Hardcover, 223 pages, Published September 1st 2010 by Legacy Series Press, LLC, ISBN13: 9780615382401

Alan Sakowitz, a whistleblower of a Madoff-like Ponzi scheme masterminded by Scott Rothstein, fraudster extraordinaire, tells the story of his decision to turn in Rothstein regardless of the possible dangerous ramifications of such a decision. The saga of Rothstein’s rise and fall which included a Warren Yacht, two Bugattis, Governor Crist, the former Versace mansion, The Eagles, and even the murder of a law partner, is the stuff that Hollywood movies are made from.

Instead of the mere accounting of such a scandal, Sakowitz uses the Rothstein scheme as a cautionary tale in stark contrast to the stories of humble, ethical individuals living within Sakowitz’s neighborhood in North Miami Beach, Florida. Sakowitz’s neighbors are people who have spent their lives trying to assist others, not line their pockets, and through these stories Sakowitz creates a sharp dichotomy between the greed, of a Rothstein and its mainstream culture of consumption and the charity, kindness and selflessness of a principle-oriented community. Indeed, Sakowitz speaks to the symptoms of a culture that could create a Scott Rothstein, and, though acknowledging that the easy way out is not simple to dismiss, offers remedies to the growing ills of our entitlement society. The answer, Sakowitz says, lies in thinking first of others, and how one’s actions should benefit the lives of friends, not one’s short-term gratifications.

Review: Before I begin, I guess I better post two things. 1) Most of you who follow my reviews, or read my reviews every now and again, know that I post spoilers and give my opinion. 2) You also know that I usually only read fiction.

So this review is going to be a bit different. First, the book is non-fiction. Second, I’m not posting spoilers – I’m urging you to get out there, get the book, and read it! It’s very possible that I would probably have never read this book, because it is non-fiction. I haven’t read non-fiction since I graduated high school over 15 years ago. With that said, I will forever thank Alan Sakowitz for asking me if I’d like a copy to read and review. This book will hit the heart of you – “on the right side.”

The title, “Miles Away … Worlds Apart” fits the book exactly. I don’t think Alan could’ve have given it a better title. Not only do you get the selfish, egotiscical, greedy, manipulative world of Scott Rothstein, you get the mirror opposite of Alan’s world – filled with heartfelt stories of the selfless, decent, compassionate people who are his family, his friends, and his community.

After reading the book, the one saying that keeps coming to mind is: where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I sincerely sort-of feel bad for the investors that got sucked in by Rothstein’s image. And the reason I state “sort-of” is because, like Alan, those red flags should have been setting off alarms by the dozen. If they chose to ignore the warnings completely, then they kind of deserve to be in the position they are now. They had the choice to walk away. They didn’t.

Alan, I commend you. Not only did you take those red flag warnings to heart, you chose not to brush it aside like I’ll bet others did; out of sight, out of mind. No, you chose to do the selfless, decent thing: you chose to blow Rothstein’s scheme right out of the water. You protected countless others who might have been sucked in if Rothstein had a chance at them. I’ll bet there are hundreds of people out there who are proud of you. I know I am. And there’s another reason for that as well…

Those of you who know me personally know that I have a hard time reading anything that includes religion. I am Roman Catholic. That will never change, no matter if anyone argued until they were blue in the face. I have a hard time reading books that push other religions; as if stating that I’m completely in the wrong and this is the way it should be. But Alan didn’t do that. Not one iota. With the wonderful stories that he included in his book, he didn’t press upon his religion. Any mention of it was more like for the benefit of the reader, so that the reader better understands his religion. What he did press upon, was humanity; on kindness, selflessness, compassion, decency. Plain and simple. No matter the religion, people all over the world should be like this. Acts of kindness, of decency, should be done because a person is in need. There shouldn’t be an ulterior motive. It shouldn’t be because it makes you feel good. It should be all about the person who needs it. Any acts of kindness I’ve done, any that I know I’ll do in the future, have nothing to do with me and how I feel. If someone asked, would I admit that those acts made me feel good? Of course I’ll admit it – I’m not a liar. But I didn’t do it for me. To know that, whatever help I gave, was appreciated, to know that person will be okay, that’s more than enough for me. I don’t need anything in return. I don’t even need a smile, or a thank you. Because, in my heart, I know I did the right thing, the decent thing, and that’s all I need.

When my children are older (as we are French, my children haven’t started taking English classes as of yet) I will have them read Alan’s book. I know they will learn from it. I know I did.

Rating:

Mass Market Paperback, 292 pages, Published January 30th 2007 by Ace, ISBN13: 9780441014736

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen…

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places – and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary – and neither is the demon inside of him…

Review: An excellent addition to the first in the series!

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading the book, do not continue reading this review. … Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The second book in the series, we begin not too far where the first one left off.

Stefan, a vampire, calls Mercy for help. A vampire has come to the city but not has not asked Master vampire, Marsilia, for hunting rights. That is vampire law. But Stefan also believes that this is the vampire that hurt his friend Daniel, and he wants to make the vampire pay. But he wants Mercy’s help – in her coyote form. The vampire won’t see more than that, and if Stefan’s right, he’s going to need a human witness. Reluctantly, being the wee hours of the morning, she agrees, and changes form when he picks her up.

Trouble quickly escalates. This new vampire, Littleton, isn’t just a vampire. He’s also a sorcerer. This was known to be forbidden, to turn a sorcerer. Whoever turned him has lost control of him, and now they need to discover who.

Marsilia sends Stefan to hunt down this vampire. Stefan wants Daniel at his side, even though he’s in bad shape. Adam sends Warren and Ben with Stefan to help, and as back up. But then they all go missing. Warren turns up beaten and near death. Mercy has seen the ghost of Daniel and knows that bad is getting close to worse. Worse comes when Adam and Samuel both go missing after they set out to find Ben and Stefan. And the strange thing happens: Marsilia asks Mercy for her help. Together, with Marsilia’s second, Andre, they set off to find the missing and make sure Littleton’s dead. However it was unsaid, Marsilia wants Littleton alive. Mercy’s determined to make sure he’s dead.

Oh, I loved this one almost as much as the first! What I hadn’t realized in the first book, was that Mercy is a Shifter, not a were and because she is a Shifter, vampire wiles don’t work as well on her. Plus, she can see and talk to ghosts. I hadn’t realized that Mrs. Hanna was a ghost in the first novel. Oh, but I got it this time, when she saw Daniel’s shaking form and no one else did.

I was sort of surprised by who had turned the sorcerer, and sort of not. If I’d known about how jealous this vamp was of Stefan, I’d have caught on earlier. (And while my reviews are usually littered with spoilers, I’m not saying who!) What I truly took to heart and completely understood, was the final chapters and what Mercy felt and her actions. I completely understood and agreed why she went after the vamp. She did what she had to do, what she thought was right, regardless of whatever trouble she could get into. And for another vamp to tell her that he could do the same, gave me chills. Will he keep his word and not tell Marsilia? Will he keep his word and not turn a sorcerer? Only time will tell – but I get the chills every time I think about it.

Again, Mercy’s integrity plays a roll, and I adore her for it.

Samuel has been having a tough time. He’s admitted to something in his past, while he was in Texas, and I can understand why his current state of mind is close to destroying him. Still, I don’t trust him. I don’t trust that he truly wants Mercy for her, and not for the fact that she’s a Shifter and could very possibly carry their children to term.

The attaction between Mercy and Adam still simmers just below the surface, and I quiver every time. There’s a scene where they are sparing, and just when I think this is it, Jessie, Adam’s daughter, interrupts. Dang it!

Rating:

Mass Market Paperback, 334 pages, Published 2010 by Ace Fantasy, (reissue of) ISBN: 9780441011872

For many years, the city of Colossae was a haven of magical study. As generations of wizards pushed the limits of their abilities, an evil entity was unleashed that could only be contained by the sacrifice of their city. From the ashes of Colossae, the Travelers emerged – roaming the world to ensure that the Stalker would remain imprisoned forever…

Seraph is a Raven mage and among the last of the Travelers. Unwelcome among those who fear magic, the wizard clans have been decimated by the very people they’ve sworn to protect. But Seraph is spared a similar fate by the ex-soldier Tier – and together they build a life where she is no longer burdened by her people’s responsibility.

But now Tier is missing – or dead – and Seraph’s reprieve from her duty is over. Using her magic to discover her husband’s fate, Seraph realizes the Stalker’s prison is weakening – and only she can fulfill her ancestors’ oath to protect humanity from destruction…

From the author’s website:
The first of the Raven duology. Can be read as a stand-alone novel (no cliffhanger endings), although some plot threads are not fully resolved.

Review: A terrific read from an incredible story-teller!

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading the book, do not continue reading this review. … Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

After ten years of battle and war, Tier is finally on his way home. Coming to a village a few days from home, thoughts of a warm meal and comfortable bed are waylaid when he passes a pyre on fire – with a dead Traveler in the center of the blaze. Thoughts of leaving are reinforced when he walks into the local inn only to come upon the “trial” of the dead traveler’s sixteen year-old sister, Seraph, also a Traveler, a Raven of the Clan of Isolda the Silent. He feels her magic stirring when she becomes furious, for the innkeeper believes she cannot pay the outrage sum against her. She is now being sold to whomsoever will pay the wage. Tier comes to her rescue, and they quickly leave the village. But the nobleman who had intended on buying Seraph for himself has every intention of taking her back… And loses.

Tier has every intention of helping her find her another Traveler family, bought plans are waylaid again when he gets home to find his mother abed and sick. He has the bakery to run, even though his sister and brother-in-law had been doing just fine. He’s asked to stay a few weeks at least, so spend time with his mother before her passing, but the more time he spends at home, the more he wants to get out. Restless after so many years of battle, the thought of a monotonous life is too much to bear. And he comes to Seraph’s rescue once again. After yet more harrassement from Tier’s sister, Seraph’s anger gets the better of her and unleashes a wave of destruction in the front room of the bakery, breaking everything. Once they were married, he buys a plot of land believed to be of little value, and becomes a farmer.

Twenty years and three children later, Seraph is happy, even though the guilt of eschewing her people’s responsibility ways on her, even through her little family’s having rough times. Tier has gone on another winter’s hunting trip, and he’s late in returning home. When a hunter arrives, bringing news that he believes Tier to be dead, Seraph is getting the feeling that something is most definitely not right. Now she must tell her children what exactly they are. There are 5 Orders of the Travelers; her children were all born into different Orders. Something that had never before happened.

Unearthing the bones, Seraph is sure that the bones do not belong to her husband. Another Raven, Hennea, finds them and explains what she believes is happening. Rinnie, her youngest child and only daughter, gets kidnapped, and all four: Seraph, her son’s Jes and Lehr and Raven Hennea, discover where she is and get her back, leaving her with Tier’s sister. Seraph believes that Tier has been kidnapped much for the same reason: for his magic. While Tier wasn’t born of the Order, he is a Bard: he can keep people calm with his voice, he can absolve an argument, and his songs can create pictures with his words. Travelers are dying. The Masters of the Secret Path are stealing magic with every intention of unleashing the Stalker. And as a Raven of the Order, Seraph cannot let that happen.

Patricia Briggs is a Master Story-teller. She weaves a suspenseful mystery plot with excellent characters, great action scenes, and feelings. You can feel the inner battles of the main characters, from Seraph and Tier to Lehr and especially Jes. Every word pops the picture in your mind and you can swear you’re right along with each character, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel. What I also really liked wsa the ending of the book. Even though this is the first book in her Raven duology, it doesn’t leave this huge cliffhanger ending. While the book can be read as a stand-alone, only a couple of the plot lines are left unresolved, which does leave you wondering, but not frustrated. If you like fantasy novels, you will definitely like this one.

Rating:

Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages, Published January 1st 1998 by Avon, ISBN13: 9780380789016

Richard Mayhew is a plain man with a good heart – and an ordinary life that is changed forever on a day he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. From that moment forward he is propelled into a world he never dreamed existed – a dark subculture flourishing in abandoned subway stations and sewer tunnels below the city – a world far stranger and more dangerous than the only one he has ever known…

Review: An enjoyable read!

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading the book, do not continue reading this review. … Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Richard Mayhew is just your everyday Average Joe who moved to London to procure a number-crunching job. He meets a girl and becomes engaged. Life seems to be great. However, Richard is an absent-minded person. He forgets his keys, loses track of time, etc… On the way to dinner with his fiancee (with a reservation he forgot to confirm), where he was supposed to impress her boss, Richard stops by a rag girl who is exhausted, frightened and hurt. Jessica (who is most definitely a woman who prefers her way or the highway) demands he leave her for someone else to take care of. And when he picks up the girl to take her home, Jessica (her name isn’t Jess) threatens to end their engagement. Richard disregards her statement and takes the girl home to mend. Little did he know how bad life was about to get.

“Door” can open doorways without keys, can open doors where there are none. It was her ability that helped her escape her would-be assassins, Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, and brought her to London Above. But Richard doesn’t understand her meaning. No worries, reluctantly, he soon will. Her would-be assasssins manage to track her down, but Richard manages to get rid of them. With her face now plastered on Missing posters throughout the neighborhood, Door sends Richard for help and he brings back the Marquis de Carabas. As she leaves, she apologizes. Little does Richard know how deep that apology actually goes. For Richard’s life, as he knows it, is now over. Jessica broke their engagement and refuses to see or talk to him. When he arrives at work, his possessions are removed from his desk. His flat is leased to another couple – while he’s in the tub! Richard is gone. It’s as if he never existed. He can be seen, but is immediately forgotten. Throwing some of his belongings into a duffle bag, he sets off to find Door, wanting answers, wanting his life back. There’s only one way he figures he can find her. Start with the very place she’d sent him before for help.

And help he gets – from unlikely characters. For under London lies London Below, filled with shady characters, talking animals, tunnels, sewers, hidden passageways and a mysterious market that’s never held in the same place twice. A market that provides, but people barter, and not with money. Money means nothing in London Below. For Richard, this isn’t reality. He wants to go home.

Door is on her own quest. She wants to find her family’s muderer. She wants to know why. And only the Angel Islington can help. But after finally finding him, she is sent on a quest to retrieve a certain key, and when she returns, he will tell her all she needs to know. Richard, reluctantly, is along for the ride, for afterwards, the promise is he’ll be sent home and his life will be as it was.

But Door was warned; they have a traitor in their mists. The Hunter is hired to bodyguard her from the assassins who are after her. Richard deals with more than he bargained for. And just when they think they have the story right, how wrong they were.

An enjoyable read, it was an adventure. Places where people have no business being. Strange and shady characters, some you enjoy, some you dispise. A solid mystery that leaves you asking questions until you finally get the answers you seek. For me, it was missing just that little “oomph”, that little “spark” to make the story completely believable. While I could picture a different world of London Below, I couldn’t really picture some of the characters and what they did. I enjoyed the banter with Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar. And I felt, at heart, how Richard came to care for Door. Definitely an entertaining story to read.

Rating:

Published April 27th 2010 by Ballantine Books, Mass Market Paperback, 480 pages, ISBN13: 9780345520760

When the human and the vampire worlds collide

Luca Ambrus is a rare breed: He is a vampire from birth, begotten by vampire parents: blood born. He is also an agent of the Council—the centuries-old cabal that governs vampirekind, preserving their secrecy and destroying those who betray them.

When a cryptic summons leads him to the scene of the brutal killing of a powerful Council member, Luca begins the hunt for an assassin among his own people. But instead of a lone killer he discovers a sinister conspiracy of rogue vampires bent on subjugating the mortal world.

All that stands in their way are the conduits, humans able to channel spirit warriors into the physical world to protect mankind. Chloe Fallon is a conduit—and a target of the vampire assassin who’s killing them. When Luca saves her life, an irresistible bond of trust—along with more passionate feelings—is forged between them. As more victims fall, Chloe and Luca have only each other to depend on to save the world from the reign of monsters—and salvage their own future together.

But a war is brewing. A Rebellion has formed, and now they’ve found a descendant of the witch that cast a spell a very long time ago. This spell prevents vampires from entering a human’s home without an invitation. And once this spell is broken, the Rebellion will bring war with the humans in full force, showing the humans what they are truly meant to be.

However, the Warriors, spirits that lie in wait for each and every war, are whispering, talking, pleading with their conduits to bring them to their world. Conduits are descendants of the Warriors, and only the conduits can bring them across from their plain of existence.

Chloe Fallon is one such conduit. But she believes she’s slowly going nuts. Dreams, whispers are keeping her awake, for when she sleeps, the dreams and whispers grow stronger.

Luca is called by a longtime friend on the council, Hector. He’s certain that a Rebellion faction is forming, and asks Luca to come immediately. But Hector is murdered before he can arrive, but left enough clues with his powers to plainly show Luca his killer. But Enoch is only a foot-soldier to a higher power, and Luca plans to follow him, to see what Enoch can tell him.

The Rebellion queen, known as Regina to protect her true identity, has coerce Jonas’s help. He’s helped the council before, and she knows he has the power to do what she wants – find the location to all the conduits. If the conduits are killed, the Warriors cannot cross over, thereby ensuring the Rebellion wins the war.

But when Enoch attacks Chloe, and whispers to her, Luca hears it all, and defeats Enoch. But another surprise lies await for Luca – for Chloe can remember him. It is one of Luca’s gifts as a blood born vampire. No one remembers him the moment they turn their back. Only a very strong vampire can. It’s been a lonely life for Luca, but he’s accustomed to it. When Chloe remembers him, it’s a blow; even Glamour doesn’t work on her the way it should. There is something truly different about Chloe. The more time he spends with her, the more time he realizes she’s a conduit. The more information he gathers, the more he’s sure that there’s a Rebellion faction in the works, and the more he’s sure that the Queen, is none other than a member of the Council.

So now Luca’s job is two-fold. Not only does he have to stop the Rebellion to prevent a war, he needs to keep Chloe safe. For more reasons than one… Chloe has gotten under his skin. Even in the face of danger, she holds her head high, no matter how scared she is. She’s lived in danger all her life. A small aneurysm too dangerously close to her heart cannot be operated on, and the threat of it bursting is always there. Chloe is determined to live life to the fullest each day. Luca has never met a human like her before, and she’s gotten even more under his skin… she’s dangerously close to his heart.

**A great story, but could have used more.

I loved Luca in this story. To watch him see the world anew through Chloe’s eyes. Sure, Luca is a very old, very strong, very dangerous vampire, but Chloe is unlike anyone he’s ever met, vampire or human. Realizing what she means to this world, he vows to protect her at all costs.

Now, most who know me know I’m a paranormal nut. Paranormal in any form. There’s a mystery here, and it’s a good one. I sort of had an inkling of who the rebel queen was, but it wasn’t until one last clue is thrown to the reader do you really know who she is before seeing her real name. The mystery part is pretty good. So’s the action, the fighting. But one thing bugged the living daylights out of me.

For a paranormal-romance, I didn’t feel the romance. Luca and Chloe bonding together was an added measure for Chloe to be stronger, to help defend herself, even if only for a few seconds. While I felt a love start to grow, I felt no romance whatsoever.

And just once, I’d like to see the hero and the heroine declare their love for each other before the inevitable “about to lose the love of their life” confession happens. Just once. Anyone know of an author who can indulge me with that one?

Watching Sorin come to the realization that the queen would destroy even him, if he was in her way, was sort of bittersweet. I just wish he’d come to the realization a different way.

What I really liked was the difference in the play of the vampire world that Howard and Jones created. First, the old saying “a vampire cannot entire a home without an invitation” has been around for years/centuries, I liked how they tweeked it a little, but mentioning that it was a spell cast by a very strong witch a very long time ago. I liked that twist.

I liked how the young witch, Nevada, managed to outsmart the queen somewhat.

And I especially liked how Chloe managed to get a couple of good licks at the queen herself before and after receiving a strike from the queen that insured her death. Even while Chloe lay dying, she still managed to get one last “in your face” to the queen (ha! In your face… if you read the book, you’ll catch the unintended pun.)

The ending is a sure set up for book number two, which is what I’d expected. You can’t have a story end completely and expect to write a second book. Kudos to Howard and Jones on a book worth reading.

Rating:

Published July 6th 2010 by Scholastic, Inc, Paperback, 374 pages, ISBN13: 9780439023528

WINNING MEANS FAME AND FORTUNE.

LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

THE HUNGER GAMES HAVE BEGUN…

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 life TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place 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.

**Review:**

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading the book, you may not want to read my review. … Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

What an incredible book!!!

Collins creates an alternate world where North America is no longer as it stands now. Divided into 13 districts, each has their way of life. Not liking the powers that be, a rebellion had been formed, and squashed, which explains how District 13 no longer exists. Now new rules make just about everyone’s lives absolutely miserable. Poor, starving, people do what they need to stay alive – and pray they don’t get caught.

Katliss Everdeen, 16, is one of those people. After her father had died in the coal mine explosion, she has done what she needed to do to keep her family alive. Her father had taught her well. She hunts, she barters, and does what she can.

And then enter the Hunger Games, created after the rebellion. It was Capitol’s way of keeping the people, the Districts, under their thumbs, a constant reminder that – look what we can do. We can take your children and make them kill each other. Rise against us and it will become infinitely worse for everyone. Children from the ages of 12 to 18 are at risk, male and female alike. Thrown into a situation where it becomes kill or be killed, and be the last person standing – the victor, do whatever is necessary to stay alive. At the age of 12, their name is entered once. At 13, twice. 14, three times, and so on, until their 18th year. After that, no more. Obviously, the older you get, the more at risk you are. A catch to that: say you are poor and starvation is knocking on your door. As an adolescent between the ages of 12 and 18, you can exchange your name for tesserae, which is worth one meager year’s supply of grain and oil for one person. And the entries are accumulative. Your names from the year before, from each tesserae, stays in that ball, until your final year. And this just raises the stakes – your name could be next.

This year, Katliss’s sister, Prim, turned 12, and her name had been entered, but only once. And yet… her name was pulled. Out of desperation and panic, Katliss volunteers herself, to take her sister’s place.

Already nervous, anxious and fearful, her heart sinks to her stomach when the boy’s name is called. Peeta Mellark’s name is pulled from the boys’ ball. The baker’s son, he had risked a beating at the age of twelve and stole to stale loaves of bread and gave them to a starving Katliss. She had never spoken to him, before or since, but she was always grateful for that small act of kindness. And then reality hits – only one victor, one person can win. How is she supposed to be able to kill Peeta, the first person to give her that small act of kindness.

From District 12 to the Capitol, it’s an experience no one will ever receive – unless their name is pulled from that ball. From rich foods to clothes and costumes, from training and judging and scoring, Katliss takes it all in, no matter how much she abhors it, no matter how much it twists her stomach. She has to, for reprecussions would fall on her mother and sister and the rest of her district.

And then the Games begin, and it is all about survival. (I won’t go into details – except to say there are times were you become furious and times where a box of Kleenex is handy.) Strategy comes into play, and some of it leaves Katliss’s mind reeling. It seems the strategy is that Peeta is supposed to be in love with Katliss. Yet, she doesn’t know if it’s real or not. Then an announcement sounds – rules have been changed. The two people from the same district can both be the victors, if they are the last alive. Now Katliss is determined – she won’t have to kill the first person who showed her an act of kindness. They can both live, and both go home.

More twists, fighting, trying to stay alive. And just when they believe they make it, another twist occurs that makes your own stomach drop, your heart rip out, and you may have to put the book down to wipe your tear-filled eyes.

And just when Katliss thought the “star-crossed lovers” strategy was simply that, strategy, it turns out, Peeta wasn’t lying. She doesn’t know what she feels, but she is warned. Play it up, cause both of their lives depend on it.

**An incredible book, one of the best YA novels I’ve ever read. I think it surpasses Twilight!**

The story sucked me right in from the beginning, and quickly became an unputdownable book. If you are a YA fan, this book is a definite must-read and a book for your “keeper” shelf.

Those who know me know I’m not big on YA novels. Because they are written with young adults in mind, the dialogue isn’t quite adult. The scenes aren’t adult. I have a hard time putting myself in that frame of mind to really enjoy it. But I have to admit, this one sucked me right in. While it’s YA, I personally feel that the violence may be a bit much for younger YA. However, my niece is going on 12, and she’s loving it, so what do I know? *shrug*

The violent scenes are just that – violent. But, even though they are quite violent, it’s so well written that you are literally in the characters’ shoes. You feel what they feel; hope, fear, adrenaline, loss, sadness, anger… the author pulls them out of you, no matter your age.

The characters are superb! You get a feel for what their lives are like, what they go through, how they live, what they feel. You become the shadow over their shoulder, watching and hearing everything they do, right there in the story with them.

You root for them, and root hard. Then you hit the end of the book and immediately want to grab the second. So, ladies and gents of all ages, make sure you have Catching Fire on hand. Like me, you’ll regret it if you don’t, LOL!

Rating:

And now, please put your hands together for the winners of my most recent giveaway:

Bad Boy by Peter Robinson

And the winners are:

Sheri and Sam P!

Congratulations to both of you! Please make sure to email me your mailing addresses so that I can get your books out to you. They’re coming to you straight from HarperCollins!

**THANK YOU to everyone who entered! It was my pleasure to post these giveaways for you. Please be sure to check back periodically for new contests and giveaways! As it is, I have another going on now. Currently posting, so please bare with me!

Published November 24th 2009 by Dell, Mass Market Paperback, 370 pages, ISBN13: 9780440244349

 THE SPECIAL OPS HERO FEARED NOTHING — UNTIL HE MET A WOMAN TOO HOT TO HOLD.…

Lieutenant Jake Hansen has survived some of the riskiest missions known to man. But now the wounded Navy SEAL faces his toughest job yet: smuggling Dr. Isabelle Markham out of Africa without triggering an international incident. Not easy to do when the gorgeous hostage happens to be a senator’s daughter—and about as easy to resist as an oasis in the desert.

If it weren’t for Jake, Isabelle would still be halfway across the world, where rebel forces left her for dead. The special ops warrior may have saved her life, but she doesn’t need him to protect her now. Tell that to the ruggedly handsome hunk in full battle fatigues who’s just been assigned as Isabelle’s personal bodyguard. Close quarters aside, Isabelle won’t let Jake anywhere near her heart—until danger throws them together again. And nothing in the jungles of wildest Africa could prepare them for a passion this wild. This crazy. This hot…

**Spoiler Alert!** If you plan on reading this book, do not read any further. … okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Jake Hansen, Navy SEAL, gets a transmission in the middle of an African jungle while on their way out: a doctor with Doctors Without Borders had been kidnapped and left for dead, not a mile from his current location. Splitting up, his team continues on, one man goes with him.

Finding Dr. Isabelle Markham nearly brought Jake to his knees, although he doesn’t know why. She’d been stripped of her clothes, bound, gagged, and beaten to a pulp. He gets her out of there, and home.

Two months later, Isabelle is still trying to recover. The slightest human contact makes her agitated, and claustrophobia is beginning to set it – something that never once bothered her before.

But getting over it isn’t simple. With the man who did the damage now behind bars, she should be able to move on, but is finding it difficult. She cannot function the way her mother wants her to. She wants to go back to Africa – she needs to. Her mother, a U.S. Senator doesn’t agree with that, neither does her uncle, Admiral James Callahan. So he pulls strings – several – and gets her a position on base, doing consultant work for the Department of Defense, and actually working at the Naval Hospital.

Running into the man that saved her … she knew it was going to cost her. But she also knew that he would be the only one to understand her, how she felt. Question is: Can she get him to open up?

**Not bad.

Okay, so first we have Jake. Alpha to the core, he’s actually more of an a$$#@!&. He’s hard as nails, and is so completely determined to keep people at arm’s length, he comes across as a complete jerk. Jerk – Jake … hunh, 4 letters. But even before he’d made it home, having rescued Isabelle, she somehow, unintentionally, got under his skin.

Isabelle. In the prologue, I came close to actually disliking her. Was she brave? Yes. No matter how bad she was hurt, no matter who had done it to her, she wanted to make sure she didn’t come away from it feeling like a victim. I get that – more than you realize. But, while down, avoiding gunfire, she wants Jake to put his hands on her? WTF??? Okay, yes she’s in shock, yes she’s traumatized… but after what she went through, having trusted a bodyguard her mother hired, that was supposed to guard her, to keep her safe, was the one that kidnapped her, raped her, and all within 24 hours, she wants Jake’s hands on her? That was a bit over the top for me.

I have to admit, I ended up liking Isabelle. She was fighting back, on her terms. She tried to live the way her mother wanted her to, engaged to a man she didn’t love, practicing in a big hospital… she was being smothered, and was determined to get out. Behind her mother’s and Uncle Cal’s backs, she signed up with Doctors Without Borders again, determined to go back, to fight her fears. But her biggest fear was yet to come – she’d been lied to. The bodyguard, Rafe, was supposed to have been caught, was supposed to be behind bars. He wasn’t, and now he’s after Isabelle.

I really liked how Isabelle got to Jake, and vice versa. How she was able to open up to Jake, knowing that he’d understand. How Jake’s defenses crumbled, bit by bit, because of Isabelle. Neither one judged the other.

The action scenes, in and out of the bedroom, were really good, and I liked the suspense. I enjoyed learning about Jake’s brothers, Nick and Chris, and their father-adoptive father, Kenny. I loved the banter between the men, whether joking or arguing. I did find, however, that the ending was rather too abrupt, but no matter. Do I recommend this? Yes. Am I saying to run right out to your local bookstore or library and snag it? Well… you can walk instead of run.

Rating: .5

Hardcover, 400 pages, Published August 16th 2010 by Little, Brown and Company, ISBN13: 9780316089517

The Postcard Killers

by

James Patterson and Liza Marklund

NYPD detective Jack Kanon is on a tour of Europe’s most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren’t what draw him–he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each restaurant through a killer’s eyes.

Kanon’s daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have become victims of the same sadistic killers.

Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Gabby Larsen. Every killing is preceded by a postcard to the local newspaper–and Kanon and Larsen think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson’s most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

*Please note: I cannot quote anything from the book. I’d won and received an ARC copy through the contest on the author’s website.

NYPD Detective Jacob Kanon has been all over Europe for almost six months. His on the trail of a serial killer, one that sends postcards and pictures to the newspapers before and after each killing.

But it’s for sure the murders are being committed by a serial killer. Victims are of young couples in love, either boyfriend/girlfriend, engaged, or newlyweds. The victims are drugged, murdered (throats slit), and posed, and polaroid pictures are taken and sent to the same person they previously sent the postcards to. The murders are committed once, in one city, then the killer moves on.

Jacob is on the hunt for what he calls The Postcard Killers, and won’t stop until they’re caught. At every murder, he becomes more and more frustrated, and despair is crashing on him. You see, he’d sent his daughter on vacation to Rome with her fiance, and she was one of the Postcard Killers’s victims. Guilt-ridden, he’s determined to catch them, no matter the cost.

Dessie Larsson, a Swedish reporter, received a postcard and wonders what it’s supposed to mean. But then the polaroid arrives, and she’s dragged into the case, against her wishes. She’s persuaded by the police to write a letter and publish it in the newspaper, meant to capture the killers’ attention. It does, in a gruesome way, and now Dessie feels responsible for the second set of victims, believing that, if she hadn’t written the letter, the killers would have moved on and the victims in Stockholm would still be alive.

Together, Jacob and Dessie comb through the evidence, the postcards, the polaroids. There’s a pattern, but just when it seems obvious, it floats away. One picture in particular haunts Dessie, for the posed victims remind her of something. After talking to her ex-husband, she’s figured out what all the polaroids have in common; the victims are posed to immitate reknown paintings, famous paintings.

When clues fall into place, pictures of the killers are released to the media, and a widespread manhunt ensues, only to have the tables turned on them. The killers give themselves up, acting like a pair of tourists caught in the middle of the whole fiasco. Jacob is sure they are the killers, but there’s not enough evidence. No prints, no DNA, no nothing.

But when they’re released, Jacob loses it. He needs to find evidence it’s them, and decides to investiage their pasts – in Los Angeles. The more people he talks to, the more he’s certain that Sylvia and Malcolm Rudolph, twins, sister and brother, are the killers.

As more clues fall into place, he returns to Dessie, and together the find another clue: a website created about their art group. One page needs a password to access, and no matter what they try, the password is denied. That is, until they hit the right password. What they find, is indescribable.

The killers aren’t just Sylvia and her twin brother, Malcolm, but several other people, all over Europe. All part of the same art group, and art group formed by Sylvia and Malcolm.

Jacob and Dessie are hot on the twins’s trail, through northern Sweden, where Dessie had enlisted the help of her cousin to see if they could find and track the twins. When news of a second car theft reaches them, Dessie passes on the information to her cousin, and the car gets spotted.

The climax of the story is swift and brutal, but the epilogue is very sweet.

**Not your garden-variety killers. Ha! (If you read the book, you’ll catch the pun, LOL!)

I liked Dessie right from the beginning. Even though she was a small-time reporter, she didn’t want to be reknown. That wasn’t for her. She didn’t care if her byline was under the biggest story. She wasn’t in it for the prestige. Her morals and beliefs grounded her, and I liked that about her very much. When the police persuade her to post a letter to the killers, offering them a large sum of money for an interview, she’s viewed in the media as unethical and immoral, and this really disturbs her.

Jacob is on a one-track mind: to find his daugther’s killers, no matter the cost. Severely depressed by guilt, believing that if he hadn’t sent his daughter and her boyfriend/fiance to Rome on vacation, she’d still be alive, he’ll stop at nothing to find and capture her killers. I liked his tenacity, even if I found him to be immoral at times. For him, morality flew out the window the minute he confirmed his dead daughter’s body was his daughter’s. I also loved how the walls he built around himself came crashing down when Dessie came into the picture, and how her face kept coming to mind while he was away from her. I think Dessie was his “saving grace.”

The killers, Malcolm and Sylvia Rudolph… what a pair of psychotics. I think the most disturbing to me was watching them interact with their victims. *shudder* Reading a murder-mystery, you expect gruesome crime scenes, so I was prepared for it. But you don’t really get into the killers minds, you just see them interact with everyone around them, how they act with their victims, how they “put on a show” about being simple art students and tourists, taking in the sights and museums… that was disturbing.

The climax was perfect. And the epilogue was sweet. One thing, though… I’d have liked to see Jacob “say goodbye” to his daughter with Dessie beside him.

Another perfect James Patterson novel. No unneeded details or descriptions, vivid descriptions bring mental pictures to mind that make you shudder, characters that are complicated with simple words, and short chapters make this a quick, but very enjoyable, read. Highly recommended!

Rating: .5

Bad Boy

(Inspector Alan Banks series, #19)

by Peter Robinson

Banks is on holiday, headed for Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. His daughter, Tracy, home in Leeds and angry with her father, is headed for some very deep trouble. Robinson’s nineteenth Inspector Banks novel is a stunner. 

Handguns are illegal in the U.K., and whenever one is reported, the police swing into high gear. But things go very wrong when the police swoop down on a home in Eastvale to seize a reported handgun. In the confusion, Patrick Doyle, a former neighbour of Banks, is shot. Doyle’s daughter, Erin, is to blame for the gun being in the house, and while she’s in police custody, her housemate in Leeds, Tracy Banks, decides to let Erin’s boyfriend know that the police have been around their place. Bad decision. When Banks returns home from holiday, Tracy is missing. And that’s not the worst of it. 

Robinson’s latest Inspector Banks novel is a powerful story of how the volatile emotions of love and resentment can turn deadly when fear comes creeping in.

 Author Bio

 Among Peter Robinson’s award-winning Inspector Banks novels, there are titles which have been named “Best Book of the Year” by Publishers Weekly, a “Notable Book” by The New York Times, and a “Page Turner of the Week” by People.  Robinson was born and brought up in Yorkshire, England, and now divides his time between North America and the UK.

Click HERE for more information on the book, including a brief trailer and the First Page!

Contest Rules: Contest available to U.S. and Canadian Citizens. To Enter: Simply email me at “geebee_(at)hotmail.dot.com, with Bad Boy Contest in the Subject header. Don’t forget to include your snail mail addy.

 Don’t want to wait? You can purchase the book at any of the following links:

 Amazon.com          Amazon.ca          Chapters         

 Barnes & Noble

 A Note to FTC Guideline enforcers: The copies of this book were offered to me by Wiredset Marketing (NY). My contact still has these copies. She will be shipping it to the winners directly. I was not paid to create this contest/giveaway, nor did I receive anything in exchange. I do this, willingly and freely, simply for my love of books!!!