Sunday, July 29, 2012

Review: Rick Steves' Italy 2012


Rick Steves' Italy 2012
Rick Steves' Italy 2012 by Rick Steves

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The book contains all the major attractions and "must do" activities in the featured cities. If you want a more detailed idea of what to do in each city, you should check to see if he has a book for the cities you plan to visit. The "Venice" book was fantastic for instance.

There were also lots of great traveler tips and money saving suggestions. For instance, one thing I never thought about is that lots of restaurants already have a service charge included that covers the tip - typically indicated on the menu, but had I not known to look for that, I would have been over tipping tremendously. Also lots of place to avoid - many of these places were recommended to us by our American friends.

This was an invaluable resource for us in our travels.



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Review: Rick Steves' Venice 2012


Rick Steves' Venice 2012
Rick Steves' Venice 2012 by Rick Steves

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



originally checked out this book from the library and liked it so much that I ordered it from Amazon. They had the kindle version, but this is definitely a book that I wanted in paperback.

The book contains all the major attractions and "must do" activities in the featured cities. In Venice, it is VITAL for you to do the "pub crawl" he has laid out for you - that was the most fun night we had on our trip :-)

There were also lots of great traveler tips and money saving suggestions. For instance, one thing I never thought about is that lots of restaurants already have a service charge included that covers the tip - typically indicated on the menu, but had I not know to look for that, I would have been over tipping tremendously. Also lots of place to avoid - many of these places were recommended to us by our American friends.

This was an invaluable resource for us in our travels.



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Friday, July 27, 2012

Review: Knight


Knight
Knight by Kristen Ashley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it. I find that KA's super alphas bore me a little with their "Me Tarzan, You Jane" rhetoric and the dragging the heroine around by their hair gets a little over done at times.

Don't get me wrong, I love a super alpha character, but there is a difference between Dominance and chauvinistic. Her Heros strike me as chauvinistic - like: come here and suck my cock ::slap on the ass:: now go make me some pancakes woman! *Groan* ::eye roll::

I thought the general story was pretty good though.



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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Review: Mistakes


Mistakes
Mistakes by A.M. Hayward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



To say that the events that transpired in the novel MISTAKES was terrifying and unspeakably inhumane is a gross understatement. As a woman... a sister, a daughter and an aunt to teenaged girls, I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors the characters in this story experienced.

The story revolves around 2 teenaged girls who are best friends - one is rich and beautiful and somewhat experienced with the opposite sex and the other who is no-so-rich, sees herself as average and is totally inexperienced with anything having to do with boys.  Maddy, the no-so-rich girl is swept off her feet by a charming and handsome twenty-something after a night on the town with her wealthy classmates.  Although warned that he is the devil in disguise by her BFF, Aimee, Maddy cannot resist the pull of attraction she feels towards Mr. Charming.  

In an attempt to explore this new and exciting relationship, she lies to her parents and joins Mr. Charming on vacation in a tropical paradise. After one too many drinks, she wakes up with a splitting headache with no recollection of the events of the previous night.  It doesn't take long for her to figure out that she has been kidnapped and later discovers her captor is the leader of a large human-trafficking ring.  With little hope of being found, Maddy must decide if she want to live to remember the horrors she is sure to experience or if she wants to die before it begins.

MISTAKES brings a slew of life lessons to the forefront of the minds of the reader especially in regards to lying and realizing that your parents are trying to protect you when they set boundaries - not ruin your life.  What is potentially at risk for the innocent and naive oblivious to the evils of the world? 

I purchased MISTAKES with the hopes of a decent and entertaining read.  What I got far exceeded my expectations and I am eagerly awaiting the 2nd book in the trilogy.  I can't wait to see what happens next!  This is a great choice if you are looking for something dark and intense with some romantic elements.



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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Review: Crow's Row


Crow's Row by Julie Hockley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



CROW'S ROW left me totally flabbergasted. That's the best word I can come up with. This is definitely a book that requires your undivided attention while reading in order to keep up with the twisty plot.

It is impossible for me to give a traditional review for CROW'S ROW without giving everything away. Just know that pretty much NOTHING is as it seems. There were many times when I thought I had it figured out only to have what I thought was reality snatched from me... I was in a constant state of confusion. It was a fantastically mysterious book with some romantic elements that were mostly fade to black but still satisfying. I am eager to see if the author continues the story - though most of the loose ends were tied up, there were some major emotional cliff hangers that I really want to see resolved.

It's a great read - hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did...



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Saturday, July 14, 2012

Review: Old Wounds


Old Wounds by N.K. Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



OLD WOUNDS is a dark and sad story about a group of teen thrown together in a counseling situation in an attempt to heal the old wounds that plague their existence. Although an unlikely group, they find ways to interact and trust one another with their secrets and fears.

I originally shelved this as a "romance" - after finishing the novel, I have removed this tag as there really aren't many romantic elements to the story. I am very interested to hear more about Elliot's story in the next installment.


Friday, July 13, 2012

Review: Motorcycle Man


Motorcycle Man
Motorcycle Man by Kristen Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



MOTORCYCLE MAN might be my favorite in the series - but I just can't give it 5 stars. I like Kristen Ashley's general story line in this series - love the super-crazyass-alpha males in this series, but I hate the rambling, redundancy. I think this is just her writing style. If I were her editor, I would cut out a lot of the fluff. I find that she revisits the "past" a lot and I just don't need that as a reader. I also find it a bit annoying how she has her characters repeat what other characters are saying CONSTANTLY - I understand what she is trying to convey by doing this, but it is distracting.

Despite the rambling rhetoric, I am a fan of her specific brand of "Alpha" male... in fact, I'm looking for one for myself ;-)  Now to figure out how get my husband onboard with that idea ;-)



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Monday, July 9, 2012

Review: Seduction and Snacks


Seduction and Snacks by Tara Sivec

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S! SEDUCTION AND SNACKS is a fantastic laugh-out-loud romance that will leave you snickering down to the final words of the book!

Imagine holding on to your virginity for 20 years only to loose it in a drunken, one-night-stand to a hot, but nameless guy at a fraternity party. Yes, lots of things suck about that previous statement, but then top it off with the biggest suck factor of all – Mr. Nameless apparently had some super-sperm that somehow escaped confines of the condom. Yes, you guessed it months later, after exactly one night of not-so-passionate “love-making” you are left with a lasting “gift” in the form of a drooling, pooping, peeing, spewing bundle of…er…joy.

Meet Claire, the barely-not-a-virgin, twenty-something who has professed her extreme aversion to children and has sworn them off for life – yes, she is the lucky recipient of the previously mentioned “super-sperm”. With the help of her close friends, Liz and Jim, Claire scours the college campus in search of her nameless, one-night-boy toy – without success. Although this is not the path she had planned to take, she pulls up her boot straps, revves up her sense of humor and makes the necessary adjustments to her life – which includes dropping out of college and moving back home with her gruff, but loveable military father.

The crazy, but loveable cast of characters suck you in from the beginning – from the 4 year-old devil’s spawn with a mouth like a sailor to the potentially psychotic father/grandfather and every character in between.

Self-Published Author, Tara Sivec definitely has a way with words – quite unlike any author I have read. What a refreshing change of pace in comparison to the loads of blah romances and erotic reads with no plot to choose from. Sivec has done an excellent job conveying her unique, snarky humor while making her quirky characters come to life in this romantic comedy. The pictures she paints with words are so vivid the images pop right off the page and you feel like you are experiencing the hilarious situations in real life!

I would recommend SEDUCTION AND SNACKS to anyone looking for a feel-good story with great humor that is sure to make you laugh. I LOVED it and I did not want it to end – I hope you will love it too!


NOTE: Self-Published indicates no “professional editing” has occurred. With the exception of some grammatical and spelling errors, Sivec has done a great job of giving the reader a lovely finished product. I know some of you take off stars for editing errors, so I thought this was worth mentioning - if the story is appealing to you, please don’t let this deter you from snatching it up. I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed.




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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

"Like" Facebook Giveaway



Check out Sylvia Ryan's Newly Developed Facebook Page. 

For the month of July 2012, Sylvia is running a Facebook 'like' drive. Simply click the link below and 'like' her fan page. 
That's all it takes to be entered! 
A load of prizes are ready to be shipped at the end of the month. Ten prize winners will be announced.
Here's the link: Sylvia Ryan's Facebook Page!




ALSO:
Click on over to Close Encounters of the Night Kind Blog, they've just posted a review and I'm hosting a giveaway for a free copy of Seduced by Three. This giveaway ends July 7, 2012
Here's the link:  Close Encounters of the Night Kind Blog


Seduced by Three by Sylvia Ryan
Theme: Menage
What is this?: Giveaways.
Facebook giveaway ends July 31, 2012
Blog giveaway ends July 7, 2012
Contains: MF, MfMM, anal play/intercourse


[Ménage Amour: Erotic Ménage a Quatre Romance, M/F/M/M, bondage, spanking, HEA]

Grace Hunter is trained in survival and doesn't need anyone to protect her from the anarchy that results after the EMP. But still, she is stuck confined in an underground shelter with three men—Steven "Sarge" Connelley, Van Goodwin, and Luke Evers—all totally different, all powerfully sexy. Together, the group faces the threats of the deadly city above ground. Individually, each man succeeds in seducing her. And before long, all three want Grace for himself alone. Animosity inside the shelter grows unbearable until Grace finally resolves to end it once and for all…and simply vanishes without a trace.

It takes months for the men to eventually realize that Grace left them willingly. When they do, hostilities flare between them again. They fight each other, and then fight together to muddle through the complexities of sex, love, and their own egos to forge an arrangement that could make them all happy.

A Siren Erotic Romance

Monday, July 2, 2012

Sizzling Summer Reads Party



The Sizzling Summer Reads Party is in full swing! 

There are more than 400 authors and publishers participating, and more than 400 prizes up for grabs!


Grand Prize is $100 GC!


Join the chat and be entered for $10 GC! 10 winners!
So, come and join the fun!