109. Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg

As I mentioned earlier, I liked The Neighbors Are Watching so much, I immediately checked out what other books Ms. Ginsberg wrote. While I really liked Blind Submission, I didn't love it as much as The Neighbors Are Watching. I give it a B+.

From Amazon:
Books can be a dangerous business...
Angel Robinson loves books, loves reading, loves anything to do with the written word. But when Blue Moon Books, the Bay Area bookstore where she worked since college, is squeezed out of business, Angel is forced to find a new job. She lucks into a position as the assistant to the world-renowned literary agent Lucy Fiamma.
Angel soons learns that working for Lucy is no picnic. The agent has a blockbuster ego to match her blockbuster success and Angel must juggle both her boss's prima donna demands and the strange quirks of her authors. But Angel soon becomes indispensible to the agency and develops a keen understanding of big projects and the writers who create them.
What she doesn't realize is just how far one of them will go to get published.
One day a chapter from a mysterious manuscript by an anonympus author arrives at the office. Set in a New York literary agency, the novel, titled Blind Submission, centers on the ambitious assistant to a successful literary agent. Angel is pulled in by the plot- but her initia; curiosity soon turns to panic. As the story unfolds-with chapters e-mailed in one by one- it becomes clear that the mystery author is writing the story of Angel's own life, including secrets she thought were deeply hidden. Someone is watching her, even plotting against her. Could it be her backstabbing coworker, her jealous boyfriend, or her seductive new client?
When the novel's plot turns to murder, Angel knows that if she doesn't discover the author's identity before the final chapter is written, more than just her career will be cut short.

I loved getting the inside view point of how an author becomes published and loved even more Angel. While I love everything about books, including their smell and feel, I have absolutely no desire to write them, just like Angel. While I admit that the mystery of the book first drew me in, I thought it could have been left out. I have a feeling that Ms. Ginsberg added it in to make the book be so not The Devil Wears Prada. It was still a good book, and Ms. Ginsberg does a wonderful job describing what makes a book lover a true book lover!

The Nanny Murders

I just finished up The Nanny Murders, and it was exactly what I needed after trying to read Naked in Death. While it wasn't anything spectacular, I did enjoy it and it was the start to a new series featuring a single mom and her six year old daughter. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Single parenthood is challenging enough for Zoe Hayes, raising a young daughter in Queen Village, a Philadelphia neighborhood whose homes- like its residents- have seen better days. Then comes the blustery afternoon when little Molly makes a shocking discovery while playing outdoors: a dismembered finger.

What Zoe longs to believe is a gruesome fluke quickly takes on unsettling significance. One by one, young nannies are vanishing from the neighborhood, falling victim to a shadowy killer. Uneasily drawn into the chilling case- and an unexpected relationship- by engimatic detective Nick Stiles, Zoe assumes she and Molly are safe. But then terror strikes close to hom.

Now Zoe must acceot that nobody in Queen Village is protected. A bloodthirsty predator lurks nearby, perhaps concealed behind a passing stranger's friendly smile, a longtime neighbor's front door- or as Zoe fears most, perhaps even nearer than that...

This book had a nice suspense going on, though the story does bounce around a bit. I absolutely adored Molly, and liked that the story was told in first person. I know some people can't stand first person, but I like the way it allows the reader to get inside the character's mind. There was some jumping around and several suspects are possible. I was constantly changing my mind on who the "bad guy" was. Nick as a hero is kind of a stretch, as we do not get to learn too much about him. Like I mentioned before, it is the start of a series, so I hope to see more of their relationship blossom or falter. The next book in the series, titled The River Killings, is currently out in hardcover and I may look for it at the library the next time I am there.

One other note, while this is a mystery series, I would not say it is a "cozy". I also would feel it would be a stretch to call it a romantic suspense. But it was a nice, fast read and I enjoyed it. One other thing I really liked was the fact that there were short chapters. I have a problem with taking a break in a story in the middle of a chapter, so this book was great for me to have to read whether I had 5 minutes to read or 5 hours (though I don't think it would have taken me 5 hours to read it).

I am not sure what will be up next. I have three library books that I need to get to first. I have Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich, as well as Jesse Kellerman's first novel, and another mystery. I am too tired to think about it now, so it will have to wait for (hopefully) tomorrow!

Naked in Death

While I have always enjoyed Nora Roberts, I have shyed away from JD Robb because of the futuristic aspect. After hearing a lot about it, I decided to pick up the first in the series, Naked in Death, from the library. Unfortunetly, I was unable to finish it.

New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas is hunting for a ruthless killer. In more than 10 years on the force, she's seen it all- and she knows that her survival depends on her instincts. Still, she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved... with Roarke, an enigmatic Irish billionaire- and a suspect in Eve's murder investigation.

But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about- except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

I honestly do not know why I was unable to finish it. I really enjoyed Roarke and Eve, and the mystery was intriguing. I was engaged in finding out the resolution of the murders, but just could not stick with it. It may be because I just started another semster of school and have been working a LOT lately, or it could be the futurstic part of it. Every time it mentioned something that doesn't exist now, I stopped reading and analyzed it. Could that really happen? How old will I be when the book is set? Will I ever live to see anything being described? I just really do not like science fiction or futuristic stories, and I think I will not be able to overcome it. I hope to try another time or another book in the series, but I don't know how successful I will be.

For now to get my reading "groove" back on, I am going to fall back on my favorite type of book, a suspense or thriller. If it is a romantic suspense, all the better. I am going to start "The Nanny Murders" which I got from the library. I hope to read through this one fast!

If anyone has any favorite In Death books that they can recommend for me to try, I would love to hear! I really want to enjoy this series!

Breath of Scandal

I picked up Breath of Scandal by Sandra Brown at a local thrift store for $0.20. It sounded intriguing, and after giving up on Deadly Housewives, this one was the nearest book in reach so I grabbed it. I am glad I did. This one was wonderful and filled with emotions. I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

On a rainy Saturday night, Jade Sperry endured a young woman's worst nightmare at the hands of three local hell-raisers. Robbed of her youthful ideals and at the center of scandal and tragedyu, Jade ran as far and as fast as she could. But she never forgot the sleepy "company town" where every man, woman, and child was dependent on one wealthy family. And she never forgot their spoiled son, who, with his two friends, changed her life forever. Someday, somehow, she'd return, exact a just revenge- and free herself from fear, and the powerful family that could destroy her.

I am having a hard time on what to say about this book. It is told over a period of time, about 20 years, I believe, and tells the story on many of the side characters. While there are quite a few characters mentioned in the story, it is not so complicated that I had to keep looking back and reminding who everyone was. The romance was late to develop, but once it did, it was beautiful. I got a great sense of the characters thoughts and motivations, and it was so touching. Also, Jade reminded me of Faith from the Linda Howard I just read, that really overcomes a lot of problems and obstacles that I have a feeling most people would use as crutches. While I tend to read romantic suspense, this was low on the suspense but just a wonderful read. I know I have read or heard other Brown books (on CD, which I always have in my car) but am not sure of which ones. All I know is if they are all as good as this one was, then I plan on checking some others out. I would love any opinions you all may have. The only reason why I took away a half of a point was because I am not sure it will stay with me as long as some other "perfect" reads have.

I subbed yesterday, all day, for kindergarteners, and when I got home, I was exhausted. I did little reading and went to bed early after staying up late to watch the horrible, disgusting, Wings' game the night before. I had about 150 pages left of this book and read it in about an hour today because I was so engrossed. My next book will be one of the selections from the library, probably the Robb. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Library Run

The city I live in just opened a new library branch. Actually, it is more like the city's main library, as it is in our new city hall. While we had a perfectly good one before and have cut other services, the mayor felt like we need a new one. (That is really a whole other post, that would bore everyone and just get my blood pressure up). Anyways, it opened yesterday and I decided to take a look and see what all of the hype was about.

The library is huge and really nice. It is very modern and spacious and has a lot of space. It was empty today when I went, though it was dinnertime and it is raining pretty hard out. I don't know if it was all of the space or what, but it looked like there weren't many books there. I did manage to pick up some, even though I was planning on reading from my TBR bookshelves. Here's what I got!

I've heard so much about this series, and everyone seems to say wonderful things about it. I was a little worried about the futuristic setting, since it is not really my cup of tea, but I have heard such great things that I decided to give it a try. I also enjoy Nora Roberts' writing most of the time, so I decided to get it. Plus, if I do enjoy it, there are a ton of books in the series, and I love to glom backlists. If I don't enjoy it, I will just return it to the library!

I picked this one up because I have heard great things about it from other bloggers, especially with his newest book to be released later this month or next month. His parents are definitely successful suspense writers, and I want to see if he lives up to the hype and has inherited his parents skills.

I got the next two just because they sounded good. Bad Move seems like a nice cozy mystery which are perfect to whip through real fast on the weekend. Nanny Diaries seems very suspensful and just like the type of suspensful story I enjoy! I love to find new authors, especially at the library instead of paying $7.99 for a new-to-me author.

Has anyone read these or any other books by the author? If so, I am very interested in hearing any comments you may have for me!

Deadly Housewives

I began reading Deadly Housewives last night, and while I was looking forward to this book, I could not finish it. It wasn't the writing or even the stories, but I think I have finally realized that I just do not like short stories. I like being able to really get to know the characters and learn more about them and their motivations. I think that the reason why I am not successful in reading short stories is because I do not get to know the characters enough. So while I am sure that stories inside this anthology were great, I just could not finish it. I really think that it is more of a personal problem than anything with the book though.

With only six more days until school starts up again, and subbing to start tomorrow, I am planning on cramming in much more reading tonight, and if I am not called to sub tomorrow, all day tomorrow as well. Not sure what I am going to read, but I am planning on pulling something off of the TBR. Might as well work on one of those goals I set earlier. I just need to get started with my cleaning. Dinner is in the crock pot and will be ready in about an hour, so I want to get the vacuuming done before than. Then it is all reading tonight!

After the Night by Linda Howard

After the Night was recommended to me by a fellow blogger, Kristie J, who after reading my review of Linda Howard's The Perfect Man. The next time I was at the library, I checked it out and began to read. It was very enjoyable, and I was glad I listened to Kristie's suggestion. Four out of five stars.

Faith Devlin: A poor, outcast child in Prescott, Louisiana, she'd always adored the town's golden boy from afar. But he called her white trash that sultry Southern night when his rich, respected father disappeared, along with her pretty Mom. Now Faith wanted to hate Gray Rouillard... not feel a powerful surge of desire. But she couldn't quench her passion, any more than she could hide the truth about the past she had waited so long to unravel.

Gray Rouillard: Even when he raised hell, he did it with style. Reckless, charming, and backed by Rouillard money, Gray controlled the town of Prescott- and Devlin was a name he never wanted to hear again. But when he gazed at Faith Devlin, all he saw was a swirl of tangled sheets and her silken flesh beneath him. To for her was impossible, unthinkable... because Gray Rouillard planned to use all his power to ruin her.

The mystery in the story was second to the romance... but it was well written. The sexual tension between Gray and Faith is amazingly written and done with style. The conclusion of the story was predictable, but I had a smile on my face. As a matter of fact, I had a smile on my face for most of the story. I was wishing for them to get together sooner and later and was very happy when they did. I had a hard time getting over Gray's style with the long hair and small diamond earring, as I like a clean cut guy, but loved his charm and his protectiveness over Faith. I feel like I have now become a "fan-girl" of Linda Howard and plan on searching out more of her backlist. I have "To Die For" in the TBR and want to read it so I may read the next one, Drop Dead Gorgeous. I picked it up this weekend at a thrift store for only $0.25!!!! Up next is another library book, Deadly Housewives, a series of short stories written by several new-to-me authors.

The Key by Jennifer Sturman

I picked up The Key by Jennifer Sturman from the library because I had read the first two books in the series, The Pact and The Jinx. While these are "chick lit" mysteries, I really feel like they are not so much chick lit, even though they take place in New York. The mystery was all right, though I was more involved in the main character, Rachel, and her relationship with Peter. Overall, it was an average read with 3 out 5 stars.

Ever wished your boss would drop dead? Of course not. Well not really. And neither had Rachel Benjamin- until she finds herself working for Wall Street terror Glenn Gallagher on his latest pet project. Rachel thinks the deal-and Glenn- are more than a little shady, but she has a promotion at stake. It's either keep her lips sealed or kiss her partnership goodbye. Or kill Glenn. (Just kidding!)

At least she has Peter. Rachel's too-good-to-be-true fiance has moved in, while his stuff is everywhere and he's strangely jealous of her friendly new coworker, she's confident they'll figure things out. It would help if Glenn's killer scheldule didn't have Rachel working around the clock. Really, the man must be stopped.

Rachel's jokes about killing her boss don't seem so funny when Glenn is murdered. And it's even less laughable when she becomes the prome suspect. With the police hot on her very stylish heels, and the threat of an unflattering orange jumpsuit in her future, Rachel's learning the hard way to be careful with what you wish for. She needs to catch the true killer quickly, before the killer catches her.

I checked this book out of the library after seeing it at the bookstore. I had read the previous two books and was interested to see what was happening with Rachel and her love life. The price tag of $13.95 for a book I can read in less than a day had me go to the library. It was a nice, easy read and as I mentioned I was more interested in finding out about Rachel and her friends than the mystery. It was a fun book, but I am glad I didn't pay for it. There will be a fourth book in the series to be released next December and I will look for it at the library to hopefully find a better conclusion to Rachel and Peter's romance. If you enjoy chick lit with a twist of mystery, I would look for this book. Up next is a recommendation from Kristie (a fellow blogger who happens to spell her name the RIGHT way) of a Linda Howard titled After the Night.

I'm In No Mood for Love by Rachel Gibson

I'm In No Mood for Love by Rachel Gibson is the loosely connected story to Sex, Lies, and Online Dating. It was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it. 3 out of 5 stars.

What is Clare Wingate doing? One minute she's suffering in a pretty-in-pink gown she'll never wear again, and the next thing she knows it's morning... and she has the nastiest hangover of her life.

To make matters worse, she wearing nothing but a spritz of Escada and lying next to Sebastian Vaughan... her girlhood crush turned sexy, globehopping journalist. Somewhere between the toast and the toss of the bouquet she'd gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble.

Clare had the right to go wild- after all, she'd been knocked off her dyed-to-match shoes after finding her own fiance in na compromising position with the washing machine repairman. Clearly her society wedding is off.

But Sebastian pushed all the wrong buttons- and some of the right ones too. Clare is in no mood for love-not even lust- and wants to forget about Sebastian and his six-pack abs ASAP. But he isn't in the mood to go away, and his kiss is impossible to forget.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed watching Clare and Sebastian's relationship evolve from not liking each other to friends, and eventually more than just friends. Sebastian and Clare are good matches for each other, and were a pleasure to read. While this book follows Sex, Lies, and Online Dating, it is not necessary to read that book first. That book discusses Clare's friend Lucy and how she met her match. They are just briefly mentioned in this book.

The only reason I gave it 3 out of 5 stars and not more is just because it was not a total page turner and was a cozy read. Not spectacular, but fun to read. I really liked that all four of the friends are different authors. It was fun to see about the inside of a writer that Gibson provides. I will be looking for the following book, Maddie's story which comes out in the summer of 2007.

Better Read than Dead

First of all, I would like to say that I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

I just finished Better Read Than Dead, the second in the Psychic Eyes Series which features Abby Cooper, a psychic who assists the police in solving cases. This book also takes place in my local area, particularly the city of Royal Oak. I enjoyed this book very much, as it was a quick and easy read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed the mystery, though did feel like it was concluded suddenly with no oppurtinity for the reader to try and solve it or guess who the bad guy was. However, I did enjoy the story and the chemistry with Abby and Dutch, her FBI agent sometimes boyfriend. I have the following two books in the series and plan to read them in the near future.

The only other thing I have to point out in this story was in one point, Abby is taken to a house on Lakeshore Drive. Lakeshore Drive is a street in Grosse Pointe and Detroit that has huge mansions that celebreties and CEO's that live there. It is a real street that faces Lake St. Clair, a large lake that flows into the Detroit River and is in between Canada and Michigan. The author names the lake as Lake Michigan, when in fact Lake Michigan is on the other side of the state with Chicago on it's banks. It really threw me and I had a hard time to get over that. While the author used to live in Michigan, even someone that has not lived in Michigan would know that Lake Michigan is one the west side of the state. Just a little nit-picking thing that I picked up on. Otherwise, everything was really real to the area, including news stations and even area codes.

Next up in I'm In No Mood for Love by Rachel Gibson, which I just got from the library.

The Perfect Man by Linda Howard

The Perfect Man by Linda Howard was one of the first Linda Howard's I have read, besides Open Season. I really enjoyed the banter between the hero, Sam, and the heroine, Janine and fel that the suspense was second to the romance. While I normally like a mystery more than the romance, I felt it really went well in the story. Overall, I would give the story 4 out 5 "books".

The other thing I really enjoyed about the story was the fact that it is set in my hometown of Warren. I just moved here about 3 years ago, and it was really neat to know all of the locations and cities that are part of the story. I really think it had an impact on my interest level of the story.

I am planning on looking for more of Linda Howard's romantic suspense novels. Hopefully they will all be as good and funny!

Up next, the second book in the Abby Cooper Psychic Eye series, titled Better Wed than Dead. The reason why I selected this one is because I read the first book in the series and really enjoyed it, and it is also set in Southeastern Michigan. I figured to continue the trend! It has been sitting on my TBR bookshelf for over a year... and I do plan on getting some of these read!

2007 Reading Goals

With a little more than a week to go in 2006, I have decided to set and announce my reading goals for the upcoming year. We will see how well I follow these goals, but one can hope, right?

1. Record all books I read or attempt to read. Include notes on why I selected it, what I thought, etc.
2. Read from my TBR! The shelves are threatening to fall over!
3. Cut book buying purchases!
4. Join some challenges to help broaden my reading horizons.

I am sure there are more than just these, but here is a good start!

Here I Go

Well, even though I seem to have hardly any time with school and my family and work, I love to read other people's blogs so I have decided to start one up as well. I hope this well help me keep my reads organized, and will get me to "delurk" from some of the blogs I frequent. I hope to post ideas on what I read, things that are going on in my life (which probably won't be an interest to anyone but me) and other random things. I hope as I take this trek out into the blogging world, I make some great friends!