Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Chick and the Dead

This is another great paranormal cozy from Casey Daniels. In the second installment of the Pepper Martin series, the Chick and the Dead, this was when Pepper dealt with a ghost from the 50s who needed to cross over. She needed Pepper to help solve her murder and why she lost her life. While Pepper needed more rent money, she agreed to take the role of a secretary and searched around a family tree of hidden secrets to get the answer to the truth. It dealt with a lot of drama,  action, conflict and a hint of romance between Pepper and Quinn, set in my hometown region of Cleveland Ohio.

This is another great cozy series with a light ghost stories. I loved how each central ghost had come from a different time zone. Talk about the blast from the past! I became concerned about Pepper, when she dealt with another unhappy ghost and still recovering from her head injury. I do love the chemistry between Quinn and Pepper, when she'd gotten closer to the truth about this ghost's cold case. An easy read to enjoy anytime for a good cozy read.

Ready to enter the time warp again? Check out a cozy today! 

Thursday, September 24, 2009

I Do I really do

If you like chick lit and romances in a light read, you'll enjoy Cara Lockwood's I Do But I Don't. It's about Lauren, a wedding planner, who needs a love life, and finds it unexpectedly at her doorstep and during week. There's a bundle of humor here too. This isn't for the faint of heart. But dream big for your wedding dreams. This is a great romance to re-read too and fall in love with them too.

Monday, September 21, 2009

An Island of Secrets

If you like great mysteries set in Britain, you'll enjoy The Lighthouse by PD James. This deals with a mystery on a fictional island, and ends up with secrets and past history, all dealing with the island and the general. Throw it the SARS epidemic and another murder to spice up the plot. This is my second book I've read in the series, though out of order. Sink your teeth into this juicy mystery.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

And Only to Deceive

If you love historical romances with a hint of suspense, you'll love And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander. Set in Victorian England, Lady Emily Ashton mourned the loss of her late husband of six months who died in an African safari, right after her wedding. Now two years later, she learned new shocking details on the man she thought she knew and had married. By delving into Philip's journals, she became fascinated in Greek artifacts. On her pursuit for the truth, she had two suitors who want her hand, one of them was Colin, her late husband's friend. She became a bit suspicious of him, as he had every intention on making her fall in love with him, and discovering who he really was, as a prospectus new romance and love triangle bloomed ahead of her. The closer she learned more about the truth, new surprises turned up along the way. With every twist and turn, even in France, this would keep you at the edge of the seat, rooting for her on every page. This is a must new read for this series.

This was a wonderful introduction to the historical suspense/thriller series. I loved the Victorian feel in England for time period. I also loved the scenes in Egypt, too. I did feel sorrow for Lady Emily and became intrigued into her story to find justice for her husband. I did feel a sense of chemistry for Emily and Colin to get together. Everyone was suspect for her. I loved how her family backed her up, when she was grieving and angry. This sent goosebumps and chills down my spine with a warm soothing sensation afterwards. This was a perfect cross-genre blend of historical romance and thriller.  Great suspense, excellent intrigue, and good dramatic action, too.

Don't be deceived! Go out and cherish this novel today!



Friday, September 18, 2009

Swiss Lions

This is my second political thriller I've read this year. This is partially set in Switzerland and the rest is in the USA. Great vivid scenery and history of Switzerland, it makes me want to visit the country. From a conspiracy theory to a shocking twist in the end, this makes you want to hold onto your hat. Plenty of drama, action, suspense for this Scot Harvath series to make me want to read more every year. It's grrreeeaaattt!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cold case... close to home

If you love a good mystery and cold cases, you'll love A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read. This is set in New York with a decades old mystery. The lead, Madeline Dare, (don't you love her maiden name?) gathers clues that leads to people she knew. And I'm not going to use a spoiler to tell you who, until you read it for yourself. She also deals with a dysfunctional family with quirky names and a husband who she sees on and off from work in Canada. This is a hit for a first novel. It makes you ask, Whodunit? Get your magnifying glasses out.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Love has no boundaries

This isn't on my TBR list. But since I joined my condo's book club last month, this was the first pick: Oh my Stars by Lorna Landvik. I had to admit, I liked it. It's a must read for all book clubs to discuss. This deals with a cross-country trip, racism and segregation, love, life, music, the Depression and World War II and fast forward more in time to Violet, who narrates each chapter, to the final chapter of the book. It's bittersweet and requires all readers to carry a hanky for this journey of life, love, music and death.

Storm Cycle

If you love fast-paced thrillers that span the world, you'll love Iris Johansen's Storm Cycle. This is the second one she wrote and teamed up with her son Roy, a mystery writer.  Rachel Kirby was a computer genius and climbed up the corporate ladder, while her personal life is a living hell. Her twin sister had a chronic illness that would kill her someday. When she received a mysterious email one day, she became intrigued and wary of the price. Thousands of miles away, archeologist John Tanek was trapped in a collapsed Egyptian tomb with a working laptop--he knew Rachel might be the one to help him, since the collapse was no accident. He discovered something very valuable that people have been searching for in America--for Rachel, it might be the cure to save her sister. While she worked on rescuing John, she found herself trapped into a web of deceit. Should she trust Tanek? Will they survive to discover the mystery inside the tomb? What a thrilling roller-coaster ride.

This was a powerful thriller. I loved how Iris and Roy made this one thriller like it was one of their own. I loved how they brought up the concept that bridge the distance. Across the seas, I liked how Rachel and John Tanek were brought together... by a computer. I hated that Rachel's sister was put into the middle of this, due to a cure. But the Egyptian tomb link was a clincher. Plenty of drama and intense suspense into this powerhouse thriller.

Ready to embrace a storm? Hold on tight with a copy now!


Saturday, September 5, 2009

Black Order

If you love thrillers with something special added to it, you'll love James Rollins's Black Order, the third book in the Sigma Force series. It all started with a sinister fire in Poland that covered up the plot to steal Charles Darwin's Bible. For Gray Pierce, he dove into a mystery that went as far back to Nazi Germany and horrible experiments done in an abandoned lab in Poland. In Nepal, a strain of madness ravishes a monastery, when monks turn to cannibalism and torture. For Lisa Cummings, an American doctor who investigated the atrocity, was the brutal target for assassin. Her only ally was Painter Crowe, the director of Sigma Force, who already showed signs of the malady. Now it was up to Gray Pierce to save them both in a race of time.

 This thriller had a lot going in from start to finish. I cared for Gray, Painter, Lisa and the whole planet. I didn't like this madness that spread across the world, either. I loved the dual locations of Poland and Nepal for this novel's awesome settings. It made it seem so remote, too. There was a hint of romance, lots of action, plenty of drama and conflict, a flavor of history. and a sprinkling of science fiction and science to give it some oomph.This would make you want to read it again and again.

Will you brace yourself for the black order? If, check it out today!


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

This Pen for HIre

If you're the one who loves to watch romantic comedy movies, then you'll love this new series by Laura Levine. In the first installment of the Jaine Austen cozy mystery series, This Pen for Hire, it dealt and started out with a murder to kick off this cozy. We were introduced to Jaine Austen, a freelance writer, who came across a letter to Stacy Lawrence from Howard Murdoch via the newspaper's personal ads. When he became a suspect for Stacy's murder, Jaine did some sleuthing to clear his name and find out who bludgeoned her to death with a Thigh Master, no less. Before the killer would be onto her, she would have to do it fast, before she would become a ghost writer no less.

This cozy had tons of witty humor to make you laugh all the way through the novel from start to finish and keeps you guessing whodunit at the end. I did care about Jaine and her writing career, when she helped Howard out. I also enjoyed getting to know her better, especially those emails from her parents, too. I liked the California location to kickstart the series. Ther was  a hint of romance and intrigue straight through to spice up this cozy mystery series. So bring some girlfriends, some hankies and have a few laughs on me. Great drama, good action and suspense, and plenty of intrigue all the way to the shocking ending.

Do you want this pen for hire? If so, pick up a copy today!