Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay

Book Description
Detective Charlie Madigan returns in this stunning new urban fantasy! As Charlie and her partner, the siren Hank, move forward in their case to apprehend a serial killer stalking Atlanta—one with powers far beyond those seen by mortals—Charlie must desperately find a way to dispel the living darkness that that threatens to cloak her beloved city forever more, even as she protects those she loves the most from an overwhelming evil engulfing all of their lives....

My Thoughts
This was an interesting read. It starts apparently where the first book in the series left off. I was a little lost with things that were assumed you know from the first book but it quickly fell into place. Charlie is the star of the book and kicks serious butt! She and her partner Hank are tracking who is killing the Adonai, some very strong beings. Charlie's world, now covered in darkness, is smothering her and she has to hunt down the evil that is stalking the city!
I loved Charlie! She is so strong, loyal, independent, but lonely too. Hank is a sexy siren who has a strong sexual tension with Charlie. Charlie is also a (basically) single mom, afraid her attraction to Hank is because of what he is, and her daughter Emma thinks a hellhound is a great pet! There is such a mix of characters and wonderful twists and suspense, it really is a unique book.
I rate this book 4/5. It was good, but you need to read the first one to completely understand. I am going back to read the first one in the series and am ready for the next one!
Thank you to for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Giveaway Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Book Description
Tristan MacGregor is famed throughout the Highlands as a silver-tonged seducer and an unrepentant rogue. Bold and charming, he's dallied with many women, yet none as mysterious as the lass he steals a kiss from at king's court. Little does he know this beauty is one of his clan's greatest enemies.
Isobel Fergusson has despised the bloodthirsty MacGregors ever since they murdered her father. She's horrified to learn that the handsome stranger she kissed is of this clan. But Tristan means to possess her at any cost and Isobel's body turns traitor at his touch. Can a man she's sworn to hate be the only one she can ever love?


Thanks to Hachette Book Group I have 3 copies to Giveaway!!! Here are the rules.

• You must be a follower to participate
• Leave Me a Comment on THIS post with your e-mail (no e-mail you can't win)
• US & Canadian Residents only
• No PO Boxes
• Hachette Book Group will be sending the copies to the winners
• You have 24 hours to respond if you are contacted as a winner, if you miss the deadline, a new winner will be chosen and contacted.
• Contest is open until September 20, 2010
• Winners will be chosen using a randomizer
  

Seduced by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

Book Description
Tristan MacGregor is famed throughout the Highlands as a silver-tonged seducer and an unrepentant rogue. Bold and charming, he's dallied with many women, yet none as mysterious as the lass he steals a kiss from at king's court. Little does he know this beauty is one of his clan's greatest enemies.
Isobel Fergusson has despised the bloodthirsty MacGregors ever since they murdered her father. She's horrified to learn that the handsome stranger she kissed is of this clan. But Tristan means to possess her at any cost and Isobel's body turns traitor at his touch. Can a man she's sworn to hate be the only one she can ever love?

My Thoughts
This was a wonderfully romantic read! Tristan is a rogue and is happy to have that title. Isobel is a lady, but has to work because her family has no workers. Tristans' family and Isobel's family are sworn enemies, but when they meet, not knowing each other, the sparks begin to fly. Isobel is determined to hate Tristan because his father killed hers, but slowly she realizes he is breaking down her defenses and she is letting him!
I adore Tristan! He is a rogue but wants to be a knight and Isobel brings that out in him. Isobel is a strong, capable woman who works hard to take care of her family and is such a wonderful example! Isobel's whole family is very lovable. The romance is sweet and yet hot. Tristan is relentless in his pursuit of Isobel and she is powerless to hold out against him. This was just a great romantic book with wonderful characters.
I rate this book 4/5. It is a good read that you'll enjoy!
Thank you to Hachette Book Group for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Despirate Deeds Giveaway Winners!!

And the Winners are:
RebeccaJVickery, Rubynreba & Spynaert!
They now have 24 hours to contact me with their mailing address. If they fail to meet the 24 hour deadline, a new winner(s) will be chosen!

List Randomizer
There were 22 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1.8. RebeccaJVickery
2.2. Rubynreba
3.19. Spynaert
4.21. Melissa
5.1. Benita
6.3. Elaing8
7.11. Pamsoo
8.22. Twifanheather
9.7. Sandra
10.14. Sheila Deeth
11.10. Corrine
12.9. JoanneR
13.17. Heather
14.20. Simply Stacie
15.13. Skkorman
16.6. Lois
17.5. CathyM
18.18. Mary
19.4. Andrea
20.15. CindyW.
21.12. Lilk13
22.16. Suzie
Timestamp: 2010-09-02 14:48:20 UTC

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins

Book Description
Sometimes the truth hides where no one expects to find it. Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed Linda---his second wife and Joanne's best friend---six years ago. But Baxter, a church elder and beloved member of the town, walks the streets a free man. The police tell Joanne to leave well enough alone, but she is determined to bring him down. Using her skills as a professional skip tracer, she sets out to locate the only person who may be able to put Baxter behind bars. Melissa Harkoff was a traumatized sixteen-year-old foster child in the Jackson household when Linda disappeared. At the time Melissa claimed to know nothing of Linda's whereabouts---but was she lying? In relentless style, Deceit careens between Joanne's pursuit of the truth--- which puts her own life in danger---and the events of six years' past, when Melissa came to live with the Jacksons. What really happened in that household? Beneath the veneer of perfection lies a story of shakeable faith, choices, and the lure of deceit.


My Thoughts:
Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was my first time reading this author, but it definitely won't be my last! Joanne's best friend, Linda Jackson, dies and Joanne believes Linda's husband Baxter murdered her but no one will listen to her. Baxter is a 'wonderful' man according to everyone who knows him. When his second wife dies, that is two wives in six years, Linda is determined to find the truth, but it may cost her life...
Every character in this book was realistic and so well developed that you honestly believe they could be someone you know! I loved how Joanne is so determined and loyal. The flashbacks keep you guessing and thinking you know exactly what is going to happen next but then there is a huge twist that leaves you quickly turning to read more. The way the spiritual aspect of the story comes at you makes you reevaluate your life and it just fits so well into the story line!
This book is a 5/5. Go get it and read it!
Thank you to Zondervan for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

The Thyssen Affair by

Product Description
New York City, Saturday, September 27, 1980 Cane Eliot knew he was being followed before he reached the shuttle to Lufthansa for his overnight flight to Germany. It was the same thing that made the skin on the back of his neck crawl during the war when something was wrong. Making a quick decision to try to lose who ever was tailing him, he called Lufthansa and cancelled his flight. Taking a taxi downtown, the shadow still with him, he got out at Rockefeller Center, slipped through the restaurant near the skating rink to the subway. Finding the small hotel he had known in the Village thirty years earlier and paying for the day, he carried the valise, and entered the elevator. At the fifth floor he left the elevator, ran down two flights and into the men s room at the end of the hall. He had to change his appearance and do it fast. The Stetson had to go. He stowed it deep in a swing-top garbage can, pulled off his boots and dropped them after the hat. Goddamn bloody shame to leave such old friends! For a minute he considered retrieving the rattle snake hat band, but thought better of it. It takes years for a hat and boots to conform to a man s own brand. Well, hell, I ll just have to start over in Colorado when this damn mess is finished. He opened the valise and pulled out his straight-edged razor. Peering intently at his reflection, and twisting his lips first one way and then another he shaved off his moustache. Name of the game. To lose your identity is part of it. He ran his finger across his smooth upper lip and down the scar across his cheek. That brought back memories of the war that he d just as soon forget. It is also as positive an identification as a set of fingerprints. Changing into the gray suit, white dress shirt, knotting the blue silk tie, putting on the black oxfords he d seldom worn except to funerals, he shook his head. The unfamiliar clothes made him feel awkward and uncomfortable. But a quick glance in the mirror, adjusting his tie and smoothing his vest Cane admitted that a suit made a hell of a difference in appearance. Securing the German skull with his jeans, jacket and cowboy shirt in the valise, he cursed under his breath. The satchel was a dead giveaway. But it couldn t be helped. How the devil had he been spotted so soon? Who was following? It must have been the man who passed him on the road to Cummings. Who was he? Well, for Christ sake, he had to be KGB and that meant the Russians knew they had the wrong skull. It meant too, that they could move pretty damn fast. He opened his billfold, cut up his credit cards with the Lapis knife and buried them in the trash. That was a big mistake using credit cards in Oklahoma City. He wracked his brain. Was there anything else to connect him with Cane Eliot? God, yes! The plane ticket from Denver to New York had been in his name! He had been out of it too long. Peter had made a goddamn poor choice for a Company man. Shape up, Cane! This isn t as simple as Peter had thought. He opened the door slowly, satisfied he was alone, walked briskly down the hall. The damn valise. It has to be gotten rid of. Taking the stairs again, this time to the basement he left through the alley door, walked several blocks, took a cab to a small residential hotel he remembered in the Bronx. The lobby was empty. He rang for the clerk and in a heavy German accent asked for a room and signed the register Wilhelm Swartz. Well, by God that ought to take care of any snoopers! He immediately called the number that would locate Peter and briefed him about the tail that had followed him from Oklahoma City. But not about his carelessness. He d rather Peter didn t know about his getting a plane ticket to New York from Colorado via Oklahoma City in his own name. And then to rent a car My God!

My Thoughts
This was a good book. Caine is a 'former' spy who is now a rancher. He is content with his life but when his friends call on him for a 'quick mission' he goes to Germany. There are all sorts of problems with the 'quick mission' and no one is who they appear to be, everyone has their own agenda and there is a skull involved. If they can figure out what importance the skull is, that could solve everything...
This book captured my attention from the first sentence. After all--who can REALLY resist being pulled into a story that starts with someone feeling danger by being followed? Caine, who is an old OSS officer, is easy to like and empathize with. Caine does a lot for his country without even really knowing what he is getting into. He becomes involved with other agents from other countries without any intention. The embroiled web that he is pulled into seems to be unweaving all around him and he looses and gains a lot in a very short period of time. This book will make you laugh....make you sad....and make you wonder where the justice can be. It was a bit more predicatable than I expected it to be, but that didn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the book. It is an enjoyable book that is quick and easy to finish.

Overall I would rate this book a 4/5. It was a good read!



Thank you to the Candace Group for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

The Devil Wears Plaid by Teresa Medeiros

Book Description:
AN INNOCENT WOMAN
Emmaline Marlow is about to wed the extremely powerful laird of the Hepburn clan to save her father from debtor's prison when ruffian Jamie Sinclair bursts into the abbey on a magnificent black horse and abducts her in one strong swoop. Though he is Hepburn's sworn enemy, Emma's mysterious captor is everything her bridegroom is not -- handsome, virile, dangerous...and a perilous temptation for her yearning heart.

A DANGEROUS MAN
Jamie expects Emma to be some milksop English miss, not a fiery, defiant beauty whose irresistible charms will tempt him at every turn. But he cannot allow either one of them to forget he is her enemy and she his pawn in the deadly Highland feud between the clans. Stealing his enemy's bride was simple, but can he claim her innocence without losing his heart?

My Thoughts
This was a captivating book! Emma is at the alter, ready to marry the earl to save her family from financial ruin when Jamie barges in and kidnaps her! Jamie has no quarrel with Emma or any reason to want her harmed, he just wants what is rightfully his that only the earl has. Emma is scared but doesn't want to show it as she is whisked away by her abductor, she is caught in the middle of a feud between the Highlanders and the earl. Jamie's plan is looking less and less like a good idea the more he gets to know Emma, he starts to want to keep her more than ransom her.
I liked almost every character in this book. Emma is the strong, dutiful daughter, who always does as she is told and what is expected of her, but she has always had spirit and been a bit of a rebel. Jamie is a caretaker of his men and a strong, if confused man. Those two are of course my favorite characters, but I also like Bon with his whit and charm. Ian who is a stubborn and a good man. All the men of Jamie's group are wonderful! Not to mention the attraction between Emma and Jamie is sweet but red hot!
I rate this book a 4/5. Very good, fun, and romantic read!
Thank you to Gallery & Pocketbooks for this review copy. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Giveaway! The Island by Elin Hilderbrand Audio Book

Product Description
Birdie Cousins has thrown herself into the details of her daughter Chess's lavish wedding, from the floating dance floor in her Connecticut back yard to the color of the cocktail napkins. Like any mother of a bride-to-be, she is weathering the storms of excitement and chaos, tears and joy. But Birdie, a woman who prides herself on preparing for every possibility, could never have predicted the late-night phone call from Chess, abruptly announcing that she's cancelled her engagement.
It's only the first hint of what will be a summer of upheavals and revelations. Before the dust has even begun to settle, far worse news arrives, sending Chess into a tailspin of despair. Reluctantly taking a break from the first new romance she's embarked on since the recent end of her 30-year marriage, Birdie circles the wagons and enlists the help of her younger daughter Tate and her own sister India. Soon all four are headed for beautiful, rustic Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket, where their family has summered for generations. No phones, no television, no grocery store - a place without distractions where they can escape their troubles.
But throw sisters, daughters, ex-lovers, and long-kept secrets onto a remote island, and what might sound like a peaceful getaway becomes much more. Before summer has ended, dramatic truths are uncovered, old loves are rekindled, and new loves make themselves known. It's a summertime story only Elin Hilderbrand can tell, filled with the heartache, laughter, and surprises that have made her page-turning, bestselling novels as much a part of summer as a long afternoon on a sunny beach.


Thanks to Hachette AudioBook Group I have 2 copies to Giveaway!!! Here are the rules.

• You must be a follower to participate
• Leave Me a Comment on THIS post with your e-mail (no e-mail you can't win)
• US & Canadian Residents only
• No PO Boxes
• Hachette Book Group will be sending the copies to the winners
• You have 24 hours to respond if you are contacted as a winner, if you miss the deadline, a new winner will be chosen and contacted.
• Contest is open until September 10, 2010
• Winners will be chosen using a randomizer

THE ISLAND (Unabridged) by Elin Hilderbrand ready by Denice Hicks

Book Description:
Birdie Cousins has thrown herself into the details of her daughter Chess's lavish wedding, from the floating dance floor in her Connecticut back yard to the color of the cocktail napkins. Like any mother of a bride-to-be, she is weathering the storms of excitement and chaos, tears and joy. But Birdie, a woman who prides herself on preparing for every possibility, could never have predicted the late-night phone call from Chess, abruptly announcing that she's cancelled her engagement.
It's only the first hint of what will be a summer of upheavals and revelations. Before the dust has even begun to settle, far worse news arrives, sending Chess into a tailspin of despair. Reluctantly taking a break from the first new romance she's embarked on since the recent end of her 30-year marriage, Birdie circles the wagons and enlists the help of her younger daughter Tate and her own sister India. Soon all four are headed for beautiful, rustic Tuckernuck Island, off the coast of Nantucket, where their family has summered for generations. No phones, no television, no grocery store - a place without distractions where they can escape their troubles.
But throw sisters, daughters, ex-lovers, and long-kept secrets onto a remote island, and what might sound like a peaceful getaway becomes much more. Before summer has ended, dramatic truths are uncovered, old loves are rekindled, and new loves make themselves known. It's a summertime story only Elin Hilderbrand can tell, filled with the heartache, laughter, and surprises that have made her page-turning, bestselling novels as much a part of summer as a long afternoon on a sunny beach.

My Thoughts
This book was ok. Birdie and her husband of thirty years have recently been divorced and she has just started a relationship with Hank. Her oldest daughter Chess is getting married to Michael and Birdie is planning the whole lavish affair! Then, out of the blue, Chess calls off the wedding and quits her job. Bridie's sister, India, is a widow and a curator. Tate, Birdie's other daughter is a computer genius. After some tragic news that sends Chess into a deep depression, Birdie makes arrangements for all of them to go to her childhood summer home of Tuckernuck for vacation. That is where the story starts getting really interesting...
It took me a while to get into this book, but I suspect it was the reader's voice and not the story. I thought the characters were very well developed and loved that Birdie was so nurturing. Chess comes across as a spoiled know-it-all who is used to everyone fawning over her and getting her way. Tate is sometimes juvenile and sometimes a wonderful character. I liked India, she is a world savvy, strong, capable woman. All the men in this book, even the ex-husband are written to be strong, successful, handsome men and that is always a good thing to read about! The four women together seem like an unlikely cast of characters, especially to put on an remote island together but it works!
I rate this a 3/5. I would probably go buy the book instead of listening to the Audio version again.
Thank you to Hachette Audio Books for providing this review copy. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Book 4) by Stephenie Meyer

Book Description:
When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?
To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.
Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?


My Thoughts
I loved all the books of this series but this one is my favorite! Bella has chosen Edward. Jacob doesn't want to be anywhere around her 'happily ever after' and is determined to stay in his werewolf form. Edward and Bella's wedding is fast approaching, they have to remember their promise to the Voltouri, and Bella is quickly drawing closer to getting what she says she wants. The problem is, when things seem too good to be true, there is usually a downfall coming quickly!
I love that though she has chosen Edward, Bella is once again confused by her love for both Edward and Jacob. It isn't at all fair to the wonderful Jacob. He is still warm and kind but also can be cunning and manipulative and I love that he is written with so many dimensions. Edward is amazing and has the maturity that Jacob lacks, all he wants is for Bella to be happy. The characters in this book are all so vivid and the portrait painted so fantastic that I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it!
I rate this a 5/5. It is a wonderful ending to the series that you will greatly enjoy!