REVIEW For Ruthless

Thank you to Adam at Harlequin for sending me this book.

TITLE:                        Ruthless

AUTHOR:                  Anne Stuart

GENRE:                     Historical Fiction

RATING:                   3 Stars

As a rule, I don't usually read historical fiction, but I had heard some good things about Anne Stuart and thought I would it give a try.


Ruthless appears to be the first book in a trilogy - which I think will work well - considering the characters in the book and the potential that the author has given them and future plotlines.

Having said that, the storyline is basically about a mother (who was once royalty of some type) and her two daughters who try to "fit" into a world that is no longer available to them. In fact, a good chunk of the book is driven by the mother who will do just about anything to reclaim both a title and a fortune - to the detriment of her daughters.

Concurrently, we meet the eldest daughther who is THE main character of the storyline. I loved reading about how strong and stable she was, despite her upbringing and the constant challenges presented by her mother.

Overall, I though the book was okay - nothing outstanding, but nonetheless interesting.

REVIEW For Not Ready for Mom Jeans

Thank you to author Maureen Lipinski for sending me a copy of her book.

TITLE:              Not Ready for Mom Jeans

AUTHOR:        Maureen Lipinski

GENRE:           Chick Lit

RATING:         4 Stars

Firstly, I have to say that I loved the cover of this one! Not Ready for Mom Jeans is a wonderful addition to the chick lit genre - my favorite!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO CINDY FOR WINNING THE BOOK BAD BOY!!!

REVIEW for Bad Boy

A big thank you to Katrina for sending along this book for me to read.

TITLE:                   Bad Boy

AUTHOR:              Peter Robinson

GENRE:                Thriller

RATING:               4 Stars

For some reason, I never seem to run to the store when a new Robinson books comes out! However, every time I read a book from this author I am never disappointed and Bad Boy is another great example of how great this author is.


Firstly, he knows how to write a good thriller. The character development is excellent in Bad Boy and I found myself completely rooting for the main character as he hunts around trying to track down the "bad guy" or more specifically the "bad boy".

The storyline is compelling and to my huge, huge joy - I realized that I had no idea how the book was going to end - until the very end.


The pacing is very good and I found myself completely involved - not wanting to put down the book, although I obviously had to as I could not sit through the entire book in one sitting (for obvious reasons).


I highly recommend this thriller - you will definitely be thrilled.

REVIEW For Overexposed

A big thank you to author Susan Shapiro for sending me a copy of  her wonderful book.

TITLE:                Overexposed

AUTHOR:           Susan Shapiro

GENRE:              Fiction

RATING:            4 Stars

I have read everything that Susan Shapiro has written, in fact, I have, in some cases, reread her stuff more than once.


If you are picking up a book writtebn by this author, then you know what you are in for - a realistic, sometimes sarcastic, always witty (dry) about life, the people in it and, more specifically the role of women in society.

While Shapiro's novels are never preachy - you can clearly detect a strong "I am woman hear me roar" in all of her books and Overexposed is no exception.

There are also, in this book, two characters who are desperately hoping to change their life - always looking to the "other side" and believing that the grass is greener. Of course, in true Shapiro form, -you soon discover that nobody's life is "ideal" and that looking on the other side may just not be the way to get a clear picture of where you should be heading.

This novel is funny, funny and I love the dry wit - there is no silly slapstick here - nothing for a cheap laugh. Rather the author goes for everyday "happenings" and manages to turn it on its ear!!

I loved, loved this book - it almost made me believe that nobody else has it easier or better than me - almost :)

REVIEW For Personally I Blame my Godmother

Thank you, thank you to author Claudio Carroll for sending me a copy of her great book.

TITLE:                      Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother

AUTHOR:                Claudia Carroll

GENRE:                   Chick Lit

RATING:                  4 Stars

Personally I Blame my Fairy Godmother is chick lit at its best - and believe me, I am extremely picky about my "chick lit" :)


The main character Jessie is incredibly likeable and incredibly unlucky - as she starts off with "the" perfect everything, even the pink mansion to almost immediately end up living back at her stepmother's home - complete with the evil stepsisters - sound familiar?

Fom the first sentence, I fell in love with this writer, the plotline and Jessie. You just know that Jessie's luck is about to turn, but you continue reading - despite the fact that you know her life is about to become a major nightnmare. I felt a bit like a voyeur - which is, of course, what the author intended.

What I loved so very much about this book (apart from the clever title) is that Jessie is tough, vulnerable, a little silly but always trying to figure out what to do and how to do the "right" thing for herself and her life.

Some of the predicaments are incredibly funny, some are touching, but i always felt connected to the main character - finding myself cheering her on, hoping that she would, in the end find her happy ending - complete with prince charming.

However, did she? is another matter.

Loved, loved this chick lit.

I WON AN AWARD

A big thank you goes to http://mornablue.blogspot.com/2010/09/results-and-first-blog-award.html for giving me this award!! I am flattered!

REVIEW For Ice Cold

Thank you to the wonderful folks at Random House for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                       Ice Cold

AUTHOR:                 Tess Gerritsen

GENRE:                    Thriller

RATING:                   4 Stars

For me, reading anything by this author is always a bit of a hit/miss situation. Although, in most cases, the author is great at creating plotlines that have kept me engaged and, more importantly, guessing until the end, the reality is that, in my opinion, at times, the writing can get a little "Harlequin". Having said that, I actually do enjoy alot of books that are published by Harlequin, but NOT thrillers. For me, thrillers should be gritty and tough, for the most part and it is obvious that Gerritsen use to write for Harlequin.


However, in this one - the author's plotline as well as her writing are dead on. In fact, I found myself absolutely devoring this storyline as I love, love anything with this type of premise (I won't give anything away!).

The pace is pretty well non stop and the main character is resourceful, interesting and smart - always a winning combination for me.

I also loved the clever way in which the author manages to "join" our main character's situation with other characters - therefore creating a link between the large number of people who come and out of this storyline - just adding to the mystique and the intrigue.

The writing was top notch and I have to say that the fate of the main character was left "in suspense" until almost the end of the book.

Very, very good thriller. Loved it.

REVIEW For Single in the City

Thank you! thank you! to Michele Gorman for sending me a copy of her new book to read and review!

TITLE:                     Single in the City

AUTHOR:               Michele Gorman

GENRE:                  Chick Lit

RATING:                4 Stars

Single in the City is a wonderful chick lit read.


I loved the premise of this book - the main character Hannah doesn't really see a future for herself in the US, so she decides to make a major move to the UK - except that she kinds of forgets that she does not have a job, housing or even a clue about the culture in the UK.

This worked for me - although, I have to say that I would never be quite as "adventurous" or "stupid" depending in your point of view, I loved all the possibilities this type of plotline offered up and author Gorman takes full advantage of it.

Yes, this book is about boy meets girl, but it is also about friendship (I love the friendship between the main character and Stacy. But I also loved the message - of "go for it" and "believe in yourself and in faith".

The book is at times, hilarious, touching and always, always entertaining.

If you are looking for a chick lit that will absolutely boost your mood and encourage you to "go for it", then you will definitely want to read this one.

REVIEW For Rocky Road

A big, big thank you to author Rose Kent for so graciously sending me a copy of her book!

TITLE:               Rocky Road

AUTHOR:         Rose Kent

GENRE:             YA

RATING:            4 Stars

I don't read alot of middle grade books, but, for some reason, both the cover and the storyline of this one called to me.



Fortunately, I was not disappointed, as author Kent has written a deliciously funny, yet touching novel about a modern family - even if the family is not your usual dad, mom and 2.2 kids. In fact, one of the things I loved about this novel is that it is not typical, but rather, it takes a portrait of a family - showing it in all its glory - the good AND the bad and everything in between.

The main character Tess is wonderful - very smart, clever and self-reliant - i loved, loved this. The backstory of mental illness is wonderfully crafted, showing us that life is full of ups and downs and it truly is HOW you choose to deal with it that makes all the difference.
This book is a great little read for anyone who wants an interesting storyline, backed by a few solid positive messages.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and actually pretty well read it in one sitting.

REVIEW For Falling is Like This

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book!

TITLE:            Falling is Like This

AUTHOR:      Kate Rockland

GENRE:        Novel

RATING:       3 Stars

Falling is Like This is kind of my fantasy book - with a main character who gets to live out a fantasy that almost every young woman (including myself)has had at one time or another in their lives - what it would be like to actually be the girlfriend of your favorite rock star.


The premise of this book was great - in fact, this book surprised me because it has so many little detours and hidden messages about life and how to live it in the now - all the while appreciating what you have in your life.

However, for some reason, the book just did not do much for me either way - which is kind of a bad sign, when it comes to my love of reading. I have to attach myself to a book in order to really and truly enjoy it and it did not happen with this book.

I am not sure if its the writing style which kind of felt stiff to me - or if its the pacing, but although I did get through the book, I found myself having to push myself to get it done.

REVIEW for Fallout

Thank you to the wonderful people at Simon & Schuster for sending me this book!

TITLE:                     Fallout

AUTHOR:                Ellen Hopkins

GENRE:                   YA
RATING:                 3 Stars

I have heard some excellent things about this author and was looking forward to reading her bok Fallout - especially since the subject matter (addiction and its fallout) is close to my heart!

Firstly, I have to say that I was highly intrigued by this premise - the author follows up, with Fallout, on her previous books Crank and Glass - both of which detail the lives of Hunter, Autumn and Summer and their mother Kristina!  I found it completely fascinating to read about the now "grown up" children of an addict - especially since the author made a point of showing us just how addiction affected each and every child - differently and yet in the same way.  So, from this point of view, this book worked for me.

However, what I had a problem with and truly, this is MY problem and not the author's is the writing style.  I just could not get use to is at all.  I was dying for complete sentences and paragraphs, however, I have learned that this author does not write in this manner.  Unfortunately, I just could not get my head around this style and it seriously detracted from the storyline for me!

However, having said this, I also know that many, many other people truly loved this book - so really, its more about me than about the story here I think :(

REVIEW For Beach Week

Thank you to author Susan Coll for so kindly sending me a copy of her book!

TITLE:               Beach Week

AUTHOR:         Susan Coll

GENRE:            Fiction

RATING:          3 Stars
First off, I have to say that Beach Week was NOT really what I thought it would be and that is okay.


However, I have mixed feelings about this novel. While I thought the premise of the book was very interesting - specifically a book dealing with parents AND teenagers - almost equally in a specific situation. I also thought that the writing was incredibly slow paced - way toooooo slow for my taste.

I liked that the author actually took a specific timeframe and basically wrote about it from kind of both the parents and the teenagers points of view - at times even showing how silly and ridiculous both sides can be/are. I am use to reading books with a strong focus on the teens - to this was a nice change. I also loved the, at times, sarcastic tone the author uses - although it is well muffled in the storyline.

However, wow! this book is sloooowwww. I found myself skipping entire pages and still being quite able to pick up the flow of the storyline. Either this book needed alot more editing or the author needed to shorten some of the passages.

Unfortunately, the pacing of a story is crucial for me - and, because of this, I have rated this 3 stars.

REVIEW For Lips Unsealed

Thank you to the great people at Random House Canada for so kindly sending me this book.

TITLE:                Lips Unsealed

AUTHOR:          Belinda Carlisle

GENRE:             Memoir

RATING:            4 Stars

As I read this book, two things came to mind - 1) I love that Carlisle was sooooo honest in her memoir and 2) Wow! I have lived a sheltered life.


Strangely enough, I discovered Carlisle only after she went solo - which meant that while I knew about the Go-Go's, I really did not have any idea just how much they shaped her life, but I soon discovered the reality :)

Carlisle is extremely honest about her life in this memoir, which immediately engaged me. I was quite surprised at some of the passages in the book as I always though, for some reason, that she "had it all together". However, she clearly shows us that her life, both personal and professional, has had its shares of ups and downs.

Nonetheless, no matter how "hard" some of the passages were to read, I never lost my empathy or respect for Belinda Carlisle who is clearly living the life she has been dealt, to the bext of her abilities.

Kudos for being so honest and for writing such an interesting memoir - I, for one, will definitely continue to be a fan.

BTW, I am a huge fan of book covers and I loved this one - beautiful shot of Belinda - without being too glamorous or over the top.

REVIEW For Addict at 10

Thank you to the people at Phenix Publicity for sending me this book.

TITLE:                     Addict at 10

AUTHOR:                Derek Steele

GENRE:                   Memoir/Addiction/Recovery

RATING:                 4 Stars
I read alot of books on addiction and recovery and I have to say that this one is one of the scariest I have ever read.

From the first word - you get a total and complete sense of why and how the author will proceed with his life - and I just had a really bad feeling from the get go.

The story is compelling - i felt frustrated, scared, disgusted, sad and everything else you can think of - which, of course, makes for a very, very sound and persuasive memoir on addiction.


For anyone who has lived with an addict or is an addict, this book will absolutely touch some part of you.

As for the writing style - it was okay, for me, the message got through loud and clear.

GIVEAWAY FOR BAD BOY - BAD BOY - BAD BOY

Thanks to the wonderful people at WIREDSET, I am giving away one copy of the book Bad Boy by Peter Robinson.

I haven't read it yet, but I am hearing wonderful things about this book.

Here are the contest rules:
1)  If you are already a follower you get 5 entries; (leave your email addy)

2)  If you become a follower you get 4 entries;  (leave your email addy)

3)  If you leave a comment without becoming a follower you get 1 entry;  (leave your email addy)

4)  If you refer someone and they become a follower (they have to mention your name) you will get 5 additional entries and they get 4 entries; (leave your email addy)

Contest ends on September 17, 2010 at midnight (this is my birthday so I thought it would be fun to give away a gift) and finally OPEN TO US AND CANADA ONLY.

By the way, this book will be sent directly to you from Wiredset, which means I will have to give then your coordinates.

Good luck! and enjoy!!!!

REVIEW for Are U My Guru

Thank you! thank you to author Wendy Shanker for so kindly sending me a copy of her book.

TITLE:                    Are U My Guru

AUTHOR:              Wendy Shanker

GENRE:                 Memoir/Self help

RATING:               5 Stars


There is absolutely nothing bad about this book - so, read it, read it, read it!I read alot of books, as you can see by the number of times I update this site! However, Are U My Guru is fast becoming one of my favorite books for 2010. 

Author Shanker has written a hilariously upbeat and inspirational memoir/self-help book about her struggle with a) body image and b) her health and c) both. 

While I was expecting alot of humor in this book, I was also amazed at how honestly and POSITIVELY Shanker talks about her situation and, in fact, manages to turn a scary event into one of opportunity - to discover and to grow - to invest some serious time in the "me" and figure out just what works and doesn't and more importantly how you relate to your own life.

I have long been fascinated by "alternative therapies" and the healing powers that lay within them. Shanker uses this premise and goes one step further - she incorporates these practices into her life - coupled with western medicine in order to get better both physically and mentally.

I have always believed that if your mind is ill - then it will manifest itself in your body - and this book has proven me right.  It has also proven to me that we are all searching for something that, for the most part, remains elusive - until we are open enough to truly appreciate it.

I loved the writing - it was touching in its optimism and "never give up" attitude.  I loved that Shanker admits that while her health was a concern - so was her body image - that good old body image that none of use can ever seem to shake :(

REVIEW for Spider Bones

Thank you to the wonderful people at Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE:                         Spider Bones

AUTHOR:                   Kathy Reichs

GENRE:                      Thriller

RATING:                     2 Stars

It has occured to me that Kathy Reich's books would have lots of potential to be 4 stars if only she would get off a few kicks - starting with describing, in minute and painful detail everything you can possibly want to know (and don't care about) on very specific subject matters. IN this book, it is Vietnam and a huge, huge amount of geographical information about Hawaii - not to mention info on the army and their procedures. Frankly, the entire thing was one huge bore and I found myself skipping entire pages just to get to the "main storyline".
The other thing that was wrong with this book is that I got completely confused by all the dead people who may or may not be dead or then again may be. The amount of names being thrown around - was astounding, especially when you factor in that one person may have been "posing" as the other one.

Finally, thanks to all of the above, the actual "thriller" and "suspense" part of the book was seriously toned down - leaving us with a huge number of pages of blah, blah - intermingled with one tiny little piece of the puzzle - it was extremely slow going and at times, quite mind numbing.

Having said all that, Reichs has been known to write a fairly exciting whodunnit - and I could see some tiny bits of it in this book - but it is, for the most part, completely hidden in all the other stuff and frankly, I don' have the energy to dig through it all.

I also found myself wanting to pretty well smack both Tempe's and Ryan's daughters at some point in the storyline - both being completely annoying, not to mention ungrateful young adults who somehow ended up in beautiful Hawaii but choose to complain throughout the entire novel. Which, of course, just added to the long drawn out affair that is this book.

Really, the only thing I liked about this one was the humor surrounding Tempe's cat and bird - which, unfortunately, only occured at the beginning of the book.

REVIEW for The Limit

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for helping me to discover a great new voice in YA thrillers!

TITLE:                        The Limit


AUTHOR:                   Kristen Landon


GENRE:                      YA Thriller


RATING:                    4 Stars

I have to admit that I don't read any type of YA thrillers.  In fact, I have seriously cut down on reading any thriller mainly because I found the storyline so typical.

I was, therefore, thrilled to read The Limit.  This is a very intersting thriller - aimed at a YA audience, but, frankly, could be enjoyed by any age group.

The premise of this book is quie captivating - "kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the financial debt limited exposed by the government".  Although this may seem far fetched, it still felt very timely and actually made me sit back and wonder just how far we would all go if the economy got really, really bad.

Matt, the main character and the one the story is created around is a wonderful character.  Smart, mature and yet, immature at times, he somehow finds himself with more information than he needed or wanted and now finds himself having to "do the greater good".

Its hard to detail this story without giving too much away, suffice it to say that the action is non stop and at tines, heart stopping.

I loved the pace which never lets up and the author does not burden us with too many boring details - but rather, let's the story speak for itself.

REVIEW For My Fair Lazy

A thank you goes out to Penguin Group for sending me this book!


TITLE:                    My Fair Lazy

AUTHOR:               Jen Lancaster

GENRE:                 Memoir/Humor

RATING:                3 Stars

I am a lover of chick lit and I really, really love memoirs that are written with a funny twist by female authors - which, of course, means that I should have loved ANYTHING by Jen Lancaster.

Actually, this is the 2nd book I have read by this author and while I admire how funny she is and how she can take an apparently "regular" event and turn it into a very funny retelling, there is something about reading this author's books that leaves me a little cold.

I know that she is immensely popular and that I have a few friends who love, love her, but for me, My Fair Lazy was cute and at times quite funny, but did not really ever engage me.

The writing is nicely paced - but I just could not really get into the stories she was telling.

Not bad and not good - kind of average for me.

REVIEW For The Insider

Thank you to the people at Penguin Group for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                      The Insider

AUTHOR:                 Reece Hirsch

GENRE:                   Thriller

RATING:                  4 Stars

Will Connelly, the main character, in The Insider is one of my new favorite characters. He is a lawyer who is about to have a very bad day - being caught between what he should do and what he should not be doing - if he wants to save himself and those around him.

While I hesitate to read any thriller featuring lawyers, as I feel the entire thing has been done and redone over and over again - I made an exception for this one and was happy that I did.

The plot is quite intricate - which means you have to focus on what you are reading and, everytime I tried to figure out what was coming next, it turned out that I was completely wrong. The author is great at inserting twists and turns that you don't see coming and, at the same time, are wonderful at advancing the plot.

The main character is engaging, albeit, he is a lawyer - with all the ambitions that come with the title.

The pace is great, although the first few chapters are a tad slow to get starting - however, once the author has introduced the key pieces, the book just seems to fly.

I loved this thriller - read it.

REVIEW for Not that Kind of Girl

Another big thank you goes out to Nikole for being so kind :)

TITLE:                      Not That Kind of Girl

AUTHOR:                 Siobhan Vivian

GENRE:                    YA

RATING:                  3 Stars

Reading this book was an intersting experience for me, especially since I kind of identified with the main character, Natalie Sterling.  While this may be a good thing, the problem was that I identified with the negative traits of the character - mainly that she liked to control people and situation.  Yep, that is kind of me - although I am happy to say that I have mellowed out somewhat over the years :)  Yet, reading about it, from the other persepctive is kind of an eye opener.

I must say that I also felt sorry for Natalie as it is obvious that the need to control is based on insecurity and fear - both of which she ends up having to come face to face with and consists of a major part of the book.

While I liked the main storyline, I did not really like the pacing of this book.  Its pretty slow, which, for me, is always the kiss of death.  I need to feel totally engaged in the book -kind of not wanting to put it down and this was just not the case for me.  In fact, at times, I felt as though I was forcing myself to finish the book - even trying to figure out how many pages were left - not a good sign.

REVIEW for Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters

As always, I am so grateful to Nikole at Scholastics for sending me this book!

TITLE:                  Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters

AUTHOR:            Natalie Standiford

GENRE:               YA

RATING:             4 Stars

I have heard some great things about this author so I was incredibly enthused to read her book.  I was not disappointed in the least.

The storyline is both clever and entertaining - wherein the grandmother of the family, who just hapens to "hold" the $$$ in the family announces to her family, the Sullivan Sisters included, that she will make sure none of them inherit a dime - unless the person who is guilty of offending her - apologizes in writing before New Year's Eve.  Considering grandma is dying and its Christmas - the pressure is on.

I loved the way this book develops - while we are discovering just how dysfunctional this family truly is, we also get some great insights on the Sullivan Sisters - which is done with a hefty dose of humor and some "mystery" thrown in. 

I thought the book had excellent pacing and told its story very, very well - without giving away too much early on - making me guess, for a good part of the book just who the guilty party truly was.

The interactions between the characters was both touching and funny - at times mixing the two together and I loved, loved the fact that all of a sudden the Sullivan Sisters no longer have all that much focusing on "material" things - as they try to make it all work out - one Gucci bag at a time.

Loved it.