Gone With a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West

Wow! This book was so wonderful from the first line all the way to the final, teasing sentence. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series, I have to know how this story goes! I recieved this book as part of the Member giveaway program on LibraryThing.com. I knew I would love it when on the cover there was a great review from Janet Evanovich. The story takes place in the Deep South, and with that comes delicious cooking, steamy romance, and a whole mess of drama. An asthmatic Teeny Templeton finds her soon-to-be husband playing naked badminton with two women. It's not long before he turns up dead. Was it her? Was it on of the badminton players? The author kept me guessing the whole time about several important things until the very end, but I won't spoil those... The character development was wonderful, the recipes at the end were a terrific added bonus, and the scene descriptions had me swaeting in the Charleston heat. I think Michael Lee West has a way with words and should keep on putting that pen to paper. Well done!

Noble Satyr: A Georgian Historical Romance by Lucinda Brant

I received this book in e-book format from the member giveaway program on LibraryThing.com. It is a terrific novel, filled with details that make it impossible not to immerse yourself in the period. This author creates imagery so un-forcefully, it flows very gracefully. The plot was easy to follow, filled with wonderful surprises and amazing detail. Very enjoyable read. I would recommend this novel, and would read more from this author.

Salt Bride: A Georgian Historical Romance by Lucinda Brant

I recieved this book from Member Giveaways on LibraryThing.com. Like Noble Satyr, this book did not dissapoint! FIlled with wonderful characters, period details and an intriguing plot; this book was impossible to set down! Brant has a way with character and detail development not to be matched. It seems to flow effortlessly. I will recommend this novel and this author.

The Haunted E-Book by J.L. Bryan

I received this book as part of the Member Giveaway program on LibraryThing.com. This book was surprisingly horrifying! I went into it thinking I was reading a creepy ghost story, and left having read a terrifying horror novel! Good character development and an intriguing plotline make this a fun read. Perhaps the book would be more successful if marketed as a horror story, but, I digress. Thanks so much to J.L. Bryan for keeping me up at night!

Jimi & Isaac 3a: The Mars Mission by Phil Rink

I received this book as part of the Member Giveaway program on LibraryThing.com. This book is at a third grade level, but it is so fun for both kids and grown-ups. A great lesson is learned here about sticking with a project, and not giving up even when others around you quit. Jimi and Isaac are given a challenge to build a Mars probe that can take pictures. Isaac gives up on it pretty quickly, but Jimi keeps going on it, with some pressure from the grown-ups who think he is making a model, and not the real thing. This is a great book with a fun storyline, and an interesting perspective. Really a great read, something parents can feel good about their child reading. It has a few lessons to learn, and a lot of fun. Great book!

Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series

Vampires are so popular right now in the media, it's no wonder TrueBlood, adapted from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, has over 6.7 million followers on Facebook alone. So, in light of this pop culture trend, I decided to read this series. Honestly, I expected a cheesy fantasy series about a girl falling in love with a vampire, and the drama that caused for both of them. I could not have been more WRONG! This is a series that is so easy to relate to, you may just start to believe that vampires do exist!

The Ringer

So I just finished reading a new book called The Ringer. It's the first novel by author Jenny Shank. I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing.com. LTER is a program where you put your name in a hat for several books not yet released, and if you are selected, you receive an early edition of the book (either E-Book or printed format). The only caveat is that you must review received books. Personally, I think this is a terrific opportunity, especially for someone like me who will read anything!

In any case, this book was wonderful! The story goes back and forth between two families, seemingly only connected by a terrible tragedy. Ed O'Fallon, a Denver cop, shot and killed Patricia Maestas' husband during a drug-raid gone wrong. Both families have boys who play baseball, but in different leagues. When Patricia moves her son to the more competitive league that Ed's boys play in, rumors start to fly from all over. It takes some time for Ed and Patricia to realize who each other are, and even longer to acknowledge that they know.

The novel is full of rich detailing about the main characters' lives, showing many unexpected connections between the two families. This is a story that will cause you to rethink your first impressions about the characters throughout the entire book, and leave you with a difficult choice to decide who is "right" and who is "wrong" at the end.


Shank, Jenny. The Ringer: A Novel. Sag Harbor, NY: Permanent, 2011. Print.