Book Club: What I've Been Reading Lately

I challenged myself to read 50 book this year.  Last year I read 45 so I don't think it will be that big of a stretch to get 50 under my belt (I'm already on number 4!).

I recently purchased a Kindle and let me just say that it was the best decision I've made in awhile.  I take that baby everywhere.  Quinn and I used it at her doctor's appointment a couple weeks ago to watch Thomas the Tank Engine on Netflix and read a Minnie Mouse book (we had a couple of waits for the doctor and a flu test - don't worry, nugget only had a virus and was gone within a couple days).

I found a really great series called Heller (with a suggestion from my sister-in-law) and the first book is a free download and the rest of the books in the series are only $2.99.

 Heller

Twenty-five year old Tilly Chalmers can't believe her luck when she lands a dream job at Heller's Security & Surveillance, despite a disastrous interview and no real experience or skills. An unsuccessful actor and almost down to her last dollar, Tilly hasn't accomplished much in life and is desperate to succeed in her new job. She finds herself attached to its many benefits, not the least of which is her dangerously attractive new boss, Heller. She soon discovers though that he is a man with secrets, leaving her with many unanswered questions. Why won't he tell her anything about himself and why is he using a false name? Does his brutal streak prove that he is a cold-blooded killer, as thought by some people?

Moving into his combined office/residence, Tilly joins the strange group of people living there that Heller seems to have collected on his way: teen aged Goth, Niq; sensitive, scarred Daniel; colossal twins, Sid and Clive; and the shadowy Victor, who is never seen. Dwelling in close proximity to them all strengthens her growing bonds with Daniel and Niq, neither of who have ever had a positive female role model in their lives. It also tests her will power with Heller, particularly as he doesn't hide his growing personal interest in her. While she's mightily tempted, Tilly can't overlook his promiscuity or his increasingly possessive attitude.

Not sure what to think when she realises that she's the only female in a business that employs a lot of terrifyingly large and loyal men, Tilly struggles to be accepted as a Heller's team member. Her first assignment, acting as companion to the bored young wife of a visiting rich businessman, doesn't go to plan and Tilly receives a violent introduction to the rougher side of security work. Her second assignment with a polygamous family pushes her professionalism and self-preservation skills to the limit.

When her agent makes her an offer she shouldn't refuse, Tilly has to decide between her new life with Heller and his 'family' and something she thought she'd always wanted.

 via Goodreads
My rating: 5 STARS

******

 Heller's Revenge

 Tilly Chalmers’ sexy boss, Heller, has a talent for making enemies. Not a forgive-and-forget kind of man, he has a few scores to settle - including one with Tilly’s brother. Tilly is kept busy juggling that constant worry with managing three new assignments as a rookie security officer - crowd control at a lingerie parade, babysitting an immature, sex-starved IT billionaire, and an unusual and emotional job with a famous environmental activist. But as usual, Tilly’s assignments don’t go quite to plan. All this, as well as trying to keep her vow not to sleep with her beautiful and enigmatic boss, no matter how much of a temptation he proves

  via Goodreads

My rating: 4 STARS

*****

Tilly is a hot mess and her boss is even hotter.  The situations she gets into are almost unbelievable.  I love her spunky personality.  The thing that keeps me going back for more is Tilly and Heller's relationship.  It's simple and yet complicated at the same time.  The second book is a little cheesier that the first but still a good read.  The author is from Australia and I could definitely tell that throughout both books but not enough to discourage me from finishing and wanting to read the entire rest of the series.

If you want something easy that will keep you turning pages, this is it! 

P.S.  Follow me on Goodreads here.

Current Read: Heller's Girlfriend



Book Club: Evanovich Style

I've been on a reading frenzy this year.  I set a goal to read 20 books and I'm over halfway there and it's only April!  

Anyways, lately I've read Love In A Nutshell and Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich.

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory. 
Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss. 

Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? 

via

I definitely enjoyed the two main characters of the book and their "attitudes" toward one another. Kate was fiesty and sassy, while Matt tried to match her wit. You really got a feel of how exactly playful they were together but not overly cheesy or anything. I didn't figure out who the saboteur was until the very end. 4 out of 5 stars

Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie--and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: He'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients. But someone wants to find Annie even more than Diesel and Stephanie. Someone with a nasty temper. And someone with "unmentionable" skills. Does Diesel know more than he's saying about Annie Hart? Does Diesel have secrets he's keeping from Stephanie and the two men in her life--Ranger and Morelli? With Stephanie Plum in over her head, things are sure to get a little dicey and a little explosive, Jersey style!

via

Not as good as her other Stephanie Plum novels. It's only 160 pages so she didn't go as deep into character relationships and story line as she could have. The "capture" was sort of lame. Still funny but not as good as I thought it could be. Evanovich does stick true to her hilarious Stephanie Plum character. Oh and apparently, Stephanie is a giant whore.

4 out of 5 stars

Happy Reading,

Book Swap

I signed up for my a book swap a few weeks ago and was partnered up with Sarah. 

It such a foreign idea for me to send back and forth mails and get to know someone that well, I would probably never meet in person.  But it was really fun to get to know someones tastes in books. 

And it was easy because we both basically were interested in reading the same thing! 

From Sarah, I received the first three Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich: One For The Money, Two For the Dough and Three To Get Deadly.  Plus I got three book marks....one with each of the Hunger Games Trilogy on one side with the tag from the book on the other.  I don't have any bookmarks of any kind, well I guess if you wouldn't count a folded in half US Weekly subscription insert as one.

Any hoot, I quickly finished the book I was reading after I got this fantastic package and I'm already 100 pages into the first novel.  Can't wait to read and finish all three!

Thank you Sarah for being such a great partner!  You seriously made this swap the easiest and most fun thing!

Book Club: 1st To Die

1st To Die by James Patterson

Synopsis:

Inspector Lindsay Boxer of the San Francisco Police Department suddenly finds herself in the middle of two horrifying situations: The first is that she s just learned she has an often-fatal blood disease. The second is a double homicide case she s now heading up that involves the murder of newlyweds on their wedding night. Burdened with Chris Raleigh, a new partner reassigned from the mayor s office, Lindsay finds that she has too much to deal with and turns to her best friend, Claire, the head ME on the case. Claire offers helpful advice and human, friendly contact amid a job filled with violence, cruelty, and fear.

Soon a fledgling newspaper reporter, Cindy, makes contact with Lindsay looking for a career-making story. Although Lindsay can t officially comment on the case, the two women form a rapport, and Cindy joins Lindsay and Claire for their weekly meeting. When a second pair of newlyweds is murdered, and later a third, the investigation leads to a prominent crime writer, Nicholas Jenks, who has a history of spousal abuse and a predilection for kinky, dangerous sex games. With the help of an understanding assistant D.A., Jill Bernhardt, Lindsay tries to make a case against Jenks, who even had an affair with one of the slain women. Eventually Jill joins the Murder Club, and the four ladies share private interdepartmental information in an effort to track and stop the killer before he strikes again.

The major subplot -- Lindsay's facing up to her illness even while she learns to fall in love again -- carefully compensates for the novel s coarse scenes of brutality. Lindsay Boxer isn t merely an obsessed cop trailing a maniac; she s also a terrified woman confronting the onslaught of disease. The story lines balance out to show us the true mettle of someone who puts the safety of others before her own.

Again, Patterson s skill for producing furiously paced fiction are evident as the novel breezes by rapidly. The short chapters keep the narrative leaping with increasingly taut plot elements, but there s an emotional commitment that makes our protagonist even more amiable and involving. 1st to Die is a novel that works as an intense series of character portraits that will leave the reader touched and delighted.
via

I got my James Patterson cherry popped!  This is my first James Patterson book that I've read.  I thought I would start out with the woman's murder club and work from there.  I want to read the Alex Cross series but I’ve sort of seen Along Came A Spider and Kiss the Girls.

This book was really, really good.  I don't typically read crime novels...some but not a lot.  I'm currently asking myself why I don't read more because these seem to be the one's I enjoy the most.  This one was a page turner for me.  It took me less than 6 days to read.  This never ever happens, especially with 400+ page books.  Write this down…I read a book in 6 days.  Aaaand, we’re moving on.

Interested in reading a novel about some bad ass bitches that take no shit from men solving a murder or two?  Do you like a book that keeps you on edge?  Do you like your novel non-predictable?  Then this one is for you.  At many points during this novel, I thought I had the killer pegged and named, then it throws me for a loop and everything changes.  The end is definitely something I didn't see coming.  Also, if you would like a side of romance, this has it too.

 Super fast, super easy and super intriguing!!

Book Club: The Lucky One & The Hunger Games

Synopsis:

When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.
Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

via

A few weeks ago, I read The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.  I'm a huge Nicholas Sparks fan.  I own every single book that he has written (thanks to my mom and Double Day).  I love how his books are captivating but not deep.  They flow well and are super easy and quick to read.  While this book was much the same as all his books, it was more than predictable.  There was only one part that I didn't see coming which was the very end.  But I won't give it away.  This is probably one of the books I have like the least by Mr. Sparks.

Synopsis:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
via

I decided to read this book because it has gotten so many good reviews.  People love this series and rave on how it's so good.  While it was good, it wasn't great.  It was sort of predictable but still suspensful enough to enjoy.  Obviously, they left the book off to where I'll have to go to the next to read to find out what happens but I'm not that excited about it.  I'm sort of excited to see the movie though.


Also, I've seen the trailor for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and am so, so exicted to see this movie!  It makes me want to read the book again! 

Book Club: Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me

I finished Valley of the Dolls last weekend...finally.  Overall a juicy and fun read.  You think you know what is going to happen and then everything changes. I'm a little disappointed in some of the characters.  I thought they would be stronger and stand up for themselves more than they actually did.  I've never felt so much emotion for a character than I did for Anne's toward the end of the book.  It was fun reading a book that took place in the 50's and 60's like this one did.  Just makes you realize how life was for people during these time period's.

I wanted a real good laugh as my next read so I picked up "Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me" which I've had on my bookshelf since this summer.

'My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate.' - Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang It's no lie: Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out 'dumbassness,' the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense. Friends, family, co-workers - they've all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools. Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the very first time, write about them.

Via Goodreads

Once again, I wasn't disappointed.  Even though this isn't written by Chelsea herself, just the morons she surrounds herself with, it's still freaking hilarious.  I can't believe after all the fucking with she does, they still believe things that come out of her loud, Jewish mouth.  It's not only that.  She somehow masterminds anyone around her into being in on her hijinks of whomever has fallen prey.  Not only that, her lies could go on for days, weeks and even month.

Seriously, she hangs around some pretty stupid people.  Funny, but stupid.  This little fact makes Chelsea genius but we already knew that.  I wish I could lie like Chelsea can.  Any joke or lie I've conjured up lasts about an hour but I do love to mess with anyone, especially the non-smart.

This is a definite, must read if you love Chelsea or have a sense of humor (as are all of her other books).  If you dislike vulgarity, you're not going to Chelsea and we probably can't be friends.

10 Day YOU Challenge {Books}

Four books:

{one}

 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

This is hands down, probably my favorite book.  Such a good, interesting, keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat, read.  It's a must read for all.  I don't even get into the whole religion aspect of it that a bunch of people had a problem with when the movie came out.  Either way, it was an engaging book.  Angels & Demons is also a very good read by the same author.

{two}

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

Hilarious!  She's had some very interesting rendezvous'.

{three}

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

I'm a huge fan of all Nicholas Sparks' work.  You know him as the author of many books that have been turned into movies (A Walk To Remember, Dear John, Message In A Bottle, The Notebook...).  The Guardian is my favorite of all his work.  It's thrilling with a side of romance.  Good read if you're looking for something that is easy and intriguing.

{four}

Anything Harry Potter.

Such a good series that is not just for kids.  I have only read the first three but the last four are on my 'to read' list which these days is about 4865465455.6 miles long.  I want to know how it ends!

What are your favorite books?  Any must-reads?