Love You To Death by Shannon K. Butcher

It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.



about the author (from her website):

A lot of authors knew they wanted to write books from the time they were little. Their heads were full of fanciful stories that they yearned to commit to paper with a passion that only grew as they did. They spent hours reading fiction, voraciously absorbing every kind of story they could get their hands on.
I’m not one of them.
When I was little, I wanted to be a daddy. When I learned the anatomical improbability of that happening, I decided instead to become what my dad was: an Industrial Engineer. So that’s what I did. I never once changed majors or veered from my path. After I graduated, I went to work for a big telecom company earning a steady paycheck while my husband pursued his dream to become a published author.
For those of you who might not know, my husband is Jim Butcher, fantasy and sci-fi author extraordinaire. I learned to write in an effort to help him improve his own work and as soon as I discovered that writing was more a learned skill than a natural talent I knew I had to give it a try. I couldn’t resist the challenge of taking the pieces of a story apart and putting them back together again. It’s the kind of puzzle that made me want to be an engineer to begin with – to learn how things work and why. I thought I’d write the same kind of thing Jim did, but then I picked up my first romance in 1998 and was hooked. Somehow, stories about how two people come to love each other made everything else seem shallow in comparison. Maybe it was just my hormones talking, but whatever it was, it was loud, so I listened and I started writing romances. I wrote great heaping piles of suckfulness – like most new writers – but eventually my work sucked less and hopefully that trend will continue as I learn more. Heaven knows I have a great teacher. Thanks, Jim.
A family of geeks to the core, we live in Independence, Missouri with our teenage son and a dog who is only one four-foot stick away from being a dust mop.
Shannon's website can be found here: Shannon K. Butcher
my thoughts:
This was a great book! It had everything you could ask for in a romantic suspense (or as I like to think of them 'thrillmances'!). Once I began reading this book, I couldn't stop... I read while I cooked (which is no easy feat), while others held conversations around me (much easier to do, since I have become an expert at ignoring others while I read!), on my lunch hour while I ate! I couldn't stop until I reached the end. Elise is a strong woman who will stop at nothing to get her sister back and Trent is a strong man who will do everything he can to protect Elise, no matter what.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...The Lost Dog

AND THE WINNERS FOR:

ARE:

#18~Belinda M

#3~Sue

#2~throuthehaze

#28~Marjorie

#32~Wanda

I will be emailing you today

please respond back with your

address within 72 hours!

Congratulations!

Giveaway~ Lucan by Susan Kearney

THEIR LOVE IS FORBIDDEN
Healer and high priestess of her people, Lady Cael is fated to life without a mate. But a mysterious explorer named Lucan Rourke doesn't know her secrets, and his touch makes her crave a future that her extraordinary birthright has forbidden her. . .
BUT DANGER IS NO MATCH FOR DESIRE
Lucan has just one mission on Pendragon: to find the mythical Holy Grail, Earth's only hope for survival. His powerful attraction to Cael is a distraction he can't afford, unless he convinces her to join forces with him. Yet working so closely together only heightens their passion . . . even when the terrifying truth of Cael's heritage threatens to shatter Lucan's every belief-and the galaxy itself.

About the Contest:

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Book Group

Five winners will be choosen

The Contest ends at midnight on September 8th

Open to US & Canadian addresses. No PO Boxes please.

To win:

Your first comment should be your name & email address (1 entry)

Your second comment should be that you are a follower (but only if you are!) (1 entry)

Your third comment, should you choose to do so, should be a link where you have posted about the giveaway (this will count for 2 entries)

Ending Tonight @ Midnight~ The Lost Dog!

The giveaway for

The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser

Ends tongiht at midnight!

Go HERE to comment!

In My Inbox...CSN Office Furniture!

I received a fantastic offer from CSN Office Furniture asking if I would like to review a bookcase and my first thought was 'Who the heck wouldn't!' and my second thought was 'how am I going to pick just one?' I took a look around their site and couldn't believe everything they have! CSN Office Furniture sells everything that you could possibly need! Home office furniture, Bookcases, lamps that would fit any style in any room! Finally, I will have some place to put the books that I receive to review, instead of in a copy paper cardboard box!

Well, I've sent my selection in and once it arrives and I get it set up, I will of course be doing a follow up review!

I just want to thank CSN Office Furniture for contacting me with such a fantastic offer! You made my day!

How Could I Have Possibly Forgotten?!? G.I. Joe!!

Sunday morning I woke up and thought: I need to go see G.I. Joe today! So, my son Matt and I jumped in the car to hit the first showing (because it's cheaper, don't ya know!), we get there and he dumps me to go see 'District 9' (which he says is an awesome movie)! I think he was afraid his old mom might start drooling over the guys! Which, of course, I did!

Let me tell ya, G.I. Joe is one action packed movie! Just to see Channing Tatum was worth the price of the ticket! I say if you like action packed movies, hot guys, and popcorn, you need to go see G.I. Joe, because he's my 'All American Hero'!!

My Fellow Bloggers...

Did you know that you HAVE to add the gadget to allow people to follow with Google Reader? Well, I didn't. I received an email today from Rebecca, wanting to follow using Google Reader but couldn't because I didn't have it on my blog page.

So what did I do? I Googled it. Haha! Anyway, it was very simple, and when she replied back that the gadget I had added was what she needed, she also suggested that I spread the word to other bloggers out there.

So if you haven't already added it, please do! Who knows how many readers we are missing, that want to come back and visit!
The gadget you want to add is: Subscribe To...and it is found on the very first pop up page when you click add a gadget! Good luck!

Tour Stop~ Summer Of Two Wishes by Julia London

Whose wife was she?
Macy Lockhart's life shattered in a moment with the news that her husband, Finn -- serving in the military overseas -- has been killed in the line of duty. Their ardent and devoted marriage is over, leaving Macy alone, empty, directionless. But while she tries to sustain herself with memories of Finn, the quiet, strong man who made her and their small Texas ranch the center of his life, it is wealthy Wyatt Clark who slowly brings joy back into her life. Her love for Wyatt may be less romantic than the breathless passion she'd once shared with Finn, but she vows to cherish him, and their marriage is happy and as solid as a rock. Until the day that Finn, miraculously spared from death, returns home to claim his bride....
How can a woman choose between the two men she loves? And how will she make the right choice -- for herself and everyone involved?

about the author (from her website):

offically:

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of more than a twenty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Desperate Debutante and Scandalous historical romance series, as well as several contemporary romances, including American Diva, the very popular tie-in novel to the daytime drama, Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story, and the upcoming Summer of Two Wishes
Julia is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a four-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. She lives in Round Rock, Texas, with her husband. To keep up with all the Julia London news and excerpts, please visit http://www.julialondon.com/.

unoffically (also from her website!):

Okay, here is the real scoop on Julia London: the official bio looks nothing like who I think is the real me. The unofficial truth is that I was born and raised in rural west Texas. I was a fat baby and typical little girl with Barbies, bikes, and an overactive imagination. I know that I loved to make up stories from a time I can scarcely remember (because my mom has a story I wrote in the first grade, which featured me in an episode of Wagon Train), and I know that I always loved books. I remember going to the library. It was in an old house and it was very cool inside and smelled like old books and all the children’s books were on lower shelves for easy access by little hands. I read all the usual stuff: Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women… Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Sex but Were Afraid to Ask (by then I was fifteen or sixteen and was afraid to ask). In my early teens, I began to dream of great adventure and hunky guys and filled notebooks with stories of a girl who looked and talked like me and was constantly caught up in adventure and peril. She always landed in the arms of hunky guys who happened to resemble a few of my favorite TV stars. Hey, I’m not ashamed to admit it: Starsky and Hutch, Alias Smith and Jones, and yes, even Keith Partridge. I went to college, I got a job, and when I got a little older, I began to live the real adventures of my life. I traveled to far-flung places and tried things I never thought I’d try. I had good jobs with the federal government and eventually ended up working in the White House, and then later, I came back to Texas and worked as a public administrator until I could take politics no more. That’s when I decided to turn my penchant for making up stories into books, and I’ll be damned if an agent and a publisher didn’t want to publish my daydreams. I have been a lucky, lucky girl. I look back at my life and mark the passage of time by standard measures: bad hair and bad style sense. Or, I can pinpoint where I was and what I was doing in my life by the sports I tried. Not all of them took, but I discovered I was best at tennis (back in the day), golf (except when it’s too hot, and its always too hot in Texas) and wogging (sort of a half-walk, half-jog. Extremely ugly in appearance, but gets the job done), which I do only moderately well. Along the way I fell in love with a few good dogs and a few good men, and found the ones I want to keep forever. Sure, there have been those few occasions I might have drank too much and did some things I wish I hadn’t, but overall, I have no regrets. I’ve never wanted for anything except the perfect purse (the search continues). I have been a lucky, lucky girl. The unofficial truth is that I’ve had two successful careers. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful family and I’ve been lucky in love and work and play. I love my life, I love what I do. I love the people and animals that surround me and I am eager to see what the next half of my life brings. Now that is a bio that looks like me.

my thoughts:

Within the first few pages, my heart just broke for Macy. This book put me through so many different emotions, just thinking of what you would go through, not only being told your husband is dead, but then 3 years later (after having remarried) finding out he's NOT! I found this book to be well written, and I think pretty accurate on how I would feel if this was to happen to me. I would recommend this book to anyone (and already have to several of my friends)!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

For

Seduce Me

by Robyn DeHart

ChristyJan

karen k

DCMetroreader

Luvdaylilies

throuthehaze

I will be emailing you today for your addresses!

Please respond within 72 hours!

Congratulations!

The Lie by Fredrica Wagman

Coming of age in the 1950's America, Ramona Smollens takes her cues about female sexuality from Hollywood movie stars. None is more voluptuous than Rita Hayworth, the redhead who knows how to please a man and becomes a volcano of passion at her lover's touch, whose image inspired American flyers on their missions in World War ll and even graced the first atomic bomb tested at the Bikini Atoll. Ramona marries young to escape her mother's house shortly after the death of her father. She takes with her a dark secret, the sort of secret one simply did not talk about and that would stalk her as she matured into her role as wife and mother, remained a devoted daughter to her own aging mother and secretly harbored an obsession with the iconic Hayworth.

my thoughts:

I read this book about 2 weeks ago and I am still having a hard time coming up with how to describe how it made me feel. It's not that I didn't like the book. I DID. Alot.
But it was so different from what I expected!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

For:

Ravens

catss99

commchick

Park Avenue Princess

So Into You

CrystalGB

dag888888

Cheryl McInnis

JennyN

ChristyJan

How To Tame A Modern Rogue

flowerchild

throuthehaze

KarenK

scottsgal

etirv

Look for an email from me today!

I need your addresses within 72 hours!

Congratulations!

Tour Stop~ The Target: Love, Death and Airline Regulation by J.R. Hauptman

"THE TARGET" is set in the late nineteen-eighties and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the shocking effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. In those days, Carlo Clemenza is known as the most hated man in the airline business. A dedicated corporate raider and union buster, Clemenza uses junk bonds, uncompromising Soviet styled negotiation tactics, sham bankruptcies and ruthless abrogation of union contracts to crush competing airlines and to bring airline workers to heel. His methods have earned him countless death threats yet he struts with arrogance, surrounded by cadres of security toughs. Virtually thousands of professional pilots find themselves compelled to start their careers over or find them at a sudden and complete end. The airline grapevine echoes daily with the plaintive cry, "Why doesn't someone kill that SOB?!" Only one pilot decides to seriously take up the cudgel and he makes Carlo Clemenza THE TARGET! His chase will take him to the far corners of the country as he finds himself also the object of pursuit. The characters merge in spectacular action and settings.

about the author:

J.R. Hauptman (pseudonym) has been a professional pilot for nearly a half century. Barely twenty years old, he began as a military pilot and for almost two years he flew combat support missions in the Viet Nam War. Upon leaving military service he was hired by a major airline and was initially based on the West Coast. His flying career was interrupted by the turmoil that racked the airline industry during the early days of deregulation. In the interim, he worked as a travel agent, a stockbroker and even trained dogs and horses. In the late nineteen-eighties, he returned to aviation, flying jet charters and air freight. He concluded his career flying corporate jets and now lives in Florida. He is completing his second work, a non-fictional social commentary and surfs every day, waves or not. You can visit his website at http://www.caddispublishing.com/.

my thoughts:

This was a great book. It takes place in the 80's (and from what I've read about it since reading this book) it is based on actual events (the airline deregulation). I was a teen at the time, so I was completely unaware of what went on. It brought to light how people were hurt by the deregulation, how their lives were irreparably changed. I wouldn't say this was a quick & easy read, but it was a fantastic read!

So Into You by Sandra Hill

The Sinner

She's been a nun, poker champion, treasure hunter, and now folk healer. Redhead Grace O'Brien thinks life is one grand adventure-until her hunky friend Angel Sabato suddenly declares his love for her. That's one risky business she'll never want a part of, not if she's going to keep her past a secret forever.

The Angel

With heartbroken Angle hightaling it out of town, Grace makes herself buys working with Tante Lulu. Together they agree to help a poor teenage girl who's trying to raise her siblings after Katrina by building them a new house. And Tante Lulu knows the perfect man for the job: Angel!

The Cupid

Angel's decided he's not taking no for an answer from reluctant Grace. Tante Lulu's convinced they need her Cajun style of matchmaking. And Grace has braced herself for a lightning bolt of trouble, one that could jolt her into heartbreak...or straight into Angel's arms.


my thoughts~

"So Into You" is the book to choose if you just want to laugh! Sandra Hill's characters are once again witty and likable. What I like most about this book is that like real life, sometimes you have to keep taking chances to win what you desire most. Lord knows, if Angel had been any other man, he might have given up and hauled it out of there and not looked back. But he knew he wanted something and he was going to have to keep at her to get it!

If you haven't read any of Sandra Hill's books, you should! I've only read a couple from her Viking series (hot, time traveling guys!), the novella Saving Savanah (which was a great short read) and now "So Into You". I will definitely be reading more Sandra Hill in the near future!

Sandra Hills website is HERE!

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of "So Into You", go HERE! Hurry! It ends at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!

Where everybody knows your name...

My day so far feels like one of my favorite lines from Cheers...

(Norm walks into the bar)
Everbody yells: NORM!! How's it going?
Norm: It's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing milkbone underwear...

yep, today is my milkbone underwear day!

How my day is going so far...

This is pretty much how I'm feeling today!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

CONGRATULATIONS!

For Dark Hunger:

Armenia

Leann

JennyN

Dag88888

PamP

And the winner for

100 Posts=Giveaway is:

throuthehaze

I will email you soon for your address!

Ending Tonight @ Midnight! Dark Hunger!

Ends tonight @ midnight!

Go here!

Waiting On Wednesday~ Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking The Spine.

If you haven't visited her blog, you should! Thanks Jill!!

my pick this week:

Kindred In Death by J.D. Robb

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena’s body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

The In Death series is written by J.D. Robb (a.k.a. Nora Roberts) and centers around NYPSD Leiutant Eve Dallas & her HOT, hunk of a husband Roarke. This IS my favorite series of all time. Kindred In Death will be available November 2009 and is the 30th installment of the series (not including the novella's that have been published!).

Teaser Tuesday!

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

Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!

You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add

the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Sam walked over to the bar, sliding onto a leather bar stool with antique brass legs. "That scotch looks good".

He smiled. "It is good".

He never smiled like that, without pain, anger or mocking sarcasm.

Dark Lover by Brenda Joyce

page 231

Tour Stop~ The Calling by David Mack

Meet the answer to your prayers.

HEAR THE CALLING.

No one would guess by looking at Tom Nash that he's extraordinary, and that's just fine with him. A tall, broad-shouldered jack-of-all-trades from Sawyer, Pennsylvania, Tom has a knack for fixing things. He also hides a secret talent: he hears people's prayers. Stranger still, he answers them. Maybe it's because he's a handyman, but Tom feels compelled to fix people's problems. Which is all well and good — until the soul-shattering plea of a terrified girl sends him on the darkest journey of his life…

SEEK THE TRUTH.

Heeding the call and leaving his home for New York City, Tom discovers a secret world beyond the range of mortal perception — a world of angels and demons and those who serve them. With the guidance of a knowing stranger named Erin, Tom learns that he himself is one of The Called, born with a divine purpose and a daunting task: to help the powers of Heaven in the war against the agents of Hell, an army of fallen angels known as the Scorned. Thrust into an epic battle of the sacred and the profane, Tom Nash must find the girl who prayed for his help — because her fate will determine whether humanity deserves to be saved, or damned for all eternity…

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocket (July 21, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416579923

About the author:

David Mack is the national bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Road of Bones, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy — Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. His first original novel, the supernatural thriller The Calling, debuted in July 2009 to critical acclaim.In addition to novels, Mack's diverse writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet.Upcoming novels in 2009 by David Mack include The 4400: Promises Broken, Star Trek Vanguard: Precipice, and an expanded edition of his Mirror Universe tale The Sorrows of Empire. Coming in 2010 are More Beautiful Than Death, an adventure inspired by the 2009 feature film Star Trek; and Zero Sum Game, the second book of the Star Trek: Typhon Pact miniseries.Mack has been to shows in every Rush concert tour since 1982, and he finally met two-thirds of the band in 2007. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

David Mack's webiste: HERE!

my thoughts:

"Please, God…don’t let them kill me.” Imagine being woken from your sleep, hearing this prayer. That's what happens to Tom Nash, you run of the mill. everyday handyman. Tom knows it's not his imagination and that he has to find the young girl who whispered this prayer. That's what he does. He helps those people, whose prayers he hears. So he packs up, kisses his very pregnant wife good-bye and heads to New York. He knows he has to save the girl. Luckily for him, he has a very understanding wife!

I think David Mack has a hit on his hands, with the opportunity for an excellent series! I hope he continues with Tom Nash! The characters are so well written, the settings described in such detail that I sank into this book. I have never read any of Mr. Macks previous work, but I will be on the look out for his future books! *hint* He has a book coming out later this year about "The 4400" and it picks up where the show left off! I can't wait! I loved "The 4400" and hated how it ended!

I have always wondered how authors come up with ideas like this? I would love to have an imagination that can create characters that are extraordinary, everyday people, who come alive on the written page.

I would suggest that if you enjoy a good urban fantasy/paranormal that has little or no romance in it, this would be the book you should read!