Follow My Book Blog Friday! (04/08 to 04/15)

This week’s featured blog is My Keeper Shelf, so we say hello to Lesley who is behind the blog.

Today’s question is:

Q. Do you judge a book by its cover?

I can’t say that I haven’t bought a book because the cover was ugly, although I admit that when I see one of those covers that have some kind of computer animated characters on it – as if someone used The Sims game to do the cover- I think: that looks awful; maybe the book is about 3D porn or something! But if the reviews are good then I’ll probably read it (even if it is 3D porn!). Now, if the cover is really pretty, that might make me buy the book regardless of the reviews or whether I know the author or not (that’s how I discovered Jill Mansell), sometimes the cover looks like candy, and that just makes me hungry. 



UPDATE

A long time ago I used to care more about covers; if the cover was cheesy or trashy –or at least what I think is cheesy or trashy- I usually didn’t buy it. But that was only because I had the same “problem” that Mad Scientist has (see comments), I didn’t read the synopsis; once I started reading the synopsis, the covers became secondary in my reasons to buy a book. But if the cover is really really good, like the one from Already Home by Susan Mallery, I’m definitely buying it.

Waiting on Wednesday: Chasing Fire

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Today’s pic is Nora Roberts, it comes out next week and I can’t wait!

From Nora’s webpage:

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author delves into the world of elite firefighters who thrive on danger and adrenaline-men and women who wouldn't know how to live life if it wasn't on the edge. 

There's little as thrilling as firefighting-at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home-even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering. 

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is one of the strongest ever-and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kids' arcade. 

Everything is thrown off balance when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't someone she can lean on, she may not make it through the summer complicate things with Gull-any distractions in the air or on the ground could mean the end-but if she doesn't find . . . .

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Putnam Adult. April 12, 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine

Review: Already Home by Susan Mallery

I have enjoyed almost everything I’ve read by Susan Mallery, some of her books I liked more than others, and some of them are pure gold. I believe this book falls into the last category.

Already Home is about a group of women whose lives get mixed together by different reasons. Jenna is recently divorced and is back at home, her self-esteem has gotten such a huge blow that she is even changing careers, she used to be a chef but now feels so insecure that is starting a cookware store. Violet is also insecure in her personal life, but for a complete different set of reasons, she comes to the store looking for a job, and quickly a friendship ensures between the two of them.

On the other hand is Beth, she is Jenna’s adoptive mother, and she is happy that her daughter is back in town, but is worried about her. And then, along comes Serenity, she is Jenna’s birth mother and has come to meet her daughter. Needless to say that Jenna is shocked and not too happy about it.

Review: Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9) By J. R. Ward

Lover Unleashed is the 9th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, so keep in mind that this review is going to have spoilers. If you haven’t read any of the books from this series go ahead and buy Dark Lover, you won’t regret it.

This new book about the brothers is focused in several histories; first we have the hero Dr. Manuel Manello, a character that was introduced in Lover Unbound and even when he didn’t appear again in the series –after all he is just human, right?- you knew that he was going to have an important role in the future. This important role is to save our heroine, Payne, Vishious’ twin sister. Payne is injured in a training fight against Wrath in the other side. After refusing her mother’s help, she is taken to the Brotherhood Mansion to received medical attention from Dr. Jane; however, her injuries are serious and require the intervention of Dr. Manello. When he sees her for the first time he goes all MINE, which is a clue pointing to where the story in going. Dr Manello saves her and her legs, but he has to apply a not so orthodox (and really steamy) method to do so.

Review: In His Good Hands by Joan Kilby

This is the first book by Joan Kilby I have read, and it will probably be the last. There were so many things that bothered me that I don’t even know where to start. First and foremost I should say that my review has spoilers, because I can’t explain why it didn’t work for me without giving away some of the plot.

The story is set in Australia; Renita, the heroine, has been in love with Brett since high school, where he broke her heart after he refused her invitation to prom. Fast forward some years, and he’s back in town. He’s a former football player that comes back to his home town after retiring and plans to start a gym. To do it he needs a big loan (Australian footballers don’t win that much money and he’s recently divorced and still hasn’t settled that), so he goes to the bank were Renita is in charge of the loans, he tries to charm her but only gets enough money to buy the old gym and not much else, he still needs to replace every single machine for state of the art equipment.

Renita sees what he’s doing and isn’t happy about it, but she tries to maintain a professional relationship and not get into personal territory. Brett finds out that Renita’s father is a diabetic and needs exercise, and offers him a two for the price of one three month membership, and one on one training sessions, hoping that she will go too. Her father convinces her and thus Brett becomes her personal trainer, up to this point and towards the middle of the book, the story was good, but then it all went downhill.

Review: This Side of the Grave (A Night Huntress Novel) By Jeaniene Frost

This Side of the grave is the 5^th novel of the Night Huntress Series, so keep in mind that this review is going to be a little spoilery about what happened in previews books of the series, and I think that if you haven’t read the previous instalments, this book isn’t for you because you’re gonna get lost, go and find the first book and read the series in order.

With this book I wasn’t expecting anything extraordinary because for me the series had met its end in Destined for an Early Grave; however Jeaniene Frost gave me a huge surprise delivering an interesting new plot with our well-know characters and a delightful sense of humor.

Oh, the joys of married life! Cat and Bones (the joyful and extremely sexy married couple) are dealing with the problems of Cat’s transformation, and the new powers that entailed. These so-called powers are the ones that brought a conflict between vampires and ghouls, which ultimately could led to a war (a war with great cost for both parts – and to humankind). Everything begins when Cat and Bones start investigating the disappearance of vampires in Cat’s home town. The things that they discovered there, force them to make new alliances and pay a visit to the enigmatic Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. She, in her own way, gives them some answers, and more problems too.

Follow My Book Blog Friday! (04/01 to 04/08)

This week’s featured blog is Book’s Ahoy, so we say hello to them, and the question is:

Q. What is the book that you really don’t want to admit to loving?

I admit that a long, long, time ago, I might have read certain V. C. Andrew’s infamous book that was full of drama, and incest, and then, even though it was more of “I can’t believe this book” than a “I LOVE it!” type of situation, I went and bought the rest of the books on that particular series and found out that when you say “this can’t get any worse” the answer is “oh yes it can”…

This is my answer, I’m sure Marie, who has raunchier tastes (yep, raunchier than Flowers in the Attic) will have a better answer latter!

UPDATE:

Well, to each their own, right? I won’t deny or confirm anything about my taste; I can only say that I love the Harry Potter Series, I love YA books, I love romance books and so on. Basically, I’m not ashamed to admit that I like something. For example, there is this series called House of Night that I used to love (I own the first 4 books and I liked them just fine), but then I stopped enjoying the story (is too plain for my taste and I can’t stand the teenager slang). On the other hand, I did finish a certain erotica series about three brothers that share their wife. So there, I have no shame!