WWW Wednesday (42)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Reading this classic while awaiting the film adaptation. =) Super excited to see it come to life.

02. Recently finished:
I do... Or Die by Donna Cummings. A born-to-be-bridesmaid gets shot at during her fourth wedding! But the handsome detective working her case, and volunteering as her personal bodyguard, makes her forget about all the shooting.

03. Reading Next: 
Hmmm.... tough one! Probably Black Earth by David Alderman.  Three teenagers "realize that their current problems are nothing compared to the stars that are falling from the sky. During the global crisis, the President of the United States makes it her personal mission to keep the country on the right track to becoming a world superpower, while a hostile entity known only as Absolute threatens her administration."

I Do...Or Die

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life – no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?

But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.

Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The humor is high and the risk of being shot is too high not to laugh about in Donna Cummings' novel, I Do... or Die. This contemporary romance is full of quick wit and sexual banter, it had me reading as fast as possible. I may have stopped for dinner, but I doubt it. 

Shelby is a passionate main character who has a thriving love for the opposite sex, just as long as he's not dreaming of a relationship. She's an honest, trustworthy, outgoing, and out-spoken young lady whose father's occupation (male gigolo) has her running for the hills when it comes to real love. Readers will absolutely adore her quirky personality, defense-mechanism humor, and how quickly she's ready to fall for the right guy. Cause, honestly, aren't we all just searching for that cute detective that makes us forget our mortality?

Cummings keeps the plot rolling with various close calls when it comes to Shelby's lifespan. Though the mystery of the novel seems to get lost in the lust between Shelby and Mister Detective. (I don't think the readers will mind too much!) I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the extended ending where readers actually get a sneak peek at the 'happily-ever-after.' Definitely recommended for mature readers who like a little mystery with their mischievous romance. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

I Do . . . Or Die (Crimson Romance)

Teaser Tuesday (50)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



I Do ... Or Die (Kindle Loc. 329-31)
   - Donna Cummings

"Somebody's trying to kill me, aren't they?"
He didn't try to pull me down toward safety, and he certainly didn't try to pull any punches. "It kinda looks that way, yeah."

All Roads Lead to Austen

With a suitcase full of Jane Austen novels en espanol, Amy Elizabeth Smith set off on a yearlong Latin American adventure: a traveling book club with Jane. In six unique, unforgettable countries, she gathered book-loving new friends-- taxi drivers and teachers, poets and politicians-- to read Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Whether sharing rooster beer with Guatemalans, joining the crowd at a Mexican boxing match, feeding a horde of tame iguanas with Ecuadorean children, or tangling with argumentative booksellers in Argentina, Amy came to learn what Austen knew all along: that we're not always speaking the same language-- even when we're speaking the same language.

But with true Austen instinct, she could recognize when, unexpectedly, she'd found her own Senor Darcy.

**

Amy Elizabeth Smith crosses borders and languages with her non-fiction travel novel, All Roads Lead to Austen: A Year Long Journey with Jane, trying to find how Austen translates in different cultures. The book is a little slow when it comes to action and event but the in-depth study of Jane Austen and how her book translates is worth the reading. 

I love that Austen translates across culture better than I would have thought. Even better than Smith herself thought! The men and women of South American countries loved Austen for various reasons and all had their own insights into her novels. Though only Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility were studied. I wish the year that Smith traveled would have been long enough to include her other novels, but I shouldn't be "Woe is me!" after finishing a book that even stays true to Austen's novel endings.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has read Jane Austen. The book creates a sense of bonding between unmet readers across the world upon the fact that Austen's work is universal, touching every life that reads her. 

The Host

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Years after an invasion, Stephanie Meyer follows one alien's journey on her path of becoming human in her novel, The Host. Originally inserted to gain the intel of surviving humans, Wanderer searches through her host's memory to complete her assignment. When Melanie refuses to be extracted, the lines between human and host become blur and readers will find themselves straddling the fence on who should rule the planet.

Wanderer is a sweet soul who continually sacrifices herself for what she believes to be the greater good. She is an altruistic alien who is more compassionate and humane than the human race. Readers will respect her generous nature, bonding with her based on her goals to help and save Melanie, those she loves, and strangers who quickly become family. 

The plot of The Host is a surprising story of survival. At the beginning of the story, I found myself wondering where Meyer would take it but the book steadily evolved into a study of human understanding and the dedication of life while the romantic plot line added more depth to the novel. Thoroughly impressed with how intricate the book was and how it evoked such intense feelings. 

Rating: 4/5 cups

The Host

WWW Wednesday (41)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Given to me by one of my best friends. Wonderful book about an alien (parasitic) species that takes over Earth. Who would have guessed that non-violence would give them away?

All Roads Lead to Austen: A Year Long Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith. Traveling with a side discussion of Jane Austen to see how it translates in various cultures. Very interesting and enjoyable, thus far.

02. Recently Finished:
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. A Valentine's present that shocked me to the core. Still can't believe the ending and how absorbed I was with the horror.

03. Reading Next:
I Do... or Die by Donna Cummings. Chaos erupts at a wedding and the police detective might just be a love interest in Shelby's romance free life.

Teaser Tuesday (49)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



The Host (p.60)
   - Stephanie Meyer

You murder an entire species and then pat yourselves on the back.
My hands balled up into fists.

Sharp Objects

WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Gillian Flynn disturbs readers with her addictive novel, Sharp Objects. The story line, the writing style, the characters, all combine to horrify the audience to the point where they don't want to keep reading, but they don't have a choice. Flynn's creative tying of the reader to the main character, Camille. 

Camille is a young woman who suffers with mental instability. Her body burns and tingles, begging to be cut into. Begging to be covered with words. Words that describe her life, her dreams, her fears. Camille's main desire is to be loved by her family, but her mother is incapable. Readers will connect with her through her emotions, whether evoking empathy or sympathy, disgust or understanding. 

The experiences that Camille lives through are heart-wrenching and sad. An eruption of chaos that can't be avoided. The bond between Camille and readers will be thoroughly strained before the last page, but I firmly believe everyone who starts this book will feel the need to finish it, regardless of the frightening display of human nature. Camille wants to be loved, and readers will offer it freely.

The plot focuses on two murders in her home town of Wind Gap, Missouri. As a reporter based in Chicago, Camille is sent back to get the scoop. Readers discover that she's in the middle of the chaos before Camille does and are immediately frightened for her well-being. But Camille has been sacrificing herself her entire life. Sacrificing her identity, her aspirations, anything and everything for one single act of love. 

The story line is a horrifying experience that readers won't be able to turn away from. It's gripping while disturbing like the cutting addiction Camille suffers from. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone as the novel is blunt, the descriptions are haunting, and the ending is worse than most could imagine. Never-the-less, outstanding piece of fiction. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Sharp Objects: A Novel

WWW Wednesday (40)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
8 Hearts Beat as One by Ben Hopkin, Amber Scott, Carolyn McCray, et al. A bonus e-book at the end of the Yearnings Box Set. Probably won't review it as they're short stories, but enjoying them regardless.

02. Recently Finished:
Fated by Carolyn McCray. Wonderful story that takes place right before the murder of Julius Caesar. Once I started it, I read like a mad woman. It was delightful!

03. Reading Next:
All Roads Lead to Austen: A Year Long Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith. Jane Austen, enough said. Then it's back to the review pile. =)

Fated

Torn apart by History
Bound for Eternity

A historical paranormal romance with sweeping consequences, “Fated” is sure to thrill.

Set in ancient Rome, you will find yourself immersed in the culture, drawn to the intrigue and yearning for the romance.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Carolyn McCray transports readers back to Rome, during the rule of Julius Caesar and just before the Ides of March, in her novel, Fated. If you ever wondered why Brutus, Caesar's closest friend, was the one to deliver the killing blow, McCray has created an intricate tale that tells why, coupled with a love story that lasts throughout eternity. 

Syra and Brutus are the main characters of the book, alternating perspectives. Syra is a warrior, who when discovered to be a woman, is sold into slavery. She's strong, brave, courageous, motivating, and has the mind of a military official. She's never felt love before and for is drawn to Rome by her dreams. Readers will enjoy her tom-boy personality, while respecting her for what she can do on the battlefield. She's a stubborn character who is full of pride and hope for the future. 

Brutus is a member of Rome's senate during a time in which the conspiracy to overthrow Caesar is born. Though, he believes that he's the illegitimate son of Caesar, readers know from history that he is the one to kill Julius. His character in the novel is intelligent, loyal, proud, trustworthy, friendly, and he is always trying to help anyone he can. Readers will love his guardian nature and be captivated by his story. 

The plot starts unfolding very quickly as readers realize that the Ides of March are coming soon and Rome's ruler won't survive. After Brutus and Syra meet (as owner and slave) they become enamored with each other. As their love grows, so does the plot to kill Caesar. Will they both survive the fall of the Roman ruler, or will Brutus be on the receiving end of a knife as well? Fated is fantasy, history, romance, and thrilling all at once. Wonderful book! 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Fated

Teaser Tuesday (48)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Fated (Kindle Loc 18709-10)
   - Carolyn McCray

The old man spoke to no one in particular. "Beware the Ides of March."
Brutus was not certain if the words were meant for Caesar or himself.


Should Be Reading @ Wordpress

Dangerous Embrace - Book Tour

Sarah Jennings wants nothing more than a quiet life-alone. Raised by an eccentric mother, their life on the road only taught her how to run away from hard times. But when she finds herself in an abusive relationship, this lesson serves her well. 

Now, back in her hometown, she's found a place she loves. She's a first grade teacher, and with few friends and less family around, she has what she wants, a quiet life under the radar where she can be free of her past and live quietly. Finally comfortable in her own skin, she's settled, and less fearful than she's ever been in her life. But it only takes one night and one act of violence for everything to change. Injured and afraid, Sarah wants to run again, but Mark Summors refuses to let her go. Just when Sarah thinks she can have Mark and the life he promises, her past comes back to haunt her. 

Mark Summors was born and raised in Santa Rosa. He married his high school sweetheart and never questioned his life, until he found his wife with another man. Now divorced, he wants something more. He's passionate about his job, he wants to protect people, and he devotes his life to it. This time he's protecting more than just another client, he's protecting his future; at least, Sarah Jennings will be his future, once he convinces her she loves him.

*May Contain Spoilers*

If you're looking for a novel that will touch your heart while forcing you to the edge of your seat, the urge to check over your shoulder a constant companion, then Dangerous Embrace by Dana Mason should be on your TBR list. 

Sarah Jennings hasn't had the easiest life. While growing up, her mother worked in night clubs while her and her brother were kicked to the backseat. She never learned what love felt like. Nor did she understand the meaning of 'home.' As a teenager, Sarah got engaged right out of high school and went through years of domestic abuse - physical, mental, and emotional. When she is nearly beaten to death, Sarah finally gets the nerve to leave while her ex-fiance is in prison. 

Readers will connect with Sarah on a variety of aspects. She's an incredibly strong woman who, literally, fights for the life she wants. She's honest, loving, courageous, and brave even though life keeps giving her a hand full of raw deals. Readers will also empathize with Sarah as well as support her throughout the book which will only bring them closer to this character. 

The plot of the novel is intense, demanding, horrifying, and full of hope. The experiences that Sarah survives through are down right terrifying. Living through a violent relationship is enough to scar anyone, but now Sarah's in the sight of a serial rapist and murderer. I fully respect that Mason did not shy away from being blunt in this novel. Some of the situations call for profanity and obscene descriptions. It's impressive that this didn't deter Mason from writing the book as close to reality as possible. Though, the line of events sometimes seemed unbelievable and over the top. 

Exploring the life of a domestic violence survivor, Dangerous Embrace is a romantic suspense novel that isn't afraid to lay everything on the line for love and life. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

      
Dangerous Embrace