BAD PENNY

Bad Penny

by
Sharon Sala (Dinah McCall)

6/29/09

(Third in "Cat Dupree" series)

Cat Dupree would love nothing more than to settle down and build a life with fellow bounty hunter Wilson McKay. But Soloman Tutuola—the man who murdered her father and slashed her throat when she was thirteen—haunts her even from the grave.

An investigator from Mexico is tracking down the person who is responsible for Tutuola's death—and the trail leads directly to Cat. To add to her bad luck, a junkie with a vendetta is stalking Wilson and is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of his revenge.

Desperate to start their future together, Cat and Wilson turn the manhunt around—vowing to do whatever it takes to find freedom from the past and the scars that have damaged them both.
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**** (4 Stars) Another terrific book by Sharon Sala. “Bad Penny” is the third and final (I think) installment in the Cat Dupree series about a female bounty hunter who tracks the two separate murderers of both her best friend and the man who was responsible for killing her father and slit her throat when she was 13 years old and left her for dead (Tutuola).

I discovered Sharon Sala about 4 or 5 years ago and have been gobbling up her books whenever I can get my hands on them. She is the most consistent writer out there in the romantic suspense genre, I believe. Her characters are always believable and I find myself quickly falling into the story and attaching myself to the characters before the first two chapters are read. Sala writes from a realistic point of view, and the people she writes about act like you think they should.

In this story, Wilson McKay, a fellow bounty hunter and long-time lover of Cat Dupree, recuperates at home on his family’s ranch from multiple gunshot wounds while Cat sits by his side and finally admits she loves him and can’t live without him. It took getting to the third book for her to admit what Wilson knew all along from the first few pages of the first book. Under the shelter of Wilson’s love, Cat flourishes and learns that she is no longer alone, is capable of loving back, and is enfolded into the arms of a large southern family. In the meantime, Cat and Wilson are being stalked by the very man who shot and tried to kill Wilson.

FINGER LICKIN' FIFTEEN

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

by

Janet Evanovich

6/26/2009

(Fifteenth in series--not including the in-between novels)

UNBUCKLE YOUR BELT AND PULL UP A CHAIR. IT'S THE SPICIEST, SAUCIEST, MOST RIB-STICKING PLUM YET.

Recipe for disaster:

Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head --literally.

Throw in some spice:

Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she’ll talk to is Trenton cop, Joe Morelli.

Pump up the heat:

Chipotle’s sponsor is offering a million dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Stir the pot:

Lula recruits bounty hunter Stephanie Plum to help her find the killers and collect the moolah.

Add a secret ingredient:

Stephanie Plum’s Grandma Mazur. Enough said.

Bring to a boil:

Stephanie Plum is working overtime tracking felons for the bonds office at night and snooping for security expert Carlos Manoso, A.K.A. Ranger, during the day. Can Stephanie hunt down two killers, a traitor, five skips, keep her grandmother out of the sauce, solve Ranger’s problems and not jump his bones?

Warning:

Habanero hot. So good you’ll want seconds.
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***(3 1/2 Stars) I've read them all....from number one, to the in-between books, the mini "Last Peep", and now "Finger Lickin' Fifteen". I've listened to them all on audio, stood for hours in line to meet Ms, Evanovich a couple years ago, and even have a, "I (heart) Ranger" bumper sticker on my car.

I have really enjoyed the series from beginning to end. Yes, the characters are getting too predictable and the laugh-out-loud moments are way fewer than they used to be, but like a good light hour-long comedy on TV, these books are fun to read and picking up this book was like stopping by an old friend's house for coffee and a sweet roll.

The book was silly at times (c'mon--a hot dog outfit? I was seeing Justin Timberlake from "Saturday Night Live" when I read that part of the book). The death of two Porshe Cayennes, a Ford Focus, the infamous Firebird, and Stephanie's couch (once again) was expected, and Ms. Evanovich did not disappoint with the outlandish behaviors of Lula and Grandma Mazur.

Was this her best in the series? Nope. But it was better than "Fearless Fourteen". Is the series waning? Probably. But I don't care. I will keep picking up the Plum books until Janet stops writing them. Why? Because in all honesty I am waiting for Ranger to finally get another shot. We almost had Stephanie this time. ((sigh))

THE MAN MUST MARRY

The Man Must Marry

by

Janet Chapman

6/19/2009

(First in the Sinclair Brothers Trilogy)

Trying to escape marriage, they are snared by love.

When Sam Sinclair's self-made millionaire grandfather sends Willa Kent, a woman none of the three Sinclair brothers have even heard of, as his proxy to an ultra-important meeting of the Sinclair shipping company, most people would think the old man had lost his marbles. But Sam knows his grandfather too well. For some reason, the wily old man has decided that one of his three grandsons should marry Willa, and this is his way of trying to force the issue....

So Willa and Sam team up on what seems like a wild-goose chase to find some loophole in Grandfather Sinclair's crazy notion. But as Sam crews Willa's yacht en route to Maine, he finds to his surprise that his grandfather's offbeat scheme is growing more attractive by the moment. Willa is smart, beautiful...and has a wild streak that sends them soaring together above the clouds.

But Willa isn't about to let Sam fly away with her heart until she knows his true motives. If the man wants to marry for money, then the woman in her says that first he must fall in love.

*** (4 Stars) I LOVED this book. But then again, I love all of Janet Chapman books. They are sweet romances with lots of humor (without being slapstick) and I fall in love with every one of her heroes. I actually didn't like Sam the fist couple of chapters, but he sure grew on me fast. He's a keeper. Willa should be very happy with him--and if he doesn't work out--there ARE two more brothers to choose from. ;-) Though I know Ms. Chapman has big plans for those good-looking hunks, too.

ASHES OF MIDNIGHT

Ashes of Midnight

by

Lara Adrian

6/17/09

(Sixth in "The Midnight Breed" series)

A woman driven by blood. A man thirsting for vengeance.A place where darkness and desire meet...

As night falls, Claire Roth flees, driven from her home by a fiery threat that seems to come from hell itself. Then, from out of the flames and ash, a vampire warrior emerges. He is Andreas Reichen, her onetime lover, now a stranger consumed by vengeance. Caught in the cross fire, Claire cannot escape his savage fury—or the hunger that plunges her into his world of eternal darkness and unending pleasure.

Nothing will stop Andreas from destroying the vampire responsible for slaughtering his Breed brethren . . . even if he must use his former lover as a pawn in his deadly mission. Blood-bonded to his treacherous adversary, Claire can lead Andreas to the enemy he seeks, but it is a journey fraught with danger—and deep, unbidden desires. For Claire is the one woman Andreas should not crave, and the only one he’s ever loved. A dangerous seduction begins—one that blurs the lines between predator and prey, and stokes the flames of a white-hot passion that may consume all in its path. . . .

***(4 1/2 Stars) OK. What's the deal? This is the sixth book in the series and each one just gets better and better. I will be so depressed when (hopefully never!) this series ends. When Andreas was first introduced several books ago, I wasn't sure I liked his character very much and really wasn't sure he could be trusted. Andreas is scary and fascinating all at once. And sexy as hell. I love how Ms. Adrian's "Breeds" exist in a normal world fighting the good fight (which of course is against the evil Dragos who is out to rule the world). I will miss Adrian as he moves back to Germany with Claire, but hopefully, he will make frequent appearances in Kane's and Brock's stories. One great thing about the way Ms, Adrian writes her stories: she is not afraid to bring all her characters back into the fold and keep their stories rolling right along with the new ones, too.

DEAD UNTIL DARK

Dead Until Dark

by

Charlaine Harris

6/6/2009

(First in the "True Blood"/ "Southern Vampire" novels)

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.

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My Opinion: 3 1/2 stars. I liked the story but it took me two weeks to get through it--even with only about 280 pages. I am not a huge fan of books written in first-person format. I am glad I saw the series on HBO before reading the book (which is a first for me--usually I like to read before I see)....do I dare say--I liked the TV series better? YIKES! I do want to read the rest of the series....just not this month.