WoW: The Witness by Nora Roberts

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. She has a linky widget at her site each week for your post and to make it easy to find posts by other people.

The purpose of the meme is to spotlight books that we are eagerly anticipating. It is fun to take a look at what others are waiting for.

I have noticed that it has expanded my wishlist and TBR mountain though. Be warned!

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Witness by Nora Roberts. This book was released on April 17 and I am watching for the UPS guy. I am a big fan of her very readable romantic suspense titles. Here is the description of this one:

Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.

Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security  systems—and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail’s reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something—and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.

With a quirky, unforgettable heroine and a pulse-pounding plotline, Nora Roberts presents a riveting new read that cements her place as today’s most reliably entertaining thrillerauthor—and will leave people hungering for more.

Teaser Tuesday: The Prophet by Amanda Stevens

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I received The Prophet by Amanda Stevens from NetGalley. This story is the third in the Graveyard Queen series and is a modern Gothic novel. Here is the description:

My name is Amelia Gray.

I am the Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door has opened and evil wants me back.

In order to protect myself, I've vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of Charleston—where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still flourish—and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should only love from afar.

Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the rules or follow my heart.

Teaser:

He broke off, his head snapping around at the soft snick of a gate. Then he drew me to him quickly, dancing us both back into the shadows along the fence.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? April 16, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.


I had another good reading week. Spring Break lasted through Monday and I had a couple of sick days this week as my cold decided to settle in my eyes. A doctor's visit on Monday told me I had conjunctivitis. I have been popping antibiotics all week and have all the energy of a sloth. Bad for general life but good for reading time.

Here is what I finished:

Bear Meet Girl by Shelly Laurenston -- I like Laurenston's sexy, funny paranormals. This one was good even though it took me a little time to warm to the heroine. I am not a cat person and she was a cat shifter. My review will be posted on April 26.

Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick - I love this author and really liked this book. It is a historical paranormal romance. Quick always has quirky and entertaining characters. My review will be posted on April 21 and the book will be out on April 24.

Bunny and the Bear by Eve Langlais - This was an impulse read from my Kindle. It was quite similar to Bear Meets Girl and had the same quirky humor. I was a big fan of the heroine in this one who shifts into a werebunny. Lots of humor and lots of excitement here. My review will be posted on April 28.

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens - This is the third book in the Graveyard Queen series. It had the same Gothic goodness and creepiness as the first two. My only caveat is that I don't think it would stand alone well. But for those who enjoyed the first two books in the series this is a must-read. My review will be posted on April 19 and the book will be out on April 24. 

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa - This is a very well-written vampire story that is also post-apocalyptic. It was easily my favorite book of the week. I liked the main character who has to come to terms with becoming something she hates and figure out how to retain her humanity. My review will be posted on April 21 and the book will be out on April 24.

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf - This is the story of a girl who has to come to terms with the death of her secretly abusive boyfriend. She is filled with secrets and, because of injuries she suffered when her boyfriend dies, some of them are secrets from her too. This was a very compelling and touching story. My review will be posted on April 26 but the book will be available April 24.

I am .currently reading A Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. I got this middle grade twisted fairy tale from Amazon Vine. It is the story of four Prince Charmings who are rejected by their princesses and who are wandering around looking from something heroic to do. This one will be published on May 1.

When I looked at my review spreadsheet I realized that I didn't have any adult books for review in the month of May. This gives me lots of freedom to choose what appeals to me from my stack. But it is hard to make a decision about what to read when my stack is so huge. These are some of the books that look good to me today.

The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr. - This is a review book that I just accepted yesterday. It was published last December. I liked the urban fantasy sort of blurb and hope it is good. 

Locked On by Tom Clancy - I haven't read anything by Clancy in a while but I used to enjoy his thrillers. I am a big Jack Ryan fan and hope he makes an appearance in this story.

Pirate King by Laurie R. King - This is the most recent in the Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series. I am eager to see what comes next for those characters.

The young adult books I plan to read this week are all books for review that will be published on May 8.

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm came to me from the Amazon Vine program. This is a contemporary about a history loving girl working in an historical theme park. 

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is a dystopia/post-apocalyptic story about one of the few remaining humans who is hiding to keep from being hunted to extinction.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth is about a girl addicted to being struck by lightning.

I doubt I'll get all of these read but these are the ones on the top of my stack. What do you have planned for next week?

In My Mailbox (April 15, 2012)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.
 
I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This week I added three books to my TBR mountain. Here is what I got:

I won Can't Buy Me Love by Molly O'Keefe from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. This is a contemporary romance about a woman with a past and a man without a future. It will be published by Bantam on June 26.

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams also ended up in my mailbox. I have read a number of good reviews about this new urban fantasy series.

Last, I downloaded a copy of The Hunters: Declan and Tori by Shiloh Walker when it was free at AllRomance.com. I like Shiloh Walker and couldn't pass up a deal. 

That is my mailbox. What did you get?

Book Review: The China Gambit by Allan Topol

The China Gambit: A Craig Page Thriller
Author: Allan Topol
Publication: Vantage Point; 1 edition (January 1, 2012)


Description (Caution is advised. This seems really spoilery to me): In Canada, Francesca, a young American reporter, is brutally murdered to stop her from publishing an explosive story. She has learned that Chinese General Zhou has orchestrated a conspiracy with Iran to stop the flow of imported oil to the United States. General Zhou’s goal: To leapfrog China over the United States for world economic and military supremacy. And the ruthless General will do anything to accomplish that goal.

Craig Page—a daring and resourceful former CIA agent, now fighting terrorism in Europe—is determined to find out who killed his daughter, Francesca. Joined by the gutsy Elizabeth Crowder, Francesca’s editor, Craig peels back the conspiracy layer by layer, ultimately learning that General Zhou has a partner in the scheming CIA director, Kirby, who forced Craig out of the Agency.

The action moves from Canada to Tehran, Beijing and Washington, and finally to Aspen, with Craig and Elizabeth narrowly escaping repeated attacks in their attempt to prevent a catastrophe for the United States. It’s exciting and exceedingly timely, with attention focused now on China’s growing strength and power in the world. At the same time, Craig must bury his personal loss, as he confronts his adversaries trying to kill him.

My Thoughts: If you are completely willing to suspend any belief in reality, this was a very exciting thriller. Craig Page, run out of the CIA by his politically connected and corrupt boss, is making a new life for himself in Europe when his daughter, who is an investigative reporter, stumbles on a hot story that gets her killed. Craig is determined to find out who killed her and get revenge. He is assisted in his quest by his daughter's boss Elizabeth Crowder who quits her job as a newspaper editor to help Craig in his quest.


The villains are all larger than life in this one from the venal Kirby who heads the CIA but who is totally under the thumb of his venture capitalist father to General Zhou who is the head of the Chinese military and who is planning a rogue action that can throw the world into a US-China war.  


The story is composed of many short chapters that switch viewpoints from Craig, to General Zhou, to Kirby. The action is non-stop and so is the violence. Everything moves at break-neck pace and leaves little time for character development. And danger is apparently quite an aphrodisiac as evidenced by the half-page sex scene that was really good for both Craig and Elizabeth and seems to come out of nowhere.

Topol did surprise me. He had a secret villain that I didn't see coming. The story was very readable and the action was non-stop. If you are looking for a thriller for a beach read, this book will fit the bill. Since it is also the first book of a trilogy, more action is also in your future. The Spanish Revenge is coming soon.


Favorite Quote:

"So I screwed up." She kicked the ground. "I should have been stronger with McDermott, just told him I was going."
Craig didn't argue with her.
"Then I'd have been in Calgary with Francesca. She might still be alive."
"And if Adam hadn't eaten that apple, none of us would be wearing clothes. You can't give yourself a beating."

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review. You can buy your copy here.

Book Beginning & Friday 56: The China Gambit by Allan Topol

Happy Friday everybody!!

Book Beginnings

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader.

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 

If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice
• Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I received The China Gambit by Allan Topol for review recently. This is a thriller about a former CIA agent who has to foil a Chinese plot and try to find out who killed his daughter, Francesca, who was an investigative reporter. I like a good thriller once in a while and am eager to dig into this one.


Beginning:

Leaving suite 2100 in the Hyatt Regency and clutching her reporter's steno pad, Francesca Page was excited, more excited than she'd ever been before.

Doesn't that make you want to know what made her excited? I know I wanted to keep reading to find out what secret she had discovered.

Friday 56:

She walked rapidly, almost running, along the oil slick road toward the cab.

This is a short sentence but I could feel the tension. Since I am only on page 3 when I am preparing this post, I am really curious to know who she is and why she feels the need for speed. 

ARC Review: The Fireman Who Loved Me by Jennifer Bernard

The Fireman Who Loved Me
Author: Jennifer Bernard
Publication: Avon; Original edition (April 24, 2012)

Description: Fearless, smoking hot, and single: meet the Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel. These firemen might be heroes, but it's their bad luck in love that makes them legendary.

News producer Melissa McGuire and Fire Captain Harry Brody couldn't be more different, though they do have one thing in common: they're both convinced they're perfectly wrong for each other. But when Melissa's matchmaking grandmother wins her a date with Brody at a Bachelor auction . . .

Sparks fly. Passion flares. Heat rises. (You get the picture.)

Add a curse, a conniving nightly news anchor, a stunningly handsome daredevil fireman, a brave little boy, a couple of exes, and one giant fire to the mix, and Melissa and Brody's love may not be the only thing that burns.

My Thoughts: This was a fun romance with great characters. Melissa is a news producer who lets herself get pushed around by the very egotistical on-air talent Ella Joy. Her dying grandmother is also trying to manipulate a happy ending for her before her own death. Melissa has come home partly to help out her grandmother and partly because she got her heart broken by a manipulative news director in LA. It takes a while before she decides to stand up for herself and for what she wants.

She first meets Fire Captain Harry Brody at the bachelor auction where fire fighters are being auctioned for a good cause. Her grandmother tricks her into attending and then buys a date with one of the hearthrob firemen for Melissa. But the hearthrob fireman passes off the date to his captain and the grandmother passes the date off to Melissa. At first the two don't seem to have anything in common and spend most of the date arguing. 

Harry is dealing with some issues of his own. His ex-wife left him for a surfer after losing their baby. This just helps reaffirm his belief that his career and romance don't go well together. Harry is an honorable, old-fashioned sort of guy. He is good at protecting his firefighters and good at protecting his heart.

Just when the romance between Melissa and Harry seems to be heating up, his ex-wife shows up pregnant and wanting to start again and her ex-news director shows up to try to lure her back to LA. Neither one has enough confidence in their new relationship to stand up to the pressure. It takes a major act by Melissa's grandmother to show them what they mean to each other.

I loved this romance and look forward to seeing which firefighter gets his romance next. I'm betting on Ryan.

Favorite Quote:

"Is it serious?" Brody didn't answer. He and Melissa had never talked about their feelings for each other, or their future. Maybe it was too soon, or maybe she didn't have any feelings for him. They's gotten so close to each other inside this trailer, but they had never taken their relationship into the real world. They hadn't wanted to. They'd only wanted to stay cuddled in their little nest, talking, laughing, loving.

I received this one for review through the Amazon Vine Program. You can buy your copy here.