Dead & Buried by Leighann Dobbs

by Carol3 Comments
Pirates and treasure hunts and cute guys with guns - an enjoyable read. It's light and short, a perfect in-between book for me. The Blackmoore sisters are a good group. They have close relationships with each other, but all have their own personalities, interests, and gifts. There's a touch of paranormal - a cat with way more than nine lives, healing crystals, visits with a dead grandma, but it doesn't take over the book. You could have the same story without the fantasy elements, but it wouldn't be as fun. I like the story, but a couple of things struck me as a bit odd. First of all, who exactly does Luke, Morgan's ex, work for. It was never explained quite well enough for me. Yes, he's on the Blackmoores' side, but I wish I could have been a little clearer on his motives. Second, I don't get the Sheriff's grudge against the sisters and why he is so outrageous in some...
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Readers’ Workouts – 2/9

by Carol5 Comments
Here are my steps for the week. Look, I actually made my goal for the week overall.   My current plan is to do a core workout on Monday, cardio on Tuesday (60 mins), upper body on Wednesday, cardio on Thursday (60 mins), total body workout on Friday and cardio on Saturday (60+ mins). Tuesday - Walk with the dog. 65 mins running - it was actually warm enough to run outside! Wednesday - 30 mins ams and shoulders Thursday - 36 mins elliptical Friday - 15 min workout Sunday - 25 min leg workout followed by 1 hr 10 mins on the elliptical Monday - Short ab workout (followed by a lot of sneezing. I am tired of winter!!) I usually listen to a book while I'm walking, jogging, whatever. This week I'm listening to City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett. 2016 miles: 52 out of 1000 (way behind schedule) How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is hosted by Joy at Joy’s Book Blog. Thanks!...
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“A” Is for Asshat by Rebecca Cantrell and Sean Black

by Carol5 Comments
I have to admit this one surprised me. It was a blast - funny with great characters and a good mystery. It's light, not a cozy, but not too violent. I think part of it is that even though they're dealing with dangerous situations or shady folks, Sofia and Aiden, the owner's son and her partner, keep their sense of humor. The banter is perfect and the chemistry is clear between them, even if they ten to get on each other's nerves, it's all part of the fun. Sofia used to be an actor, but she decided she wanted a job that could make a difference, so she's now working at a detective agency. In her new position, her fame can be both a hindrance and a help. The opening scene is hilarious, when the paparazzi catch a video of her in rather an awkward situation, which leads to some running jokes. The story doesn't solely rely on the characters though. The mystery's actually...
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Thursday’s Tale: Groundhog’s Tale

by Carol3 Comments
Groundhog Day was Tuesday of this week. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring, which I am looking forward to. I thought a groundhog tale would be appropriate. This one is a Cherokee tale. Seven wolves once caught a Groundhog and said, "Now we'll kill you and have something good to eat." But the Groundhog said, "When we find good food we must rejoice over it, as people do in the Green-corn dance. I know you mean to kill me and I can't help myself, but if you want to dance I'll sing for you. This is a new dance entirely. I'll lean up against seven trees in turn and you will dance out and then turn and come back, as I give the signal, and at the last turn you may kill me." The wolves were very hungry, but they wanted to learn the new dance, so they told him to go ahead. The Groundhog leaned up against a tree and began...
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Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

by Carol3 Comments
Phoenix Rising was fun, but not quite good enough to hold my attention the whole time - like I found myself at the gym watching the captions on HGTV instead of listening to the story. I think it's a problem with the attitude of the book. It's steampunk. Books is an archivist; Braun is kind of a female James Bond. They embark on solving a mystery that drove one of their colleagues literally insane. There are huge mechamen and an enemy intent on destroying England maybe - not sure. There's an orgy and an escape from the dungeon. It's absurd and would be amusing, if it felt like the story knew how silly it was, instead it seems to take itself seriously. Now, I listened to the audio, so I don't know if that's just the way the narration seemed and I would have found the whole think more tongue in cheek had I been reading it in print. I like...
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