Vision in White - Nora Roberts

Title:  Vision in White
Author:  Nora Roberts
Publisher:  Berkley
Published:  2009
Pages:  325
Genre:  Romance/Comedy
Series:  Bride Quartet Book #1

I haven't read a romantic comedy in some time and Nora Roberts pens a great one!! I thought Carter Maguire was an adorable, nerdy, English Lit high school teacher. He was so shy around women...especially the one woman he had a crush on since high school. I loved how he talked to himself, giving himself advice on how to handle his attraction to Mackensie. And then there was his friend, Bob, making Carter lists on what to do in different situations involving his relationship with her and advice on dating. Laugh out loud funny. Just the right amount of shyness and clumsiness in Carter that endears him to the reader.

Mackensie is in a class all her own. Confident in her ability as a photographer...a wedding photographer...having her pictures on the cover of magazines. Yet, she is vulnerable in her private life. She has never had a relationship due to her upbringing...she is scared of commitment, doesn't believe in marriage, and only has flings with men. This is all due to the fact that her mother is the "Mommy Dearest" of all mothers. Manipulating Mackensie with guilt, pressure, and she is an overall drama queen with four marriages under her belt. But I do have to say that she gets her just desserts in the end.

Vision in White is a straight romance...no suspense, no scary stalkers...just plain fun!! It is the first book in a quartet which features 4 friends that run a wedding consultant business. They all have different personalities and different backgrounds, but they have been friends since childhood. I loved the bond that they formed and how strong they were together. Mackensie is the wedding photographer, Parker is the OCD mastermind of the business, Lauren the cake decorator, and Emma the florist. They each will have their stories of Happily Ever After.

I had such a great time reading this book...it made me laugh, got me mad, had me tearing up in places...all in all a fantastic fun read.Want something sweet and witty that will make you smile and close the book with Happily Ever After in your heart...then read Vision in White.



Rating:  4.5/5
Pages:  325
Completed:  2/26/10

Vision in White - Nora Roberts

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/vision-in-white-nora-roberts.html

Hosting my First Contest!!!!

MY FIRST CONTEST!!!!

I am hosting my first contest and it is a hotty!!

I won a Beth Kery book over at Seductive Musings...it was supposed to be a book from her backlist and I chose Paradise Rules...but low and behold she sent me her NEWEST book Release!!! I was so excited to get this in the mail. I had been wanting to get my hands on a copy of this.

However, I had already ordered a copy from Amazon which I just received a few days ago.  Sooooo, I am holding a contest and one lucky winner will receive a copy of Release. You can read a review I did of this book here...or you can head on over to Beth Kery's website and read all about it.

I am not going to make you jump through hoops to win this book....just some simple rules.

1. All you have to do is comment on this post...
2. Please leave an email address so that I can contact you.
3. You must be over 18 as this is an erotic romance.
4. And I am leaving it open to U.S. and Canada participants.

That's it...really simple.

So come on and comment!! And Good Luck!!!

Oh yeah...I will leave the contest open until Monday 6 pm EST, so that everyone has a chance to enter!!

Hosting my First Contest!!!!

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/hosting-my-first-contest.html

How a Vampire Changed My Life

I belong to the Vampire Club and each month there is a discussion topic. This month Phantom Inkheart posted the question:

Who is your all-time favorite fantasy character? A vampire, a demon, why? Can you pinpoint the moment and the book you decided to mark them to the top of your favorites list?

Vampires would be my favorite fantasy character, and in order to answer the questions, I need to start at the beginning. Way back when, during my childhood, teenage years, and college days, I used to be a voracious reader...reading anything I could get my into my hands. I read all the childhood books...Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nancy Drew, etc. The first romance I ever read was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss, and I remember it to this day. I fell in love with the romance genre with this book and gobbled them up like candy during my senior year of high school and all through college.

Then, reading disappeared from my life...I became involved with marriage, babies, divorce, and a career and for some reason books took a backseat...in fact, they were nonexistent in my life. After the trauma of my divorce died down, for years I wrestled with depression and found myself sinking deeper and deeper into the black hole. Nothing interested me, nothing could bring back the joy in my life. Until one day..........

I was sitting in my recliner, with my laptop in my lap...this was the usual way my evenings began...and I started surfing the net and for some reason eBooks grabbed my attention. I don't remember what website it was on that I read about them...but it had a link to the bookstore eReader.com and I clicked on it.  Fascinated that you could actually read a book on your computer, I began paging through the lists of books. I didn't know what I was searching for...I mean reading wasn't a part of my life anymore. Then I came across a book called Dark Prince by Christine Feehan. Here is the blurb I read...

He came to her in the night, a predator -- strength and power chiseled his features. The seduction was deep and elemental; he affected her soul. His need. His darkness. His terrible haunting loneliness. Her senses aroused, she craved the dangerous force of his body. Burned for him. And he had only touched her with his mind.

She came to him at dawn, his bleakest hour. As the beast raged inside him, threatening to consume him, he vented his centuries-old despair in an anguished cry that filled the waning night. And she answered, a ray of light, piercing his darkness. A beautiful angel. Her compassion, courage, and innocence awakened in him an exquisite longing and tenderness. He knew he must possess her, for only she could tame his savage side and lift the dark shadow from his soul. Apart they were desolate, bereft. Intertwined physically and spiritually, they could heal one another and experience an eternity of nights filled with love.

I just had to read this book...here was a soul as tortured as mine...finding a love that could heal. Little did I know that this book was about a VAMPIRE!! I mean a vampire??? Weren't they ugly creatures, mean and out to drain you dry?? LOL... Lo and behold, I was in for a BIG surprise. Mikhail had given up hope and could not push away the stark, raw loneliness of his existence. He was ready to step out into the sunlight and seek eternal rest. "Grief overwhelmed him, consumed him. He lifted his head and roared out his pain like the wounded animal he was. He could no longer bear to be alone." That was until Raven entered his mind and brought color and emotion back into his life.

I loved this book!! I read it in one sitting, all night, in fact. I laughed, I cried, I sat on the edge of my seat with anticipation...finally I was feeling again. Emotions were pouring through me. As soon as I finished the book, I found myself again at eReader.com searching through Christine Feehan's backlist, ordering like a mad woman. I had discovered reading again and the joy a book can bring into your life. That was 3 1/2 years ago, and I haven't been without a book since. Soon after regaining my love of books, I discovered book blogs, reading challenges, and online friends.

That, my friend, is how a vampire changed my life!!!

How a Vampire Changed My Life

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-vampire-changed-my-life.html

The Carpenter's Lady - Barbara Delinsky

 

Title:  The Carpenter's Lady

Author:  Barbara Delinsky

Publisher:  Avon

Published:  1983

Pages:  316

Genre:  Romance

For some reason I couldn't get Blogger to format the picture and typing right. grrrrrrr. I get so frustrated with Blogger sometimes. Oh well, on to the review.

I think Avon is reprinting this older book of Barbara Delinsky's because I saw it at Border's the other day. My copy came from a library book sale that I attended a few weeks ago.This is a sweet romance with just a touch of suspense in the end. Didn't know if they were going to get their "happily ever after" after all.  However, it is a bit dated...it was written in 1983...so the heroine uses a typewriter, there aren't any cell phones, and there is a scene where the hero didn't take her "no" seriously. But if you can just remember what the times were like back in '83 then I think you will enjoy the romance.

Debra leaves the hustle and bustle of New York for a small town in New Hampshire to nurse her wounded heart. She has bought a house that is in need of restoration and is bound and determined to get the master carpenter, Graham Reid, to help her. Hiding from his own bitter past, Graham doesn't want to take the job. However, after much deliberation and the draw of the old Richardson house, he takes the job not suspecting that his own life is about to be altered as well. "As the house begins to come together, he and Debra unexpectedly find themselves laying their own emotional groundwork...they struggle to find the courage to tear down the walls between them and build on a promise of new love."

I really liked the fact that Debra was a writer for a popular soap opera. That is a career that I haven't read about before. So not only do we find out about the behind the scenes life of a soap opera, but Barbara Delinsky includes a nice mix of home restoration information also. I don't know why I am drawn to books about restoring old homes, but I love the details about taking an old relic and turning it back into its former beautiful structure. I enjoyed the way that Debra went from wounded girl to a strong woman and stood up to her cheating ex-husband! Graham Reid is a compellingly enigmatic man. He has the ability to draw out personal information from Debra, yet shares nothing about his past. He is gruff and tough on the outside, but Debra sees through the exterior and knows there is a compassionate, hurting man inside. I didn't like the brother or mother in this story, they were too nosy for their own good...but they did add a certain component to the story. The suspense near the end was something that I wasn't quite expecting and made the pages of the book turn a little faster. Like I said at the beginning, it is a sweet beautiful romance that will touch the heart of the reader. 

Rating: 3.5/5
Pages:  316
Completed: 2/19/10

The Carpenter's Lady - Barbara Delinsky

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/carpenters-lady-barbara-delinsky.html

Scene of the Blog

Good Morning everyone. I am being featured over at Cathy's Kittling: Books. Her Scene of the Blog... features bloggers and their blogging spaces in their homes. So come on over and check out my space.

I also have the pleasure of being the first blog featured at the beginning of Scene of the Blog's second year. Check out the new button designed by Sheri of A Novel Menagerie. 

If this is your first visit here...welcome!!! I am an avid reader of all genres...mystery, thrillers, paranormal, etc., but my favorite is romance...romance of all sorts...paranormal, mystery/suspense, contemporary, medieval, and even a few historicals. World According to Books is my place where I write down my thoughts on the books that I read. I also have a place where I post my reading challenges that I have joined...Kara's Book Challenges.

So sit back, take a look around, and have fun!

Scene of the Blog

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/scene-of-blog.html

Night's Master - Amanda Ashley

Title:  Night's Master
Author:  Amanda Ashley
Publisher:  Kensington
Published:  2008
Pages:  364
Genre:  Paranormal/Vampire/Werewolf
Series:  Night Series - Book #3

Once again, I have to say that I am really enjoying this series.  Amanda Ashley has put together a sequel that encompasses all the characters from the previous books, and introduces new characters with such finesse that reading out of order would not be a problem. However, I don't recommend it...having the background stories, knowing how Raphael's lineage came about, made the book that much more enjoyable. She pens a story filled with sensual passion, suspense, and intrigue. The vampire hunters are at it again, and the Supernatural world has to band together to put a stop to the senseless destruction of their kind.  It was great to revisit old friends, and her new hero and heroine did not disappoint.  


Kathy is a bookstore owner in the small Midwestern town of Oak Hollow. Thinking she would be safe there, little did she know it was neutral territory for Supernatural beings. Her world is turned upside down the minute Raphael Cordova walks into her bookstore. He "exudes smoldering power, and his sensual touch draws Kathy into a world of limitless pleasure and unimaginable dangers."


An evil force has come to town to destroy the Supernatural beings and any human that gets in their way.  Raphael, being the leader of the North American vampires, is in charge of stopping them. But will his preoccupation with Kathy be a fatal distraction for all his kind?


I thought it was great how Amanda Ashley incorporated both Vampires and Werewolves in this particular novel. They have to band together in order to stop the hunters. It was interesting to read why they didn't like each other...one being a meat-eater and the other being a blood-sucker. LOL. She also brought in a bit of humor with some of the secondary characters and their interactions with Kathy in the bookstore.


One of the things that bothered me was Kathy's wavering back and forth through the entire book about whether or not she wanted to be with a vampire. Of course, being faced with the same decision...I don't know how easily I could make up my mind either. I mean, never seeing the sunshine, never eating ice cream or chocolate again...but then again, having supernatural powers, living forever, never getting sick or growing older...scale is starting to tip in the vampire direction...LOL!! She did have legitimate concerns...but I wish she would have made up her mind sooner. And no, I am not telling you what she decided!!


This is the third book in the series...and I can't wait to get my hands on the fourth...Night's Pleasure. This is the story of Raphael's brother, Rane. And I think there is even a fifth book in the works...but it is not titled yet. 


Visit Amanda Ashley's website to see what other vampire books she has written...I have read a few and they are all quite good. Did you know that she also writes as Madeline Baker (her real name)? She has written over 30 historical romance novels and is one of the most popular writers of Native American romance. I will have to try some of her books under this name!



Rating: 3.5/5
Pages:  364
Completed:  2/13/10

Night's Master - Amanda Ashley

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/nights-master-amanda-ashley.html

In Your Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

  I really like these two memes...In Your Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren on Sundays and Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

I hit the mother load this week!!! I received 9 books in the mail!!! Wooo Hooo. 

1. Coming Undone by Lauren Dane is the first one that came in the mail...I WON this book  from Limecello over at The Good, The Bad, and The Unread.  I was so excited about winning this book. However, little did I know that it is part of a duet...the second part...ack!!! So naturally, I have to go out and get the first book...Laid Bare. Even though I never read out of order...the cover of this book keeps calling me...I guess I might have to break my sacred rule and get started on this one first!!! LOL.

The other books I received were from Amazon...I finished up my Gift Certificate that I received for Christmas and ordered a bunch that I have been meaning to read...due to other bloggers' recommendations no less.

2. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill - first heard about this through Patricia's Vampire Notes...but since then it has been all over the place. First book in the Chicagoland Vampires series. Brutally attacked by one vampire, saved by another, Merit finds herself one of Chicago's immortals.

3. Seducing the Moon by Sherrill Quinn - I absolutely LOVE everything Sherrill Quinn writes. And this series is no different. This is the second book in her shapeshifter series. "Declan has a history with Pelicia, but not the kind that's going to help him win her back." I reviewed the first book in the series, Daring the Moon, and you can read it here.

4. Release by Beth Kery - heard about this one from Lea at Closetwriter. She had a fantastic review of this book, and I just had to get it. "Genny learns, there’s a price to pay for such impulsive pleasure. What began as a night of forbidden desire spirals into a whirlpool of murder, sensual submission, secrets, and a scorching passion that threatens to consume everyone it touches." I have read one other book by this author and absolutely loved it...Wicked Burn.

5. Armed and Dangerous:  Zack by Cheyenne McCray - I read a review of this book somewhere out there in blogland...sorry that I didn't write down who the enabler was...I like to give credit where credit is due!! "Ever since Zack Hunter, the ultimate alpha boy, left her ten years ago and broke her heart, Sky MacKenna hasn’t been able to find a man who sets her on fire the way he did.  Then he comes striding back into her life–bigger, badder and sexier than before…" This will be a new author to me, and if I like it as much as I think I will...she will be added to my "Must Read Author's List."

6. Night's Master by Amanda Ashley - I have been reading Amanda Ashley's vampire books recently, and I really enjoy them!! This particular one is part of a series...Night's Kiss, Night's Touch, Night's Master, and Night's Pleasure. "Kathy McKenna was sure that the little Midwestern town of Oak Hollow would be isolated enough for safety, but the moment the black-clad stranger walked into her bookstore, she knew she was wrong." You can go to my By Author page and see what other books by Amanda Ashley I have read.

7. Too Hot to Hold by Stephanie Tyler - This is the second book in Stephanie Tyler's Navy SEAL trilogy. I really thought the first one was excellent...Hard to Hold. So, I naturally had to go out and get the second one!! "Nick Devane’s life is one big, classified secret. Until Kaylee Smith busts his covert world wide open, threatening to blow his cover. Digging around where she doesn’t belong could get them both killed."

8. Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton - Here is another book that I have been wanting to read. I have read about this all over the place, but, once again, didn't write down the place where I first heard about it. I really need to be more diligent in that aspect...especially if I am going to keep doing these two memes. "After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even."

9. McKettricks of Texas: Tate by Linda Lael Miller -  I first read Linda Lael Miller when I started on her Montana Creeds series. I know, I know, where have I been - LOL. But, I immediately fell in love with her Texas cowboys and am trying to find her backlist. I had great success with her older ones at a couple of Library Sales almost getting the whole McKettricks series. This book is a continuation of her McKettricks series of which I think there are about 11 of them with 2 more being released in 2010. "Libby has her hands full caring for her mother and running the Perk Up Coffee Shop. Caffeine she needs. Tate McKettrick—with his blazing blue eyes and black hair. No way! Oh, heck—yes! But can Tate and Libby really hope for a second chance?" I love second chance love stories!!

Well, that's it...that's my haul for this week. To read more In Your Mailbox bloggers go here...to read more Mailbox Monday bloggers go here.

In Your Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-your-mailboxmailbox-monday.html

Sunday Salon - 2/7/10

This is my first Sunday Salon post in a long time. One of my Blog Improvement Project items is to participate more in this meme. I really enjoy visiting other Sunday Salon blogs and seeing what others are reading.

This week I finished both Satisfaction Guaranteed by Lucy Monroe and Shadow Prey by John Sandford. My favorite of the two was John Sandford's...I just love his Lucas Davenport series. I can't believe that I read 10 books in January. I know that for some of you that doesn't seem like a lot...but for me it was a good reading month. January was Stuart Woods' Celebrate the Author month, and February was John Sandford's Celebrate the Author month. I celebrated by reading Dead in the Water by Stuart Woods...and Shadow Prey by John Sandford.

This week, I am starting on a few books that are next in line for my reading challenges...All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (her Sookie Stackhouse series); The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (first book in her Lords of the Underworld series); and for a contemporary romance, I am reading Under Fire by Jo Davis (the second in her firefighters' series).

I finally took the time to count up how many challenges I have joined, and right now it is up to 56. Now don't faint...a huge portion of them can have books that are read for other challenges. So there will be a lot of cross-overs. One of the challenges, the Read and Review challenge, I am finding a little difficult...it is where you review every book you read for 2010. I have kept up so far, but I know as the year goes on...it is going to be more difficult.

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday and will be able to find time to read today!! If you want to read more Sunday Salon posts...head on over here to see the list of participants.

Sunday Salon - 2/7/10

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunday-salon-2710.html

Shadow Prey - John Sandford

Title: Shadow Prey
Author: John Sandford
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 1990
Pages: 499 (eBook)
Genre: Suspense
Series: Prey Series - Book #2

As I stated in my review of the first book Rules of Prey, I really enjoy this series...so much so that I have stopped getting them from the library and am purchasing them in eBook format so I can have the whole collection.

I think it is really hard to review books that are in a series. I hate giving away spoilers because I know how annoyed I get when I read a review the contains them. I love the blogs that give advanced warning of spoilers so that I know I can bookmark those reviews and read them after I have read the book.

To give a little background information...Lucas Davenport is a police detective that also designs and develops role playing computer games. Aside from being a great detective who walks the line between the right side of the law and apprehending the criminal any way he can...he is also a womanizer...LOL. As Lucas so honestly states, "I love women."

This book in the series deals with a radical group of Native Americans who are killing prominent people due to the injustices inflicted upon the Indian nations. Lucas hooks up with a detective from New York City...Lily Rothenburg...to track the killers and find the mastermind of the group. They are racing against the clock...as the bodies are starting to pile up.

This had a slow start, but the pace picks up to a strong ending. Even with the early introduction of the killers, the story kept me captivated. When it turns personal for Lucas, well, I just had to finish reading it...no matter what was happening around the house!! The rich detail that John Sandford pens makes for an interesting foray into the world of detective work...the thought processes, the information gathering, the evidence. The way they finally tracked the killers from such small details was amazing.

Lucas goes through some pretty traumatic episodes in this book...I can't wait to pick up the next in the series and see what further crimes, drama, suspense, and thrills that John Sandford has in store for him.



Rating: 4/5
Pages: 499 (eBook)
Completed: 2/5/10

Shadow Prey - John Sandford

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/shadow-prey-john-sandford.html

Satisfaction Guaranteed - Lucy Monroe

Title: Satisfaction Guaranteed
Author: Lucy Monroe
Publisher: Kensington Brava
Published: 2007
Pages: 294
Genre: Romantic/Light Suspense

Although this isn't the first book I've read by Lucy Monroe, it is the first book that wasn't a Harlequin. I enjoyed the story, however I do have to mention that it is light on the suspense and heavy on the romance between the two main characters. It was more of a self-discovery for the heroine...learning to accept herself for who she is...not letting outside opinions shape the woman she is supposed to be. At first, Beth kind of bothered me...she was a bit whiny and seemed to dwell on the fact that she was left at the altar three years ago. Although, since I have never been stood up at the altar...maybe it is okay to still be whiny about it three years later.

However, she did redeem herself as the story goes along. She is a person who has intense emotions...but all through her life people have been telling her she is too intense, feels too much. But then she has an epiphany and discovers strength in who she is...

"I've come to realize I'm an intense person. And that's okay with me. You don't have to like it. My parents don't have to like it. Alan doesn't have to accept it. But I do accept it and I'm through trying to fit in with people who don't."

Now Ethan is your typical manly man...an agent for the company that Beth's father runs. "He's tough, smart, and fearless. Exactly the guy you want when the stuff hits the fan." And it is exactly the type of man that Beth avoids at all costs...she doesn't date agents...ever. But when they are thrown together on a case...the sparks start to fly. And as time goes on...the fire ignites into an explosion of passion.

Lucy Monroe mixes incredible lovemaking, humorous dialogue, and throws in a dash of suspense and mystery to make this a very good read. I loved how her characters explored sides of themselves that were hidden from the world.



Rating: 3/5
Pages: 294
Completed: 1/29/10

Satisfaction Guaranteed - Lucy Monroe

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/satisfaction-guaranteed-lucy-monroe.html

BIP - To Do List

I am joining in on the Blog Improvement Project this year. I didn't participate last year but followed along, and they covered a wide range of topics on improving your blog. So instead of being a lurker this year...I am actually going to work on the project.

The first task is to create a To Do list of things you would like to achieve in the design and content of your blog. I really worked on the design of my blog during the January Bloggeista event, so I am going to work more towards content.

Here are some tasks I would like to accomplish:

• Add my Blog URL to my email signature and Yahoo Groups signature.
• Add my Blog URL to Facebook.
• Make available "Subscribe by Email"
• Start writing a variety of posts...not just book reviews. Maybe some author interviews, definitely get back to posting my Sunday Salon, etc.
• Get input from my followers as to what kind of content they would like to read.
• Clearly define my labels. I have some author and some genre...I would like to just have one consistent category like labeling all genres and just use my Books by Author post for people to search my authors.

I am considering a couple of other things...but I think this is a good list to start with. If you want to see what other bloggers are up to...check them out over here.

BIP - To Do List

http://worldaccordingtobooks.blogspot.com/2010/02/bip-to-do-list.html