Show Me 5 Saturday: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Bucckley

That's A Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1. Book you read and/or reviewed this week

Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

2. Words that describe the book

Comedy, Washington, D.C. shenanigans

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met:

Supreme Court, President Vanderdamp: current president who would really rather be bowling than running the country. When the supreme court rejects two of his nominees for the supreme court vacancy, he proposes Pepper Cartwright. Pepper Cartwright: no nonsense tv judge from Texas who manages to get past the judicial selection committee with her own brand of down home logic and forthright sassiness. Just loved her character!

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

The absolute sheer fun of this book's plot with writing that kept me snickering and chuckling from the very beginning. The rapier- sharp, witty dialogue from characters I could picture so easily. Senator Dexter Mitchell; a pompous windbag with real life presidential aspirations who gives up his chairmanship of the senate judicial committee to portray President Lovestorm on TV. When the show's ratings soar, Dexter then decides to actually run for president and sets off a whole chain reaction that would shake up not only his wife but Washington in a big way. Inner workings of supreme court selection process and voting on issues. There was nothing about this book I disliked.

5. Stars or less for your rating?

5*****

Blog Tour: Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur

Summary:

"Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta . He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does.
And it is about to cost him everything.
Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again.
A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.

My thoughts: This book started out well with the introduction to Hannah, Pastor Faircloth's young runaway daughter. We find her in Miami, a newly married young woman with her first baby on the way. Life is good for Hannah and her veterinarian husband, Cody. There are enough hints that Hannah's life was none too happy at home with her parents and she had good cause to run away. This scenario made me curious to find out what happened previously and what would ensue.

Then we meet Jason Faircloth; an overly conservative and pompously arrogant pastor of the ultra - conservative North Metro church in Atlanta. He's so staunch in his beliefs and convictions that it is easy to see it was always his way or the highway for anyone in his family.Unfortunately, as his daughter, Hannah felt the highway was her only recourse. When tragedy strikes the Faircloth family, Jason rails against God demanding to know why he let these things happen. Consequently, the result of his crisis of faith compels Jason to leave the church and go on a quest that will take him to Miami first and then eventually to Europe four years later.

I found his behavior in Miami to be almost manic and to me it was over done melodrama that was completely out of character. It's hard to connect with a character when you can't believe in them. Cody, Hannah's husband, also fell into the same abyss of unbelievability when this formerly wonderful persona took on a cruel self -destructive nature. The actions by Faircloth and Cody were just too unbelievable to me and I could not continue. At page 178 I had to admit defeat. At some point I may try to finish the book but for the near future it's not happening. This is just my opinion. Readers have to decide for themselves if this book is a fit for them. It's billed as a Christian thriller so please make your own choice.

Author Bio: Randall Arthur is the bestselling author of Jordan’s Crossing and Brotherhood of Betrayal. He and his wife have served as missionaries to Europe for over thirty years. From 1976 till 1998, he lived in Norway and Germany as a church planter. Since 2000, he has taken numerous missions teams from the United States on trips all over Europe . Arthur is also the founder of the AOK (Acts of Kindness) Bikers’ Fellowship, a group of men who enjoy the sport of motorcycling. He and his family live in Atlanta , Georgia .

This book was provided for review by The Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group. For more info on Wisdom Hunter or to purchase online please visit Random House.

Guest post: Rolf Hitzer, author of Hoodoo Sea

Today, I would like to welcome Rolf Hitzer to Pudgy Penguin Perusals. Before we see what Rolf has to say in his guest post, here is a little background info about this author.

Rolf Hitzer was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1959 and raised by his parents, Erna and Julius Hitzer.

Rolf attended Princess Margaret Elementary School, John Pritchard Junior High and Graduated from Kildonan East Regional Secondary School where he had majored in Culinary Arts.

Rolf is married to his wife Irma since 1997. Together they have a wonderful blended family with Rita and Clark Bodoano and Grand children, Alexandria, Patrick and Braeden. Jason and Leah Tutlies, and Grandson Easton. Mandel Hitzer, and the youngest Jessica Hitzer. Clearly the growth of his family is still a work in progress.

Rolf Hitzer has several passions besides writing, they include being at the log cabin on weekends. Spending time on the water with a fishing pole in hand. Wildlife viewing and especially Moose calling during the fall rut. Playing a range of Poker card games and a variety of board games.

Rolf is a Member of the Winnipeg Real Estate Board, The Manitoba Real Estate Association and the Canadian Real Estate Association. He is currently working on his second novel.

It has to be right..... to write by Rolf Hitzer

What made a tremendous difference for me to help maintain my concentration when I sat down to write, was the setting I selected. Early on when I had started to pen Hoodoo Sea, I realized that distraction was my biggest enemy.

Any slight disturbance, I found, hindered my creativity and ability to focus. So knowing this, my writing environment became as important as the story I was working on.

First came the room, I chose an area in the house, the basement, where I couldn't look out of the small window. Perfect. Whatever was happening outside, I had isolated myself from it.

Absolutely no phone, land line or cell. In fact, my wife would take a message whenever someone would call. No music, e mails, text messages, or even if anyone happened to come by the house unannounced. For two hours each day, I disappeared from the world. Sounds easy enough, but it wasn't.

Before going through this disciplined process, my word production was less than half, versus from when I had made the decision to isolate myself from everything. It's funny how life can be when we always seem to learn best from the school of hard knocks.

For more information on his book visit: http://www.hoodoosea.com/ .

This book published by Bluewater Press,LLC was provided for review by the author through a Virtual Book Tour.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion. This is where we share new to us words that we have come across during our week of reading. My words this week are all taken from Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley. A most enjoyable (5*) read that will be on my Show Me 5 Saturday post.

persiflage: n, light bantering style of writing or speaking. Idle good natured bantering.

Hayden was not one to waste presidential weekend time on persiflage.

logorrheic: adj., log·or·rheic, excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness

Successive campaign advisors had tried without success to get him to give briefer answers, but nothing had stemmed the logorrheic tide, the tsunami of subordinate clauses and parenthetical asides, the inexorable mudslide of anecdotage.

susurrus: n, a whisper, a sound

The lawyer pushed on . . " that a carburetor and a firearm, however distinct from a mechanical point of view, are both devices that come with implicit guarantees of functionality."

"Like an electric chair, say?"

A susurrus of laughter rippled through the Court. Justice Santamaria was frisky today.

Okay, so I gave you more than just the word but this book kept me so amused. I don't think there was a page on which I didn't at least snicker. Happy reading!

Blog Tour: Shadow Government by Grant Jeffrey

Synopsis:

Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past.
An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won’t stop until they control the world.
In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan’s global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world.
Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be equipped to face spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth.

My Thoughts : Scary scenarios a la 1984 document that our every move is monitored. Jeffrey writes a compelling tale of big government keeping tabs on what should be private; our financial transactions, medical info, e mail and cell phone communications are recorded, kept and analyzed. This is all in the name of security. With the so called security, the world's citizens have lost all their privacy. It virtually no longer exists.

With the advent of all these technological advances and the world becoming more globalized, Jeffrey claims we are getting closer and closer to the end times prophesied in the bible. Things that would have sounded like sci-fi not too long ago are now a reality. He makes a convincing case for this in the following chapters. A few of the chapters on weapons technology I found somewhat dry but in the ensuing chapters with a more historical leaning and details of treaties now in effect, I couldn't read it fast enough. I was appalled to learn all the intricate details of the World Trade Organization and the terms of NAFTA.

Jeffrey is convinced that an evil world dictatorship will happen in our generation. But he is also optimistic in his personal belief that Jesus Christ will return to vanquish the anti-Christ. This is a book you might think you don't want to read but one that you should read.

Author Bio: Grant R. Jeffrey is the internationally known prophecy researcher, Mideast expert, and author of Countdown to the Apocalypse, The New Temple and the Second Coming, The Next World War, and twenty other best-selling books. He is also the editor of the Prophecy Study Bible. His popular television program, Bible Prophecy Revealed, airs weekly on TBN. Jeffrey earned his master’s and PhD degrees from Louisiana Baptist University . He and his wife, Kaye, live in Toronto.

For more info on Shadow Government or to purchase on online, please visit Random House. The review copy of this book was provided by the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Show Me Five Saturday: Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson

Alipet813 at That's a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1.Book you read and/or reviewed this week:

Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson

2. Words that describe the book:

Thriller, police procedural

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met :

Sun Valley, Idaho, Sheriff Walt Fleming; devoted uncle to fatherless teen Kevin who inadvertently gets caught up in a professional heist, Teddy Sumner; widower movie producer father who is in town to attend historic and valuable wine auction

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

Tightly crafted plot with twists and turns that kept me entralled to the end, very believable relationships between the characters, Summer Sumner; spoiled teen who gets more than she bargained for when she runs away from a weekend with her father, historic wine info and method of verification lent authenticity to plot

Stars or less for your rating?

5*****

Guest Post and Giveaway with J.B. Stanley

Oooh, I am so totally thrilled to have J.B. Stanley back for another visit. If you missed her last guest post, here is the link. Y'all know how much I love her books! If by some weird quirk of karmic fate you have not read any of her books, *gasp!* you can read a review of Stiffs and Swines and The Battered Body, which I also featured in a hilarious Tuesday Teaser . She's giving us her new recipe that will appear in her latest book coming out in January. So you, dear readers, are waaaay ahead of the curve.

J.B. is again being so generous in allowing me to give away a galley copy of her new book, Stirring Up Strife. She is sweetening the pot by adding in some coffee and gourmet cookies to munch on while reading. But let's welcome J.B., enjoy her latest guest post and then the giveaway details will be at the end.

It’s Not Too Late to Plant a Garden

By Jennifer (JB) Stanley

I love this time of year. The pulse quickens with the coolness in the air, the night descends a bit earlier, and breezes stir the baked leaves on tired trees. One of my favorite things to do about now is to plant my fall garden. I’ve been working on this for the last two days and yesterday, as I was pulled leggy impatiens from the ground, I thought about how gardening is like editing a piece of writing.

You’ve got your summer garden bed. It’s colorful in places, yes, but in others the plants are withered, or spotted with brown, or just plain dead. Writing is like this too. When we sit down to compose something, we know when we’ve created something good. We know when what we’ve written is vibrant and blooming because the rereading of the passage gives us (and hopefully others) pleasure. The less successful writing is flat and lifeless as a parched plant or is corroded with grammatical or structural errors until the sentences are ready to fall apart like a rosebush that has been ruthlessly gnawed at by Japanese beetles.

As I dug holes for a grouping of Autumn Joy sedum and some “Fiesta” violas, I thought about how I should be doing a better job prepping the soil, but I felt rushed and lazy so I just stuck the plants in the ground and promised to fertilize them later. I’m shamed to admit it— I’ve done this with my writing too. Haven’t felt in the mood or have come across a writing block the size of the Great Wall of China and just turned away instead of figuring out how to climb over it.

But now it’s the season of change. If you’ve got something in your mind you’ve been longing to commit to paper or have a manuscript tucked far back in the desk drawer, dig it out! Weed out the bad writing and blend in some new colors—some marigold, crimson, and electric orange. Then sit back and wait for rain.

RECIPE: Magnolia’s Marvels: Butterscotch Cheesecake Squares

Crust

¾ cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Filling :

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drizzle (optional)

¼ cup semi-sweet morsels
2 teaspoons shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking pan.
Crust: Combine butter and butterscotch morsels in a saucepan and, stirring constantly, cook over low heat. Once blended, add graham cracker crumbs.
Pack crust evenly onto bottom of baking pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and condensed milk in a small bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. (Maggie likes to use an electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Make sure all the chunks of cream cheese have been beaten smooth). Pour over crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes until knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan and then cut into squares.

Now for the giveaway:
No P.O. Boxes and open to residents of the US & Canada. Just comment on something from the guest post and be sure to leave an e mail address; no e-mail or appropriate comment, no entry.

Bonus entries can be earned by:

• +2 Becoming a new google friends connect follower


• +2 Already being a follower


• + 2 Post about contest and leave me a link


• + 1 Put contest in sidebar or tweet and leave me a link


• Put all info in ONE box, please! If you are already a follower, remind me please. Deadline to enter is Guy Fawkes day, November 5 th at 5 P.M Good Luck !
  

Blog Tour: Night of Flames by Douglas W. Jacobson

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: McBooks Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590131665
ISBN-13: 978-1590131664

In his debut novel set against the backdrop of World War II, Douglas W. Jacobson weaves a complex story of a young Polish couple, Jan and Anna Kopernik, seeking to be re-united amidst the ravages of war torn Europe. The story takes place in Poland and Belgium alternately following Jan and Anna as they try to cope with their separation in horrific war conditions.

When the Germans begin their relentless invasion into Poland in 1939, Anna has just come from Krakow to Warsaw to attend the funeral of her friend Irene's mother. Anna, Irene and Irene's son Justyn attempt to make their way from the ravaged city of Warsaw back to Krakow. A friend of a friend can manage to get them to Italy on a diplomatic visa but when Irene becomes ill, all plans and lives for that matter are dramatically changed.

Jan, an officer in the Polish Cavalry, and his division face some devasting battles. Although Jan manages to escape with non life- threatening injuries, he does not return to his cavalry position. With his ability to speak fluent German, Jan finds himself doing intelligence work for the British.When he is offered the chance to get back to Poland, he is determined not only to do his duty but to find Anna.Unfortunately this proves to be much more difficult than he thought it would be.

After much hardship, travail and heartbreaking losses, Anna ends up in Belgium and becomes involved with a resistance movement called the White Brigade. At one point she is captured by a Nazi officer, Dieter Koenig; a most vile, disgusting and thoroughly evil man. Even though he saves her from being sent to a concentration camp, he is determined to keep her for his own purposes. Jacobson paints such a chillingly vivid picture of this character, I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I was almost holding my breath to see how this would all pan out.

I truly enjoyed Anna's character as I felt she was a strong, intelligent and brave woman with a very caring nature. At risk to herself, she did not hesitate to help her Jewish friends Irene and Justyn. The character of Jan was not as thoroughly developed as Anna's but I still got the feeling that he was an extremely patriotic and conscientious man who would do whatever was necessary to find his beloved Anna. Would Jan and Anna find each other again in all the chaos? More importantly, would they even survive the war?

Jacobson has obviously done a tremendous amout of research for his plot driven novel and managed to seamlessly mingle fact and fiction into a wonderfully vivid story. The pages just came alive for me with all the historical detail and a myriad of characters. All the accounts of efforts made by the resistance enhanced the storyline. Jacobson has paid homage to these brave individuals who risked much and sometimes all to overcome the oppressors in their homeland. A compellingly told story of loyalty, betrayals and heroism of ordinary citizens in a time when the world seemed to have gone mad. Excellent read. I just loved it! Highly recommended. 4.5****

A big thank you to Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the tour and to McBooks Press for a review copy.

Giveaway: 5 copies of Show No Fear by Marliss Melton

Lucy Donovan always gets her man. As a fiercely independent CIA agent, she's survived hundreds of death-defying missions. But her latest may just get her killed. Weighed down with a secret she's desperate to keep, the last thing Lucy needs is to be sent undercover with a man who brings out the best--and the worst--in her.Navy SEAL Gus Atwater never turns down an assignment, even if it means working with the only woman he's ever loved and lost. So with a volatile mix of desire and distrust, Lucy and Gus confront their tangled past. Pretending to be man and wife is risky enough, but now the clock is running out. As their mission escalates from desperate to deadly, will Lucy's secret expose them both?

This is one read that will keep your adrenaline flowing with the suspenseful action and will warm your heart at the same time with the true love between Lucy and Gus. I read it in 2 sittings and enjoyed it very much. Plausible scenarios, believable characters and realistic dialogue make for a great book. 4****

Now for the giveaway: Thanks to the generosity of Hachette Book Group, I am giving away 5 copies of Show No Fear. You probably know the drill by now but here it is anyway:

No P.O. Boxes and open to residents of the US & Canada only.
Just leave me a comment that you would like to win and be sure to leave an e mail address; no e-mail, no entry.

Bonus entries can be earned by:

+2 Becoming a new google friends connect follower

+2 Already being a follower

+ 2 Post about contest and leave me a link

+ 1 Put contest in sidebar or tweet and leave me a link

Put all info in ONE box, please! If you are already a follower, remind me please. Deadline to enter is October 30th at 5 P.M

Blog Tour: The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 6, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307446530
ISBN-13: 978-0307446534
Publisher's synopsis:

"Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry. Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak? "

My Thoughts: When Beth and Jonah began exchanging letters, each thinking the other person was someone else, they both were not afaid to show their vulnerable side. Beth and Jonah both shared such deeply personal thoughts which helped the other person to see who they really were inside. But when Beth finds out about Lizzy's manipulations after Jonah shows up at a social given by Lizzy, she becomes very angry and wants nothing more to do with Jonah. Will Beth be able to let go of her pain and anger and see that Aunt Lizzy has her best interests at heart or will Lizzy's deception ruin her original matchmaking scheme?

This book touched me in ways that at times I actually had tears in my eyes. The characters in this story came to life for me and I was immersed in their lives from the very beginning. Woodsmall can get right into her characters' hearts and souls with the ability to easily convey those feelings to the reader.Woodsmall has the knack to engage the reader very early on with her little hints of mystery behind Beth's heartache. I couldn't wait to find out what happened and so read the book in two sittings. Even though the story is reasonably short ( just 194 pages of actual story) it packs an emotional wallop. I cried and I rejoiced at this simple but wonderful story. The Amish aspect of the book was not only educational but extremely interesting to me. The book has a Christian theme to it; but it is handled like pleasant low background music, not blaring in-your-face noise. A thoroughly enjoyable read that I would highly recommend to fans of Christian fiction, romance and family stories.
4****

Author Bio: Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years. Cindy has a wonderful website with chances to win one of her books and/or a handmade quilt.

A big thank you to Elizabeth from Multnomah/Random House for inviting me to take part in the tour and for the review copy. For more info on The Sound of Sleigh Bells and options for purchasing on line, please visit Random House.

Author Spotlight shines on Dianne Castell, author of Hot and Irresistable

USA Today best selling author Dianne Castell writes for Kensington Books. She also writes a monthly editor interview column for Romance Writers Report. Her books have won Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, been on the cover of Romantic Times Magazine and included in Rhapsody Book Club, Doubleday Book Club and have made the Waldenbooks Bestseller list.
The second book in her Savannah Sizzles series for the BRAVA line, Hot and Irresistible, hits the shelves Nov'09. Dianne lives in Cincinnati with her two cats and will do just about anything to get out of housework. You can visit her website at http://www.diannecastell.com/ or email her at dianecastell@hotmail.com.

SOUTHERN COMFORT, SAVANNAH STYLE…

Bebe Fitzpatrick’s hard upbringing taught her how to take care of herself, how to tell true friends from false, and how to be a good cop. She can also sweet-talk a man like she means it…until she stumbles into the arms of a damn sexy Yankee who’s gunning for Savannah ’s favorite shady entrepreneur…

As far as Donovan McCabe is concerned, the main obstacle to his investigation is the one thing he can’t help wanting in his way. Bebe’s smart, sassy, and utterly oblivious to her own appeal. Add the fact that a Boston cop trying to arrest one of Savannah ’s best-loved citizens is about as popular as the reincarnation of General Grant. What Donovan needs is a better game plan. What he’s about to get is southern “hospitality” that’ll make his toes curl…

Want more? Of course you do! Here is an excerpt from Dianne's book:

Don’t you dare go feeling sorry for me because, Donovan McCabe, I sure as hell don’t need a pity party and now you want to tell me what you’re doing on my front stoop?”
Her gaze met his and she braced herself for the Oh, you poor thing look but instead Donovan bent his head and kissed her. She started to protest but her lips were busy and suddenly her tongue was too and then her arms got into the act and then her insides melted into goo which had acid beat all to hell and back. This was all wrong on every level except one…Donovan McCabe felt so darn good when she was feeling crappy as hell.
How many times had Dara struck and no one had been there? But here and now on this beautiful spring morning, there was Donovan McCabe. She breathed, a sense of peace she’d never
known before in her whole life filling her up like a glass long empty. She leaned into him and took one more kiss, just a little with a tiny nibble of his bottom lip to chase away the lingering chill of Dara, then Bebe stepped back. Every cell in her body…except the two rational cells still functioning in her
brain… insisted she was the most stupid woman on planet earth for not staying locked in his arms.
“What was that all about?” The question was as much for
her as him because she didn’t know what to think about the effect he had on her.
“You look like a woman who needed a hug and the kiss part just snuck in.” His voice was steady but there was unsure spark in his eyes that said he didn’t just go around kissing every woman who may have the need. But she didn’t need him to be nice and she wished like hell he hadn’t seen Dara. It was Bebe’s private life, the part she kept tucked away as best she could even from Brie, Priss and Charlotte . A crappy childhood did not transfer into a crappy life.
“Are you playing me, McCabe? Softening me up so I’ll help you nail Cleveland ?
Well, I won’t and I can handle Dara.”
“How about I look the other way and you
just shoot her.”
Bebe broke into a laugh and today she didn’t think she’d be
laughing about anything. “I’ll lend you my gun,” he continued, looking perfectly serious. “Or at least blast the bitch verbally. I’ve seen you in action, you’re a hellcat when riled. Why not now?”If he hadn’t offered his gun she would have told Donovan to butt out but he did offer and he’d kissed her when she needed it and she wasn’t in the habit of needing much. A new meaning of good cop, bad cop. “A conditioned response from when I was a kid. Dara’s favorite game was to threaten to leave me in the marsh if I didn’t do what she said. Scared the hell out of me and you never did say way you’re here.” Why the hell was she telling McCabe all this? Fallout from a dynamite kiss.
“When my mother tells me to stand up straight and get a haircut I still do it.”
A gentle smile that comes from thinking of good stuff softened his face.
“Except my mom’s nothing like yours, though I do remember threats of military school.” He leaned against the side of the apartment looking as if the place belonged to him. He was that kind of guy, one who fit in anywhere, probably even military school. Bebe felt as if she fit in nowhere and she’d
lived in Savannah all her life. He said, “I’m here because I didn’t want to air our problems in front of the whole station. We need to talk about how we’re going to handle Ray Cleveland.”
This was better. Arguing over work was a piece of cake, reminiscing about a screwed up childhood was a piece of shit. “I said I’m not helping you with Cleveland, McCabe and I haven’t changed my mind so there’s no need for kisses that curl my toes.” Well damn. She was on a roll till the toes part. When Donovan was around she had to learn to think before she opened her big mouth…which could lead to more kissing and then tongues. What in the almighty hell was she going to do with Donovan McCabe!

Dianne Castell’s HOT AND IRRESISTIBLE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on Oct. 5 and end on Nov. 27. You can visit Dianne’s blog stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ during the month of October and November to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Show Me 5 Saturday: The Body in the Ivy by Katherine Hall Page

Alipet813 at That's a Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1. Book you read and/or reviewed this week

The Body in the Ivy by Katherine Hall Page (2006)

2. Words that describe the book

Cozy , fun

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met:

Maine island

Faith Fairchild: MA caterer, wife of local minister, mother of two and amateur sleuth.

Pelham an exclusive women's college where all the women enticed by Barbara Bishop to the Island met originally

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

I loved the the New England setting and descriptions of the island: home of reclusive wealthy author with no need to communicate with outside world

Faith, believable main character who is logically narrowing down the suspects and keeps a cool head during all the ensuing brouhaha

I liked the way the author went back and forth from present to past to show more layers of the characters and events that led to the present.

Finely paced plot and mystery denouement kept up my interest level from page one to the end.

5. Stars or less for a rating

For its genre, I'd rate this one a 5***** as I couldn't put it down until I found out "whodunnit"!

Deja Vue . . .One week later. . . . . .

Tuesday was the library $3.00 per bag sale and I went....again! If you missed last week's post on my calendar- challenged mishap, see this. We waited in line in the hot Florida sunshine, for about 20 minutes before the doors opened and the book-loving cheapskates bargain hunters descended like locusts upon the myriad of boxes full to the brim with books.

My plan was to hone right in to the mystery section and pick up a few new cozies. Hubby went in the same direction and picked up anything that looked like spy, navy related, conspiracy type books. After 40 minutes, we had had enough! Very unusual for us, but today was quick scan, grab and proceed to checkout. Our foraging netted us 68 books for the vast sum of $9.00. That worked out to just 13 1/4 cents per book. Not a bad deal at all! It will be interesting to see how much the county made on the 5 day sale. Last year, I think the total was a little over $42,000.00 and the best part is that all proceeds are used to purchase more materials for the library.

Here's a look at what we bought.

Allison Margaret ~ The Last Curve ****
Archer Jeffrey ~ The Eleventh Commandment
Babson Marian~ Murder on a Mystery Tour ***
Banks Carolyn ~Murder Well-Bred **
Barnard Robert ~Bodies ***
Block Lawrence ~Hit List
Bradley Lynn~ Stand-in for Murder **
Branon Bill ~Devil's Hole
Brown Dale ~ Dreamland
Coonts Stephen ~ Cuba
Craig Kit ~Twice Burned
Curtis Jack ~Point of Impact
Disney Doris M.~ Who Rides a Tiger
Donaldson D.J. ~No Mardi Gras for the Dead
Douglas Carole Nelson ~ Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit
Douglas Carole Nelson ~ Pussyfoot
Du Bois Brendan ~Resurrection
Dugoni Robert ~Damage Control
Dugoni Robert ~Wrongful Death
Elkins Aaron ~The Dark Place
Erickson Lynn ~ The Ripple Effect 4****
Follett Ken ~ The Modigliani Scandal
Francis James ~ Danger's Hour
Graham Heather ~The Dead Room
Green Tim ~The Fourth Perimeter
Gross Andrew ~The Dark Tide
Harrell Janice ~Past Imperfect ****
Harris Lee ~The Father's Day Murder **
Hart Erin ~Haunted Ground
Hooper Kay ~If There be Dragons **
Howard Linda ~Killing Time
Kane Andrea ~Run for Your Life
Kellerman Faye ~Stalker
Kellerman Jonathon ~Billy Straight
Larkin E.L.~Die and Die
Locke David ~The Guest Shot
Mahoney Dan ~Hyde
Marsh Ngaio ~Overture to Death ***
Marsh Ngaio ~Death in Ecstasy **
Marsh Ngaio ~Dead Water **
Mathes Charles ~The Girl in the Face of the Clock ***
Mathews Francine ~Death in a Cold Hard Light ***
McBain Ed ~Widows
McBain Ed ~Kiss
Mccullogh Colleen ~The Thornbirds
Meadows David ~The Sixth Fleet
Michaels Fern ~Hide and Seek
Mitcheltree Tom ~Missing, Maybe Dead ****
Neely Barbara ~ Blanche Cleans Up ***
Nixon Joan Lowery ~The Island of Dangerous Dreams
Page Katherine Hall ~The Body in the Bouillon ***
Page Katherine Hall ~The Body in the Ivy *****
Paige Robin ~Death on the Lizard
Rendell Ruth ~A Guilty Thing Surprised 3.5***
Rovin Jeff ~Op-Center Line of Control
Rowlands Betty ~Exhaustive Enquiries
Sanders Lawrence ~Caper
Sasser Charles ~Detachment Delta
Scott Leonard ~Duty Bound
Silva Daniel ~The English Assassin
Smith Julie ~Tourist Trap ***
Spindler Erica ~Deep Run
Stewart Mary ~This Rough Magic
Stockenburg Antoinette ~Keepsake
Waugh Hillary ~ Murder on Safari
Weiss Herman ~Hot Water
Wilhelm Kate ~The Unbidden Truth 4****
Yaffee James ~ Mom Among the Liars (dup)

Review and Giveaway: A Highlander's Temptation by Sue Ellen Welfonder

Synopsis Darroc MacConacher spends sleepless nights dreaming of a raven-haired beauty who makes him ache with desire. Then his dream comes true: the lady with her lush curves and fair skin appears shipwrecked on his shores. Darroc is immediately drawn to her strength and beauty, and from the moment she lays eyes on this powerful, broad-shouldered warrior, Lady Arabella MacKenzie knows she'll never want another man.But theirs is a forbidden love. The MacKenzies drove the MacConachers from their lands and destroyed their honor. Now, Darroc can use this sapphire-eyed seductress to shatter his foes. Yet how can he deny the passion that burns between him and Arabella, and ruin the one woman who touches his very soul?

My Thoughts: Normally, this kind of cover would have me running for the nearest exit, but I have recently learned not to be so hasty and to give the book a chance. Just a romance is not enough to satisfy this reader; there needs to be a little more substance to the story.

When Darroc first laid eyes on the lovely, raven-haired beauty Lady Arabella, it was as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. Looking into her sapphire eyes, he felt that his heart and soul had been stolen. Of course, as soon as Arabella got an eyeful of Darroc, the feelings were mutual.

Even though the ending of this book is oh, so predictable, that doesn't detract from the sheer fun of reading this scorching romance. When I say scorching, I mean white hot passionate soul searing feelings. Just the sight of each other sends their senses reeling , their knees trembling and their blood pumping at a fast and furious pace.

Welfonder certainly knows how to put the reader in the scene. The descriptions of the isle's lonely ruggededness and craggy beauty had me enthralled. I could feel the deep penetrating cold of the wind coming off the sea and smell the salty spume thrown off from the oars. Descriptions of the castle were also most interesting. I liked the historical feel to the story as it takes place in 1350. Fun characters that I really enjoyed in the story besides the main characters were Mad Moraig who played matchmaker and the resident ghost, Asa Longlegs. They really added to the atmosphere of the book.

Sue-Ellen Welfonder is a card-carrying Scotophile whose burning wish to make frequent (free) trips to the land of her dreams led her to a twenty year career with the airlines. Bi-lingual, she flew international all those years, working her flights as foreign language speaker. Her flying career allowed her to see the world, but it was always to Scotland that she returned.

Now a full-time writer, she’s quick to admit that she much prefers wielding a pen to pushing tea and coffee. She spent fifteen years living in Europe and used that time to explore as many castle ruins, medieval abbeys, and stone circles as possible. Anything ancient, crumbling, or lichened caught her eye. She makes annual visits to Scotland, insisting they are a necessity as each trip gives her inspiration for new books.

Proud of her own Hebridean ancestry, she belongs to two clan societies: the MacFie Clan Society and the Clan MacAlpine Society. In addition to Scotland, her greatest passions are medieval history, the paranormal, and dogs. She never watches television, loves haggis, and writes at a four-hundred-and-fifty year old desk that once stood in a Bavarian castle.
Sue-Ellen is married and currently resides with her husband and Jack Russell Terrier in Florida. Readers can learn more about her and the world of her books at: http://www.welfonder.com/.

Now for the giveaway: Thanks to the generosity of Hachette Book Group, I am giving away 5 copies of A Higlander's Temptation. You probably know the drill by now but here it is anyway.

No P.O. Boxes and open to residents of the US & Canada only.

Just leave me a comment that you would like to win and be sure to leave an e mail address; no e-mail, no entry.

Bonus entries can be earned by:

+2 Becoming a new google friends connect follower

+2 Already being a follower

+ 2 Post about contest and leave me a link

+ 1 Put contest in sidebar or tweet and leave me a link

Put all info in ONE box, please! If you are already a follower, remind me please. Deadline to enter is October 24th at 5 P.M. Good Luck!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Anyone can play along. Just leave a link to your MM at Marcia's blog and follow the links to other blogs to see what books are finding their way to mailboxes around the world. Caveat: participation in MM can cause your tbr list to grow exponentially. This is what found it's way to my mailbox last week:

Monday : 2 books from Multnomah/Random House for tour at the end of the month. Thanks, Staci!

Shadow Government by Grant Jeffrey

Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur

Saturday: A box of goodies and 5 books won from Sabrina at Cheeky Girl for BBAW contest includes:

Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist

The Booster by Jennifer Solow

The Art of French Kissing by Kristen Harmel

High Tea by Sandra Harper

Rapture's Tempest by Bobbi Smith (whoo, I'll need a plain brown paper wrapper for this one !) Thanks again, Sabrina!

Also received on Saturday 3 books from Multnomah/Random House for tour Nov 2-6th.

What Matters Most by Melody Carlson

Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh

Limelight by Melody Carlson

Thanks, Elizabeth!

What showed up at your house? Anything eliciting the squeal factor?

Winners!

Hooray and hallelujah! We have 5 winners of Supreme Courtship. Random.org did it's thing again and picked:


MJ

Tetewa

Jennifer

Staci

Belinda

All winners have been e mailed. Thank you to all the entrants. Didn't win this one? A new contest starts Tuesday for 5 copies of A Highlander's Temptation! Romance in historic Scotland - hoo whee! See y'all then!

Review: Whiskey Gulf by Dr. Clyde W. Ford

Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Press; First American Edition edition (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593155220
• ISBN-13: 978-1593155223

From the inside cover: After a sailboat drifts into a "live fire" naval exercise area known as Whiskey Gulf, it's never heard from again. Maritime private investigator Charlie Noble is asked to discover what happened to the couple aboard. But he's stonewalled by the American and Canadian military. Then he learns that a Middle Eastern agent has been dispatched to find the couple as well-an agent with an old score to settle from his days as a Coast Guard intelligence officer.

Ultimately, Noble and his partner, Native American salvage diver Raven, head north along the Inside Passage where a hidden cove harbors answers about what really happened in Whiskey Gulf. But in order to return with the truth they must first survive a vicious attack and escape the clutches of a deadly whirlpool. Set in the stunning wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, Whiskey Gulf is a story about unlocking secrets from the past that some people would rather keep concealed.

Before I read this book, I had read a review by another blogger who didn't care for the book at all and gave it a 2 star rating. Therefore, I had some reservations about reading this book but my husband had already read it and he thought it was a terrific book. When I started reading, I was drawn in right away by the mystery aspect of the book. Why weren't the two governments making any statements and what could possibly have happened to the couple aboard the sailboat? These questions really kept me interested in the plot.

Now we come to the matter of dialogue- this is where the reviewing blogger had some quibbles and I agree with her. The dialogue between Charlie and his girlfriend, Kate did seem a tad stilted but the dialogue between Charlie and Raven was okay. At the risk of sounding sexist, I think Ford is better at man-to-man dialogue. His man-to-woman banter leaves a lot to be desired.

The many details about the different boats in the story occasionally tended to make my eyes glaze over but it still did not detract from the fine paced plot. My hubby, being an ex-navy man, could not get enough details about the boats. He reached reading nirvana! So again, at the risk of sounding sexist, there are many aspects of this book that I think will appeal more to males.

One aspect of the book that I really appreciated was the descriptions of the landscape. Obviously, the author knows every detail of that area. Another interesting part of the book is the map at the beginning. For someone like myself who has no familiarity with the northwest area, the map was a tremendous help.

All in all, I would rate the book 3 stars as I did enjoy the plot even though I could put it down easily. If you asked my husband, he would rate it 5 stars. He couldn't put it down until it was over. As with any book, it's all a matter of taste. Would I still recommend it? Yes, I would.

Show Me 5 Saturday: The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley

That's A Novel Idea has started a new MEME called Show Me Five Saturday. This meme will give each blogger an opportunity to give a brief description of a book they have read or reviewed during the week. It will work like this: Each Saturday you will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1. Book you read and/or reviewed this week

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley (debut novel)

2. Words that describe the book

Historical, based on real person

3. Settings where it took place or characters you met:

Three different parts of Asia, Eastern Jewel: a young Manchu Princess sent by her family to live in Japan when she was only 9 years old, Netsuko : her step-aunt from whom she constantly sought approval and a sort of maternal love throughout her life

4. Things you liked and/or disliked about it:

I loved the lush, vivid descriptions of China, Japan and Mongolia. Although she appeared to be amoral and cold, Eastern Jewel was a fascinating character who eagerly embraced life and all its facets. The author aptly portrayed her vulnerable side until the very end, bringing Eastern Jewel alive on the pages. The sweeping historical plot, rich in details of politics and social customs beginning in 1914 until 1948 .

5. Stars or less for your rating?

4.5****