Waiting on Wednesday #78 - Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Expected publication: May 19, 2015
by St. Martin's Press

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
Greer Hennessy is a struggling movie location scout. Her last location shoot ended in disaster when a film crew destroyed property on an avocado grove. And Greer ended up with the blame.

Now Greer has been given one more chance—a shot at finding the perfect undiscovered beach town for a big budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town. There’s one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino—which will be perfect for the film’s climax—when the bad guys blow it up in an all-out assault on the townspeople.

Greer slips into town and is ecstatic to find the last unspoilt patch of the Florida gulf coast. She takes a room at the only motel in town and starts working her charm. However, she finds a formidable obstacle in the town mayor, Eben Thinadeaux. Eben is a born-again environmentalist who’s seen huge damage done to the town by a huge paper company. The bay has only recently been re-born, a fishing industry has sprung up, and Eben has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. The only problem is that he finds Greer way too attractive for his own good, and knows that her motivation is in direct conflict with his.  

Will true love find a foothold in this small beach town before it’s too late and disaster strikes?  Told with Mary Kay Andrews inimitable wit and charm, Beach Town is this year’s summer beach read!

 Why am I anticipating this book? 
I enjoy Mary Kay Andrews writing. She is often funny in a way that recognizes the crazy ways that people act. If it was straight up romance, honestly I might not read it. But the humor, plus she is a local author, make it more than worth reading her books.

What  book are you waiting on this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday Updated: Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Expected publication: April 7, 2015
by Purple Panda Press

Never mind, he thought as PC Lucy shooed him and Mrs. Eldridge back out the way they had come. There was always Mushroom Liberation Plan B.

He is Chef Maurice. PC Lucy is the local police. Mrs. Eldridge is the neighbor of the man "missing vital signs." This teaser is from 3% on my Kindle.

This book is the first in a new series, the Chef Maurice Culinary Mysteries by J.A. Lang. Goodreads.com has a nice synopsis of this book that further evidences the humor.

“They say one should never trust a thin chef. By this measure, Chef Maurice was very trustworthy indeed.” It’s autumn in the Cotswolds, and Chef Maurice is facing a problem of mushrooming proportion. Not only has his wild herb and mushroom supplier, Ollie Meadows, missed his weekly delivery—he’s missing vital signs too, when he turns up dead in the woods near Beakley village. Soon, Chef Maurice is up to his nose in some seriously rotten business—complete with threatening notes, a pignapping, and an extremely well-catered stake-out. Can he solve Ollie’s murder before his home-made investigation brings the killer out for second helpings?

BONUS: Teaser from the short story "Chef Maurice and the Rather Fishy Tale". The short story is available for a limited time on Amazon.com for free.

"Oui, Chef, there's always the gruyere."

Chef Maurice fancied he heard a hint of sarcasm in his sous-chef's last comment. It was a puzzlement to him how Patrick could possibly find fault with the forty-kilo wheel of cheese currently dominating the tiny walk-in fridge- both in terms of mass and lingering smell.

... 

Then there was that incident when a slamming door had dislodged the wheel from its perch above Patrick's head and nearly caused the restaurant's first cheese-induced fatality. Even so, these were minor quibbles when compared to the truly unsurpassable quality of this fine piece of fromage.

The first teaser is from 7% on my Kindle. The second is from 9%. I couldn't help myself, I had to share both teasers since they were so relevant to each other. And they seem to be a taste of the sense of humor that is ample in this story and series.

What's your teaser this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Terry Pratchett and Soul Music

The Discworld writer's death was announced on his Twitter profile.

Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night.

Terry Pratchett (@terryandrob) March 12, 2015

The End.

Terry Pratchett (@terryandrob) March 12, 2015

Among other things that happened not long after his death, over 3,000 people signed a petition asking Death to bring him back. 

That made me think of Soul Music, when Death disappears and his granddaughter takes over. Maybe people are asking the wrong person to bring him back? I'm pretty sure he would be amused by the petition. I  kept hoping we would hear, like from Mark Twain, that the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. 

And oddly enough I had just shared the first book in the series with my daughter about a month ago. I had shared Soul Music with some of my students when I was teaching. I hope that they will all enjoy his books for a long time to come. 

The edition of Soul Music in the picture was published in May of 2003. Synopsis from Goodreads.com: 

When her dear old Granddad -- the Grim Reaper himself -- goes missing, Susan takes over the family business. The progeny of Death's adopted daughter and his apprentice, she shows real talent for the trade. That is until a little string in her heart goes "twang." 

With a head full of dreams and a pocketful of lint, Imp the Bard lands in Ankh-Morpork, yearning to become a rock star. Determined to devote his life to music, the unlucky fellow soon finds that all his dreams are coming true. Well almost. 

In this finger-snapping, toe-tapping tale of youth, Death, and rocks that roll, Terry Pratchett once again demonstrates the wit and genius that have propelled him to the highest echelons of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen.

I don't need to really review it here. Suffice it to say that I really loved the book. And it was one of many of his Discworld books that I found to be so entertaining.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Soul Music:

"The hippo of recollection stirred in the muddy waters of the mind."

"She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept on trying to interfere with it."

"Be careful what you wish for. You never know who will be listening."

"She had a tall bearing and a tall voice and a tall manner and was tall in every respect except height. Amazingly, she'd apparently been able to keep this a secret from people."

Terry Pratchett will be missed.

Blog Tour and Giveaway! The Summer Solstice: Enchanted by K.K. Allen

The Summer Solstice by K.K Allen

Genre(s): Fantasy, Romance, & New Adult

Pages: 188

Published: June 10th, 2014



Blurb:

After Katrina "Kat" Summer’s mother dies a mysterious and tragic death, Kat is hurtled into life at Apollo Beach. Her estranged and cryptic grandmother Rose fills Kat with legends of her Ancient Greek Ancestors from which the Summer family descends. Kat’s world begins to unravel as secrets from her heritage are exposed – secrets that her mother purposefully concealed. 

Leading to her birthday, the day of the Summer Solstice, Kat becomes frightened when enigmatic visions and disturbing dreams haunt her. When her visions become reality, her fear turns to terror as powerful forces threaten the lives of those around her. 

Amidst the turmoil, Kat meets Alec Stone, her gorgeous neighbor, who becomes her sole solace in an evocative world of mythological enchantment and evil prophecies that lurk around every corner… 

Goodreads | Amazon

EXCERPT from The Summer Solstice by K.K Allen

Today marks the sixteenth year of my life, a milestone that Rose believes to be cause for a celebration. It’s finally time for me to make my entrance to my party. I pause at the top of the grand staircase, taking one final look in the full-length mirror at the top of the stairs. Charlotte helped me get dressed, despite my resistance. With simple touches like mascara and blush, my long eyelashes are accentuated and my cheeks rosy. Light eyeliner defines my silver-blue eyes, which are becoming more silver with every day that passes.

It’s my hair that really strikes me, though. The length alone has grown so fast over the few short weeks I’ve been here and it’s now down past my shoulders, in curvy locks.

During my research, I made an effort to understand more about the day my grandmother holds so special. The summer solstice, June twenty-first, is the first day of summer. It’s also the longest day of the year as the sun reaches its highest point in the sky at noon. Since spending hours upon hours in the library, I’ve read all varieties of stories of the summer solstice and its celebrations. In general, it is a time when social code is temporarily shifted, when servants share in the merriment as equals. In some cases, their masters even serve them.

Rose’s wild stories and crazy imaginings are getting the better of me. My dream last night had been just like the first upon arriving at Summer Estates. The girl in the glass shattered the same vase. Everything about the dream was exactly the same—except the evil smile in the mirror belonged to my grandmother. This time it was she who raised her hand to make the vase burst in mid-air.

I’m disappointed that my questions are still unanswered after all the reading I’ve done. What does any of this have to do with Rose’s obsession with Ancient Greek culture and our family history? At some point today, I plan to confront her. She will tell me everything she knows, and she will explain all of the mysteries she’s been keeping from me.

I run my hands down my ribs, onto my waist, and finally to my upper thighs, all covered in a simple green chiffon, baby doll dress that reaches to a couple inches above my knees. With a deep breath, I turn and look down the semi-spiral staircase that flows down to the great room.

Author Bio:

My name is K.K. Allen and I am the Paranormal / Urban Fantasy Author of the Summer Solstice series. The Summer Solstice: Enchanted and The Equinox are now available at Amazon. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii but raised in Seattle, Washington. I currently live in Central Florida. I've always had a passion for reading and writing and have done so every day since the young age of 12. Writing has even transitioned into my Media Industry career where I wear many hats, copywriting/scriptwriting included. There's just something about telling a story that drives me in everything that I do. Whether I'm creating a content outline for a website, or pulling together assets to write to, or even putting together a video production, it's all about the storytelling. I hope you all check out the Summer Solstice: Enchanted and I look forward to connecting with you! 

Author Links: 

Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Website

I am reading the book, but I haven't finished it yet. I am enjoying it and looking forward to reading more of the series. Check it out!

This tour was organized by Good Tales Book Tours. 

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Waiting on Wednesday #77 - Ripped from the Pages by Kate Carlisle

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Expected publication: June 2, 2015
 by NAL

This week the title I am waiting on belongs to a series I've just begun reading. It's #9 in the Bibliophile series featuring book restoration expert, Brooklyn Wainwright.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com: 

When book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright temporarily relocates to her parents’ place in Northern California, she finds that wooden barrels aren’t the only things buried in the wine caves of Sonoma….

Excited to explore the secrets of wine country, Brooklyn attends an excavation of the caves hidden deep under her parents’ commune—and the findings are explosive. A room is unearthed, and it contains a treasure trove of artwork, rare books, a chest of jewelry…and a perfectly mummified body.

A closer examination of the murdered man’s possessions reveals a valuable first edition of Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Hidden in the book is a secret map that unveils an even greater hoard of treasures brought to California by French winemakers fleeing the Nazi invasion with the commune leader’s grandfather, Anton, among them.

As reporters and art appraisers flock to Sonoma to see the precious bounty, questions begin to rise—did Anton hide these items to protect them, or did he steal them for himself? Who is the mysterious man left for dead inside the cave? But not all crime is buried in the past. When a new presence threatens the town’s peace, Brooklyn decides to do a little excavating of her own and solve the mystery of the treasure before anyone else is written off.

Why am I waiting on it? 

Well, books. It's a book about someone who loves books solving mystery and mayhem that includes among other things a first edition book. I'm hoping because it is book 9 in the series that it means that the rest of the series is worth reading as well. After all, if people weren't liking and buying this series, there would be no ninth book. So, yeah, books. =0) Also curious about the alternative lifestyle her parents have living in a commune. 

So, what book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. And Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday - Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Trigger Warning: Short Fiction and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman is the source for this week's teasers. Two teasers for the price of one! I just couldn't choose between them. They come from the first and second page of the introduction. 

"The monsters in our cupboards and our minds are always there in the darkness, like mold beneath the floorboards and behind wallpaper, and there is so much darkness, an inexhaustible supply of darkness. The universe is amply supplied with night."

"What we read as adults should be read, I think, with no warnings or alerts beyond, perhaps: enter at your own risk. We need to find out what fiction is, what it  means to us, an experience that is going to be unlike anyone else's experience of the story."

From Goodreads: In this new anthology, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction--stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013--as well "Black Dog," a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods, exclusive to this collection.

So far I am enjoying the book, including the introduction. What book are you reading this week? What are your teasers? Please share them with us in the comments. Happy Reading!

Review: Swan Dive by Kendel Lynn

Expected Publication is 3/17/15
 byHenery Press

Swan Dive by Kendel Lynn is the third book in the Elliot Lisbon mysteries. Elliot Lisbon has been learning how to be a Private Investigator. She is supposed to use her tools of the trade to find out who murdered the Sugar Plum fairy backstage at the first night of the performance of the Ballantyne's production of the Nutcracker. It's murder by cupcake and the curtain goes down on the dancer.

Elliot is the director of the Ballantyne and as such feels she needs to try to solve this  mystery before something else tragic occurs. As the mystery progresses, it's like nothing and no one is exactly quite what they seem to be or want to be. 

While this book is the third one in a series, it can be read as a standalone. Everything you need from clues to suspects to humor is included in the book. The protagonist, Elliot Lisbon, is a very human sleuth. She is a smart woman, but will sometimes still make mistakes about how much she should share with the police, especially Ransom, her handsome next door neighbor and one of the 2 men she is dating at the time of this book. The murder occurs early in the book which is a plus. You won't find yourself reading 40 pages of backstory here before the action begins. It's off to a strong start and the revelations come at a good pace. 

I give this book 4 stars. I would definitely buy it for someone as a gift. I think it would make a great Christmas gift because of the timing of the mystery, but would be enjoyable at any time of the year.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest  opinion.