Tease by Penny Wylder

Welcome to Club Deep-- the hottest new place on the block. All your fantasies can happen here... but I had NO IDEA it was that kind of place when I applied to be a waitress.
I didn't realize until my first night, and by then, it was too late to back out.
Especially when I met my boss.
Cole Andrews... how do I describe him? Sinfully tempting, a living sculpture you just want to run your hands down. He's impossibly sexy and he can't keep his eyes off of me.
When he pulls me into a private room and shows me what he can do with his wicked lips, I know I'm in trouble.
Club Deep is like no place I've ever been.
The longer I work here, the more I feel myself changing.
Can I change enough to keep Cole interested in me?
Or will this club ruin me first? - amazon.com

I’m not teasing. If you’re looking for a super and I mean a scorching hot read, look no further than Tease by Penny Wylder.  Penny is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors with her HEA (happily ever after) delightfully smutty novellas.  She always delivers a pleasing quickie and Tease is one of her best so far.  It’s currently priced at just .99 cents so you’re quite the bang for your buck. Actually you’re buying a lot of banging for just .99 cents with this one! I can’t wait for the next installment of the Club Deep series.   

For more about Penny Wylder and her novellas, visit her on Facebook. 

Special thanks to the author for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Perennials by Mandy Berman

Rachel Rivkin and Fiona Larkin used to treasure their summers together as campers at Camp Marigold. Now, reunited as counselors after their first year of college, their relationship is more complicated. Rebellious Rachel, a street-smart city kid raised by a single mother, has been losing patience with her best friend’s insecurities; Fiona, the middle child of a not-so-perfect suburban family, envies Rachel’s popularity with their campers and fellow counselors. For the first time, the two friends start keeping secrets from each other. Through them, as well as from the perspectives of their fellow counselors, their campers, and their mothers, we witness the tensions of the turbulent summer build to a tragic event, which forces Rachel and Fiona to confront their pasts—and the adults they’re becoming. - penguinrandomhouse.com

I never had a real summer camp experience as a kid, after a week at a Girl Scout day camp, I had enough of bugs, dirt, and awkward swimming lessons.  However, Rachel, Fiona and the girls of Camp Marigold relished their youthful camp days. Unfortunately all that changes as the girls age and face adulthood but that’s where the root of this story really takes hold as alternating narratives by Rachel, Fiona and other campers and counselors give us a fuller picture of the dynamics at Camp Marigold.  Perennials by Mandy Berman is a summer treat that manages to perfectly counterbalance the froth and fun of childhood summer camp friendships while also exploring the complex dynamics of long standing female friendships. ****/5

For additional information, visit the author’s website and look for Perennials by Mandy Berman at your local bookstore online retailer. 

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying me with a digital ARC for review. 

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline

A handsome stranger moves to the small Pennsylvania town of Central Valley, and his name is Chris Brennan. He’s applying for a job as a teacher and varsity baseball coach at the local high school, and he looks perfect, on paper. But his name is an alias, his resume is false, and everything about him is a lie. And he has a secret plan – for which he needs a pawn on the baseball team.
Susan Sematov loves her younger son Raz, the quirky and free-spirited pitcher of the team. But Raz’s adored father died only a few months ago, and the family is grief-stricken. Secretly, Raz is looking to fill the Daddy-shaped hole in his heart.
Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who’s dedicated to her only son Justin, the quiet rookie on the team. But Justin’s shy and reserved nature renders him vulnerable to attention, including that of a new father-figure.
Mindy Kostis is the wife of a busy surgeon and the queen bee of the baseball boosters, where her super-popular son Evan is the star catcher. But she doesn’t realize that Evan’s sense of entitlement is becoming a full-blown case of affluenza, and after he gets his new BMW, it’s impossible to know where he’s going – or whom he’s spending time with.
The lives of these families revolve around the baseball team – and Chris Brennan. What does he really want? How far will he go to get it? Who among them will survive the lethal jeopardy threatening them, from the shadows?
Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will keep readers riveted to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget. 

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline is one perfect novel.  It weaves lots of little lies and story threads through a compelling tale that examines both the darkness of domestic terrorism as well as the ordinary struggles of suburban life. I've read nearly every book Lisa Scottoline has written and while they're all terrific, One Perfect Lie is outstanding and her best yet. Definitely pick up your copy today and come out and meet her on her book tour, not only is she a great author, she's a really great woman to meet!  Odds are you'll get a warm hug with your signed book.  Visit her website for tour dates and additional information on her books.

Special thanks to St, Martins Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for honest review.

Lisa & I at Book Expo circa 2013

Group Post: Blizzard Blitz

We're getting hammered right now in Orange County, NY with a blizzard that is expected to bring anywhere from one to two feet a snow.  It's the perfect day to stay indoors with a good book.  I asked the group for their favorite story featuring snow.

Every time, we get a major snowstorm, I think of The Baby Sitters Club: Super Special #7: Snowbound by Ann M. Martin in which a massive snowstorm hits Stoneybrook, CT causing all kinds of mayhem for the gang.  Stacey and her mom are stranded in their car on the way home from the mall; Jessi gets stuck at her dance school and Kristy acts hysterically awkward when the guy she is crushing on gets snowed in with her and her family.

I was going to pick The Baby-Sitters Club: Super Special #7 also but then I thought of Super Special #3: Winter Vacation by Ann M. Martin.  While on a class trip to a ski lodge, the girls become baby-sitters for a group of elementary school kids when their school bus has an accident in the snowy weather despite this, everyone ends up having a great time.

The Shining by Stephen King, a family with a psychic kid go to live in a hotel during the off season. Dad goes insane, tries to kill the family, hotel burns down, lots of snow.

Or, Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman,  There's a freak snowstorm that kills a woman trapped in her car. (Fortunately Stacey and her mom didn't meet the same fate).

To Build a Fire, a short story, by Jack London  It's the story of a man traveling on foot through a blizzard and it's aftermath desperately trying to keep himself from freezing to death.

As Red as Blood by Salla Simukka  This book reminded me of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for a YA audience,  Set in the harsh Finnish winter, this book features Lumikki who just wants to finish school and stay out of trouble but that's difficult to do when she stumbles into a plot involving thousands of blood soaked euros.   There are some plot holes and I think something is lost in translation but it is an entertaining and enjoyable mystery with slight fairy tale overtones.

Now what about you? What are some of your favorite snow/winter themed books?  Share with us!!

via GIPHY

Group Post: Currently Reading

We continue working through the "A to Z Bookish Survey," as created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner with C for Currently Reading.  I also asked everyone to include the first two sentences of Chapter 3 of their current read.

 As The Crow Flies by Craig Johnson  " 'You could've told me that you knew him.' She banked the turns at ninety, and I was beginning to think this was just the way Lolo Long drove, kind of like A.J. Foyt."

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells  "I told some of you last Thursday of the principles of the Time Machine, and showed you the actual thing itself, incomplete in the workshop.  There it is now, a little travelworn, truly; and one of the ivory bars is cracked, and a brass rail bent, but the rest of it is sound enough."

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney "You see yourself as the kind of guy who appreciates a a quiet night at home with a good book.  A little Mozart on the speakers, a cup of cocoa on the arm of the chair, slippers on the feet."

Hamilton the Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy Mc Carter  "What did Hamilton do with his hands?  Did he smoke a pipe?"

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett "Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can also tell you what kind of day you're going to have.  For instance, if you wake up to twittering birds, and find yourself in an enormous canopy bed, with a butler standing next to you holding a breakfast of freshly made muffins and hand-squeezed orange juice, you know that your day will be a splendid one."

Morning Star by Pierce Brown  "Blood beads where buzzing metal pinches my scalp.  Dirty blonde hair puddles onto the concrete as the Gray finishes scalping me with an electric razor."


So what about you?  What are you currently reading?  Share with us!

Group Post: Best Sequel Ever

We continue working through the "A-Z Bookish Survey," as created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner with B for Best Sequel Ever.

Savage Sam by Fred Gipson, the story of the son of Old Yeller is one of my favorite stories ever but sadly, it's next to impossible to find in bookstores.  

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, or Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.  

Fever by Lauren DeStefano, it got me really hooked into the series.  Her writing was very good and the story although odd was capturing.  

The Penderwicks in the Spring by Jeanne Birdsall.  While I loved every book in the series, this closer to it, hit all the perfect notes. It was funny, sweet, sad, moving, and just perfect!

A Darkness More Than Night by Michael Connelly.  While it's the 7th book in the Harry Bosch series, it's also the 2nd novel featuring Terry McCaleb and a terrific follow-up to Blood Work that centered on McCaleb.  I loved spending more time in McCaleb's world on Catalina Island and finding out what happened to him after the events in Blood Work, which is one of my favorite Connelly novels.  

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What about you?  What do you think is the Best Sequel Ever? Share with us!

Group Post: Author You've Read the Most Books From

For the next 26 weeks, we're focusing our group posts on the "A-Z Bookish Survey," created by Jamie of The Perpetual Page Turner.

So, let's start at that very fine place to start, the beginning with "A" and the author you've read the most books from?

35 by Edgar Rice Burrows followed by a hefty amount of Stephen King and Tom Clancy.

35 by Stephen King, followed by 14 by Rick Riordan, 9 by Brandon Sanderson

35 by Lynn Kurland

I'm not even sure to count it but about 100 Nancy Drew books Carolyn Keane, followed by 33 L.M. Montgomery

About 63 books by Ann M. Martin

I'm definitely an Ann M. Martin too! I used to read a book day over the summers in Jr/Sr. High School

Until Jessica and Nancy told me their responses, I was overlooking the obvious choice in Ann M. Martin as well.  I own over 150 of her Baby Sitter's Club books and well over 200 Sweet Valley High/University by the the various ghostwriters using the pseudonym Francine Pascal.   If we're discounting pseudonyms, I've read 26 Michael Connelly novels.

But what about you?  Comment below with the author, you've read the most books from and let's keep the conversation going!