Low Town: A Novel by Daniel Polansky

So, recently things haven’t been going so well for me and my family. We did find a small house that fit our family. Only to have new neighbors move in, and their 5 year old stab my 7 year old in the neck! After a long four hour drive to Seattle (because flight for life doesn’t have room for even one parent!) my son was doing good in the emergency room there. He is fine now, he actually likes to show people his stab wound! Children! Needless to say, I could really use some positive things to happen.

But, I went over to that train wreck of a house that we previously lived in and checked the mail not to long ago, and when my son went to the door, there was a package there for me. I was checking the mail only because I had bought an item and the tracking stuff said it had been delivered…only it hadn’t. So, I went to the old house to see if it was there…nope. But, there was a book. It was sent to me from Random House (love you guys) and I am always happy to get a new book. My day=brightened!

The book is called “Low Town” by Daniel Polansky and it is a different sort of book. I admit that at first I wasn’t sure if it would be “up my alley”. I only say this because, I’m not really into the whole pimp/drug scene which is where this book started out.

I don’t think the story really caught me until there was a child murdered and the main character was hunting down the killer. Because when he finds the guy, he stalks him and then some kind of demon comes for the bad guy.  Then, I felt like I was invested in the book and needed to know that someone paid for the death of a child. To me, there isn’t much lower then a child murderer…except for one who molests children…and this guy did both. My opinion=hang him. Sorry, if that offends anyone’s senses.

There were somethings that didn’t sit right with me and were a little confusing to being with. There was a lot of made up words (to differentiate between new races) there were also new/made up drugs. The only reason these gave me pause, is because there were really no explanations to them. Within the first few pages the guy is talking about inhaling pixie breath (not once is a real pixie in the book…but then again I guess when making angel dust there aren’t any pieces of angels in there either…)

I liked that the main character had a fall from grace. He used to be a good guy, but became a bad guy when love got in the way and he got the boot. I do, however wish there had been a little bit more told about that love story. Because the main character is kind of mysterious. And I find myself (like many of the people he interacts with) wanting to know more about him. I want to make him more relatable to me.

Not that he isn’t relatable. He has my vote by going after child killers. And I do root for him, and I turned ever page with the hope that no more kids would die and that he would make the deadline that we set for him and that he would die. (There was a lot of “ands” in that sentence, I apologize for that. J

My one negative thing about this book, that I really could harp on, was the ending. I felt like I was in the book from about a quarter of the way in until the end. And, in my opinion, the ending was completely rushed. Once he figured it out, there was no more of the main characters usual build up, no more of his intricate mind games. It was just an “aha” moment and blam, done. Twenty pages or less. I just felt like there could have been more.

However, that being said, it was a good book. I would definitely read another of Daniel Polansky’s  books.

 

Until Next Time…Happy Reading!!!

Smokin’ Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

By Janet Evanovich

**Review may contain SPOILERS**

I love this series. It is completely different from almost anything else that I avidly read. A friend of my mom’s kept telling me about these books (at that time, there was only seven books out). I kept saying, “Yeah, yeah, if I get time’” or “I’m already reading too many series books as it is.” Plus, I didn’t like his normal reading preference, so I was skeptical about these books. Not to mention, they look like they are colored by highlighters. I mean, you could practically see these books from space, that’s how bright the covers are.

So, he bought me the first two books….and I bought the next five within days. That’s how good they are. No vampires or werewolves in these books, these are strictly reality (well, mostly reality) based books. They are feel good books. I always find myself smiling and actually laughing out loud during parts of these books.

Stephanie Plum is a bail bonds enforcement agent (think Dog the Bounty Hunter’s wife, only with a smaller chest, bigger hair, and a lot less skill). That’s Stephanie. And she has a sidekick named Lula. Who is a retired ho, and she tells you about it all the time. She is a big black woman who tries to fit into petite woman clothing, mostly spandex and animal printed, or very neon. She is constantly on some fad diet or another, which is completely hilarious. A few books back she was on the meat only diet and had a whole bag of bacon….and a trail of dogs following her everywhere.

Not only is Stephanie a so-so agent, her ability to catch the bail jumpers is more luck then anything, but she has two of the hottest guys in Trenton, New Jersey just waiting for her. I like Morelli, he is a Trenton plain clothes cop and used to be a major womanizer in his youth and has grown up, mostly. But, O-M-G Ranger? He has my vote the whole way. He is dark and Latino and he owns his own firm, skirts the law, has a fleet of unending black expensive cars, and uses Bulgari Green. Yum. That’s all I can say about him. He makes reading the books very exciting.

Anyways, this book starts out with them finding a body where the bail bonds office used to be (it got blown up in the last book). Lots of things tend to blow up around Stephanie, mostly cars. Sometimes houses. Ranger’s men have betting pools every time Ranger gives Stephanie a car to see how long it lasts. It’s usually not long.

So, I might have fibbed a little bit at the beginning of this review about the “no vampires” part. This book has one. Or at least an old man who thinks he’s one. He has failed to show for his court date so Stephanie has to go and get him. When she and Lula get there, he won’t come out because the sun is still up. At first, they leave and go talk to Stephanie’s grandmother who lives with Stephanie’s parents not to far away, because Grandma Mazur knows pretty much everything about everyone and is a major source of comedy to me. She confirms that the guy thinks he’s a vampire and that he never comes out when the sun is up. Not to be deterred, Stephanie and Lula return to the house and Stephanie goes around back and let herself into his place with a key that was left above the door. She cuffs him, lets Lula in and the begin to take him out when the sun hits him he starts screaming and Lula starts tripping out, next thing he is sucking on her neck, only his teeth are dentures and he doesn’t have them in. He gets away, and Lula has a hickey to show for it. The entire book she is tripping out about vampire cooties and asking if her teeth are growing bigger because she might be turning into a vampire.

Meanwhile, Stephanie’s mom is trying to hook her up with this guy named Dave that went to school with Stephanie years ago. And man, this guy doesn’t take hints well. After like two or three tries to be nice but telling Dave that not only is she not interested, she has two boyfriends already and they both carry guns, she winds up breaking his nose with a hair dryer! He totally deserved it though!

Then Bella, Morelli’s grandmother is a crazy old bat, she talks about giving people the eye and everyone is afraid of her. There are all kinds of stories about her casting spells on people and bad things happening to them. Well, in this book, it’s Stephanie’s turn to experience the eye. Bella doesn’t like Stephanie, she calls her all kinds of names because Morelli is her favorite grandchild and Stephanie is corrupting him and not marrying him, plus her grandmother Mazur is not on Bella’s list of favorite people.

More bodies turn up at the former site of the bail bonds office. And one with a note saying “For Stephanie”. To top it off, a crazy guy with a vendetta just got released from jail and wants to kill her. This is not her week.

If you are looking for a book (or series of books) that will keep you laughing, this is definitely a series for you. I always look forward to them. Start with “One for the Money”. Make sure to read them in order (including the in between the numbers books) or else some jokes won’t make as much sense.

Scum Landlords Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Really Hurt People…

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We moved into our current house in March of last year. It is an older house (as most in Forks are) and there were many repairs that were promised to us verbally upon signing our lease. We took pictures of the current damages and kept a copy for ourselves as well gave the leasing office (at that time it was Lundsford and Assoc.) The major repairs that were brought up were mold along the walls in a couple of the rooms, broken floor boards, broken stairs, all the painting, and we were told carpet would be brought in. About two, maybe three weeks after we moved in, we got phone call that our property managers were going to be a different real estate office on Forks Ave and that the owners were coming to do a walk through. Again, we were told that the major damages to the home were going to be fixed while we were still living in the house. In addition to those fixes, the roof was going to be replaced and all of the single paned windows in the house would be replaced with double paned ones. We were happy with these upcoming changes.

Months go by and then we are told (by now it is November) that roofers would be coming to start ripping off the old roof and replacing it with a new and better one. Did I mention that at this point I am six months pregnant? The roof takes about two weeks and numerous leaks were caused. One in the kitchen and one over the back sliding door. We made the roofers aware and let Real Estate company know. We were told that the owner of the roofing company would be out on Wednesday (this was a Monday) to fix it. He never showed. And the result is that there is a bubble over the back door and every time it rains a large puddle by the back sliding door.

During this time, we are also having a hard time personally, as my husband got diagnosed with a brain aneurism and we have to wait until after the first of the year to get to see a doctor in Seattle to find out how bad it is. Then, we find out his employer let his insurance lapse and his paycheck bounced, all before Christmas. After Christmas, we get a phone call from the real estate company saying that they are going to begin replacing the windows December 28, it’s going to take three days and that I (being 7 months pregnant) have to leave during this time because the paint around the windows was tested and was positive for lead. When my husband said that they would need to pay for our hotel for those days, we immediately got a call back saying it would only take ONE day to replace over 10 windows in our house.

December 28th comes and the repairman from a contruction company that contracts with the real estate office comes and begins the repairs. When he came, he let me know that he didn’t have a helper and that it might take an extra day because he would have more help the next day. So, mildly upset, I left for the day. I came back that night and the windows were all lined up in my garage, and only one window had been changed out. Mind you, it wasn’t finished. It was just shimmed in place. The guy showed up the next day and had another person with him. They managed to pull out four upstairs windows (two in the master bedroom, one in my son’s playroom, and one in the second large bedroom) again, they were not completed, only shimmed in place. You can literally see light on the sides on the frame and feel the wind coming in. The week finishes out with the repairman telling us that this job is going to take about two weeks, because there is a lot of rot around the large picture windows that are all over the downstairs, that each window will take at least three days to complete. At which point, he builds a make-shift wall in our dining room out of two by fours and black plastic, essentially rendering our dining room unusable. It also causes a short in the electricity in that room as well as the stairwell that is above it.

Monday January 3rd finds us in Seattle for my husband’s first angiogram to see how bad the aneurism is. We are told that there are two in his brain and that they want to do surgery as soon as they can get us in (which turns out to be January 17). No one shows up for the windows while we are gone or once we get back. At this point, we begin staying only upstairs in the master bedroom (by we, I mean my husband, my 6 year old son, and myself), we also had my brother-in-law living with us at this time and he was in the second large bedroom. We have electric space heaters heating just those two rooms, because there isn’t much point in running the oil furnace to heat the whole house when the windows aren’t keeping any warmth in, and letting all the wind and rain in.

 January 14th we go to the real estat office to pay our rent (as it is due on the 15th of each month and the 15th is a Saturday). Plus, we will be in Seattle that following Monday for my husband’s surgery. I am now eight months pregnant. We ask for an update on the house and to inquire why the repair man hasn’t been back, because our house is like an icebox. We are told by the managing broker and office manager that the window work had to stop until a city inspector can come out because ASBESTOS had been found. We asked why we weren’t told and should we be worried. We were told probably not. But, they couldn’t touch the house until it cleared the inspection. When will that be? Their answer is they don’t know whenever they can get someone out. We mention the electric and the stairs (especially now since one broke completely). No worries, it will get fixed. We put a couple screws in the stair ourselves to hold it until it could get replaced.

The inspector came out the week of January 24th. He takes samples of everything in the house: walls, floors, trim, etc. He tells us that as long as the house clears the tests, work can begin promptly. And that if the asbestos is in the floors, that can be solved by just covering it up and not breaking into it (mind you, we were promised carpet upon moving in). We were told that they would just section off rooms that they were working on, as they worked on them and that we could continue to live in the home. The results of the tests would be back by that Friday and that final decisions would be made from there. We never found out the results to the test.

I give birth to our second son on January 31st and spend two nights in the hospital.

February 12th brings some of the strongest winds to hit Forks in a while. My son and husband our in the bedroom (the second large one with a half-done window in it) playing Xbox, my husband sends my son out to come get me and as he moves the window comes crashing in! My husband goes over to real estate office and flips out on the guy who is in the office. The guy tells him that he has no power and that he only comes to clean the offices but that he will call the managing broker to get something done. In the meantime, my husband grabs a couple nails and puts the window back in place. No one shows to fix it.

February 15th we go into pay rent and make a complaint about the window. We are told that they will get someone over to look at it. We inquire about where things stand with the repairs and are told that they will begin again soon.

March 29th, we take our infant son to the hospital because he has been coughing and not eating. They give him a breathing treatment and tell us to come back the next day. We do and they tell us that he is looking better, but to keep an eye on him and to continue giving him breathing treatments because he breathing is labored.

March 31st, I am at our company office waiting on a repairman to come and fix the leak in the ceiling there (at 51 N Forks Ave), the repairman turns out to be the guy who was working on our house. I ask him if he has any news/details on our house because we have gotten nowhere with the Real Estate office. He tells me that the owner has okayed the fixes and they would begin everything when the weather gets warmer and dryer. Keep in mind; we are still only living in two rooms of our house. We have to literally put a space heater in the kitchen for 20 minutes before going down to cook dinner. While at the office, I get a phone call from my husband that our son has gotten worse and we take him over to the ER, he is diagnosed with pneumonia and they place an IV in his arm, put him in an oxygen tent and keep him separated from all the other patients. He is in there over night and into the next day. Discharged with orders to give him at least three breathing treatments a day and come back in a few days to see if he is improved.

June 1st, we are given notice from the Real Estate company that the owner wants us out of the house by July 15th so that they can do a full restoration on the house. We are also told that there are no three bedrooms or larger home available in Forks. More or less, we are kicked out of our home with nowhere to go.

June 6th, I call the Washington state tenants union and they tell me about a couple websites that I can look up to get the tenant rights and what not, on their site it talks about the “Warranty of Habitability”. I look up laws and upon learning new information and printing out different pages from the site (and under the advice of family and friends) we decide that we should go talk to the people at the Real Estate office about trying to get back if not all, then a portion of the rent we had been paying since January, due to the fact that once the window work began, we were unable to utilize a majority of our home.

June 9th, my husband and I go to the office to speak with the office manager at the real estate office. She asks us to wait, that she needs us to meet with the managing broker once he is free. So, we wait. The managing broker comes to get us, and we go back to his office. He turns to us and says that the office manager told him we are asking about the warranty of habitability and that we needed to get an attorney because he wouldn’t help us. He then proceeded to tell us that a judge would ask us why it took us six months to complain if the house was not able to be lived in. And that because we didn’t have actual paperwork to back it up that it would just wind up costing us money and that we wouldn’t get anything from it. We told him that the reason we stayed and paid the full rent was because we felt that there had been a verbal contract and a lot of promises made to us: that everything would be fixed. And now that the weather is warming up and we are able to go back downstairs and enjoy the entirety of our home, we have to move. AND there are no homes big enough to accommodate my family. My husband asked him if nothing came available by July 15th, what happens to us. I chimed in and said that according to the law help pages, we can still stay there, but after three days then can serve another notice to us and then begin the proceedings of removing us from the property. That they couldn’t just kick us out, when we had nowhere to go. And that they aren’t allowed to lock us out of our home unless we abandon it and say that to them. The managing broker then speaks up and says that I am wrong, that they will get the sheriff to come and physically remove us if we are not out. I was later told that I was right, and he was wrong.

June 16^th my husband gets a call from the office manager from Real Estate company. She tells him that they are coming in the morning with an appraiser to look at the house and take picture of it. My husband tells her no because no one will be home during the day, that she would need to come later. She said she will just let herself in. My husband then says, “Whatever. Do what you have to.” Since she didn’t take no as the answer.

June 17^th we get another call from the office and she tells us that the state of our house (ex: clothes and boxes everywhere, dishes in the sink, the grass is not cut, and that we have flies) is unacceptable and we are breaking our lease agreement that we signed (which was up in September 2010 and we have been on a month-to-month since then) and that the situation needed to be remedied immediately. I then told her that we had an appointment with an attorney and we would be telling him all about the state of our home and the fact that she was supposed to give us two days written notice to enter our home and she didn’t, and that the law says she is required to do so. She then tells me that Benjamin (my husband) told her she could enter the home. I said, “That’s still not written notice or two days’ notice, so I will still be telling an attorney.” She then says “Well, then I will be posting a ten day notice to correct the listed items or vacate the premises.” After a few more moments on the phone, she says she won’t make the official posting if she sees the work being done.

June 19th we go to see an attorny and he tells us that he is not willing to take out case because we have no paperwork showing the complaints. Even though our pictures show fully that the house is unlivable. He says that the work he would have to do to win the case is not worth what he would get paid.

So, now I am on a mission to try and find a good lawyer who will help us. I just can’t seem to catch a break lately. Just need a little help, you know?

Please repost this, tweet this, pass it on. They should be held accountable, regardless of paperwork. It should be wrong to treat people like they have treated us. And the more people that read this and pass it on, the bigger the impact!

If you are able to help, or know anyone who can, please do.

The link below is if you want to donate to helping us get back on our feet & into a nice home.

Thank you for your time.

*Every Little Bit Helps*

Hit List – Laurell K Hamilton

               

                       Hit List is the 20^th(yes you read that right) book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. I am an absolute fanatic over this series. I loved it so much, that once I got down with the last one that was out at the time, I went on to read everything that I could find that Hamilton had written. She has another series out that is fantastic, but I’m getting off track.

                Before I get into the review, besides the spoilers that may come up, I would just like to say that like the J.R. Ward books, these books contain vivid sex scenes, only these are quite a bit more X-rated. They also have a very high violence in them in great detail. Anita is, after all, the Vampire Executioner.

                That being said, let’s get started.

                The beginning of this book has Anita and Edward (aka Ted aka Death) standing in the midst of a body that has been literally torn in half and is missing the heart. This is the fourth body in a series of kills done by the same group of people. A group called…shhh…the Harlequin.

                I say “shhh” because in the books, just the mention of these legendary vampires (and their animals to call) can bring them out of the shadows to hunt and kill you. They are the boogeymen of the supernatural world.

The Harlequin is wanting to get to Anita because Marmie Noir wants her. Well, to be more specific, she wants Anita’s body. Not in the sexual way either, in the possession kind of way. In the previous book, Marmie Noir, or the Mother of all Darkness, had her body blown up by the vampire council because of their fear of her.

                I really liked this book because it is based in Seattle, which is very close to home. So, I was able to relate and actually picture and understand the weather.

                Anyway, Anita winds up getting hurt pretty badly, so Edward brings in his second choice back-ups: Bernardo Spotted-Horse and Olaf Jefferies.

                Bernardo is a ladies man along with a hired gun.

And Olaf is just scary. He is literally a serial killer, but the government let’s his “hobbies” slide, as long as he doesn’t do it in America and he keeps training people to be just a vicious.

                Anita is his perfect victim and he has it in his head that they should be dating. Out of morbid curiosity, I want to see the ardeur over take Anita when she is with Olaf. I wonder if it would scare him? (Side note: the ardeur is something that Anita inherited from Jean-Claude as his human servant.).

                In this book, you get to see a lot more of Edward then in any other book in the series. Obsidian Butterfly might be the only other book he features as prominently. I liked getting to know him more and learning that he is changing and that Anita is an important person in

his life.

                This book didn’t have any of the main men in Anita’s life, really. Which was a little disappointing to me, only because Jean-Claude and Asher are simply delicious as vampires, and as for Were-animal? Micah and Jason: Yummy.              

                Did I mention that some of the Weres and the Vamps are strippers? Oh yeah, definitely a plus…if you are into reading books like that.

                If you like vivid violence (where the good guys mostly win) and intense adult scenes, then this series is for you. The series starts with Guilty Pleasures.

                They don’t start getting naughty until about the 8^th or 9^th book.

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen

 

 

The book starts out at the point where everything is falling apart, which means, there is no place to go from there, but up. I mean, it can’t get any worse than a circus menagerie getting loose and going crazy, right? Well, if you are Jacob Jankowski, then yes it can, because the love of your life just so happens to be in the tent where the panther has decided to go.

 

But, I get ahead of myself.

 

If you have ever seen the movie The Notebook, then you are familiar with the concept of jumping around in time. One minute you are with young Noah and Alley, the next it is old Noah reading Alley’s diary to her. Same situation in this book, to an extent.

Jacob is in a nursing home and a circus has come to town. The big top is going up in view of the nursing home and has all the residents in a tizzy. Time has begun to mean very little to him as is obvious by the first couple of sentences in chapter one: “I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other.”

 

As the older Jacob, he cracks me up almost the entire book. He gets into an argument with another guy in the home and has to do to his room, almost causes a scene because he doesn’t want mashed food anymore, and gets sent to his room. He spends a good deal of the book in his room. He also has a lot to say about old people, which comes across funny since he is old.

 

The younger Jacob is different though. His story starts out incredibly sad.

 

He’s away at college, almost finishing up becoming a vet so that he can go back and work with his father, when he gets called away from a class. He has to go home right away, there’s been an accident. And just like that, he is completely alone in the world.

 

When he tries to go back and finish his testing at the school, he finds that he can’t do it. So, he just up and leaves. He doesn’t have any destination in mind, he just wants to go.

 

Enter a train at just the right moment.

 

Once aboard the train, after being given a chance by one of the men inside, and

not being tossed out randomly, he realizes he is on a circus train. The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth train to be exact. Although, there are no Benzini Brothers here, just Uncle Al.

The book is historically accurate to the times. Showing how desperate situations were becoming, how cutthroat the circus life was.

 

Everyone just assumes that running away to join the circus is a key to the easy life, not so. Sara Gruen gives us a small peek into that lifestyle, or at least the workers lives, not the performers. They do seem to have the glamorous life that the circus promises. They never miss a paycheck or lift a finger to prepare the tents or food or help with the packing.

Jacob winds up falling in love with August’s (the guy in charge of the animals) wife, Marlena.

Marlena catches Jacob’s eye his first day on the job. She is standing in her sequined costume talking with August, and petting one of the horses that is in her act. She is the main reason Jacob stays. Love at first sight, if you will.

August is a nasty man, and that’s the nicest thing I can say about him. In the beginning, you almost want to like him, and then you start to see the darkness in him. This is later confirmed to be schizophrenia by Uncle Al. This is only brought up after August goes crazy, beating the newly acquired, Rosie the elephant and then moves on to beating Jacob and Marlena. He’s an equal opportunist. Needless to say, I don’t like him, and it makes it hard to feel bad for him when Marlena decides to leave him.

This book is a roller coaster of feelings. Although, I never got extremely teary, there were some parts that really made my heart ache for Jacob.

If you are looking for a good period piece with a little bit of circus, a touch of romance, and an elephant thrown into the mix, then this is the book for you.

 

 

Lover Unleashed – JR Ward

Lover Unleashed by JR Ward is the 10^th book in her Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire series. I do have to warn, however, that these vampires are nothing like Stephenie Meyers’ vampires (not that anybody’s vampires are like Stephenie’s). These books are not intended for younger audiences. You will not find them in the young adult section of a book store with all the most recently popular vampire books. This does not mean that they lack punch or staying power, by any means. Obviously, or she wouldn’t be up to book ten, now would she?

                These books are found in the romance section of the book store, which almost turned me off of the book. I wasn’t looking for love stories, or at least not entirely and when one thinks romance books, you think of authors like Danielle Steel or Nora Roberts. Both great authors and I have been known to pick up a book or two of each of theirs, but that wasn’t what I was looking for at this time.

                I bought the first book about a year ago at the urging of a friend. I seen, at that time, the books were already out to number six or seven, so I was already behind on this trend. Not knowing if I was going to like the books, I just bought the first one while my husband and I were in Everett visiting my sister. Forks, obviously, does not have the luxury of a large bookstore.

                I think that it may have taken me a day, maybe a day and a half to read the entire first book. It was that good and that addictive. I found myself on eBay hoping to snag the rest of set for a reasonable price. I found a couple, the rest I ordered from Borders online. So, next was a waiting game.

                The vampires in this series are a little different. They can feed on human blood, but it doesn’t really sustain them. They need a member of the opposite sex to feed from to really be sated. They are also able to eat normal food, drink normal drinks, as well as partake in any other human vice. Which they do quite often. Or at least some of the Brothers.

                Each book is mostly centered on one brother, who meets a woman/female that he falls head over heels for. Which is a typical romance story, but there are many twists and turns throughout the books. The Brothers are an elite group of vampires that are the protectors of their race. They fight a constant battle with the Omega and his lessers.

                A thing that I have come to like in this series is that in each book you get to see from a few different perspectives. And that the setup for books to come. You get to meet and know the Brothers through each other’s eyes. They become almost a family to you.

                This book is centered on the Brother Vishous’ twin sister, Payne. It starts out with her being paralyzed from the waist down from a sparring match with Wrath, son of Wrath. Also known as the blind king.

                There is only one doctor that Vishous or his shellan (wife) can think of that is skilled enough to pull off the miracle surgery that would be needed to save Payne. Enter Manuel Manello, MD. Tall, dark, and handsome and the rich doctor part is definitely not a flaw.

                In this book, there are a lot of emotional things going on. Payne has never been on this side for an extended amount of time. She spent hundreds of years imprisoned by her mother, the Scribe Virgin, who also happens to be the mother of the entire vampire race. You also get a deeper look into Vishous. Yes, we had a whole book mostly devoted to him already, but there were a lot of issues that were never really faced. Even in this book there are some things that are touched on, but not really solved.

                A new, rogue, group of vampires is also introduced. Their leader, Xcor, calls them his band of bastards. Nice, huh? I can’t wait to see how they become more in further books.

                Payne and Manny are on a whirl wind romance. Manny knows that nothing good can come of this, since his brain has been wiped by the vampires before, when he saved Vishous. He knows that it is bound to happen and besides, how much of a future can they have together? He’s already 45, and the lifetime for him is already half over and for Payne, not so much.

                I found myself upset for Manny. After all, he was in love with Jane (Vishous’ wife) and she “died” on him a year prior to this. Then his prize winning horse gets hurt; now he knows the love of his life won’t last. The guy really deserves a break.

                I would highly recommend this book. But, I would say start at the beginning with Dark Lover. That way you get the full impact of the Brothers. And like I mentioned before, it is for the more mature audience due to violence, language, and very graphic sex scenes.

Personal Update

Hi there everyone! Sorry to have been pretty much absent lately, life has been one ball of chaos. I know in the last post I did kinda talk about what was going on a little, before starting my blog on the book I had read. To update you all, my husband is doing much, much better. We had to go to Seattle on Jan 17 for him to have surgery to fix the anuerysms in his head, then there was complications that resulted in a bleed in his head. There was a lot of crying going on, because we didn’t know what to expect. But, they changed one of his meds and it showed that the blood pool wasnt growing, so it posed no threat. We were able to go home by the end of that week. And trust me, I was more then ready to be there. The beds in the ICU and in the hotel were rough on me being 9 months pregnant.

Then, on Jan 31 we welcomed our second son Spencer to the world via a scheduled c-section. It all went without a hitch and he is simply beautiful. Our older son is almost 7, so having a new baby around is a shock on all of our systems. I feel more afraid/nervous this time around. And I find that I worry about S.I.D.s (crib death) alot. Me and my husband, both, have a sibling that passed away from it when they were about 6 months old and I have a h. uge fear now of it happening and it would crush me :(.

We are also dealing with the loss of my husband’s job and fighting for the insurance we were due. In this economy (especially in a town of only 3000) it is hard to find a job. So, he has been staying home. His headaches come and go, but nothing like they were when we found out about the anuerysms in his brain. I had to go back to work at my job which is only on the weekends and only minimum wage. Money is a very hard thing to come by and we are trying not to let it stress us too much. We are just hoping to make it to the summer, because by then the company we have gone into business with as partners should do very well for the four of us. Until then, it just seems to be another stres.

And if you are curious as to the company we now own part of…? We are part owners of Twilight Tours in Forks. We are a tour company in Forks, Washington that takes fans of the Twilight Saga around in a 19 seater tour bus, with an excellent tour guide (who was featured on the DVD Twilight in Forks), music, and frequent stops to allow photo opportunities for everyone. If anyone is interested in more info, either let me know or go visit our website: www.TwilightToursInForks.com . On there, it tells of specials we have going on, gives info on our twitter & facebook accounts. I would love for you to pass on our info to anyone who likes Twilight. You would be greatly helping us out.

Hopefully, I am able to find some time to read again soon. I really need the escape from reality, room to breath for a few minutes. But, I know that, for now, real life needs my attention.

Thank you all for understanding, and please keep checking back, as I will be posting things as often as possible.

🙂

Until Next Time…..Happy Reading!!

Then He Kissed Me by Christie Ridgway

**WARNING**My review may contain SPOILERS**

So, I received an advanced copy of this book and I did finish reading it before it’s release date which was this past Tuesday. I just didn’t get around to doing my review….I know, I know, bad Jessica. But, to be honest, it has been a really rough couple of weeks. My husband was diagnosed with a brain aneurism (that turned out to be TWO aneurism and a return trip to Seattle on the 17th) and so we spent days in the hospital, where surprisingly, my review was the last thing on my mind. No offense meant to the author, or to anyone else. I just thought I would explain a little bit, as to why I am putting up a review late.

I am usually not that big into romance books, just for the romance of them. I don’t mind reading drama that has romance (ie: vivid sex scenes & torrid love affairs), I just have found that romance for the sake of romance isn’t my cup of tea. I have also found that most romance novels share the same basic outline: one person loves another who doesn’t want to be loved and in the end, they wind up together. Happily ever after. So, like I said, I like a book that isn’t all about the romance and has a whole separate storyline ahead of the love. But, in this case, I was interested in reading the book, because I hadn’t read a good chick-lit, love book in a while, and to be honest, just needed the happy ending.

In this book, which I found out is the second book in a series, we meet Stevie Baci. She is a limo driver (she owns her own company) and also is part of a family business of making and selling wine in Napa Valley. The opening chapter had my attention instantly and I wound up finishing this book in about a day and a half. Stevie is having to drive her ex around on New Year’s Eve with his current fiance. Ouch. To make things worse, there is a tall, dark, and handsome (not to mention instant attraction) brother of the bride-to-be to contend with. Jack, has a very bad reputation. For loving and leaving and a number of other things. He gets into her car and let’s her know that since she is now in charge of his sister’s wedding that she is now his new best friend. Because, he isn’t letting his sister’s wedding get ruined over a jilted lover.

The instant attraction between these two is wonderfully written. The fact that Stevie tries (and fails miserably) to have sex like a man and to keep things simple, is a strong basis in the book. She thinks that if she keeps telling herself that it’s just sex that maybe she won’t fall in love with Jack and that she may be able to salvage what is left of her life since he ex left her. She knows that in the small town they live in, everyone knows the nitty-gritty and they feel sorry for her. She doesn’t want their pity, so has decided to play the game with Jack in the hopes that with him around, everyone will see she isn’t mooning over her ex. And that she is fully capable of planning and executing a wedding for him and his bride-to-be.

But Jack and his sister have secrets of their own. Like being kidnapped and not ever wanting to go home. Or the fact that Roxie stole Stevie’s boyfriend knowing fully that he was already taken. Plus, Jack doesn’t want to admit that he is falling for Stevie. That although she shows the world a tough tomboy she is really a softie on the inside.

I really did enjoy reading this book. And now knowing that it is part of a series, I want to go and read the first one. AND can’t wait until the third one comes out in June. (especially since there was a teaser in the back of my book, to give me an idea of what is to come!)

All in all, if you like romance, I would say to give this author a chance. There is a story that goes along with the romance. The Baci sisters trying to save their winery, or Jack & his sister trying to escape their pasts. So, it makes it worth the read.

Here are some places to find/learn more about the book:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8310766-then-he-kissed-me

http://www.amazon.com/Then-He-Kissed-Three-Kisses/dp/0425239179/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294538473&sr=8-1

and here is a way to follow the author on twitter:

@ChristieRidgway

Until Next Time….Happy Reading!!!

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2010. That’s about 3 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 19 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 16 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was March 18th with 41 views. The most popular post that day was Do You Have Your Library Card?.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, slashingtongue.com, digg.com, thebookishtype.blogspot.com, and alphainventions.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for indulgence in death, sexii, laura kreitzer, shadow of the sun laura kreitzer, and jd robb.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Do You Have Your Library Card? February 2010
9 comments

2

Night World-Daughters of Darkness March 2010

3

Indulgence in Death by JD Robb November 2010
2 comments

4

Book Lovers & Affiliates March 2010
2 comments

5

Shadow of the Sun-Laura Kreitzer April 2010
4 comments

Amnesia-Prologue (trial)

No one thinks that their life can change in 20 seconds, but sometimes it does.

 Cheyenne sat at a red light, impatiently thrumming her fingers on the steering wheel. She glared at the red light and sighed. She was the only car on the road at this time in the morning and still she managed to catch the light. Looking left and then right, she began to debate just going through the light, when it finally changed to green. But, before she was able to pull away something hit the side of her car, hard, causing her to about jump out of her skin.

And that’s when the screaming started.

 Cheyenne sat stunned for a second looking at the half naked woman banging on her car and screaming at the top of her lungs for help. Without thinking, she unlocked the door and let the woman in. It took a second for Cheyenne to register that the woman was practically covered in blood, and tried to calm her down enough to get some answers from her. “What the hell has happened to you?”

Before the woman could answer, an engine revved high and caught Cheyenne’s attention. “Shit.” Was all she got out before her world began to spin. Her head snapped to the side as the truck hit the back end of her car. Cheyenne felt the window crack as her head hit it, and the seatbelt held her body in place. It all felt like slow motion, but could have only been a few seconds.

Sitting there dazed, Cheyenne glanced over at the woman and seen her with her head on the dashboard. She reached over to shake the woman’s shoulder, “Hey, are you okay?” Nothing, shaking a little bit harder, “Hey….hey lady. Wake up, you’re bleeding all over my dash.” Swallowing a small bout of hysteria, and trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the statement she just made, she tries to get the woman to answer again, only to be rewarded by the woman almost biting off her fingers. “What the-?!”

Suddenly, the car was flooded with light, and for a second Cheyenne thought it could be the police and was relieved, but something told her to move. She started the car, surprised that it caught at once and floored the gas pedal. She was rewarded with hearing tires squeal to a stop, and risked a peek up into her review, to see a truck across the road where she just was.

“I’m not sure what you are into, lady. But, I don’t really want to know. I don’t know where you came from, or what is going on. But, I’m not ready to die for helping someone. I know that is selfish, I can’t help that. I’m going to try to get you to a hospital, and then I am as good as gone.“ Cheyenne felt herself rambling, and couldn’t help it. Something like this had never happened to her.

A scream tore from her throat as she was hit from behind. “Oh please, oh please. Just let me get out of this.” Another hit from behind. “Where is everyone? Can’t anyone hear this?” Cheyenne looked up into her mirror and her eyes widened, the truck was further back, but she could tell it was just giving space to get a good running start. Panic, that’s all she could do. There was nowhere to go, and no one seemed to be out. Small moans were coming from the passenger seat. “I’m sorry I wasn’t the help you were looking for.”

Cheyenne tried to brace as best as she could for the next hit, for surely her car couldn’t take much more of this abuse, except, the hit didn’t come. Risking a look behind her, she realized the truck had been joined by another set of headlights and was now tailing close behind her. Afraid to sigh in relief at the temporary reprieve, Cheyenne quickly tried to get her bearings to figure out the best way to get to either the cops or the hospital. Stifling a groan, she realized that she was going to have to turn to get to the hospital, which could mean losing the safety of the third car. Because, for surely that was the reason for the truck stopping it’s onslaught.

The light up ahead was changing from green to yellow, and yellow to red. Taking a deep breath in and hoping for no cross traffic, Cheyenne hit the gas and spun into a left turn. Hoping that she caught the driver of the truck unawares, she took an immediate right and then a left. The hospital came into sight, just as headlights filled her car again.

Cheyenne sped up and pulled the steering wheel hard to the right, causing the bleeding woman to fall into her. But, was rewarded with making it into the emergency entrance of the hospital, the light of which blinding her temporarily. When her vision cleared, she seen the truck turn a corner up ahead and disappear.

Cheyenne looked over and noticed the nurse with a shocked look on her face. Pressing the button for the passenger window, she called out, “A little help here, please?” and promptly passed out.