April 2009 New Releases

Finally April!!! I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to April! LOL :P Just soooo many high anticipated (at least by me) books coming out!! But first, let me share this:


Isn't it gorgeous?!? I love the colors! As you can see, this is the cover for Sea Glass, the second in Ms Snyder's new trilogy... and guess what? The release date is September 2009!!! Woohoo, the wait won't be too long!!

All right, unto the new releases now...


Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr
(Mira - April 01)

Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq—his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart?

As the people of Virgin River rally around Rick, another recent arrival tests the tightly knit mountain town's famous welcoming spirit. Dan Brady has a questionable past, and he's looking for a place to start over. He'd like it to be Virgin River…if he can find a way in. But he never expects to find it in the arms of a woman who was as much an outcast as himself.

For a favorite son returned from war and an outsider looking for a home, Virgin River offers them a chance to make peace with the men they once were…and to find the dreams they thought they'd lost.

LOL, so this one doesn't need any explaining right? Last in the second successful Virgin River trilogy by Robyn Carr. I bet there will be more in the future, but that's it for now :) To tell the truth, I already got and read this book :P Review to come very soon.


The Warrior by Sharon Sala
(Mira - April 01)

John Nightwalker is a strong, rugged Native American soldier who has seen many battles. While hunting down an old enemy, he crosses paths with Alicia Ponte. On the run from her father—a powerful arms manufacturer—Alicia seeks to expose her father's traitorous crimes of selling weapons to our enemies in Iraq. But Richard Ponte will do anything to stay below the radar…even if it means killing his own daughter.

Drawn to the mystery that surrounds Alicia, John feels compelled to protect her. Together they travel through the beautiful yet brutal Arizona desert to uncover deadly truths and bring her father to justice. But their journey is about to take an unexpected turn…one that goes deep into the past.

Ms Sala is an auto-buy for me :) I love her books. The word that comes to mind is emotional. Although I'm a fan, I have to say that there's a little something putting me off from this book and it's the fact that the hero is a Native American. I have nothing against Native American hero per se; however, I'm afraid this book will be too similar to other books written by Ms Sala featuring a Native Amercian hero. For example, The Healer, released last year, was very similar to Legend written under her other pen name Dinah McCall. Let's hope that I'm wrong and just over-worrying and that Ms Sala will surprise me :)


Rewriting Monday by Jodi Thomas
(Berkley - April 07)

Reporter Pepper Malone moved to Bailey, Texas, after a news story nearly got her killed. Now she wants to be left alone to do her job in relative peace and quiet. But when the newspaper's staff is targeted by a madman with a grudge against the media, Pepper is drawn back into the public eye - and into the arms of the paper's handsome owner.

After reading Twisted Creek, I've become an unconditional fan of Ms Thomas' contemporary romances :) I'm really looking forward this one, although I'm not sure whether or not it is actually connected to Twisted Creek. Either way, I like the blurb and the cover... and I'm currently trying to hunt it down in the bookstore... So far, I haven't been lucky though :(


White Star by Elizabeth Vaughan
(Berkley - April 07)

The Lady High Priestess Evelyn, known as Evie to her friends, is a healer, dedicated to using her magic in the service of the goddess to aid others and give strength where it is needed. Orrin Blackheart couldn't be more different. With his black armour, a black name and a blacker reputation, he's been feared and hated in equal parts. So on his defeat and capture in battle, the Goddesses insistence that Evie saves him from a death sentence astonishes them both - as does the growing attraction between them. But in saving Orrin Evie condemns herself to a prohibition on her magic and a penance posting on the edges of the land, while to retain his salvation Orrin must battle a spreading plague across the land. Fate clearly has plans for them both - but to fulfill them, both must survive the perils ahead.

It's Ms Elizabeth Vaughan. Author of the Warland Chronicles... so of course I want it :) Yes, I was disappointed in Dagger Star, but I still have high hope for this one :) I'm curious about Orrin and Evie's relationship :) I like it when the two characters come from opposing sides :)


Tempted at Midnight by Jacquie D'Alessandro
(Berkley - April 07)

To stir public interest in her vampire romance novel, Lady Emily Stapleford stages nighttime vampire appearances. Overnight, London is abuzz with the sightings. Now she'd be guaranteed success, if it wasn't for mysterious Logan Jennsen, who's onto Emily's duplicity.

Hmmmm, this is the last book in the series. That's why it is still on my list of books to look forward to. However, I'm not expecting too much because of the last book, Seduced at Midnight. Plus, the back blurb sounds so so only ^_^;


Turn Coat by Jim Butcher
(RoC - April 07)

Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Even so, his past misdeeds have cast a constant shadow of suspicion over him in the eyes of the Wardens, those wizards responsible for enforcing the Laws of Magic. Now Dresden finds himself faced with a nightmarish dilemma: Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Warden, has been wrongly accused of treason against the White Council - and has come to Harry for help. Dresden faces a daunting task: clear Morgan's name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discovering the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoiding accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads - quite literally - will roll. And one of them could be his own...

Ooooooohhhhhh!!! Okay, I've become a fan of this series and the back blurb just sounds too good!!! I'm sure this one will be hilarious! Now, I know some of the bookstores have received, but I've already pre-ordered. So I need to restrain myself from rushing to the bookstore to buy it. Shouldn't be too difficult right at that price, 32$ (hardcover).


The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
(Double Day Canada - April 28)

If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl - someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment - not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a group of people who call themselves The Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends - a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch - and we have to find someone who can help us gain our freedom back before The Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

LOL, another one of my favorite authors :) Second in the Darkest Powers trilogy, this takes place in the Otherworld world :)It's for YA, but pretty interesting :) I'm actually hoping for a cross-over in the future...


Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
(Mira - April 28)

Untrained. Untested. Unleashed. With her unique magical abilities, Opal has always felt unsure of her place at Sitia's magic academy. But when the Stormdancer clan needs help, Opal's knowledge makes her the perfect choice - until the mission goes awry. Pulling her powers in unfamiliar directions, Opal finds herself tapping into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. Now Opal must deal with plotters out to destroy the Stormdancer clan, as well as a traitor in their midst. With danger and deception rising around her, will Opal's untested abilities destroy her - or save them all?

LOL, what can I say, it's like they all plan to have my favorite authors release in the same month :)Okay, so I'm running out of things to say except that... well it's Maria V Snyder!! LOL :P I read the excerpt a long time ago and I liked it :) I think this is going to be very interesting and we get to visit another region/country :P


Visions in White by Nora Roberts
(Berkley - April 28)

Childhood friends Mackensie, Parker, Laurel and Emmeline have formed a very successful wedding planning business together but, despite helping thousands of happy couples to organise the biggest day of their lives, all four women are unlucky in love. Photographer Mackensie Elliott has suffered a tough childhood and has a bad relationship with her mother, which makes her wary of commitment. But when she meets Carter Macguire, she can't stop herself falling for him, although his ex girlfriend is prepared to play dirty to keep him. Mackensie soon realises she has to put her past demons to rest in order to find lasting love...

All right, so instead of a trilogy, seems like Ms Roberts is now writing quartet :P I'm going to give this a try, sounds like good :) My only caveat is that this is going to be trade-size, sigh. I'll give this one a try and see if it's worth to get the other books or not :P


Summer on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
(Mira - April 28)

Knitting and life. They're both about beginnings—and endings. That’s why it makes sense for Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn on Seattle’s Blossom Street, to offer a class called Knit to Quit. It’s for people who want to quit something—or someone!—and start a new phase of their lives.

First to join is Phoebe Rylander. She recently ended her engagement to a man who doesn’t know the meaning of faithful, and she’s trying to get over him. Then there’s Alix Turner. She and her husband, Jordan, want a baby, which means she has to quit smoking. And Bryan Hutchinson joins the class because he needs a way to deal with the stress of running his family’s business—not to mention the lawsuit brought against him by an unscrupulous lawyer.

Life can be as complicated as a knitting pattern. Just ask Anne Marie Roche. She and her adopted daughter, Ellen, finally have the happiness they wished for. And then a stranger comes to her bookstore asking questions.

Or ask Lydia herself. Not only is she coping with her increasingly frail mother, but she and Brad have unexpectedly become foster parents to an angry, defiant twelve-year-old.

But as Lydia already knows, when life gets difficult and your stitches are snarled, your friends can always help!

I'm actually unsure about this release date... some says April 28 and others, May 1st. All right, granted, there's not much of a difference between the dates, right LOL. Especially since this one will probably show up early in bookstore :P Anyway, I really like this series... and I'm soooo glad that we're going to see Alix again and catch up with her life :)

See, April is going to be a great month :) Kind of funny though that the month is divided into two batches of releases :P But here's my reasoning. I'll buy all the books coming out in the beginning of the month and then, will have time to read them before getting the second wave :P Plus, it's going to give me time to save a bit of money, since the late releases are all trade-sizes or hardcovers :(

So Happy April reading!!

Review: Cut Throat and Bad Penny by Sharon Sala

I got Bad Penny at the end of October and just devoured it. Then, when I was preparing to write a review for it, I realized that I didn't review the second book in the trilogy, Cut Throat... So I decided to include it in this review as well :)

If people remember, I wasn't a big fan of the first book in the series, Nine Lives. I believe that if I was to review it again, having read the whole trilogy, my review of Nine Lives wouldn't be as harsh... However at the time, I had no idea that it was going to be a trilogy... As a single book, Nine Lives was meh, but as a trilogy, it was much much better :)

When Cut Throat came out, I really hesitated to buy and read it. Then, the fan girl in me won... I mean, it's a book by Sharon Sala? How couldn't I read it? Also, I guess Cat deserved another chance... I have to say, I'm happy I continued on :)

So here are my thoughts of Cut Throat and Bad Penny :)


Cut Throat by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in November 2007

He killed her once…

Throat slashed and left for dead next to her murdered father, a thirteen-year-old girl vows to hunt down the man who did this to them—Solomon Tutuola. Now grown, bounty hunter Cat Dupree lets nothing— or no one—stand in the way of that deadly promise.

Not even her lover, Wilson McKay.

Their sexually charged encounters leave McKay wanting more, but Cat is determined to keep her distance. She doesn't need a man making emotional demands, not now, when revenge is near.

Suspecting that Tutuola is still alive, despite witnessing the horrific explosion that should have killed him, Cat follows a dangerous money trail to Mexico, swearing not to return until she''s certain Tutuola is dead—even if it means destroying her very soul…

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Cat Dupree, book #2

The Story: Cut Throat picks up where Nine Lives left off. Through a tracking device, Cat realized that Solomon Tutuola - her father's murderer and the man that slashed her throat and left her to die, wasn't dead as they believe. Instead, the man is escaping the law by going deep into Mexico. Determined to get revenge, Cat decides to go after Tutuola... knowing full well that bounty-hunters aren't allowed in Mexico.

As it is, Cat's relationship with Wilson is on the rocks. Basically, they don't know what they are to each other... Is it lust or love between them? Wilson is also very annoyed because he knows something is going on with Cat, but she doesn't share with him... Instead, she keeps him at arm's length. Knowing the relationship is going no where and he's only going to get hurt, Wilson decides to break things off with Cat... just before she leaves for Mexico.

What ensues is Cat's journey for revenge and the consequences of her actions...

My Opinion: First, I'll say that I enjoyed this book much more than Nine Lives. I think part of it is that we saw a different Cat. Yes, she was still the tough chick, but we got to see her vulnerable side. I think that Cat was haunted by the past, that without getting justice and revenge, she couldn't move on. Once Tutuola was dead, her burden disappeared and she started to live... and accept Wilson and his feelings for her. I really enjoyed reading the changes in Cat. I think that at the brink of death, she realized that Wilson was very important to her and so she no longer pushed him away (which is part of why I thought she was sooo annoying in Nine Lives).

As for Wilson, good of him to have stuck by his feelings. He's really the kind of man I can't resist in my books :) He's strong, considerate, not afraid to admit his feelings, kind, protective and ruthless when he needs to be. He perfectly balances out Cat and I think that after saving Cat, he has a better understanding of the woman he loves. I think that both characters were perfectly suited and I really enjoyed them in this book.

I have to admit that Cut Throat was quite particular. The book could be splitted into 2 parts... the first one where Cat is chasing Tutuola and the second part where she's recovering. What's particular about this book is it's actually not action-based as you've expected. Ms Sala is able to write books without the actions being the focus. A few things happen to Cat before she's able to find Tutuola that actually have nothing to do with her revenge. I think that if it was any other authors, it would be distracting... but for Ms Sala, it's just part of her writing style. For me, I found it interesting because it really allowed us to see more of Cat's layers; however, I'm not sure that everyone would enjoy it. I think this is why people either love Ms Sala or not. Instead of writing straightforwardly, she takes detours that sometimes have nothing to do with the main story arc. I find that those tidbits add to the story :)

My favorite part of the book is when Cat is on the verge of dying and she calls Wilson. Then, the whole recovery was very sweet in my opinion :) The ending was kind of abrupt, but given there was another book and this time, Mira advertised it at the end of the book, I was okay with it :)

My Grade: B+. A very good book and different than what's out there at the moment :)


Bad Penny by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in November 2008

Cat Dupree would love nothing more than to settle down and build a life with fellow bounty hunter Wilson McKay. But Soloman Tutuola — the man who murdered her father and slashed her throat when she was thirteen — haunts her even from the grave.

An investigator from Mexico is tracking down the person who is responsible for Tutuola's death—and the trail leads directly to Cat. To add to her bad luck, a junkie with a vendetta is stalking Wilson and is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of his revenge.

Desperate to start their future together, Cat and Wilson turn the manhunt around — vowing to do whatever it takes to find freedom from the past and the scars that have damaged them both.

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: Cat Dupree, book #3

The Story: I think that the back blurb does a good job summarizing the book, so I won't try... also, it's hard to do it, without spoilers :P

My Opinion: Bad Penny was interesting and definitively completed the series. It's the kind of books that looks like a big, nice bow on a wrapped gift. The final touch :)

Basically, everything I said about Cut Throat applies to Bad Penny. Ms Sala continues exploring Cat and Wilson's relationship. In this book, the love between the two main characters is evident. I like seeing how far Cat has gone from Nine Lives to Bad Penny. I think both have realized what's really important in life and it's each other as well as family. I really liked seeing Cat interact with other people such as Wilson's parents. In Nine Lives, I thought Cat was socially inept... but that's not true. Of course, Cat and Wilson's relationship is not perfect... Cat still has some difficulty opening herself up, but she's getting there :D

In addition to following Cat and Wilson in the book, we're introduced to Luis Montoya, a Mexican cop who had the bad luck to investigate the death of Tutuola. I liked the way Ms Sala handled the investigation and the denouement. It shows that not only one thing happen at one time, but life has a way to get things messy.

The pace of the book was quite relaxed... I felt like lots of events in this book were fillers, such as the tornado... but without them, there wouldn't be a complete story. They added feelings and thoughts to the book... If you're looking for a romantic suspense, this is not it. Basically, Ms Sala is wrapping up loose ends in this book and she did it well :)

Last thing I want to say... I know Catherine Dupree is called Cat and she escaped death twice at a young age and a few more times in her adulthood... but perhaps Ms Sala emphasized on her nine lives a bit too much? Personally, I didn't mind... but some of the things that happen to Cat seems exaggerated and improbable.

My Grade: B. I really enjoyed reading more about Cat and Wilson, but emotionally, to me, it couldn't compare to Cut Throat.

March Reads Lightening Reviews

To my greatest displeasure, I haven't been reading much lately :( I think it's me (my mood) and not the books (thanks goodness)... I've just been picking up books and starting them and not finishing them. They're just not grabbing my attention :( Of course, my mood hasn't stopped me from buying books... or perhaps, it's exactly because of that mood that I've been on a buying books binge...

Anyway, to compensate not reading as much books, I thought I could at least review some of them... I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted to review more books... and it's been going so-so. I wish I could write full reviews for every book I read like Jill, but I don't have the time. So lightening review (well not that lightening ^_^;) it is...


Making Over Mr. Right by Judy McCoy
published by Avon in March 2008

The Plot: Zoe, Chloe and Kyra are Zeus' daugthers and Muses of Beauty, Happiness and Good Fortune respectively. However, they have no lived up to Zeus' standards and so all three are sent to Earth for a year to inspire humans. When the year is up, they'll be evaluated and returned to Olympus as goddesses... or maids to Hera depending on their performance.

Zoe has spent the past 10-11 months in New York, working as a window designer. Theo Maragos is an up and coming businessman who will be featured in a major magazine, which could give a major boost to his company. However, he and his apartment needs to look the part and so Theo hires Zoe for a make-over.


Genre: contemporary romance
Series: The Goddesses, book #3

Why I bought this book? I read the first two books and so, just to finish the series...

My Opinion: The book isn't bad... Isn't that a great start? LOL :) It's an enjoyable read, the only problem is that all three books of the series are based on the same plotline: muse is sent to Earth to spend a year, meet handsome fella, falls in love and... It annoys me a lot that they ignore their feelings and believe that they'll be able to go back to their life in Olympus as if nothing changed. Of course, we all know that it's not true. Luckily, Ms McCoy was able to save this book with an interesting twist and so Making Over Mr. Right is not a carbon copy of Almost a Goddess and One Night with a Goddess. What I also like is that Zoe is thinking, trying to find ways to see Theo once she's back in Olympus. All in all, this was a nice, quick read - I enjoyed Zoe and Theo's romance, although I thought they got together a bit fast and there wasn't enough emphasis on them. However, this is definitively not a must-read, must-rush-to-the-bookstore book. More like, if you have nothing to read, this is a nice filler.

My Grade: B


The Healer by Sharon Sala
published by Mira in April 2008

The Story: Jonah Gray Wolf has special gifts: he can talk and understand animals and heal the sick and wounded. Living in a small town in Alaska, he never had to hide himself or his powers until the day he save the wrong man. Being hunted, Jonah has left his hometown and become a drifter. In West Virginia, he meets Luce and sparks fly between them. However, danger is lurking around...

Genre: contemporary romance

Why I bought this book? I'm a fan of Sharon Sala.

My Opinion: I liked and enjoyed the book; however, it wasn't a wowzer. I guess I have higher expectations when it comes to favorite authors... I think that if someone else had written this book, I would have graded good, but because it's Ms Sala, it was only an okay read. I liked the characters very much in this one. Both are very calm, generous and good and all they want is to be able to live their life peacefully. I also like how there wasn't one big event/show-down in the book, but instead many smaller events. The pacing was a bit slow and I think part of it is due to the writing style, which was a bit passive in my opinion... I wished we knew more about Luce's past and I wished their relationship was a bit more developed. My biggest problem however was reading this book, it felt like deja-vu. Ms Sala has written another book, Legend, under her other pen name, Dinah McCall. Of course, the two books aren't identical and actually, many things are different... Problem is, in both books, the healing power and the villain hunting the hero down for the healing were central to the plot and so The Healer echoed Legend in that way and that did take away a bit of the enjoyment.

My Grade: B


Every Move You Make by Carla Cassidy
published by Signet Elipse in March 2008

The Plot: Back blurb of the book...

On her thirtieth birthday, Annalise Blakely gets a strange package. Inside, along with one of her company's hand-crafted dolls, is a note: I don't need this anymore. I have my own. Annalise puts the package aside-she has enough on her mind. Since her mother died, Annalise has been working nonstop to keep Blakely Dolls a success. Her deadbeat dad* wants to be back in the picture. And she's dating again**. But the policeman she's seeing has chilling news: someone is murdering women, dressing them up as Blakely Dolls, and leaving them for the police to find. And, although no one knows it yet, the killer is stalking Annalise, the model for the original doll, for his final display...

*Her father's been in her life; however, ever since her parents divorce, their relationship has been strained.

**She agreed to go on a blind date with Tyler King, a cop who's involved in a series of murders.

Genre: romantic suspense

Why I bought this book? I read one or two of her previous work and enjoyed them enough. Plus, the book was cheap.

My Opinion: I was too lazy to write a summary of my own ^_^; So what did I think of this book... again, an okay read. I think I was expecting something along the lines of Karen Rose and it's not really what I got. Less chilling LOL :P I think there was a good balance between the romance and suspense. I like how Annalise and Tyler got to know each other. I enjoyed Annalise getting to know her half-brother and resolving her issues with her father. Annalise annoyed me a little though, not because she was TSTL, although sometimes you wonder - how can you ignore/miss the obvious?!? What annoyed me is how she wouldn't reach out and wasn't willing to listen to others sometimes. Another problem is that this story wasn't able to grab me and so although it was well written, I came out thinking meh. Finally, I didn't like how the whole suspense was solved. Perhaps I've read too much In Death books, but this one did feel a bit flat investigation-wise.

My Grade: B

My Top 3 of Sharon Sala

So, as I said in my previous post, I have been reading… but nothing great or screaming at me to review. Since I want to blog, but have nothing “new” to say, I’ve decided to revisit the “old.”

This is probably going to be an ongoing feature, but I haven't decided on the frequency of it. So what is this about? Basically, I’m going to list my 3 favorite books by one of my favorite author :D The goal is not only share my love of the books and the author, but also be able to discuss these books with people who have read them.

The first featured author is...

Sharon Sala

Sharon Sala is an author whose books I love and I’m always waiting for her new books impatiently. She also writes under the pen name of Dinah McCall and I love those too! She is the first author being featured, because I’ve been in the mood of re-reading her books lately LOL! This was all sparked by Casee’s review at Book Binge of Sharon Sala’s new book, Cut Throat. In her review, Casee said “Sharon Sala is one of those authors whose books I love for a reason I can't name.” This is also how I feel about Sharon Sala. However, once you start thinking about it, the answer is her writing style. Her writing is very fluid and easy to read and she has a good pace. She also doesn’t use an excess of words and doesn’t go into lengthy descriptions which is good for me. When it starts getting too long or repetitive, I tend to skim… However, I think that was set her from other authors is that she surprises her readers with the pacing of her books and also, she always adds surprising elements… When you expect her books to go from A to B, it actually goes even further and to C... when you think it starts at E and goes to F, it actually starts at C... it’s hard to explain without giving examples which includes spoilers… so you’ll have to take my words for it! LOL...

So here is my top 3:

3 – Sweet Baby

The book starts off with Victoria Lancaster, a gypsy photographer, returning home to her boyfriend Brett Hooker from an assignment. Brett is relieved that Tory is fine, but he’s also angry with her for taking off without saying goodbye or calling while she was away. They have been together for 3 years and although Brett loves Tory very much, he is starting to wonder if it’ll work out. How many more times can he be left behind? This time, Tory comes home plagued with nightmares from the past she doesn't remember... then Brett is shot and Tory's life is turned upside down.

2- Reunion

Gabriel Connor and his parents were in a tragic car accident, but only Gabriel survived. After a month in coma, Gabriel wakes up... but he has started hearing a voice... a voice asking him for help because he's lost. Micheal Travers is a family friend and is worried about Gabriel's welfare, so he asks the help of Laura Dane, a psychic. In addition to the voice, Gabriel starts "seeing" the serial murders by the Prince Charming... a man who leaves roses without thorns with his victims. The most shocking is that these murders are connected to Gabriel in a way he could never have expected or imagined...

1- Out of the Dark

Jade Cochrane should have had a wonderful childhood with a loving father... instead, when her mother left to join a cult, she took Jade along with her... condamning Jade to hell. Luckily, she was able to escape with Raphael and both had to live a life of constant fear... 20 years after Jade's disappearance, Sam Cochrane, her father, gets his first clue about the whereabouts of Jade and hires his good friend, Luke Kelly, to find her. Luke finds her easily and brings Jade and Raphael back to Sam... but Jade's past catches up to her, throwing her into a nightmare that's going to change her life again forever.

So these synopsis are mine... they're not the greatest, because I wanted to avoid spoilers... but these books are really great! Definitively heart-wrenching... I cried soooo much for each. I've just re-read them all in the past three days and even knowing the stories, I cried. The plots are unexpected as well as the pacing... the characters are great... strong and very interesting. If you haven't read it, try to get your hand on it.

The Little-Known Favorites Meme

Hello everyone!

So how was your week-end? Mine was relaxing :D A little of work, a little of gardening... little of reading and lot of sleeping LOL :D I've been reading some books, but I don't feel like reviewing them... so instead, here is my The Little-Known Favorites meme (I've been tagged by DanceChica)

I thought this meme was particularly hard to do ^^; I looked at my books and was: which ones are my favorites? which ones are not really well-known? I've been reading mainly romances and I guess I'm pretty mainstreamed. Anyhow, I finally came up with three books which I have read and re-read so many times.... and yeah, I know... I've raved about them so many times (or at least about the authors, but stay with me :P)

Rules: List and describe three of your favorite books that other people might not be familiar with. Then tag five people. See, easy!

Through a Crimson Veil by Patti O'Shea

This book is part of the Crimson series by different paranormal authors, but it is a stand-alone in the series. There are all new characters and it introduces the world of demons to the readers.

The story is about Mika, a half-human/half-demon, who has lived most of her life in the realm of the demons which is separated from the realm of humans by a crimson veil that no demon can cross except for halflings. Mika is given the mission to steal some magic incantation from Connor McCabe, another half-human/half-demon who has lived in the human realm all his live and is in fact a demon slayer. While Mika embraces both her demon and human culture, Connor despises his demon nature...

I simply love this story. I've always been a sucker for storylines in which a) there is a playful heroine who draws out a very stern and serious hero and b) one of the main character sacrifices him/herself for their great love. This book contains both of these elements I love so much. In addition, Mika is a great heroine :D She's a kick-ass character with a playful side to her and not at all annoying or typical :D Connor also makes a very attractive and protective hero :D As for the storyline, I thought it was great as well :D

The Perfect Lie by Dinah McCall aka Sharon Sala

I've gushed so much about Dinah McCall/Sharon Sala in my blog, so it's pretty normal that one of her books make this list :D I think The Perfect Lie is my favorite among all her books written as Dinah McCall.

Jonah Slade was once in love with a rich heiress, Felicity Blaine... however, she broke his heart by aborting his baby. To forget his pain, Jonah pours all his energy into his career, an undercover agent for the CIA. 16 years later, Macie Blaine, Felicity's younger sister, shows up on his doorstep and tells him that Felicity lied under the pressure of their father and that Jonah has a son... and his son has been kidnapped...

I have to say I'm not really a fan of those storylines where the hero or heroine later falls in love with their ex-whatever's sister/brother... but in this case, it works well and I guess that's because Jonah and Macie had very little contact with each other when Macie was young and so much time pass through. Also, Macie really loved Jonah and she gave up a lot for him. In addition, I found the storyline very interesting.... but what drew me most were the characters and their relationships.

Touching Evil by Kay Hooper

Finally, my third book is Touching Evil by Kay Hooper. I think that Kay Hooper is quite well-known as an author, but not really in the romance sphere. Me, I just love the FBI SCU series :D and it was a hard choice btw Touching Evil, Stealing Shadows, Out of the Shadows and Hunting Fear :P In the end, Touching Evil won... there is just something about this book...

There is a serial killer on the loose: he rapes, beat his victims and take away their eyes. So far, he has made 4 victims. John Garrett's sister was one of the victim and she killed herself later on... John is determined to seek justice for his sister and he is ready to do anything. If this means calling his good friend Quentin and his partner from the FBI SCU and putting faith in Maggie Barnes, a sketch artist with an extraordinary gift, he'll do it... although he doesn't believe in psychics.

Maggie's psychic ability is both a gift and a curse... She's an empath and so she feels what her victims feels. She's also an amazing artist which allows to draw such accurate sketches and she believes that she's been put in this world, been given this gift to right something she did wrong in her past life... to re-establish a balance that has been long ago disrupted... However, this case is different from all what she's been through, the feelings she gets are amplified and her powers are starting to grow stronger... scaring the hell out of her. Will she succeed to re-establish balance? or will she fail again?

Like I said, I love this series :D Yes, it is gory and there is a lot of violence, but we're talking serial killer and FBI stuff and so I don't think there's any way around it... The real world does have a lot of gratuitous violence :( I also love the author's take on psychic abilities, the explanations she gives in her books are very believable... I guess I'm more of a scientist than I thought :D This is one of the best in the series in term of plot and relationship :D and I really liked Maggie and she was going through... only someone very strong could have made it.


All right, so this post got longer than I thought it'd be :D So I'll stop here... but just before saying good night, here are the persons I'm tagging: Chantal, Kris, Isabel, Rosie and Kristie :D

Good night :D

Review: The Survivors by Dinah McCall

All right, so most of you know how much I was anticipating this book, The Survivors by Dinah McCall. I've been a fan of Dinah McCall, aka Sharon Sala. I've first became a fan of Ms Sala after reading Out of the Dark, a very touching story of a woman who was kidnapped by her own mother as a child and brought to a cult where the leader pimped the children to pedophile. Luckily for that woman, she was able to run away with a friend and escape that hell. Meanwhile, her father has been looking for mother and daughter for more than 15 years. Seriously, that book was really good. So I've hunted for Ms Sala's backlist and discovered that she also wrote books under the name of Dinah McCall (why do authors have several pen names?). I really like her style and she has become an auto-buy for me. The Survivors was supposed to come out last year, but for some unknown reason, the release date was pushed back a year... so I really have been waiting for this book for a long time and finally, have bought it and read :D

The Survivors by Dinah McCall (aka Sharon Sala): 3.75/5
published by Mira in March 2007

Ethan O'Ryan has come back from Iraq with a missing eye and a whole lot of scars. After months of recovery, he has come home and the only thing he wants is to see his son of five years old, Johnny, who has been living with his maternal grandparents. A few nights before Christmas, Ethan is woken up by a phone call from his great-grandfather, Thorn, who is asking about Johnny's wellfare because he has a feeling. After a few phone calls, Ethan learns that his in-laws wanted to surprise him and arrive a few days early; however, their plane has crashed in the Appalachians and no survivor is known yet. Unwilling to sit by their phones and wait for news, 4 generations of O'Ryan men (great-grandfather Thornton, grandfather James, father Mike - also the hero, and Ethan) show up at the crash site.

Deborah Sanborn is a psychic. Her gift first presents in a preominition where she saw her father, along with 11 other men, die in a mine collapse, when she was about 6-7 years old. Now 40 years old, she lives away from the others, but not in isolation/reclusion, in the mountain in the familial home and help whenever she can after a premonition. As a result, she heads down to the crash site after "seeing" a woman and a young boy walking away from the plane crash, because she knows she can help locating them. In addition, she feels that they are in danger as a third survivor wants to harm them.

Molly C. survived the plane crash and woke up only to witness the murder of the passenger sitting in front of her, at the hands of his friend. Molly is not the only survivor or witness, as Johnny O'Ryan also saw what happened. Panicked and afraid for their safety, Molly grabs the boy, some blankets and some food and walk away from the plane crash... Upon seeing the tracks of footsteps in the snow, Darren Wilson knows that they are survivors and witnesses and isn't about to let them go so easily... Thus starts his pursuit to eliminate them.

Series: None
Genre: Contemporary, romantic suspense, psychic

Review: I enjoy the book, but I think that deep down inside me, there was some disbelief which is why the book didn't get a better grade. I mean, everything looks so easy that it became a bit unrealistic... or perhaps it's me who's a bit ignorant about life and I believe it's not possible to do, but it is. However, it was still very enjoyable and Ms Sala's narrative voice is smooth as ever.

The Characters - I bet everyone's wondering about the characters, especially the 5 generations of O'Ryan men. I was a bit puzzled at first, cos it's rare you see a great-grandfather alive, but it works. Thornton is in his eighties, James in his sixties, Mike is 45 y.o., Ethan is 20-something and Johnny is 5. By the way, if you're also wondering, Thornton's wife died a decade ago, James' wife has Alzheimer and he had to put her in a care center, Mike divorced twice and Ethan's a widower. So not only do O'Ryan men have children at a young age, they all quite lonely and in addition, all of them went to wars - want me to name them? LOL :P I have to say it was quite interesting to see so many men of a same family, but different generations interact. It also showed how family is important and how they were all there for each other. So yeah, this was a definite plus.

Deborah was also a very interesting character. She's older than most heroine I read and well, it showed by her poise and maturity, but at the same time, she's not a mom or career woman and so, I was able to relate to her and almost forgot she was 40. She's very independant and self-sufficient and strong and I liked that about her. The only thing that bothered me a little was the fact that her psychic abilities weren't really explained - does she see only the future or there something more, does she have some control over them or etc.

Also, sidenote for those who don't like children in their books - give this a try. Johnny does not baby-talk, is not a teenager with a sullen attitude, isn't too cute and isn't perfect. He's a little boy who's lost his mother at a young age, hasn't seen his father for more than a year, just lost his grandparents and witness a murder.

The Story & Writing - As I said before, I thought everything went too smoothly and so, I'm a bit well skeptical that a rescue or search would happen like this. However, the characters and story made up for it - well almost. There was also a lot of expectations and anticipation for this book and although it didn't disappoint me, it didn't surpass my expectations either which is why it didn't get a higher grade. All in all, not the best book by Ms Sala, but not a bad book. As for the writing, well you know I'm biased, so I'm not going to bother :P

The Cover - it's nice and it fits, what else can I ask?

Am I keeping this book? Yes :D

Anything else? I wonder when her next book will come out... and I wonder when she's going to update her website so I get an answer...

Review: White Mountain by Dinah McCall

One week + 2 days = 9 days

That's the number of days I haven't stepped into a bookstore. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to remain away from a bookstore. I keep reading this review and that review and I keep going: Oh, this book sounds good and that book too. Ah well, we'll see I guess...

I'm trying to watch the Australian Open, but man... I keep getting unlucky and missing it. The good news tho is that Lleyton Hewitt made it to the 2nd round. Let see how it goes today. He's playing a Canadian - so what should I do? Be all patriotic or root for Lleyton?

Anyway, onto the review :D

White Mountain by Dinah McCall: 4/5
published in April 2002 (Mira-Harlequin)

Frank Walton is an old man, suffering of cancer. Because the end is near, he goes back to Brighton Beach, the little Russia in New York where he grew up to reminisce his childhood. Unfortunately for him, Russia has sent one of their best, but retired, KGB agent -Vasili Rostov- to bring him back to Russia. However, the incident ends up with the death of Walton. Not wanting to go back to his country empty hands, Rostov goes to Braden, Montana - specifically the Abbott House - where Walton lived with 6 other old men.

Meanwhile, in New York, Walton's body has been discovered. However, what's astonishing, as well as intriguing, is that Walton's fingerprints match the ones of a scientist that died more than 30 years ago in a plane crash. This attracts the attention of the FBI which sends their agent, Jack Dolan to Montana to investigate.

In Montana, Isabella Abbott has just buried her father, Sammuel Abbot, and is worried about her Uncle Frank. When she learns of his death, she is quite devastated... Uncle Frank murdered, her father dying from a heart attack... Coincidence? Then, she looks at her remaining uncles: David, Thomas, Jasper, John and Rufus - all old men now who have seen her grown up and helped her father to raise her after her mother died in childbirth. They all lived together at Abbott House, some being botanist, archeologist, so on and others being her father's colleagues at the fertility clinic... but how much does she really know?

Series: none
Genre: contemporary romantic suspense

Review: I almost got all of Dinah McCall's books and White Mountain was one of the rare one I was missing... So I bought it. In addition, I was really intrigued by the whole fingerprints belonging to someone's already dead. However, I never thought this book would turn out this way - a very pleasant surprise.

Characters - See, I've always been weak for old men in real life and in books. Strong or gentle, most of them tug at my heart. So my heart gave out a lot when Frank Walton died. Anyway, I really liked the old men :P As for the main characters, Isabella and Jack, well I did enjoy them a lot :D Isabella has a strong core inside, but she's not overtly strong and tough and it's totally understandable in this situation. She's just lost two persons she cared for a lot and realized that eventually, one by one, her other uncles would leave her too. As for Jack, he's a FBI agent. A bit battered and a bit down, but I wouldn't say his near break-down. He went to Abbott House undercover and credits for him for not wanting to build relationship on lies. Anyway, I liked them and they didn't annoy me at all, but I'd say that there's some depth missing. Ms Sala didn't have time to flesh them out as it should, because she had so much going on...

Story & Writing: well, it's no secret that I love Ms Sala's style/writing... So I won't comment on that aspect. Okay, maybe I'll just say that I like Ms Sala's pacing and her writing is always smooth. As for the story, it was quite interesting. There wasn't too much "threads" so it wasn't hard to follow. What I liked was the idea behind the intrigue was really good and it was well told. The only thing is perhaps the ending seems a bit too easy - I mean, would Jack really recognizes the KBG agent from a picture that was shown during his training at Quantico, of course it's plausible... but this moment is key to leading to the ending and I thought there could have been many other ways, perhaps more interesting.

The Cover - I like... it also keep in style with the other covers of her books published with Mira-Harlequin.

Am I keeping this book? Yes :D It's a good book plus, I want to complete my collection of her books.

Anything else? Not related to White Mountain... but Dinah McCall's next book is The Survivors. Anyone knows when it's coming out? It was first scheduled for April 2006, but I didn't find it anywhere. Then, Chapters online said January 2007, but it's not available for order... Amazon says March 2007 or perhaps April... Meanwhile, the author's website hasn't been updated for a while. Sigh.

Almost the big day...

Hey everyone,

I really should be practicing my presentation, but my mind is numbed with stress... so I'll try to relax it with this review (I would start to read, but then, I'll never practice and going to sleep is unfortunately, not an option either)... So this is the book I read yesterday night and I really enjoyed it :D and it made me cry... I think that I needed to cry.

The Return by Dinah McCall (Sharon Sala): 4.25/5

I can't do a coherent synopsis, so here are the main facts that I would put in my summary if I write one:

- the Blairs and Joslins families have hated each other for years. Not ordinary hatred, a hatred so profound that they find ways for the other family members to have "accident"
- Fancy Joslin and Turner Blair fell in love when they were kids. When Fancy got pregnant, they married in secret and planned to run away and start a new life.
- Few hours after Fancy gave birth to Catherine, she entrusted her baby to the witch (Annie Fane) and then died, killed by dogs. Tragedy ensued and the three Blair sons are murdered, and another disappears. The only survivor is paralyzed by a stroke.
- Annie Fane runs away with Catherine and raises her.
- 25 years later, Catherine comes back to Camerune to bury Annie and faces the suspicions and supertitions of a whole town. Only Sheriff Luke DePriest is one her side.

All right, so where to start. Seriously, the beginning was so tragic that I couldn't help and cried. I don't want to give it away, but it's really poignant and touching. I liked both Luke and Catherine and I enjoyed how their relationship happened. Both characters are strong and good and everything, but Sharon Sala doesn't overdo it. You know how sometimes, a book has strong characters which override the story/plot... well here, it's really not the case. There is a great balance between characters and story...

Ok, seems my review isn't that great... All I can say is that I've always liked Sharon Sala's books and this is no exception. So if you like her style, don't miss this one. I guess what I like about her books it's that, the romance is subtle and there's always something happening. It's really not characters-driven and you know, it's plausible and no attempt to be extremely funny and so on.

Week-end reads

Hey everyone :D

So how was your week-end? must have been busy or relaxing, since blogland was real quiet :P My parents woke me up at 7am on Saturday, so we could go line up at Costco to change our tires (ugh - you know, I really don't care whether I'm driving with winter or summer tires at that hour)... however, afterwards, didn't do much except reading. However, either I'm coming down with the reading slump syndrome (god, I wish not!) or all the books I've read were meh to bad ^^; So here we go with some quick reviews:

The Dare by Susan Kearney: 2/5

I really had a hard time getting into this book and finally, I decided it wasn't worth it and so, I skimmed through the ending...

Dora is a sentient computer who wants to become human in order to have sex with Zical, the only human being she found special among a billions. Dora gets her wish (as in, she becomes human), but adapting to life is not as easy as she thought...

And that about sums up the book. I don't know, after reading the blurb on the back of the book, I was really interested... but once I start reading it, it just lost me. Perhaps because this is the second book and I'm missing info on the world building. It just confused me a lot. Also, dare I say it's pretty stupid for a computer to become human simply because she wants to experience love-making?!? I mean, if she wanted to become human because she was in love, that would have been more interesting... in this case, she's so dense (so much like a real human) that she doesn't realize that she's in love with the guy. Euh, hello!!!! As for Zical, well he's well bleh... Didn't really like him, I mean, he's not very memorable, he doesn't sound yummy... he has some personal issues that keep getting in the way with his relationship with Dora, but at the same time, I thought the issues weren't that important and he was just running away... and there was all this mission about saving their planet that I really didn't get... sad no? Anyway, didn't really enjoy the book nor the characters... the story basically didn't grab my attention.

Nine Lives by Sharon Sala: 2.5/5
**EDIT on April 1, 2012: Jeez, I think I was really harsh on that grade. Because I actually really enjoyed the story and the book from what I remember, and I did get the rest of the series. I think a fair grade would be 4/5 (B).

I'm a fan of Sharon Sala ever since I read Out of the Dark. I usually really enjoy her books, but it seems to me she usually has better characters...

Cat Dupree lost her mother at the age of 6 in a car accident, and her father at the age of 13 when he was murdered. In both events, Cat was present and could have died as well... However, she survived and decided to become a bounty-hunter in order to avenge her father. Cat has only one close friend which is Marsha whom she met in a forster home, but when Marsha disappears and Cat suspects that she's dead, Cat becomes obsessed... Luckily for her, there is fellow bounty-hunter, Wilson Mckay, to help her out and support her.

Can I say I was majorly disappointed with this book? Really, first I thought that the book would focus on Cat finding her father's murderer, but it wasn't. Then, Cat as a character is not very likeable. Basically, Cat is this tough chick and is socially inept. She's been on her own for a long time and is pretty independent. I mean, I get that her past is a sad one and I understand why she's tough, but that's really not a reason to treat Wilson like crap. Poor Wilson, but then, the guy is really looking for emotional torture. He's quite okay as the male lead... I mean, a man that's thoughtful, protective and caring... What I didn't understand is why Wilson kept coming back? I guess he's really smitten, but still... *shakes head* The romance was kept minimal and at the ending is an open one. I mean, Cat is still pushing Wilson away, so you don't really know if it's a HEA. I'm trying to think whether or not there'll be a sequel to this book... I'm not sure I would want to read it, unless Cat really makes a 180 degree turn-about. What I did like about this book is the villain... He's quite the everyday man who commits a murder, because he's afraid that Marsha will ruin his life, and think he can walk away without being discovered. I also liked the fact that both Cat and Wilson kept bringing in bail-jumpers (altho it looked so easy) and didn't drop everything to investigate. All in all, the story was quite okay, but it's Cat character that ruined it for me.

A Holiday Spirit by Kay Hooper: 3.5/5

Two years ago, Antonia broke her engagement with Richard, heir to the Duke of Lyonshall, creating quite a scandal. No one knows why, except for Antonia. Two years later, Antonia's grandmother creates an opportunity for both Antonia and Richard to reconcile in the Castle of Ware...

As you well know by now, I'm quite a fan of Kay Hooper... so when I saw this anthology coming out, I jumped on it. This story was nice, but there's one problem: too short. Well that was to be expected from a novella. Although I find it stupid for Antonia to have ended her engagement that way, without confronting Richard, I can understand. I didn't thought much of Antonia, but I really liked Richard :P For once, someone's that is not a rake!!! Quite refreshing :P Anyway, if you're a die-hard fan of Kay Hooper, get it. If not, you can skip.


Surrender by Lisa Kleypas: DNF

It's quite sad really... the prologue was so promising with Jason Moran determined to get Laura Prescott as his wife as soon as she would be grown up enough... but then, when the first chapter started, I was like put off. Jason acted like a primitive man and Laura was, well not whiny, but weak and a coward. Obviously, both of them love each other, but they just didn't tell each other... So Laura thinks that Jason bought her (well he told her that... her father needed money) and Jason thinks that Laura married him out of family duty. So both are disatisfied and added to that Jason's inferiority complex because he's a Scot and came from a bad background... I might have read it if Jason wasn't acting like a brute. I can handle cold and calculative, but not brute.

I'm reading Winterset by Candace Camp right now... Actually, I was going to review it now, but realized that I only read half and I should continue before reviewing it (bright no? :P)

So yeah, didn't read anything really interesting this week-end (well except for Kay Hooper novella, but it wasn't enough)... By the way, I'm proud to announce that I haven't bought a book for a week! Personally, I think it's quite an achievement... but it'll be nothing compared to Jennie if she really doesn't buy anymore new book till 2007 :P Still waiting for the new Indigo to open, sigh.

Have a nice day :D

Katherine Stone and a recent read

I don't wanna go to work!!! someone, save me!

As if... :P anyway, the above is my feeling... I've been watching House M.D. Season 2 the whole week-end and I must say, it's really entertaining. I just enjoy House so much and I can't wait for the première and see what happens.

All right, onto what I wanted to say tonight... Katherine Stone.

Who here has read her books and what do you think? My first novel by Katherine Stone was Pearl Moon and I just loved it. LOVED IT. I think that it still ranks as one of my fav. book... and it'd be in my top 25. (Top 25 fav. is coming soon as well as what I've read and not read in the top 100) Her stories usually focus on relationships, some internal battle, and most of the time, they'll be a medical condition, so it kind of follow a recipe, but I can't help it and find it really touching :) Actually, most of the time I end up shedding some tears and my heart aches, but it's good. So I've just discovered that Caroline's Journal is out, her newest book. I usually don't keep tag on her coming book, because she writes one a year and her website isn't really interesting... It's strange tho, cos I'd swear her last book came out during winter... Anyway, I'm happy and can't wait to read this one. It sounds really, really interesting... here's the blurb:

Caroline, a successful architect, is finally and joyfully pregnant. She keeps a journal throughout her pregnancy, conveying her feelings and plans, and is also reestablishing her relationship with her much younger sister, Meg. Meanwhile, her husband is prosecuting a murder case involving a pregnant woman, and as a father-to-be he finds the case particularly distressing. When Caroline has feelings of foreboding, she chalks it up to her usual worrying. But at the start of her third trimester she is diagnosed with preeclampsia, and Caroline discovers that it will be a struggle to keep both her and her baby safe. Katherine Stone once again brings her readers a deeply emotional and very relevant story.

So, what do you think?

Queen by Sharon Sala: 3.75/5

Queen is the first book of a trilogy: Queen, Diamond and Lucky. So Queen, Diamond and Lucky Houston are the daughters of the town gambler who just died. Diamond has been recruited by a singer and gone with him to Nashville while Queen and Lucky sell the house and split the money. Both sisters leave their little town where nobody cares about them to realize their dreams and start a new life: Lucky heads for Las Vegas while Queen wants to go to California.

On her way to California, the bus breaks down and Queen embarks onto another bus, this one heading to Denver (or Detroit). At the bus station, Queen stumbles onto 3 boys: Donny (13), Will (10) and J.J. (7). The boys' father hasn't come home for the night, so Donny brought his brothers into town to talk to the Sheriff... the sheriff is concerned and calls Social services. Donny is sure that his father wouldn't abandon them overnight and something must have happened to him... however, Social services woman doesn't want to hear about it and tell them to follow her. Queen, for some unknown reasons, comes to the rescue of the kids and passes out as their aunt. She stays with the boys until their father, Cody Bonner, comes back. Although this was not the new life Queen wanted, Queen ended up staying as the Bonner's housekeeper to help Cody keeps custody of the boys and because she fell in love with the boys... and of course, their father.

Well I liked the book :) but I'm not sure about the 2 others... So the good: you had some building of relationship and some changes in the characters. Cody and Queen didn't jump into each other's arms right away, it actually took time before they admitted having feelings for each other and falling in bed together. I liked the kids, they were nice and protective and stuff. The story flowed quite smoothly and at the end, Cody's father-in-law stood up to his wife. So, what's the bad? Well, not much really... the only few things that bothered me: never knew if Cody really loved his wife and if yes,why? Then, it seems that Cody's best friend, Dennis, altho he knows there's no hope, is in luv with Queen. Last, why is the woman on the cover have brown hair when Queen is a red-headed? Even more funneh, why does the women on the next two covers have orange hair when they're supposed to be brunette and blond? Did someone read the stories before designing the covers?!?