Saturday, June 30, 2012

Franny's Favorite July Releases

July is a BIG month as far as book releases go. Squee!!! I am uber excited! My personal FAVORITES are highlighted in BLUE:

Where We Belong
Release Date: July 24
The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them togethe...more

Thirteen (Women of the Otherworld, #13)
Release Date: July 26

Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)
Release Date: July 31
Some people have everything figured out — Andrea Nash is not one of those people. After being kicked out of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea's whole existence is in shambles. All she can d...more

Grave Memory (Alex Craft, #3)
Release Date: July 3
As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, lately things have become a lot more personal. But the personal takes a backsea...more

Size 12 and Ready to Rock (Heather Wells, #4)
Release Date: July 10
Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy! Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is...more

Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha
Release Date: July 10
An all-new Mac & Barrons story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning, marvelously adapted into a full-color graphic novel by writer David Lawrence and illustrator Al Rio In F...more

The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires
Release Date: July 31
Iris Scanlon, Half-Moon Hollow’s only daytime vampire concierge, knows more about the undead than she’d like. Running all their daylight errands—from letting in the plumber to picking up some chilled ...more

Forever and a Day (Lucky Harbor, #6)
Release Date: July 31
LOVE CAN HAPPEN IN A HEARTBEAT. Grace never thought she’d be starting her life over from scratch. Losing everything has landed her in Lucky Harbor, working as a dog walker for overwhelmed ER doctor ...more

The Ripple Effect (Rhiannon's Law, #3)
Release Date: July 31
There is always a price to pay… Rhiannon Murphy visited the future, witnessed hell on earth and made choices to change things for the greater good. Unfortunately there are consequences for her action...more

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie, #2)
Release Date: July 3
Angel is starting to settle into this whole “being a zombie” thing, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beg...more

The Witch Is Back (Jolie Wilkins #4)
Release Date: July 31
The witching hour has arrived in bestselling author H. P. Mallory’s captivating and sexy new novel, starring the most dazzling denizen of the undead, Jolie Wilkins.   Funny and feisty witch Jolie Wilk...more

Lethal Outlook (Psychic Eye Mystery, #10)
Release Date: July 3
When a mysterious client approaches Abby with a cryptic message about a young mother who has vanished, Abby is more than willing to get involved. After all, it’s the perfect distraction from dealing w...more

Blood Before Sunrise (Shaede Assassin, #2)
Release Date: July 3
“She needed a bargaining chip and this was it. Raif’s daughter’s life for hers. And he knew damn good and well I was right. Just like he’d assured me the night I’d killed Azriel, this was far from ove...more

Keeping Secret (Secret McQueen #4)
Release Date: July 10
Something old, something blue, something deadly…what else is new? Secret McQueen, Book 4 It’s a nice day for a white wedding. At least that’s what Secret McQueen is hoping for, with her poofy-prince...more

Nowhere to Run
Release Date: July 31
Some Secrets When Liv Dugan ducks out of work for lunch, it’s just an ordinary day. When she returns, she stumbles onto a massacre. All her colleagues at Zuma Software have been shot. Only luck has le...more

Werewolves: Book One: Bitten, Stolen and Beginnings
Release Date: July 31
Book One: Bitten Where it all began. Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone fema...more

An Unsuitable Bride (Blackwater Brides, #3)
Release Date: July 24
The third novel in New York Times bestseller Jane Feather’s sexy and scintillating Blackwater Brides trilogy about the bonds of family and the lure of romance.The headstrong and beautiful Alexandra Do...more

Kitty Steals the Show
Release Date: July 31
Kitty has been tapped as the keynote speaker for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies, taking place in London. The conference brings together scientists, activists, protestors, a...more

Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6)
Release Date: July 6
I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn’t get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school… Covering up her own murde...more

Feels Like Home (Sons of Chance, #9)
Release Date: July 24
City slicker Rafe Locke is no cowboy. When he arrives at the Last Chance Ranch for his brother’s wedding, Rafe refuses to buy into the whole cowboy “thing.” That is, until he sees engineer Meg Seymour...more

Can't Hurry Love
Release Date: July 31
From award-winning author Molly O’Keefe comes a wonderfully written contemporary romance about second chances at life and at love.   Victoria Baker, the penniless widow of a disgraced financier, is re...more

Lead Me Home (Sons of Chance, #8)
Release Date: July 1
Thanks to his skills with difficult horses, trainer Matthew Tredway has traveled all over the world. And his new gig? The Last Chance Ranch. But after a chance glance at the ranch's hot little blond c...more

Friday, June 15, 2012


The Pillars of the Earth  (The Pillars of the Earth, #1)
GUEST POST by Amy Van Duyn

Amy's rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like my friend Franny, I LOVE to read.  There's nothing like getting into a really good book.  I love the feeling of looking forward to coming home and picking up where I left off.  The only problem is, the good books are over before you know it!



One of the best things about Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is that it hits the ground running and doesn't stop for about a THOUSAND "suck-you-in" and "husband-ignoring" pages full of political intrigue, conspiracy, interesting plot points and sub plot points, well-developed characters (in more ways than one, which you unfortunately have to hear all about over and over), and battles!




The book covers a span of several decades and takes place during the middle ages in England.  Ken Follett does such a good job depicting medieval life that you will want to take a shower and brush your teeth after each read (praising the inventor of indoor plumbing and water heaters!).  And you might even find yourself having ale for breakfast!

The book is fiction and at first jumps around between several characters and sub plots.  Eventually, it all comes together and just pulls you along with it.  The ending is not only climactic, but gratifying!  This is one of those stories where even the good guy isn't completely good all the time.  So, it's a little more realistic that way.  But the bad guys, are TRULY evil!

Of course you have lots of people with a "stirring in their loins" and surreptitiously sneaking up on one another.  There's a bit of rape and animal cruelty, which are usually VERY big no-no's for me, but I was already so engrossed in the book that I overlooked even these hot button issues for me.  But Ken Follett succeeded in making me hate the main villain even more by using these techniques. 

I have immediately started reading the sequel, World Without End.  So far, it proves to be just about as good.  This takes place a couple of centuries later, and features descendants of some of the main characters in Pillars of the Earth.

Oh, and one last thing.  I was little bored by all the architectural references during all the cathedral building in Pillars of the Earth, although I did enjoy a few juvenile snickers during the use of the repeated use of the word "buttress", or even better "flying buttress" (picturing a butt with wings.........can't help it!).  I mean, I couldn't build a dog house!  So the terminology was lost on me.

All in all, great book!  You won't want to put it down.  Bathtub warning, if you read this in the tub, you WILL prune up because an hour will go by before you know it!

And to my dear hubby, sorry for all the half hearted "mmmm-hmmmm" and "yeah, sure whatever Darlin'" responses during the reading of this book.  Don't worry, I'll be done with the sequel soon too.  It's not too much longer!

Happy reading!!!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Franny's Favorite June Releases

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2)
Release Date: June 12
The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff seriesTough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school...more

Once Burned (Night Prince, #1)
Release Date: June 26
She's a mortal with dark powers... After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel ele...more

Before I Wake (Soul Screamers, #6)
Release Date: June 26
I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school...  Covering up her own mur...more

Kiss the Dead (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #21)
Release Date: June 5
When a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary gr...more

Wicked Business (Lizzy & Diesel, #2)
Release Date: June 19
Whether it’s monkey business, funny business, or getting down to business, Janet Evanovich’s Lizzy and Diesel series proves that there’s no business like Wicked Business.  Lizzy Tucker’s once normal l...more

Undead and Unstable (Undead, #11)
Release Date: June 5
Betsy Taylor is determined to change the future for herself and her loved ones, but her actions could have life-shattering repercussions. That’s to be expected when a friend returns from the dead, whe...more

Darkness Devours (Dark Angels, #3)
Release Date: June 26
Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-ho...more

Jacked Up (Fast Track, #6)
Release Date: June 5
She’s holding tight. He’s hanging loose. Eve Monroe is a stock-car PR pro who puts her career first—until an on-track wardrobe malfunction reveals more than the sexy smile of her race-car brother’s ...more

At Last (Lucky Harbor, #5)
Release Date: June 26
HER LOVE HAS COME ALONG . . . Amy Michaels loves her new life in Lucky Harbor. A waitress in the local diner, she's looking forward to her first weekend hike through the mountains. But when a wrong tu...more

Can't Buy Me Love
Release Date: June 26
In Molly O’Keefe’s captivating new contemporary romance, a woman with a past and a man without a future struggle to find a place where they belong.   A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Tara Jea...more

Accidentally Dead, Again (Accidental Friends, #6)
Release Date: June 5

The Bandit King (Romances of Arquitaine, #2)
Release Date: June 1
Tristan d'Arcenne is what he always wished to be--Vianne di Rocancheil's Consort. But Vianne is no more a noblewoman, she is the Queen of Arquitaine, faced with treachery, invasion, war, and a Consort...more

Slow Summer Kisses
Release Date: June 4
Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents...more

Magic Dreams
Release Date: June 26
Magic Dreams originally appeared in the anthology Hexed. From New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews comes a tale of darkness, desire, and werecats. Alpha Pack leader Jim Shrapshire has alw...more

Crimson Sunrise (Crimson Trilogy #2)
Release Date: June 18
Beware the calm before the storm… After eradicating the obstacles between them, Emma Johnson and Caleb Blackney are ready to embrace their future together. They have a lot of decisions to make. There...more

Changeling (MetaWars, #2)
Release Date: June 26
A Simon & Schuster eBook...more

Unexpected Family
Release Date: June 5
Jeremiah Stone: rodeo superstar. Good-time guy. Father of three? That's one pair of boots Jeremiah never expected to fill. Then his three nephews are orphaned, and his entire life changes. Not only is...more

The Hunter and The Hunted
Release Date: June 12
In Off-Duty Angel , dark witch and half-demon Eve Levine is desperate for a little entertainment while her lover, Kristof Nast, is detained in afterlife court—enough to volunteer an extra ...more

Blue-Blooded Vamp (Sabina Kane, #5)
Release Date: June 1
The epic conclusion to the amazing Sabina Kane urban fantasy series.Sabina Kane is on the hunt. Her prey: Cain, the father of the vampire race and the one who murdered her family and her friends. Unfo...more

Shadow Bound (Unbound, #2)
Release Date: June 1
If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light… KORI DANIELS is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her ...more

When Shadows Call (Shaede Assassin, #0.5)
Release Date: June 5
The envy of 1900s society, Darian is the rich, beautiful wife of a prominent Californian doctor—but her life is far from perfect. For years, Darian has suffered at the hand of her cruel husband and ye...more

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers, #1)
Release Date: June 1
I don't do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha—that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something st...more

Lead Me Home (Sons of Chance, #8)
Release Date: June 19
Thanks to his skills with difficult horses, trainer Matthew Tredway has traveled all over the world. And his new gig? The Last Chance Ranch. But after a chance glance at the ranch's hot little blond c...more

Billy Bones: Beyond the Grave (Billy Bones, #1)
Release Date: June 1
Meet Billy Bones. He’s dead. Literally. Finding himself in the Afterlife, ten year old Billy must wait to be recycled back into the Livingworld. Meanwhile, he’s stuck trying to figure out how he’s ...more

Long Road Home (Sons of Chance, #7)
Release Date: June 1
What does it take to become a cowboy? Wyatt Locke believes in second chances. Sure, meeting his half brother last year was a complete disaster—but blood is blood, right? Now Wyatt is returning to the ...more

Friday, June 8, 2012

Where Have You Been???


Summer on the Brain 2007 
I'm really behind on my reading and posting of reviews.  Why you ask? It is SUMMER!!! Okay, it's not official until June 20th, official, smishal.  My brain doesn't want to concentrate on writing what I think about what I've read. <--- (does that sentence even make sense? See, I really don't need to be putting words together to make a sentence --- or more.)  It's summer vacation, right? Right? I want to be swimming, walking, playing games, lapping up the sun. It's the time of sunshine, sun glasses, and sunscreen. I'm going to give myself the weekend to regroup, store some rays, then Monday I'll be back on track. Maybe. I hope.