Bea Reviews Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Ace
Series: Sirantha Jax #3
Format Read: paperback
Source: My local library
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
*affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

It’s not easy to tread lightly wearing steel-toed boots.

Sirantha Jax isn’t known for diplomatic finesse. As a “Jumper” who navigates ships through grimspace, she’s used to kicking ass first and taking names later—much later. Not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons.

And Ithiss-Tor council meetings aren’t the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to maneuver carefully. Her lover, March, is frozen in permanent “kill” mode, and his hair-trigger threatens to sabotage the talks—not to mention their relationship.

But Jax won’t give up on the man or the mission. With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates, and the flesh-eating Morgut, an alliance with Ithiss-Tor may be humanity’s only hope.

Which has Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job.

Sunday Book Share #50 and A Blog Update

 

 

I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea; and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received, and different posts and events at their blogs.

VACATION!! School is out and I'm relaxing. I may go away later this week but that's still up in the air. For now I'm lazing on the couch, catching up on sleep. Then next week, it's back to work and prepping for the new school year. Posts through the end of September will be lighter and reviews will be sporadic though Jax and Carol have some scheduled. September and the start of the new school year always wipe me out and I end up falling asleep on the couch for several hours, usually before I've eaten dinner. I have lots of guests lined up, excerpts, giveaways, etc., most of them from authors at Astraea Press, where I'm an editor. October should see things back to normal, if the kids haven't killed me off. :D

Rainbow Panda and the Firecracker Fiasco by Eileen Wacker

Publisher: Once Kids LLC
Series: Fujimini Island Adventure #6
Format read: eGalley
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble  | Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

It’s the eve of the Asian New Year and all the animals are getting ready for the big occasion. They are sweeping, cleaning, planting flowers, writing on ribbons, and preparing food. Rainbow Panda looks forward to the fireworks display but wants to create his own fireworks show. He sets a plan in motion and tries to get Green and Pink Hamster to join him.

The animals know that they are not to play with matches or firecrackers, but nonetheless, continue with their plan. When Rainbow Panda starts to light matches in the woods, he sets the forest on fire and many animals must come to help put out the fire. The Dynasty Dragon’s mom comes and turns into a cloud that rains and puts out the fire. Rainbow Panda, Dynasty Dragon, and both Green and Pink Hamster are given activities to clean up after the fire. They also volunteer to do a beach clean up to show everyone that they are sorry for the fiasco they set in motion. 

Bea Reviews The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do–and How to Get Them to Do What You Want by Mieshelle Nagelschneider

Publisher: Bantam
Format Read & Source: Egalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date:  March 5, 2013

Buying Links: Amazon*  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking and making a purchase results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:  Who says you can’t train a cat? Just when you thought you had reached the end of your ball of twine, one of America’s most popular cat behaviorists comes to the rescue of perplexed cat owners everywhere, providing practical and effective strategies for solving every feline behavior problem imaginable—from litter box issues to scratching, spraying, biting, and beyond. 

Cat Whisperer Mieshelle Nagelschneider has been helping people deal with these dilemmas for two decades, achieving a near-perfect success rate. Central to her approach is a keen understanding of the unique way cats see the world—their need for safety and security, their acute territoriality, and their insatiable desire to catch and kill prey. Her proven C.A.T. cat behavior modification plan is a commonsense course of action that can be specifically tailored to your cat in the context of its behavior problems and its particular household environment. Easy-to-implement solutions help transform even the most anxiety-riddled companions into confident, gregarious, and relaxed cats who live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Inside you’ll discover

Cat Thursday - Best Seat in the House

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates cats; their foibles and humorousness and the joy they bring. You can join in by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you made or came across, cat art or share with us pics of your own felines, then post your link up at The True Book Addict.

And continuing with my theme of the cat sits where he darn well pleases...

 

Blog Tour: CarolKat Interviews Romance Author Taryn Kincaid

I would like to thank Taryn Kincaid for taking out valuable time from her parasailing up and down the Hudson River to celebrate the release of Heat Wave the latest in her 1Night Stand series.  I also appreciate her adjusting the tin foil to throw the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) off her trail while she answers my interview questions. I think they are after me too.

Read my review of "Heat Wave" here and then enter the giveaway.

Taryn is an Olympic caliber athlete egg roller and spends a great deal of her time petitioning the U.S.O.C. to introduce a fantail shrimp competition. When she's not bungee jumping off the Palisades or parasailing up and down the Hudson River, she devotes her time to caring for her aging pet walrus, arranging her voodoo doll-pin collection and practicing rhythmic chants. At this moment, she is busy sweeping up the loose masala chai tea leaves she spilled all over the kitchen floor. (Probably because she needs COFFEE.) Wait. Is that something…sparkly?

Taryn hangs around a lot on Facebook and Twitter with her trillions of fans and pops in at Goodreads from time to time. You can catch her on her website, http://tarynkincaid.com, and her blog, http://dreamvoyagers.blogspot.com where she lives for comments! She implores you to buy her books so she can retire.

Find Taryn Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway of Heat Wave by Taryn Kincaid

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Series: Sleepy Hollow #4, 1NS
Format Read: PDF
Source: Sizzling PR in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Decadent | ARe
* affiliate link; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog

Blurb from goodreads:

Sent into the human realm to retrieve prodigal princess, Zena Night, Bhyrne Raines is shocked and unprepared for his carnal reaction to the sexy succubus. In service to the succubus queen, the rugged enforcer must stifle the instant passion exploding within him. Fulfilling his royal duty doesn’t allow for quickie dalliances. His biological clock is ticking, and he begins to enter breedspawn, an intense and unstoppable frenzy of mating all fire-demon males must endure. But the more he wants to avoid Zena, the more he’s drawn to her.

Reluctant to give up her carefree life of partying among the mortals when the hot-as-sin Bhyrne comes to fetch her for the queen, Zena uses her succubus wiles to entice him, or at least delay the inevitable trip to the royal court. Once in the demon stronghold, hidden deep within the Catskill mountains, she learns the reason for the summons: she must choose a consort within two days.

Zena needs a mate. Bhyrne needs to mate. With time running out for both of them, they each turn to 1Night Stand. With time running out, can Madame Eve come to the rescue?

Slow Burn - A Guest Post by Christine Feldman

 

Today's guest is romance author Christine Feldman. I haven't read her books yet but she's on my list. She's going to talk about the slow-burn in romances and why she's a fan of it. I like a slow-burn also, I'm not really a fan of the insta-love trope. So get comfy, read, and then leave your thoughts in the comments.

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            Thanks very much for letting me stop by Bea’s Book Nook today!  I’m very happy to have the chance to tell you about my latest contemporary romance, The Bargain.

            I’m a big fan of the slow burn, and by slow burn I mean the build-up of romantic tension, not the steadily growing rage you feel when you’re on hold with customer service and that cheery automated voice keeps popping onto the line every 15 seconds to let you know that there are still 37 people ahead of you and you’ve already been on hold for an hour after being disconnected twice—