Mad Mad Modes for Moderns Monday - Fashions for the Workplace

After enjoying a lovely long holiday weekend such as this one, it tends to be hard to go back to work. I know I would be a little more motivated to go into the office tomorrow if I had one of these looks from Secret Hearts #140 (December 1969) by Jay Scott Pike to wear!

Here's to hoping you had a nice weekend as well!

'The Book Of Scandal' by Julia London -Review-

   Eh. The main characters in this novel experience heavy emotions as the scandal that had all hell breaking loose in London 1806 (a factual occurrence) warrants their dealing with some damning and fortunate misfortunes. Our hero and heroine must face each other and their demons once again, while trying to stay out of the society papers.Nathan Grey, the Earl of Lindsey, also known as the Libertine of Lindsey (which you won't be forgetting anytime soon) is urged by a friend to remove his long-estranged wife from London immediately to avoid being a casualty (by association) to royal scandal. Evelyn is now residing (against her will) in the one place she wished never to return. Two tattered souls will be thrusted into a situation together where the flames of love may be waiting to re-ignite.

-Read an excerpt: here

Book Trailer (which reminds me of a bad twilight parody, but still well done!):



   The Libertine of Lindsey is perfectly content with his existence thus far. A sprawling property in Eastchurch, buddies (free-loaders) to room and board and keep him company, outrages and notorious sexcapdes to keep him entertained; he has it all. There is a balance in the dysfunction of his life, but soon that happy medium is thrown for a curve when it is brought to his attention that a royal scandal is about to go public and its ramifications could possibly effect HIM.
   After the death of their son Robert (or Robbie), Nathan and Evelyn's marriage started to fall apart. Eve took it hard and became a shell of her former self. Nathan masked his grief with constant social abandon, drink and gambling; all while his wife started to make her own assumptions. She needed him to be there for her, and he was (or at least tried to be), he just didn't know how to really BE there for her. Eve believed Nathan was carrying-on with a neighbor whom was a dearest friend, and eventually that suspicion corroded itself and played a hand in her leaving for London. Nathan tried to convince himself that he didn't care and that it didn't matter to him. He did a pretty good job of it, that is, until a friend of his stops by to inform him that the wife he let leave him 3 years ago is rumored to be having an affair with a close friend of the Prince of Wales. The Princess and Prince are at odds and desperate to ruin the other; Evelyn Grey may be caught in the cross-fires and if she goes down, so will Nathan.
   Resistant to the point where abduction is necessary, Eve resents Nathan whole-heartedly for uprooting her from her contentment in London to the emotional roller coaster that awaits her at Eastchurch. Her presence instantly brings change and forces Nathan to take another look at the facts. He hurts for Eve; he hurts with Eve, they acknowledge their mutual grief over their lost son and failed marriage and begin to rebuild their foundation. As a result of the 'Book Of Scandal' and the consequent 'Delicate Investigation', Eve is put in mortal danger and Nathan must figure out whose trying to kill his wife so that they can truly turn over a new leaf and begin to live their lives together as it was meant to be.

Rating: 2 1/2 "Aww's"

My Favorite Part of the Book: [Spoiler Alert] Is when Eve finds out/accepts that she is pregnant again. After all the turmoil and grief she endured at the death of their first child, Robbie, she experiences some harsh emotions that real jerk at your heart. you can tell shes sort of leery when it comes to bringing another child into the world, but you can also feel the undercurrent of pure joy at her having a second chance to be a mother.

   I found things to enjoy in this book and pleasant surprises that made it worth picking up. The bare emotion that can be found from chapter to chapter is amazing. The grief Eve and Nathan feel over their lost son has a genuine quality to it that just resonated somewhere with me. It was a bit patchy and melodramatic at time, I think, but overall, I made it to the end of the book with a smile playing at my lips. It may not have been a slam-dunk for me, but there was enough of that 'something' to it to make me want to pick up another Julia London novel.

*Try out a book from the 'Desperate Debutantes' Series, 'The Hazards of Hunting A Duke'

-Read an excerpt from 'The Hazards of Hunting A Duke': here

Readers 'n 'ritas Conference November 12-14th 2010!.

Readers 'n 'ritas Conference November 12-14th 2010!.


Details: Readers 'n 'ritas will be held the weekend of November 12 through 14th, 2010in Plano, Texas. Join special guests Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Dakota Cassidy, Michele Bardsley, Rachel Caine, Jane Porter, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Jaye Wells, Lauren WIllig, Tara Taylor Quinn and readers for the fun and excitement. Radio personality and best selling author Candace Havens will be our Mistress of Ceremonies.


Joining Sherrilyn Kenyon and our emcee Candace Havens will be:

Dianna Love
Lauren Willig
Dakota Cassidy
Jaye Wells
Rosemary Clement-Moore
Michele Bardsley
Rachel Caine
Tara Taylor Quinn
Jane Porter

What fun is in store:

Friday

5pm-? Registration
6pm - 7pm Friends Reception with Author Guests
7pm - 10pm Evening Gathering



Saturday

8:30am - 11am Registration
9am - noon Panels
noon - 1:30pm Lunch and Intervew with Sherrilyn Kenyon
2pm - 4pm Panels
4pm - 5pm Book Swap, Coffee Klatch, Shopping
5pm - 7pm Margarita TIME!! Have some chips, salsa, guac and margaRITA Therapy!!!
7pm - 9pm Dinner with Authors *

Sunday

9am - noon Brunch, Booksigning and Raffles

Highlander Dragon winner

I am sorry for the delay in posting the winner form Kimberly Highlander Dragon. I have been running a fever all weekend, so my post will be late this week,I just hope you guys will bare with me as soon as I can I will get everything running again.

I want to think Kimberly for taking time out and answering my questions and I hope you guys enjoyed this interview.
The winner is Artemis congrats! Hope you'll enjoy Highlander Dragon as much as I did!

Recommendation of the Week: 05/30/10 - 06/06/10

'The Pirate Lord' by Sabrina Jeffries 

"A splendid opportunity— a shipload of women, theirs for the taking!  Pirate captain Gideon Horn couldn’t be more delighted.  His men are tired of wandering the high seas and ready to settle down with wives on an uncharted island paradise.  Surely, these New South Wales-bound women will be grateful for an alternative to the life of drudgery awaiting them at the end of their journey.

Married?  To pirates?  Sara Willis couldn’t be more appalled.  First she demands proper courting—at least a month.  The darkly handsome pirate lord grants a week.  Then Sara insists the men vacate their huts for the women—and Gideon demands kisses in return.  As the demands heat up, so do their passions—and soon Sara can't recall why she's fighting the devilishly captain so hard . . . "Source

Read an excerpt: here 

This is your Recommendation for the week of May 30th,2010 thur June 6th, 2010

Until Next Post<3...

In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and is a way for everyone to show their new books for the week, including those bought, swapped, won, or received for review.

"Sing Me to Sleep" by Angela Morrison


arc won from Ashley at http://booksobsession.blogspot.com


"She Walks in Beauty" by Siri Mitchell


from Bethany House I'm reading this one now and I love it!


"Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure" by Allan Richard Shickman

and "Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country"


both received from Bonnie at Earthshaker Books

What did you receive in your mailbox this week??

From The Poetry Vault...

While reading a book of poetry ('The World's Favorite Love Poems' edited by Suheil Bushrui) I came across a poem I just had to share. I love poetry, and if I stumble upon a particular poem that speaks to my feminine sensibilities, I'll make sure to post it in this new addition to the blog- 'From The Poetry Vault...'



Diarmad O'Curnain
Love's Despair
-translated from Gaelic (Irish origins) by George Sigerson

I know not the night from day,

   Nor thrush from cuckoo gray

Nor cloud from the sun that shines above thee-

   Nor freezing cold from heat

   Nor friend-if friend I meet-

I but know-heart's love!-I love thee

   Love that my Life began,

   Love, that will close life's span,

Love that grows ever by love-giving:

   Love,from the first to last

   Love, till all life be passed,

Love that loves on after living!

Roxane St. Claire Talks About Her Latest Bullet Catcher

Coming in November:


A

new series, launching in November, 2010! I’m really excited about this series called The Guardian Angelinos, published by the “Forever” line of Grand Central Publishing. The Angelino's and the Rossi's are a Boston-based family of rule breaking, risk taking, wave making siblings and cousins who investigate crimes and protect the innocent. This close-knit clan of security, military, law enforcement, technology, weaponry, and legal experts all have one simple creed: The good guys win and the bad guys get the holy hell kicked out of them.

The first book is called Edge Of Sight and features a truly wounded (but excruciatingly hot) hero, former Army Ranger Zach Angelino, and a resourceful, smart but in-over-her-head heroine, Samantha Fairchild. After Samantha witnesses a murder and the killer has her face on tape, only one person can protect her from the inevitable…unfortunately, that’s the one person who brings her to her knees, and nothing can protect her from, well, the inevitable. I promise plenty of action…both sensuous and suspenseful.

'Provocative In Pearls' by Madeline Hunter -Review-

   Great addition to an awesome series! 'Provocative In Pearls' is the story of a wronged-heiress who was forced into a marriage she didn't want and took matters into her own hands when she faked her own death and went into hiding for two years. She is found by her husband whom wasn't able to use her fortune until she was either found or declared legally dead. He fights her willfulness and her past while she slips her way into his heart. He has to convince her to abandon it all and take a chance on love.

Read an excerpt: here

Book Trailer:


   Hidden away from the world after her supposed 'drowning in the Thames' 2 years ago, Verity Thompson, also known as 'Lizzie', never expected to see her husband face-to-face ever again. So when Grayson, the Earl of Hawkeswell, accompanies his friend, Sebastian Summerhayes, to retrieve his wife from a visit with 'The Rarest Blooms', what's never expected become actual reality. Her futile attempts to conceal her identity once Hawkeswell claps eyes on her are in vain and only add to his frustration and short temper. Resolving to go with Hawkeswell to Essex (with Audrianna and Sebastian in tow) to spare any nasty incidences brought on by her unwillingness to go, Verity agrees to a plan that will have her in a carriage and Hawkeswell foregoing any exercising of his husbandly rights; but under the concession that she must give him three kisses a day. Although Hawkeswell agrees to forfeit conjugal rights during the 4 day trip to Essex, he knows Verity only sees it as her last chance to hold on to her virginity and use the fact to aid in her petition for an annulment. With no intention of letting Verity leave the marriage, Hawkeswell begins to devise ways to seduce her cooperation.
   The reason Verity ran away 2 years ago and made it look like an accidental death was because of her cousin, Bertram, and his wife. Her legal guardians since her father died, the Thompsons saw Verity's huge inheritance as bait to draw in a destitute aristocrat whom will open doors to society that were previously shut. What Verity wanted and needed didn't matter. So when Bertram threatened to harm a family whom had treated Verity with a scrap of humanity, she agrees, only to be devastated by learning on the day of her wedding, that he went ahead and harmed them anyway. Furious at the betrayal and suspecting Hawkeswell of having a part in it (which he didn't), Verity ran away and made it look like she died. It was only suppose to last until she reached her majority and could take control of her finances and her life. But she stayed with 'The Rarest Blooms' a little to long and got discovered.
   Mid way through the visit in Essex, Hawkeswell gets word that Verity's trustee has successfully managed a hearing with a county coroner who may declare Verity legal dead and all the assets that were frozen to him upon her disappearance would be granted to him. Seeing as Verity is alive and well, he must make the trip and introduce Verity into society ahead of schedule. She is met with obvious strained-politeness and nasty rumors, but her submission to Hawkeswell is definitely the most scandalous bit of action. They build and develop a connection between each other, but Verity's insistence that she discover how Bertram harmed her Bowman family (more specifically the son Michael) to make amends started to wedge on Hawkeswell's conscience. He believes Michael was the real reason Verity ran away like she did, and as his feelings for her deepen, his resentment for her past begins to fester.
   Sometimes, when you love someone, you've got to let them go. That's exactly what Hawkeswell does for Verity when he tracks down her beloved Michael and gives her all the necessary evidence she needs to get her annulment. But if it's truly meant to be, when you let it go, it always finds a way back to you.;)

Rating: 3 1/2 "Aww's"

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is when Hawkeswell finally gets Verity's surrender. She'd been putting off the consummation of their marriage ever since her exposure at the Rarest Blooms and by submitting to the act, she would be resigning herself to the marriage. Hawkeswell worked his magic and seduced her right in the garden of their home. They had been eating dinner on the terrace and soon found themselves naked and making a real marriage of it on top of the flower bed. The next morning, Hawkeswell discovers he can't find his wife anywhere in the house and assumes she ran way again after the flower bed debacle; only to be told that she was out in the garden. He doesn't know if she's angry or upset about what happened, but as they gaze at the spot where the flowers were flatten by their love-making, she cracks a joke to ease the tension. She says, "..we should set out a sign and be done with it. A memorial plaque.'Here did Lady Hawkeswell lieyeth while her lord taketh her the first time'". Pretty Funny.

   The second book in 'The Rarest Blooms' series doesn't disappoint. The sensuality is undeniable and through Hawkeswell's compassion and selflessness, you believe in the love that is forged between him and Verity. I think the story started off well enough; diving straight into the drama. The characters definitely developed steadily and the pacing was pretty good. Some deep issues were touched on, and I appreciated that Hunter could take us there and have it add to the plot but not overwhelm it. Although I thought the catalyst for the plot (Bertram's deception about the Bowman's and Verity's running away) was a bit lofty and slightly stretched, the book did what a 3 1/2 '"Aww's" rating entails- The 3 E's, as I like to call them- I Enjoyed, it was Exciting and I was pleasantly Entertained.

*Also check out the first book in the series, Sebastian and Audrianna's story, 'Ravishing In Red'/ My Review can be found: here

 * Want more from Madeline Hunter? Try 'The Sins Of Lord Easterbrook'

-Read an excerpt: here

Review Shadow Marked by Anna J. Evans

Shadow Marked
Author Anna J. Evans
Paranormal romance
NAL trade paperback 308 pgs.
Authors website





Book description

Samantha Quinn has been in the dark since age six, when her parents sacrificed her sight in a Satanic ritual. She is trying to get over her demonic past, but horrific lifelike visions haunt her. Her intuition gets stronger and clearer after a wild, adrenaline-fueled sexual encounter with Jace, her brother's childhood friend. And now Samantha is more tormented than ever by what she can "see"-and by what she felt in that forbidden encounter...

Samantha must now prevent the deaths she sees in her premonitions and protect her body from the same demon from her twisted childhood. Her dark curse reveals that Jace will be the next victim, and it is crystal clear that she must destroy the demon to protect her love.




Laurie's reivew
Rating-

Sexual-

I believe this is the first book I really didn’t look forward to write a review on. It wasn’t a bad book, I just couldn’t get into it like I wanted to. It has a really good world that was easily explained. I just more or less fond the story just there, nothing to even really get excited to write about. You know how you read a book and it will still stays in your mind after three days or so, well not this one with me. I’m still getting nothing.

I will have to say I loved the ideal that the heroine is blind. Samantha is a also very strong in other words, she doesn’t let her blindness get in her way and she is ready to take on a demon even though she can’t see them.

Her brother Stephen is really over protective so over protective it will make you mad the lengths he go to keep her with him, but she is to strong for him to win.

Jace, I didn't care for him. He is one that whines about how he cant have the girl (Samantha) just about the whole book, because he is ruff with women or he cant open that door to let it free. But yet he cant stay away form Samantha. I didn’t care for the romance in this book, there was only one good sex scene the other two just didn’t do it for me, the reason is because they don’t have full sex, so out of the whole book you get one good all out sex scene between them.

This book has a great new world and it has lots of fighting and excitement, but it seems to drag out before all the good excitement comes in. The back of the book pretty much sums everything up. I would like to say the last chapter was my favorite it was a really good ending. The is also an excerpt for the next book Demon Marked I am looking forward to reading it.

If you could ask a used bookstore owner a question what would it be?

I have a great used bookstore in my town and I have asked Kim to do an interview. I have a few questions, but would like to see if some of you would have any questions. If you have one please comment and if I pick your question, I will keep you name and when the interview is done and posted. I will give you one extra entry for the giveaway in that post.

‘Top Kill’ Effort Seems to Be Working, U.S. Says Cautiously

From The New York Times website:

"BP began the well-plugging maneuver, known as a top kill, on Wednesday, amid hopes that injecting heavy drilling fluid deep into the well could stem the relentless flow of oil that has devastated commercial fishing in the Gulf, fouled miles of coastline and put the company and federal regulators at the center of a political firestorm."

The end is in sight.

Please cross your fingers, or pray, or just send positive thoughts down to the Gulf.

Thanks in advance.

He's No Paul - That's For Sure!

The last time we heard from Marc here at Sequential Crush was way back in December. You met his "twin," Paul a couple of weeks ago, but it has been far too long since we have had our romantic hopes and dreams crushed, wouldn't you say so? To remedy that, let's take a trip down memory lane to Marc's fourth appearance in Young Love.

Young Love #93

(March 1972)

Is it just me, or has Marc lightened up a little? He isn't being nearly as offensive as usual. Heck -- it even seems like he cares a little bit! Kind of refreshing!!!

This weeks book giveaway Spiders Bite

This weeks book giveaway is Spider Bite new book and bookmark.

Rules
You have to be a follower this is for the U.S and Canada. If your internationally and would like to pay the shipping by paypal feel free to enter.

Extra.
+1 for a old follower
+2 for post to you blog, facebook. twitter etc. Please leave your link.

Please leave email

Winner of Jacquelyn Frank autographed book

Thanks to everyone that entered. Michelle G is the winner congrats!

WiP Wednesday: The Joy of Writing Crap

You know, after spending so much time revising Evangeline, I forgot how much I love writing a new draft. I know writing a few chapters of a sequel is different than thinking up something completely new, which makes it that much more enjoyable, but for this first go around, I'm also allowing myself to write crap.

I'm finding that since I gave myself permission to suck, I'm not so stressed about how the story starts. Do we ever really know where the story should start when we begin a new story? I don't, even though sometimes I have a vague idea. In fact, it's often not until I've completed the first draft that I finally know how I want it to begin.

While giving myself permission to suck is great and all, even more fun is letting myself find inspiration in little, meaningless things, things I try to ignore when I'm in editing mode. Evangeline began as a scrap of paper I saw on the bus that looked oddly like a tarot card. And out of such humble beginnings came a 95K novel (with series potential ;D).

I was reminded of this the other day while I was watching The September Issue, which documented the creation and culmination of the 2007 Vogue September Issue. (For the fashion unconscious, September is the biggest and most important issue of all fashion mags, at least in the Northern Hemisphere)

Vogue's creative director, Grace Coddington—there's a fabulous interview with her about the documentary here—has long been one of my artistic idols. A former model, and photographer and one of the most influential women in fashion, Grace is surprisingly down to earth. Her photographs, however—and the photo shoots she plans, like the one below—are out of this world.

In the documentary, Grace tells an anecdote about her father. He always told her to never sleep while traveling, to pay attention and watch everything, because you never know what might inspire you.

I've been thinking a lot lately about this anecdote, and how if I'd been nodding off, or reading a book on the bus that day, I might never have had the idea for Evangeline in the first place. Everything happens for a reason, so I thank whoever unwittingly (or wittingly, I'm not that picky) dropped that wrapper or paper or whatever it was that turned into a story.

What's been inspiring you, lately?

If you're drafting, are you allowing yourself to write crap?

Review of Kismet by Monica Burns

Kismet
Author Monica Burns
Historical romance
Trade paperback 380, pgs.
Authors website



Book description
In the heat of the desert night, passion rises like a flame...

Raised in a brothel, Allegra Synnford quickly learned that survival meant taking charge of her destiny. Now, as a renowned courtesan skilled in the pleasures of the flesh, she vows she will never be vulnerable to any one man...

Sheikh Shaheen of the Amazigh has been hiding from his past for a long time, but not enough to forget how another courtesan made him abandon his life as the Viscount Newcastle. When Allegra ignites his desire, his need threatens to undermine his cover.

With old enemies circling, experience tells him he must resist her charms at all costs. But Allegra has her own game to play...with a man who can't afford to lose.

Laurie's review
Rating-

Sexual-

I really like this book. It starts out typical boy and girl meets asks her for a night and girl says no then the guy just has to have her. As you keep reading it starts to turn really good and dangerously exacting. The girl (Kismet) gets kidnapped and the guy (Shaheen) saves her by buying her form a evil man. Then things starts heating up between them, but there is still the threat that the same evil man will come back for Kismet. So Shaheen sends her away they don’t part well at this point meaning Shaheen tells her lies to get her to leave for her safety, but is it really? OMG NO! its not for the best!
If you like historic romance with happiness, sadness, sizzling romance, betrayals and enemies. You may like this one too. I have to say I really felt sorry for Kismet, I would not want to be in her shoes what she goes through alone from the evil man is enough to make you use a box of tissues. I would love to tell you more, but this book is to good to spoil to much.

It takes along while before you read sizzling romance between Kismet and Shaheen, I will say for someone like me that likes more of it and earlier in the book, I never really missed it because of all the different emotions going on.

I would like to also add there are times where Kismet and Shaheen are at odds or not with each other, but its not like other books I have read this one has the love between them and I felt it while reading it. So it didn’t upset me or make me mad like the other books did.

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine, and it is a way to show off the books you can't wait to be released!!

This week I chose:

"Cate of the Lost Colony"
by Lisa M. Klein
Bloomsbury
Release Date: Oct 12, 2010

The following description is from Goodreads.com


The greatest unsolved mystery of American history--what happened to all the colonists who landed on Roanoke Island in 1587? This novel traces the fortunes and misfortunes of one Cate Archer, banished to Virginia by a jealous Queen Elizabeth because of her dalliance with Sir Walter Ralegh. What will be her fate in this dangerous New World?

I love historical fiction and this one is even based on truth! I can't wait to read more about this story, it sounds fascinating! The cover is so gorgeous, I love it!

What are you waiting for this week??

'Smooth-Talking Stranger' by Lisa Kleypas -Review-

   Well done. Alright, let's be honest. This is Lisa Kleypas, all of her books are automatically good reads (this one was no exception). I found this book to be a refreshing and lighter counterpart to its predecessors in the Travis series (Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil). Ella Varner, an 'alternative' lifestyle leading, damaged-past having, 'open-relationship' partner to her boyfriend Dane, never expected to become a parent or snare the interest of one of Houston's most notorious playboys. Jack Travis, who leads the fast life with fast women, never believed the sweatpants wearing, stand-in mom with sleep depervation would turn him on so thoroughly. All this and more takes place in this excellent contemporary novel.

Read an excerpt: here

Book Trailer:

     
    Ella was finally doing things her way. She moved to Austin to live with her boyfriend, Dane, and escaped the constant limbo of inadequacy she felt while with her family back in Houston.She writes an advice column for Vibe magazine, where her alter ego (Miss Independent) gives advice on life, love and our favorite subject, sex. It's ironic, seeing as how she is as emotionally messed up as most of her readers. She suffered a dysfunctional childhood where she always had to step-up, protect her younger sister, Tara, from the sexual abuse of one of their step-father, and have her self-esteem constantly torn down by their perfectionist of a mother.
   It is no surprise that when inconvenience befalls her mothers strenuous social life, that she receives the call of a lifetime. Her sister, in need of psychological help to battle the demons of her hazy past, has a son whom she promptly drops-off and leaves at their mother house. The mother threatens to call social services and have the child taken away because she isn't willing to look after it; so the task falls to Ella. Reluctant at first, because her boyfriend is apprehensive to children in general and tells her not to come back to Austin with the child, Ella makes the 3 hour drive to Houston and has her heart stolen in a flash.
   It is at first believed that business-savvy, Jack Travis, is Ella's nephew, Luke's, father. Ella goes to Jack's office building and manages a meeting with him. Surprisingly, he not only agrees to the DNA test, but helps Ella find a hotel to stay in (because most were booked to capacity due to a convention being held in town). He follows up on his word, and even sets up the doctors appointment, when it is revealed that Tara had an affair with a very married, very public figure, and that he was currently footing the bill for her stay at a mental health clinic. Ella relieves Jack of any further obligation and promises to never bother him again.
   Jack is ever-persistent though and manages a dinner with Ella; where he charms her silly. Other interactions and dates follow, including Jack's assistance in getting her an apartment in his family-owned building. Although she couldn't afford it, she strikes a deal with the previous owner; Jack's sister Haven, and the ladies become fast friends. Although marriage has been off the table in her relationship with Dane, Jack begins to fall hard for Ella and experiences difficulty in getting her to take the risk necessary for something deeper than bedtime attraction. Ella learns to take leaps of faith and trust in a love that is so precious and was almost snatched away from her.

Rating: 4 "Aww's"

My Favorite Part of the Book: Is when Ella and Haven are having a casual drink night in Haven's apartment with her fiancee (Hardy)-the sanagria is plentiful- and in passing, Hardy invites Jack to come up for dinner. The group convinces Ella to stay too, and need-for-sleep mixed with alcohol leads the mother of all knock outs. She's sitting on the couch with Jack as the influences start to take effect  and wakes up practically drooling on his lap. He just sat there, enjoying the way she forgot herself around him and felt comfortable enough to sleep on him. It was a really sweet moment.

   All in all, this book didn't really lack as much as it gave. We got the fiery passion (see sexy, first-time in the parking garage love scene), character growth (slowly, but surly), and that classic Kleypas conflict which made each chapter a page turner. It's simple enough; if you'd like to read a good book, pick up this one!

*The first book in the Travis Series, 'Sugar Daddy' is a must read/ My Review can be found: here

* Second in the series is 'Blue-Eyed Devil'/ My Review can be found: here

* A four-part interview by borders with Lisa Kleypas, where she discuss' 'Smooth-Talking Stranger' and touches on her other contemporaries, can be found:
-here for part 1
-here for part 2
-here for part 3
-here for part 4

2010 Sherrilyn Kenyon Infinity tour pic.

My goodreads friend Vanessa joined me here last night, I had lots of fun. Sherrilyn came out and we went right into questions time. I found out I have to read Nicks book just to see how him and Artemis turns out. Then we lined up for our book signing and Sherrilyn staff gave a way loads of prizes. I left after that it was around 9:00 pm I have no ideal what they did until 12:00 am. Here is some pic.





Here is the winner of the child costume contest


Picture of the adult costume contest

Sherlock's sponsored the book signing. Here is a picture of the owners wife.


Vanessa and Sherrilyn brother. He had his cd's and tee's there for sale. Click here for more info on his cd's




Poster that was given out at the end of the book signing. You'll see this for a giveaway at a later date.


My book and some free items that was there


I won this and had Sherrilyn signed to giveaway on here.