Review: Dead Barchetta by Kathryn Lively

Title: Dead Barchetta
Author: Kathryn Lively
Format: Paperback and Ebook
Available at Amazon and Smashwords

From Amazon: “Lerxst” Johnston doesn’t have an enemy in the world…so he thinks. Armed only with a guitar and endless questions, Lerxst escapes the discomfort of his beach home and hides out in New York City to learn the true identity of his would-be assailant. Instead he learns more about himself and what he needs to do to survive the next attempt on his life. What a long, strange trip it is.

Review:

I read this one from beginning to end!  The story started off with the simple question of "Why was the mysterious woman was trying to kill him?" to a bigger plot that no one saw coming until it sprang up!  The story was engaging and you couldn't help but love Lerxst and the characters he meets along the way.

It had plenty of musical references and a great deal of dark humor but the book didn't bogged down at any point.  Instead, it moved at a quick pace and had you looking for answers as if you were Lerxst!  The characters were also wonderful.  There's the grandma who grows "medical herbs", a brother that has a huge secret and the female bass player that becomes his partner in the hunt for answers.   In spite of everything going on, Lerxst keeps a level head as he searches for the truth.

This was a wonderful read!  I read it from beginning to end and I wouldn't mind picking up again to discover any wonderful nuances I may have missed the first time around!  Music fans will also enjoy the rock references (especially for Rush) but you don't have to be a music fan to enjoy it.  It's great to see an ordinary, unexpected guy be the detective for a change.  Grab this one!  You'll enjoy it!

Blog Design Giveaway!!

Siobian over at The Owl Bookmark Blog is having a free blog design giveaway!  Just hop over to her blog for rules and regulations and take a chance on winning a nifty FREE blog design!!  Oh yea, check out her blog while you're there!  It's really cute!!

Follow Friday

Today's Question:

Do you judge a book by it's cover?

I do sometimes!  I can't help but be drawn in by the great cover art or a hunky man!


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://mykeepershelf.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Title: Karma and Melodies
Author: Katie Salidas

Teaser:

“Look, blood bond or not, I know you, Kendra. I remember you from Enigma. You were so beautiful, so sexy. You still are. I wanted you then, but I didn’t take the opportunity. Let’s not waste that chance now.” He rolled towards her. “I want to taste your lips. Your neck, your—” He bit his lip and groaned. 

“Go ahead, say it. You want my blood. Vampires are ruled by our instincts,” Kendra said matter-of-factly, repeating the words she had heard Hector say before. “We’re hedonists with a finite limit of control. Wants, needs, desires are all amplified.” She looked down at Marcus. “You see? It’s so easy to give in. To become the beast we’re known to be. I’ve cursed you to this fate. Already you’re acting on your desires. You want my blood.”

Review: An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy

Title: An Atlas Of Impossible Longing
Author: Anuradha Roy
Format: Print and E-Book
Found at: Free Press(Simon and Schuster.com) and Amazon


An Atlas of Impossible Longing is a hauntingly beautiful story about a family in India.  The author explores love and loss through the years of this family and the longing of hearts separated by class and circumstance.  I was taken into the caste system of India and the author showed regardless of feelings, status had to be maintained.  It was so easy to get lost in the pace of the book and the author wove the story in such a way that you could actually feel as if you were in India viewing the story.

This is a beautifully written book and the love story of Mukunda and Bakul will touch you deep in your heart.  To know they were kept apart because of their Mukunda's unknown caste was heartbreaking and to see how their lives unfolded was tragic, in a sense, and you can't help but want them to find each other again but you realize that their circumstances will keep them apart.  Other family members live with longings and regrets and you can't help be become drawn into the family story, one member at a time.

This makes a wonderful rainy day read.  Curl up with a cup of tea, a blanket and get lost in India for the afternoon.

*This book was a pre-release copy from Free Press.  The review is my own honest opinion.*

Review: Fierce Dawn by Amber Scott

Title: Fierce Dawn
Author: Amber Scott
Found at : Amazon
Format: E-Book

When I was sent the ARC copy, I admittedly was eager.  I read Irish Moon by the author and I truly enjoyed it!  I am overjoyed to say Fierce Dawn met and exceeded my expectations.  It had all the elements that I really enjoy: supernatural, sexual tension and a great story!

Starting off, we meet the young Sadie Graves, who is taking care of a mentally ill mother and her little sister, Heather.  Her mother is obsessed with her rambling journals and all Sadie wants is to be a normal teen.  Little does she know her life is going to be anything but.

Flashing forward to adulthood, we find Sadie and her sister's positions reversed.  With their mother dead, Heather has turned caretaker to the now broken Sadie.  Sadie is trying to find herself again while convincing her sister and the psychiatrist she's OK.  What she doesn't mention is the dreams of a gorgeous man that have been haunting her for the past 6 months.  Imagine her shock to discover the man of her dreams coming to the library where she works!

It's not a coincidence that has Elijah there.  Something is after Sadie and her life is getting ready to change in ways she never dreamed.  He is there to protect her and try to fight the strong physical attraction that has developed between them.  He keeps telling her (and himself) the attraction is not real but it sure feels like it is!

This book was so wonderful!  The story is gripping and entertaining.  The realization there's another world in the shadow of this one is compelling.  I also LOVED the sexual tension between Elijah and Sadie as they tried to fight the strong mutual attraction between them while trying to get to the bottom of the conspiracy to destroy the human world.

I read this book in one day, it was just that good!  It's up for Blog Tour De Force author Cage Match on April 18 and Bestseller For A Day on May 18, but don't wait that long!  Download this now!  You'll be glad you did!

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://books-ahoy.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event! 

This Week's Question:

 "Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

I'm not much of a prankster.  I always got mad about being tricked and after awhile, friends stopped doing it.  I was kind of a bratty spoil sport! LOL