Blog Tour, Excerpt: Cajun Crazy by Sandra Hill

ABOUT SANDRA HILL Sandra Hill is a graduate of Penn State and worked for more than ten years as a features writer and education editor for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Writing about serious issues taught her the merits of seeking the lighter side of even the darkest stories. Connect with Sandra Website Facebook: @SandraHillAuthor Twitter: @SandraHillAuth GoodReads Title: Cajun Crazy Author: Sandra Hill Publisher/Publication Date: Avon Books; November 28, 2017 Format/Source: Paperback, Publisher Genre: Contemporary Romance ABOUT CAJUN CRAZY Welcome back to New York Times bestseller Sandra Hill’s Cajun country, where love heats up the Louisiana bayou . . . Former Chicago cop Simone LeDeux is back home in the bayou, sharing a double wide in the Pearly Gates trailer park to help her mama recover from surgery. Her one rule: no Cajun men. Loved and left by too many double-crossing Cajuns, Simone puts bad experience to good use by opening Legal Belles: an agency that uncovers cheating spouses. Suddenly she’s confronting a two-timer about to swindle his wife out of millions and antagonizing New Orleans bigwigs over an illegal sex club. Adam Lanier learns of the dangerous game Simone is playing . . . and the sexy single dad comes to her aid. Known as a rogue in the courtroom and a player in the bedroom, the ragin’ Cajun has Simone triply on guard. With their crazy chemistry, danger on their trail, and infamous LeDeux relative Tante Lulu working her magical matchmaking, the bayou has never been this steamy.    BUY LINKS Amazon     IndieBound     Barnes & Noble     iBooks     GooglePlay EXCERPT “I’ve been attracted to you from the first moment we met.” “I’m surprised that you would admit that. Kind of lessens your odds.” “You’re assuming this is a game. I’m too old to play games. Actually, they never interested memuch. How about you?” “Oh, games can be fun sometimes.” “Tease!” Adam said with a chuckle and nipped her on the chin with his teeth. It wasn’t a kiss or a bite, but she felt it all the way down to “Red-dy and Willing,” the color of her toenail polish. Simone remembered her bad history with Cajun men and her resolution to avoid them in the future. “Um, I think it’s time to cut this flower in the bud. I am not going to do this again.” “Do what, darlin’?” That damn “darlin’ ” again! “Get involved with another Cajun man.” “You’re going to give me the boot just because I’m Cajun?” She nodded. “Well, lucky you, babe, because I’m only half Cajun.” ***************************

Review: City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

Title: City of Miracles
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books; May 2, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Paperback

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository


Synopsis from Goodreads...

Revenge. It's something Sigrud je Harkvaldsson is very, very good at. Maybe the only thing...

So when he learns that his oldest friend and ally, former Prime Minister Shara Komayd, has been assassinated, he knows exactly what to do and that no mortal force can stop him from meting out the suffering Shara's killers deserve. Yet as Sigrud pursues his quarry with his customary terrifying efficiency, he begins to fear that this battle is an unwinnable one. Because discovering the truth behind Shara's death will require him to take up arms in a secret, decades-long war, face down an angry young god, and unravel the last mysteries of Bulikov, the city of miracles itself. And perhaps most daunting of all finally face the truth about his own cursed existence...

My Thoughts:

When dealing with Divinities you never know what might (and mostly will) go wrong...

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett is undoubtedly one of my most anticipated book releases of 2017. My sentiment about the second book in the series—City of Blades—is similar to my conclusion about City of Miracles: It was well worth the wait, because, oh man, this story was fantastic. City of Miracles was a bittersweet yet fitting end to this series.

After the sudden, unexpected death of Shara Komayd—who was one of my favorite characters—Sigurd is left with one goal in mind. However, when the Divine are involved, you never know what might happen. The actual plot of City of Miracles was awesome. Every time I thought I would take a break and set this book aside, I got to a good part. I basically stayed up well past midnight finishing it. There were so many twists, so many revelations that not only was this book exciting, it was packed full of action.

City of Miracles picks up years after the last book, and a lot of things have changed. In the last book, the progression of technology replacing divine miracles was being shown in its early stages. But change is slow and sometimes painful, and people want to cling to what they know. That is one of the things I truly liked about this series: its approach to progress, and the way these things gradually took place. City of Miracles also marked the return to Bulikov, the city surrounded by mysterious walls filled with stairs that went nowhere. It wasn’t the same as before, but again, that’s progress.

Sigrud je Harkvaldsson has had a role each time something inexplicable happened, but City of Miracles was where his story was front and center. There was always an air of mystery to him, and like so many other things about this series, City of Miracles answers those lingering questions. And yeah, I cried a little at the end, but in my defense emotions were running high in almost every scene.

I’m a little sad that this series is over. However, I can’t say that I’m sorry because City of Miracles was a good note to end on. Truly, it was an experience.

Rating 5/5

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. His fifth novel, City of Stairs, is in stores now. He lives in Austin with his wife and son. He can be found on Twitter at @robertjbennett...

Review: Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

Title: Vinegar Girl
Author: Anne Tyler
Publisher/Publication Date: Hogarth; June 21, 2016
Genre: Contemporary; Chick-lit; Retelling
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Hardcover 

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository



Synopsis from Goodreads...

Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny? Plus, she’s always in trouble at work – her pre-school charges adore her, but their parents don’t always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.

Dr. Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There’s only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, all would be lost.

When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he’s relying – as usual – on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: this time he’s really asking too much. But will she be able to resist the two men’s touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?

My Thoughts:

I want to make three things clear. First, Vinegar Girl was a light read, not necessarily very romantic, but still entertaining. It wasn’t a bad novel considering how short it was. Next, I knew nothing about The Taming of The Shrew—the inspiration for the novel. And finally, this was the first book I’ve read by Anne Tyler.

I read Vinegar Girl before I actually checked to see what The Taming of the Shrew was about. And now I can say that I can see some of the inspiration Tyler pulled from the original; although, it was modernized to fit the retelling. The Taming of the Shrew didn’t really seem like something I would enjoy—go-figure that the title would be too literal for my liking—which is why I’m glad that I read Vinegar Girl before going back to see what the original was about.

Vinegar Girl was about Kate, who let her family use her for what she was worth. She did everything for them—from cooking, to filing taxes for her father, and even doing the laundry. I spent half the book waiting for Kate to do or say something against her family, to stick up for herself. Ultimately she gets caught up in her father’s scheme to keep his lab assistant in the country. That was the core issue of the book, which was introduced early on. There was nothing wrong with that. In fact, there was nothing really wrong with Vinegar Girl. Sure, I did get a little bored while reading some of the scenes. However, the ending was nice enough, and I felt that it neatly concluded the story. My favorite part of Vinegar Girl was definitely the writing. I really liked Tyler’s style. As such, I would consider the possibility of picking up another one of her novels.

Overall, Vinegar Girl wasn’t a bad read. It was quick to get through and entertaining enough to make me stick around until the end.

Rating 3/5

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (Publisher) for this review, thank you! 

About the Author...

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated at nineteen from Duke University and went on to do graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University. The Beginner's Goodbye is Anne Tyler's nineteenth novel; her eleventh, Breathing Lessons , was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters...

Review: The Travelers by Chris Pavone

Title: The Travelers
Author: Chris Pavone
Publisher/Publication Date: Crown, March 8, 2016
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Review Copy

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository


Synopsis from Goodreads...

It’s 3:00am. Do you know where your husband is?

Meet Will Rhodes: travel writer, recently married, barely solvent, his idealism rapidly giving way to disillusionment and the worry that he’s living the wrong life. Then one night, on assignment for the award-winning Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina, a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Soon Will’s bad choices—and dark secrets—take him across Europe, from a chateau in Bordeaux to a midnight raid on a Paris mansion, from a dive bar in Dublin to a mega-yacht in the Mediterranean and an isolated cabin perched on the rugged cliffs of Iceland. As he’s drawn further into a tangled web of international intrigue, it becomes clear that nothing about Will Rhodes was ever ordinary, that the network of deception ensnaring him is part of an immense and deadly conspiracy with terrifying global implications—and that the people closest to him may pose the greatest threat of all.

It’s 3:00am. Your husband has just become a spy...

My Thoughts:

I wanted to try reading something else besides fantasy for a change of pace and to sort of cleanse my reading palate before moving on. Thus, I read The Traveler’s by Chris Pavone. I’ve had this book for a while, and it took me a long time to finish it. This book wasn’t necessarily the worst thing I’ve ever read, but I did have some problems with it and ended up a bit disappointed.

The story is about Will Rhodes, a travel writer, who makes bad choices while abroad and who plays a part in making trouble for himself and those around him.

The Travelers wasn’t very thrilling for me since I ended up guessing what was happening, early on in the novel. I repeatedly found myself bored and ended up putting the book down on several occasions. But I kept reading despite the fact that I struggled to get through the first part of the book.

Will is everything that the synopsis describes him as, with the addition of his monologue, which didn’t help his case. The other characters were just alright, and I don’t really have much to say on them.

The last few chapters of the book were the best parts. They were somewhat exciting and suspenseful. Overall, The Travelers just didn’t end up being my kind of book. Still, if this book seems like something you want to read, then don’t let my opinion stop you—and I recommend checking out other reviews.

Rating 2/5

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books for this review, thank you!

About the Author...

Chris Pavone is the author of the New York Times bestsellers THE ACCIDENT and THE EXPATS, which won both the Edgar and Anthony awards, has been translated into 20 languages, and is being developed for film; THE TRAVELERS, which publishes March 8, 2016, has already been optioned by DreamWorks. Chris was a book editor for nearly two decades before moving to Luxembourg, where he started writing THE EXPATS. He now lives again in New York City with his wife and children...

Review: Armada by Ernest Cline

Title:Armada
Author: Ernest Cline
Publisher/Publication Date: Crown Publishing, July 14, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction
Format/Source: Hardcover Review Copy, Blogging for Books

Goodreads     Amazon    Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Audible


Synopsis from Goodreads...

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders...

My Thoughts:

“I was staring out the classroom window and daydreaming of adventure when I spotted the flying saucer…”

I have to admit that Ready Player One has been on my TBR list for a very long time—and I still want to read it—which is why I jumped at the chance to review Armada. And I have to say that I really liked this book. The story is told from Zack Lightman’s perspective and centers heavily on his reaction and life after he sees a flying saucer—soon after, things change drastically. As the story progressed I had some suspicions about the situation when things didn’t exactly add up. The technology, as always, was one of my favorite parts. And while the concept of alien invasion isn’t a new one I did enjoy Cline’s take on it. The ending was a little bittersweet but an entirely satisfying conclusion to the story.

Rating 4/5

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review, thank you! 

About the Author…

ERNEST CLINE is a novelist, screenwriter, father, and full-time geek. His first novel, Ready Player One, was a New York Times and USA Todaybestseller and appeared on numerous “best of the year” lists. Ernie lives in Austin, Texas, with his family, a time-traveling DeLorean, and a large collection of classic video games.

Review: The Fold by Peter Clines

Title: The Fold
Author: Peter Clines
Publisher/Publication Date: Crown, June 2, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction, Suspense
Format/Source: Hardcover Review Copy, Blogging for Books

Goodreads    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Book Depository    Audible


Synopsis from Goodreads...

The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn’t much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he’s content with his quiet and peaceful existence. That is, until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve: far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to “fold” dimensions, it shrinks distances so that a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step. The invention promises to make mankind’s dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the Door is completely safe. Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn’t quite what it seems—and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret. As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there’s only one answer that makes sense. And if he’s right, it may only be a matter of time before the project destroys…everything.

My Thoughts:

“Step into the fold. It’s perfectly safe.”

Hahaha, no. If someone ever told me that, I would be heading for the hills long before they finished trying to talk me into it.

So yeah, I read The Fold by Peter Clines, and I was up until one in the morning just because I wanted to finish it. I was at the part where everything was getting good, so sleep just had to take the backseat for a while. This was basically a story about scientific theory and even more speculation combined with what could possible happen if things were to go wrong when people play with forces they have little to no understanding of.

Where should I even start?

Well for one thing, The Fold was exactly my kind of book.

There are so many things that I want to say about this book—all of them good—because I loved it. Honestly I did. The concept is definitely what got me interested in The Fold. I mean it’s basically about a group of scientist who supposedly discovered a way to bend the fabrics of reality, “fold dimensions,” and cut long distances down by more than half, allowing a person to go from one place to the next in an instant. And it was an aspect of the novel that I thought was handled well.

The story begins with Mike Erikson, who’s doing a good job of ignoring his talents until his old friend shows up on the last day of work at a high school, approaching him with a proposition about a potential job. And that is exactly how Mike finds himself at the facility that houses the Albuquerque Door. From the beginning, his job seemed so straightforward, almost easy for someone like him, but alas thing didn’t play out that way. Just from the way the secondary characters spoke and the mystery surrounding how the Albuquerque Door was actually put together, I could tell that not everything was what it seemed with the project. I enjoyed seeing how Mike navigated his way around the facility, learning what he could so he could do his job, and getting to know the people who worked on the door.

The setting was definitely fitting even though it was mostly contained to the facility where the door was being worked on. I really can’t say much else because I don’t want to ruin the story for those who would be interested in this book. But let me just say that the beginning did a wonderful job of building up to the end. The pacing was done well and things weren’t revealed too early, it just seemed to work for me.

So yeah, I enjoyed The Fold. It had a satisfying mix of mystery, hints of action, and speculation about the possibility of creating something close to instantaneous teleportation.

Rating 5/5 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review, thank you! 

About the Author…

PETER CLINES has published several pieces of short fiction and countless articles on the film and television industries, as well as the novels The Fold,Ex-Heroes, Ex-Patriots, Ex-Communication, Ex-Purgatory, and 14. He lives and writes in southern California.

Review: The Room by Jonas Karlsson

Title:  The Room Author:  Jonas Karlsson Publisher/Publication Date: Hogarth; February 15, 2015 Genre:  Literary Fiction Format/Source: Paperback (Review Copy), Blogging for Books Book Summary from Penguin Random House Funny, clever, surreal, and thought-provoking, this Kafkaesque masterpiece introduces the unforgettable Bjorn, an exceptionally meticulous office worker striving to live life on his own terms.         Bjorn is a compulsive, meticulous bureaucrat who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works–a secret room that no one else in his office will acknowledge. When Bjorn is in his room, what his co-workers see is him standing by the wall and staring off into space looking dazed, relaxed, and decidedly creepy. Bjorn’s bizarre behavior eventually leads his co-workers to try and have him fired, but Bjorn will turn the tables on them with help from his secret room.       Debut author Jonas Karlsson doesn’t leave a word out of place in this brilliant, bizarre, delightful take on how far we will go–in a world ruled by conformity–to live an individual and examined life. Book Trailer My Thoughts I really don’t have much to say about The Room by Jonas Karlsson.  The story wasn’t exactly what I imagined; however, it was bizarrely entertaining. It followed Bjorn throughout his experiences as the new—quite odd—person on the job.  The main elements of the story dealt with office politics and the mystery surrounding “the room”.  Overall the story was okay, but the ending was vague and could be open for interpretation.  About the Author JONAS KARLSSON writes plays and short fiction. One of Sweden’s most prominent actors, Karlsson has performed on Sweden’s premier stage and in several acclaimed feature films and television series. In 2005, Karlsson made his debut as a playwright, earning rave reviews from audience and critics alike. Spurred by the joy of writing for the stage, Karlsson began writing fiction. Rating 3/5 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."