus a rebellious teenage stepdaughter, Slade has his hands full. But someone has to convince Joslyn that she’s responsible only for her own actions—such as her effect on this lawman’s guarded heart.

BIG SKY COUNTRY
By: Linda Lael Miller
Publisher: HQN Books
ISBN: 9780373776436
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, CONTEMPORARY
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 248 pages
Release Date: May 29, 2012
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The Sunday Post #6 - Weekly Recap & Mailbox

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 
~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

This week I had two reviews: Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante and Star Trek FAQ: Everything Left to Know about the First Voyages of the Starship Enterprise (dang, that's a mouthful! lol) by Mark Clark.


I had my monthly Dusty Reads meme, and a guest post by romance author Ruthie Knox.

Purchased

I've been anxious for this since Kelley announced it. It has a reprint, a new story, and the first seven chapters of the next, and final, WotO book, 13. 

I also got some books at my library's used book sale, for only 50 cents each. They're all mystery/action/thriller and three are romantic suspense.

Kindle Freebies

Nothing received for review this week, but one is on the way and I'm still waiting for the book I won.

How was your week, what did you get and what have you been up to? Leave me a link in your comment and I'll come visit.

Review of Star Trek FAQ: by Mark Clark

Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books
Series: Star Trek FAQ #1
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Star Trek FAQ tells the complete story of Star Trek, from the before the beginning (the books, films, and TV shows that inspired producer Gene Roddenberry to create Star Trek) until after the end (when the show emerged as a cultural phenomenon in syndication), and including dramatic behind-the-scenes stories (e.g., Leonard Nimoy's struggle with alcoholism and actress Grace Lee Whitney's controversial firing) often omitted from "authorized" histories of the program. Along with in-depth looks at the pre- and post-Trek careers of the show's iconic leads, Star Trek FAQ includes profiles of guest stars and "redshirt" extras alike, as well as the many writers, technicians, and artisans whose efforts enabled Star Trek to take flight. The book also explores the show's unprecedented resurgence in the 1970s with chapters devoted to early Star Trek fiction, merchandising, and the short-lived animated series. Combining a wealth of fascinating information about every facet of the show's production with original analysis of Star Trek's enduring appeal and cultural influence, Star Trek FAQ goes where no Star Trek book has gone before.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

YES! YES! YES!


See those three guys on the cover? Bones, Spock, and Kirk? My first tv crushes, my first real celebrity crushes. Now, Scotty is actually my favorite, but he didn't make the cover, boo hiss. Bones is my second favorite and it's a close call, they're practically tied for favorite. I have a photo of James Doohan as Scotty, SIGNED! Heck, Scotty is one of my nicknames (despite my utter lack of mechanical ability). So, yeah, when the egalley of this book became available for review, requesting it was only logical. :) I also ordered a print copy.


Call me a Trekkie, Trekker, Trekaholic, whatever. I'm not too picky about the term used. I'm a fan; not one who knows every last detail down to Zefram Cochrane's birthday (if I did, I wouldn't need the book, lol.) but more than just a casual fan, who, say, knows the names of the big 3 stars but none of others. I'm in the middle. I had a fair amount of knowledge already. That was a pretty good starting base for this book. Actually, this book would be good for the casual fan who wants to know more about the series, and also for the committed fan who wants or needs a new reference source.


This is a comprehensive book that looks at just about everything related to the show (there may be some things forgotten or left out but nothing comes to mind.) Clark made each chapter stand-alone so that the reader can easily skip chapters if they decide:

"While it's perfectly acceptable to read this book front to back, Star Trek FAQ has been designed for nonlinear consumption. Each chapter functions independently. Although this inevitably results in some duplication of information between sections, I have tried to minimize repetition. So feel free to flip around."

This format works well, and I recommend it over reading straight through as I did.

David Gerrold, who wrote the classic episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles" (or DID he? Read and find out.), in his forward to the book, talks about how much has already been written about Star Trek:

"Maybe it's time to call in the EPA. A new Star Trek movie or TV series will cause whole forests to be plowed under, cause the sea level to rise, and the deplete the oxygen levels of this planet. I fear for the future of humanity!

Okay, and maybe I had too much coffee this morning, too.".....

 "The important thing here is that a lot has been said about Star Trek and a lot of the stuff said about Star Trek has been like a game of Russian Telephone."...

The point being of course, that much has been written and said and passed on, but much of it is inaccurate. Clark pulls together numerous sources (there's a comprehensive bibliography), from the actors, the studio, producers, series writers, even TV Guide, and presents the facts. He does so in a chatty, easy to read, sometimes humorous, way that felt like I was talking about the show with one of my ST loving friends. He also goes beyond details such as who wrote which episode but gives us the behind the scenes info: in many instances Roddenberry re-wrote episodes, some so much so that it bore little resemblance to the script submitted by the credited writer. He also looks at the acting careers of the ST actors, all of them, before and after their stints on ST, looks at the various conflicts amongst actors and producers, talks about why ST had the impact it did, how it fits into TV's history of science fiction shows, influences, awards, Roddenberry's inspiration, etc. As I said, it's comprehensive.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who has any interest at all in the original Star Trek show. Clark is at work on a sequel, Star Trek FAQ 2.0, scheduled for 2013, that will look at the growth of the ST franchise, including the movies and the TV spin-off, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I received an egalley from the publisher for review.

Sex & Knitting: A Guest Post by Romance Author Ruthie Knox (and an excerpt!)

Hah! Bet you hadn't thought of those two topics together before, but Ruthie Knox, that clever woman, wove them together without a hitch. I was delighted to be asked to participate in her blog tour and she wrote this fun post for the blog. But first, a little about Ruthie, and at the end of the post, some shameless book promotion.

Ruthie Knox figured out how to walk and read at the same time in the second grade, and she hasn’t looked up since. She spent her formative years hiding romance novels in her bedroom closet to avoid the merciless teasing of her brothers and imagining scenarios in which someone who looked remarkably like Daniel Day Lewis recognized her well-hidden sex appeal and rescued her from middle-class Midwestern obscurity. After graduating from Grinnell College with an English and history double major, she earned a Ph.D. in modern British history that she’s put to remarkably little use.

These days, she writes contemporary romance in which witty, down-to- earth characters find each other irresistible in their pajamas, though she freely admits this has yet to happen to her. Perhaps she needs more exciting pajamas. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, came out with Loveswept (Random House) in February.

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On Sex and Knitting

So I wrote this very sexy romance novel, called About Last Night, and it’s just been released with Loveswept. And one of many things about the novel that the (truly wonderful) back cover copy does not mention is that there’s a heck of a lot of knitting in it.

Yes. I did that.

It wasn’t even on purpose, much. It just sort of happened. My heroine, Cath, is an assistant curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is putting on a fictional exhibit on the history of hand-knitting. I am a knitter, and I made Cath a knitter, and the next thing I knew, knitting had up and become a thing in the book. It might not even be a stretch to say it’s a theme.

Here’s Cath with her boss, Judith, talking shop:

With the silent coordination of long practice, she and Judith began refolding the sweaters for storage. “Speaking of withholding approval,” Judith said, “you’re going to have to rewrite that interwar section [of the exhibit catalog] again. Christopher wants it sexier.”

“There’s nothing sexy about knitting in 1930s Britain. It was the Depression. All the books are full of advice about how to darn socks and rip out old sweaters to reuse the same yarn over and over again.”

“You’ll find something. Think knitted underclothes. Fair Isle stockings.”

“Cervical-cap cozies?”

“Now you’re talking.”

Is this strange? Sometimes I have a hard time telling. It feels unusual, at least, for this sort of book. Because while there are any number of hearth-and-home, knit-your-heart-strings-together books that combine romance and knitting, this really isn’t a very hearth-and-homey novel. Cath is a tattooed recovering bad girl who meets the hero after he extricates her from a drunken mishap at the train station. She would never knit him a sweater. She’d be far more likely to knit him a G-string, or some bondage cuffs or something.

But I do think that Cath is representative of what knitting has become in recent years as any other heroine would be. This is an era of yarn-bombing, after all. Knitting has come into itself as a medium for both textile art and performance art. So why shouldn’t my artsy bad-girl heroine be a knitter? And why shouldn’t the relationship between knitting, love, and sex be a theme in the novel?

Well, maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t, but it was fun to write! I’ll leave you with a favorite knitting-related passage from late in the book. (Don’t worry — it’s not too spoilery.)

She put one foot in front of the other and shambled gracelessly into the office, where she found Judith sorting through dozens of pairs of knitted socks and stockings on the table.

“I thought you weren’t coming in today.”

“I wasn’t.” Cath dumped her purse on the floor and surveyed the limp, lifeless hosiery. Judith planned to include a feature on socks in the exhibit, but she’d struggled to come up with a way to make them interesting. The subject of hand-knit socks made the eyes of all but the most devoted knitters glaze right over.

“I thought you were in the countryside with Banker Ken.”

“I was.”

In order to avoid thinking about Nev, Cath put on a pair of gloves and picked up one of a pair of kilt hose. Knit in the traditional cream wool, the stocking was absurdly long and nearly as big around as her waist at the top. It must have been made for a very tall, very brawny Highlander. She wondered if the dolt had known that whoever knit him these socks loved his hairy kilted ass. No woman would make dressy kilt hose for a man she didn’t love. There were tens of thousands of stitches in the damn things.

But even love had its variations. Had the artist spent the eternity of rounds counting all the ways she adored him, or had she resented the waste, knowing he’d only sweat in her masterpiece and wear through the heels in no time flat?

God, even kilt hose depressed her.

Judith gave her an inscrutable look. “I got a strange phone call this morning from Christopher.”

“Oh?” She tried to sound as though she cared, but her voice had all the verve of a funeral director’s. She was going to have to get better at faking things if she planned to survive this breakup.

“Richard Chamberlain called him at home last night and said he’d be making a hundred-thousand-pound donation to our exhibit. Any chance you had something to do with that?”

She crushed the stocking in her hand, suddenly nauseated. Richard had called last night? But that was long after she’d left, long after he’d learned who she really was. Why would he do that?

Maybe he’d done it out of duty. He’d felt honor-bound to make the donation despite his disappointment in her, so he’d gotten it over with as quickly as possible. The thought upset her so much, a helpless, mewling cry escaped her throat, and she covered her mouth with her hand, breathing in the smell of musty wool.

“You can’t take the money,” she said through the stocking. “I’m sorry, but it’s all a big mistake.”

Judith gave her a long look, then resumed peering at a red patch of darning on the toe of an undistinguished man’s work sock. Someone had embroidered a tiny, perfect owl onto it. Another I love you rendered in stitches and string.

“The money is a done deal,” Judith said. “I would be congratulating you, only you look like you’re about ten seconds from offing yourself.” She frowned deeper and mumbled, “Maybe you should tell me what happened.”

“No.”

“Fine.”

They played with socks, pretending absorption.

For another excerpt, click here.
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Book Blurb:

Sure, opposites attract, but in this sexy, smart eBook original romance from Ruthie Knox, they positively combust! When a buttoned-up banker falls for a bad girl, “about last night” is just the beginning.

Cath Talarico knows a mistake when she makes it, and God knows she’s made her share. So many, in fact, that this Chicago girl knows London is her last, best shot at starting over. But bad habits are hard to break, and soon Cath finds herself back where she has vowed never to go . . . in the bed of a man who is all kinds of wrong: too rich, too classy, too uptight for a free-spirited troublemaker like her.

Nev Chamberlain feels trapped and miserable in his family’s banking empire. But beneath his pinstripes is an artist and bohemian struggling to break free and lose control. Mary Catherine — even her name turns him on — with her tattoos, her secrets, and her gamine, sex-starved body, unleashes all kinds of fantasies.

When blue blood mixes with bad blood, can a couple that is definitely wrong for each other ever be perfectly right? And with a little luck and a lot of love, can they make last night last a lifetime?

ABOUT LAST NIGHT
By: Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House)
ISBN: 9780345535160
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, CONTEMPORARY
Format: EBOOK
Length:  1942 KB, 216 pages
Release Date: JUNE 11, 2012
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Buying Links:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Random House

Now, let me leave you with a question - do you think knitting has any place in a romance novel? Does it give you warm, fuzzy feelings, sexy feelings, or does it just make you think of mothballs?

Review of Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Buying Links:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Isabel Gallegos is only a handshake away from living her dream life. After years of putting everyone else's needs before her own, she's selling her family's vineyard and moving to a quiet cottage on the California coast. But just as she's about to seal the deal, a letter arrives from Argentina with shocking news: Her beloved cousin has died and Isabel is now the sole guardian of three young children. 

 Still holding on to her dream, Isabel travels to Argentina. There she meets little Julieta, the cherubic baby of the family; eight-year-old Adelmo, as hot-tempered as his sister is sweet; and ten-year-old Sandra, whose heart-shaped face and quiet confidence remind Isabel so much of her late cousin. She tells herself to let the children go, to leave them in the care of their grandmother or perhaps their long-lost uncle who abruptly reappears. Or should she listen to her ex-husband, who is suddenly at her side, urging her to give the children--and him--a chance?

 If she's willing to take a risk, three tiny strangers just might change Isabel's life in ways she's never imagined.

Teaser:

"He needs to be understood and loved. He needs us to be on his side, Isabel. Everything is new and scary for him, even if he tries to be tough."

"I know that." She resented that Nick felt he had to instruct her on how to deal with kids. What made him any more qualified than she was? The way he'd taken over when he had no right to do so made her angry. But then, a huge part of her was glad that he'd handled it, and that, made her even angrier. "But the children are my responsibility. My obligation to raise them the way I see fit. I don't want you to interfere again like you did today."

"They're not my responsibility or my obligation, Isabel. Sometimes people do things because they want to, not because they're supposed to."

 Was that a slap in the face? She tried hard to control her temper.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I requested "Say You'll Be Mine" in part because of it's vineyard setting and in part because of it's storyline. The vineyard setting lived up to expectation, the rest was a mixed bag. The blurb is pretty accurate and in some respects sounds like one we've seen before: single character finds him/herself suddenly responsible for a relative or friend's child; can they cope, will they find love with the person who appears or reappears in their life and is all kinds of helpful. It's a plot line we've seen in womens fiction and in romance. This book was marketed as a general fiction title so I expected that it would be lighter on the romance, heavier on the family stuff and maybe a bit heavier on the literary side. As a result, I was discombobulated for about the first third of the book until I realized and accepted that I was wrong and adjusted my expectations. It read a lot like a Harlequin romance, which is not intended as a put-down. It simply wasn't what I thought I was getting.


Perhaps as a result of my mixed up expectations, I had a hard time getting into the book. I would put it down to eat, or feed the cat, or what have you, and I'd be reluctant to pick it back up again. Several times, I almost talked myself into giving up on it. In the end, I finished it. It was okay, but not one I expect I'll read again.


I had a hard time connecting with Isabel; while I understood her shock at becoming guardian to her cousin's children, and her struggle to come to terms with it, she was so adamant about not even trying, refusing to give up her plans and dreams, and jumped at the chance to dump them on someone else. She had to choose between her dreams and her obligations. I understood it intellectually, but emotionally, it just rubbed me the wrong way. They do end up living with her, for a while at least, and that was when I started to connect and to like her more. She makes mistakes, but she is genuinely trying, and she comes to care about them over time. Helping her is her ex-husband, who still works with her at her family's vineyard and even lives on the grounds. He forcibly inserts himself into her family crisis, against her wishes, and  of course, the kids love him and everything he does. Isabel, meanwhile, is the meanie who took them from their homeland; it doesn't help that she hadn't seen them in many years and they had no recollection of her at all. It's all very soap opera-ish.


The teaser above is a good illustration of Isabel and Nick's relationship (Nick being her ex-husband): she's insecure and defensive, he simply takes over, and they snipe at each other. That scene happens after one of the children, Adelmo, is physically attacked by an older boy at school who has been bullying him. He gets in trouble for fighting in self-defense and Isabel and Nick are called. The boy and his friends had been bullying Adelmo for a while, he had casually mentioned it to Isabel (he's casual because he doesn't want to seem scared or incompetent.), she dismisses it as unimportant, but when he tells Nick, Nick is there for him immediately. It was one of many instances where AmanteAmante's dismissal of that subplot. It seems to serve solely to help move along the Nick and Isabel, will they or won't they get back together plot line, and the Isabel is a horrible parent and doesn't want to be a parent plot line.

Now, the children have another relative who could take them in: their uncle Ramiro, their father's brother. But Ramiro and his brother Andres had a falling out before the children were born, and he's never been a part of their lives. He believes it's his familial duty to take them, and he also wants them to remain in Argentina, he does not want them moving to the US as they would if Isabel took them. At first Ramiro is presented to us as bad boy, wild and crazy and perhaps a criminal. Gradually Amante shows us that while that was his brother's perception of him, it's not an accurate representation. He can be very arrogant and condescending, as well as macho, but he has settled down and grown from the teenager that Andres knew. He has a law degree, a reasonably prosperous farm and lives a mostly quiet life. Because of things he did as a teen, and because Ramiro briefly dated Brenda, who later married Andres, his brother cut off all ties with him. Unlike Isabel, he wants the kids; like Isabel, it's a hard adjustment. I liked that Amante took Ramiro beyond stereotypes and showed us a multi-dimensional character. I felt that he was more developed than Isabel, who was stuck on 1) living her life, her way, on her terms, after spending so many years making her parents and other people happy, and 2) resisting Nick's intrusions into her life and his determination to win her back. Now Nick could be downright obnoxious, in my opinion, about shoving his way into her life and making decisions for her but her protests usually felt more token and not real. I should say that I am NOT a fan of the exes getting back together. In real life it so rarely works out, I can't help but feel it gives an unrealistic message and expectation.

So, not a bad book, especially once you know what you're getting, but not one that held my attention and not one I'll re-read. Although it sounded like a book I'd enjoy, it ended up not being the right one for me. 

I received a paperback from the publisher for review.

Dusty Reads #11

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile. My TBR breeds when I'm not looking, and it's been especially busy recently. I add to it, sure, but even so, I come across books and I don't recall buying them. My goodreads TBR shelf is now at 517. O_o And yet, I keep buying and borrowing books. And occasionally, winning them. :) Happily, the quantity of incoming books has slowed down some and I've actually gotten some of those dusty books read and I'm even making progress on my review TBR pile. :) If I could just stop adding books, my TBR pile might get below 500 again.

It’s not that Micayla Lange is afraid of the clinking she hears coming from the first floor of the empty McMansion she’s housesitting for her uncle Nicco. She’s a cop, after all. It’s just that finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her was enough drama for one night. Now she’s alone on New Year’s Eve, wearing flannel pajamas and wielding a Glock 22 as she zeroes in on the unmistakable source of the sound: Uncle Nicco’s private office.

 Jason Davis steals things for a living, so unexpected developments are a natural part of the job. Getting caught red-handed by a hot, pigtail-sporting police officer in what is supposed to be a gangster’s deserted house is just one more twist in the game. Kind of like finding incriminating photos in Nicco Marino’s safe, only to discover the cop—and the security cameras—have gotten a real good look at his face.

Unfortunately for Mick, she also got a good look at the damned pictures. Her “uncle” might love her like family, but if he knows she’s seen evidence that implicates him in the murder of a city councilman, she doesn’t like her chances. Which is why she’s having a hard time reconciling her professional instincts with what she is rapidly concluding is an inescapable fact: She’s about to help a criminal get away with a suitcase full of stolen money. And she’s going with him.

Mick and Jason’s race for their lives hurtles them through the dangerous Michigan wilderness on speedboat and snowmobile. As their adventure heats up and their enemies close in, Mick is torn between her duty to the force and the combustible passion engulfing her and her unlikely partner in crime. She’ll have to turn Jason in sooner or later…if they survive. But will they ever get a second chance at love?

I received this book back in the fall, as an unsolicited review. I like Karen Robards so I was pleased to receive it but it took lower priority than promised reviews. Then I got sick, and then it was the holidays and it just kept getting pushed back to the bottom of the pile. I've been reading more mysteries recently so I may pick this one up and give it a try. Robards is formulaic but sometimes that's just what I'm in the mood for. :)

The Sunday Post #5

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 
~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

Well, it's been two weeks since my last Sunday Post. Rather than recap everything, I'm going to cherry pick what I think were the highlights. I didn't do a post last week due to the family death and being out of state. That also delayed some reviews, including "Sirenz Back in Fashion" and the authors, Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, were just wonderful about the delay in posting my review, which was supposed to kick off their blog tour. Thank you ladies, that made my week less stressful.

So, in the past 2 weeks, I've had:

1 Spotlight: The Secret Library series, a series of erotic romance anthologies

2 Guest Posts: Tamara Morgan (contemporary romance)  MaryJanice Davidson (UF)

2 Interviews: Lisa Shearin (fantasy) and Andrea Kane (romantic suspense)

2 Giveaways: Lisa Shearin and Rachel Caine (both now ended)

4 Reviews: Black Dawn by Rachel Caine (YA UF)  Sirenz Back In Fashion by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman (YA contemporary fantasy)  Love Is Murder, ed. by Sandra Brown (romantic suspense anthology)  The Caves of Etretat by Matt Chatelain (conspiracy mystery)

Multiple excerpts: Home For The Summer by Mariah Stewart, A Gentleman Undone by Cecilia Grant and When Passion Lies by J.K. Beck (romances)    Lockdown by Andrea Kane (it's a short story in the anthology Love Is Murder so it's a brief excerpt; it's at the end of the post)    The Game by Jeff Cott (erotic romance)    Undead and Unstable by MaryJanice Davidson (UF)

Now, Books! I was going to go to my library's used book sale yesterday and decided to wait until today, when everything is half price. So, you'll see those next week. I do have a ton of Kindle Freebies, but I'm only listing some because they could be a post all by themselves. :D I also received a pile of books for review; I won one book but it hasn't arrived yet so I'll hold off on posting it.

Kindle Freebies:

     Some fairy tale retellings: The Eye of the Beholder by Elizabeth Darcy    Snow White Blood Red by Cameron Jace    Ashes to Ashes and Cinder to Cinder by Cameron Jace

     Romances: Chocolate Aftertaste by Liz Grace Davis    Red is an Attitude by Kathy Lynn Hall (romantic mystery)    Simmer All Night by Geralyn Dawson

     Mysteries:  A Hint of Murder: The Series by Lia Fairchild    The Ninth District by Douglas Dorow

Received for Review:

Darkness Devours by Keri Arthur (Dark Angels #3)
Blackhearted Betrayal by Kasey Mackenzie(Shades of Fury #3)
Grave Memory by Kalayna Price (Alex Craft #3)
Bared Blade by Kelly McCullough (Fallen Blade #2)
Harmless as Doves by P.L. Gaus (Ohio Amish Mystery #7)
Tin Swift by Devon Monk (Age of Steam #2)
Iron Gray Sea by Taylor Anderson (Destroyermen #7)

I'm really excited for Darkness Devours, Blackhearted Betrayal, and Harmless as Doves. The others look good too though I'm not a Devon Monk fan so I have qualms about that one. Of course, these are all series books and the only series I've actually read to date is Price's. Ah well, I've a history of starting a series mid-stream, why stop now?

How was your week? Leave a link along with your comment and I'll come take a look.