Seduction & Scandal

Seduction & Scandal
By: Charlotte Featherstone
383 Pages (My Review Copy)

Summary:
With the scandalous nature of her birth to live down, Isabella Fairmont dreams of a proper marriage—even if a passionless one. She saves her deepest desires for the novel she dares to pen, wherein a handsome lord with dark powers seduces her. But then her courtship with an appropriate suitor is threatened by the sudden attentions of the reclusive Earl of Black…whose pale blue eyes and brooding sensuality are exactly as she described in her book.
Isabella tries to resist the mysterious Earl of Black.
Yet as he pursues her, with inexplicable knowledge of her past and kisses that consume her, Isabella fears she will succumb.
If only the earl could tell Isabella the truth. With very real, and treacherous, thieves endangering her life, Black will need to protect Isabella from the very people she trusts the most…. bn.com

I  had a hard time getting into this book. Finding out the main character, Isabella, was writing a novel at a time when women weren't really taken seriously for writing. The summary of the book got me curious. This isn't a genre I normally read, and this book wasn't able to change that.

While the chemistry between Isabella and Black was believable and strong, it wasn't enough to save the book, in my opinion. The pace of the book lagged in places. I wasn't glued to the book waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Fans of this author and this genre will probably enjoy Seduction And Scandal, but I wasn't able to. I wanted to love it, but just couldn't get into it.

Rating: Borrow From Library

Dead Giveaway

Dead Giveaway
By: Leann Sweeney
225 Pages (Nookbook)

Summary:
Abby's latest adoption case involves finding the birth parents of a baby who was left on a doorstep. The who, whats, whens, and whys will take you on an emotional journey.

I just finished this book and all I can say is, "Wow". Such a powerful storyline. Such an incredible story. Leann Sweeney out did herself this time. As I have been with the other books in this series, I was gripped throughout the entire book. I polished this book off in less than 2 days- and with 2 young kids, that's saying something.

Will is a star athlete from an incredibly close and loving family. However, they aren't blood related. None of them could have imagined what they were in for when they decide to locate Will's birth parents. When their biggest source of information is murdered, everything changes. Answers are searched hard for and all lead to an emotional climax. Will's birth parents had an enemy in his mother's parents. They stooped to new lows to keep the two apart. Two people in love have their lives shattered for no good reason.

This story takes you on a journey with stops in a prison and a successful church. It has you meeting people who give you faith in the good of humanity, as well as show the sadness only ignorance can bring. The ending had tears welling in my eyes. Such a great read!! I loved every single minute of it and was sad to see it end. Thank you, Leann Sweeney, for writing another wonderful read. You did an amazing job!

Rating: BUY IT!!!

A Dream Hosue For Me

The house where 2 of my favorite movies (Father of the Bride & Father of the Bride Part 2) were filmed is up for sale. I wish I could live there! All I have to do is get me a cool 1.3 million dollars and it's all mine! Now... why won't my money tree drop any money??

Anyway, if you liked the movies starring Steve Martin, I invite you to check out the link I provided. You get to look at pictures of the inside as well. http://www.tmz.com/2011/06/18/father-of-the-bride-house-for-sale-auction-million-alhambra-movie-arbor-martin-short-steve-martin/

The Man In The Rockefeller Suit

The Man In The Rockefeller Suit
By: Mark Seal
336 Pages (My Review Copy)

Summary:
At 17 years old, a teenager comes to United States. From one coast to another he changes names, backgrounds- he changes lives. He fools everyone he knows into believing him without question the vast majority of the time. At one point he becomes a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a California couple. However, the world knows him from his largest con- claiming to be a Rockefeller. See how this man pulled off the con of a lifetime, how it fell part.

I was given the privilege of reviewing this book through the publisher and I am very honored. I had read the excerpt of this book when it ran in Vanity Fair magazine and was enthralled. How was someone able to fool so many people for so long?! How did he start?

Mark Seal did an amazing job at telling you this man's incredulous story. He only dealt with the facts and not with theories of anything. He doesn't go off on tangents that have nothing to do with the story. He does not get you lost in an overly descriptive world so that you have no clue what happened. I thought he did a brilliant job of relating the story.

Through this book you will see how a child who loved to play role playing games- and who was very good at it- turned that obsession into a lifestyle. You will see how he was able to get a woman he hardly knew to marry him in order to get his green card. Through this book you will learn of his involvement with the citizens of San Marino, California and how he became a local celebrity. You also will discover how he got linked with the disapperance of the John and Linda Sohus. You will read how he has able to con his way into USC Film school.

I was baffled how this man was able to accomplish all he did without getting caught. He claimed to people that he worked on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, had brief stints on Wall Street. And, finally, let a famous name do all the work for him. I couldn't believe how easily and effortlessly he had people believing he really was a member of the Rockefller family. All he had to do was use this name and he was able to have doors opened for him.

If you are curious how a man was able to lie his way through his life, and be successful at it, I recommend this book. The story was entrancing. This man's story will baffle you, shock you.

Rating: Buy It

Mystery Month On Pause...

I have been given the honor of being able to read and review several up coming releases, along with a few newly released books. Since these books have a due date and time limit, I have to stop running my Mystery Month. Once things settle down, I hope to start it up again.

Thank you to all who read the reviews of the mystery books I have already put up. I hope you enjoy the upcoming reviews I'm working on.

Love, Jen

The Seven Dials Mystery (Mystery Month)

The Seven Dials Mystery
By:Agatha Christie
270 Pages

Summary:
Reclusive tycoon Sir Oswald Coote and his melancholy wife, Lady Coote, have hit upon the ideal plan to spice up their quiet lives. They'll host a lavish weekend party at Chimneys, their isolated estate, and invite only "bright young things." But the festive mood is clouded by doom. A practical joke involving seven clocks and a sleeping guest has ended in accidental death—and cause for alarm. For the guests may not be all that they appear. And as whispers of a strange club called Seven Dials echo through the halls of Chimneys, all hands will be pointing to murder... --bn.com

I love Agatha Christie. She's one of my go to authors when I'm in the mood for a mystery book. However, this book I struggled through. For whatever reason I had a hard time getting into the plot. At times I even got confused and had to reread parts to figure out what was going on. I have never had this problem with an Agatha Christie book before, so I'm a little shocked.

Despite it taking me longer to read than it should have, there were many things I did enjoy. Agatha is great at giving you a handful of characters that you get to know throughout the story. By the time you come to the end, you often find out several of them are not what they appeared to be- at all. I always try to see if I can figure out who the "bad guy" is, but I rarely do.

The whole secret society of Seven Dials was very creative. When the concept is first introduced to you, you think you have it pretty much figured out. I thought I did, but I was wrong. Agatha Christie is the master when it comes to creating interest in things you normally wouldn't give a second thought to.

Agatha Christie fans will enjoy this book. It may not be one of my favorites from her, but it was still a good escape.

Rating: Borrow From The Library

Reading Habits

I thought I'd share with you a couple of my reading habits. Granted, these are only the tip of my odd ice burg. I didn't want to overwhelm you, so I thought I'd do a couple at a time.

When you're reading a book, do you ever check to see how many pages the books is? I do that- every time. I'm one of those people who likes to know how long the book I'm reading is. And then, as I read the book, I keep track of how many pages I have left before I finish the book. For the most part, I'm not a fan of long books.

I don't just stop there. Nope, I have gotten into the habit of counting the number of pages in the individual chapters as well. I love shorter chapters. Being a person who ofter has to steal time to read, short chapters are wonderful. 10 pages,or less, are perfect to me. I've noticed that over the years, I've started seeing how long the chapter is that I'm about to begin. I don't really know why this is, but I do.

Funny how these were habits that formed over the last 5 years, or so. Growing up I don't remember being concerned with how long a book was, nor a chapter. Oh well. Things change as you get older. It does make me wonder what new habits I'll develop over the next few years. We shall see.

Murder Is Binding (Mystery Month)

Murder Is Binding
By: Lorna Barrett
271 Pages

Summary:
When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.  ---bn.com

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If I could, I would move to Stoneham, New Hampshire. However, it's a fictional place, so there goes that. I loved the idea of an entire street being devoted to different bookshops. I loved that this street was reviving the town's economy. I loved reading about it.

The plot was a little slow moving in areas, but  I didn't care because the book's setting kept me engrossed. The mystery itself was good. There were several times I thought I had it figured out, but I didn't. The plot twist was one I've only seen in soap operas. The characters were fun to meet and get to know.

For readers who enjoy light mystery without the blood, guts, and gore, this book may be one to try. If you love the book world, you will definitely like this book. This book is the first of the series and I look forward to reading the others.

Rating: Buy It

Eggs In Purgatory (Mystery Month)

Eggs In Purgatory
By: Laura Childs
280 Pages

Summary:
Suzanne, Toni, and Petra lose their husbands but find independence when they open the Cackleberry Club. Then their cozy cafe becomes the scene of a crime when a lawyer dies with a secret on his lips and egg on his face. What this all has to do with a religious cult and Suzanne's past could put her own life on the line. --bn.com

This was the first book I've read from Laura Childs, and I'm sorry to say I didn't like it. My Mom loved it, but I couldn't finish. While things happened right away, the plot slowed down very soon after. For me, this book took off from the gate, but couldn't keep up with the pace. Normally, in cases like these, I can hang on if the characters or environment the author has created it good. This was not true in this book.

I loved the idea of these women coming together and opening their own business, but I wasn't captivated by any of them. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I couldn't keep myself focused on the book. Laura Childs has a few different mystery series she writes about, so I'm going to try a different one. I'm hoping I have better luck with that.

Rating: Borrow From Library

Blogspot Problems!!

I want to let you guys know that I've been running into problems with Blogspot lately. For some reason it hasn't let me leave comments in response to any you leave me. This has been an off and on problem for awhile, but I was able to work around it before. For some reason, that's no longer the case. I deeply apologize for this as I enjoy responding to what you guys have to say.

The other problem I'm having is Blogpsot not letting me insert pictures in my posts. I'm going to keep trying, so hopefully this problem is only a short term one. As of right now, I have one post that is being withheld due to this issue.

Thank you for your patience. I look forward to everything being worked out so I can get back to my postings & responses.

Love, Jen