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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Early Bird (ARC) Review: My Foolish Heart
My Foolish Heart
Susan May Warren
Release Date: May 2011
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Pages: 384 (Paperback)
Author Site: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/
My Rating: 3.75/5
Source: Received for review from Litfuse Publicity Group
Synopsis:
[from goodreads.com]
Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.
Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast.
Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?
Review:
I think I’ll always enjoy taking the time to read charming, contemporary romances that make me sigh in contentment. It was nice to get lost in a town like Deep Haven where the people care about each other, the businesses that have been around for generations, and even the high school football team. Although the team hasn’t won a championship since the famous Coach Presley was in a horrible car accident. His daughter, Issy, is still suffering from the traumatic event while he spends his days recovering at a care center. She may have walked away from the crash with just a few scratches but she lost a great deal on that night.
Now she mostly just spends her days in her mother’s garden and spends her nights with her online listeners. Despite the fact that she has severe panic attacks and hasn’t left her home in over a year and despite the fact that she hasn’t been on many dates or fallen in love she dishes out dating advice to millions of people as Miss Foolish Heart. It’s when two men enter her life that the safe world she’s created gets turned upside down. First Caleb Knight, a handsome, scarred man becomes her neighbor and then BoyNextDoor calls in seeking love advice. Little does Issy know that Caleb is the boy next door and the girl he’s seeking advice about is her.
While I wasn’t in love with My Foolish Heart, I still appreciated the strength of the characters, the loyalty of small-town living, the sweet romantic plot, and the inspirational moral of the story. Caleb and Issy have a lot to overcome and each have their individual weaknesses that keep them from fully living their lives. Juxtaposed against their story is Lucy and Seb’s story. Lucy is Issy’s closest friend and she’s famous for her families’ delicious donuts. Seb was the all-star quarterback for the Huskies when he went to the high school. Having just recently returned to Deep Haven in hopes of procuring the new football coach position, he has stirred up a lot of emotions in both Lucy and himself. The two must come to terms with their past and find a way to move forward if they want to be together again. I liked the fact that I wasn’t overwhelmed with the two different story arcs going on. Instead, I became attached to all of the characters individually and their distinctive struggles.
My Foolish Heart is a lovable and charming romance that is both uplifting and sweet. There is a somewhat strong reference to having faith in the novel but it wasn’t overwhelming. It was a nice part of the story that helped build the personalities and traits of the characters. I think many will enjoy Warren’s latest contemporary romance and I’m interested in seeing more of her work.
P.S. (cover talk)
It’s very sweet and it goes with the “small town” theme of the novel.
Expected Release Date:
May 1st
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Queen's Rival Winners
Congrats to
Carol M
&
debbie
You have until the end of Sunday, April 24th to email me back with your mailing info. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Review: A World I Never Made
A World I Never Made
James LePore
Release Date: April 2009
Publisher: The Story Plant
Pages: 262
Author Site: http://jamesleporefiction.com/
My Rating: 4.5/5
Source: Received for blog tour from Pump Up Your Book
Synopsis:
[from goodreads.com]
Pat Nolan, an American man, is summoned to Paris to claim the body of his estranged daughter Megan, who has committed suicide. The body, however, is not Megan's and it becomes instantly clear to Pat that Megan staged this, that she is in serious trouble, and that she is calling to him for help.
This sends Pat on an odyssey that stretches across France and into the Czech Republic and that makes him the target of both the French police and a band of international terrorists. Joining Pat on his search is Catherine Laurence, a beautiful but tormented Paris detective who sees in Pat something she never thought she'd find-genuine passion and desperate need. As they look for Megan, they come closer to each other's souls and discover love when both had long given up on it.
Juxtaposed against this story is Megan's story. A freelance journalist, Megan is in Morocco to do research when she meets Abdel Lahani, a Saudi businessman. They begin a torrid affair, a game Megan has played often and well in her adult life. But what she discovers about Lahani puts her in the center of a different kind of game, one with rules she can barely comprehend. Because of her relationship with Lahani, Megan has made some considerable enemies. And she has put the lives of many-maybe even millions-at risk.
A World I Never Made is an atmospheric novel of suspense with brilliantly drawn characters and back-stories as compelling as the plot itself. It is the kind of novel that resonates deeply and leaves its traces long after you turn the final page.
Review:
I like reading suspenseful books but I wouldn’t consider the suspense genre a favorite of mine. Still there are times when I come across a suspense novel that I enjoy a lot more than I thought I would. After reading the synopsis of A World I Never Made I felt I’d have a pretty decent reading experience. But it wasn’t long after I actually started the book that I got sucked into the story. The premise of the story is what first got my attention. Pat Nolan is sent to claim the body of his daughter after he finds out she has committed suicide. Despite the fact that Pat and Megan aren’t really on speaking terms doesn’t stop him from traveling to France. However, he immediately knows the body doesn’t belong to his daughter. And he also knows that Megan needs is in a lot of trouble and needs help from the clues she leaves in her suicide note. So Pat lies to the police and tells them that the body is in fact Megan.
I feel the synopsis is a perfect description of the novel so I’m not going to sit here and summarize the book. It would be quite boring for everyone. Instead let’s discuss the characters. It was easy to like Pat despite the fact that he’s basically a horrible father. He alienated Megan as a child and didn’t do a good job of staying in her adult life. The two would spend every Christmas together but it they were never close. After Pat sets out to find Megan he soon discovers how much his daughter means to him and the lengths he’s willing to go to find her.
Not to say Megan is the perfect daughter. Yes, she was the victim as a child; always alone and waiting for her father to return on from his business trips. I hardly blame her for not being close to Pat. But she’s somewhat of an abuser herself. She uses her both her beauty and brains to seduce men to give her whatever she wants. And that behavior is what gets her in trouble with her latest pawn. Abdel Lahani is a predator himself but a handsome, smooth-talking, successful one. It doesn’t take Megan long to realize the mistake she’s made. Like I mentioned before, Megan is very smart. The choices she makes aren’t so smart though and this last decision puts a lot of people in danger.
I really liked Catherine. I felt the romance between her and Pat went very well with the story. I was worried their relationship would feel like a random throw in or wouldn’t make sense but I enjoyed watching them come together. Both Pat and Catherine are wounded souls and I was glad they were able to find each other in such a crazy time in each of their lives.
In my opinion the story just kept getting better and better. I mean the suspense was there and the action that came along with the story really had me turning those pages. Terrorist plots and traveling across countries isn’t really a big turn on for me but it really worked for me this time around. But it was the characters and the way the story flowed through Megan and Pat’s stories that made the novel stand out. I basically just enjoyed how well the story was written and how easily I could get lost in the plot. A World I Never Made surprised me and I’m looking forward to reading more of LePore’s work.
P.S. (cover talk)
The hardcover is very simple with large, bold font. However, I think it’s the title that grabs my attention more than the cover. I’ve seen the paperback version and I like it a lot better than the hardcover.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
International Giveaway: Two-Fisted Tweets - CLOSED
** CLOSED **
Want to win a eCopy of Two-Fisted Tweets?
Simply fill out this form to enter!
Giveaway ends May 4th.
Open Internationally.
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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Review: Two-Fisted Tweets
Two-Fisted Tweets
James Hutchings
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Release Date: February 2011
Publisher: Smashwords
Pages: 4 (eBook)
Author Blog: http://teleleli.blogspot.com/
My Rating: 3/5
Source: Received for review from author
Synopsis:
[from goodreads.com]
Thirty mostly humorous stories, including science fiction, fantasy, horror and romance. Each story is less than 140 characters long (the length of a Twitter tweet).
Review:
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when author James Hutchings asked me to review his latest book. Two-Fisted Tweets is comprised of extremely short (140 characters or less) stories that range in subjects. And even though I use Twitter occasionally I’m not as devoted to the networking site as others are. However, I’ve always had a passion for short quotes and lyrics. I used to spend a lot of my time in high school looking up quotes (famous, anonymous, quickly made up) and lyrics depicting powerful emotions in such a small package. It astounded me how much information and feeling one could get across with a small number of words. James Hutchings has succeeded in many of his “stories” to get across the very same thing that I found in the quotes and lyrics I came to love in high school.
Most of the “stories” made me smile and laugh. Others plucked an emotional nerve which I very much enjoyed. I love reading a passage and getting emotionally involved in it.
A couple of my favorites would be:
"Rotting hands reached from the darkness. At last, someone was attracted to her for her brains."
"They withdrew his invitation to speak at the conference on stalking. But he knew they didn’t mean it."
"She tried to dance like no one was watching, but everyone stared at her. "
Other “stories” were a little too off-the-wall for my tastes. I was left puzzled by them and a tad bit confused. But overall they were very enjoyable. I’m not too familiar with flash fiction and I’ve already come to realize I’m not a short story fan. But these “stories”, which so closely mimic tweets, remind me so much of the quotes I love. I definitely enjoyed reading Two-Fisted Tweets although the time literally flew by when I read them.
Twitter fans will definitely get a kick out of Hutchings’ “stories”. And any quote fan like me will appreciate a lot of the individual “stories” in the book.
P.S. (cover talk)
I admit it doesn’t have anything to do with the stories but it’s still a lot of fun. I like the vintage comic-book style.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Q&A with James Hutchings
James Hutchings live in Melbourne, Australia. He mostly writes very short fantasy fiction. His work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, fiction365, and Enchanted Conversation among other markets.
Welcome James! I appreciate you taking the time out to visit P.S. I Love Books.
No worries.
Can you tell us a little bit about your book Two-Fisted Tweets?
Two-Fisted Tweets is a collection of thirty short stories. Each is less than 140 characters (the length of a Twitter tweet).
What is Flash Fiction and what inspired you work with that specific genre?
I never really decided to write flash fiction. I just found that most of my stories were very short. However I was partly inspired by Lord Dunsany, one of the early names in fantasy fiction, who wrote of lot of stories of a few hundred words length.
What was one of your favorite and least favorite things about writing Two-Fisted Tweets?
One frustrating thing about writing in this length is that you don't make a lot of progress in terms of word count. I might have four good ideas for stories, and that could be fifty words. Whereas when you're writing a longer story you can spend two hundred words on a throwaway description.
However on the other hand, it's obviously quicker to write a 15 word story than a 1000 word one. So once you start a story, you usually finish it the same day. There's none of the frustration of writing four hundred words and then running out of ideas or not knowing how to end it.
If you had the chance to do it all over again would you change anything in Two-Fisted Tweets?
Since it was finished I've written new stories that, had I written them in time, would have gone in there. Every time I look at writing I did a while ago I want to change a word here or there. But on the whole I think it was the best collection I could do.
What do you think of the cover?
I really like the cover. I made it myself, so maybe I'm biased. I put together images from a few different comic covers, did the cover layout from scratch, then added the 'aging' effect by superimposing a picture of some very old paper.
When did you first realize that you wanted to write?
I actually wrote a very long story in primary school, which is now long-lost. It was partly inspired by a book of mythology I was reading at the time, but I'm pretty sure it was also supposed to be funny.
If you could write a book about absolutely anything with any other author (dead or alive) what would it be about and who would you choose?
I actually read a story called The Challenge From Beyond, which was written in 1935 by a group of fantasy writers. The idea was that one author wrote the first few paragraphs, then another took over to continue the story, and so on.
The result was surprisingly good, and so I'd like to write some stories using this principle, perhaps with the authors mentioned below.
My favourites change frequently, but here are some influences: Lord Dunsany, James Thurber (particularly a series of parodies of Aesop's fables that he did for the New Yorker), Terry Pratchett, Robert E. Howard (among other things the creator of Conan), JRR Tolkien (some would say the opposite of flash fiction), Ursula K. Le Guin, and Clark Ashton Smith.
I’m always looking for books to add to my ginormous TBR (to be read) pile. What books are you currently reading or have read recently? Any good recommendations?
I recently read the free preview to The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones. It looked very good.
What are some of your favorite things to do when given a break from the writing life and other work-related things?
I play and run Dungeons & Dragons. For many years I created a 'choose your own adventure' style website as a hobby. I've stopped adding to it, but it's still there. The address is www.ageoffable.net for anyone who's interested. A fair few of the ideas in my stories came from the world of the game.
Are you currently working on any projects that we may see from you in the future?
I write every day, and I always announce on my blog (see below) when I've had a new story published. I'm planning to put out a novel-length collection of my stories in September. These stories will be longer than in Two-Fisted Tweets: 100 or so words up to about 1500. The title will be Once Upon A Time: Fairy Tales for Cynical Adults.
I'm also working on a novella called All-American Detectives. This has a similar premise to the comic and film Watchmen: a detective story where the detectives are superheroes (the plot and characters aren't particularly similar though). This should be coming out later this year.
Thank you so much for stopping by James! Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
Two-Fisted Tweets is sold at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43859
My blog is http://teleleli.blogspot.com/
Be sure to stop by the next couple of days for my review of Two-Fisted Tweets & a giveaway!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Book Arrivals
For Review:
- So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson Mystery, #6) by J.T. Ellison
- The Civilized World by Susi Wyss
- The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
- Ada Legend of a Healer by R.A. McDonald
- Queen by Right by Anne Easter Smith
- My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, #1) by Rachel Vincent (from Mixtures: Books via Princess Bookie)
- Dragon Champion (Age of Fire, #1) by E.E. Knight (from Paperbackswap)
- Faustine (Bonfire Chronicles, #1) by Imogen Rose
Friday, April 15, 2011
Friday Finds [54]
I usually add a lot of books on my TBR list throughout the week. This is just a small glimpse into the ones that were added on recently. Maybe you'll find something you like =)
Please let me know your thoughts on a book you've read from the list. Or tell me about a good book you've found this week.
My Finds This Week:
Being Jamie Baker :: Kelly Oram
Silver Smoke :: Monica Leonelle
The Bermudez Triangle :: Maureen Johnson
Faith Revisted :: Madelyn Ford
Inside Out :: Maria V. Snyder
Just Like Me, Only Better :: Carol Snow
Kleopatra :: Karen Essex
No and Me :: Delphine de Vigan
Torn :: Amber Lehman
Promise :: Kristie Cook
Empress of the World :: Sara Ryan
The Doctor & the Diva :: Adrienne McDonnell
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Review: The Mountains Bow Down
The Mountains Bow Down
Sibella Giorello
Series or Stand Alone: Raleigh Harmon series, book four
Series Order: The Stones Cry Out, The River Runs Dry, The Clouds Roll Away
Release Date: March 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 336
Author Site: http://www.sibellagiorello.com/
My Rating: 3.75/5
Source: Received for review from Litfuse Publicity Group
Synopsis:
[from goodreads.com]
Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better... That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance. But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion; somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free. Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis - handsome Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack - who might not be as arrogant as she originally thought. And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family. Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a mystery so daunting that even the mountains might bow down before it.
Review:
Raleigh Harmon is on a much needed vacation on a cruise to Alaska. The company may not be ideal but the break from work is certainly welcomed. Her eccentric aunt has arranged Raleigh to be a consultant for a movie being filmed on the cruise. The lead actor is supposed to be an FBI agent in the movie but his acting skills might get in the way of the movie actually being good. But when the actor’s wife is found hanging off the side of the giant ship Raleigh’s vacation becomes no more. Although most believe the woman’s death is a suicide Raleigh finds more and more evidence that a killer is loose on the ship.
To make matters more difficult, Special Agent Jack Stephanson is called in to help Raleigh with the murder case. Raleigh simply doesn’t have time to pick apart her complicated feelings for Jack. She’s got a limited amount of time to solve the murder, find the killer, and keep her mother from completely falling apart.
Raleigh is such a great character. I really liked her in Giorello’s previous novel and she didn’t disappoint this time around either. I definitely don’t envy Raleigh’s life although parts of it are so fascinating. Raleigh is a forensic geologist and The Mountains Bow Down was full of really interesting facts and details that brought in Giorello’s knowledge of geology. The information added a lot of credibility to Raleigh’s character and I really enjoyed reading it.
Not only does Raleigh have to solve a murder but she has to battle her feelings for Jack. Now I don’t honestly remember much of Jack from the previous novel or much of Raleigh’s fiance’ DeMott. I’ll probably have to go back and re-read. However, I was still able to feel the tension between Jack and Raleigh although I couldn’t really remember what had happened between them. Honestly Jack won me over. He’s cute, quick-witted, and funny but can be very protective, loyal, and caring as well. He must have been a jerk to poor Raleigh for her to feel so conflicted towards him. There were times when I wish she would have given in but she’s got some major will-power.
Also on Raleigh’s mind is her mother. Again, I’m getting peeved at myself for not recalling any previous knowledge of Giorello’s prior novel. Apparently Raleigh’s mother is extremely fragile. Her state of mind borders on the line of breaking and Raleigh takes great care to keep her mother calm. This cruise definitely takes their relationship and her mother’s mind for a roller coaster ride. It’s both heart-breaking and scary to see and I’m interested to see what happens for both Raleigh and her mother in Giorello’s next installment.
The Mountains Bow Down is an excellent novel. It’s so easy to get lost in Giorello’s writing. Although there are previous novels in the series, I still think The Mountains Bow Down can be read as a stand-alone.
P.S. (cover talk)
It’s very nice to look at. I like how it ties in with both the story and the title. I really love the whole cover theme to the series. I also really adore the titles. They’re very creative and unique.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Waiting on Wednesday [81] - Glow
from goodreads.com:
What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?
Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...
Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.
But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.
Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games, and promises to thrill and challenge readers of all ages.
Reason: I don't think I've read anything remotely close to the sound of this novel. I can't wait to hear more about this.
Cover Discussion: It actually glows. Brilliant =)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Review: Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Neil Plakcy
Release Date: February 2011
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Pages: 9 (eBook)
Author Site: http://www.mahubooks.com/
My Rating: 3/5
Source: Received for review from publisher
Synopsis:
[from goodreads.com]
Junior is a wild and crazy construction supervisor who drinks too much, curses too frequently and never lets a woman get under his skin. Then, he meets the curvaceous Rhiannon who loves football, shoots a mean game of pool and has a little secret she's reluctant to share.
Junior keeps chasing her like a hound in heat, until he discovers there's no crying in the game she's playing. And that's when the fun REALLY begins.
A short story from our Candlelight literary romance line.
Review:
Junior is a bit down on his luck after being shunned at a recent job interview. Instead of heading to a bar he’s familiar with he decides to try a new bar right next to the construction site he was interviewing at. A bar is a bar, right? But it’s at this bar where he meets a woman that knocks his socks off. Junior normally doesn’t become so affected by women, but Rhiannon is different. She’s unlike any woman he has ever met and he can’t seem to get her out of his mind. But Junior soon finds out Rhiannon has a secret that she doesn’t seem to want to share. It’s a secret Junior is determined to find out. And that’s when things really get interesting…
Rhiannon was an interesting read. I both liked and disliked the book. Junior is kind of a one-note character. He’s a very manly-man. He likes to drink, watch sports, and cuss a lot, which is fine by me. When he meets Rhiannon he becomes a little like a love-sick puppy but again, that’s still fine by me. Junior doesn’t have many close friends and not much family so I can see how his attachment to Rhiannon happened. He did seem a bit on the desperate side but that’s understandable. He may have crossed the fine line of creepy once or twice and that was a turn off for me.
Rhiannon’s character was a fun contrast to Junior. She’s confident and comfortable in her own skin. She loves sports and can easily hang with the guys. I figured out Rhiannon's secret long before Junior did though. Even with the predictability of the end I enjoyed how accepting Junior was and how close the two characters became. I also liked how vulnerable Rhiannon’s character became towards the end. It made the two of them seem real and relatable.
I think my biggest problem with Rhiannon is the main problem I have with short stories. I just don’t think I’m a short story kind of gal because I’m too needy. Rhiannon was a quick and pretty well-written romance story with a twist.
P.S. (cover talk)
Pretty much has nothing to do with the story. I’m all for a burning candle but honestly the cover is boring.
Monday, April 11, 2011
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