Arsenic and Old Cake (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

With business going stale at Zydeco Cakes, Rita Lucero has plenty to worry about. but when her friend, blind trumpet player Old Dog Leg Magee, asks for a favor, she can't say no. His brother, Monroe, disappeared forty years ago, and now someone has shown up claiming to be him. Old Dog Leg needs Rita to be his eyes-and see if the man really is his brother. 

Old Dog Leg sets Rita up with sexy Cajun bartender Gabriel Broussard to pose as newlyweds checking into the same bed and breakfast Monroe is staying in, only for them to discover that Monroe's true identity isn't the only mystery they'll have to solve. When another guest at the bed and breakfast turns up dead, it seems the mysterious man might also be a murderer... 


Oh Rita, Rita, Rita!!! She is back again with her scrumptious cake baking and mystery solving skills! This time she takes the role of Mrs. Broussard... to help Old Dog Leg solve a forty year old mystery! This time her shenanigans take place at "The Love Nest" a local Bed and Breakfast where she takes on the role of playing blushing bride to one sexy Cajun bartender Gabriel Broussard. While trying to unearth the old mystery that surrounds the Love Nest she also gets to know of some of its more eccentric long time residents. This time shes got to solve the mystery, find a killer, attempt to be a blushing bride, annnnnnd keep Zydeco afloat in the beginning stages of an economical hardship. Have no fear, Rita like always, keeps all together with witty thinking and her usual persistent gumshoe tactics. This book is a little slow in the beginning but it really picks up after the first few chapters and it will really have you reeling in the end to find out what or who is actually the mastermind behind whats going on at the Love Nest! I really enjoyed the mystery the usual cast and the new cast of characters of the "Love Nest" introduced in this book. I can't wait to see what trouble... mystery Rita will stumble into next. Hopefully we will get to read more about which sexy hunk she chooses as well... will it be sweet, sexy, smooth Cajun bartender Gabriel or Mr. Tall, Dark, Handsome and Strong Detective Stone? Only time and another great mystery will tell... :)

Alpine For You (A Passport to Peril Mystery)

Accompanying her grandmother on a seniors tour of Switzerland, Emily Andrew had envisioned a vacation straight out of a travel brochure: spectacular scenery, great food, and a classy European hotel, all worlds away from her rural Iowa hometown. But her dream trip quickly snowballs into mayhem when smooth-talking tour escort Andy Simon is found dead. To be sure, Andy was as randy as a mountain goat on Viagra, hitting on every miss -- Swiss or otherwise -- within striking distance. His constant advances were driving Emily cuckoo -- but had someone orchestrated his untimely death? 

For savvy, resourceful Emily, leading the tour in Andy's place is only natural. But she can't remain neutral when a fellow traveler takes a fatal plunge -- she's convinced a murderer lurks among them. With precision timing, sexy Etienne Miceli steps in to investigate, and Emily warms to the suave detective. Still, with the group roster suddenly sprouting more holes than the local cheese, Emily wonders: is there a safe haven anywhere in the shadow of the Alps?

This was my first book I read on my new Google Nexus 7 Tablet! It was an O.K. Mystery... It had some witty humor and a good plot but I really wasn't all that impressed. Mostly because it talked about a bunch of grumpy old people who probably shouldn't ever have left the comforts of their homes in small town Iowa. Like most books that I don't like, I will be willing to give this series a second shot and read the next one, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.

Bruja Brouhaha (A Mind for Murder Mystery)

Liz and nick are enjoying the sixtieth wedding anniversary celebration for their charming hosts, Paco and Lucia Rojas, devout Santeria practitioners who own the historical Botanica Rojas near MacArthur Park. But the small group of friends is left horrified and confused when the evening ends in tragedy. 

Devastated by loss, Lucia, a Santeria priestess, blames the locals for the escalating crime in her beloved community. She casts a vengeful hex on the neighborhood, leading strangers and friends alike to dub her bruja-Spanish for witch-and turn on the elderly woman. Lucia may be in harm's way, and it's up to Liz and Nick to unravel a mysterious disappearance and solve a murder before more lives are lost... 

A great follow up to Rochelle's "Who Do, Voodoo?"! I had a feeling though, when I finished her first book that I would get happily stuck on her series of "Mind for Murder Mysteries"! As usual, she kept me turning pages and racing to the end to see if I my guess "who did it" would be right... and just like before she through me for a pleasant loop! I liked everything about the book, the setting, the usual suspects... I mean characters and of course some new friends that were added in this book. I was also happy to read about a new aspect of occult and loved the strong influence of Santeria had the plot, it made the book very rich and detailed. Thanks for another GREAT read Rochelle! I am now dieing to read whatever you come out with next!

Corpse in the Crystal Ball (A Fortune Teller Mystery)

After clearing her name as the prime suspect in a murder, Sunny Meadows hopes she can finally enjoy some serenity in the idyllic town of Divinity in upstate New York. She'd also like a second chance with Detective Mitch Stone. But when Mitch's gorgeous ex-girlfriend Isabel Gonzales shows up, Sunny's not sure she can compete. Then Isabel mysteriously disappears. 

When the police turn to Sunny for help, her visions lead to the discovery of Isabel's corpse in the woods. Before she died, Isabel scrawled a message in the dirt implicating Mitch in her murder. Now Sunny must help the man she's falling in love with as she sets out to find the real killer. But this time Sunny's clairvoyant abilities might not save her- as what she doesn't see can hurt her...

YES! We are back in business in Divinity and Sunny's fortune telling industry is booming! I really loved this follow up to Kari Townsend's first edition (Tempest in the Tea Leaves) in her series of fortune telling mysteries! I think this is going to turn out to be a great series and I hope she writes tons more! I love Sunny's character and have grown and loved the people and town of divinity... even Detective grumpy pants aka. Mitch Stone... aka Sunny's some day boyfriend. I get it... it's complicated but "It's a start!"

There are some new characters that were introduced into this book as well and there is one granny in particular that I am glad to see that will be sticking around for a while! Sunny's granny comes to stay for a bit with her and oddly enough finds divinity and Sunny's house "Vickie" to be a perfect fit! She is spunky just like Sunny and has developed quite a bond with Morty who can usually hardly tolerate anyone besides Sunny. This story had a great plot and had a lot of leads which led me to think quite a bit, but in the end I must say I was totally blown away with the twisted ending!

A Spoonful of Murder (A Soup Lovers Mystery)

 Winter is big business in small town Snowflake, Vermont. Tourists arrive to hit the ski slopes and what could be more satisfying after a chilly day of carving powder than a steaming bowl of soup?

When Lucky Jamieson inherits her parents soup shop. By the Spoonful, she realizes it's time to take stock of her life. Should she sell her parents house or move in herself? Does she really want to run a restaurant business? And what about her grandfather Jack, who seems to be showing signs of Alzheimer's? 

But her life decisions are moved to the back burner after an icy blonde tourist is found frozen to death behind the soup shop. And Lucky is bowled over when her soup chef, Sage DuBois, is led out of the kitchen by the police. As suspicion and speculations snowball, Lucky decides that the only way to save her employee and her business is to find out herself who iced the tourist and landed her chef in the soup...

 A charming little mystery and not bad for a first edition. I loved reading about the charming town of Snowflake, it really had me wanting to visit Vermont (although maybe in the summer time instead lol!). I also quickly fell in love with the the "By the Spoonful Soup Shop" and the cast of great characters surrounding the story. The book was a little slow in the beginning but I think that might be because it's a new series and the author took time to introduce you to the characters, but once the story got going... it had my full attention and it was hard to put it down!  Unlike a lot of other first in a series mysteries I've ready, this one really had me guessing who did it all the way to the end and what a terrific twist! I would have never had guessed! All in all it was a nice cozy and I am looking forward to reading Connie Archers second book in this series; "Broth of Betrayal".

Letters From Home (Harlequin Blaze Series)

Gorgeous Levi's tour of duty has an unexpected benefit: anonymous red hot love letters! Someone he knows is mailing the rugged solider her naughtiest fantasies. And he's loving every word. On leave home, he discovers his sexy secret admirer; Natalie, the long time star of his own X-rated dreams. But he's not letting Natalie know her cover's blown...yet. Not until he's fulfilled each and every one of her suggestions!

I'm really beginning to like Rhonda Nelson's style of romance writing! This is the second book I've read by her and I have enjoyed every minute of it! She really kept me intrigued with the budding yet long time running self preservation between Natalie and Levi. She also threw in bits from one of my favorite movies (Love, Actually). This book had a bit of everything, love, steamy romance and bit of comedy and wonder all mixed together! I can't wait to read more by Rhonda Nelson and I can't wait to read the somewhat sequel to this book "The Soldier" to find out what happens between Levi's younger brother Adam and Natalie's best friend Winnie!

I give it a two on my hotness scale, while the sexy parts were only sizzling the romantic part was actually more interesting to read. This story is one of those that could happen to just about anyone and that's why I found it so appealing.

My hotness scale...
1= Spark, 2= Sizzling, 3= Blazing, 4= inferno

Out of Uniform (Silhouette Romantic Suspsense Series)

Natural born warrior Jacob Stone never ignored a lady in distress. So when a stunning brunette clad only in a cocktail dress stumbled to his doorstep, the off duty air force sergeant went into protector mode. But could he really believe "Dee's" claims that she'd lost her memory... or was her amnesia a ruse to hide a dangerous secret?

For someone had certainly set their sights on getting rid of Dee. Yet they hadn't counted on Jacob's resolve. Dee was his responsibility. Even more... she'd become integral to his next breath. And no one messed with his lady.

There's no one you would rather have kicking butt and taking names while protecting and loving you in annnnd out of uniform other than Jacob Stone. He's everything a girl could want and more, loving, protective, honorable and most important constant. He goes above and beyond the call of duty in this suspenseful and hair raising tale of a girl who strode right into his life one night with nothing but a memory of a few hours. Its now up to Jacob to help her figure out what kind of woman she is in both life and between the sheets!

Red Velvet Revenge (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery)

It may be summertime, but sales at Fairy Tale Cupcakes are below zero and owners Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are willing to try anything to heat things up. So when local legend Slim Hazard offers them the chance to sell cupcakes at the annual Juniper Pass Rodeo, they're determined to rope in a pretty payday!

But not everyone at Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim, including bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy's short fuse, but when his dead body is found facedown in the hay, it's a whole different rodeo.

With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves and that's no bull!

Another fabulous mystery from Jenn McKinlay. As always I am left wanting more from her endings, in stitches from laughing from her awesome cast of characters and crazy troubles that always seem to find them. And just when I thought I knew who the killer was... BAM! Out of no where does she throw me for a loop! I also loved "meeting" some new characters from this book as well.Loved it! This one is sweet & sassy from start to finish!

No Going Back (Harlequin Blaze Series)

Subject: Army Special Ops Major Chase Rawlins
Current Status: On tour in Afghanistan
Obstacle: Keeping his mind on his duty... and his hands off a certain sexy civvy!

Major Chase Rawlins is one of the toughest military SOB's around. His job? Take out terrorists. So why is he escorting publicist Kate Fitzgerald around the base in order to prep for a visiting pop star? It's the last thing he wants to do. Even if Kate does make his blood run hotter than the Afghan desert...

Thanks for her starlet sister, Kate is used to "challenging" situations. But when Major Sexypants informs her that he will handle all of her needs, Kate finds herself tempted to do her own reconnaissance... under Chase's uniform!

One week. One chance. And once they start, there's no going back!
Army Special Ops Major Chase Rawlins certainly knows how to sweep a girl right off her feet! He kicks ass for a living and can rock a girls world all at the same time! This book was hot, steamy and had a great story to it... I now know why they call them "blaze"... because books like these will set you on fire! Looking forward to reading more of this miniseries and more from Karen Foley!

My hotness meter gives it...

A four out of four!!! Yeah that's HOTT people!
Watch out because this book will engulf you like a inferno!

My hotness scale...
1= Spark, 2= Sizzling, 3= Blazing, 4= inferno

The Marine Next Door (Harlequin Intrigue Series)

He saw that her safety was threatened...

Maggie Wheeler never stopped looking over her shoulder. It was a habit she'd learned from being a cop... and from a devastating event in her past. So when John Murdock moved in next door, Maggie didn't know what to make of the sexy Marine. But once her son formed a bond with the mysterious stranger, Maggie knew that past might not remain hidden much longer...

She saw him for the hero he truly was...

With his unwavering sense of duty, John would never let a call for help go unanswered. Especially from a beautiful wounded warrior who refused to give up her secrets. Although she likely knew more about who was after her than she'd ever let on, John vowed to protect those in need. Only then could he find peace, maybe even a door away...

John Murdock is a retired, highly decorated and honorable Marine who's last tour in Afghanistan left him shaken and roughed up a bit. Despite the damage a road side bomb left him, his honor and duty to always serve and protect is still intact. Maggie Wheeler is a tough cop and on her way to becoming a great detective with precinct four with Kansas City Police Department. The only thing stopping her is a nagging past and its close ties it forms to the case she is currently working on. In short... loved this book! It was well written, had a great storyline, and smoldering romance! I might be slightly bias, since I have a thing for men in uniform, but if you share that same interest than Julie Miller's thrilling and suspenseful romance novel will not disappoint you. I will also be picking up the next installment of this great new miniseries to see what happens next with precinct four and the efforts to nail the rose red rapist! This series and publisher left a good first impression for my first romance novel!

My hotness meter gives it...3 out of 4 enthusiastic chili peppers up!
That's Blazing in my book! :)

My hotness scale...
1= Spark, 2= Sizzling, 3= Blazing, 4= inferno

Murder Buys a T-Shirt (A Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery)

Glory Martine has inherited her great uncles souvenir shop, Southern Treasures along with a super size headache. Nestled in Keyhole Bay, Florida, the shop is stuffed not only with collectibles and mementos of times gone by, but with a ghost who, like her customers, refuses to let go of the past... Glory always dismisses ghost stories-until she inherits her great uncle Louis's souvenir shop, where items seem to rearrange themselves and her pet parrot, Bluebeard, is suddenly uttering phrases he couldn't have picked up from the customers. If Glory told anyone her shop was haunted, they'd think the fresh sea air had gone to her head...
Then, at an end of the summer party, local football hero Kevin Stanley dies, and the story starts to go haywire. Glory finally shares her secret with her best friend, who takes it seriously and is convinced the ghost is trying to send a message. Kevin's death was no accident, ant it's linked to Glory's very own great uncle Louis. Now Glory must dig through the junk to find the truth, before someone leaves her with a deadly souvenir of her own...

It was a pretty good read for a first in a brand new series. I was excited to read it when I first started and it did have a good storyline, but in the end it kinda fell flat a little for me. I was happy in the end that Glory's new beau has joined her circle of friends and I'll be hopeful to read more about their prospective relationship in the next book. However I felt the actual climax of solving the mystery at the end was predicable and a little too short. I had a feeling the killer was exactly who I thought it was the whole time, it just seemed the obvious choice, given the clues about half way through the book.

I've come across first time books in a new series and then waved them off before and then I find the second and third books are much better, so I'm not going to be counting out Christy Fifield just yet! I do love the characters, the sleepy tourist town of Keyhole Bay is really quite charming and of course who could not love that crazy old parrot bluebeard!

Deadlocked (A Sookie Stackhouse Novel)

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on that there she'd rather no know. And now that she's an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she'd rather no see-like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.
There's a thing or two she'd like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet-Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It's the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric's front yard- especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.

Now it's up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Fire investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl's fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious that she would ever suspect, who's set out to make Sookie's world come crashing down.

I really loved the book! It was a great page turner and as always, I managed to finish it in a few days time (would have finished sooner but ya know, life gets in the way of my reading habits). I was pleased to find out some of the answers I had questions to about the remaining fae. I was also glad to see life progress in positives ways around bon temps. I wonder now though, with only one book in the series remaining for Charlaine to write... what choice will Sookie choose for herself. Do all roads really lead to Rome for her, so to speak? Or will she decide something completely different? There are so many choices and its too soon to tell, but one thing is for certain... I can't wait till to read the finale!

Adrift on St. John (A Mystery in the Islands)

No one knows better than resort manager Pen Hoffstra that the idea of a tropical paradise is an illusion. So when a young woman named Hannah Sheridan disappears and a water taxi sinks mysteriously off the island of St. John, she is not surprised that all is not what it seems to be.

Pointing out Hannah's resemblance to the Amina Slave Princess from the 1733 Slave Revolt on St. John- whose ghost is rumored to haunt the island-the local community quickly latches on to the belief that her spirit is behind the sinking and the disappearence.

Only one person on the island knows the whole truth, an it's not what anyone suspects...

I really wanted to like it...

I could only get about 3/4th's of the way through this book. I felt like it had a lot of potential, however it just let me down. I'm not particularly crazy on books that I read the ending before the beginning either, so that's one of the other reasons this book and I got off on the wrong foot. I also wasn't too fond of the characters. I had a really hard time connecting with the main character , she seemed a bit lazy and too sardonic for my liking. I'd like to say that I will go back and reread this some day but I doubt that will happen. I will keep the series in mind though and remain hopeful with book # 2 in the series, I just will probably try to barrow from the library first before I buy next time.

Jekel Loves Hyde

Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parent's rules especially the one about never opening the mysterious old box in her father's office. But when her dad is murdered and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, because the contents just might be a key to winning a lucrative chemistry scholarship.
To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based o not only ton the classic novel , hoping not only to win a prize but to save Tristen's sanity. Maybe his life. As things heat up in the lab, though, Jill's accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and will compel her to risk everything-even Tristen's love just for the thrill of being...bad.

Not quite what I expected... I was hoping for a little more of the original book to make a bigger impact in this semi-romantic thriller. I also found the lead characters lacking a bit of romance and originality. It was just not that interesting for me, the only thing I found scary about this book was the writing. :(

Mockingjay

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans- except Katniss.

the success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future for Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' mockingjay-no matter what the personal cost.

Wow! I am completely blown away! What a great book this turned out to be; in fact... what a great trilogy! I still can't believe I'm reading a "meant for teen's" book, because it's so much more than just that. The fight for freedom and a world with peace is indescribable within this book. Katniss is one of my amazing characters I think I've ever read about, what a great heroine! I honestly couldn't put it down, then again I was like that with the whole lot of them. Personally I believe these are great tales and will be cherished for years to come by many, I put them right on the same shelf of hype as Harry Potter and Twilight. :)

I'm also a little sad, that I've come to the end... then again, I could just start at the beginning again right?

-- My favorite line of this book?.. "You love me, Real or Not real?"

The boy with the bread will always have my heart :)

Cake on a Hot Tin Roof (A Piece of Cake Mystery)

It's carnival season in New Orleans, and pastry chef Rita Lucero has a lot on her place. Filling orders for king cakes is becoming a royal pain. Her second-in-command at Zydeco Cakes- the bakery she inherited from her ex-husband- is hounding her to write a blog for the bakery's new website. And now Rita is expected to host a Mardi Gras party for hundreds of her ex-husband's closest friends. A surprise visit from her aunt Yolanda and uncle Nestor is almost more than she can handle.

But when local car salesman and minor celebrity Big Daddy Boudreaux turns up dead at Rita's Mardi Gras party after a public fight with her uncle, Rita has no choice but to find room in her busy schedule to prove the killer isn't her Uncle Nestor. And there's a whole parade of suspects- but not much time to find out which one really wanted Big Daddy in a big coffin...

Great follow up to a first in a series! I loved the story and glad to see all my favorite characters are back! I was also pleased to learn a bit more about Rita, where she comes from and who raised her (Uncle Nestor and Aunt Yolanda). I'm also happy to see Rita making a name for herself and picking up the pieces to Zydeco. Miss Frankie is charming as ever of course and I was trilled to see that this one not only takes place down in the Big Easy, but also takes place during Mardi Gras! This book is exciting, fun and keeps you guessing "who did it" the whole time! Bravo Jacklyn Brady!

A Shore Thing

It's a summer to remember at the Jersey Shore! Giovanna "Gia" Spumanti and her cousin Isabella "Bella" Rizzoli are soaking up all that Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has to offer: hot guidos, cool clubs, fried Oreos, and lots of tequila. So far, the summer is on fire. Between nearly burning down their rented bungalow, inventing the popular "tan-tags" at the Tantastic Salon where she works, and rescuing a shark on the beach, Gia's a local celebrity. Bella meanwhile, has one goal in mind: hooking up with a sexy gorilla for a no-strings attached summer fling.

In no time, the cousins are scooped up by a couple of superhot guys, but they soon realize that for every friend they make on the boardwalk, there are also rivals, slummers, and frenemies who will do anything to ruin their summer-and try their relationship. Before July ends, the bonds of family and friendship will be stretched to the breaking point. Will the haters prevail, or will Gia and Bella find love at the Shore?

CAAAAABS HERE! If you love watching Jersey Shore then your gonna love reading this "fresh to death" book! It's officially summer time and Gia and her cousin Bella hit the shore hard in this fist pumping, pouf loving tale of two hilarious girls with "guidette problems"! Sun, fun, a drink in hand and gorillas on the beach...what more could a Jersey girl ask for? The book was a funny, easy read and I enjoyed all the little Shore anecdotes throughout the book. I even want to try to make a "snookie sandwich" (Neutella and Peanut Butter between two chocolate chip cookies, then deep fried) It's what Gia orders for herself on the boardwalk while out on her hot date with a guido that sounds a awful lot like a "situation" (if you know what I mean...). It's no Jane Austen novel, but it sure is a cute and entertaining read while hanging out on the beach this summer.

The Berlin Boxing Club

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But to the bullies at his school in the Nazi-era Berlin, it doesn't matter that Karl has never set foot in a synagogue or that his family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by relentless attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth to everyone around him.

So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, Karl sees it as the perfect chance to reinvent himself. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but as Max becomes the mentor Karl never had, Karl soon finds both his boxing skills and his art flourishing.

But when Nazi violence against the Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. Karl longs to ask his new mentor for help, but with Max's fame growing, he is forced to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, leaving Karl to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his dreams of boxing greatness with his obligations to keep his family out of harm's way?

If there is two things Karl Stern loves its; boxing and comics! The book is a great coming of age tale, that tells the story of Karl Stern, a Jewish teenage boy growing up in Nazi Germany during the 1930's. With a country that is on the brink of war and terror aimed at the Jews in Berlin, Karl starts to take boxing lessons from the famous heavyweight champ Max Schmeling. He soon learns however that the fight within and the fight for freedom is worth so much more than any fight he could ever win in the ring. The book was both thrilling and humorous, and it even had some funny comics "drawn" by Karl in the book as well. All in all, I liked it very much!

Scots on the Rocks (A Bed and Breakfast Mystery)

Hoping to dispel the late winter gloom, inn-keeper Judith McMonigal Flynn flies off for a much-needed vacation to Scotland. Instead, she and prickly Cousin Renie find themselves marooned in an ancient castle perched high above the North Sea while their husbands go off on a fishing trip with a local police inspector. But when an explosion rocks Grimlock Castle, leaving a dead body in its fiery wake, an ever curious Judith is once again up to her neck in a murder investigation. The victim is a young man who seemed to have it all: marriage to a bonnie oil heiress, a baby son and a stately mansion. His lovely widow has an abysmal track record with men, all of whom have met with untimely ends. But is she merely unlucky in love... or adept at dealing with death.? The cousins have plenty of other suspects, not to mention some less than earthy voices that reverberate around the castle, lending credibility to spooky tales of a restless ghost sharing their royal quarters. Then there's Chuckie, a distillery owner's oddball son and heir, who's more interested in the castles dungeon and torture chamber than he is in his whiskey. The situation grows even murkier when the husbands and their Scotland Yard buddy go missing... The hunt is on for a killer through the bonnie braes and sea green glens of Scotland. And if Judith and Renie aren't careful, this could turn out to be their most dangerous and last Highland fling.

I'm pretty disappointed in this one. I don't know if its because this is my first time reading a "Bed and Breakfast" Mystery and I jumped right into the middle of the series or if it's the actual book itself?! I found it kinda boring and dull. I also had a hard time focusing on all the characters and what they mean to each other and how they relate to the plot. I was also kind of appalled to find that the main character makes her mother live in a converted tool shed! I mean... honestly... who does that?! It also became pretty predictable about half way through the book as well.

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)

A fighter by nature, a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of the Chosen female, Payne is cut from the same warrior cloth as her brother. And that's before human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello gets sucked into her dangerous world. Although he's never believed in things that go bump in the night-like vampires-he's more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks him as her own. But as the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human an the vampire worlds collide... just as a centuries-old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

WOW! I amazed with the way this book turned out... I was kinda holding my breath till the last minute. I really had been fearing the worst (and by worst, I mean thrilling, nail-biting suspense!), you tend to do that if you've read some of the other books in the BDB series, so I was happy to read such a amazing ending or "ending's" if you will. Although having said that... I now can't wait for Torh's book to come out! Hurry March! I need to know what happens next! Bravo J.R. Ward... your books keep me enthralled!

Catching Fire

Sparks are Igniting. Flames are Spreading. And the Capitol wants Revenge!

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her long time friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

Oooooh so good! If you think the first one is great... wait till you read Catching Fire! The epic saga continues with Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Gale, Prim and all our friends from District 12 as well as our allies in the Capitol. This time, the tables have turned with the games! It's year of the Quarter Quell and that means the stakes have been raised even higher... along with all the lives of the ones we love! Read it!-- It's truly amazing! Ohhh and a word to the wise... be prepared to have Mockingjay (the last book) on hand... you will thank me when you get to the end of Catching Fire!

The Hunger Games

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capital is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

And just like that... I am hooked! I think its pretty much safe to say, I am going to love this series! Katniss is amazing! I can't wait to see what happens next! I seriously loved everything about this book! I don't want to reveal too much, but it IS such a great book, that you should not walk to the book store but run, in fact... ya know what... running is too slow... get a teleporter to the book store and get this book today! You won't be disappointed! It has has a bit of everything; adventure, danger, thrills, romance, friendship and humanity. Oh and may the record show... my heart beats for the boy with the bread. READ the book... and you'll know what I mean ;)