(151) Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I first discovered the world of Fallen Angels when I read Hush, Hush last year. I really enjoyed the unique concept after a gluttony of vampire novels. We met Nora & Patch and watched them battle evil while falling in love.

Well Patch & Nora are back in Crescendo.Patch is no longer a Fallen Angel, saving Nora's life has given him Guardian Angel status. But all eyes are on him. If he screws this up & if it is discovered that he has fallen in love with Nora, he risks being banished to Hell for all of eternity. Things are going well until an old classmate of Nora's moves back to town and she starts having dreams with her murdered Father in them. And things with Patch starts falling apart. Nora once again starts fighting for her life. Will she be able to fight off the Nephilim again or will her entire world come crashing down?

While I enjoyed Crescendo, I did not enjoy it as much as Hush, Hush. I just didn't feel the connection between Patch & Nora like I did in the first book. Will it keep me from reading other installments, no, but my enthusiasm for the series has waned.

(150) The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry

Yaaay! My first Christmas book of the season! I am one of those annoying people that LOVE Christmas. Even though I worked retail for more years than I will admit, I still found myself looking forward to the holiday season every year. I will even go so far as to admit to already bookmarking the Christmas channel on Pandora. So it comes as no surprise that I was excited for this years batch of Holiday books to start hitting the shelf.

First up is The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry. The Perfect Love Song is about two brothers, Jack & Jimmy. And two best friends, Charlotte & Kara. Kara & Jack are childhood sweethearts reunited after years apart. Charlotte & Jimmy met through Kara and have fallen in love themselves. As they all prepare for Kara & Jack's Christmas wedding in Ireland, Jimmy finds himself being propelled to stardom because of the song he wrote for Charlotte. Will Jimmy's rise to fame ruin his perfect love with Charlotte or will he figure out what matters most before it is too late.

The Perfect Love Song is an enchanting novel that gets to the true spirit of Christmas. The fact that it has a little bit of Irish lore in it is just an added bonus . The book is a quick read at just a tidge over 200 pages, but the story will touch your heart & put you in the mood for the upcoming Holidays!

(149)The Long Road Home by Mary Alice Monroe

The Long Road Home is the first book that I have had the
pleasure of reading by Mary Alice Monroe. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth at which Ms. Monroe goes to paint the whole picture.

The Long Road Home is a story about Nora MacKenzie. She is a new widow. She came by that status when her financier of a husband committed suicide after several deals go bad. Nora has lost everything. Her husband, her home, and the things that mean the most to her are all gone. There is a slim chance that an auction will bring enough to allow Nora to keep the sheep farm that means the most to her. But life on a sheep farm is much harder than this city girl ever thought. Luckily she has the farm hand, CW to help her learn the ropes. There is more to CW than Nora knows. Will the truth keep them apart or set them free?

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, there were several times that I thought 400+ pages was 150 pages longer than it really needed to be. I enjoyed the character development of CW & Nora, but some of the subplots just caused my eyes to glaze over and were unnecessary.

Overall The Long Road Home was a good read & I look forward to reading more by this author, but honestly, I would not be surprised to see the book turned into a Lifetime Movie. One I might even watch!

Happy Tuesday!!

You Had Me At Woof

The Confession

(148)Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

I am so disappointed in the buyers are Barnes & Noble who selected Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter as their fall B&N Recommends Title. These are the same people who chose such incredible titles such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Thirteenth Tale. Let me assure you that Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is nowhere near the caliber of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is set in the deep south. It alternates between past and present. In a land that time forgot. Back then Larry & Silas were boys playing in the woods. Color meant nothing to them. Today Silas is a police officer and Larry is the man many believe killed a young girl all those years ago.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter gets a bit predictable. Okay, it gets a lot predictable. And that is when I started to check out. I knew "whodunit" and was not surprised when it was revealed. The only thing that remotely held my interest was the relationship between Silas & Larry. It was a unique relationship discouraged by both sets of parents. But they were just boys and they both just wanted someone to pal around with. But even their relationship became predictable in the chapters set in the present.

Overall I was completely underwhelmed by this book. Which is so disappointing given what I have come to expect from the B&N Recommends selections.

Happy Tuesday!!

Crescendo

(147)The Blessings of Animals by Katrina Kittle

I think that Katrina Kittle has moved to the top of my "favorite author's" list. Her writing has a way of evoking a myriad of emotions. Joy, Sadness, and Confusion, are just a few emotions that bubble to the surface in her book, The Blessings of the Animals.

Vet, Cami, is looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her husband and daughter when she gets called out to an animal rescue. When she gets home she is greeted with her husband's packed car and the announcement that he is leaving her. Even though her family and friends have rallied around her, she seeks solace in the animals. With the help of her friends and family, and the solace of the animals, Cami starts putting her life back together and realizes that her husband leaving her may have been just what she needed to see what her life was missing.

I did not sob like I did while reading Traveling Light, but I admittedly did shed a few tears. Ms Kittle has an amazing talent for capturing emotions on paper. That talent is going to keep Ms Kittle employed for a very long time because I plan on reading everything she ever writes.

(146)Still Thinking of You by Adele Parks

Twenty-Something Tash has fallen head over heals in love with Thirty-Something Rich. After a whirlwhind courtship Rich proposes and they are off to the Swiss Alps for a fairy tale wedding.

There is just one thing standing in the way of Tash's "Happy Ever After" and that is Rich's friends. They are utterly devoted to Rich, but just barely tolerate Tash, thinking she is too young for him. Tash clicks with one of his friends, though, the young, Jayne. Tash finds herself having fun with Jayne and grateful that she came along. Until she learns an ugly secret that will forever change her relationship with Rich. Can they get through this or will her "Happy Ever After" turn into a nightmare?

Still Thinking of You was a fun British Chick Lit novel that delves a little deeper into the characters than your average Chick Lit Novel. The characters are individually unique and as a group they a loving family, there for each other through the good times & the bad. I enjoyed Still Thinking of You and look forward to reading another one of Ms Park's novels.

(145) Dewey's Nine Lives by Vicki Myron

The world was first introduced to Dewey Readmore two years ago. We were instantly smitten. Even though I am not really a cat lover, I loved Dewey (my review) because of Vicki Myron's way of accurately depicting small town Iowa life. So I was thrilled to get a chance to review an ARC of Dewey's Nine Lives. Ms. Myron has nailed it again!

So around here, in Iowa farm country, Spencer is large. It's the kind of town people drive to, not through. It's the kind of town where you recognize most of your fellow citizens but don't necessarily know their names.

The same could be said for my hometown, Shenandoah. It makes me nostalgic for the place I grew up.


Dewey's Nine Lives is a little bit different than Dewey. There are a few stories about Dewey and six stories about other cats that have made an impact on the lives of special people. And imagine my surprise when my friend's Grandpa Mullenberg is mentioned in the first chapter. I got so excited that if it weren't 2 AM in Iowa I would have been texting her or calling her! Instead I Facebooked her. Silly isn't it? To get so excited at something like that. I am a true nerd. LOL

Dewey's Nine Lives is a collection of cat stories told by Vicki Myron. Cat lover or not, you would have to have a heart of coal to not be touched by the stories of the cats that touched the lives of others all over the country.

Quote of the Day

"Libraries raised me."
— Ray Bradbury

Quote of the Day

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."
— Frederick Douglass

(144)uncharted terriTORI by Tori Spelling

Thank you to my friend, Keri, for lending me Tori Spelling's new book, uncharted terriTORI. I have yet to see an episode of Tori & Dean. I intended to watch it after reading Mommywood, but I didn't. I do happen to follow Tori on Twitter.


Uncharted TerriTORI is a lot like her other books. She gives us an inside look at her surprisingly normal life. Well, relatively normal. Not many of my friends get regular readings from psychics, but I could be wrong.


Uncharted TerriTORI is just a continued look at the "private" life of a reality television star. It was an enjoyable read in the fact that it is basically fluff and is really a "mindless" read. If you are a fan or even if you used to be a fan, you will probably find something to enjoy in Tori Spelling's books.

Quote of the Day

"I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them."
— Emma Thompson

Quote of the Day

"A good book is an event in my life."
— Stendhal

(143)Love, Lust, & Faking It by Jenny McCarthy

I have never been pregnant, never had kids, or have a special needs child, so I have never read a Jenny McCarthy book. But, I do follow her on twitter. So when I saw that Jenny had a new book coming out, one about a subject matter I could relate to, I thought I would give it a shot.

So I bought Love, Lust, & Faking It for my nook and read it in like two hours. I was surprised to find it funny, intelligent, informative, and just enough raunchy to probably keep my husband entertained, too. My only mistake was reading it in a hotel room that we were sharing with my In-Laws and step-kids.

Jenny gets candid about her sex life. From her first serious boyfriend to her first sex toy, she talks about it all. It is not all funny sex stories, though. Jenny actually goes so far as to research and interview people who have special insights to sex. Including a couple of prostitutes from the Chicken Ranch in Las Vegas. It is really quite interesting to read.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Love, Lust, & Faking It. Jenny McCarthy's incredible wit and raunchy sense of humor make this book so very entertaining and fast to read. Before you know it, the book will be over and you will be looking for your Spouse or Significant Other. . .

Happy Tuesday!!

Is It Just Me, Or Is It Nuts Out There?

At Home

(142) Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter

It wasn't until page 107 that I realized Easy on the Eyes was part of a series. I recognized Shey from She's Gone Country . And just like in She's Gone Country, the main character is one that is I would love to be friends with.

Tiana Tomlinson has had a lot of loss in her life. Her entire family was killed when she was 14 and her husband was killed just shy of their one year anniversary. She has survived all of that heartache because of her best friends from boarding school and her work as an anchor for an Entertainment News program. When one of those become threatened, Tiana has to dig deep to survive yet another heartache.

Jane Porter has a knack for writing about strong women in unusual situations. Where some women may take the easy way out and let life happen, Jane Porter's women stand strong and fight for their happiness. Tiana Tomlinson is just another example of what "strong" looks like.

Quote of the Day

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."
— Emilie Buchwald

Quote of the Day

"The paper is patient, but the reader is not."
— Joseph Joubert

Quote of the Day

"The paper is patient, but the reader is not."
— Joseph Joubert

Quote of the Day

"Only the nonreader fears books. "
— Richard Peck

Quote of the Day

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
— Dr. Seuss