Review: La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock

Thursday, August 14, 2008

La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock
Published by Berkley Books
ISBN: 978-0-425-21995-9

Light and Fun Mystery


Francesca Marinelli is a 227 year old vampire who has been imprisoned underground for over 200 years. She is discovered in the 21st century and must now learn to cope with the change in times. She chooses to take a job as a tour guide for ghost tours, but trouble begins on her very first day. Not long after her new job begins, one of her clients from the first tour is found dead at the beach with vampire-like marks on the body, and Francesca becomes a suspect.

Nancy Haddock has written a fun and thoroughly enjoyable mystery surrounded by light humor and a little bit of romantic suspense. More of a lighthearted chick-lit read than a dark and violent one, I found it very hard to put down. The protagonist, Francesca, is an easy character to like as she is just trying to “live her afterlife” and mind her own business. Deke Saber is the ex-vampire hunter assigned to investigate and guard Francesca as the mystery is solved, and he becomes a very likeable character as well once he sees Francesca for who she is as opposed to what she is. I definitely recommend this book to any fan of chick-lit fiction with a little paranormal thrown in for added intrigue.

Review: Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Don't Hex With Texas by Shanna Swendson

Published by Ballantine Books

ISBN: 978-0-345-49293-7

So Refreshing and Fun!

In Book Four of Shanna Swendson’s Enchanted series, Katie Chandler returns to her small hometown in Texas for a little respite from her crazy life in New York. No sooner does she settle in to her old job at her father’s feed and seed store does she start to observe some strange happenings in her tiny little town. After some investigating, she decides it’s time to call New York and get some backup – and wouldn’t it be nice if Owen showed up? Well, much to Katie’s delight, Owen does show up, and Katie’s mom is just a few steps shy of planning the wedding. Katie and Owen pretend their relationship is serious in order establish a cover story for his presence in town, but Katie wonders if his visit could be more than just business. Katie and Owen reunite to defeat the dark magic brewing in Texas, and perhaps a reunion of another sort?

Shanna Swendson does it again! I loved the first three books of this series and couldn’t wait to read number four, and I was not disappointed. Ms. Swendson continues her lighthearted take on magic and the paranormal, and again I was drawn into the story and didn’t want to put the book down. We were introduced to more of Katie’s family – and so was Owen – and found humor along the way. We are also introduced to Katie’s childhood friend, Nita, who is as boy-crazy as they come and a great addition to the cast of characters. I was a little disappointed as to how Ms. Swendson molded Owen into such a workaholic, and how it was very hard to "read" his feelings, but, unfortunately, I do think it was necessary as a part of his character to keep the book true to Owen and the rest of the series. This book had less romantic suspense than the other three books, and it also explored Katie’s family history of the immune and relation to the magic realm.

**SERIES ALERT** Here is my plea to keep this series alive! According to http://www.shannaswendson.com/, the fifth book in the series is underway, however, it doesn’t look promising that the publisher will publish it. If you want to see the fifth book published, sales need to start rising for books 3 and 4. Request them at your bookstores and your libraries. I, personally, have this book on my keeper list. I borrowed all 4 of the first books, and now I plan to buy them. Visit Ms. Swendson’s website for more details.

Review: Summer Blowout by Claire Cook

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Summer Blowout by Claire Cook
Published by Hyperion (Voice)
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2241-0

A Light and Satisfying Read

Bella Shaughnessy is a young, attractive divorcee who works with her family in her father’s salon. She comes from an interesting family background – her parents are divorced (her father, three times), her half-sister slept with her now ex-husband while they were separated, her brother is happily married to a man, and her father insists on making their family Italian, when they are really Irish. Bella is frustrated with men, her sister, and her family for how she is treated, and she decides it’s time to keep something for herself. She meets Sean Ryan at a college campus vendor fair and he convinces her she should create make-up kits and hand them out at these fairs. This becomes Bella’s project for herself and no one else. Will she be successful? Will she find peace in her life? Will she find fulfillment in her new endeavor? Will she finally find love, or will she decide her career is her new, true love?

These questions are all answered for the reader in Claire Cook’s latest novel, Summer Blowout. I found this book to be somewhat simple and superficial, and that is why I liked it. Ms. Cook didn’t spend a lot of time and pages analyzing each character until the reader was bored stiff – she kept the content light and humorous, and gave the reader just enough to be able to enjoy the story. While many readers may find fault with the lack of depth, I found this to be just what the doctor ordered as I sat in bed after a long day and just wanted to read “brain candy”. And I find the most surprising pleasure is the little beauty secrets she gives the reader along the way. Some of them I already knew, but some of them I am going to try! Great job Claire Cook!

Review:Scarecrow Finds a Friend by Blume J. Rifken

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Scarecrow Finds a Friend by Blume J. Rifken
Illustrated by Carl W. Wenzel
ISBN: 9780979694806

True Friendship!

Tally is a friendly witch who befriends Scarecrow and grants him one wish. After some time, Scarecrow and Tally realize Tally is losing her flying powers, and it is probably due to too many wishes being granted. Scarecrow offers to help her get her flying powers back, and they set out with a plan to make that happen.

Scarecrow Finds a Friend is a delightful story about friendship and helping friends when they have problems. Ms. Rifken shows companionship and depth of character in just a few short pages, and offers children an illustration on how a small gesture can mean so much to those you love. The illustrations by Mr. Wenzel are beautifully drawn and alive with vibrant colors which complement the story perfectly. This is a gorgeous book which I couldn't wait to read to my children, and my kids screamed "again, again" as soon as the last page was read.