First Love by James Patterson (Book Review)

First Love

by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

published in 2013

An extraordinary portrait of true love that will move anyone who has a first love story of their own. Axi Moore is a "good girl": She studies hard, stays out of the spotlight, and doesn't tell anyone how all she really wants is to run away from it all. The only person she can tell is her best friend, Robinson--who she also happens to be madly in love with. 

When Axi spontaneously invites Robinson to come with her on an impulsive cross-country road trip, she breaks the rules for the first time in her life. But the adventure quickly turns from carefree to out of control after the teens find themselves on the run from the police. And when Robinson suddenly collapses, Axi has to face the truth that this trip might be his last.

A remarkably moving tale very personal to James Patterson's own past, FIRST LOVE is testament to the power of first love--and how it can change the rest of your life.

I was familiar with James Patterson having read a handful of the Women's Murder Club books years ago, but I wasn't sure what to expect with this New Adult novel.  I noticed it one night at work and just thought it looked good so thought I would check it out.  I was not disappointed.

I loved Axi and Robinson's relationship.  They were friends who shared a very sad past.  Something that not a lot of kids their age would be able to relate to, and it had bonded them together.  Axi only has her father at home, and he doesn't know whether she is there or not most of the time, so when she got this idea for a cross-country road trip, she knew she wouldn't have to worry about him.  Robinson lives with an uncle, and that is about as much as Axi knows, but she also knows she can't make this trip without him.  

Axi thinks she has it all planned out, but before they can even leave town, Robinson has derailed her plans on how they are going to travel and she finds herself on the back of a motorcycle!  Through the next few days/weeks Axi finds herself living more and more in the moment, but also realizing that she is going to have to face the future. Robinson is very cavalier and carefree, not wanting to face the future at all.  He eventually leads Axi to his parents' house on the East Coast. It is here that they both come to terms with what the future holds.

Heartbreaking first love story.  

New Giveaway and TV Movie Premiere! - Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

Sundays at Tiffany's

by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

AN IMAGINARY FRIEND

Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, the powerful head of a New York theater company, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's eighth birthday he leaves, promising that she'll forget him soon. He was there to help her until she was old enough to manage on her own, and now there are other children who need his help.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE

Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets Michael again--as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they've really been reunited.

AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TWIST

Sundays at Tiffany's is a heart-wrenching love story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestseller all over the world, Sundays at Tiffany's takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love.

Sundays at Tiffany’s is now a Lifetime original move from Sony Pictures Television, which will be airing TONIGHT Monday, December 6 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, 8:00 PM CT.

Giveaway!

I have one copy of Sunday's at Tiffany's to giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books.  Just leave me a comment with your email address to enter.

Additional entries:  Follow my blog and/or spread the word.  Just let me know how.  All entries can by left in the same comment.  Giveaway open to US/Canada only - no PO boxes. This giveaway will end Dec 27, 2010.

Worst Case by James Patterson - (audio book review)

Title: Worst Case
Authors: James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Read by Bobby Cannavale, Orlagh Cassidy, and John Glover
Publisher: Hachette Audio

BEST CASE: SURVIVAL  The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage.  His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money.

WORST CASE: DEATH   Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation.  As another student disappears, another powerful family uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat to stop this killer.  Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, which sends its top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker.

THIS CASE: DETECTIVE MICHAEL BENNETT IS ON IT   Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine.  His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet -- one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City.   (Synopsis from back cover)

My thoughts:  Sorry about using the canned synopsis, but I am too far behind on reviews.  I loved this audio cd, not just for the narrators but for the story itself.  There was good chemistry between Bennett and Parker, not necessarily the romantic kind, but just how they were always on the same wavelength - especially coming from different lifestyles.  Bennett is a single dad of a bunch of kids.  His wife has died and he has a housekeeper/nanny that helps out who is also sporting a crush on Bennett.  Parker is also a single parent of  only one, a girl who she has left in the care of her brother.  They worked well together and I don't feel like there was any power struggle between the two of them.  In a male/female pairing of this sort, you think you would either have strong romantic vibes or that the woman would be working hard to "prove" herself - or maybe the man would be playing "protector".  I like that they just came together as colleagues towards a mutual goal.  The narrators were wonderful!  You could hear the Bronx in Bennett just by the dialogue.  And in listening to the kidnapper, you could just feel the little bit crazy, little bit sinister in his voice!  I have a feeling that even in reading it, I would have felt the same way because of the choice of words - it wasn't just in the voices - it was in the words.  I have read quite a few by Patterson, but I think I am going to be listening to more of his in the future!

Listen to an excerpt

~I received a complimentary copy of this audio CD from Hachette in exchange for my review.~

Worst Case
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette Audio, Feb 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60024-784-2
Approx. 7 hours

The 9th Judgment by James Patterson - Audio Giveaway

The 9th Judgment

by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

Read by Carolyn McCormick

The most personal

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The most dangerous

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

Listen to an Excerpt

View the Video

Visit JamesPatterson.com

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to Hachette Audio I have 3 audio CD's to giveaway. 

 U.S/Canada only - no PO boxes.

Simple Summer Rules - Just leave a comment with your email address to enter.

This giveaway will end July 26.

New Audiobook Giveaway: Worst Case by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Worst Case
by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
read by Bobby Canavale, John Glover, Orlagh Cassidy

One by one, children of New York's wealthiest are taken hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money or power--he only wants to ask the elite if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. And, if they don't, he corrects their ignorance--by killing them.

To Detective Michael Bennett, it becomes clear that these murders are linked and must be part of a greater, more public demonstration. With the city thrown into chaos, he is forced to team up with FBI agent Emily Parker, and the two set out to capture the killer before he begins his most public lesson yet--a deadly message for the entire city to witness.

From the bestselling author who brought you the Alex Cross novels comes James Patterson's most action-packed series yet. With the heart-pounding suspense that only Patterson delivers, WORST CASE will leave you gasping for breath until the very end.

Listen to an Excerpt
View the Video
Visit JamesPatterson.com

Giveaway

I have three copies of this audiobook giveaway courtesy of Hachette Books. For your first entry (MUST DO THIS ONE FOR ANY OTHER ENTRIES TO COUNT) who is your favorite literary detective (policeman/woman, amateur sleuth, etc). Oh - and leave your email address.

For additional entries you can sign up to follow (old followers let me know), Twitter or post it on your blog. Each entry must have it's own comment. (Four entries total.)

This giveaway if for U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes and will end Apr 7!

Run For Your Life - Win it Here!

Run for Your Life
by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror.

Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have come down with virulent flu at once!

Discovering a secret pattern in The Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author comes RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.

Listen to a clip

1. Five copies to giveaway.
   
2. Open only to U.S. and Canada.
   
3. No PO Boxes
4. All entries can be in one comment.
5. +1 For your first entry - tell me your favorite James Patterson book - Must leave email address in comment.
6. +2 if you are a follower.
   
7. +3 if you post this on any social network or blog LEAVE A LINK TO GET BACK TO THIS POST OR IT WILL NOT COUNT - If you post on Twitter - please use @kherbrand and link to this post.
   
8. +3 for referrals of NEW followers - New followers - tell me who referred you and you will get those +3 also!
   
9. Giveaway ends on Oct 22.

Tome Travelers

I have been picking up books like crazy at library sales and thrift stores in the last week. I am glad that my husband doesn't read my blog so he doesn't know about these books!

These I picked up at our library's used book store:




Thriller edited by James Patterson

Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous, to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.

Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night. (Amazon.com)



Almost Dead by Lisa Jackson

A Woman Who Wants To Get Even - The first victim is pushed to her death. The second suffers a fatal overdose. The third takes a bullet to the heart. Three down, more to go. They're people who deserve to die. People who are in the way. And when she's finished, there will be no one left. Will Do Whatever It Takes For Revenge. Cissy Cahill's world is unraveling fast. One by one, members of her family are dying. Cissy's certain she's being watched. Or is she losing her mind? Lately she's heard footsteps when there's no one around, smelled a woman's perfume, and noticed small, personal items missing from her house. Cissy's right to be afraid--but not for the reason she thinks. The truth is much more terrifying - Including Murder. Hidden in the shadows of the Cahill family's twisted past is a shocking secret - a secret that will only be satisfied by blood. And Cissy must uncover the deadly truth before it's too late, because fear is coming home - with a vengeance. (Amazon.com)



Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman

It is early evening, summer time and hot. Two eleven year old girls, Alice and Ronnie, are on their way home from a swimming party when they happen to see a baby's stroller, with baby girl sleeping inside, left unattended on the top step of a house. Ronnie says to Alice: 'We have to take care of this baby.' But what exactly does she mean? Four days later the body of little Olivia Barnes is discovered in a hut in Baltimore's rambling Leakin Park by a young rookie detective, Nancy Porter. What can have happened in those four days to bring about this appalling crime? The girls are arrested and found guilty. Seven years later Ronnie and Alice, now eighteen, are released from their separate prisons, back into their old neighbourhood where the mother of baby Olivia still lives. Another child goes missing, and Nancy Porter and her partner get the case ...(Fantastic Fiction.com)




Kiss Her Goodbye by Wendy Corsi Staub

Woodsbridge, New York, is the sort of upscale community where the American Dream is alive and thriving - shiny cars, beautiful homes, and safe, tree-shaded streets. For Kathleen Carmody, Woodsbridge is an escape from memories of her own rough childhood and a place where her 13-year-old daughter Jen will have everything Kathleen didn't. But suddenly, the sleepy, affluent suburb is gripped by fear: One by one, teenage girls are disappearing from the "safe" streets. (Fantastic Fiction.com)



The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel

A story of courage and loss, of the power of the family and the strength of the human soul. Life was good for Liz and Jack Sutherland. In eighteen years of marriage they had built a family, a successful law practice, and a warm happy home near San Francisco, in a house on Hope Street. But one Christmas morning, in the midst of joy and children's laughter, tragedy strikes - and Liz is left alone, facing painful questions in the face of unbearable loss. How can she go on without her husband, her partner, her best friend? The months pass, and Liz finds the strength to return to work and tend to her children. Then a devastating accident sends her oldest son to hospital - and brings a doctor called Bill Webster into her life. As the long days of summer blend into autumn, a new relationship offers new hope. With the anniversary of her husband's death approaching, Liz will face one more crisis before she can look back at a year of mourning and change - and ahead to the beginning of a new life, in the house on Hope Street.(Fantastic Fiction.com)

Have you found any good books at a used book store lately?

Swimsuit - New Audiobook Giveaway!

I have 3 copies of the audiobook Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro to give away thanks to Hachette Books!

About the book: Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports readers to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors. (from Barnes and Noble website)

About the authors: James Patterson had been working as a very successful advertising copywriter when he decided to put his Masters degree in English to a somewhat different use. Inspired by bestselling hair-raising thrillers like The Day of the Jackal and The Exorcist, Patterson went to work on his first novel. Published in 1976, The Thomas Berryman Number established him as a writer of tightly constructed mysteries that move forward with the velocity of a bullet. For his startling debut, Patterson was awarded the prestigious Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel -- an auspicious beginning to one of the most successful careers in publishing.

A string of gripping standalone mysteries followed, but it was the 1992 release of Along Came a Spider that elevated Patterson to superstar status. Introducing Alex Cross, a brilliant black police detective/forensic psychologist, the novel was the first installment in a series of bestselling thrillers that has proved to be a cash cow for the author and his publisher.

Examining Patterson's track record, it's obvious that he believes one good series deserves another...maybe even a third! In 2001, he debuted the Women's Murder Club with 1st to Die, a fast-paced thriller featuring four female crime fighters living in San Francisco -- a homicide detective, a medical examiner, an assistant D.A., and a cub reporter. The successful series has continued with other numerically titled installments. Then, spinning off a set of characters from a previous novel (1998's When the Wind Blows), in 2005 he published Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Featuring a "flock" of genetically engineered flying children, the novel was a huge hit, especially with teen readers, and spawned a series of vastly popular fantasy adventures.

In addition to continuing his bestselling literary franchises, Patterson has also found time to co-author thrillers with other writers -- including Peter de Jonge, Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro, and Howard Roughan -- and has even ventured into romance (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Sam's Letters to Jennifer) and children's literature (santaKid). Writing at an astonishing pace, this prolific author has turned himself into a one-man publishing juggernaut, fulfilling his clearly stated ambition to become "the king of the page-turners."

Swimsuit
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette Audio, June 2009
ISBN: 9781600245916
Read by Christian Rummel

Barnes & Noble
Amazon

Rules

1. Only residents of U.S. or Canada
2. No PO Boxes
3. Three (3) books being given away - giveaway ends July 24th.
4. Leave a comment w/email address to enter. (please leave all entries in one comment)
5. Follow my blog +2
6. Post about it on blog or any social network - leave me a link +3. If you are leaving it on twitter use @kherbrand.
   
7. If someone says you referred them you will each get +3!