Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Good Bargain


The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire, #1) The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst



My rating:

Photobucket


My summary: Man needs to marry to fulfill a clause in a will, woman needs money to save her parents home. The pair used to be friends and equal parts tormentors in childhood and now that time is of the essence for both, a marriage bargain is struck.

My take: I'm  not sure why, but I tried not to like this one. I was in "you can't impress me" mode. But it did not impress me, instead it was sweet and charmed my socks off. I would have loved more story though! This is book one of a series so maybe I will get my wish after all.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

As if I were


If I Were You (Inside Out Trilogy, #1) If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

My rating:

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My summary: An unassuming school teacher is given the key to a storage locker that has been left unpaid. Inside is the belongings of another woman's life and the mystery of where this woman is takes her places that she never expected to be.

My take: I will say the first several pages weren't great and I wondered if the tone was set for the rest of the book, happily it was not and I found I very much enjoyed the remaining story. This is book one of a trilogy and I will look forward to read book 2 and 3. I will say the end totally caught me off guard, I have read my fair share of books with cliff hangers but this one takes the prize for highest cliff.  

Friday, August 24, 2012

Spy Craft


The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon, #1)
The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

My rating: Photobucket


My summary: Ex-Massod operative Gabriel Allon gets pulled back into the espionage world when an old rival turns up to commit one last act of terrorism.

My take: The book started out well and I really liked the main character Gabriel, but somewhere near the middle to the three quarters mark of the book the spark seemed to leave, however the ending was solid and answered all my questions. I also liked the flow of the writing, this author did not spoon feed me endless information but rather paced the reveals nicely.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Get your vote on

Huffington Post is running a poll for "Best Novel of All Time." Of course they know that it's really an impossible challenge but they are running the poll all the same. The rounds are being displayed in bracket format, like the kind used in sports tournaments. While I'm not much of a sports fan I do love me some brackets...and polls on books? Sign me up!

In case you would also like to exercise your voting might, here is the link. The voting boxes are toward the end of the page. (Just under the brackets!)

Go forth my friends and read...but if you can't, vote. Then go read.  :-D 

                                             Liz Scott

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Awkward Pause

Has this ever happened to you? I find myself uninspired at the moment. The book I am currently reading does not seem to be going anywhere, (I will give it one more chance tonight) and there are books I am excited to get my hands on but publication is still a ways off. So for the moment nothing is catching my eye. And this is so not a good thing when trying to post book reviews with regularity. Luckily I do not find myself in this situation often.



Just for fun I'll list the books I am looking forward to;




The Spirit Well

This is book three in the trilogy and comes out on September 4th. I wish I could explain this series but it's just so out there and unique that I would not do it justice. I will say I very much enjoyed book 1 and 2.


The Casual Vacancy

This book comes out September 27th and I am eager to see how J.K. Rowling's writing differs from her children's series, Harry Potter, to this book that was written for a grown up audience.




Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2)

This is the second book in the Crossfire trilogy and comes out on October 4th. Book one was titled to Bared to You. Being totally honest here, I love my smutty reads!! 




 
The Shattered Dark (McKenzie Lewis, #2)

This is book two of a series that is expected to be published on October 30th. The Fae world is divided and warring and bringing humans into mix that have special useful abilities. Book one captured my attention from the beginning and never let me go.




And I even have books coming out in 2013 that I am looking forward to, but it's too early for cover art, so I will just list the authors here;


J.R. Ward                              

Charlaine Harris                                      


Devon Monk                           

Amanda Stevens                                      


Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sketchy Shadow


Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2)Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

My rating: Photobucket


My summary: In book two of the trilogy we continue our journey with Diana and Matthew in a world populated with vampires, witches, daemons and humans.

My take: I was so excited to read this book especially after my wonderful experience re-reading A Discovery of Witches. Sadly though, some of the going got tough. There we several chunks that just dragged for me. I felt as though Ms. Harkness' academic knowledge was let a little too free and dimmed some of the magical spark the story has. 

Even though I was disappointed by this particular book in the series, I do plan on reading the third and final book once it is published.





Thursday, August 9, 2012

New Look

Thanks to Amanda at Vintage Bookworm Designs this blog just got a whole new look. 
                                 
                                    I'm in pink skull heaven now.





For the fans of 50

If you read and loved...

                   Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)     
     
            Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2)                         Fifty Shades Freed

then this announcement may interest you....

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "50 Shades of Grey" author E.L. James wants to serve you a little Bach with your mommy porn.

James has curated an album, "Fifty Shades of Grey - The Classical Album," featuring 15 classical tracks featured in the "50 Shades of Grey" book trilogy, which follows the erotic escapades of college student Anastasia Steele and business magnate Christian Grey.

EMI Classics will release the album digitally in the U.S. and Canada on August 21, with a CD release following on September 18. The collection will be released internationally in both formats September 17.

According to EMI Classics, the album is intended to provide "the perfect accompaniment to the Fifty Shades reading experience, setting a mysterious and alluring atmosphere with just the slightest hint of danger."

James noted that she is "thrilled that the classical pieces that inspired me while I wrote the Fifty Shades Trilogy are being brought together in one collection for all lovers of the books to enjoy."

The "50 Shades" books - "50 Shades of Grey," "50 Shades Darker" and "50 Shades Freed" - have sold more than 31 copies worldwide. Universal Pictures and Focus Features are adapting the trilogy for the big screen.


My thoughts: This is great! Many authors have shared what they listened to while writing, Stephanie Meyers, Karen Marie Moning, and Amanda Stevens spring to mind. This CD has the potential to be a refreshing enhancement to the readers experience. 

I have one addition thought rant that has nothing to with E.L. James or her books, but rather with the many media outlets that have used and abused the term 'mommy porn' in their reporting. I just want to know why the necessity for the demeaning designation.
I try really hard not to be a hater....but on this I won't budge.


Monday, August 6, 2012

Re-Witching

While it's normally very rare for me to re-read books it seems this summer I have done my fair share, and have plans for one more round in the near future, which I will blog about soon.

On to this week's re-read:


A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness


My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


My summary: Dr. Bishop calls on an obscure book from the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian library that is much more than it appears. She quickly sends the book back but not in time to avoid the attention of supernatural beings desperate to get their hands on that same book.

My take: I first read and enjoyed this book last year. Recently the follow up book in this trilogy was published and I though I could just scan this book to get caught up with the plot in preparation for reading book two. The best laid plans apply here, because in the first ten pages I realized two things, 1) I fell in love in with the story once more and I wanted to immerse myself in it once again and 2) I really needed to immerse myself in this story because I had forgotten too much to make reading book #2 a wholly satisfying experience. I enjoyed every bit of it and found it to be better than my first time around with it. Such an imaginative tale!!



Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Great Find


My Life Next DoorMy Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick


My rating: ♥♥♥♥


My summary: Girl lives next door to a boy from a large boisterous family that her mother does not approve of. Eventually boy and girl meet and all is bliss until the real life complications kick in.


My take: I stumbled upon this title on GoodReads and I am so glad did! The writing is so refreshing and the story original, I wish it could have went on and on. This is the author's first publication and I hope she goes on to write many more that are all this wonderful.