Vision in White

Vision in White is the first book in the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts. From the inside cover flap.~

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac-the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut’s premier wedding planning companies.

After years of throwing make-believe weddings in the backyard, flowers, photography, desserts, and details are what these women do best: a guaranteed perfect, beautiful day full of memories to last the rest of your life.

With bridal magazine covers to her credit, Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera-ready to capture the happy moments she never experienced while growing up. Her father replaced his first family with a second, and now her mother, moving on to yet another man, begs Mac for attention and money. Mac’s foundation is jostled again moments before an important wedding planning meeting when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brother…an encounter that has them both seeing stars.

Carter Maguire is definitely not her type: he’s stable and he’s safe. He’s even an English teacher at their high school alma mater. There’s something about him that makes Mac think a casual fling is just what she needs to take her mind off dealing with bridezillas and screening her mother’s phone calls. But a casual fling can turn into something more when you least expect it. And with the help of her three best friends-and business partners- Mac must learn how to make her own happy memories…

The last couple of series by Nora Roberts have been books with a paranormal element. I love paranormal romances, but missed her straight up romances. With Vision in White, Roberts gives her readers the contemporary romance I for one have been missing, not that I don’t enjoy her single title books with hints of mystery.

I loved Mac and her friends. They are all such strong women and as a unit they are unstoppable. Mac has no thoughts of ever getting into a serious relationship. She had seen too many men come and go in her mother’s life, as well as being abandoned by her father when he decided he wanted a new family. Then Carter Maguire comes back into her life. They had briefly gone to high school together, and meet again when Carter’s sister hires Mac’s wedding planning company to handle her wedding. Carter, who had a crush on Mac all those years ago, still finds Mac attractive, and Mac has an instant attraction to Carter. Even though they are as different as night and day, they can’t seem to stay away from each other. Mac, who had never felt like this in her life, gets scared and tries to convince Carter they could never be right together. Mac must decide whether she is a strong enough person to trust and depend on someone other than her 3 best friends.

I really loved Vision in White and look forward to the rest of the books in this series. Bed of Roses is book 2 in the Bride Quartet series and was released at the beginning of November.

***Disclaimer*** I bought this book myself and will buy the rest of the books in this series as well.

Black Friday Just About Killed Me

I really don't know what my sister and I are thinking each year, but we do the Black Friday shopping trip every year. It started out as the only day all year that we could spend time together just the two of us...you know and 50,000 strangers. However, after this year, we both have said it will probably be our last year to do the crazy Black Friday shopping trip.

We started out at Toys R Us with my middle niece. Toys R Us was opening at midnight, and we thought we could get in and out in about an hour or so and still get a nap before heading to Walmart around 4:30 am. Yeah right! When we arrived at Toys R Us, we were in a line that wrapped around two buildings and took us over 20 minutes just to get into the store. However, that really isn't even the best part of the story. We walk into the store and you can barely walk anywhere in the store. We were lucky enough to get all the items on my youngest niece's list, but then we had to wait over 2 1/2 hours just to check out. We did end up making lots of friends while waiting in line, but it was just too crazy for words. Plus the Toys R Us workers kept sending everyone in the wrong direction to check out, which is why it took so very long to get out of the store. So what should have taken about 1 hour turned into almost 4 hours. We dropped Middle off at the house and then headed to Walmart. Walmart was a little bit better, but not a whole lot better. We again managed to get the gifts we were looking for, but had to deal with some really rude people again. Luckily, we really weren't looking for any of the big ticket items this year, so we still had to wait forever just to get out of the store. I know everyone is trying to save money this year, but the rudeness of some people still surprises me.

Now, I'm just trying to catch up on all the sleep I missed while shopping early Friday morning. Also must catch up on my laundry and cleaning around my house. So tomorrow my day will be spent doing laundry, cleaning up the house, and watching the Titans play the Cardinals. Go Titans!!!

I have been reading in the last couple of weeks, and finished reading Vision in White by Nora Roberts and Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. I plan to post about at least one of these books tomorrow.

Kindred in Death

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb is the latest book in her popular In Death series. From the inside cover flap.~

In 2060, Lieutenant Eve Dallas searches the nooks of New York City for a dastardly and despicable criminal, in the newest novel by #1 New York Times-bestselling author J.D. Robb.

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they are looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter, who stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could prepare them for the crime scene that awaits them instead. Deena has been brutally murdered in her bedroom, and her body shows signs of trauma that horrify even the toughest of cops, including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who is specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities.

Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to serve justice.

The only thing I don’t love about the In Death series is we only get two books a year. I’ve loved Nora Roberts ‘s books for years, and love her In Death books written as J.D. Robb best of all. The readers are given another winner in the series with Kindred in Death. Eve Dallas must work on one of the hardest cases in her career. Not only is she responsible for solving the violent murder of a fellow officer’s child, she must block out her personal history to stay focused on her job. As always, Eve had Roarke as her backup for all things work related and personal. With the help of Peabody, McNabb, Feeney, and Dr. Mira, and even Nadine when needed, Eve sets out to find who would want to brutally rape and murder an innocent young girl. When another murder occurs, Eve and her team must work over-time to figure out how they are connected and who is behind the murders. If multiple murders aren’t enough to deal with, Eve is the matron of honor for Louise for her wedding to Charles, which is set to take place at Eve and Roarke’s home. Eve has never felt comfortable with all the girly-stuff, and really doesn’t want to take time to deal with it in the middle of a murder investigation.

I got to see and spend time with all of my favorite characters from the In Death series with Kindred in Death. Normally fans of the In Death series have to wait six months for another fix. Luckily “Missing in Death” is set for a December 1, 2009 release in The Lost anthology. Looking forward to my next fix for the In Death series early(almost like an early Christmas gift).

***Disclaimer***I bought this book myself.

Faerie Fate

Faerie Fate is the debut novel by Silver James. I had Silver email me the back cover blurb, which can also be found on her upcoming releases page on her website www.silverjames.com.

If you could go back, do it over again, would you take a chance to find true love? What if you had no choice?

On her fiftieth birthday, the faerie send Rebecca Miller a thousand years into the past to find her happily ever after with Ciaran MacDermot, Chief of Clann MacDermot, the last Fenian warrior in his line. In the twenty-first century, Becca is old enough to be Ciaran’s mother. In the tenth, she’s young enough to be his bride.

The fae forgot to mention one slight stipulation. The lovers must be bound before the Festival of Light, or Becca will forever disappear into Tir Nan Óg , the faerie Land of the Ever Young. Will they discover the binding words before time runs out and they’re torn apart forever? Or will their eternal love defeat their Faerie Fate?

When Becca goes to bed on her fiftieth birthday, she wakes up in a different century and twenty-five years younger. Ciaran and Becca share a link to each other where they can feel each other’s pain and location, so Ciaran knows where to find Becca. Ciaran must seek help from Niall and his wife Siobhan to help heal Becca, who they find close to death. Neither Becca or Ciaran realize why they are connected or they must be bound before the Festival of Light.

I loved Faerie Fate! I pretty much bumped every book in my TBR pile to read Faerie Fate first. I was lucky enough to win an ARC from Silver’s blog and I’m so glad I got to read this book early. I loved the main characters Becca and Ciaran, and the supporting characters of Niall, Siobhan and Riordan just as much. I especially love Riordan and can't wait to read more about him in his book Faerie Fool. Silver gives the reader very strong characters and a strong story filled with the fae, a touch of mystery and a bit of time travel.

Faerie Fate currently has a release date of April 9, 2010, and I can't wait for the next two books in theTir Nan Óg trilogy, which are Faerie Fire and Faerie Fool.

***Disclaimer*** I won this ARC on Silver's blog, but will be purchasing my own copy in April.

Weekend Update

I have to say that my shopping trip with my grandmother and aunt yesterday was one of our best trips ever. Nannie was able to find the shoes she wanted, picked up all the gifts needed, and even found a couple of fun things to buy too. I found the cutest gray fur-lined boots and they are so very comfortable. Really hoping for cold weather for my shopping trip with my sister the day after Thanksgiving so I can wear my new boots.

All of that being said, I am so very tired today that this is pretty much all I see myself posting today. I have been on the road for 3 days straight and know to make it through this week, I will have to take a really long nap this afternoon. It will have to wait for the end of the Titan's game, on the theory I will stay awake through the game. Hope everyone else has a wonderful Sunday.

Go Titans!!!

Shopping with my grandmother

This weekend I'll make the trip back to my hometown to go Christmas shopping with my 90-year-old grandmother and my aunt. We started this tradition the year I graduated from college(1993) and have pretty much only missed 1 or 2 years since then. If we miss a trip, the three of us still find a weekend to have our shopping trip together. The trip started so I could help my grandmother (Nannie) pick out all the gifts for my younger cousins and nieces. I would help pick out either toys they would play with or clothes they would actually wear. Now, and for many of the last several years, Nannie has been giving everyone in the family checks for Christmas. The only people who still gets actual gifts are my great-aunt, aunt, dad, and youngest niece(who is almost 6). Now I've already gotten the gift for Youngest, so we only have to really look for 2 or 3 gifts this weekend. I really treasure this trip with my grandmother, and as much as I think it is pretty crazy since she gives out checks to most everyone, I will continue to make this trip for as many years as Nannie is able to go shopping.

I also plan on posting about the 2 books I've read this week. The first is an ARC of Faerie Fate by Silver James. This is her very first book and I should get the post up by Sunday. The second book is the latest JD Robb book, Kindred in Death. My goal is to post about at least one of these books by Sunday.

**Disclaimer I won the ARC of Faerie Fate on Silver's blog and purchased Kindred in Death myself.

Bite Me!

Bite Me! is the debut book by Melissa Francis. From the back cover.~

AJ Ashe isn’t your typical seventeen-year-old vampire-as if there is such a thing! She’s stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend-whom she’s still totally in love with, by the way-is now her stepbrother. A former classmate-who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire-is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?

I loved Bite Me!. It is a fun paranormal YA novel. You totally feel sorry for both AJ and Ryan, who have to break up when their parents decide to get married. AJ not only has to deal with her ex-boyfriend being her new step-brother, but she must also deal with the fact that her former classmate, Noah, was found dead after they had been making out at a party. While Ryan is dating Lindsay, a girl that AJ really has never like. She also, suddenly seems to be having the worst luck of anyone on the face of the planet. Plus, she isn’t really sure what is going on with her two best friends, who have her stuck in the middle of some huge fight.

I think AJ is a total kick-butt heroine and loved that she is such a strong character. She has more thrown at her than any normal seventeen-year-old girl should have to deal with, mortal or vampire. Melissa Francis gives the reader a real treat with Bite Me!, and I can’t wait to read more of her books in the future. Love Sucks! Is the next book in this series, which will be release in Spring of 2010.

***Disclaimer*** I bought this book myself.

We Need a Little Early Christmas...

Shiloh Walker passed this on after checking it out through Snopes.com and it appears legit. Let's brighten this little guy's day. I found this over on Stacy's blog and I will be sending mine out today.


ATTENTION FACEBOOK FAMILY & FRIENDS! Diana Harrison Biorkman has a 5-yr old son in his last stages of a 2 1/2 year battle with Neuroblastoma cancer. They are celebrating Christmas next weekend and Noah loves Christmas cards. Please take a minute to send a card to: Noah Biorkman, 1141 Fountain View Circle, South Lyon MI 48178. THANKS. PLEASE REPOST THIS MSG & EMAIL YOUR BUDDIES!
***this was sent to me, please pass it on***
~ Edited to add link to a story about Noah ~(Thanks Stacy)

Mouse in my House

When I got home from work yesterday, I turned on the kitchen light only to discover a mouse in my floor. He/she was moving kind of slow, but did in fact go under my refrigerator. Of course, at this point I wanted to be anywhere else but in my apartment. I tried to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible, but still had to fix my dinner before going to my Financial Peace class. I managed to re-heat my meal faster than ever and was out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. I didn't see the little guy again, but did make a call to the office to make sure they knew I wanted my new "roommate" removed as fast as possible. Of course, since I have no idea where it went, meant that I could only be in my kitchen for a short period of time this morning before work.

I really think I would be much better about mice had my little brother not brought a dead mouse into our living room to show off what he found(I think he was about 4, so I was about 8). Every since then, I pretty much want to be up on furniture as soon as I see a mouse. Luckily, I haven't seen the little guy again and someone from maintenance will be there today to hopefully remove it from my home. Not sure how well I will sleep until I know the critter is out of my house.

In book news, I finished Bite Me! by Melissa Francis the other night and should have my thoughts up about it hopefully tonight(you know if I'm not still traumatized by a mouse). I will say I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more books in this series. (**Disclaimer** I bought this book myself)

Covet

Covet by JR Ward is the first book in her new Fallen Angel series. From the back cover.~

Redemption isn’t a work Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.

Vin diPietro has surrendered himself to his business-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, and a woman who makes him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over…but to redeem his very soul.

I had been waiting for Covet to come out for months. JR Ward is one of my all-time favorite writers and I couldn’t wait to read her newest series. I really liked Covet and look forward to the rest of the books in this series. I will say that for me, it seemed to start out a little slow and felt a bit scattered in the beginning. However, once I got into the story a bit more, I really loved it. Jim is probably one of my most favorite characters she has ever written (Z is my favorite ever). I also loved Eddie, Adrian, and Dog. I really didn’t love some of the other characters in the book. Marie-Terese wasn’t really as strong as I expected her to be, especially for someone who will do anything to protect her son. Vin was a bit unlikeable at the beginning of the book, but he got better as the book progressed and he met Marie-Terese. The Warden gives the reader a little bit of everything with Covet, including romance, love, evil, and redemption.

There are seven book scheduled for the Fallen Angel series. Jim must help save the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. Crave is the second book in the series and the release date is scheduled for October 2010.

***Disclaimer*** I bought this book. Had to come back and post this since the new blogging rules about books started as of 11/01/09.

Post later today...I promise

I promise I'll get my post about Covet up later today. I'm getting ready to head over to watch some football with my friends this afternoon. Vince Young is back as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans today. I'm hoping our team can turn it around starting today and move forward to have a great balance of the season. The dream would be to go 10-6. Also pulling for the Vikings today against the Packers.

Before I can have all of my fun watching football, I have to go deal with Verizon and my blackberry. For some reason when I updated the software, I lost my browser, facebook application, and my entire application center. Now have to make time to go by the Verizon store to get everything fixed. So wish I could have an iphone and still stick with Verizon. My contract is up in another year and I'll have to make some serious choices about my phone plan at that time.