Archive for February, 2010

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Every week I’ll post about what books I have received that week – either through the mail for review, borrowed from the library or bought. 

I’m very excited about what I received in my mailbox this week – I got my first ever book to review from a publisher!!! So thank you Allison & Busby for making my week and sending me this book!

Rachel Caine – Glass Houses

Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters – when the sun goes down, the bad comes out.  In Morganville, there is an evil that lurkes in the darkest shadows – one that will spill out into the bright light of day.
For Claire Danvers, high school was hell, but college may be murder.  It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school’s mean girls, but now she’s got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own.  And the biggest secret of all isn’t really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires, and they are hungry for fresh blood…

I absolutely love the cover of this book! What do you think?

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Publisher – Piatkus Books
Publication Date – 25th September 2003
Paperback – 336 Pages
Genre – Crime
Series – Book 2 in the In Death series

Source – Purchased

Book Information - The dead were her business.  She lived with them, worked with them, studied them.  She dreamed of them.  And because that didn’t seem to be enough, in some deep, secret chamber of her heart, she mourned for them.  The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain.  The second murdered in her own apartment building.  Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes.  Both victims are beautiful and highly successful women; their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city.  And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects – including her own lover, Roarke.  As a woman, Eve is compelled to trust the man who shares her bed.  But as a cop, it’s her job to follow every lead… to explore every secret passion, no matter how dark.  Or how dangerous…

Review - This book carries on from where the first book in the series left off (you can see my review of Naked in Death here).  Eve Dallas is investigating a string of murders carried out on famous, successful women.  It was a good storyline and I honestly didn’t see who the murderer was until it was revealed at the end of the book.
However, I couldn’t help but feel that the main focus of the book was the relationship between Eve and Roarke (but this shouldn’t really surprise me seeing as the author is primarily a romance novelist).  At the beginning of the book, I felt slightly frustrated that Eve was still resisting getting emotionally involved with Roarke – she was still trying to keep it purely physical between them.  I realise that Eve has been hurt in the past but I felt that she should either commit to Roarke or walk away – I didn’t think he was being treated fairly by Eve.  I felt so strongly about this that I nearly stopped reading the book (although I am glad now that I carried on).  But I was so happy when Eve gave in to her emotions and committed to Roarke.  I think they make such a good couple and you could see how much happier Eve was once she had taken that step.
I loved the ending of the book and I think I will be getting hold of the next book, Immortal in Death, pretty soon as I really want to know what happens next (although I can’t say anymore than that as I don’t want to spoil the ending for anybody else who hasn’t already read this!).
Overall, despite the frustration I felt during the first part of the book, I did really enjoy reading Glory in Death.  It is written in such an easy, fluent style that the pages just kept turning and before I knew it I was at the end.

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City.  It is a chance for me to list a couple of books that are on my TBR list but that I don’t currently own.

1. Red-headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina doesn’t really fit in.  And being an assassin – the only profession fit for an outcast – doesn’t help matters.  But she’s never brought her work home.  Until now.  Her latest mission is uncomfortably complex, and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races.  As Sabina scrambles to figure out which side she’s on, she uncovers a tangled political web, some nasty facts about her family and some unexpected new talents.  Any of these things could be worryingly life-changing, but together, they could be fatal…

2. Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep

My name is Gin, and I kill people.
They call me the Spider.  I’m the most feared assassin in the South – when I’m not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland.  As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me.  My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife.  But I don’t use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to.  Call it professional pride.
Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I’m out for revenge.  And I’ll exterminate anyone who gets in my way – good or bad.  I may look hot, but I’m still one of the bad guys.  Which is why I’m in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me.  The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I’m battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction… especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

So what’s on your wishlist?

This is a great weekly meme hosted by Midday Escapades, One 2 Try and Hearts Make Families and it is a brilliant way to find other new and interesting blogs, whilst getting new followers for your own site.

Here’s how YOU can join the celebration:

1. Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

2. Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. They will follow you back.

3. Follow as many blogs as you’d like.

4. Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow.

5. Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

I look forward to meeting lots of other bloggers x

Publisher - Bantam Books
Publication Date – 1st August 2007
Paperback – 496 Pages
Genre – Urban Fantasy
Series – Book 1 in the Georgina Kincaid series

Source – Purchased

Book Information - When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous.  A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch.  Granted, they can often pay with their souls, but why get technical?
But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic.  Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies.  Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings.  And she can’t have a decent date without the sucking away part of the guy’s life.  At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore – free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.
But dreaming about Seth will have to wait.  Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground.  And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

Review - Georgina Kincaid is a succubus who sucks the life force out of men by having sex with them and I found her to be a very intruiging character.  She doesn’t like the life she leads so to ease her conscience she only sleeps with men who have no morals.  Because of this, Georgina comes across as an incredibly likeable character.  Although she is technically a demon, she isn’t portrayed as evil and that is one of the things I like a lot about this book.  She shuns the succubus lifestyle and attempts to live like a human, for example by actually changing her clothes and putting on make up rather than shapeshifting into her outfit for the day.
Georgina cares a lot about other people, which is shown during the flashbacks of her human life and through the way she puts herself in danger to find the person who has been killing her friends.  I really enjoyed the flashbacks that showed why she became a succubus in the first place.  They showed that although she did give in to a moment of weakness, she was willing to do anything to rectify her mistake – even if that meant becoming a demon.  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Georgina and the situation she found herself in.  She is obviously incredibly lonely and wants to share her life with someone, but she can’t as she could end up killing the man she loves.
There were many, many types of mythical creature in this story, including vampires, imps, demons, angels and nephilim, and these characters all help to enhance a great storyline.  I really enjoyed the mystery part of the novel and I got sucked straight into the storyline.  Although I had it narrowed down to two suspects in my mind (and it did turn out to be one of them), the ending still came as a surprise with a few little twists that I hadn’t seen coming.
Overall, I loved this novel and am hoping to get my hands on the second book, Succubus Nights, very soon.

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. Be careful not to include spoilers.

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the books to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

As I am reading an e-book at the moment and as I find it a bit difficult to look for a teaser on my e-book reader, I have decided to do a teaser from the book I am going to start next: Jack and Jill by James Patterson.

Tonight he was going to murder the United States senator.  In cold blood, execution-style.  No one would have a clue that might matter later on.
That was the first and most important rule of the game called Jack and Jill.
Page 1.

So, what is your Tuesday Teaser?

What are you reading this week? is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week. This meme is hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.

Books completed last week:

Succubus Blues – Richelle Mead
Only one book completed last week so not a great reading week for me.  Note to self: Must Try Harder!

Books I gave up on:

In the Dark – Mark Billingham
I had to read this book last week as it was due back to the library.  It sounded very promising but it turned out to just be OK.  I got half way through and I really wasn’t that into it.  I had loads of other books on my shelf that I really wanted to read so I decided to give up and move onto something else.

Books I am currently reading:

Glory in Death – J.D. Robb

Up next:

Jack and Jill – James Patterson

Books I still need to write reviews on:

Succubus Blues – Richelle Mead

I have decided to do a weekly feature highlighting any interesting looking books that are being released during that week.  Today I will be concentrating on any books being released between the 22nd and 28th February.

Kim Harrison – Black Magic Sanction (Released 23rd February)

Book 8 in the Rachel Morgan series.

The latest stirring instalment of the urban fantasy-thriller series starring Rachel Morgan.  A pacey and addictive novel of sexy bounty-hunting witches, cunning demons and vicious vampires.  Having barely escaped being skewered by the criminal vampire overlord of Cinncinati, Rachel now has even bigger problems to contend with.  The demon, Algaliarept, although banished back into the everafter has infected others of his kind with his interest in a witch who can channel demon magic.  Rachel soon finds herself with not one but three hellions on her tail; and one of them is even crazier and more dangerous than all the fairy assassins, weres and vampires on the planet.

Martin Stratford – Double Jeopardy (Released 26th February)

Detective Sergeant Julie Cooper has been working undercover to crack a major drugs ring.  With the drugs baron jailed, Julie thinks she can relax until she becomes the victim of a drive-by shooting that leaves her seriously injured and her aunt dead.  Fuelled by grief, anger and guilt, Julie hires private detective Alec Tanner to help her track down the killers.  Set in the fictitious English city of Havenchester, “Double Jeopardy” follows Julie and Tanner as they investigate a number of potential suspects, including a vicious gangland boss who is plotting to avenge himself on his cheating girlfriend.  As their personal lives become increasingly entangled, Julie and Tanner find themselves in a race against time to uncover the truth and prevent more murders, including their own…

Publisher – Orbit
Publication Date – 6th August 2009
Paperback – 320 Pages
Genre – Urban Fantasy
Series – Book 1 in the Alpha and Omega series

Source – Purchased

Book Information - Anna never knew werewolves existed until one night she survived a violent attack… and became one herself.  After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’s learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males.  But Anne is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega.  And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognise her value as a pack member… and as his mate.

Review - Anna is an Omega werewolf who has been abused by her pack Alpha.  At the opening of the book she is rescued from this pack by Bran – the Marrok to whom all the werewolf packs answer to – and she has become the mate of his son, Charles.  She moves from Chicago to Aspen Creek, Montana to be with him and she has to adjust to life in a new place, as part of a new pack and with a new mate.  Soon after their arrival in Aspen Creek, Anna and Charles are sent into the wilderness to investigate a vicious kill.  It is during this time that they get to know each other, whilst tracking down an opponent that is much more than they bargained for.
I thought that both Anna and Charles were interesting characters and that they were written really well.  Anna is a strong Omega but she has been beaten down by her previous experiences and it takes Charles’ patience and love to help her to recover from her past traumas.  Charles is Bran’s assassin and I really liked the way that he was portrayed.  Although he kills for a living and most people in the area are obviously very scared of him, when he is with Anna he is shown to be kind and loving.  He is also shown to have compassion and understanding rather than just being a ruthless assassin.
I also really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Charles and Anna.  Their wolves have picked them out to be mates and they both feel like they are meant to be together even though they do not know each other.  Charles feels very protective of Anna, especially given the events of her past, but can sometimes come across as being possessive.  Anna, meanwhile, is slowly learning to trust Charles as they get to know each other and she overcomes her fear of him.
I loved this book.  It was easy to read and full of great descriptions that really pulled me into the story.  I loved the characters and the setting and I will definitely be trying to get my hands on a copy of the second book in the series: Hunting Ground.

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Every week I’ll post about what books I have received that week – either through the mail for review, borrowed from the library or bought.  This week was pretty slow – I only got myself one e-book.  But then this might be a good thing as I already have way too many books to get through so I might have a chance to play catch up!

Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush

A sacred oath, a fallen angel, a forbidden love…  This darkly romantic story features our heroine, Nora Grey, a seemingly normal teenage girl with her own shadowy connection to the Nephilim, and super-alluring bad boy, Patch, now her deskmate in biology class.  Together they find themselves at the centre of a centuries-old feud between a fallen angel and a Nephilim…  Forced to sit next to Patch in science class, Nora attempts to resist his flirting, though gradually falls for him against her better judgment.  Meanwhile creepy things are going on with a mysterious stalker following her car, breaking into her house and attacking her best friend, Vi.  Nora suspects Patch, but there are other suspects too – not least a new boy who has transferred from a different college after being wrongly accused of murdering his girlfriend.  And he seems to have taken a shine to Nora…  Love certainly is dangerous… and someone is going to have to make the ultimate sacrifice for it.

What was in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City.  It is a chance for me to list a couple of books that are on my TBR list but that I don’t currently own.

1. Succubus Nights by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid’s job sucks..  Literally.  Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid.  If she so much as kisses her new boyfriend, she’ll drain his life force.  Georgina is a succubus – a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure.  Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago.  But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is.  It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos.  Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work.  She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied in the suburbs with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star – and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes.  Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one – and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line…

2. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could get – until she became a werewolf.  And now she’s not just part of any pack, but under the direct supervision of Bran, leader of the North American werewolves.  And her mate is his son Charles, the pack enforcer.  With all the advances that have been made in forensics, the werewolves will not be able to hide their existence from humans much longer – and Bran wants their coming out party to be on his terms.  But his European counterparts don’t see things the same way.  Anna and Charles are chosen to represent Bran at a key meeting.  But when a French werewolf, one of Bran’s most vocal opponents, is found murdered, Charles’s reputation shoots him to the top of the suspect list.  And among the wolves, there is one penalty for breaking the law: death.  The killer must be found, or Charles will take the fall.

What’s on your wishlist?

This is a great weekly meme hosted by Midday Escapades, One 2 Try and Hearts Make Families and it is a brilliant way to find other new and interesting blogs, whilst getting new followers for your own site.

Here’s how YOU can join the celebration:

1. Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

2. Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. They will follow you back.

3. Follow as many blogs as you’d like.

4. Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow.

5. Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

I look forward to meeting lots of other bloggers x

I would like to thank Jenn from 4 Crazy Kids, a Hot Daddy and a Frazzled Momma for passing on the Beautiful Blogger Award.  It was a lovely surprise!

There are a few rules to accepting the award so here they are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you

2. Copy the award and paste it on your blog

3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award

4. List 7 interesting things about yourself

5. Nominate 7 other Beautiful Bloggers

Ok, so 7 interesting things about me – that’s a tough one.

1. I am expecting baby number 2 on 4th May and I’m officially the size of a house already!
2. It is my dream to have 4 children!!! I know, I must be crazy.
3. I know all the words in Finding Nemo as my little boy has developed a bit of an obssession with it!
4. I can name every type of JCB ever made – again, thanks to my son.
5. I have a pet cat called Izzy who doesn’t really like people – including me!
6. I have my dream job – working in a library surrounded by books all day (well, except for the fact that I’m on maternity leave at the moment!).
7. Since I started blogging, I have spent far too much time on the computer and not enough doing housework!

Right, so now it’s time to pass this award onto 7 Beautiful Bloggers.  My choices are:

1. Off My Bookshelf
2. Rundpinne
3. The Eclectic Reader
4.  Aubut Life
5. Blackberry Jam Cafe
6. Confessions of a Wannabe Baker
7. The Bookette

So if you haven’t already seen these blogs, I would recommend them – they are all beautiful.

Publisher – Orion Publishing Group
Publication Date – April 2002
Paperback – 291 Pages
Genre – Urban Fantasy/Crime
Series – Book 2 in the Southern Vampire Series

Source – Purchased

Book Information- Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is having a streak of bad luck.  First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care.  Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing.  Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it).  The point is: they saved her life.  So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges – and soon Sookie’s in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire.  She’s supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed.  But that’s easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly…

Review- I loved the first novel in this series, Dead Until Dark, and I was not disappointed by this follow up.  I think what I like most about this series is the exploration of a relationship between a vampire and a human.  Things do not go smoothly between Sookie and Bill as they are obviously two very different people.  Sookie has trouble dealing with the fact that Bill doesn’t always react to things the way a human would and I think that this is something that may pop up again later on in the series.  But they love each other and are willing to work at their relationship and this makes their relationship a lot more realistic for me.
I also find the vampire politics to be very interesting.  The vampires have a strict hierarchy and have many rules that they need to adhere to and although Sookie is slowly uncovering how the vampire world works, there is still a lot that she (and therefore we, as readers) do not know.  But it is not just politics among the vampires that is brought up in this novel.  Humans show a lot of prejudice towards the vampires and there are hate groups, such as The Fellowship of the Sun, who are bent on their destruction.  At the other end of the scale are the ‘Fang-Bangers’ – humans who want nothing more than to be around vampires – a fact that many vampires seem to take advantage of through their businesses.
There are all different types of mythical and supernatural creatures in this novel and I love the world that this creates - someone who you see every day could be a shapeshifter, for example, and you wouldn’t have any idea.  Just in this novel alone there are vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves and a maenad (female worshippers of the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication – the name literally translates as ‘raving ones’).
Living Dead in Dallas is a fast-paced read that keeps readers turning those pages.  The mystery aspect surrounding Lafayette was intruiging and I was surprised when it was revealed who had killed him.  It was a twist that I hadn’t seen coming.  My only criticism of the book would be the structure of the story – it starts off with the discovery of Lafayette’s body, then moves to Dallas where Sookie goes in search of another vampire’s missing brother, and then moves back to the Lafayette storyline once the Dallas mystery has been solved.  The two storylines are not involved and I wasn’t sure why the author was going backwards and forwards between the two.  However, I still really enjoyed this book and would say that it is definitely worth a read.

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Grab your current read.

2. Open to a random page.

3. Share two (2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.

4. Be careful not to include spoilers.

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the books to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from In the Dark by Mark Billingham:

When he turns he can see that the woman in the BMW is scared enough already.  Just a couple of feet away.  Eyes all over the place; a twist of panic at the mouth.
He raises the gun.
Page 8.

What’s your Tuesday Teaser?

I have decided to do a weekly feature highlighting any interesting looking books that are being released during that week.  Today I will be concentrating on any books being released between the 15th and 21st February.

Jill Mansell – Take a Chance on Me (Released 18th February)

Cleo Quinn doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to men, but now Will’s come along.  Handsome and attentive, he could be her Mr Right.  Things are definitely looking up for Cleo… apart from one small problem with a rather large ego.  Johnny LaVenture, sculptor extraordinaire and her personal childhood nemesis, is back in Channing’s Hill and tormenting her as if he’d never been away.  Meanwhile Cleo’s sister Abbie has a problem of her own – husband Tom has become distant and withdrawn, and she’s determined to find out why.  But will the shocking truth mean the end of their idyllically happy marriage?  The sisters are about to discover that the past can come back to haunt you, and that love can flourish in the unlikeliest of places…

Linwood Barclay – Fear the Worst (Released 18th February)

The worst day of Tim Blake’s life started out with him making breakfast for his seventeen-year-old daughter Sydney. Syd was staying with him while she worked a summer job – even if he wasn’t entirely sure what her job at the Just Inn Time motel actually was – and Tim hoped this quality father-daughter time would somehow help her deal with his divorce.  When she didn’t arrive home at her usual time, he thought she’d probably gone to the mall to hang with her friends.  When she didn’t answer her phone he began to worry.  When she didn’t come home at all, he began to panic. And when the people at the Just Inn Time said they had no Sydney Blake working at the motel and never had, he began to see his life going into freefall.  If she hadn’t been working at the Just Inn Time every day, what had she been doing? Something she couldn’t – or wouldn’t – tell her own father about?  To find his daughter Tim doesn’t need to simply track her down – he needs to know who she really was, and what could have made her step out of her own life without leaving a trace.  Only one thing has him convinced the worst hasn’t already happened: the fact that some very scary people seem just as eager as he is to find her.  The question is: who’s going to find her first?

Dorothy Koomson – The Ice Cream Girls

At only eighteen years of age, Poppy and Serena were the only witnesses to a tragic event.  Amid heated public debate and scrutiny, the two glamorous teens were dubbed ‘The Ice Cream Girls’ by the press and forced to go their separate ways and to lead very different lives.  Twenty years later, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while married mother-of-two Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past.  But some secrets will not stay buried – and if theirs is revealed, their lives will start to unravel all over again…

What are you reading this week? is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week. This meme is hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World of Books.

Books completed last week:

Venom – Joan Brady
Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris
Cry Wolf – Patricia Briggs

Books I gave up on:

None

Books I am currently reading:

In the Dark – Mark Billingham

Up next:

Second Chance – Jane Green
Succubus Blues – Richelle Mead

Books I still need to write reviews on:

Cry Wolf – Patricia Briggs

Publisher – Headline Review
Publication Date – 31st July 2006
Hardback – 320 Pages
Genre – Chick-Lit

Source – Library

Book Information - Sophie’s marriage was perfect, but now it’s all gone wrong.  Mark works late; she’s left with the baby, domestic drudgery, her own career to keep on the go and the growing feeling that Mark is having an affair.  When he fails to come home one night it’s the last straw.  Sophie wants a divorce.  But Mark doesn’t.  He hasn’t been unfaithful, just thoughtless.  Desperate not to lose his family, he signs up to the ‘School for Husbands’; which transforms hopeless spouses into perfect marriage partners.  But will its intensive and unusual tuition be enough to get him back with Sophie?  Especially now an eligible millionaire is after her!

Review - Sophie and Mark are happy enough until Mark becomes so involved with work that he rarely has any time for Sophie or their son Arthur.  Sophie is left looking after Arthur and the house whilst still trying to hold down a full-time job.  When Mark doesn’t come home one night, Sophie and Arthur leave to go and stay with Sophie’s mother, Shirley.  The story is told from both Sophie and Mark’s point of view and this helps the reader to feel for both of them.  Neither of them are portrayed as villians.  They are both likeable characters who are trying to do their best in the circumstances.
Although it is written in a light-hearted way, I thought it was very realistic how a breakdown in communication in a situation like this can make things a lot worse than they really are.
When Mark enrols in The School For Husbands there are some hilarious moments – for example when the students at the school all have to go into the local village and tell complete strangers that they love them, or when they receive lessons in how to put down a toilet seat.  But through it all Mark is determined to change to save his marriage.
The only down-side of this book is Simon, a millionaire banker who Sophie dated for a few months before she met Mark.  When he hears that Sophie and Mark are separating he enlists the help of Sophie’s snobbish mother to try to get Sophie back.  However, he has an ulterior motive and is probably one of the most despicable characters I have ever come across in a book.  I think he is the only character where I have wanted to actually climb into the pages of a book just so I could punch him.
Overall, it was a light-hearted, enjoyable read with the happy ending that I was kind of expecting from the start.

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!!!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  Every week I’ll post about what books I have received that week – either through the mail for review, borrowed from the library or bought.  This week I got the books from my lovely husband for Valentine’s Day :)

Richelle Mead – Succubus Blues

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous.  A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch.  Granted, they can often pay with their souls, but why get technical?  But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic.  Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies.  Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings.  And she can’t have a decent date without the sucking away part of the guy’s life.  At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore – free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.  But dreaming about Seth will have to wait.  Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground.  And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

Alyson Noel – Evermore

Seventeen-year-old Ever is the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her entire family.  Living with her aunt in Southern California, she’s plagued by the ability to hear the thoughts of those around her, and haunted by the ghost of her little sister.  She tries to tune everyone out, shunning her old lifestyle as the pretty, popular cheerleader, but somehow she can’t hide from Damen, the new guy at school.  Stunningly handsome, clever and not a little bit intimidating, there’s something about him that doesn’t quite add up.  Ever realises he’s hiding something, but nothing could prepare her for the truth – especially when the truth involves past lives, murderous enemies, everlasting love and the secret of eternal youth…

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – Beautiful Creatures

In Ethan Wate’s hometown there lies the darkest of secrets…  There is a girl.  Slowly, she pulled the hood from her head.  Green eyes, black hair.  Lena Duchannes.  There is a curse.  On the Sixteenth Moon, the Sixteenth Year, the Book will take what it’s been promised.  And no one can stop it.  In the end, there is a grave.  Lena and Ethan become bound together by a deep, powerful love.  But Lena is cursed and on her sixteenth birthday, her fate will be decided.  Ethan never even saw it coming.

Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.  Aislinn has always seen faeries.  Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world, and would blind her if they knew of her Sight.  Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.  Now faeries are stalking her.  One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.  Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.  But it’s too late.  Keenan is the Summer King and has sought his queen for nine centuries.  Without her, summer itself will perish.  He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost!  Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working any more, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

So, what was in your mailbox this week?

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City.  It is a chance for me to list a couple of books that are on my TBR list but that I don’t currently own.

1. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan.  Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder – and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family.  He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate.  When the pair link Harriet’s disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.  But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

2. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Choose: A quick death… or a slow poison… About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve.  She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace – and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.  And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster.  But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust – and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonising death from the poison.  As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting.  Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control.  Her life is threatened again and choices must be made.  But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear…

3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace is fascinated by the wolves in the woods behind her house; one yellow-eyed wolf in particular.  Every winter, she watches him but every summer, he disappears.  Sam leads two lives.  In winter he stays in the frozen woods, with the protection of the pack.  In summer, he has a few precious months to be human… until the cold makes him shift back again.  When Grace and Sam finally meet they realize they can’t bear to be apart.  But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human – or risk losing himself, and Grace, for ever.