Flat-out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying this book. The title does not scream ‘NASCAR’, however the storyline centers around the sport and drivers.

Tamara is a teacher, a mother, and a widow. She’s also feeling very unsexy and it is no surprise since she can calculate to the day, the last time she had sex. And she really cannot count the boring professor since she had to force herself to do it once and would rather eat nails than do it again! Then she spills her entire glass of wine on a very sexy stranger at a party and crazy things from there! After a night of very fulfilling, very crazy sex…Tamara discovers that not only is her stranger younger than she is, he is also a race car driver, just like her first husband who was killed during a race. She just can’t face that again…right?

Elec may be a bit younger in years, but he is also a man who knows what he wants and once he sets his sights on Tamara, she really does not stand a chance. If he can just get past her fears, her in-laws, and her prejudices, he will be home free. No problem…really…probably…maybe?

Jennifer S. – York                       ISBN  9780425224076 

Bone by Bone by Carol O’Connell

Bone by Bone is the newest novel by suspense writer Carol O’Connell.  This stand-alone novel is the story of two brothers, Josh and Oren Hobbs. 

Josh Hobbs has been missing for twenty years, ever since the day he and his brother walked into the woods and only Oren came back.  Oren is called home by his surrogate mother, Hannah, only to discover that Josh has been coming home too, bone by bone. 

Carol O’Connell once again uses suspense and misdirection to weave a tale that will leave you wondering “who done it?” till the very end.

Laura – Fort Mill                                 ISBN 9780399155147

Dream Warrior by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Dream Warrior, the latest of the Sherrilyn Kenyon novels and the sequel to One Silent Night is the most recent book set in the Dark-Hunter world. It is also the third in the Dream-Hunter series.  Both the Dark-Hunter and Dream-Hunter books are getting intertwined extensively.  Previously, it was easily possible to read the books in any order and not get too confused. Now, half of the characters have been introduced in previous books and the events certainly have been.

 

In Dream Warrior, we meet Jericho who is the fallen God Cratus, son of Warcraft and Hate.  Jericho has a score to settle with Zeus, however Delphine a Dream-Hunter has come into Jericho’s life in order to help the Olympians.  Jericho and Delphine soon develop a close bond that will be the key to their survival as the battle for their lives begins. 

 

We see old friends and enemies from previous books in both series.  Questions are answered, while at the same time more questions are asked.  Like always, Kenyon creates a vivid world that blends the Modern Age with Greek/Roman Mythology.  To truly understand the complex relationships in this world, I would advise readers that are new to this series to begin with either Dream Hunter, the first of the Dream-Hunter books, or Fantasy Lover, the first book in the Dark-Hunter series.

 

Jennifer S. – York                          ISBN  9780312938833

 

Revelations: A Blue Blood Novel by Melissa de la Cruz

Revelations is the third book in the Blue Bloods saga by Melissa De La Cruz.  Revelations picks up the story of Schuyler Van Alen where Book Two, Masquerade left off.  I recommend that the Blue Bloods books be read in order, Blue Bloods, Masquerade, and Revelations.

 

In Revelations, Schuyler has to deal with all the pressures of being a student at the prestigious Duchesne School in New York City.  On top of the every day pressures of being a teenager, Schuyler has the added pressure of being a Blue Blood, aka a vampire.  Schuyler deals with a forbidden love, jealous classmates, treachery, and betrayal. 

 

Fans of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer will enjoy the Blue Bloods saga.  All three Blue Bloods combine the fashions and society of New York City with the romance and suspence of vampire fantasy.  Revelations does have a darker plot than the two previous books, and has heavy undertones of distrust and conspiracy.  Once again, it is strongly advised that readers begin with Blue Bloods and work their way up to Revelations.  This will allow for an easy transition between stories and the various characters in the saga.

 

Jennifer S. – York                            ISBN 9781423102281

Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich

Rules of Deception is a fast pace espionage thriller that will grab you from page one!  The main character is Dr. Jonathan Ransom,  a world-class mountaineer and surgeon who works for Doctors Without Borders in some of the most dangerous parts of the world.. The book opens as Jonathan and his English wife, Emma, are trapped in a blizzard while climbing in the Swiss Alps.  Emma is killed when she falls into a hidden crevasse.  When Jonathan learns that his wife was leading a secret life as a double agent, he realizes nothing about his life is as it seems. Everything is a lie and he is caught in the middle of something extraordinarily dangerous.

 

Jonathan soon finds himself the subjuct of an international manhunt and the target of a master assassin.  His only chance of survival is to try to uncover the terrible truth behind the secret his wife kept from him.  This journey leads him to a conspiracy that threatens to bring the world to the brink of destruction.  Jonathan is slowly pulled deeper and deeper into a world of spies, high-tech weapons and global terrorism….and the fight for his life!

 

Rules of Deception is a great international thriller that keeps you guessing at every twist and turn.  It is reminiscent of the old Robert Ludlum spy novels.  It was a wonderful book and one that I could not put down!

Mary Beth – York                           ISBN  9780385524063

SC Book Festival

For those of you who live in or near South Carolina, you should check out the SC Book Festival.   There are some special events that involve an admission fee but the admission is free to most events on Saturday, February 28th and Sunday, March 1st.  These events are at The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln Street in downtown Columbia.  This year’s keynote speaker is Scott Turow but there are over 90 authors and poets.   Whether your interests lie in fiction or nonfiction, children’s books or poetry you will find something interesting at the SC Book Festival.  You can find all the information (including a list of the authors) at the website http://www.scbookfestival.org/

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

I tend to avoid historical fiction, but this read was definitely an exception.  The book cover caught my eye one day as I walked past the shelving cart on which it rested.  Opening the book to the first page, I was hooked right away with the intriguing way the author begins this captivating tale:

 

            Watch your step.  Keep your wits about you; you will need them.  This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, and you have not been here before…When I first caught your eye and you decided to come with me, you were probably thinking you would simply arrive and make yourself at home…When you first picked me up, you didn’t fully appreciate the size of me, nor did you expect I would grip you so tightly, so fast.

 

The story does grip you tightly and fast!  It took Michel Faber 20 years to complete this Victorian novel, which was billed as “the first great 19th century novel of the 21st century.  The main character is a well-read London prostitute named Sugar who takes up with a wealthy man.  This intricate tale of erotic love and Sugar’s ambition was impossible for me to put down…until I got about halfway through the book.  At that point I knew I didn’t want it to end, and I began rationing out the chapters for myself so that I could make it last as long as possible.  Time magazine proclaimed it “a book like this is even better than sex.”  Enough said!

Jennifer L – York                                            ISBN 015100692x

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Sometimes you read a review, just a short one, a few lines and you think you might like to read this book.  That’s what I did with The School of Essential Ingredients.   The book was so much more than I expected.  I’m not sure I can do justice to it in a review.

 Monday nights when her restaurant is closed, Lillian teachs a cooking class.   In the book you learn a little about each person attending the cooking school but in such a way that you feel as though you’ve learned the most important thing about the person.   The essential ingredient is not just one thing, it’s the way you approach food and the way food enriches your life.  The language is wonderful, the images that are evoked by the words are fascinating.  It’s a hard book to put down until it’s story is told.

Karen – Fort Mill                                ISBN  9780399155437

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

During the holidays, I just couldn’t get interested in any of the books I picked up.   I’m not able to go through the day without reading , so I turned to an old favorite to reread.   I love Jennifer Crusie’s books.  I find her and them intelligent and funny and Bet Me is one of my favorites of her titles.  

To reduce the story to a bare outline, Min Dobbs, is a serious young woman whose only vice is intriguing  shoes.  Cal Morrisey is a not-serious young man who has turned commitment phobia into an art.  and of couse they meet and fall in love.   But  true love never runs smooth and Crusie’s books run even less smoothly so along with love there is the bet and little league and families and chicken marsala and Krispy Kreme doughnuts and snow globes and Elvis.  You just need to read it and find out!

Karen – Fort Mill                                                  ISBN  0375433562

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrow

 

 I loved this book from start to finish.   Written entirely in the form of letters, the book introduces you to a whole group of brave and interesting people.  The book is set just after the second world war.     When Dawsey Adams, of the island of Guernsey, finds a used book with Juliet Ashton’s name in it he decides to write her and tell her how much he appreciated the book.  Juliet, a writer in London becomes involved in writing letters to Mr. Adams and then others on the island.  Guernsey, is a small island off the coast of England that was occupied by the Germans during World War II.  Juliet, hoping for enough information for a book, goes to Guernsey to meet the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society but what she finds is more than just material for a book, she finds a circle of friends. 

Karen – Fort Mill                                        ISBN  9780385340991