Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list. Short on time to find the murderer, Stephanie is also under pressure from family and friends to choose between her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom wants her to dump them both for a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, suggests a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Joe’s old-world grandmother gives Stephanie “the eye,” which may mean that it’s time to get out of town.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke.

My Comments: I thought I was finished reading these books, but when the movie came out it renewed my interest.  I am enjoying this book more than I thought I would and glad I put it on my Nook!  My New Jersey roots needs a little fix of New Jersey now and then and Stephanie and Grandma Mazur usually feel that need!  This book is funny as are all of them.  Maybe the plot is a little more predictable that some, but I still enjoy reading it.

I went to see the movie “One for the Money” this afternoon as well.  It does my heart good to hear that good old Jersey accent (even if the reviewers didn’t think it was perfect – it was close enough for me)!  I hesitated to see the movie as well because the reviews weren’t all that great.  But honestly, I liked all of the casting.  I was curious to see Morelli and Ranger and thought the casting of both of those leading men was spot on.  It may not be the best movie or even best movie made from chick lit I’ve ever seen, but nontheless, I enjoyed it!  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

My Comments: This is a quick sweet read.  The premise of the book is a little hard to swallow – making a town famous for love – but my husband and I honeymooned in Vermont and it IS a romantic state overall!  Snow, skiing, cold biting weather (and we went in April!), and quaint little towns.  Four women from the town of Smitten share their love stories.  Each is different according to the personality of the author.  They share other aspects of their lives as well such as making a go of a new business, and fighting people who don’t agree with their idea of making Smitten a town for love (because of it’s name).  This book would be great to read for Valentine’s Day!  I would overall give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley!  This book is already pubished and ready to order.

When Carolyn’s grown daughter tells her she needs to “get a life,” Carolyn decides it’s time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother’s home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn’s mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn’s visit makes for a perfect surprise.

The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It’s been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride and the steady gaze of Bryan’s intense blue-gray eyes.

Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?

Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life?

My Comments: I enjoyed this book because it reminded me in so many ways of the Sister Chick books also by Robin Jones Gunn.  The traveling, the new culture, the close family, and the renewed romance made this book a relaxing, enjoyable, entertaining read.  The returning to Christianity after being bitterly disappointed also spoke to me because of experiences I have had with that in my own life.  Turning back to God is the ultimate happy ending to a story.  If you enjoy a great escape, I recommend this book.

I received this book as an ebook from Simon Schuster.  Thank you!  It will be released the beginning of July.

Product Description

In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth.

They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with Royce, the love of her teenage life. She’s heard he’s alone, too…and, well, she’s curious. Maybe even hopeful.

Bethanne herself needs time to reï ¬ ‚ ect, to ponder a decision she has to make. Her ex-husband, Grant—her children’s father—wants to reconcile now that his second marriage has failed. Bethanne’s considering it….

Meanwhile, Annie’s out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him!

So there they are, three women driving across America. They have their maps and their directions—but even the best-planned journey can take you to a turn in the road. Or lead you to an unexpected encounter—like the day Bethanne meets a man named Max who really is a hero on a Harley. That’s when Bethanne’s decision becomes a lot harder. Because Grant wants her back, but now there’s Max….

From Seattle’s Blossom Street to the other end of the country, this is a trip that could change three women’s lives.

My Comments: I love road trips and I love the Blossom Street series, so this book was a hit with me.  I love that Bethanne became a savvy business woman and could become independent after being a stay-at-home living basically for her husband and children.  She is a roll-model for women – single AND married who need to be their own person, not just an extension of her husband.

I love the way this book ended, although I wasn’t sure how it would end until it did (if that makes sense).  I wasn’t sure the best choice would be made – but it was!

Debbie Macomber writes great, warm and fuzzy romantic stories, and this one is another great addition to the Blossom Street series!

This book will be published the end of April.  I received an e-copy from NetGalley.

Kaye Redmond stages houses for resale, so masking trouble spots with strategic decor comes naturally. She does it in her personal life as well-her can-do attitude and ready smile disguising the emotional wear-and-tear of a failed marriage and raising a teenage daughter alone. But when her former mother-in-law comes back around, desperate for a place to stay while recovering from a botched facelift, Kaye begins to realize there’s a much more authentic way to brighten one’s countenance: look to God and His plan for her life.

My Review: I enjoyed this book – it is a light, easy read pointing the way to proper priorities in life when we tend to get side tracked.  Since I live so close to Hollywood and I think the whole US has the “Hollywood” mindset at times (eg, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, etc.) this book is spot on.  Facelifts are so much more popular and easier to retain than in the past, and a botched facelift would be one of the worst nightmares imaginable, so I totally get this – what I don’t get is asking an ex-inlaw for help.  God can, however, use everything and anything in our lives – including a difficult teen and ex-mother-in-law!

There’s nothing left for Tara Sweet in landlocked Dexton, Missouri. Her fiancé called off their wedding, her sister is moving to Manhattan, and now her mother is marrying a much younger man with plans for a yearlong honeymoon in Europe. Tara believes a move back to her childhood home of Otter Bay, California, will help restore the fun and fearlessness she’s already missing in her twenties. Playing back memories of idyllic times spent there with her father along the majestic coast, a fairytale seems just around the corner.

Better make that a soap opera. After Tara finds a job in Otter Bay, makes friends at The Red Abalone Grill, and perhaps even a new flame in firefighter Josh, she begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago. And though she will have to question everything she has ever known, the faith that Tara must depend upon will be sweeter than ever before.

My Review: “Sweet Waters” is a great beach read.  The cover alone invites you to take this book out on your front porch with a class of diet coke or to sun yourself while reading on your blanket at the beach.  The story is about three young sisters searching for their roots without really realizing that is what they are doing.  I like this book although in some ways it is not believable.  Some aspects are a little out of my realm of reality, but who wouldn’t want to move from landlocked Missouri to sunny California.  Tara (don’t you love that name?) finds a sweet romance, she also finds out many truths about her past that are shocking to her and her sisters.  They find out the facts little by little as the story moves along.  The book causes me to want to know more about some of the characters and their families. The story takes a few twists and turns until it ends leaving me wanting for more.

About the book:

Watch the tangled mess a Kansas hairdresser gets herself into when she reports to the funeral home that the body she is to work on is not the same as in her reference photo. Is she being punished when the director accuses her of stealing a diamond ring? Will Hilde Higgins’s former boyfriend help her unravel the issue or only bring more trouble to her life?

Now that Gabby is back on her feet after being in a homeless shelter, she has a new dream that will stretch her faith farther than ever.

Gabby expects a fight from her husband over custody of their boys, but she is taken aback when he leans on her for a loan to cover his gambling debts. When she turns him down, Philip makes a desperate move that puts Gabby, her friends at the shelter, and even the House of Hope at risk.

The props Gabby usually leans on–Jodi, her Yada Yada prayer partner; her friend Harry, the ex-cop; and Lee, her lawyer, who has fallen in love with Gabby–are not always there when she needs them most. Gabby must make a decision that could change the course of her life. But is it for better–or for worse?

My Review: I enjoy these books soooo much.  I think it’s because I wish I was in a group like the Yada Yada prayer group!  They so take care of each other and everyone else they come into contact with!  I can’t really relate to the character Gabby, I would just like to tell her what to do in the case of her love life.  I guess my mantra is don’t trust anyone for a while at least.  I always love Jodi Baxter and I can relate to her – happy marriage and public school teacher.  The only difference is I have three kids and they are older.

I  ordered the first parallel novel, Harry Bentley’s Second Chance by Neta Jackson’s husband Dave.  Can’t wait to get it.  These books take off on the secondary characters in Neta’s books.  It will be nice to read about Christian men from a Christian man’s point of view!  This book will help me wait until March 2011 when the next book in the series comes out, Who is My Shelter? These books rate at the top of my list of favorite Christian fiction books.  Keep them coming, Neta and Dave!

My Review: This is my new favorite series.  I love the setting –  a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, New York City –  I can relate to the main character – Clare Cosi, and the mystery keeps me engaged.  It is difficult to figure out “who did it.”  There is usually a twist in the end, so I THINK I know, but I really don’t – I like that!  In the end it all comes together and makes perfect sense.  Again, this author has added recipes and hints for making great coffee!  I haven’t exactly read these in order but I’m on my fifth story, Murder Most Frothy, I have downloaded two of them to my Nook, and have bought the ones which aren’t available to download on my Nook.  I look forward to reading the rest.  A new one is available for pre-order titled Roast Mortem will be I believe book 9 in the series.  I plan to read them all.

Macomber2010Bookmark

This book is slated to be published in May of 2010 – be watching for it!

My Review: This was a great read!  I cried and I laughed.  If you have read any of the Blossom Street books, you will recognize many of the characters.  What a different concept.  A husband receives a letter from his dead wife which listed  three women she wanted him to consider for remarriage. He thought it impossible because he was still deeply grieving her death.  The characters are colorful and probably resemble some of your friends.  I know they reminded me of people I know.   Three couples are highlighted so I would call this book a romance and slice of life read.  The link above will take you to a Debbie Maccomber bookmark that lists all of her books being published in 2010.  I’m also looking forward to the new Cedar Cove book.  If you enjoy easy, enjoyable reading with happy endings you will love this book!