Indie Book of the Week; Fall Guy by Liz Reinhardt!

I am so excited about this week's Indie Book of the Week because I just had such a great time reading it and okay, because the author, Liz Reinhardt just rocks! And yes, I know I am doing this meme a little earlier than I normally do but I just couldn't wait any longer to tell you about this really great book.

I knew I loved Liz's work after reading Lengths that she co-authored with Steph Campbell but her new book Fall Guy was just amazing. I like it even better than I did Lengths and that is saying something!

So without further ado, I give you my Indie Book of the Week pick, Liz's New Adult Contemporary Romance novel, Fall Guy!

Synopsis:

Evan Lennox is going nowhere fast. She's living with her grandparents after her parents bailed on her, she got kicked out of her posh private school, her ex-boyfriend proved to be the biggest sleaze imaginable, her former best friend is a back-stabber, and her current best friend is stuck in backwoods NJ. To top it all off, one teeny, tiny fire she lit to burn some memories of her ex goes a little out of control and winds up igniting a good piece of a very powerful family's pecan orchard.

Evan lands her pampered behind in court and gets sentenced to community service. Which she knows she deserves. But the hard labor and humiliation may be her undoing.

Until she meets Winchester Youngblood on the site. Everything about him is tricky, confusing, not at all what it seems, and so sexy, Evan can't resist pulling closer. But every step she takes to get to know him gives her more of a reason to back up and put him as far out of life as she possibly can. Because Winch is one hundred percent complicated, and Evan isn't looking for that. At all. She needs to meet a nice, responsible guy, not share searing kisses with the charming hustler she met after they both got sentenced in court.

But Winch is so much more than what he seems, and Evan finds out that she's falling hard for the guy everyone underestimates and writes off. And Winch realizes that Evan is the one person who's ever challenged him to ask for more out of his life, and her courage inspires him to try to be the person she sees when she looks at him. With every single odd stacked against them, Evan and Winch need to find out whether they have what it takes to fall for each other.

My Thoughts and Review:

 

I really love Liz's work. All of her characters are just fantastic. They all feel like real people to me and someone that I would know and care about and just want to simply hang out with and be friends.

This latest book is no exception. I just fell in love with Evan and Winch. They were both so flawed and real and I just loved that about them. I loved that they truly needed each other. They needed to save each other, but they also needed to save themselves, for themselves in order to be all they could be for each other too. And that made them feel so real to me.

I think this by far, is my favorite book that Liz has written. It just really hit home for me for whatever reason. I felt everything that Evan and Winch were going through and I connected with them and really ended up caring about them.

I made the unfortunate mistake of starting this one the same day that I started another fabulous read and therefore I was really torn between which book to read at any given moment. If it weren't for that though, I seriously would have read this in one sitting, it was that good. I was pretty hooked after the first chapter and did end up giving this one all of my attention, it demanded it from me and I was helpless to argue.

So be warned, make sure you have time on your hands before you start this because even if you don't, you aren't going to get anything else done that day.

I really love how Liz unraveled the mystery surrounding not only why Evan is the way she is (party girl central) but also all of Winch's secrets as well. And not only his secrets, but his families too. I really loved how loyal and strong he was. He was the perfect case of the bad boy not really being all he appeared to be on the outside.

By the time I was done reading this, I was so incredibly proud of both Winch and Evan. I can't even tell you how proud. They both turned out to be a whole lot stronger than either one imagined they could be. They knew what they wanted and the grabbed for it and held on tight.

I am so sad this is over. Really sad. I want more Winch and Evan.

Liz, this truly was a beautiful coming of age story about doing what is right. Believing in yourself and making those hard decisions that are never easy but are the ones that are best for us. For making sure that we follow our dreams and make them happen. And I thank you for writing is so wonderfully and meaningfully. For creating two characters that will forever live with me.

I couldn't give this one any less than the 5 Stars it so rightfully deserves.

 

Blog Tour Guest Blog and Giveaway: Mistaken by J.A. Howell

Title: Mistaken
Author: J.A. Howell

Genre: General/Mainstream Fiction/Suspense

ISBN: 1477456368
ASIN: B0092HDIXS

Number of pages:198
Word Count: 61,448

Cover Artist: J.A. Howell

Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/46XSH5oXYzA

Purchase Links: http://amzn.com/B0092HDIXS

Book Description:

One year ago, two bullets from a .45 caliber pistol ripped away any hopes Dillan had of a future with her fiancé, Jamie. On the anniversary of Jamie’s death, the appearance of his estranged twin brother, Trey, leaves Dillan wondering what other secrets her prefect fiancé was hiding. When Trey learns of his brother’s death, Dillan takes pity on him and gives him a place to stay.

Trey’s erratic behavior and a series of suspicious phone calls lead Dillan to believe that Trey knows more about the circumstances surrounding Jamie’s death than he’s letting on. With all leads exhausted and Jamie’s murderer still on the loose, Trey is Dillan’s last hope for finding the truth.

Sometimes the truth hurts… but in Dillan’s case it could kill her.



Author Bio:

J.A Howell is an office drone by day, and a writer by night. Her love of writing took off when she was eleven years old and decided to fill a composition notebook with stories to read to her friends. Many years (and notebooks) later, not much has changed. She still loves writing and sharing her works with others. When she isn’t writing, she can often be found trying her hand at whatever artistic pursuit strikes her fancy. J.A. Howell resides in Apopka, FL with her husband and their menagerie of animal children.

http://midtown-underground.com/

http://www.facebook.com/JenniferHowlz

https://twitter.com/JenniferHowlz

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1472837.J_A_Howell
  
 

Interview with Trey from Mistaken

While writing Mistaken, I sat down with both of my main characters. Trey isn't much of a talker, but I managed to get a few words out of him.  Here was what he had to say.

J.A.H.: Thanks for joining me today,Trey. Can I get you anything? A drink?

Trey: *sits back in the comfy grey chair in my office, glancing around my office.* Nah, I'm good. This is actually much nicer than the last time I was interviewed.

J.A.H.: Why is that?

Trey: I'm not handcuffed to the chair or suffering from any sort of head injury. *laughs dryly, then shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie* That reminds me, who exactly is going to see this interview? I'm not really comfortable with my info being out there for everyone to see.

J.A.H.: Oh this? This is for my own personal records, as your author of course. *I smile innocently*

Trey: *not looking very convinced* Will you at least not use my last name then?

J.A.H.: Fine. Now on to the interview questions. I thought we could start with a few questions about yours and Jamie's childhood. Being identical twins, did you have that "twin connection" people talk about?

Trey: Well as toddlers, our parents said we seemed to have our own little language between us, and there were more than several occasions where one of us would feel something the other was feeling but didn't know why. When I was ten, I broke my wrist while I was skateboarding outside a few miles from our home and Jamie, who was home our mother started crying and holding his wrist. Looking back now, I think I also felt that connection when Jamie passed. I suppose I didn't want to believe it was possible though. One day I just got a painful feeling in my chest and then this sense of dread washed over me. I'm pretty sure that was the day.

J.A.H.: With him gone, do you still feel that connection?

Trey: I'm not sure. Sometimes I think I feel him still around.  *Shrugs and  fidgets with the zipper of his hoodie*.

J.A.H.: What did you do in the time you and him were seperated? 

Trey: I mainly worked in construction. I enjoyed it enough and got plenty of fresh air most of the time. Aside from work, I didn't really do much else. Sometimes I might stop off for a drink with my co-workers, but most the time I'd end up at home drawing, reading or watching something on TV until I passed out.

J.A.H.: Coming to Midtown, obviously things didn't go as you expected. I know your brother wrote you about Dillan, is she what you expected?

Trey: Not really... I mean she is a very attractive woman, but um... I guess I just didn't realize from the letters how attractive she is. *Clears throat, suddenly looking a bit flush*  But um, personality-wise... She isn't much like what Jamie described, but then who would be after seeing what she did?

J.A.H.: Yes, she definitely isn't her old chipper self anymore. To the first part of your answer, you find Dillan attractive?

Trey: Wait, is she going to see this interview? Can you take that part off the record?

J.A.H.: She won't see it, and no I am not taking it off the record. Answer the question.

Trey:  Of course I find her attractive, but she was going to marry my brother. My TWIN brother. That is all kinds of off limits.

J.A.H.: Not to mention you are lying to her. Are you going to tell her the truth?

Trey:  *Sits forward with his elbows on his knees, looking down at the floor.* I want to tell her, but something like that is hard to get out. You and I both know she is going to hate me for it.

J.A.H.: So you are convinced that this isn't going to end well?

Trey: I don't see how it can end any other way.

Book excerpt:

Breathing the night air in a deep gulp, Dillan’s shoulders eased, releasing the tension of the day. The red light reflected off iridescent shimmers in small puddles on the damp street as she waited at the intersection. Dillan hadn’t even realized it had been raining today, as she was too lost in her own head to even peer out the window. Now, as she sat at the light she took in the dampness of the thick summer air and the gust of wind that rushed by with the moving traffic on the adjacent street.

Just as she could see the opposite street’s traffic lights turning yellow, a Greyhound Bus came across the intersection. Dillan had been watching the traffic with disinterest, to her it was just one large mass of unidentifiable vehicles blurring by. Then the large blue bus rolled past her, seeming to slow down temporarily, which set it apart from the rest of the vehicles. Dillan’s arms and back tingled; something pulled her attention towards the bus. She looked up at the bus windows as they rolled past, all the faces seeming to blur just like the traffic. Nameless, faceless people. None taking any notice of her.

Then her eyes locked with a familiar icy blue gaze staring at her from the back window, and as it registered just who they belonged to, the bus flew past the intersection and out of view. Dillan remained at the light, her mouth falling agape as her brain failed to make sense of what she had seen.

It was impossible, right?

That couldn’t have been Jamie.

Jamie is dead.

A horn blared behind her, jarring her out her trance. The bike lunged forward as Dillan over-accelerated against the wet road. It spun across the intersection, tossing her onto the sidewalk as the bike abruptly slammed against the curb, scraping the pavement. Several onlookers rushed over, hovering around her with horrified expressions.

Dillan, although rattled from the crash, pulled herself up. Her knuckles were fairly scraped up and there was a rip on the side of her jeans. All minimal damage. More embarrassed than hurt, Dillan tried to brush some of the gravel off of her wounds. Blood rushed to her cheeks, her face growing hot as she drew the attention of both drivers and pedestrians. She hastily thanked the few that had actually helped her back to her feet, and pulled her bike back up, ignoring the concerned looks that were sent her way.

Dillan supposed she should just try to forget what she had seen and go to the pub. No sane person would believe it was really Jamie. But those eyes. She knew those eyes. They were Jamie’s. She wasn’t crazy. Emotionally unstable? Yes! But crazy? No. It had to be him. She knew what she had seen, and it had to be him.

She couldn’t sit there debating any longer, there was only one way to find out. With the loud roar of the bike’s engine, Dillan bolted across the intersection once more, zipping narrowly past several cars, dodging her way through traffic. Her eyes searched frantically for the bus, but she had lost sight of it. Zooming past each block, her eyes darted in both directions hoping for a sign of its passing. A few cars honked their disapproval at her as she cut in front of them. Nearing the edge of downtown, her eyes fell on a blue sign with white lettering. The words “Bus Station” and an accompanying arrow pointing right gave her a glimmer of hope.

She hooked a right, her bike leaning dangerously low as she maneuvered the sharp turn. Dillan’s heartbeat hit heavy within her chest as the bus station came into view at the end of the street. All she could think about was seeing Jamie step off that bus, running to him and kissing him. All the pain she had been feeling over the last year would simply melt away. It was too late to think of how insane or how irrational a thought like that really was.

Only about a hundred feet away, she spotted the bus she had seen him riding. It had to be the same one. People were filing out of several other buses all at once. The station was crowded and chaotic as passengers arrived and departed. She stopped her bike next to the bus, looking up, but she did not see his face in the window any longer. Her stomach fluttered as her eyes, still filled with foolish hope, searched over the dozens and dozens of unfamiliar faces mixing into the mass of people.

Nowhere.

He was nowhere.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Rounds by Lauren Hammond Blog Tour, Author Interview and Book Review!

Synopsis:

Sean (Right-Hook) Reilly knows a few things about himself. One, he's the middle-weight boxing champion of the world with an undefeated record. Two, women find his cocky persona, chiseled biceps, and inked body sexy. Also, the fact that it's known that he doesn't do relationships only adds to his sex appeal. And three, he's Irish, proud of it, and a member of the Braithreachas Don Saol, a branch of the Irish mafia and king pins of the drug cartel taking over the streets of Cleveland.

Connor Doyle(aka Connie) the boss and leader of the Braithreachas Don Saol, has been like a father to Sean, taking him under his wing and teaching him how to survive on the streets after the death of his parents. Sean has never been ungrateful, but has always wanted one thing...

More. More to live for. More to fight for. More to believe in. A chance at a future without drugs or guns. A chance at a future without wondering which day will be his last.

There's only one problem with that. You live by the braithreachas. You die by the braithreachas. And Sean knows whether Connie considers him to be family or not, the only way he'll be leaving the braithreachas is in a body bag.

Hadlee Flax has had a year to overcome her issues. After almost being raped and brutalized, she's putting her best foot forward, seeing a therapist, and has even(with some persuasion from her best friend, Lara) enrolled in self defense classes. And she's doing well moving on with her life until she meets the dark, and conflicted Irish boxing champion of the world, Sean Reilly.

Hadlee is immediately drawn to the gorgeous, cold, and mysterious man who speaks with a slight Irish brogue. She soon learns that there is much more to him than his darkened gaze, cool demeanor, and body covered in tattoos. He's not the type of man she thought he was. And Hadlee finds herself doing something she never thought she would do in the last year...

Falling for a guy.

Falling for Sean Reilly. A man who is on the path to becoming a boxing legend.

One thing Hadlee doesn't know is the other part of Seans' life. His life of drug running, and killing. Or the fact that when he's not boxing he's walking the streets with a gat tucked into the back of his loose jeans, and glancing over his shoulder at every turn.

But it doesn't take Hadlee long to learn that some attractions and relationships can be fatal.

And sometimes...

They just might be worth fighting for.

Author Interview:

MGO: "When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?"

Lauren: "I think my journey into literary land has been a long, harrowing one. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had a passion for the written word. From a young age, I knew that someday I’d write. I’d always make up stories and write them down. Even with my crayons, lol. I won essay contests as a kid. Wrote poems in high school. Participated in the English Festival and their workshops. Took writing courses. But I didn’t really discover myself as writer until I was in my early twenties."

MGO: "Sean and Hadlee are both very broken people for different reasons and I love that about them, I love that they aren't perfect., that they have a lot of issues to deal with. What made you decide to write about characters that are so flawed?"

Lauren: "I love writing flawed characters because in my honest opinion imperfections and or flaws are what makes people beautiful. If you think about it, we don’t live in a perfect world and I despise sugar coating things that don’t exist. Call me a realist, I guess. There are real people out there facing the same kind of issues that both Hadlee and Sean struggle with. Some have been through something traumatic brought out by a situation they couldn’t control, others have put themselves into the same situations by making decisions they thought were right at the time. This is real life. And people in real life are flawed"

MGO: "I really enjoyed 12 Rounds and the boxing theme around it, did you already know a lot about boxing or did you have to do some research to write it?"

Lauren: "A little. In the area where I live there have been quite a few title holders as far as boxing goes and what can I say? Like Right-Hook, we support our own, lol. But for all the extras, I interviewed my really good friend Stephanie who was actually a pro-am female boxer. She filled me in on all the ins and outs of the sport. Along with everything from processions to promoter’s. I thanked her in the acknowledgements section because honestly, this book would be nothing without her invaluable information on the sport."

MGO: "How many books will be written to follow this one?"

Lauren: "I have two more planned. 13 Rounds will be out at the end of November and then sometime in 2013 I’ll release Knockout."

MGO: "What else do you have int he works?"

Lauren: "Oh my. So many books, lol. I feel like I get a new idea every darn day. But the two I am focusing on right now are; Beautiful Nightmares(the final installment in the asylum trilogy) and book two in the sociopath diaries, Yelling Out Loud. It has taken me a little while to get both of these under way, being that they are very twisty turny and I want them to be as epic as I can possibly make them."

MGO: "Who or what was your inspiration while writing this book?"

Lauren: "I’ll tell you what inspired me because this actually means a lot to me.

I am a hometown proud person. I love the area where I live. I was born and raised here in Northeast Ohio(the back drop for 12 Rounds) and you get a home-like feeling here. Mind you, I love to travel and see the world, but I always like to come home. I can’t acurately describe the feeling I get when I come home from a place and see my friends and family, but it’s almost serene, peaceful.

Until it all goes to shit.

Growing up, never did I ever think, we’d have an epidemic on our hands and when I saw on my local news that the area in which I lived was now considered to have a heroin epidemic on its’ hands, well that just about ripped my heart out and then it made me angry. You see, I know most people aren’t blind to drugs. They know they’re out there. They choose to do them or stay away from them. But what sickens me the most is the people fueling that dependency that others have for a profit. That’s where Connie Doyle came in. His character completely stemmed from that. He cares about money and has little regard for anything else.

I feel like every day I hear about another young person dying and its because of not only themselves for being so careless with their life, but because of people like Connie who feed and make money off of other people’s weaknesses.

I like to stress that life is a gift because that is something I really and truly believe. It is a gift, it breezes by in what seems like seconds instead of years, and it’s something you should appreciate while you have it. And I guess the part of Sean that wants to help these people stems from me. Also, the reality of the drug epidemic that most of the people in my area are faced with every day.

This novel was born out of a five minute segment on the local 6 o’clock news. And I hope it makes an impact in a good way.

I’d really like people to understand that your life is what you make of it. And you can either embrace that in a positive way or let your life go in the opposite direction where your life means so little and your addiction fuels your existence.

 

YOLO. I was actually vacationing in Florida and I saw this saying on about every t-shirt in every gift shop I happened upon, lol. But it’s so true. You do only live once. You only live once and it’s up to you to make sure that it’s a life worth living.

Thanks so much for having me! If you guys get a chance please check out 12 Rounds and the sequel 13 Rounds in November!"

MGO: "Thank you so much Lauren for being here today and I will definitely be checking out 13 Rounds and Knockout as well! You pretty much have me hooked on this trilogy!!"

My Thoughts and Review:

 

This book is going to be hard for me to review, mainly because I loved so much about it and because there as so much I didn't like about it.

Sounds contradictory right? And it is, sort of but it isn't as bad as it sounds.

What I loved about this book? The characters. They were real and flawed and broken and then found strength and solace in each other.

I loved their loyalty and their strength. Their love for each other.

I loved the secondary characters almost as much as I loved the main.

What I didn't like about this book? What Sean did. The brotherhood. I really hated the choices that he made and while I don't agree with them, I understand why he did them.

I didn't like the way he viewed woman or what he did (selling drugs, shooting, lying, what have you) but, again, I understood why he thought that way even though I wanted to smack him a few times with the disrespectful things he thought, said and did towards woman. And the things he did in the city that he supposedly loved.

And I certainly didn't like Connie, but again, who would? That was kind of the point of his character.

So you see, I have a love hate with this book, with these characters.

But of course the storyline was amazing and it kept me interested, it kept me wanting to read more.

And the ending was just cruel. I wanted some things resolved that weren't and I can't wait to read 13 Rounds to find out if they will be. To find out if everyone gets there HEA.

This is definitely not a book for younger teens. There is a lot of swearing, crud talk, mention of sex (no explicit scenes or anything!) and drugs.

Overall I give this one 3.5 to 4 Stars!

Cover Reveal: Resonance by J.A. Belfield

Resonance

A Holloway Pack Story #2.5

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: April 2, 2013

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Urban Fantasy, Werewolf

Back of the Book

Guilt is a heavy burden for the one carrying it. 

 

Jem Stonehouse is no exception to this rule.

 

What if she’d acted sooner? What if she’d fully recognised the threat? What if she hadn’t allowed the male pack members to head into the witches’ ambush?

 

For one, youngest pack member Josh Larsen wouldn’t be trapped in the sleep of the dead.

 

Now, Jem is convinced it’s her job to bring him back to life no matter what it takes— learning more about her heritage, risking pack exposure, or travelling to places she couldn’t have imagined possible.

 

Even if the journey endangers her soul.

 

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/27
Other Books in this series include:
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#.5)
Darkness & Light (#1)
Blue Moon (#2) (Coming December 3, 2012)

Blog Tour Guest Post: Aureole by Kate Mitchell

Synopsis:
When Jessica Carleton, a shy eleven year old from a poor family in Brooklyn who had their fair share of trouble, goes to live with the wealthy Bishop family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she quickly learns that just because you have money does not mean you’re happy. As the years pass, she grows to love the family, and although they never officially consider her to be a member of it, she becomes an important part all the same.

Everything goes well until the Christensons arrive a little over ten years later. A devious, clever, and good-looking brother and sister from Connecticut, individually they stir up trouble, but together they wreak havoc. Soon enough Jess realizes that unless she stands up for herself for the first time in her life, she will lose all that she has come to treasure. She has to make a choice: either lose the family that never really accepted her and try to start over one more time, or take a stand for what she believes in. For the quiet, unassuming young woman, this is no easy decision.

A different kind of coming of age story for anyone who has ever been unsure of themselves, this novel watches over the Bishop family in Manhattan and all of their endeavors. It follows Jess as she makes mistakes, does her best to correct them, and maybe, just maybe, works her way into the hearts of the Bishop family for good using her heart, her mind, and without using money at all.
 
About The Author:

 From an early age, Kate Mitchell has been an avid reader. In June 2009 she graduated from high school in Maine, and in August of the same year she entered Vanderbilt University, where she is double majoring in Secondary Education and in English. She will continue to write both in school and after, as writing will always be her first love. When not studying at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Kate spends her time in Maine and Boston with her parents and younger sister. In the spare time she has that is not spent writing, she sings in the Vanderbilt University Concert Choir, is a sister of Delta Gamma, and enjoys cooking and baking.

Guest Post:

My name is Kate Mitchell and I’m the author of the novel Aureole. It came out in July on Kindle and on Amazon paperback, and follows a girl trying to figure out who she is while living with an extremely wealthy family in New York City. Jess deals with maintaining who she is, what she stands for, and where she feels like she belongs. Aureole focuses on Jess’ issues with money, drama, family, friends, love, and scandal, specifically over a period of about fifteen months, although there are brief moments earlier and later than that period of time.

So, now that you’ve got a snapshot of Aureole without me giving anything away, let me give you five reasons why you should read it.

1. It critically examines the wealthy society of New York City that is frequently critiqued, but in a different way than others have so far – through the eyes of an outsider who has lived in it for 10 years.
2. Drugs, crime, and some other exciting stuff like that.
3. The Christensons are fabulous. And evil. They’re fabulously evil.
4. Jess annoys some people at first, but she really is a good person whose goodness becomes a fault. In this case, and in this world, being good isn’t necessarily a redeeming quality.
5. Someone ends up near death. Do they or don’t they live? (That tends to spice things up.)

 

And, of course, a few bragging reasons why you should read it.

1. Aureole has received an average of 4 out of 5 stars from reviewers.
2. One reviewer in particular claimed 5 out of 5 stars for artistic impressions.
3. Another reviewers said it was reader-friendly.

Basically, Aureole consists of some tough situations that most of us have been through in some way, shape, or form but also has exciting moments (in a good and bad way) that make it stand out. The basic idea for the novel is from Mansfield Park, but the actual events are from me. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Aureole is available on Amazon for Kindle and in paperback at http://amzn.to/N2eEOu. Kate Mitchell and be found online at http://kmitchellauthor.com and http://katethealmostgreat.blogspot.com, on Twitter @kmitchellauthor, and via email at katemitchelltheauthor@gmail.com.

Review: Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

Title: Dearly, Beloved
Author: Lia Habel
Series: Book Two in the Gone With Respiration Series
Published By: Del Ray (Sept. 25, 2012)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Dystopian/Steam Punk
My Rating: 3.5 Stars!

Goodreads Description:
 Can the living coexist with the living dead?

That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.

Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety.

Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target.

As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse.


My Review: 
 

I really loved the first book in this series, Dearly, Departed. It was a really fun, interesting read with some fabulous characters. And for me, that is saying something because normally, I am not a fan of zombie and yet, I really did enjoy the first book.

So needless to say, I jumped at the chance to read the second book, hoping it would be just as fantastic as the first.

Now, here is the sort of not so great part. I struggled a little to get through this one.There I said it.

For whatever reason, this one just sort of dragged in parts for me. Maybe it was the political aspect of it (which there was a lot of). Or maybe there was just something more that I wanted that I didn't get.  I am not sure, but, I just didn't find myself as enthralled in this one as I was in the first. And honestly, that made me a little sad. I wanted to scan parts and that is just never a good thing.

I was happy to see some familiar and loved faces (Cas and all her fashion sense glory!) because really, this series does have a lot of great characters, so I did love that we got to see them all again.

Nora is strong and brave and really just kick butt. Bram is just wonderful. Yeah he is a zombie but oh is he a swoon worthy one! He too is brave and strong and loyal and just loves Nora with all he has. He would do anything for her and it shows. I never thought I would say this but he is one swoon worthy zombie and I can't blame Nora for falling in love with him!!

And there were some twists that I didn't see and a whole new set of issues (a new strain of the virus) that were great and intriguing.

This did pick up in the last little bit, which was nice. I really did love the way it ended. It was very sweet and some how just felt right and certainly did leave me wanting to read the next book so for that, I am giving this one 3.5 Stars!

Review: In a Fix by Linda Grimes

Title: In a Fix
Author: Linda Grimes
Series: Book One in the In a Fix Series
Published By: Tor Books (Sept. 4, 2012)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars


Goodreads Description:
Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable... that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

My Review:
 

It is no secret that I read a lot of books, what you might not know is that a lot of them tend to be YA. And while I love the YA genre it is so nice to read a really good adult book too. Sometimes you just need to get out of the teenage world and all it's agnst (good or not) and step back into the adult world.

In A Fix was just the read that I needed after reading so many consecutive YA books. Not only did it have a feisty, funny, kick butt heroine (and some wonderful banter between the three friends Mark, Billy and Ceil, associates, lovers, what have you) but this was also a really fun action packed read that literally I had to pull myself away from because, sadly, I had other things I just had to get done. Otherwise, I seriously would have read this in one sitting.

I love the whole world that Grimes created with the adaptors and I even liked the slight love triangle aspect it had. It just worked in this story without making me roll my eyes, sigh in frustration (or exasperation) and getting annoyed with the characters. In fact the romance (not a big theme of the book really) had just the right dose.

There was no slow world building in this one, which is so common in most first books. Instead, Grimes let us jump right into the story and explained details along the way. And while I don't always care for that in most books (too may questions I find I want answered now, not later), it again, just worked and flowed nicely.

Really this book reminded me a lot of the antics I love in the Stephanie Plum series without seeming anything like a copy cat in anyway shape or form.

I loved the humor, the relationships the characters had with one another, the witty banter, and the character themselves. I really look forward to reading more in this series and I hope that there will be many books to come.