My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy (Book Review)

Title: My Unfair Lady
Author: Kathryne Kennedy
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the book: HE CREATED THE PERFECT WOMAN. . .

The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king's ransom if he'll teach her to become a proper lady, he's prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it's not her fortune he finds impossible to resist. . .

FOR THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN

Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society -- it's the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she's determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart. . .(back cover)

My thoughts: I knew from the minute that I met Summer as she was trying to hide her little dog under her skirts that I was going to like her. It was confirmed in the second chapter when she jumped out of her carriage into a group of hooligans to rescue a monkey that they were torturing. She didn't even know what a monkey was! She embarks on a journey to become a polished lady with Byron as her guide. What we don't know is the secret past that she is trying to keep hidden.

I liked the verbal sparring that went on between these two very different characters. In many ways Summer was impetuous like a child, not really thinking before she acted - but just following her heart and her gut. Byron was always trying to shock her but soon realized that it was not possible and began to admire her Wild West spirit.

This was a very fun take on My Fair Lady. If you are a fan of that romance - you should pick up a copy of My Unfair Lady.

My Unfair Lady
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2990-9
384 pages

~This book was provided for review from Sourcebooks.~

Library Loot: 12-16-2009

I have been spending way too much time at the library recently - the problem is that I have actually been combing back over all my Friday Finds and Waiting on Wednesdays and reserving them!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.

Evermore by Alyson Noel (audio book)

The first book in Alyson Noel's extraordinary new Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies.

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school -- but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head -- wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is -- or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love. (back cover)

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the second book following Lament which I should finish by tomorrow - I am the first one to check it out from our library. I don't think that I have ever been the first person to check out a book!

James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the fairies are not as harmless. As Halloween -- the day of the dead -- draws near, James will have to battle the Faerie Queen and the horned king of the dead to save Nuala's life and his soul. (inside cover)

Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven

One Sunday when she is ten years old, Velva Jean Hart is saved. But being saved isn't anything like Velva Jean expected, and life soon brings devastating changes: her father disappears on one of his adventures, and her loving mother becomes gravely ill. Before her mother dies, she urges Velva Jean to "live out there in the great wide world."

The only world Velva Jean knows is her home in the gold-mining and moon shining mountains of Appalachia. her secret dream is to become a big-time singer in Nashville -- until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome truant-turned-revival preacher. As their tumultuous love story unfolds, Velva Jean struggles to find happiness. Will it be as the demure wife Harley wants her to be?

Beautifully written, this is an unforgettable story about love, spirit, and finding the courage to follow one's dreams. (back cover)

Waiting on Wednesday: Deliver Us From Evil

Deliver Us From Evil by Robin Caroll
Publisher/Publication Date: B&H Academic, February 2010

A beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen. After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

About the author: Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a Southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin's mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage--two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books.

Robin's books have finaled/placed/won in various prestigious writing contests: Book of the Year, 2008; Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, 2008; Bookseller's Best Award, 2009; Cover Cafe Cover Contest, 2009; and Book of the Year, 2009.

When she isn't writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty years, her three beautiful daughters, and their four character-filled pets at home--in the South, where else? An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she'll read just about any good story. Except historicals! To learn more about this author of deep South mysteries of suspense to inspire your heart, visit Robin's website at www.robincaroll.com.

What are you waiting for? Waiting on Wednesdays is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Teaser Tuesday 12-15-2009

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you have given!
Please avoid spoilers!

He stood beside me and looked at the solid carpet of clover that covered the lawn -- every one I could see bearing four leaves. For a long moment, we stood in silence. . . an occasional raindrop penetrating to the scalp or slipping into a collar. ( p73, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater)







Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception
Publisher/Publication Date: Flux, Oct 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1370-0
336 pages

Primal by Mark Batterson - Blog Tour Dec 15-Dec 22

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity
by Mark Batterson

Be Astonished Again

We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment.

In Primal, Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power. Along the way, he calls you to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in your own life.

As Mark writes, “Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? Maybe it was a sermon that became more than a sermon. Maybe it was a mission trip or retreat. Maybe it was a vow you made at an altar. In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush—and reignite a primal faith.”

Primal will help you live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God. It will help you become great at the Great Commandment.

About the author: The author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations and meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the D.C. area. Mark has two Masters degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children. www.markbatterson.com

Primal is currently on a blog tour with WaterBrook Multnomah - Please watch for my review this week.

Primal
Publisher/Publication Date: Multnomah Books, Dec 22, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60142-131-9
192 pages

Bo's Cafe by John Lynch, Bill Thrall, and Bruce McNicol (Book Review)

Title: Bo's Cafe
Authors: John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol
Publisher: Windblown Media

About the book: High-powered exec Steven Kerner has no idea his tightly wound American dream is about to come crashing down. His high-profile, high-octane life has always provided everything he's wanted.

Or so he thought.

When his unresolved anger threatens his marriage, and his attempts to fix it only drive the one he loves farther away, he is pushed to the brink. An invitation from mystery man Andy Monroe may be the greatest hope Steven's ever been handed. (back cover)

My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me realize how alike everyone really is, and how we should watch for those opportunities to really connect with other people around us. That it doesn't take a fancy degree or tons of money - all it really takes is willingness and time. Bo's Cafe was a place where these kind of people seemed to gather. Here is a passage from one of those times at Bo's Cafe:

"Safe is a place where you can get out the worst about you and they don't run you off, talk you down, or head for the hills. It's having someone to stand with when you start to face the shameful stuff, man. It's where you can be a jerk and still have a place at the table the next day. . . where you don't have to hide or fake or pretend or bluff. Safe is being loved more for revealing your crap, not less. Safe is not having to 'man up' or be coerced to 'get real' or none of that nonsense."

This would be a great book for anyone to read who is struggling with something in their life and they don't really know which way to turn. It was full of warmth, common sense, family. The main character has an anger issue and tends to blame everyone else for his anger - it is never his fault. I have someone very close to me who mirrors this completely. Unfortunately, I don't think they are mature enough to actually "get" this book if they were to read it - but don't worry, it won't stop me from trying! There is just one more quote that I would like to share:

"But listen to this: repentance isn't doing something about your failure. Repentance is admitting you can't do anything about your failure. It's not just agreeing you've done something wrong; it's admitting you can't do what needs to be done to make it right. God waits and years for that moment with everything in Him."

If you want to find out more about the book - all you have to do is visit Bo's Cafe.
You can also read the first chapter here.

Bo's Cafe
Publisher/Publication Date: Windblown Media, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-1-935170-04-4
256 pages

~This book was provided for review by First Wild Card Tours.~

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Book Review)

Title: A Great and Terrible Beauty
Author: Libba Bray

About the book: Gemma Doyle isn't like other girls. Girls with impeccable manners, who speak when spoken to, who remember their station, who dance with grace, and who will lie back and think of England when it's required of them.

No, sixteen-year-old Gemma is an island unto herself, sent to the Spence Academy in London after tragedy strikes her family in India. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma finds her reception a chilly one. She's not completely alone, though. . . she's been followed by a mysterious young man, sent to warn her to close her mind against the visions.

For it's at Spence that Gemma's power to attract the supernatural unfolds; there she becomes entangled with the school's most powerful girls and discovers her mother's connection to a shadowy, timeless group called the Order. It's there that her destiny waits. . . if only Gemma can believe in it.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is a curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book. . . a vast canvas of rustling skirts and dancing shadows and things that go bump in the night. It's a vividly drawn portrait of the Victorian age, a time of strict morality and barely repressed sensuality, when girls were groomed for lives as rich men's wives. . . and the story of a girl who saw another way. (inside cover)

My thoughts: I found it interesting that they said this was a "curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book", as a listened to an audio version from the library, in my car. That could explain why I wasn't really taken with it. I kept "drifting" - and that is usually a warning sign to me that I should give it up. This was a short one to listen to, however, so I just kept with it. I found that I got the girls mixed up in the beginning and couldn't remember who were the snotty ones and who were the nice ones! I didn't really care for Gemma either as I thought she was going to be "good" but seemed to immediately do whatever she could to get in with the rich girls. Of course, since my mind wandered, I might have the wrong take on this completely. I am considering giving this one a try again at another time - but reading this time. Maybe if I make it a "curl-up-under-the-covers kind of book" I would take more of a shine to it. This is the first book of a trilogy so I really want to like it!

A Great and Terrible Beauty
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, March 2005
ISBN: 978-0-385-73028-4
432 pages (audio 4hrs 56 min)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 12-14-2009

What are you reading on Mondays? is hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog. If you would like to participate, please leave your link with Mr. Linky at J.Kaye's blog - but you can also leave me a comment - I would love to know what you are reading!


I was a bad blogger and did not review any books last week!

Old Books Still Waiting for Reviews:
1. Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent
2. Bo's Café: A Novel by John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bill McNicol
3. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray - on audio
4. The Cost of Dreams by Gary Stelzer

No kid's books reviewed last week either!

Finished last week and waiting for review:
1. Nibble & Kuhn by David Schmahmann

Current audio book:
1. Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge

Still reading:
1. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater (bathroom book)
2. What Your Mother Never Told You: A Teenage Girls Survival Guide by Richard Dudum (with a giveaway!)
3. Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbara Knobova
4. My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

New this week: (meaning I need to get my butt in gear!)
1. Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson
2. Samson's Walls by Jud Niremberg
3. A Christmas Carol Special Edition: The Charles Dickens Classic with Christian Insights and Discussion Questions for Groups and Families by Stephen Skelton (with a giveaway!)

What are you reading this week?

Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 12-14-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!

Thicker than Blood by C.J. Darlington

Christy Williams has lived a troubled life but finally seems to have things back on track. She's working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. Things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn't commit. Soon Christy's fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God.

With no one to turn to, Christy yearns for her younger sister she left behind fifteen years ago. May's Triple Cross ranch could be the safe haven Christy is searching for, but will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it's too late?

Dare to Surrender by Lilli Feisty

He Meets His Match.
She Meets Her Master.

Art gallery curator Joy Montgomery has never liked her body's generous curves. And she's always been too shy to explore her wild side. But tonight, everything is going to change. . .

Desperate to save her job, Joy approaches bad-boy artist Ash Hunter and asks him to exhibit his erotic work at her gallery. Ash agrees on one condition: Joy must pose as his model. But business soon turns to pleasure, as Joy experiences a passion beyond her wildest imaginings. . . and Ash finds more than just inspiration in his voluptuous new muse.

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

A Demon Enslaved

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out this deadly mission.

An Angel Tempted

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary -- even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire. Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again -- one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine

Suited For Seduction

Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her perfectly manicured hands on the Clayworth family's celebrated couture collection for her exhibit. So when she's called in to make sure the gowns are the real deal, she's ecstatic. . . until a dress she's examining turns out to be loaded with toxins (talk about killer threads!) and Athena faints, only to wake up face-to-face with the One That Got Away, notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew still believes Athena betrayed him all those years ago, and he's sure he can't trust her. But when the priceless gowns go missing, she offers to help track them down. Reluctantly allied in the quest, Drew and Athena are soon stunned by the barely restrained passion still sizzling between them. . . and memories both bitter and sweet. Is their new partnership just a business arrangement? Or is this something more than. . . A Black Tie Affair

Seduced by a Rogue by Amanda Scott

Flaxen-haired and beautiful, Lady Mairi Dunwythie is heiress apparent to the wealthy nobleman blocking Clan Maxwell's attempt to control much of southwest Scotland. Her first meeting with handsome Robert Maxwell ignites an attraction that is immediate, intense, and almost irresistible -- until she learns he is asking her father to submit to the Maxwell demands.

Rob is a warrior, a man of action. So when Mairi's father stands defiant, Rob daringly abducts her. As clan tensions mount, passion escalates between the lovers, tempting them beyond reason. Soon they must choose between loyalty and love. . .before the eruption of all out clan war.

Sleep No More by Susan Crandall

Danger Never Rests

The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt. . . and a loneliness that echoes within her.

And Evil Never Closes Its Eyes

Now Abby has begun blacking out again -- with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts -- and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind. Through this terrifying journey, Jason's interest turns to passion, and he yearns to give her the love she craves. But first, Abby must trust him -- and shed light on secrets that will rock this Southern town and reveal a danger that threatens them both.

Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee

Book One in the Daughters of Erin Trilogy

As children, Eliza Blacknall and William Denton ran wild over the fields of southern Ireland and swore they would be friends forever. Then fate took Will away to England, while Eliza stayed behind to become a proper Irish countess.

Years later, Will finally makes his way home -- as an English soldier sent to crush the Irish uprising. When he spies the lovely Eliza, he is captivated by the passionate woman she has become. But Eliza's passions have led her to join the Irish rebel cause, and Will and Eliza now find themselves on opposite sides of a dangerous conflict.

When Ireland explodes in bloody rebellion, Will's regiment is ordered to the front lines, and he is forced to choose between his duty to the English king and his love for Eliza and their Irish homeland.

The Friday 56: 12-11-2009

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.




When they were ready, they stepped down from the stage and walked the hypnotized wolf-man through the theater. His hair was a dirty gray color and he walked with a stoop, fingers hanging down around his knees. (p 56, The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan)











The Vampire's Assistant and Other Tales from the Cirque Du Freak
Publisher/Publication Date: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-316-05240-5
720 pages

Friday Finds: 12-11-2009

Here are my finds this week!




Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo

They've been to three worlds in less than a day. Time isn't just running out...it's running wild.

David King is reeling from his travels through history-and the evil he's found there. The last thing he needs is his great-great-uncle Jesse's hospital-bed instructions: You can't simply do nothing. You must fix things.

David and his brother Xander's search for their abducted mother has repeatedly led them on strange and terrifying journeys as they've stepped through the portals of the creepy old house and into some of history's most turbulant moments...and confronted an unimaginably bleak vision of the future.

Now Jesse's words saddle them with an obligation to not only visit the past, but the need to rewrite it.

Fulfilling their purpose will take everything they have, both mentally and physically. But they have no choice...because everything in the past-and the future-is on the line. (amazon)

I have read the first three books in the Dreamhouse King series and need to catch up by reading Timescape and this latest one!

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

"Lucy has only nine months in which to break an ancient curse."

Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," this spell-binding novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intensely page-turning and masterfully original tale. (book jacket)