Margarita Nights

I signed up with NetGalley.com and requested several galleys, with Margarita Nights being the first I read. The following blurb is from the NetGalley press kit.

MARGARITA NIGHTS is a debut novel by Phyllis Smallman, and our first encounter with amateur sleuth Sherri Travis.

The bar in Jacaranda, Florida may be upscale, but Sherri Travis is from the side of town where luxury is an extra wide trailer. She is separated from her husband Jimmy Travis, who comes from Jacaranda's social register, and there's only one thing Sherri and her mother-in-law agree on: she and Jimmy shouldn't be together.

Sherri wants Jimmy out of her life but he won't stay gone, so when Jimmy and his boat, the Suncoaster, explodes in an orange ball of fire, the police come calling. There's a witness who puts Sherri on the Suncoaster hours before it went boom. Add a quarter million dollar insurance policy, and Sherri becomes the suspect du jour.

Sherri didn't do it, but as she digs through the debris of Jimmy's life, she discovers more than a few people who wanted Jimmy dead.

I really enjoyed Margarita Nights. Sherri Travis is laugh out loud funny and all of her antics kept me laughing through the entire book. Her belief that Jimmy is faking his death truly sounded plausible based on the history between them. As Sherri is the prime suspect in Jimmy’s murder, it is up to her and her friends to clear her name. With a supporting cast of characters that fit so perfectly in the small island town of Jacaranda, FL, Smallman gives the reader a great mystery with a touch of romance.

Heist Society

Heist Society is the first book in a new YA series by Ally Carter. From the inside cover flap.~

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own-scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and, hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history-and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

I’ve loved Ally Carter’s books since I read the first book in her Gallagher Girl series. That being said, I really think I loved Heist Society just as much if not more. Kat, who found a way to leave the family “business” suddenly, is thrust back into it to save her dad. She must get a team together to return the stolen paintings to Arturo Taccone or he will make her father pay. The fact that her father didn’t steal the paintings matter as far as Taccone is concerned. Kat puts together a teen team of art thieves to retrieve the stolen artwork, which includes her cousin Gabrielle, her computer genius friend Simon; the Bagshaw bothers Hamish and Angus, the super cute Hale, and Kat’s new friend Nick.

I would love to see the friendship between Hale and Kat turn into more of a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship in the next Heist book. They have the very best chemistry and just seem to be perfect for each other. Seems like they always have each other's back no matter what is going on, or how mad they make each other.

Ally Carter is an auto-buy author for me. I’ve read pretty much everything she has ever written and can’t wait for her next book to be released.

Slow Heat

Slow Heat is the latest sexy book by Jill Shalvis. From the back cover.~

After a woman claims she’s pregnant with Wade O’Riley’s love child, Major League Baseball’s most celebrated catcher and ladies’ man is slapped on the wrist by management and ordered to improve his image. His enforcer is the team’s publicist, the tough and sexy Samantha McNead.

When Wade needs a date for a celebrity wedding, Sam steps up to the plate as his “girlfriend”. But given her secret crush on him and that one awkward night a year ago in a stalled elevator with too much Scotch, the whole thing is an exercise in sexual tension.

Wade is thrilled when the pretense turns into an unexpected night of hot passion. But the next day Sam is back to her cool self. As a catcher, Wade’s used to giving the signals, not struggling to read them. Now, to win the love of his “pretend” girlfriend, he needs a home run-even if it involves stealing a few bases…

Slow Heat is another fun, hot and sexy book by Jill Shalvis. We first are introduced to Wade and Sam in Double Play. I loved Wade from the beginning and was so glad we got his story with Slow Heat. Wade and Sam have to pretend to be dating to help turn around his public image. The only problem with the plan is both are still attracted to one another after their secret tryst in the elevator a year ago, not that either is willing to admit it when the plan is hatched. The fact that both are having trouble keeping their hands to themselves just makes this story funnier and sexier.

I loved Slow Heat! Wade and Sam were so wonderful together and I really liked watching them fall for one another. Jill Shalvis gives the reader another sexy winner with Slow Heat and I can't wait for her next book to be released.

Reading Updates to Come

So, I've been remiss in updating my blog over the last week. I'm currently working on my post for Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis and Heist Society by Ally Carter. I will say now, I loved both books and promise to post more tonight. I had almost no time on the internet over the weekend, as I was visiting with family the entire time. So, I plan on getting back on track tonight and hope to stay on track after tonight.

Latest update from doctor and Mamma Mia

I saw my breast doctor this morning and he said the lump was a fibroadenoma and it was benign. However, the tissue around it was diagnosed as Atypical Lobular Hyperplasia. He compared it so seeing smoke before you see fire. There are no breast cancer cells currently, but they could form. So I go see a medical oncologist on 3/24 to talk about our treatment options and what types of meds(would take everyday for 5 years) might help the cells go away and will have to have a diagnostic mammogram in August and again 6 months later to make sure everything comes out ok. If both mammograms come back ok, then I go to only having mammograms every year. He told me we would keep a really good eye on everything and told me to do monthly breast exams and call him if I feel anything that doesn't feel right. I'll post another update once I meet with my new doctor and find out what course of treatment(how many meds) we are taking.

On a fun note, I get to go see Mamma Mia tonight at TPAC here in Nashville. I've always loved Abba's music, I really loved the movie, and can't wait to see the play tonight. I'm meeting my uncle and 2 aunts for dinner and then we are heading over to the show. Thinking I might just have to listen to some Broadway tunes this afternoon to get me really ready for the show.