Monday, April 30, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Apr 30)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Deadly Dance - Dee Davis
2.  What Doesn't Kill You - Iris Johansen

I’m currently reading:

1.  Betrayal - Christina Dodd

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  The Witness - Nora Roberts

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-136 

Saturday, April 28, 2012

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Apr 28)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.



Betrayal: A Bella Terra Deception Novel (Scarlet Deception) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Only New York Times bestseller Christina Dodd could bring you this series about three brothers, tormented by their pasts ...

At nineteen, Noah Di Luca was Bella Terra's golden boy, handsome, confident, and untouched by the shadows that tormented his brothers...or so it seems. Driven by ambition, beautiful teenage Penelope Alonso fought her way out of the ghettos. During one hot summer, they came together in the sweetness of first love ... until his past reared its ugly head and Noah walked away.

Nine years later, Penelope returns, never imagining she'd see Noah or that one glance would wake their fiery passion. As peril builds around them, Penelope has one choice: to survive, she must once again trust the man who betrayed her.

Even with terror stalking through Bella Terra's streets, love may be the most dangerous choice of all.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Signet Select; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451413202
ISBN-13: 978-0451413208





The Witness [Hardcover]

Product Description

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.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159126
ISBN-13: 978-0399159121





A Killer Read (An Ashton Corners) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

For the first meeting of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society, six friends gather in Molly Matthews's old Southern mansion - including Lizzie Turner, a reading specialist with a penchant for mysteries. But the mystery book club meeting becomes the scene of an actual murder when a stranger is shot  - and nobody knows who the victim is, or how Molly' antique gun came to be used as the murder weapon.

Then Lizzie begins finding mysterious manuscript chapters in her mailbox. As she and the book club members try to read between the lines, Molly surfaces as the next name on the killer's list ...
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425247031
ISBN-13: 978-0425247037

Friday, April 27, 2012

Silenced [Mass Market Paperback]


I've finished "Silenced" the 4th book in her Lucy Kincaid series by Allison Brennan.

Product Description

Lucy Kincaid is back -- with a vengeance.

A Washington Sex Scandal


It has been seven years since Lucy was attacked -- and almost killed -- by an online predator. Today, she is well on her way toward a new life. While waiting to begin her training at the FBI Academy, Lucy's is tireless in her fight against cyber sex crime. Her current mission: to find out who killed a high-priced call girl linked to a powerful Congressman.

A Cold-Blooded Killer

A number of known prostitutes -- with scores of high profile clients -- are turning up dead all over D.C. Is this the work of a depraved killer? Or the result of an inside job? Lucy's investigation will take her into an underground network of prostitutes, the chambers of the country's most powerful players, and her own dark past to confront an unknown enemy who's always one step ahead of her. With the help of her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan, Lucy must find and protect the only witness who can identify the killer and end the conspiracy, but can the witness be trusted? Lucy will risk everything to expose the truth and ensure justice is served, even if that means putting herself in the line of fire ...

About Author

Allison Brennan is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romantic suspense and thrillers. She's a five-time RITA award nominee for Best Romantic Suspense, and the Daphne du Maurier winner for Best Suspense for FEAR NO EVIL. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in northern California with her husband and five kids. She's currently writing, reading ... or attending her kids sporting events.
 
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005957
ISBN-13: 978-1250005953
 
My Review:
 
It has been seven years since Lucy Kincaid met an online predator who seemed nice.  When they finally met he turned out to be a sadistic psychopath who enjoyed raping and killing women live for money (see Fear No Evil).  He savagely attacked her but she lived and killed him.  Since they attack she is determined to become an FBI agent and never letting that happen to another women.  She has been accepted to the FBI Academy.
 
While she is waiting Noah Armstrong her mentor asks her to help him investigate the murder of a high-priced call girl Wendy James linked to Congressman Crowley.  Noah's boss Supervisory Special Agent Matt Slater is angered when Lucy voices her findings about the murder scene and he doesn't want an untrained FBI wannable in the field.  She is reassigned to another case the murders of several call girls and a social worker and she figures out they are linked to the Wendy James murder.  With the help of her private investigator boyfriend Sean Rogan Lucy must figure out the connection between Ivy before the killers murder the both of them.
 
This book is a thrilling action packed mystery which is non stop from beginning to end.  Lucy has grown a lot since her attack by sharpening her strong instincts but lacks confidence in her abilities and skills.  

I really loved how Lucy was more vocal about her opinions in this book and didn't let anyone bring her down.  She was spot on about her findings and how each case were linked together.  Really enjoyed her rapport with Ivy and how she could relate to her.  I also love how her relationship with Sean is moving ahead to the next step and how they support each other.

4/5

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:




Robert B. Parker's Lullaby (Spenser) [Hardcover]

Product Description

When fourteen-year-old Mattie Sullivan asks Spenser to look into her mother’s murder, he’s not completely convinced by her claim that the police investigation four years ago was botched. Mattie is gruff, street-smart, and wise beyond her years, left to care for her younger siblings and an alcoholic grandmother in a dilapidated apartment in South Boston. But her need for closure and her determination to make things right hit Spenser where he lives- they’re the very characteristics he abides by.

Mattie believes the man convicted of the crime is innocent and points Spenser to the Southie toughs who she saw carrying her mother away hours before her murder. Neither the Boston PD nor the neighborhood thugs are keen on his dredging up the past, but as Spenser becomes more involved in the case, he starts to realize that Mattie may be onto something. Spenser will need Hawk’s help to find peace for Mattie – a job that’s more dangerous than he ever thought.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (May 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399158030
ISBN-13: 978-0399158032




Brownies and Broomsticks: A Magical Bakery Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

EASY BAKE COVEN

Katie Lightfoot's tired of loafing around as the assistant manager of an Ohio bakery. So when her aunt Lucy and uncle Ben open a bakery in Savannah's quaint downtown district and ask Katie to join them, she enthusiastically agrees.

While working at the Honeybee Bakery — named after Lucy's cat — Katie notices that her aunt is adding mysterious herbs to her recipes. Turns out these herbal enhancements aren't just tasty—Aunt Lucy is a witch and her recipes are actually spells!

When a curmudgeonly customer is murdered outside the Honeybee Bakery, Uncle Ben becomes the prime suspect. With the help of handsome journalist Steve Dawes, charming firefighter Declan McCarthy, and a few spells, Katie and Aunt Lucy stir up some toil and trouble to clear Ben's name and find the real killer ..
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Signet; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451236637
ISBN-13: 978-0451236630
A Deadly Grind (A Vintage Kitchen Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]
Product Description
A Hoosier to die for?

When vintage cookware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton spies an original 1920s Hoosier brand kitchen cabinet at an estate auction, it’s love at first sight. Despite the protests of her sister that the 19th-century yellow-brick house they share in Michigan is already too cluttered with Jaymie’s “junk,” she successfully outbids the other buyers and triumphantly takes home her Hoosier.

But that night on the summer porch where they’ve left the Hoosier to be cleaned up, a man is murdered, struck on the head with the steel meat grinder that is part of the cabinet. Who is this stranger — and what was he doing on their porch? Does his death have anything to do with the Hoosier?

As the police struggle to determine the man’s identity, Jaymie can’t help doing a little digging on her own, accompanied by her three-legged Yorkie Poo, Hopalong. But in her bid to uncover the truth about the hidden secrets of the Hoosier, Jaymie may be the one who ends up going, going … gone.
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425248011
ISBN-13: 978-0425248010
The Big Kitty (A Sunny & Shadow Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Did curiosity kill the cat lady?

Sunny Coolidge left her New York City newspaper job to go back to Maine and take care of her ailing father. But there’s not much excitement — or interesting work — in Kittery Harbor. So when Ada Spruance, the town’s elderly cat lady, asks for help finding her supposedly-winning lottery ticket, Sunny agrees. But when she arrives at Ada’s, with a stray tomcat named Shadow tagging along, they discover the poor woman dead at the bottom of her stairs. Was it an accident — or did Ada’s death have to do with that missing lottery ticket, which turns out to be worth six million dollars?

Town Constable Will Price suspects the worst. And Sunny’s reporter instincts soon drive her to do some investigating of her own. Even Shadow seems to have a nose for detective work. Following the trail of the purrloined ticket, Sunny and Shadow try to shed some light on a killer’s dark motives — before their own numbers are up …
Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 042524802X
ISBN-13: 978-0425248027

11th Hour (Women's Murder Club) [Hardcover]
Product Description
Your best friend

Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn't slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department's evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer -- even her closest friends.

Or a vicious killer?

Lindsay is called next to the most bizarre crime scene she's ever seen: two bodiless heads elaborately displayed in the garden of a world-famous actor. Another head is unearthed in the garden, and Lindsay realizes that the ground could hide hundreds of victims.

You won't know until the 11th hour

A reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases and Lindsay's personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to -- especially not Joe. 11TH HOUR is the most shocking, most emotional, and most thrilling Women's Murder Club novel ever.
Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 7, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316097497
ISBN-13: 978-0316097499

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Deadly Dance [Mass Market Paperback]


I've finished "Deadly Dance" the 5th book in her A-Tac series by Dee Davis.

Product Description

As the intelligence officer for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Hannah Marshall is used to working behind the scenes. But when a brutal murder hits too close to home, Hannah finds herself in the middle of the action, falling in love while racing to outwit a sadistic mastermind.

A KILLER CLOSES IN

After the death of her A-Tac partner, Hannah doubts everything she thought she knew about love and loyalty. When handsome Harrison Blake joins the team, she's reluctant to trust him - or to act on her intense attraction to him. Then Hannah receives a podcast of a gruesome murder, and the only person who can help her find the killer is Harrison.

Harrison has spent years trying to hunt down the cunning monster who killed his sister. Now investigating with Hannah, he faces a shocking possibility - his sister's murderer has resurfaced. As the danger escalates, Hannah and Harrison grow closer, the desire simmering between them ignites. And when Hannah disappears, Harrison has only one chance to save the woman he loves.

About the Author

Bestselling author Dee Davis worked in association management before turning her hand to writing. Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything in Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she's won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold, and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt Medallion Award, and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. When not sitting at the computer writing, she spends her time exploring Manhattan with her husband, daughter, and Cardigan Welsh corgi.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (April 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446582948
ISBN-13: 978-0446582940


My Review:

The Consortium failed in their plan to infiltrate A-Tac but they managed to leave Jason Lawton dead. Hannah Marshall A-Tac's Intelligence specialist mourns the death of her friend but has a mission dedicated to her fallen comrade. She poses as the inheritor of a valuable art collection including a Monet painting Le Jardin lost in WW II that she wants to sell to Alain DuBois who is tied to the Consortium in Montreal.  What they didn't kow was it was a trap when DuBois is killed and Hannah and her teammates including new member Harrison Blake are fortunate to escape with their lives as the Consortium blows up his estate.

When Hannah returns to Sunderland College Tina Richards her grad student assistant shows her a disturbing video sent to her e-mail showing a man torturing a girl who is tied up on a bed.  Soon after a fellow team member Avery informs them Sara Lauter a student is missing.  They soon realize both cases are related and the torture murder reminds Harrison of the death of his twin sister Eileen by the killer known as the Cyber Killer since he sent e-mails before his kills.

Harrison Blake is the new member of the team who brings a vast amount of experience to the team since he's a former FBI agent, he use to work for the Last Chance organization and his great computer expertise.  He and Hannah are work friends but as they dig deeper into the case they become lovers.  Both have experienced tragedies in their lives - Hannah was abused in her childhood and learned to cope with the pain and keeps people away from her - Blake feels guilty that he wasn't able to save his sister from the Cyber Killer who raped, tortured and then killed her.

This was a thrilling fast paced romantic suspense with twists and turns and very sadistic villains.  The killings are pretty graphic.

4/5

New Releases 2012 (Apr 24)


Silenced [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Lucy Kincaid is back -- with a vengeance.

A Washington Sex Scandal


It has been seven years since Lucy was attacked -- and almost killed -- by an online predator. Today, she is well on her way toward a new life. While waiting to begin her training at the FBI Academy, Lucy's is tireless in her fight against cyber sex crime. Her current mission: to find out who killed a high-priced call girl linked to a powerful Congressman.

A Cold-Blooded Killer

A number of known prostitutes -- with scores of high profile clients -- are turning up dead all over D.C. Is this the work of a depraved killer? Or the result of an inside job? Lucy's investigation will take her into an underground network of prostitutes, the chambers of the country's most powerful players, and her own dark past to confront an unknown enemy who's always one step ahead of her. With the help of her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan, Lucy must find and protect the only witness who can identify the killer and end the conspiracy, but can the witness be trusted? Lucy will risk everything to expose the truth and ensure justice is served, even if that means putting herself in the line of fire ...

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005957
ISBN-13: 978-1250005953




Unmasking Kelsey [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

All is not as it seems as a daring undercover agent and an unconventional southern belle mix business with pleasure in this classic story of romance and suspense from New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper.

Kelsey has come to the idyllic southern town of Pinnacle to investigate a shady company called Meditron, which has a ruthless way of getting what it wants — or so claims the desperate caller who contacts the FBI. The locals won’t talk about Meditron. But Kelsey is an expert interrogator, prepared to use his seductive charms to his every advantage. He just hadn’t counted on falling for the beautiful witness at the center of his investigation.

Elizabeth Conner is too proud to ask for any sort of assistance. She never needed help raising her three willful younger sisters. But now her family is in serious trouble, and Elizabeth’s stubborn independence is a deadly liability. And then Kelsey sweeps her up — and into his arms — like a force of nature, promising to protect Elizabeth and her sisters from a relentless enemy. Elizabeth never imagined letting any man get too close, let alone one who can’t even disclose his full name. But daring to trust this tempting stranger is a danger she must embrace.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bantam (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553590707
ISBN-13: 978-0553590708

Monday, April 23, 2012

Guilty Wives [Hardcover]


I've finished "Guilty Wives" by James Patterson and David Ellis.

Product Description

No husbands allowed

Only minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step off of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, sensually pampering hotel they have ever been to. Their lavish presidential suite overlooks Monte Carlo, and they surrender: to the sun and pool, to the sashimi and sake, to the Bruno Paillard champagne. For four days they're free to live someone else's life. As the weekend moves into pulsating discos, high-stakes casinos, and beyond, Abbie is transported to the greatest pleasure and release she has ever known.

What happened last night?

In the morning's harsh light, Abbie awakens on a yacht, surrounded by police. Something awful has happened -- something impossible, unthinkable. Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested and accused of the foulest crime imaginable. And now the vacation of a lifetime becomes the fight of a lifetime -- for survival. GUILTY WIVES is the ultimate indulgence, the kind of nonstop joy-ride of excess, friendship, betrayal, and danger that only James Patterson can create.

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 230 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. Mr. Patterson also writes the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels, set in San Francisco, and the top-selling New York detective series of all time, featuring Detective Michael Bennett. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

David Ellis is the award-winning author of seven novels, including Line of Vision, for which he won the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and The Hidden Man, which earned him a 2009 L.A. Times Book Prize nomination. Ellis is the Chief Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and he recently served as the House Prosecutor who tried and convicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (March 26, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031609756X
ISBN-13: 978-0316097567


My Review:

Four wives go on a trip to Monte Carlo on a Girl's Weekend to have fun by gambling and partying and to escape their abusive and unfaithful distant husbands.  Serena Schofield, a former U.S. Champion skier and  she is the one paying the bill for this weekend. Her husband provides for her but it really is a loveless marriage. Bryah Gordon, born in Johannesburg but her husband is very controlling and sometimes is physically abusive so this is her first ever weekend away with just the girls. Winnie Brookes, an exotic Brit, beautiful inside as well as out. Her husband was in British Intelligence for years and now works at the British Embassy in Bern. Finally there is Abbie Elliot, her husband is a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Bern.

They all have fun gambling at the casinos, dancing at the clubs, eating exotic food, drinking expensive liquor, hanging around pools and attracting attention from gorgeous men.

The next morning they wake up on a yacht surrounded by police and arrested for an unspeakable crime they didn't commit.

I really did enjoy the premise of the storyline but some parts were really hard to stomach (ex: jail torture and rape) because they were quite graphic and horrible.

The heroine of this story is about Abbie who endures tons of abuse and torture which helps in her character development.

3/5

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Apr 23)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Silenced - Allison Brennan
2.  Twisted - Laura Griffin
3.  Guilty Wives - James Patterson

I’m currently reading:

1.  Deadly Dance - Dee Davis

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  What Doesn't Kill You - Iris Johansen

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-135 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Library Haul 2012 (Apr 22 - 28)


Here's the list of books I picked up from the library this week:

Hardcover:

1.  Down the Darkest Road - Tami Hoag

What book(s) did you pick from the library this week?

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Ripper [Hardcover]



I've finished "Ripper" by Stefan Petrucha.

Product Description

You thought you knew him. You were dead wrong.


Carver Young dreams of becoming a detective, despite growing up in an orphanage with only crime novels to encourage him. But when he is adopted by Detective Hawking of the world famous Pinkerton Agency, Carver is given not only the chance to find his biological father, he finds himself smack in the middle of a real life investigation: tracking down a vicious serial killer who has thrown New York City into utter panic. When the case begins to unfold, however, it's worse than he could have ever imagined, and his loyalty to Mr. Hawking and the Pinkertons comes into question. As the body count rises and the investigation becomes dire, Carver must decide where his true loyalty lies. Full of whip-smart dialogue, kid-friendly gadgets, and featuring a then New York City Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt, Ripper challenges everything you thought you knew about the world's most famous serial killer.


About the Author 

Stefan Petrucha (petrucha.com) lives in Western Massachusetts, with his wife and daughters.


Product Details
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Philomel (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399255249
ISBN-13: 978-0399255243


My Review:

I just had to read this book because I really stories about Jack the Ripper and a kid trying to solve one of the unsolved mysteries of the time.  Also I really enjoy reading stories about the Pinkerton Agency.

Carver Young is an orphan and really wants to become a detective (he's always reading and getting into mischief) and he has some traits already (he's always breaking into the owner's office).

He is adopted by Detective Hawkings of the Pinkerton Agency which gives him the chance to find his real father and he's thrown into a real life investigation to track down a viscious serial killer who has thrown New York into a panic.  As the body count rises Carver is forced to choose where his loyalty lies.

I highly recommend this book if you love a thrilling and exciting story with smart dialogue, kid friendly amazing gadgets and that challenges everything you knew about the world's famous serial killer.

5/5

Follow My Blog #20


If you are new to the FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES and Features and Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read on Fridays.

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {Parajunkee.com} {Alisoncanread.com}and any one else you want to follow on the list.

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - Amy's Book World and The Word Spelunking.

3. Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing.

4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can

6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love ... and the followers

7. If your new to the Follow Friday Hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

The Friday Follow Feature are ...


Amy’s Book World 

 


follow Feature & Follow #93

My name is Amy. I am from North Carolina. I have loved reading since I was a kid. My favorite genres are PNR/UF, YA but I have recently began reading contemporary romances and even a historical. I started a blog because I saw so many reviews out there but none really said what I thought.So I decided that I am going to blog about the books I read to have my thoughts out there too. Some of my favorite authors are JR Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jennifer Ashley, Lynsay Sands, Kerrelyn Sparks, Janet Evanovich, Rachel Vincent, Rachel Gibson, Kristina Douglas, Lara Adrian and the list could go on.

When I am not reading or blogging, you can usually find me hanging out with my nephews or playing with my dog, Lanie.


Word Spelunking


Word Spelunking

I am a twenty-something dreamer, with a love of words; mindless television shows; sarcastic humor; and orange sherbet ice cream. I'm a book geek and word nerd with a passion for YA and MG fiction. I would love to get paid for reading books all day long, while sitting on the sands of Folly Beach, but to date this job still only exists in the chaotic, yet sparkly wonderland that is my mind. As a proud, self- proclaimed T.V junkie and literature enthusiast, I spend most of my time in the world of fictional characters; a world where I have declared myself the queen and wear a glittering tiara. I am still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and believe I would be totally awesome at both Charms and Quidditch. To those who try to bring me down from my cloud in the sky, I have only this to say: Muggle, please. I discovered the world of book blogging a few months ago, but only recently became brave enough to start my own blog. I find that I have a lot to say about books and started blogging to find other book loving people to say these things to...and to give the people in my real life a break from my incessant book chatter. I love YA and MG lit and Lauren Myracle is my literary soulmate. Basically, I'm just a girl who loves books, loves to interact with others who love books, and wants to share that love. I just wanna smoosh everyone together in this big book lovefest and spread that love around the world.

Q: Fight! Fight! If you could have two fictional characters battle it out (preferably from books), who would they be and who do you think would win?

I would love to see Joe Quinn from Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series fight Luis Montalvo also from Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan series





vs.






I would also love to see Ranger (aka Carlos Manoso) fight Joe Morelli from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.




vs

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Apr 21)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received this in the mail this week.

 
Deadly Dance [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

As the intelligence officer for A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, Hannah Marshall is used to working behind the scenes. But when a brutal murder hits too close to home, Hannah finds herself in the middle of the action, falling in love while racing to outwit a sadistic mastermind.

A KILLER CLOSES IN


After the death of her A-Tac partner, Hannah doubts everything she thought she knew about love and loyalty. When handsome Harrison Blake joins the team, she's reluctant to trust him - or to act on her intense attraction to him. Then Hannah receives a podcast of a gruesome murder, and the only person who can help her find the killer is Harrison.

Harrison has spent years trying to hunt down the cunning monster who killed his sister. Now investigating with Hannah, he faces a shocking possibility - his sister's murderer has resurfaced. As the danger escalates, Hannah and Harrison grow closer, the desire simmering between them ignites. And when Hannah disappears, Harrison has only one chance to save the woman he loves.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (April 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446582948
ISBN-13: 978-0446582940

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Murder Buys a T-Shirt (A Haunted Souvenir) [Mass Market Paperback]



I've finished "Murder Buys a T-Shirt" the 1st book in her Haunted Souvenir series by Christy Fifield.

Product Description

Glory Martine has inherited her uncle's Florida souvenir shop, one stuffed with collectibles, mementos of times gone by -- and ghosts -- who, like her customers, refuse to let go of the past. But things take an even more unexpected turn when a local football hero dies far too suddenly and suspiciously. Now, Glory has to uncover the truth before someone makes her history ...

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425246663
ISBN-13: 978-0425246665


My Review:

Glory Martine has inherited her late Uncle Louis's souvenir shop in Keyhole, Florida.  After some strange happenings in the shop she believes the shop is haunted by her late uncle Louis through her parrot Bluebird.

As Glory and her reporter friend Karen are at a traffic accident scene where high school football star Kevin Stanley has died.  The police believe Kevin was drunk because he just left a "keg party" so they take their time investigating.

When Glory returns to the shop her bird Bluebeard insists "it wasn't an accident" and leaves newspaper articles around including some about her Uncle Louis which results in Glory finding out more about her Uncle.  With the help of Karen and two other friends Ernie and Felipe she investigates Kevin's murder.

Bluebird was hilarious with his cursing sailor mouth (the cursing wasn't written but we can guess what he is saying, LOL!) and he's always asking for coffee or biscuits.

This was a great murder mystery with well written characters with an unpredictable villain and a nice setting.

I really enjoyed the potential beginning of a romance between Glory and Jake the new bookstore owner.  He seems really interested in Glory.

4/5

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:



Silenced [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Lucy Kincaid is back -- with a vengeance.

A Washington Sex Scandal


It has been seven years since Lucy was attacked -- and almost killed -- by an online predator. Today, she is well on her way toward a new life. While waiting to begin her training at the FBI Academy, Lucy's is tireless in her fight against cyber sex crime. Her current mission: to find out who killed a high-priced call girl linked to a powerful Congressman.

A Cold-Blooded Killer

A number of known prostitutes -- with scores of high profile clients -- are turning up dead all over D.C. Is this the work of a depraved killer? Or the result of an inside job? Lucy's investigation will take her into an underground network of prostitutes, the chambers of the country's most powerful players, and her own dark past to confront an unknown enemy who's always one step ahead of her. With the help of her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan, Lucy must find and protect the only witness who can identify the killer and end the conspiracy, but can the witness be trusted? Lucy will risk everything to expose the truth and ensure justice is served, even if that means putting herself in the line of fire ...

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005957
ISBN-13: 978-1250005953




Unmasking Kelsey [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

All is not as it seems as a daring undercover agent and an unconventional southern belle mix business with pleasure in this classic story of romance and suspense from New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper.

Kelsey has come to the idyllic southern town of Pinnacle to investigate a shady company called Meditron, which has a ruthless way of getting what it wants — or so claims the desperate caller who contacts the FBI. The locals won’t talk about Meditron. But Kelsey is an expert interrogator, prepared to use his seductive charms to his every advantage. He just hadn’t counted on falling for the beautiful witness at the center of his investigation.

Elizabeth Conner is too proud to ask for any sort of assistance. She never needed help raising her three willful younger sisters. But now her family is in serious trouble, and Elizabeth’s stubborn independence is a deadly liability. And then Kelsey sweeps her up — and into his arms — like a force of nature, promising to protect Elizabeth and her sisters from a relentless enemy. Elizabeth never imagined letting any man get too close, let alone one who can’t even disclose his full name. But daring to trust this tempting stranger is a danger she must embrace.


Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bantam (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553590707
ISBN-13: 978-0553590708

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

New Releases 2012 (Apr 17)


What Doesn't Kill You [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an explosive new thriller featuring Catherine Ling from Chasing The Night.


Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a teenager, she came under the tutelage of a mysterious man known only as Hu Chang — a skilled assassin and master poisoner. As a young woman, she was recruited by the CIA and now, she is known as one of their most effective operatives. Having lived life in the shadows, Catherine is aware of the wobbly moral compass of her existence and even more aware of just how expendable she is to those she deals with. When her old friend Hu Chang creates something so deadly, and completely untraceable, the chase is on to be the first to get it. With rogue operative John Gallo also on the hunt, Catherine finds herself pitted against a group so villainous and a man so evil that she may not survive the quest to protect those she cares about. Iris Johansen is at her page-turning best in this novel that takes you from the corridors of Langley to the alleyways of Hong Kong, and the darkest places of the human soul.

Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651236
ISBN-13: 978-0312651237





Twisted (Tracers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description
 
ALLISON DOYLE’S NEW CASE WILL MAKE HER CAREER . . . IF SHE LIVES TO SOLVE IT.

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi — rookie detective Allison Doyle knows it’s as close to a slam dunk as most investigations get. But even though her small-town Texas police department has identified a prime suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she can’t rest easy. And when legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling new theory, all her doubts are amplified. If Wolfe is correct, the real killer is an elusive psychopath who has left a trail of bodies behind him. And he’s just days away from his next kill. . . .

Allison was supposed to be Wolfe’s way into the case, nothing more. But she’s ambitious, stubborn, and far too tempting. With the help of her contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is within striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except the closer Allison and Wolfe get, the more reason there is to fear. Because with a predator this brutal, every thread of evidence can make a difference between hunting a madman — and becoming hunted yourself.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617372
ISBN-13: 978-1451617375
The Witness [Hardcover]

Product Description
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.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159126
ISBN-13: 978-0399159121

Monday, April 16, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Apr 16)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Murder Buys a T-Shirt - Christy Fifield
2.  Ripper - Stefan Petrucha

I’m currently reading:

1.  Silenced - Allison Brennan

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  Twisted - Laura Griffin
2.  Guilty Wives - James Patterson

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-134 

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Agony of the Leaves (A Tea Shop Mystery)



I've finished "Agony of the Leaves" the book in her Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs.

Product Description

In the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Scones and Bones, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning finds herself in hot water when a body surfaces at the grand opening of Charleston's Neptune Aquarium ...

The opening of the aquarium is a major Charleston event, and Theodosia has been hired to cater tea, scones, and sandwiches for the private party to honor dignitaries and big buck donors. Things are going swimmingly, until Theodosia escapes the party for a momentary rest, only to discover the body of a man entangled in a net, drowned in one of the aquarium's state-of-the-art tanks.

To make matters worse, the victim is Theodosia's former boyfriend Parker Scully. The EMTs on the scene think Parker's drowning was an accident, but when Theodosia notices what look like defense wounds on his hands, she realizes that someone wanted Parker dead. The local police aren't keen on hearing her theory-especially because of her ties to the victim - so Theodosia knows that if she wants Parker's killer brought to justice, she'll have to jump into the deep end and start her own investigation...

INCLUDES DELICIOUS RECIPES AND TEA TIME TIPS!

About the Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cackleberry Club, Tea Shop, and Scrapbooking mysteries. In her past life she was a Clio Award – winning advertising writer and CEO of her own marketing firm. She lives in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover (March 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425245535
ISBN-13: 978-0425245538


My Review:

Theodosia Browning was hired to cater tea, scones and sandwiches for the private party to honor dignitaries and big buck donors at the opening of the Charleston Aquarium. She takes a breather and finds a man tangled in a net in a state of the art aquarium.

She discovers the body is her former boyfriend Parker Scully and he has defensive wounds on his hands when she investigates his body.  She's in shock and determined who would want to kill Parker and why?

It was a delight to see Drayton the tea expert extraordinaire and Haley the Indigo Tea Shop Chef had a bigger role in helping Theodosia solve the case. This is a great series to learn about all the different types and varieties of teas and there is always recipes at the end and ideas how to host a theme tea party.

4/5

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Apr 14)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received this in the mail this week.



Honor Bound [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Captain Timothy O'Shay is on pre-deployment leave in Las Vegas when he meets Skye McDermott. For once, Tim lets loose and the two hook up. But in the morning, Tim wakes up to discover he's married a woman who's the polar opposite of what he always envisioned in a wife. But Skye is sure that this is fate, and that they are destined to be together. Can she convince him to stay with her before he's deployed?

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (July 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402265409
ISBN-13: 978-1402265402

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:




What Doesn't Kill You [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an explosive new thriller featuring Catherine Ling from Chasing The Night.


Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a teenager, she came under the tutelage of a mysterious man known only as Hu Chang — a skilled assassin and master poisoner. As a young woman, she was recruited by the CIA and now, she is known as one of their most effective operatives. Having lived life in the shadows, Catherine is aware of the wobbly moral compass of her existence and even more aware of just how expendable she is to those she deals with. When her old friend Hu Chang creates something so deadly, and completely untraceable, the chase is on to be the first to get it. With rogue operative John Gallo also on the hunt, Catherine finds herself pitted against a group so villainous and a man so evil that she may not survive the quest to protect those she cares about. Iris Johansen is at her page-turning best in this novel that takes you from the corridors of Langley to the alleyways of Hong Kong, and the darkest places of the human soul.

Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651236
ISBN-13: 978-0312651237





Twisted (Tracers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description
 
ALLISON DOYLE’S NEW CASE WILL MAKE HER CAREER . . . IF SHE LIVES TO SOLVE IT.

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi — rookie detective Allison Doyle knows it’s as close to a slam dunk as most investigations get. But even though her small-town Texas police department has identified a prime suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she can’t rest easy. And when legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling new theory, all her doubts are amplified. If Wolfe is correct, the real killer is an elusive psychopath who has left a trail of bodies behind him. And he’s just days away from his next kill. . . .

Allison was supposed to be Wolfe’s way into the case, nothing more. But she’s ambitious, stubborn, and far too tempting. With the help of her contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is within striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except the closer Allison and Wolfe get, the more reason there is to fear. Because with a predator this brutal, every thread of evidence can make a difference between hunting a madman — and becoming hunted yourself.
Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617372
ISBN-13: 978-1451617375
The Witness [Hardcover]
Product Description
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.

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399159126
ISBN-13: 978-0399159121

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Unseen [Hardcover]


I've finished "The Unseen" the 1st book in her new Krewe of Hunters series by Heather Graham.

Product Description



1800s. San Antonio, Texas: In room 207 at the Longhorn Saloon, in the long shadow of the Alamo itself, a woman renowned for her beauty was brutally murdered. Her killer was never found.

One year ago: In that same historic room, another woman vanished without a trace. Her blood was everywhere … but her body was never recovered.

Now: In the last month, San Antonio has become a dumping ground for battered bodies.

All young women, many of them long missing, almost all forgotten. Until now.

Texas Ranger Logan Raintree cannot sit by and let his city's most vulnerable citizens be slain. So when he is approached to lead a brand-new group of elite paranormal investigators working the case, he has no choice but to accept the challenge. And with it, his powerful ability to commune with the dead.

Among Logan's new team is Kelsey O'Brien, a U.S. marshal known for her razor-sharp intuition and a toughness that belies her delicate exterior. Kelsey has been waiting all her life to work with someone who can understand her ability to "see" the past unfolding in the present. Now she has her chance.

Together, Kelsey and Logan follow their instincts to the Alamo and to the newly reopened Longhorn, which once tempted heroes with drink, cards and women. If the spirits of those long-dead Texans are really appearing to the victims before their deaths, only Kelsey and Logan have the skills to find out why.
And if something more earthly is menacing the city's oldest, darkest corners, only they can stop it—before more innocent women join the company of San Antonio's restless ghosts….
once tempted heroes with drinks, cards and women.  If the spirits of those long-dead Texans are appearing to the victims before their deaths, only Kelsey and Logan have the skills to find out why.

And if something more earthly is menacing the city's oldest, darkest corners, only they can stop it - before more innocent women join the company of the San Antonio's restless ghosts ...

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels. She's a winner of the RWA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers' Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. For more information, check out her websites: TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com, eHeatherGraham.com, and HeatherGraham.tv. You can also find Heather on Facebook.

Product Details
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Mira (March 27, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778313298
ISBN-13: 978-0778313298


My Review:

This series is a spin off of her Krewe of Hunters series with brand new characters mixed in with two of the previous Krewe of Hunter teamates.

The book opens in the 1800's to present day.  Young women are being murdered, and all were last seen around the Alamo and the Longhorn hotel. In the 1800's in room 207 Rose Langley was murdered by Matt Meyer hands after she was kidnapped by him. The room was covered in blood and her body was never found. Since then there have been more young woman slain and these murders and the mystery of the Longhorn is the first case for our new hunters.

Jackson Crow is the leader of government paranormal group who is recruiting a new team to help solve crimes.  He chooses Logan Raintree a half Native American Texas Ranger whose wife died by a killer three years ago to lead the new team and Kelsey O'Brien A Florida US Marshall to be his partner.  Logan and Kelsey both are wind  spirits - they can see, hear and communicate with spirits and Jackson wants them to use their skills to solve the crimes.

As they investigate they learn the murders are tied to the Alamo and the disappearance of a diamond.  Logan and Kelsey work with their new team (all who have some kind of skill) to find out what they all have in common and who the killer is.

Along the way both fall in love and into each other arms which I didn't find very convincing enough.  To me the romance felt more like lust than love (in my eyes I believe he still was in love with his dead wife).

This book had a lot of action and the two main characters are well developed.  The other teammates weren't focused on much so I can't really say much about them except for Kat who played a secondary role in their investigation.

I really enjoyed reading the history of the Alamo and the Longhorn Hotel.

4/5

Monday, April 9, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Apr 9)


What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1.  Agony of the Leaves - Laura Childs
2.  The Unseen - Heather Graham

I’m currently reading:

1.  Murder Buys a T-Shirt - Christy Fifield

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1. Ripper - Stephen Petrucha

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-133 

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Play Nice [Hardcover]




I've finished reading "Play Nice the 1st book in her Anna Smith and Nick Dade mystery series by Gemma Halliday.

Play Nice (Anna Smith and Nick Dade Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Product Description

She faked her death to escape life as an assassin. But now her enemies have tracked her down, and this time they want her to stay dead.

Anya Danielovich was an assassin in her former life. But that was a long time ago. Today she’s just Anna Smith — a single, thirtysomething woman living in San Francisco with a simple desire to lead a better life. But she’s still haunted by her past — the people she killed, the mentor she betrayed, the woman she was. She’s taken care to cover her tracks, but she’s beginning to feel like she’s being watched …
Nick Dade is a hired gunman — the best of the best. He’s read Anya’s file and, after weeks of surveillance, he’s ready to pull the trigger … until someone else beats him to the punch. With his agenda shattered, Nick suddenly finds himself thrown together with the woman he’s been sent to eliminate. Who is she really? Who hired the second hit? And who can he trust? Together Nick and Anna find themselves embroiled in a web of deceit and desire as an unknown enemy closes in. To unravel the truth, Anna must face her past even if that means risking both Nick’s life and her own.

Product Details
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (March 13, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312656076
ISBN-13: 978-0312656072


My Review:

Anya Danielovich in her past worked for the KOS a Yugoslavian intelligence agency as one of their best assassins.  In order to escape she killed vile General Federov and flees for her life with his bodyguards in pursuit.  She fakes her death by making her car explode.

Now she is living in a nice quiet neighborhood in San Francisco as Anna Smith a thirty-something woman with her dog Lenny.  Hit man Nick Dade has observed Anna and has read her file which makes him more aware of how deadly she can be.  He is hired to assassinate Anna and before he can pull the trigger someone beats him too it.  Now he is on the run with Anna determined to find out who pulled the trigger and hired him and the other party.

This first Anna and Nick book was fast paced and tension filled action with a hint of romance.  Lenny the dog provides the laughs.  The ending hints we will see Anna and Nick teaming up again very soon and I can't wait!

4/5

Happy Easter!


Happy Easter everyone!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

In the Mail Saturday 2012 (Apr 7)


In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received this in the mail this week.



What Doesn't Kill You [Hardcover]

Product Description

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an explosive new thriller featuring Catherine Ling from Chasing The Night.


Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a teenager, she came under the tutelage of a mysterious man known only as Hu Chang — a skilled assassin and master poisoner. As a young woman, she was recruited by the CIA and now, she is known as one of their most effective operatives. Having lived life in the shadows, Catherine is aware of the wobbly moral compass of her existence and even more aware of just how expendable she is to those she deals with. When her old friend Hu Chang creates something so deadly, and completely untraceable, the chase is on to be the first to get it. With rogue operative John Gallo also on the hunt, Catherine finds herself pitted against a group so villainous and a man so evil that she may not survive
the quest to protect those she cares about.  Iris Johansen is at her page-turning best in this novel that takes you from the corridors of Langley to the alleyways of Hong Kong, and the darkest places of the human soul.

Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312651236
ISBN-13: 978-0312651237



Silenced [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Lucy Kincaid is back -- with a vengeance.

A Washington Sex Scandal


It has been seven years since Lucy was attacked -- and almost killed -- by an online predator. Today, she is well on her way toward a new life. While waiting to begin her training at the FBI Academy, Lucy's is tireless in her fight against cyber sex crime. Her current mission: to find out who killed a high-priced call girl linked to a powerful Congressman.

A Cold-Blooded Killer

A number of known prostitutes -- with scores of high profile clients -- are turning up dead all over D.C. Is this the work of a depraved killer? Or the result of an inside job? Lucy's investigation will take her into an underground network of prostitutes, the chambers of the country's most powerful players, and her own dark past to confront an unknown enemy who's always one step ahead of her. With the help of her P.I. boyfriend Sean Rogan, Lucy must find and protect the only witness who can identify the killer and end the conspiracy, but can the witness be trusted? Lucy will risk everything to expose the truth and ensure justice is served, even if that means putting herself in the line of fire ...

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books; Original edition (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005957
ISBN-13: 978-1250005953




Twisted (Tracers) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

ALLISON DOYLE’S NEW CASE WILL MAKE HER CAREER . . . IF SHE LIVES TO SOLVE IT.

Motive, opportunity, and no alibi — rookie detective Allison Doyle knows it’s as close to a slam dunk as most investigations get. But even though her small-town Texas police department has identified a prime suspect in a young woman’s vicious murder, she can’t rest easy. And when legendary FBI profiler Mark Wolfe shows up with a startling new theory, all her doubts are amplified. If Wolfe is correct, the real killer is an elusive psychopath who has left a trail of bodies behind him. And he’s just days away from his next kill. . . .

Allison was supposed to be Wolfe’s way into the case, nothing more. But she’s ambitious, stubborn, and far too tempting. With the help of her contacts at the Delphi Center crime lab, Wolfe is within striking distance of the monster he’s pursued for ten years. Except the closer Allison and Wolfe get, the more reason there is to fear. Because with a predator this brutal, every thread of evidence can make a difference between hunting a madman — and becoming hunted yourself.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451617372
ISBN-13: 978-1451617375