Friday Linkups: Mandy

It's Friday linkup time!  I'm linking up with the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer, Book Beginnings of Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, and the Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice

This Week's Book Blogger Hop Question:
When you start reading a novel, do you prefer to be plunged right into the action or do you prefer a slower more descriptive introduction to the plot and characters?

My Answer:
It depends on the book itself I think.  If the plot is all action than I like leaping right in but if the book is more character driven or relies more on the atmosphere than a slower descriptive introduction works.  The main thing for me is regardless of the speed of the start I'm immediately interested in the story!

This week's book is one I'm really excited about and one I wish I had discovered when I was a kid as it would have been a book I think I would have loved.  I discovered it on Goodreads when I first joined up and was looking through the recommendations and it's one of the reasons I really wanted to up my Middle Grade fiction reading this year.  Mandy by Julie Edwards (better known by her maiden name Andrews) is a story about an orphan with her own private refuge and a book I'm absolutely loving!

The Beginning:
On the outskirts of a pretty country village called St. Martin's Green, there stands a large, white house called St. Martin's Orphanage.

My Thoughts:
In the blurb it mentions that the Matron is kind to her but I like that it opens with pleasant imagery.  So often orphanages in this kind of fiction are gloomy and miserable but this sounds pretty.

The 56: 
Sue spoke in a soft voice, "Mandy, shall we go to the old quarry tomorrow and play?  It's Sunday and it would be fun."

My Thoughts: 
The quarry does sound like a fun place to play though it does make me wonder just how much supervision these kids have as it doesn't sound very safe!

So what do you think?  Keep reading?

One Wild Night - Contemporary Romance Review

One Wild Night by Melissa Cutler

Rating: Good
Source: NetGalley

Description: A cowgirl at heart, Skye Martinez has a rebellious streak she's determined to shake. Especially since she's poised to take the reins of her family's business at Briscoe Ranch Resort. It's time for her to settle down and get serious about her future...right after one last night of fun with a handsome stranger she meets in the resort's stable. But when a midnight horseback ride turns into a red-hot weekend with one of country music's biggest stars, Skye's world is rocked beyond her wildest dreams...
Gentry Wells rode his bad boy image all the way to the top of the country music charts. But churning out hits has dried up his creativity, and he can't remember the last time his life was his own. Skye is a sexy distraction he can't resist, especially since she breathes new life into his music. They bring out the wild side in each other, which is great for Gentry's career—but a major threat to Skye's. Too bad he's fallen in love with her. With their hearts and futures on the line, can Gentry convince Skye to turn their joyride into a real chance to ride off into the sunset together?

Genre: Romance - Contemporary 

Why I Picked This Book: I like contemporary romance and I'm always looking for new to me authors.  I also loved that Gentry is a celebrity.

My Impression:  There was a lot I liked about this one.  I loved the family feel and Skye works with many of her relatives and her mother and both grandmothers play important roles in the story.  I enjoyed the grandmothers' hijinks and seeing the more serious relationship with her mother.  I especially enjoyed the work type scenes.  It always drives me crazy when a character has a specific job for a plot point and then after she finds the dead body (that'd be more of a mystery than a romance) or meets the guy or his mother or his dog - never goes to it again.  Skye is warm and funny with a serious rebellious streak but also wants to settle down and make her parents proud of her.
I really loved Gentry.  He's got this bad boy image that's more than a little created by management and he's kind of at a cross-roads professionally, creatively, and personally and at the start of the book comes off as a little lost and just plain sad.  From the first run in with Skye it was fun to see the light kind of show back up in him.  I loved the relationship between him and his band mate Nick and enjoyed the not always flattering commentary on the music industry.  Plus, the man understands the meaning of the term "grand gesture" which is always an added bonus in a romance.
For the most part I enjoyed the conflict.  It made sense that Skye wouldn't trust Gentry given her past and his reputation.  It also made sense that Gentry isn't always the clearest on just what he wants in life since at the beginning of the book he seems so lost.  There's also another conflict that is one I typically dislike the most but actually worked here which was a surprise.  There were a number of issues that cropped up in the book but their reactions felt right and it was easy to believe that these people would react like that which is a big plus for me.

There were some things I didn't like.  Skye's rebellious streak is very prominent and seems to head towards self-sabotage at times.  I think it's not unrealistic but I didn't relate to her as much as I'd like because there were times I thought she was being super irresponsible and I wanted to shake her.  At times the book felt slightly disjointed with some parts being almost slapstick and then at other times it strayed towards angsty.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite read of the year but it was an enjoyable.   I love the setting the author has built up and am looking forward to reading more of the series.  This is the 3rd in the One and Only Texas series but honestly I would have had no idea it wasn't a stand alone if Goodreads hadn't told me.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?:   I would!  I'd like to see a little more of Briscoe Ranch Resort and get to know more of the characters.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you enjoy contemporaries - especially with a Western theme I think you'd like this.

Fatality By Firelight - Blog Tour Cozy Mystery Review + Giveaway

Fatality by Firelight by Lynn Cahoon

Fatality by Firelight (A Cat Latimer Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Kensington (February 28, 2017) Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-13: 978-1496704375 

E-Book ASIN: B01GBAG6VO

Synopsis

Cat Latimer’s Colorado bed-and-breakfast plays host to writers from all over. But murder is distinctly unwelcome . . . To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, hoping some fresh cold air will wake up their creative muses. But instead of hitting the slopes, they hit the bar—and before long, a tipsy romance novelist named Christina is keeping herself warm with a local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding. Next thing Cat knows, her uncle, the town sheriff, informs her that the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill . .

My Thoughts: 

I've been reading Cahoon's Tourist Trap series since the beginning and it just seems to be getting stronger and I'm thrilled to see that seems to be the case with the Cat Latimer series as well!  While I enjoyed the first book in this series Cat, Shauna and their writing retreat really seems to be hitting their stride in this second book full of theft and murder where just about everyone is a suspect!  I love getting the little tidbits about the writing retreat and the writing process and I would absolutely love to explore Cat's Victorian house.  It sounds amazing!  The mysteries - the stolen book and the murder -  were puzzling.  Just as I thought I had something figured out a new twist would appear and I'd be back to square one!   I did feel like one aspect of the book involving the college and the death of Cat's ex-husband came a little out of left field though I'm curious to see how that gets woven into future books.  While most mysteries are standalones the subplot involving Cat's ex-husband's death may be a little confusing to those that didn't read the first book.  Don't let that stop you though - A Story to Kill is a fun mystery as well!.  My one piece of advice - don't read this on an empty stomach because just the mention of some of Shauna's yummy treats (especially the banana bread waffles) will have you wanting to snack!  If you enjoy a fun cozy mystery and like reading about the writing process than this is a book and a series that I think you'd really enjoy!  Rating: Good

About The Author

Lynn Cahoon is the author of the NYT and USA Today best-selling Tourist Trap cozy mystery series. Guidebook to Murder, book 1 of the series won the Reader's Crown for Mystery Fiction in 2015. She's also pens the recently released, Cat Latimer series. A STORY TO KILL, book 1, came out in mass market paperback September 2016.She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com

Author Links

• Goodreads -http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor
• Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
• Website - http://lynncahoon.com/

 

• Purchase Links
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February 28 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW 
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Books the Tornado is Loving at Age 7

Top Ten Tuesday hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish is taking a well deserved break this week leaving us all to our own devices.  Since I talk about the books I like and am reading quite a bit I thought I'd use this free spot to talk about what the Tornado is reading.  For those that don't know he's 7 years old and in 1st grade.  He's not struggling with reading but it isn't coming as easy to him as math so his frustration fuse has been pretty short.  Lately though it's really felt like things are starting to click and he's been enjoying reading much more lately.  I'm hoping it's the start of a new trend!

Chapter Books:

These are the books we read before bed - one chapter at a time (though sometimes a few more if they're really short or we're near the end and just want to find out what happens next!)  This past Christmas I basically picked up one of every series that I thought looked vaguely interesting and we've been working our way through that pile.  I have learned that he seems much more drawn to mysteries than other genres which has been fun to figure out!  Some of our current favorites:

1.  A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author by Ron Roy - This is our most recent read and we both really enjoyed it.  The mystery was really cute and it really invited the reader to guess what's going to happen next and put the clues together themselves which gave us an extra level of an enjoyment.

2.  Micekings: Pull the Dragon's Tooth by Geronimo Stilton - Geronimo Stilton is the main character who also happens to be a mouse  in a world full of cheese related puns.  In this one Micekings = Vikings (took me way to long to put that together) and they're off to catch a dragon which was really fun!

3.  Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobel - I loved Encyclopedia Brown when I was a kid so I was thrilled when I found this at the bookstore.  The fact that they're really a collection of short stories makes it for great bedtime reading and they're really fun to figure out on your own.

Picture Books:

These are books he's reading to himself either for school or just for fun.  I'm thrilled that he's rediscovered Mo Willems who was always one of my favorites to read aloud!

 

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems - I love the Pigeon books and this one that features hot dogs AND a duckling is just hilarious.  He's really been enjoying them too.

My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems - I'm not as fond of Gerald and Piggie as I am of the Pigeon but Willems can do no wrong when it comes to kids' books.

Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia - He has a few of these and one for Lego Ninjago and sometihng else I can't remember and now that he's able to read he can sit for hours pouring over all the details of these books.  I'm always on the lookout for ones he doesn't have as they make great books for car rides!

Audio Books:

The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner - We'd been getting the audio books from my library's digital site and then listening to them on my phone anytime we traveled but there were only a few and we'd listened to them so many times we basically had them memorized.  Right before his birthday I found some on Amazon that were three books in a set and we've been steadily buying them set by set ever since.  He loves them and listens to them constantly!  I think they've really helped perk up his interest in reading and have helped him follow a chapter length book.

Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe - I won this book from Stormi over at Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My and really wanted to read it to him but he was having none of it because he was convinced it would be scary.  Finally I talked him into listening to 1 chapter and he was instantly hooked.  We finished the whole book on a road trip and he wanted to immediately start over again!  Luckily there's a few more in the series!

So that's what we're reading and listening to around here?  What are you reading and listening too?  Are there any books that I must pick up for him?  I'm always looking for recommendations!

The Roanoke Girls and Hearth Stone - Fiction Short Reviews

Sometimes after I read a book I just don't have enough to say to constitute a full review.  When this happens I like to combine a few of those for short reviews.  Today is one of those posts!

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Description:  An old isolated family home and a family where all the girls are known for being beautiful and meeting untimely ends.  Lane and run away from her grandparents' home vowing never to return when she was just a teenager but a desperate middle of the night call from her grandfather with the news that her cousin Allegra is missing brings her back and all the old demons are swirled up again.

My Thoughts:  I was pulled into the story immediately.  I loved how Engel alternating "Then" and "Now" chapters as well as different narrators.  The writing was compelling and the atmosphere was creepy and claustrophobic.  Even when everything seemed okay it felt obvious that something wasn't right.  However, this family is dysfunctional to levels I've never seen and after the 2nd secret was revealed I just couldn't continue reading it.  If you can handle dark and disturbing this is a book worth reading.  I don't want to spoil it here but if you're looking for a spoiler check out this review.  I think this book will really work for a lot of people and I'm looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next but for me I just couldn't get past the "secret".  DNF'd at 25%

Hearth Stone (Home in the Hills #1/Hope Springs #4) by Lois Greiman
Description:  Poor little rich girl, Sydney Wellesley, has lost her fiance, her dream of making the US equestrian team, and finally the support of her cold, unforgiving family.  When her financial support dries up right after she buys a dilapidated ranch she's alone and almost defeated.  With the help of a wounded wild horse and assortment of local characters is it possible that she can find her way on her own?

My Thoughts:  One of the chief complaints I've seen for this book is that the main character isn't likable.  And she really isn't.  She's a bit stuck up, she's very formal, and she's definitely not winning any prizes for compassion.  However, while I normally have to really connect to the main character in a more character driven novel I had no issue with this book.  No, Sydney isn't someone I'd immediately want to grab coffee with but I did understand her.  She comes off as not likable because she knows no other way to be and with her upbringing has no other choice but very slowly she starts to break out of her shell and that was really fun to see.  I enjoyed the interactions between the different characters - especially between Sydney and Hunt.  While there is an injured horse it wasn't an act of cruelty nor are the injuries described in real detail and it was a really heartwarming part of the story.  My main problem with this book was that I just wanted more - I wanted to see more of Sydney becoming who she's just figuring out she can be and more of her developing relationships with Hunter and the other characters.  As well I wanted more idea of the path of the ranch itself.  This is the first of a series so I'm hoping I'll get that "more" in the next books.  If you enjoy women's fiction and don't need everything resolved at the end I found this to be an interesting and enjoyable read.  Rating:  Good

This Week in Reading - February 26

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Dying Breath by Heather Graham - It's the new Krewe of Hunters book and I'm powerless to resist! Plus this one comes out at the end of May which is about the time I'm really loving romantic suspense or other creepy books (NetGalley)

To the Stars Through Difficulties by Romalyn Tilghman - I'm really excited about this one!  Inspired by their foremothers who built fifty-nine Carnegie libraries a century ago four women band together to build a cultural center against opposition.  This one comes out just in time for National Library week and it looks gorgeous!  (Publicist)

Death at First Sight by Lena Gregory - I'm super excited about this one one!  I'm reading the 2nd book for a blog tour next month or so and the form asked if I would want a copy of the first book if available.  I checked yes but wasn't really expecting to get it.  Well it showed up in the mail just a week later!  Really looking forward to starting this series!  (Author)

Currently:

Reading:  Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs, Key of Light by Nora Roberts, and One Two Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

Listening:  Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty.  I'm on the fence about this one.  There's a lot I like but there's a few things that just aren't quite working for me.

Watching:  I kind of fell into a true crime rabbit hole this week and have been watching mostly Investigation Discovery shows.  My favorite is Web of Lies about internet related crimes of A Crime to Remember which is about historic-ish crimes.

Off the Blog:

We had a busy weekend and then the Tornado was out of school Monday and Tuesday.  I was really hoping for a catch up week and then a relaxing weekend.  All was going as planned until the school nurse called me Thursday afternoon to say he had a fever of 102!  Well I flew up to school excepting him to be sad and droopy and miserable and while he definitely wasn't feeling well he was also seriously annoyed because he had to leave school and couldn't go back on Friday!  I did finally get him settled and past the fact that he wasn't going to school Friday but he's still not fully on board with the resting concept.  I'm hoping that by Sunday night he's back to his regular self or we'll be heading to the doctor which will mess up his no sick visit ever streak!

Next weekend the local theater here is doing Miss Nelson is Missing and I'm so excited I can barely stand it!  This was one of my absolute favorite books as a child.  I'm torn between reading it to the Tornado before we go so he knows the story or waiting so the story will be a surprise.

I'm so thrilled with the new re-read feature on Goodreads!  I have been wanting one for ages and just finally used it and it worked!  It was so exciting!  As well I'm mixing it up some next week genre-wise.  I've been super cozy mystery heavy lately and I'm glad to have some fiction and romance reviews in with the cozies!  It's been nice mixing up the genres because I've been feeling myself start to slide into a slump and different genres seems to have put the brakes on.  Huge relief!

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday: Ramblings from the Stacks: They'll all get read right?
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Books I Loved More/Less Than I Thought I Would
Wednesday:  A Cast of Vultures - Cozy Mystery Review
Thursday:  Facials Can Be Fatal - A Cozy Mystery Review

Friday: Friday Linkups with Key of Light
Saturday:  52 Pins in 52 Weeks - February Edition

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Roanoke Girls and Hearth Stone - Fiction Short Reviews

Tuesday: What the Tornado is Reading Now

Wednesday: Fatality by Firelight - Cozy Mystery Blog Tour Review + Giveaway

Thursday:  One Wild Night - Contemporary Romance Review

Friday: Friday Linkups with current book

Saturday: Pekoe Most Poison - Cozy Mystery Review + Recipe

Have a great week and happy reading!

52 Pins in 52 Weeks - February Edition

I absolutely love Pinterest! My current pin count is just under 10,500 and I have dozens of boards. I alternate between pinning from the tons of food and craft blogs (I have a different system for book blogs!) and pinning after mindlessly scrolling through the "Everything" option where I can see all the pins that have been pinned and repinned recently.

 In 2015 I realized that while I relied on Pinterest for all kinds of things a lot of my boards were being seriously neglected and even in the boards I did use regularly there were still plenty of pins collecting dust. And that's where 52 Pins in 52 Weeks came from. At the first of the year I make a board called 52 Pins in 52 Weeks and fill it with 52 pins that I want to do over the course of the year. I've tried to include a good mix of food, holiday, and craft pins and push myself to step a little out of my comfort zone. I pin my results on my 52 Pins in 52 Weeks Results board. Some pins are wins and some are most definitely fails but it's always interesting to attempt them! 

 This year I hope you'll share your Pin Wins and Fails with me and link up below! The format is totally up to you. Just post about the pins you've tried over the month (it can be multiple posts) and link up here! The link up will the the last Saturday of every month and I can't wait to see what everyone is doing!

Not quite as decorative as I would have liked!

Week 5:

The Pin: Easy Valentine's Recipes for Kids from Parenting

The Basic Idea:This is a selection of kid friendly Valentine's day recipes.  I used the calzones

My Results:  This was fun and pretty tasty.  My only problem is that it was a little harder to make them shaped unless I had a really big cookie cutter.  All of my regular cutters were to small to put filling in the dough and then crimp the edges  Next time I'd roll out the dough a little more carefully and then maybe cut a design into the top of the dough.  Other than that it was tasty and super easy to customize for picky eaters.

Chocolate Cream Pie Perfection!

Week 6: 

The Pin:Chocolate Cream Pie from Something Swanky

The Basic Idea: A rich creamy chocolate pie with a whipped cream topping

My Results: I cheated and used a purchased pie crust but other than that and using Special Dark cocoa powder I followed the recipe exactly.  Other than some stirring it was super easy and the results were amazing.  I'm thinking about making another one this weekend because it was so good!

Week 7:

The Pin: Disney's Baked Ravioli from Plain Chicken

The Basic Idea: Baked ravioli in a hearty meat sauce

My Results: I'm not sure how much this tastes like the one from the restaurant at Disney World but it was pretty tasty!  It was a little more complicated than my usual baked ravioli recipe because you make the red sauce from scratch but it was delicious

Week 8:

The Pin:How to clean the gunk around the sink drain from Ask Anna Moseley

The Basic Idea: Drop a denture cleaning table into the sink to clean the drain.

My Results: This was simple and the supplies were cheap.  I have a marble countertop/sink and there are tiny cracks right around the drain that get a little bit of grunge in them.  I thought this might be an easy way to fix it.  I think this might work great for soap scum for for cracks or small dents I didn't notice any difference.

Not photogenic but it sure was tasty!

Week 9:

The Pin: Two Minute Thai Peanut Noodles from Favorite Family Recipes

The Basic Idea: Dressing up regular Ramen noodles with peanut butter and Sriracha

My Results: These were unexpectedly good.  I've never really eaten Ramen noodles before so I don't know how they taste normally (I lived off Snickers bars in college) so I was very suspicious of these but I was pretty pleased with the results.  This definitely isn't a serve to company dish but it's a pretty good late night snack or guilty pleasure meal!

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads