Yay book signings!

I'm making it my new goal to get out to more book signings. Especially if it's an author I love. However, this means I need to be a little more on-the-ball, since usually I don't hear about signings until they're already passed. But from now on, dangit, I'm keeping up to date!

I knew when "Maybe This Time" was released, Jennie Crusie would be doing a small book tour, and I knew I just had to go one of those days. So I looked up the schedule, sent it to my mother and aunt (also big Crusie fans), and we all said we're going. Well, time passes.. and while checking Jennie Crusie's blog, I noticed she said something about Cincinnati... OH YEAH THE TOUR! Well, I managed to convince my mom and aunt to go, and we got there just in time to browse the bookstore before getting seated.

And what a talk it was! I always love hearing Crusie speak. Talk about entertaining.. and so funny! And I do so love to hear her talk about her works in progress, and even just how some aspects of her life affect her work. But after the wonderful chat, I got my two books signed, bought two other books (Yay for a YA fiction sale!), and then immediately came home to search for the mysterious book Jennifer Crusie wrote years ago and refuses to say the name (apparently, it was one of her first/her first book, and therefore not as good). I found it... and bought it. ;)

Where was I going with this... OH RIGHT! Book signings. I want to go to more! I wish more of my favorite authors were even semi-local, and therefore more likely to travel this area, but darn it, I'll catch them if they ever come close. I did happen to notice the same bookstore hosting tonight's signing will be hosting six YA fiction authors later this month. Though I'm only familiar with two of them, I definitely want to try checking the rest out.

Have a wonderful Friday! 

Review of "Maybe This Time" by Jennifer Crusie

Crusie is back with a new romance - her first solo release in some time.

Disclaimer: This book was purchased by the reviewer for my own personal enjoyment. I was not given this book, nor any monetary incentive, in exchange for a postitive review. But I am an Amazon.com Affiliate, which means using my link to buy the book will make me a penny or two.

Type: Romance, Ghosts, Children, Creepy, North Is A Hottie, Gabe McKenna is back!?

From the book jacket: "   Andie Miller is ready to move on with her life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her. A distant cousin has died and left North the guardian of two orphans who have driven away three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs someone to take care of the situation, and he knows Andie can handle anything... When Andie meets the two children, she realizes the situation is much worse than she feared. Carter and Alice aren't your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. Complicating matters is Andie's fiance's suspicion that this is all a plan by North to get Andie back. He may be right because Andie's dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that's not the only haunting...  "

I loved "Maybe This Time" so much that I had to write down my thoughts to keep them at least somewhat organized. And my first note was "Crusie is back to her old self." Now... this implies that working with Bob Mayer changed her, or took some of her awesome-ness away, and that is definitely untrue. I loved her collaborations with Bob Mayer, and the girls she worked with to produce some other works. But I was just so happy to see the writing traits that I love this author for shine through in her newest book. She has characters I love, situations I can't get enough of, and humor that makes me laugh out loud.

Let's start with Andie. Andie is a real woman, with flaws (She's a bolter!), but she's strong and compassionate. She goes to take care of these children, originally because there was some money on the line (I'd babysit kids for a month for 10,000 dollars too!), but in no time at all, she's become the mother bear, learning what she has to do to care for these unique children, and willing to take on anyone she has to in her path to help them.

And North. Oh man, North... He's a classic Crusie hero - which means he's a real man, a guy like you could possibly meet on the street. But he's so strong, warm, reliable, someone to lean on, and oh so dreamy. I read a lot of paranormal romance, which is full of bronzed gods, ancient warriors, etc. And I think it is a true testament to Crusie's writing ability that makes her modern day human heroes just as perfect, if not even more so, than supernatural beings. You can really see North's growth as a character, from someone hidden away in his office who thinks shelling out money is the best way to deal with problems, to a guy willing to leave everything behind, and stick with Andie no matter what, even when she says some seriously crazy things.

And the side characters - ah! Southie is perfect as the ex-brother-in-law of Andie, and his current love interest is good for a strangle/laugh. Not to mention, fans of Jennifer Crusie will recognize the private investigator North brings in, Gabe McKenna - the hero from Fast Women. I love Jennifer Crusie for her snark and humor, which is still present despite the darker tone of this book. There may be a single line that comes accross as the perfect one-liner to a reader, but just try reading it to someone else. I did, they'll give you a funny look. Crusie writes so seamlessly there are no real one-liners. If you know the story, it's hilarious, but to an outsider, it's just a weird line.

While Crusie generally writes contemporary romance, this story blends that with a hint of the paranormal to create the perfect ghost story. I read it late at night, and let me tell you, there were a few moments where I didn't want to go to sleep, because I was afraid to turn off the light. And the end was to die for (maybe literally?!). I almost felt cheated after the climax, but once again.. Jennifer Crusie didn't let me down.

I'm going to give "Maybe This Time" by Jennifer Crusie a FIVE out of FIVE (5/5). For the first time, I wish my rating system was out of ten instead of five, because "Maybe This Time" deserves an even better score. I hope everyone gets to check out this amazing story, to delight in the storytelling (which was fantastic), and the characters (North is a dreamboat).

Have you read it? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! Do you want to read it? Get it from Amazon.com by clicking the image above.

Until next time - Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Heroes I can't live without: Part 1

So I've already talked about what series I have to re-read every couple years, now I'm going to tell you all about what Romance, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, etc, heroes that I can't live without.


Number One: Davy Dempsey from Jennifer Crusie's "Faking It."
  I fell in love with Davy in "Welcome to Temptation," which features him as the brother of the main heroine. And I can't tell you how happy I am that Davy got his own story. If I were being honest.. I'd say I love him so much because he's a bit (a lot) of a con man. But he's good, mostly. And maybe, for Tilda, he's ready to give it up. I love Davy.. he should teach me how to pull off a good con, and he's pretty dang resourceful..

Number Two: Valerius from Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Seize the Night."
   He's a bada$$ immortal vampire hunter... and a secret pop culture junky. How could I resist? Because of who Valerius is, and his past, the rest of the Dark-Hunters won't even acknowledge his presence at best, but would eagerly kill him on sight at worst. So Valerius learned to tune it out, or lash out before they get the chance to do anything. But with Tabby, he found someone that could appreciate him for who he is, not his and his family's past. So I can't help but love the tortured hero. It's a (delicious) flaw of mine. So already I loved Val.. but throw in his vast movie collection and his joy of tossing out movie quotes, and I'll melt into a puddle of happy goo.




Number Three: Sin from Kinley MacGregor's "Born in Sin."
   Yes, I'm aware Kinley MacGregor and Sherrilyn Kenyon are the same person. And here we have another tortured hero - Sin has been treated badly since birth, and hated by so many. So of course I was like "I'll love you, Sin!!" Maybe you all haven't noticed, but I adore comedy.. I deal with difficult situations (or any situation really) by laughing and cracking jokes. And while I love me some broody guys, I also need someone that can crack jokes. And Sin does that perfectly. He broods with the best, and his humor is so unexpected, you can't help but laugh.



So that's Heroes I can't live without: Part 1. Yes, there are plenty more, no worries. In fact, I wish I could have a nice harem of heroes.. it'll be the next big thing in romance! A Harem O'Heroes! Stay tuned for the next installment, as well as upcoming reviews.

Review of "The Cinderella Deal" by Jennifer Crusie

I spent my day doing yardwork, and to relax, all I wanted was a good book. So of course I picked up a Jennifer Crusie book! I believe "The Cinderella Deal" was published some time ago, and it has just be re-released with a new cover. It was also one of the only Jennifer Crusie books I don't own. What can I say, I'm a huge fan. But on to the review.

Disclaimer: I, the reviewer, bought this book on my own. I was not compensated in any way for this review.

From the back of the book: " Daisy Flattery is a free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story. Why else would she agree to the outrageous charade offered by her buttoned-down workaholic neighbor, Linc Blaise? The history professor needs to have a fiancee in order to capture his dream job, and Daisy is game to play the role. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that changes everything. Now, with the proverbial midnight hour approaching, will Daisy lose her prince, or will opposites not only attract but live happily ever after? "

As I said, I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Crusie, I will, and have, read everything by her - except for her newest release, which I just found out about today and therefore need to go buy. And "The Cinderella Deal" did not disappoint. Maybe it's just that I have become more emotionally involved in things I've read lately, or maybe I've just read some great books lately, but there was a time or two in this book that I about teared up because I was so emotional. But that's what I love about this author and her books. There's humor, which I love to read, but there's also real emotions. And sometimes, you can't help but feel them too.

I was a little worried that the plot was going to run out, since things seemed to be moving so fast - and indeed, a fair amount of time was covered in this book. But I was glad to find that it really worked. Their months together felt like a whirlwind to the reader, and when you think about how the characters are reacting to this huge, new change, you realize that it's all a big whirlwind to them as well.

I loved the characters, and they were comforting. There's a reason I keep coming back to Jennifer Crusie's books - she writes characters that I love, ones I know I can count on to give me the good love story I need. And not just human characters. Dogs show up in several of Jenny Crusie's books, and "The Cinderella Deal" doesn't disappoint in that area, either. Jupiter, a stray that Daisy finds and adopts, helps shape Linc's character and begins his change from stuffed shirt to something human.

I am a little disappointed with the cover though. It's a good, eye catching cover - but having read the book, I assume the dog on the front is meant to depict Jupiter. Well.. considering Jupiter is a one-eyed, stray, mutt, I'm sure his looks are... vastly different. But I guess that doesn't really matter. Covers are there to help sell the book, and I've already bought it. I do enjoy the bright colors on the cover though, I know the main character, Daisy, would really love it. And I think it's a nice touch, when the cover shows a part of the character.

All that said, I'm giving "The Cinderella Deal" by Jennifer Crusie a FIVE out of FIVE. Once again, she didn't disappoint. And I think this book might have to be moved to the top of my "Jenny Crusie Favorites" list. I really suggest anyone in the mood for a good, quick, funny romance should pick up anything from Jennifer Crusie - and especially "The Cinderella Deal."

Check out "The Cinderella Deal" and Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow