The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig

Rating: B-

Let me preface this entry into my review by saying I absolutely adore this series, but I absolutely did NOT enjoy this visit into the lure of The Pink Carnation. The plot was stale and boring and far too much woe is me for my liking.

This series starts with THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION which I had a bit of trouble getting through as well, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th books of this series were just Amazing and I couldn’t recommend this series enough.

This is a series where the author bounces between time periods, and I usually have a problem with that but how Willig weaves the stories with each other it doesn’t feel like it changes. It flows seamlessly. However, where Willig usually impresses me is with her characters, but the characters of Charlotte and Robert were so bothersome. There truly was no chemistry between them, it felt forced and uncomfortable and drab. As characters they were never brought to life, and that led their chemistry to pale in comparison to most all the other characters that Willig has created in this series.

However, the story line was intriguing and would have garnered a better result, if there was a different set of characters chasing the adventure.

I’m sorry to say that Robert and Charlotte bored me to tears, and I hope that the next installment will bring me back to the series that I love.

The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

ISBN: 9780425227671
Rating: B
Challenges: January Side Challenge: New to Me author

A friend is defined as: a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. This is the story of 4 writers who have forged a bond of friendship through their experiences of being a writer. Wax takes you on an emotional journey with each of these writers, Kendall, Tanya, Mallory and Faye, and asks the questions that plagues friendships every day. Are we really as close as we think we are? Are we true friends? Will they be there for me? The Accidental Bestseller appeared to be a story about friendship and inside view into the publishing industry, allowing the reader to see the brutality of that world. However, what this book truly showed was relationships and how they change our lives on a daily basis.

Meet Kendall, she’s a mediocre writer whose editor wants her gone. Kendall is up for a writing award and is hoping that if she wins she’ll survive another day in the publishing industry, but if she loses…
Kendall’s world falls apart around her after the awards ceremony and she’s left with trying to find herself in the midst of the rubble. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust?

New York times Best Selling Author Mallory St James is one of Kendall’s closest friends, they met 10 years ago at a writing conference, and have been critique partners since then. Through their bond of writing they have become what they consider to be friends. However, Mallory keeps a huge part of herself hidden from the world and from her closest friends. Will this secret destroy their friendships?

Tanya Mason is a young mother of 2 with an alcoholic mother and is a writer for a “harlequinesque” publisher. She’s finding her niche in this publishing powerhouse and she is hoping that she’ll be able to write full time and not have to work 2 jobs plus write. Her goal is to make her daughter’s lives better than how she was raised. Tanya doesn’t have any secrets, and she’s pretty open about who she is, but she doesn’t trust anyone who offers her help. Her issue is that she is too self reliant.

Finally there is Faye Truett, her husband is a well known TV Evangelist and she is the author of inspirational fiction. Faye has been keeping a secret from everyone for over 20 years, and this is a secret that could destroy her husbands blooming church and it’s a secret she won’t even share with her friends. Once Faye’s secret is revealed will she ever be forgiven?

These women come together to help Kendall meet the deadline on her latest book as her life appears to be spinning out of control. They decide to each help Kendall write a part of this book, and since the publisher already told Kendall that this was her final book just a contractual obligation that there is no harm in helping her finish. It won’t matter if they each breach their contracts and ghost write a portion of the story about 4 writers who meet at a writing conference and become friends, because it is destined for a quick burial at the hands of it’s editor. It’s the case of art imitating life, and each woman feels compelled to tell the truth of their lives guised as fiction. It’s the journey of these four women that makes this book have a heart, but it’s also full of secrets and lies, and the heart of the story barely shines through all the muck.

The Accidental Bestseller is a great book for discussion because there are so many aspects that are worthy of discussion, but I don’t think if I wouldn’t have read this for a book discussion that I would have enjoyed it as much.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

ISBN: 978-0-446-52805-4
Rating: A
Challenges: None

John Tyree is a sergeant in the Army on leave when a chance encounter with Savannah Lynn Curtis changes everything he knows.

Sparks has long been the author of my favorite book ever, A WALK TO REMEMBER, and I’ve kind of been on a Sparks hiatus for a while. His books always bring me to the brink of every emotion and DEAR JOHN was no exception. I picked up this book because I wanted to read it before the movie came out; however it’s been sitting on my shelves since 2006 when it was originally published.

Sparks is an author who created characters that breathe life to the pages of each book and add such dimension and beauty to the story being told. I finished this book within 24 hours and I haven’t done that since I read HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. John and Savannah’s story was beautiful and rich and honest. Sparks writes an emotional tale about what true love really means, and I am glad that I found my way back to this author.

This is definitely a tissue read as most Sparks books tend to be, but not only for sad and lonely reasons, but for way that he chose to close his story.

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

ISBN: 978-0-425-21729-0
Rating: A
Challenges: Eye Spy and TBR

Harper and Tolliver head to small town USA, Doraville NC in an effort to help find the body of a young man who had gone missing a few months earlier. However, what neither of them was ready for was that this would be their first serial case and what that would mean for both of them.

I am more than bummed that this series is coming to a close. I have tried to read Harris’ Southern Vampire series, but the characters don’t speak to me and intensely as Harper and Tolliver do. I am only one book away, GRAVE SECRET, from finishing this series. I’m drawn to characters, and it always saddens me when I must say goodbye.

I enjoy how Harris writes, but there is something special with these characters that I feel is missing in any other story I have read by this author. Harper and Tolliver are special to me as a reader, maybe it is the kinship I feel for the way they grew up and I can identify with their pain.

I was quite surprised with how intense the plot to AN ICE COLD GRAVE was, I was a bit surprised with how gory it was and how I didn’t see who the culprit was truly until it was revealed to me. This book was harsh and dramatic and brutal which in all honesty is not words I would typically choose to describe this authors writing.

This is a series that clings to a line that not everyone can cross, and it is interesting to debate the issues about what this book brings up in the readers of the series. Should Harper and Tolliver be involved? Is this the reason that Harris is choosing to stop writing this series? Or is she just not inspired by the characters the way that I am?

2010 Challenges

My book group is hosting several challenges in 2010 and *hopefully* I will be able to succeed in accomplishing them.

The “Eye Spy” Challenge, is a game of words, each month is a different word and the challenge is to read a book with that word in the title. It’s a fun challenge that originally started as a game we’d play about books on our shelves that turned into this challenge. 2009 was the first year, and while I successfully completed some of the months I failed on the grander scale.

2010 Challenge Eye Spy is:
January-Ice

February-Red

March-Wind

April-Water (ie Lake, River or Water etc)

May-type of Flower (rose, lily, peony)

June-Science Fiction (the genre)

July-Death

August-Mystery (word or genre)

September-Leave(s), leaf

October-(k)night (knight or night qualifies)

November-Fire

December-Holiday

Also, our TBR Challenge has changed slightly. Previously we each picked 24 books, 12 required and 12 alternate books to read off of MT TBR. However, in 2010 I’ve changed it up a bit and I am making it more of an active challenge.

January-

List 3 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month and read 1 of them.

February

List 2 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month OR you can pick one from a previous month that you didn’t get to and read 1 of them.

March

List 3 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month and read 1 of them.

April

List 3 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month and read 1 of them.

May

List 2 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month OR you can pick one from a previous month that you didn’t get to and read 1 of them.

June

Recycle choices from previous months that you haven’t yet read.

July

List 3 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month and read 1 of them.

August

List 2 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month OR you can pick one from a previous month that you didn’t get to and read 1 of them.

September

Recycle choices from previous months that you haven’t yet read

November

List 3 books that have been on MT TBR since before 1/1/10 that you might want to read this month and read 1 of htem

December

Try to read as many off MT TBR as possible, can be off your challenge list or some that haven’t made your list.

2009 Wrap Up

December came to a crashing halt after I finished reading The Hunger Games.  I tried and failed to read multiple books, but as it happens sometimes your previous read just doesn’t want to let go.  Which is exactly how I felt about The Hunger Games.

I tried Mommywood by Tori Spelling but it was not nearly as funny as sTori Telling.  I tried Through the Veil by Shiloh Walker, The Body in the Belfry by Page, The Black Echo by Connelly and Pride and Prejudice by Austen.   P & P is actually the one that kept me interested and I will be finishing that book soon I hope.

2009 goals were met and failed, but I do consider it to be a success.  I found that I fell in love with a new series, Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, and I found that I love Urban Fantasy more than I thought I did.  I finished 46 books in 2009 with a page total of 16,255.

I found several new to me authors:  Patricia Briggs, Chelsea Cain and Suzanne Collins that I absolutely adore.  I was disappointed with a new release that I had been eagerly waiting for The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.    I might be giving up a favorite series, The Women’s Murder Club by Patterson, because I don’t feel like the writing is anything worthwhile anymore.

I also discovered that I am a bit harder on books that everyone else tends to love, and that it is okay if I don’t like the popular choices, like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society .  While it wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t feel as special for me  as it did for many others.

This is the beauty of reading, we all find something special and different in our reading choices, and for me my literary friends inspire me to read for myself and no one else.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

ISBN:

Publisher:

Rating:  A+

Although I started this book in a slump, I finished with a bang and I am extremely impressed.

This is my first 5 star rating of the year, but it is books like The Hunger Games that make me glad that I don’t give A+ ratings away easily. This book was absolutely brilliant.

When I first got the book from the library I had glanced at the dust jacket, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the premise of the book. A game of war fought to the death by children? Really? Although that is a big part of the plot, it was written as delicate as it could have been. There was a beauty in the way Collins chose to tell this story even in the midst of all the death.

We are introduced to Katniss Everdeen who from the minute we meet, I know she’s a survivor. I know what she’s lived through it’s as if I can look into her eyes and see her whole story laid out before me. Katniss is a character that will not soon be forgotten. She’s the girl on fire, and she sparked in me such intense emotions that at times I found myself crying in sadness right along with her.

Even now, I had to give myself most of the day to settle in with my emotions and I still can’t believe how much this story impacted me.

Katniss is not the only character that burned a place in my heart, each character was 3 dimensional even if they weren’t a part of the central story and interactions were minimal.

Although I was upset the book ended where it did, I am grateful that I can just request the next, Catching Fire, from the library today.

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet Book 2)

ISBN:  9780425230077

Publisher:  Penguin Group USA

Rating:  A-

BED OF ROSES is book 2 in the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts, featuring the love story of Emma Grant and Jackson Cook.    This series by Roberts is based around a wedding planning company, Vows, and the relationship between these 4 friends and the journey each takes to find their own fairy tale.  Emma and Jack have known each other for what seems like forever, and when their friendship turns to lust, the line between friend and lover get blurred.

VISION IN WHITE, the first in this series, brought me back to a love of Roberts romances again, BED OF ROSES was a bit harder for me to connect with.  In VISION IN WHITE Roberts created a character in Mackenzie that made her feel like she was one of your friends.  She had a history and flaws, and felt “real”; I don’t feel that Roberts gave Emma the same treatment.  I didn’t truly feel a connection to Emma until the last chapter.  The storyline was predictable and it felt that way.  It was rudimentary and expected.

So why did I give this book such a good rating?  Because I adore the friendship these 4 women share.  That is the backbone of this series, and as long as that relationship and those friendships continue to grow, I will bond with each of the characters with each new book.  The friendship is so beautiful in this story that you can’t help but want to call your best friend and tell her you love her.

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson Culinary Mystery 1

ISBN:  9780553584707

Publisher:  Bantam Books

Rating:  B

Meet Goldilocks Bear, caterer to the small town of Aspen Meadows Colorado.  She’s a divorcee with an 11 year old son Archibald; an ex-husband lovingly referred to as The Jerk, and a tendency to pick up strays along the way.  From her ex husbands second ex wife, to the daughter of her ex mother in laws friend, Goldy just can’t seem to say no.

When having to cater her son’s favorite teachers wake, it’s not the most ideal job in the world for her, especially when her ex father in law is poisoned by something in food.  With the rantings of her crazy ex husband, and the police sniffing around Goldy’s catering business is shut down pending further investigation.  However, since catering is the main source of income for her and Arch, Goldy decides that she can’t wait for the police to solve this crime, she will have to take care of herself.

After reading several previous reviews of this book I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Goldy is a strong woman who is fumbling through being a single parent, and trying to do the right thing by her son and all the friends that she has made into her family along the way.  She’s not afraid to show her vulnerability but she’s all full of sass and spice.  Davidson did a good job of bringing Goldy to an even balance of both.

Even though this was a mystery I was more interested in the character development than in the actual plot of the mystery which is both a positive and negative; as a character driven reader I now know that I will be picking up the second in this series.  I was a bit surprised by who the culprit was that poisoned Goldy’s ex father in law, the rest of the book didn’t surprise me.  I look forward to learning more about Aspen Meadows and Goldilocks.

Kindred in Death by JD Robb

ISBN:  9780399155956

Publisher:  Penguin Group

Rating:  A

With 29 books in this series you would think that it would get old, but it just doesn’t.  This series is intense and the characters so full of life that it feels like you are visiting with old friends every time you open up a new “In Death” book.

Kindred in Death has Eve investigating the brutal rape and murder of a cop’s 16 year old daughter.  Captain MacMaster’s requests that it be Eve who investigates the murder of his daughter Deena, which adds another level to the responsibility Eve feels to all the victim’s she helps find justice for, but will this be the case that breaks the reserve that Eve has built up?

This is one of my favorite series ever written, and it is hard to be objective about it because the characters are what drive me to continue to read it.  While the plots are intense and sharp, I get lost in the characters.  Eve is a juxtaposition of elements and she continues to evolve.  She has always been on my top 10 list of best heroine’s ever written and with each new addition to this series, she climbs up the rankings a bit further.

If you are a fan of strong female characters and well thought out plots with slightly more interesting twists, I suggest reading the in Death series and starting with NAKED IN DEATH which is the first in the series.  And I envy all of those who will begin their friendship with these characters soon.