When the Sky Falls by Joseph Bendoski

by Carol1 Comment
I loved the concept of When the Sky Falls and it was clearly well-researched. Sky Fall Events cause mass panic in a population, but the "news" itself is fictional. It's a little complicated subject, but fascinating really. The writing style is direct, which works here. The book starts off with a really gripping scene, which you can read below. A couple of complaints. First, there are a lot of characters. It was a bit difficult to keep track of them and several of them are not as well-developed as they could be. Second, there was a bit too much violence for me personally, especially in the second half of the book. I guess I just wasn't expecting it. Read an excerpt: Porto, Portugal. October 30, 1988 The lights flickered and went dark, that’s when it started. Luis reached up and adjusted the bulb with his fingers. The hot glass burned his skin. He gritted his teeth as the sensation grew stronger. He doubted the bulb...
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Spotlight: Tell on You by Freda Hansburg

by Carol1 Comment
Read an excerpt: “Oww!!” eight-year old Brandon Jordan screeched as his sister Nikki twisted his arm in an Indian burn. “Nikki, stop!” His cries brought Mom crashing into Nikki’s room. “Nikki, I won’t have you bullying your brother again. Let him go this instant.” “But I caught him in here messing with my stuff!” Nikki gave Brandon’s arm a final wrench before releasing him. Pouting, he scurried from her room. “I don’t care what he did. I told you, keep your hands to yourself.” Her mother turned away, judgment delivered. Probably in a hurry to get back to her vodka and reality TV. “At least when Dad was here, somebody stuck up for me,” Nikki called after her. Mom’s angry face reappeared. “Stuck up for you?” A bitter laugh. “Stuck it to you, and all of us, is more like it.” “Wasn’t me he left,” Nikki said. “Really? When’s the last time he even phoned you?” Her mother walked off with that parting shot. “Like you’d know, bitch.” Nikki said...
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Wooing the Wedding Planner by Amber Leigh Williams

by Carol1 Comment
Wooing the Wedding Planner is the type of romance I enjoy. Both Roxie and Byron are good, solid characters on their own and their relationship gradually grows. Yes, they know they're attracted to each other way before they do anything about it, but they both have pasts that are standing in their way. The problems aren't too big though, they never seem insurmountable, which I like. I could be friends with Roxie. She's trying to be happy after her divorce, to make the right choices for herself, and she's good at her job. For the record, her family is terrible. Byron is sexy and smart. Due to a mix-up, they are both at the Victorian, although he's living in a separate apartment. He's a widower and has always believed that Strong men have one true love and that love lasts a lifetime. His family is fabulous, funny, accepting, supportive. I never doubted that they would get their happy ending, but I enjoyed...
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Spotlight on Beethoven in Love; Opus 139 by Howard Jay Smith

by CarolNo Comments
Book Excerpt: Prologue: The Death of Beethoven Vienna, 5:00 pm, March 26, 1827 Outside Beethoven’s rooms at the Schwarzspanierhaus, a fresh measure of snow from a late season thunderstorm muffles the chimes of St. Stephens Cathedral as they ring out the hours for the old city. Ein, Zwei, Drei, Vier… Funf Uhr. Five O’clock. Beethoven, three months past his fifty-sixth birthday, lies in a coma, as he has now for two nights, his body bound by the betrayal of an illness whose only virtue was that it proved incurable and would, thankfully, be his last. Though his chest muscles and his lungs wrestle like giants against the approaching blackness, his breathing is so labored that the death rattle can be heard over the grumblings of the heavens throughout his apartment. Muss es sein? Must it be? Ja, es muss sein. Beethoven is dying. From on high, the Gods vent their grief at his imminent passing and hurl a spear of lightening at Vienna. Their jagged bolt of electricity...
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Spotlight and Giveaway: Falling for the Stars by Lisa Loving Dalton

by CarolNo Comments
Book Trailer: Giveaway: Grand Prize Package: one winner will receive: 1) a paperback copy of Falling For the Stars by Lisa Loving Dalton with autographed Last Dragon Pic 2) a paperback copy of A Balancing Act by Emmanuelle Chaulet 3) an e-copy of Murder of Talent 4) a 30-min video chat with author 2nd and 3rd Prize Packages: 2 winners will each get: 1) a Kindle copy of Falling for the Stars by Lisa Loving Dalton with an autographed Last Dragon pic 2) a paperback copy of A Balancing Act by Emmanuelle Chaulet 3) an e-copy of Murder of Talent USA only Giveaway ends Dec 17 a Rafflecopter giveaway...
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Friend of the Devil by Mark Spivak

by Carol2 Comments
First a confession, I watch a lot of the Food Network, so I couldn't pass up a "culinary thriller." Friend of the Devil turned out to be a fun thriller full of drugs, sex and food. Not a bad combination. David is a writer who first meets  Joseph Soderini di Avenzano while doing a story. He is then hired to write the famous chef's biography and is summoned to the Chateau de la Mer, where the menu is amazing, the chef a brilliant, if often drugged-out, showman, and the hostess irresistible. Actually, that is my one complaint, how quickly David and Alessandra hook up. I guess they have to for the rest of the story, but it just seemed a little quick. Of course, everything at the Chateau is a little intense. For me, it wasn't a quick read. I'm not sure why exactly. The pacing was good and there was enough action to keep the story moving. I enjoyed the bits of history that Avenzano...
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