Instant Attraction - Jill Shalvis

Title:  Instant Attraction
Author:  Jill Shalvis
Publisher:  Kensington Brava
Published:  2009
Pages:  302
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Series:  Wilder Brothers - Book #1

There is just something about Jill Shalvis' writing that warms my heart, makes me laugh (in a good way), and brings tears to my eyes. Her characters endear themselves to me so that I think about them long after I have read her books. I love the witty dialogue, the laugh out loud moments, the scorching passion, and the tender romance. Instant Attraction excels at all that and more. It is the first book in a trilogy and is the story of the youngest Wilder brother, Cameron. I can't wait to get my hands on the second one so that I can continue to be a part of the "world" that Jill Shalvis has created. And also to get to know some new characters as well as revisit the old.

Katie Kramer has always been a "good girl." However, after surviving a devastating accident, she longs for adventure and "amazing sex."  (LOL) So she takes off from L.A. and heads up into the Sierra Madre Mountains to take on a temporary position as bookkeeper for Wilder Adventures and Expeditions. I really enjoyed Katie...she didn't back down from a situation just because her fears got in the way. She plowed through her feelings and came out stronger and more self-reliant on the other side. Her grit and determination to not let the accident rule her life were two of the things that made her such a great character.

Cameron Wilder is the prodigal brother...returning after wandering the world to come to terms with his life-changing accident. After giving up his dreams of professional snow boarding and still not sure he will ever have a new "dream," he returns home to face his family. Even though they welcome him with open arms, he doesn't know where he fits in with his brothers' business...or doesn't even know if he wants to be a part of it. His heart is off limits to everyone..."Still, Katie's killer smile triggers something deep in his gut...among other places." He is determined to show her how "exhilarating" life can be...and she is determined to show him how to open his heart again.

You can read my full review at World According to Books.



Rating: 4/5
Pages: 302
Completed: 3/27/10

Celebrate the Author - John Sandford

It is new month, and a new author to celebrate!!! John Sandford was born John Camp on February 23, 1994, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He won the Pulitzer in 1986 for a series of stories about a midwestern farm crisis. And has been writing suspense/thrillers since 1990. You can read more about him by visiting his biography on his website.

Title: Shadow Prey
Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 1990
Pages: 499 (eBook)
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Series: Prey Series - Book #2

In visiting John Sandford's website, I read through his comments on writing the book Shadow Prey. One of the things he says stood out with me...

"A good thriller should carry the reader along, like a whitewater river. The can't-put-it-down characteristic is critical."

That just says it all...and Shadow Prey didn't disappoint. From beginning to end, I was carried along through the action and suspense...and was really surprised by the ending. He sure put Lucas through the wringer in this one - LOL. The police procedures weren't over-shadowing and the history behind the terrorists' actions wasn't over-powering. It was a great mixture and made for an interesting, action-packed, thriller. I enjoyed getting to know Lucas more...the secondary characters are well-developed, and it was great revisiting them.

A radical Native American group is killing prominent people in the US. Lucas, along with a New York City detective, Lily Rothenburg, are investigating the terrorists. Through twists and turns, they discover who they are and begin racing against the clock to find them in order to keep the body count from rising.

You can read my full review here.




Rating: 4/5
Pages: 499 (eBooks)
Completed: 2/5/10

The Warrior - Sharon Sala

Title: The Warrior
Author: Sharon Sala
Publisher: Mira
Published: 2009
Pages: 427
Genre: Romance/Paranormal

Sharon Sala is one of my favorite authors. And The Warrior is going on my Top Ten list of 2010. I love books with heroes that are Native American and delve into the supernatural.

John Nightwalker has been roaming the Earth for over 500 years searching for the reincarnated soul of the man who destroyed his village and killed his people. He meets up with Alicia who is on the run from her father. A father that is trying to kill her. John realizes that it is her father that is the reincarnated soul - so he sets out to use her to get to him. What develops is a fast-paced story that has you turning the pages to see what happens next. Will Alicia forgive John for using her to track her father? Why does her father want her dead? and will he succeed?

The Warrior is filled with suspense, intrigue, passion and the supernatural. I loved the two main characters in this story...each with their own destiny, how they look past their differences and learned to love each other. One thing the story doesn't tie up at the end is whether Alicia ever comes to believe John about his past. I guess it is not important...but this reader would love to know.

You can read my full review here.



Rating: 4.5/5
Pages: 427
Completed: 1/6/10

Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

Title: Dear John
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Hatchette
Published: 2006
Pages: 276
Genre: Romance

What can I say...I just love Nicholas Sparks. He has a way of creating a story that takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions!! Always an author that moves me to tears...Dear John lived up to that reputation.

Told from the man's perspective...a love story that shows us what unconditional love is...tugs at the heartstrings...is touching and at times riveting. This one definitely goes on my keeper shelf.

John Tyree meets the girl of his dreams, and the attraction is mutual. But neither can foresee that 9/11 will change all that forcing John to choose between love and country. But Dear John is so much more than just a military love story...it deals with unconditional love...not only between two people, but family members too.

You can read my full review here.



Rating: 5/5
Pages: 276
Completed: 12/19/09

Just Try Me... by Jill Shalvis

Title: Just Try Me...
Author: Jill Shalvis
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Published: 2006
Pages: 240
Genre: Series Romance

I am a participant in the 2009 TBR Challenge. This month we were challenged to read a series romance from our TBR stack. I love the Harlequin Blaze line and have a huge pile of them waiting to be read. So I dug in deep and came up with Just Try Me... by Jill Shalvis. It features an adrenaline junkie heroine and a techno-geek hero. The theme is one of my favorites - an injured main character that has to recover physically and learn to live and love again. I really enjoyed this book. I fell in love with Jared as soon as he appeared on the pages. His quiet strength and dashingly good looks made him an excellent counterpart to Lily. He was determined to not let life pass him by and to experience everything to the fullest - even love. Lily was just as determined to keep her heart safe and keep risks to a minimum.

Lily is fiercely independent and loves to take chances. She's done it all - hiked, rafted, skied, even firefighting. But an accident nearly ended it all causing her to have to start all over again. Her latest job is to guide a group of people on a hike through the Sierras. Jared is the owner of a large corporation, techno-geek in every way except his devastatingly good looks. He too was looking for a new start at life and the first item on his list was a hike through the mountains.

Both Lily and Jared are looking for healing...but as Jared opens his heart to new experiences, Lily guards hers with a fierce determination.

Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 240
Completed: 1/21/09

Deep in the Heart - Sharon Sala

Title: Deep in the Heart
Author: Sharon Sala
Publisher: Avon
Published: 1996
Pages: 341
Genre: Romance/Suspense

Deep in the Heart is a great romance with a backdrop of suspense that does not disappoint in the ending. I loved the hero in this book - John Thomas Knight. He is a strong and proud Texas sheriff who is tender as well as tough. The love he has for Samantha never died even though he thought she abandoned and tossed away their commitment.

Samantha is in need of protection - someone wants her dead. After failing to convince the police - the only one left to turn to is her childhood friend and first love. But will he answer her call? Or did he really throw her love away when he walked away from her so long ago?

You can read my full review here.

Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 341
Completed: 11/27/08

The Healer - Sharon Sala

Title: The Healer
Author: Sharon Sala
Published: 2008
Publisher: Mira
Pages: 329
Genre: Romance/Paranormal

Whew...it has been so long since I've updated this blog. I have a few reviews to post and a couple of completed challenges that I haven't blogged about. I need to catch up!! LOL.

I have recently rediscovered this author. I had forgotten that I had read her a long time ago and really enjoyed her books. Then, Maya Banks (a fantastic author too) was talking about her favorite authors on Writeminded message board and Sharon Sala was one of them. It reminded me of how much I had enjoyed her in the past.

So, off to the library I went and picked up one of her newest releases - The Healer. What a fantastic book!! I loved the main characters.

Jonah Grey Wolf has the remarkable ability to heal the wounded and communicate with animals. He is on the run because someone wants to harness his powers for their own gain. He meets up with Luce Andahar who is being tormented by a stalker of her own. Jonah has vowed to protect her at all costs - but will his own troubles take Luce away from him forever.

You can read my full review here.

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 329
Completed: 10/20/08

The Rescue - Nicholas Sparks

What another totally awesome book by Nicholas Sparks. The Rescue is packed with tragedy, romance, forgiveness, and the day-to-day complexities of relationships. He embraces what it means to be a single parent of a disabled child.

According to his website - The Rescue was Sparks' first novel to reach No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List. He also struggled with writer's block on this novel. I read the "behind the book" blurb and found that this was his "most personal novel and was, the most challenging to write."

I can't say enough about this wonderful book. You can read my full review here.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages: 278

Completed: 7/28/08

Rules of Prey - John Sandford

What a fantastic start to the Prey Series!! I absolutely love Lucas Davenport. He is a loner and a ladies man, he invents video games, drives a Porsche, and doesn't always play by the rules. Rules of Prey is a thrill ride from start to finish.

You can read my full review here.

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 368

Completed: 7/8/08

The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

What a fascinating, engaging, and gripping novel. I was totally captivated by this book. It is a tale of a Gothic mansion called Angelfield, the willful Isabelle, the twins Adeline and Emmeline, ghosts, a governess, and a devestating fire.

A young woman, Margaret Lea, is commissioned to write the biography of Vida Winter, an aging author who has hidden her life from the public eye. Margaret surrenders to the power of Miss Winter's storytelling but remains suspicious of her sincerity.

Quote from the book synopsis: "She [Margaret] demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming finally, transformed by the truth themselves."


You can read my full review here.

Rating: 5/5
Pages: 406
Completed: 5/18/08

The Choice - Nicholas Sparks

What a wonderful story. Once again Nicholas Sparks has enraptured me with his writing. The Choice raises some tough questions, makes you take stock and look at your beliefs and even goes so far as to ask the question - How far should you go to keep the hope of love alive?

You can read my full review here.

Rating: 4/5
Pages: 272
Completed: 5/8/08

Dracula - Bram Stoker

I have just finished my first classic - Dracula by Bram Stoker. It was a great read and I enjoyed it very much - parts kept me on the edge of my seat. Hopefully, with the enjoyment that I have had with this book, it will keeping me reading more classics.

I read this book online through The Literature Network. I really liked this website and plan on reading more from them.

You can read my full reveiw here.

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 684 (this was an ebook version - hardback is 464)

Completed: 02/12/08