While some of the books I review on my site are furnished by the publishers, authors, or publicists for the purpose of review all of my reviews are truthful, honest, and my sincere opinion.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Closed: Giveaway: The Vixen Manual by Karrine Steffans

Thank you to everyone that entered. There were 13 different entrants and a total of 32 entries!

Here are the three winners:
1) Nancye D
2) Sarah N
3) Catherine L

Emails are being sent to the winners. Thank you again for entering and congratulations to the winners. I hope you enjoy them.

All winners were chosen using Random.org

-Jennifer

Thanks to Anna at Hachette I can giveaway 3 copies of this one.



About the Book

Since she exploded on the scene with her two juicy and impossible-to-put-down tell-alls, readers have wanted to know even more about what makes Karrine Steffans tick. How was she able to meet all the high profile politicians, movie stars, and other celebrities that are her close acquaintances? What skills does she possess to keep men wanting more? Finally, Karrine lays it all out and explains exactly what a woman must do to win over the man of her dreams. With chapters like "Never Let Him See You Sweat," "Flirting," "Encouraging His Manhood," and "Give Him What He Wants," this hot and sexy manual is a must-have for every woman's bookshelf.

To find out more about The Vixen Manual please visit Hachette Book Group.

You can also visit Karrine Steffans on her website.

Giveaway Info

The giveaway will end 8/25/10 at 11:59pm (EST)

From here on out I will only be taking form entries. Comment entries will no longer be accepted. Thank you everyone for helping make the forms a success!

Rules:
1) Only winners from the US and Canada
2) No PO boxes

To enter:
1) Fill out this form.
2) Get an extra entry for following my blog.
3) Get a third entry for mentioning this giveaway: On your blog, facebook, twitter... anywhere (Make sure to leave me a link or your SN so I can verify!)
5) "Like" Just Jennifer Reading on Facebook.

Please RT: @JustJennReading: New Giveaway: The Vixen Manual by Karrine Steffans http://tiny.cc/z0kc2

Remember to use this form. Comment entries will no longer be valid entries into the giveaways.

You can see the current entries here.

The winners will be randomly drawn and notified by email.

Good Luck and thank you for reading my blog!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Closed: Giveaway: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

Thank you to everyone that entered. There were 34 different entrants and a total of 89 entries!

Here are the five winners:
1) Sue B
2) Christy H
3) Cheryl F
4) Susan
5) Tiffany C

Emails are being sent to the winners. Thank you again for entering and congratulations to the winners. I hope you enjoy them.

All winners were chosen using Random.org

-Jennifer

Thanks to Anna at Hachette I can giveaway 5 copies of this one.



About the Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions.

A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .

A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .

Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.

A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE

To find out more about Wicked Intentions please visit Hachette Book Group.

Read my review of Wicked Intentions here.

Giveaway Info

The giveaway will end 9/1/10 at 11:59pm (EST)

Rules:
1) Only winners from the US and Canada
2) No PO boxes

To enter:
1) Fill out this form.
2) Get an extra entry for following my blog.
3) Get a third entry for mentioning this giveaway: On your blog, facebook, twitter... anywhere (Make sure to leave me a link or your SN so I can verify!)
5) "Like" Just Jennifer Reading on Facebook.

Please RT: @JustJennReading: New Giveaway: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt http://tiny.cc/q1aug

Remember to use this form. Until everyone gets used to the form I will still take comment entries, but I really think this form is going to make things much easier.

You can see the current entries here.

The winners will be randomly drawn and notified by email.

Good Luck and thank you for reading my blog!

Blog Tour Review: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

Thank you to Anna at Hachette for letting me participate in this blog tour.



About the Book

From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions.

A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . .

Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk . . .

A WOMAN HAUNTED BY HER PAST . . .

Caire makes a simple offer-in return for Temperance's help navigating the perilous alleys of St. Giles, he will introduce her to London's high society so that she can find a benefactor for the home. But Temperance may not be the innocent she seems, and what begins as cold calculation soon falls prey to a passion that neither can control-one that may well destroy them both.

A BARGAIN NEITHER COULD REFUSE

For more information about Wicked Intentions please visit Hachette's website.

For more information about author Elizabeth Hoyt please visit her website.

My Review

What a great story. There was so much going on I didn't want to put it down.

There's the story of Lord Caire and Temperance. There's the story going on with the foundling house and all the orphans. There's the story of the murder. There's the story of the ghost of St. Giles. There's the story behind Temperance's family. So much going on, and yet it all flowed together so seamlessly that I didn't really realize how much was going on until I finished the book.

I really liked Temperance. She was willing to do what it took to keep the foundling house and her brother, from falling into ruins. Which is where Lore Caire comes into the story. Both Temperance and Lord Caire have so much "baggage" that their relationship seems is destined to never happen. Temperance's secret has haunted her for the last 9 years, and watching her unwrap that past, through Lord Caire's urging and help, was so engrossing.

This was beautifully written. Like I said there is so much going on. It would seem that with all the different stories going on within the main story that it would get confusing, but it was all weaved together so well that I didn't really notice it. The story is also fast-paced, there were very few lulls in the story. So not only didn't I want to put it down, but it moves so fast that I didn't really get a chance to put it down. I was able to finish the entire book in only three sittings.

There were a few things that weren't fully "tied up" in the end, but given that this is the first in the Maiden Lane Series I'm sure that was done on purpose. The loose ends really built up so much anticipation that I can't wait to get the next in the series.

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Review: Audiobook The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Thanks to Anna at Hachette for letting me review this one.



About the Book

FBI Special agent Brad Raines is facing his toughest case yet. A Denver serial killer has killed four beautiful young women, leaving a bridal veil at each crime scene, and he's picking up his pace. Unable to crack the case, Raines appeals for help from a most unusual source: residents of the Center for Wellbeing and Intelligence, a private psychiatric institution for mentally ill individuals whose are extraordinarily gifted.

It's there that he meets Paradise, a young woman who witnessed her father murder her family and barely escaped his hand. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Paradise may also have an extrasensory gift: the ability to experience the final moments of a person's life when she touches the dead body.

In a desperate attempt to find the killer, Raines enlists Paradise's help. In an effort to win her trust, he befriends this strange young woman and begins to see in her qualities that most 'sane people' sorely lack. Gradually, he starts to question whether sanity resides outside the hospital walls...or inside.

As the Bride Collector picks up the pace-and volume-of his gruesome crucifixions, the case becomes even more personal to Raines when his friend and colleague, a beautiful young forensic psychologist, becomes the Bride Collector's next target.

The FBI believes that the killer plans to murder seven women. Can Paradise help before it's too late?

For more information on the Bride Collector please visit Hachette's website.

My Review

This was a very disturbing book, on a few levels. There's the serial killer, the Bride Collector, who is killing God's chosen one's. What's even more disturbing than the killings themselves is the fact that the Bride Collector truly thinks he is doing God's will by killing these women. Then there is the fact that the killer is using detective Brad Raines' past to get close to him, through the victims. So yes it was disturbing, but it was a great story!

I really liked the characters. Raines was great, he was dealing with a past that was being brought back for him to confront. The killer was insane, but yet his convictions were so strong, I understood why he thought what he was doing was right. Nikki, was a likable character, although she was a bit underdeveloped. But in the end I don't think her character was a main focus for the book. She was just a means to an end. Then there was the brood from the Center for Wellness and Intelligence. Paradise plays a large role in the book, and while she suffers from mental illness she was very "normal". My favorite character was probably Roudy. He was so serious about everything that he came off as a bit humorous to me.

One thing I really liked about this novel is that it showed mental illness in a very respectable light. The characters from the Center for Wellness and Intelligence all had their issues, but there wasn't any condescension surrounding them. There were quite a few times when Raines would make a comment to the effect of "and you're the crazy one". It truly showed that just because someone has a mental illness does not make them stupid, or ignorant, or any less of a human being. And while the characters in this book were different they weren't projected as being animals, which I think is a view that is normally painted around patients in mental hospitals.

I really liked the narrator in this one. John Glover's voice was easy to listen to, and he had so much character in his voice. While he is a recognizable person I didn't see his well-known characters while listening to him.

My only complaint with this one was that it was so long. Getting through the first 5 CDs seemed like it took forever. After the 6th CD though things picked right up. The last 7 CDs I went through quite fast. I hated having to switch CDs because I didn't want to have to take a break in the story.

Overall well written book with great characters and a great story.

The Bride Collector