Author Archives: Pam

‘Twas the Night Before Mischief Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  ‘Twas the Night Before Mischief

Author:  Nina Rowan

Published:  December 2013 by Forever Yours

Genre:  Novella, Historical Romance, Holiday

Click here to purchase ‘Twas the Night Before Mischief (A Daring Hearts Novella) from Amazon

 

I’m not usually into novellas unless it’s part of a series I follow.  But I picked up ‘Twas the Night Before Mischief after reading Reading With Analysis’s thoughts on it.  (Awesome site, check it out!)  Plus I hadn’t already read a Christmas book this year and I was feeling like I wanted to.

Penelope Darlington falls for the wrong guy, a rake with a bad reputation.  She runs off with him, only to be abandoned when his mother won’t let him marry her.  Staying at an inn with hardly any money left, Penelope isn’t sure what is going to happen next.  In walks Darius Hall, the earl’s son and also her childhood family friend.  Darius is to bring Penelope back home, per her father, but love will be found between the two along the way.

Darius was a bit too serious for me.  He was incredibly smart and a bit odd in his way of thinking.  He was awkward and couldn’t always project his thoughts the right way, causing friction between himself and Penelope.

Penelope was decent, nothing about her bothered me.  But then again, nothing about her really stood out to me either.

I did enjoy the story, but it just didn’t stick with me.  So if you’re looking for a quick read, it is a good book, just not great.

 

 

 

My Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.*****   

Close to You Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Close to You

Author:  Stacia Kane

Published:  October 2013 by St. Martin’s Press

Genre:  Novella, Urban Fantasy

Click here to buy Close to You from Amazon

 

 

I’m not usually a fan of novellas, or short stories, unless they are part of a series that I follow.  This one is.  It’s actually part 5.5 of Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series.  So I really don’t think that this one is a stand-alone book.  I think the reason I enjoyed it so much was because I already knew the characters well before going into it.

So Chess and Terrible are at a junkyard trying to get some free car parts when they are approached by a creepy old woman who wants money for the parts.  Although she was never there before, they assume she’s a new inhabitant and decide to follow her to pay for the parts.  Big mistake.  It was a ploy and the woman wants to use them to resurrect her dead husband.

Stacia Kane cracks me up.  I love her style of writing, and her characters personalities.  Chess is a drug addict, but I’m always routing for her and like her none-the-less.  Here’s a little excerpt that I enjoyed.

Just as Chess figured, Vincent’s body – well, it wasn’t much of a body at that point, just a skeleton covered in scraps of fabric and scraps of things Chess didn’t want to think about – lay at Mrs. Hudson’s feet.  A pillow supported its skull.  Around it several items were arranged like afterlife tokens at a Viking funeral:  a wallet, a pair of worn tennis shoes, what looked like baseball cards, a pair of socks and some underwear.  Very personal, so very powerful.  One of the items was a hammer, which was awesome because what they really needed was for Vincent’s ghost to have a deadly bludgeoning tool within easy reach. (Location 395 of 555 on Kindle)

Awesome right?  So if you’re already a Stacia Kane fan, definitely pick it up.  And if you haven’t read anything by her yet, try the first book in the series, Unholy Ghosts.

 

My Rating:  4 ½ out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.*****       

Clean Sweep Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Clean Sweep

Author:  Ilona Andrews

Published:  2013 by Ilona Andrews, Inc.

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Purchase Clean Sweep from Amazon
 

Dina’s not sure whether to intervene or not when her neighbors’ dogs are being killed by what seems to be some sort of paranormal creature.  Being an innkeeper, she is just supposed to take care of the inn and her guests and stay out of other paranormal affairs.  Plus the new werewolf in town, Sean, should be the one taking care of this sort of problem.  After all, werewolves are very territorial.  But when approached, Sean doesn’t seem intent to take care of it.  In fact, he acts like a jerk.  Decision made, Dina decides to find out what is killing these dogs, and it’s more then she expected.  Will werewolf Sean decide to help Dina or just get in her way?

Urban fantasy is a pretty cool genre.  Its fantasy that’s set in the modern day world we all know.  And if the author is good it’s believable because its setting is what we’re used to day in and day out.  And Ilona Andrews is a great author.  Who knows, maybe I have a werewolf and innkeeper as neighbors?

Anyways, Dina is a great protagonist.  She is a bit alone in the world though.  Her parents and their inn were lost (we don’t know what happened).  Dina does still have her siblings but they don’t live nearby and aren’t really in the story.  Although she’s alone she is confident and knows her job as an innkeeper.  She decides she’s had enough of her neighbors’ dogs being murdered and decides to do something about it.  In real life, I’d like to be Dina’s friend.   She’s a take charge kind of girl.

In the mist of finding this horrible creature and solving her neighborhood’s problems, she also gets to know Sean a little more.  And a vampire also makes an appearance.  Sounds like Twilight the way I’m describing it, but it’s not similar at all.  However, the vampire and werewolf are definitely attracted to Dina…

I’m pretty sure Ilona Andrews doesn’t know how to write a bad story.  So if you like urban fantasy, or if it’s something that you’re thinking about, pick up a copy of Clean Sweep.  Plus, I’m pretty sure it will keep you entertained, as would her other books as well.

Happy reading!

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****

Mary’s Merry Christmas and Birthday Giveaway Hop

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Christmas is approaching, and what better way to celebrate this joyous season than with a chance to win a Kindle Paperwhite and more? Mary, a blogger at Buried Under Romance, is turning one year older on December 20th, and she has gathered the support of some fantastic authors and bloggers in hosting her first ever blog hop.

It’s the season of gifting, and what better gift to give back than following our wonderful bloggers and authors on their platforms? In addition, we ask that you think about what you are most thankful for this year, and embrace it along with your family and friends.

This Christmas I’m most thankful for my family and friends.  I’m thankful to have time to read and blog when my kiddos are sleeping.  And I’m very thankful that my mom finished chemo!  Hopefully she feels better soon.  Here’s to a great Christmas, and a fabulous new year!

What are you celebrating this season? 🙂 Please leave a comment, and don’t forget to support our bloggers and authors for their contribution! Click on the linky and visit each blog to find out what they are celebrating!



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Feature & Follow Friday #19

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Feature & Follow

 

This is a blog hop, a way to find and follow new blogs,

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

You can follow me by using any one of the options over on the left sidebar.

This weeks question:  Pick a book in your favorite genre that you’d recommend to a reluctant reader.

Hmm, I love historical fiction but it needs to have romance in it.  And the one book that I can think of that fits in that category is my favorite all time series.

Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

 

A few years ago (2006-07) I wasn’t really into reading books, and I happened upon Twilight (before all the movies and hype.)  Anyways, afterwards I was feeling depressed and trying to find something to read that was comparable, and someone online recommended Outlander.  So I went to the library and I have to tell you, this series, other than being more mature if you will, blows Twilight out of the water.  That is all.  🙂  Seriously, read it.

Have a great weekend guys!

~Pam