Devil Without A Causeby Terri Garey

Idle hands are the devil's workshop
Temptation and seduction are the tricks of the Devil's trade, and when offered the chance to regain his wings by playing guardian angel, he's hell-bent on doing things his way . . .
Faith McFarland is in need of a miracle. So desperate to save her sick child, she's willing to make a deal with the Devil: steal a ring worn by Finn Payne, the bad-boy rockstar who long ago sold his soul for rock 'n roll. Temptation and seduction become necessary evils, yet Faith's salvation means Finn's damnation . . . because the ring is all that stands between him and Hell. Falling in love was never part of the bargain, but now that they've tasted heaven in each other's arms, can they convince the Devil to give up his due?

my thoughts~
This was the first book by Terri Garey that I've read, but I'm checking into her backlist! Devil Without A Cause if the first book in Ms. Garey's new series DEVIL'S BARGAIN. I found the book to be a quick read at 213 pages and I enjoyed every single page! I thought there was a great mix of humor & horror that kept me turning the page, anxious to see what happens next and how Faith & Finn's story would end. I can't wait to read book #2. Hope it comes out soon!

Blogger vs Wordpress...

I've noticed more & more lately that people are leaving Blogger & going to Wordpress. So, I went over and set up a blog there (just in case, you know, I liked it better) but call me a creature of habit, or whatever, but I like Blogger better! I think it is easier to use, costs less to have your own domain ($10 for Blogger vs $17 for Wordpress), and it's easy to create your blog design! I don't know, maybe I'm missing something? Does anyone have a reason why Wordpress is better?

Weekly Wrap Up(05/21/11)

reviews
Buddy's Tail
Bitten In Two

posts

In My Mailbox 

Teaser Tuesday 

Waiting On Wednesday

my week

Well, as I said previously, now that the weather is improving, I will be reading less! This week I read Bitten In Two & The Deadliest Bite by Jennifer Rardin and listened to Immortal In Death by J.D. Robb. I helped out at my friends day care a couple of days (whew! that was exhausting!) and rode my bike whenever I had a chance! It was my MIL 81st birthday, so we had a nice dinner & birthday cake on Wednesday. And that's about it really. How was you week?

Buddy's Tail By K. Anne Russell

Buddy Boutonnier, a big-hearted Standard Poodle, subsists in the bare backyard of a tract hme in the desert city of Yucca Dunes. MacKenzie, a Border Collie, and Javier, a Chihuahua, provide Buddy with companionship and bring him food scraps when his neglegtful owners forget to provide for him.

When Buddy's owners decide to move, Buddy meets a wonderful lady who visits his house with prospective buyers. The poodle's humans try to sell their dog and Buddy goes through a series of unsuitable living situations. The final family returns Buddy to the tract home not realizing the owners are out of town. His only lifeline, MacKenzie, is killed by an evil Hummer driver while bringing him food. Tiny Javier tries to support Buddy with the aid of Dumb Derek, a Rottweiler whose brain is damaged from years of guarding a chemical dump. The two are unable to help the poodle.

Buddy dies, but is brought back to life by Sonny, the Good Shepherd. Sonny grants Buddy's wish to go live with the wonderful lady, in return for his promise to go with Sonny when he comes back for him. Buddy has a happy life with the lady and her dog, Skootch. Together they rescue abandoned Leroy and abused Roxanne. Years later, during Skootch's fifteenth birthday party, Sonny comes for Buddy. True to his word, he goes without complaint.

Sonny takes Buddy to Haven, the canine paradise, where he is reunited with MacKenzie. Sonny explains the rules in Haven; dogs acquire free will and give up their role of caring for humans. Their only responsibility is to help guide other dogs to Haven. Buddy excels at guiding, but on a mission to bring back a bomb dog from Afghanistan, Buddy breaks the rule and helps a human, the dog's Marine partner.

The residents of Haven are furious with the poodle and he is exiled to the perimeter of paradise. There he meets a young girl who died of cancer and befriends her, another infraction of the rules. He is dragged before the communal tribunal, where MacKenzie defends him. With the help of the marine and the girl, MacKenzie convinces the judges that Buddy is not an offender, but a hero.

Buddy's story teaches young readers about the bonds of love and friendship, the role of free will in building character, the importance of responsibility in our lives, especially as it relates to animal welfare, and the acceptance of death as part of life's journey for ourselves and our pets.

My thoughts on this book.....

I loved it!!! I will be reading it to the children in my family and encouraging everyone I know to do so also.

Bitten In Twoby Jennifer Rardin

Jaz Parks here. I. Am. Pissed. Just as Vayl and I arrive in Morocco to secure an ancient artifact, he wakes up calling me by another woman’s name. And it’s not even a good one. But since any form of argument transforms him into an unholy terror, I’m forced to play along until the gang and I can figure out what kind of power has so vastly altered his perceptions.So it’s time for me to do what any well-trained assassin in my position might do. I attack. What follows is a hair-raising, breath-taking bullet train ride to the finish as the crew battles on multiple fronts. I now know what I have to do – I must return to hell one last time.



my thoughts~
I had a hard time with this book. I didn't know if it was the book or the fact that I knew after this one, there would only be one more and so I was wanting to drag this one out. It had all the things I loved in the previous 6 books. Jaz. Vayl. Cole. Bergman. I enjoyed reading the book, when I actually sat down to read. But still, it took me 4 days!  I would read a little and stop to do something else. In the end, I loved it. But I am sad knowing that I only have one more book to read in the series. 

Waiting On Wednesday(05/18/11)

Word has leaked to Anita Blake that hit men are headed for St. Louis- and that she, Jean-Claude, and Richard are the targets.

Publishing Details

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Date: June 07, 2011

ISBN13: 9780425241134

ISBN: 0425241130

BINC: 3266068





I know that I've said that I have issues (and skipping) most of the s-e-x scenes the later books have had. I've heard that Hit List is close to LKH's earlier writing (but with the sex included). So, I look forward to reading Hit List and seeing for myself if the reviews I've read hold true!

Audiobooks...do you listen?

Recently, I've began listening to audiobooks. I've tried on various occasions, but always found them hard to follow for some reason. A month ago, I bought a bike and thought I would get a book on CD from the library and listen while I ride. It's FABULOUS! I love listening to someone read the book! I listen while I clean house, garden and of course ride my bike! In the last month, I've listened to Halfway To The Grave, Naked In Death, Glory In Death and I just finished Ceremony In Death! (I know, I've already read these books!) I'm addicted, I think! So my questions to you... do YOU listen to audiobooks? Do you count it as 'reading' a book?

Teaser Tuesday (05/17/11)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading! It's a great way to check out what your fellow bloggers are reading. Anyone can play! Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from the page. PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the author and title of the book so that others can add it to their TBR list if they want.

my teaser~

Relaxed Ra.ul was a whole different guy. Like somebody you'd want to go bowling with, because between frames you knew he'd have you rolling with stories about when he and his buddies had once hung a gigantic sign lined with old-lady bloomers from the high school roof that said NOW WE KNOW WHY NOBODY BAKES LIKE GRANDMA!

Bitten In Two by Jennifer Rardin
page 79

In My Mailbox05/15/11

audiobooks from the library~
Glory In Death by J.D. Robb
The first victim was found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second was murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas had no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provided Eve with a long list of suspects--including her own lover, Roarke. As a woman, Eve was compelled to trust the man who shared her bed. But as a cop, it was her job to follow every lead...to explore every secret passion, no matter how dark. Or how dangerous.

Immortal In Death by J.D. Robb

It is 2058, New York City. Lieutenant Eve Dallas uncovers a world where technology can create beauty and youth, but passion and greed can destroy them.She was one of the most sought-after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted -even another woman's man. And now she's dead, the victim of a brutal murder.Police lieutenant Eve Dallas puts her life on the line to take the case when suspicion falls on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the facade of glamor, Eve finds that the world of high fashion thrives on an all-consuming obsession with youth and fame-one that leads her from the lights of the runway to the dark underworld of New York City, where drugs can fulfill any desire, for a price
Rapture In Death by J.D. Robb
When the autopsies of three suspicious suicides reveal small burns on the brains of the victims, Eve's investigation turns to the provocative world of virtual reality games--where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.
the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.
the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward
Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is obligated to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive, and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished. As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body, but his heart for herself. She is drawn to the noble responsibility behind the emotionally scarred male. But Phury has never allowed himself to know pleasure or joy. As the war with the Lessening Society grows grim, tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, and Phury must decide between duty and love....

reviews

Termination Orders: Code Name Cobra

posts

Teaser Tuesday

Waiting On Wednesday

my week

Oh my! The weather this week has been FABULOUS! I am loving it! Sunday was Mothers Day and this is what my wonderful kids gifted me with!

From Matt~ A delicious Cookie Cake!

And from Brittni~These beautiful flowers!

The rest of the week I spent riding my bike (19.9 miles!) and getting my few tomato plants in. I haven't read much, mostly listened to audiobooks while I'm riding or working outside! How was your week?

Termination Orders: Code Name Cobra By Leo Maloney

Leo Maloney, former Black Ops contractor, penned this action thriller novel as a quasi-memoir about the dark but arguably necessary side of intelligence that the government officially denies. The book spans the late 1960's through 2001 depicting events witnessed first-hand by the author embodied in the hero, Dan Morgan. It is a masterly blend of Black Ops intrigue interwoven with imaginative sequences of fiction. The reader must guess which accounts are real and which are merely storytelling.

Termination Orders: Code Name Cobra races the reader through a twisting plotline, populated by memorable characters who make their way through a tangled web of ethical questions, personal priorities, and suspense. The storyline is comprised of counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and target reconnaissance, in a crescendo of events set across three continents from a fireside ambush at a Kandahar village pig roast, to the vast inner halls of the CIA, to a window-ledge view through a sniper scope aimed at Gaddafi in Libya.


My thoughts:

I really liked this book. From page one, it kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next. The characters were believable and easy to like or hate, depending on whether or not they were the good guys. I would love to see this book made into a movie. It was an easy read with chapters that weren't too long, and written so that someone who doesn't know a lot of "military speak" could understand.

Waiting On Wednesday(05/11/11)

the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night.  Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side – and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together – if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.But is Zoey really safe?  Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what’s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312650256

Teaser Tuesday (05/10/11)

Teaser Tuesday is weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading! It's a great way to check out what your fellow bloggers are reading. Anyone can play! Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from the page. PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE SPOILERS!
• Share the author and title of the book so that others can add it to their TBR list if they want.

my teaser~
Devlin's gaze met mine again and I felt a deep shudder go through me. "Then we'll have to let her lead us to the killer." 
"Her?"
"The victim. The dead have a lot to say if you're willing to listen."


The Restorer by Amanda Stevens
pg 57 (eBook)

reviews

Recovery

Touching Silver

posts

Prom 2011

Waiting On Wednesday

In My Mailbox

giveaways

The Guardian

my week

Finally on the mend! That was a wicked cold or whatever the heck it was that I had! I still have the occasional cough until I'm gasping cough but not as often, thank goodness! I'm hoping that this coming week will see us back on track here with the weekly meme's & reviews! While I was sick, the majority of books that I read (like all of them!) were books that I'd read before & love. You've heard of comfort food? I comfort read. Seriously. I find that if I'm sick or terribly stressed about something, I turn to my favorite books. Usually the Mercy Thompson series, anything from Nora Roberts / J.D. Robb, those authors that I just love. I have also started listening to audiobooks and I love them! Of course they have all been books that I have & love, but I find it incredibly soothing to hear them. Right now I'm listening to Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost & I'm loving it! Do you listen to audiobooks? How was your week?

Recovery By Alexandrea Weis

Still devestated two years after the mysterious murder of her beloved David Alexander, Nicci Beauvoir surprises everyone in the Big Easy by returning to her hometown with a new admirer: the cool and contentious Dallas August. But the attractive stranger is asking a lot of questions about David's death, making Nicci's family and friends speculate about his true intentions. Only Nicci knows that Dallas, a high-priced corporate spy, has come to New Orleans to flush out David Alexander's killer. Playing the part of her lover, Dallas escorts Nicci around town hoping to get closer to his possible suspects. But hiding amid the city's elite is a jealous maniac waiting to make Nicci suffer.
As the days pass and the danger grows, Nicci's relationship with the handsome spy turns from adversarial to amorous. Desperate to unearth the identity of David's murderer, Nicci and Dallas decide to lure the killer out of the city for one final showdown. It is a deadly decision that could cost Nicci everything. But it may be her only chance for....Recovery.

Recovery is the second novel in the Nicci Beauvoir series by Alexandrea Weis.

This book is a romantic thriller set in post-Katrina New Orleans. I was a little concerned about reading this book since it is part of a series. I haven't read "To My Senses" but I was still able to keep up with the story line in "Recovery" fairly easily.

I found the book a little hard to get into in the beginning, but by the end of the first chapter I wanted to see where things were going to go between Nicci and Dallas. I was also lured in by the setting of the book being in New Orleans since I have visited there.

The author kept me hooked as to who could possibly be David's killer. The scenes where Nicci and Dallas were alone and fighting their feelings for each other were very good. The ending actually surprised me and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Touching Silverby Jamie Craig

Everything always comes back to the Silver Maiden.
Six girls are missing and cold-case detective Olivia Wright is determined to find them. A lone survivor names gang leader Gabriel de los Rios as the culprit-and points Olivia to Isaac McGuire, the force's foremost authority on Gabriel. Isaac is stubborn, domineering and believes in strange things like time travel and a mystical coin called the Silver Maiden that Gabriel wants. Yet the longer they work together, the more Olivia is drawn to him.
Isaac shares Olivia's desire to bring Gabriel to justice. He usually works alone, but the beautiful detective quickly fills his thoughts more than the case-and reminding himself that she's off limits only makes him want her more.
As Isaac and Olivia grow closer, so do their enemies. While they hunt Gabriel, a stalker targets Isaac and the missing half of the Silver Maiden reappears-with frightening effects on Olivia...

my thoughts~
 When I agreed to read Touching Silver, I didn't realize it was book #2 in the Silver Maiden trilogy. And I think you definitely have to read the first book before reading the second. There were just so many references that reading the first book would have been beneficial.
This is the story of Isaac & Olivia, 2 cops drawn together with the same need to take the bad guy down. Throw in a time traveling coin & you have a great book! My one complaint is the ending. I was left yelling "oh come on, seriously?"  Really. It was like someone just picked that spot and said ok that's it, the rest of this with be book #3. But even with the ending not to my liking, I can't wait until the 3rd book comes out!

Prom 2011

Prom was last Saturday and I can't believe that my YOUNGEST is graduating from High School on June 8th! Wow! It seems like just the other day I was graduating!

This is my son Matt

who is a big goober

who also thinks he's Zoolander Jr.

 

Matt & his wonderful girl Mattie

yes, Matt & Mattie

they seem to be perfect for each other!

 

Isn't this a sweet picture?

That boys Mama (haha me!) raised him

right!

And now they are getting ready to head out!

From now until June it's all about graduation,

& the parties!

Waiting On Wednesday(05/4/11)

Idle hands are the devil's workshop Temptation and seduction are the tricks of the Devil's trade, and when offered the chance to regain his wings by playing guardian angel, he's hell-bent on doing things his way . . .
Faith McFarland is in need of a miracle. So desperate to save her sick child, she's willing to make a deal with the Devil: steal a ring worn by Finn Payne, the bad-boy rockstar who long ago sold his soul for rock 'n roll. Temptation and seduction become necessary evils, yet Faith's salvation means Finn's damnation . . . because the ring is all that stands between him and Hell. Falling in love was never part of the bargain, but now that they've tasted heaven in each other's arms, can they convince the Devil to give up his due?

Product Details

• Pub. Date: May 2011
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Mass Market Paperback , 384pp

Hmmm...Check out those abs! That picture alone would be worth picking this book up at the store! 

In My Mailbox(5/1/11)

books to review:

Termination Orders: Code Name Cobra by Leo Maloney with Caio Camargo
Buddy's Tail by K. Anne Russell

And The Winners Are...

I am feeling so much better! Thanks everyone for the get well wishes! I appreciate it! So, here are the winners that I am behind in announcing! Winners have already been notified via email!

$50 Winner: tmmkl~ Amazon

$25 winner: Japril~ Barnes & Noble

$10 Winner: Liz T.~Amazon

The Sweetest Thing giveaway:

Marjorie R.

Julie H.

Donna S. 

Eternal Rider giveaway:

Theresa

Donnas

Julie H