Happy Easter 2012!!

From my family to yours we wish you a HAPPY EASTER!! I hope you'll enjoy hunting for eggs as much as my daughter did yesterday at her first egg hunt!

Feasted On: Virgin River Series, Book 18

- This is an ARC book - Available Formats through Amazon.com: Hardcover - Pages: 377; Paperback - Pages: 377; Kindle Edition - File Size: 547 KB | Expected Release Date: February 28, 2012 | Publisher: Mira Books | Obtained: NetGalley

"Redwood Bend" [Virgin River Series, Book 18] by Robyn Carr

My Book Summary : After living across the country away from Katie's older brother, her only family, she's ready to move closer to him, possibly even in Virgin River, so she can give her 5 year old twin boys more stability again. However, during their move, just on the outskirts of Virgin River, their vehicle gets a flat tire and Katie gets a chance meeting with Dylan, who just happens to be on a motorcycle ride with his buddies while staying in Virgin River. The chemistry and attraction between them is immediate. Soon even after Dylan's friends all head back home, he sticks around to be with Katie and her boys pushing back his original plans until his time runs out. Nevertheless, after everything they shared together will either of them be willing to let the other go once it's time to do so?

My Book Review : 4.5 out of 5 stars! A romantic, heart-warming, sweet, and enticing novel that makes you wish there was more to read about! I fell in love with the main characters while getting to enjoy the brief updates of the other characters around the town. To tell you the truth, even though I requested to read/review this book from NetGalley because I wanted to see what happened to Virgin River's characters after I read "Temptation Ridge," book 6 in the Virgin River Series, I was still a little worried that I would be disappointed in this novel as I was with the previous novel. Therefore, I am delighted to say I was really impressed with how this story was written, how the plot was laid out, and the antics that the characters of Virgin River got into!

The only flaw I found in this book, and it almost made me not enjoy this book as much as I did, was when Katie found out her big surprise! She doesn't handle it well at all. So much so, that I was very annoyed with her. However, I was very happy with how it all turned around once Dylan came back to make amends.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE who likes contemporary romance novels, and to those who are already fans of the Virgin River series!! Read it!!

My Previous Review(s) for this Series : Book 6

Author's Series Extras : Jack's Bar Chatroom | Preacher's Recipes | Meet the People of Virgin River

Author Book Trailer :

Book Teaser(s) :

"Ever been on a motorcycle?" he asked.
"Of course I've been on a motorcycle. I secretly dated a boy with a bike in high school."
"Secretly?"
"I was not allowed on the back of a motorcycle or in the bed of a pickup truck. I beat the odds." Then she grinned.
That grin of hers was completely irresistible. It made him want to grab her right here in front of the new elementary school. "If I were going to be around when the boys were sixteen, I'd tell."
"I'm not worried" she said confidently. He'd be gone before they were five and a half. "You won't be."
He didn't like the way she said that, but he shook it off. Ignored it. ~ within Chapter 5

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Robyn, then please check out her website.

What was I thinking?: Accidentally Yours Series, Book 1

Format: Kindle Edition | File Size: 493 KB | Release Date: February 2012 | Publisher: Self-Published | Obtained: Amazon.com

"ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE WITH...A GOD?" [Accidentally Yours Series, Book 1] by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

What was I thinking? : Well, I had just finished "Feral Sins" and because of the star rating I gave that book Amazon.com recommended this book to me. With all of the positive reviews/ratings this book had on Amazon.com I thought this would be an interesting read ... I was sadly mistaken.

My Book Summary : Emma has spent all of her life with a secret friend, a male voice that she has kept quiet, and only she can hear. However, after twenty-two years it's time to part ways between her and Guy (aka the voice). To do so will throw Emma into a dangerous world she's not familiar with, will give her truths about who she really is that she isn't ready for, and will make Emma and Guy both prove to themselves how much each of them can handle. However, when the time comes to each go their own way, will they be able to or want to?

My Book Review : 1 out of 5 stars. I couldn't finish this book because I could not stand all of the whining, secrets, and childish behavior that the main characters kept up throughout this whole book .... or at least up until Chapter 28 where I stopped reading. I do believe the plot is a good one, but I just could not connect to the characters and they were to annoying for me to really like anything about them. The only character I did like was Cimil, but since she wasn't in the book that much I could have gotten the wrong impression of her. *shrug* Who knows.

On the other hand, from what I've read of the book there are a few funny parts and/or sayings, which did help me get through what I did of the book.

That being said I really am NOT recommending this book at all but if you decide on reading it, I hope you'll like it better than I did. =0/

Author's Series Extras : What WOULD Cimil Do?

Book Teaser(s) :

"Why does he have turquoise eyes?" It couldn't be a coincidence that they looked just like the man's eyes from my dreams. Could it?
"Christ, Emma, put it on the goddamned question list."
I followed the boy for what seemed like an eternity but my muscles burned, and, finally, I had to slow to a fast walk. "I...can't...Guy," I panted, trying to catch my breath. "The air...is way... too thick for any aerobic activities."
"I told you, you need to work out more."
"God. You...are...un...belie...vable," I choked out.
"You have no idea," he replied. ~ within Chapter 11

"What's going to happen?" It was a stupid question, I know. Those Maaskab were coming for me and were, apparently, bad enough that Guy's men preferred to fight at this crazy redheaded demon's side than take them on alone. It felt like a competition for the evil, eviler, and evilest. I just hoped my team was the evilest. Go team? ~ within Chapter 20

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Mimi, then please check out her website.

Blog Tour - Sunny Days for Sam by Jennifer Shirk | Interview & Giveaway

Today I'm turning my blog over to Jennifer Shirk, who I interviewed about her latest novel "Sunny Days for Sam!!"

ALSO -- Be sure to comment on this post to be able to sign up for this tour's GIVEAWAYs (listed below)!! [Blog Tour will run from April 2 - 13, 2012]

---

My Q&A with Jennifer Shirk :

Jess : What books did you enjoy reading while growing up?

Jennifer : I loved humorous books—especially Judy Blume. And now I write a lot of humor in my own books too.

Jess : What appeals to you when writing a romance novel?

Jennifer : I love the special little chemistry you can create between such different people. It’s fun to put two people together and watch what happens.

Jess : Which of your characters would you most & least to invite to dinner, from which book and why?

Jennifer : That’s tough! But I would probably invite Ben Capshaw from my romantic comedy "The Role Of A Lifetime." Why? He’s a handsome movie star, and he happens to be a very funny guy. :)

Jess : What sparked the idea for your "Sunny Days for Sam?"

Jennifer : We were in Disney World on a family trip and when I saw all those women walking around dressed as Disney Princesses, I thought it would be so fun to have my character start off with a similar job. The book kind of has a Cinderella theme running through it too.

Jess : What is the most romantic thing one of your characters, from "Sunny Days for Sam," said or did?

Jennifer : Well, I can’t give away the ending, but I just so happen to ADORE the way Sam proposes to Sunny at the end of the book. It’s very romantic. :)

Jess : If "Sunny Days for Sam" were to be made into a film, who do you see playing the main characters and why?

Jennifer : Well, that’s funny you ask, because I actually did do a search of famous faces before I started writing the book in order to get a clear picture of my characters. I chose Sam as Patrick Dempsey and Sunny as Kate Bosworth.

Jess : Which usually comes first for you, the character(s) story or the idea for the novel?

Jennifer : Usually, I get an idea for a scene, and then the plot comes from that and then the characters.

Jess : In regards to your most recent novel, if you could write it all over again, would you change anything about it?

Jennifer : I think I might have made Sunny’s friend single instead of married. It would be nice to do a sequel of sorts for this book. Not that it couldn’t still happen...

Jess : How many books have you written?

Jennifer : Five. Three are published. One is under consideration now and one will never see the light of day.

Jess : Which is your favorite and why?

Jennifer : Oh, tough question! I can’t answer. A mother doesn’t say which one of her babies is her favorite—even though she may think it. LOL

Jess : Do you have any other projects in the works? If so, can you share a little of your current work with us?

Jennifer : I have a new book called "Kissing Kendall" under consideration with my editor. It’s a continuation of my last book called "Georgie on His Mind." Only this time it’s Georgie’s brother Brad’s book.

Jess : What book are you reading now? How do you like it so far?

Jennifer : Right now I’m reading a YA novel by Amanda Hocking called "Switched." I’m completely gobbling it up!!


Thanks so much for having me!!

---

About the Author :

Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.
She writes sweet romantic comedies and won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her book, "The Role of a Lifetime."

She's also a board member for Straight Ahead Ministries, an organization involved in helping spread the gospel and aiding medical and pharmacy students in Russia. She resides in a beach resort in NJ, and when she's not involved in all the above, she's taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter, and four hermit crabs.

---

"Sunny Days for Sam" by Jennifer Shirk
Author's Book Description :

Sunnyva “Sunny” Fletcher is a firm believer in fairy tales. With the recent debt she’s acquired, the hope of something magical happening in her life is the only thing keeping her going. She needs a job fast. So when Sunny learns the sexy new vacationer in town is looking for a nanny, she starts to believe she just may have a fairy godmother after all!

Internet guru Sam Calloway is only in town for the summer and needs a nanny for his two small children. However, the beautiful and inexperienced Sunny is not exactly the kind of caregiver Sam has in mind. It doesn’t take long for Sunny’s tenderhearted and bubble-blowing ways to soon have the children—and Sam—enamored with her. She’s a dream come true. But after what Sam’s been through, he’s stopped believing in fairy tales long ago.

Sunny manages to work her way into Sam’s closed-off heart, but at the end of the summer, will the workaholic dad go back to his life in New York City, or will he decide his days are much sunnier here with Sunny?

---

Book Excerpt :

Kim kicked her under the table, signaling her to say something about the nanny position before he disappeared.

“Ow!” Sunny scowled at Kim. Rubbing her shin, she turned to Sam. “Uh, look, I was wondering since I need a job now, and you’re, well...”

A dawning of realization sparked in Sam’s eyes, and his expression grew several degrees colder. “Ah, I see what this is all about. Now I know why you were so eager to help me. I’m sorry but my company isn’t hiring at the moment. Of course, you’re welcome to send in your resume for us to have on file.”

Resume? Company? She didn’t even know he had a company to send a resume to. “Um, no, actually, I was more interested in the, uh, nanny position.”

Sam blinked, then threw his head back and laughed. “You want me to hire you as a nanny?”

Emma stopped blowing bubbles in her milk and looked up with wide excited eyes. “Sunny’s going to be our new nanny?”

“Oh, cool!” Cole exclaimed. “You’re not mean like Natasha was and you’re not old like that Mrs. Ferguson. Mrs. Ferguson was always putting things where they didn’t belong and she couldn’t see so good.”

Sam gave him a stern look. “Hey, that’s not nice to say, Cole.”

“Sorry. But if she was a knight, she would be Mrs. Forgets-a-lot.”

Sunny banked down a bubble of laughter.

“Well, it doesn’t matter how Mrs. Ferguson was, because Sunny is not going to be your new nanny,” Sam firmly told them.

Any lingering laughter Sunny might have had died on the spot. “Oh, but I do have references!” she cried. “I’ve done a little babysitting on the side for years. I can be at your house at whatever time you want, except Friday and Saturday nights. And... and... I—I can even cook. Sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” he asked.

She shrugged guiltily. “Well, it’s usually hit-or-miss with me. I do make very good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and last year at the County Fall Festival I took first place for my double chocolate chip brownies.”

Sam let out an audible sigh. If Sunny was a betting woman, she’d wager he didn’t seem too impressed with those credentials. “Look, Miss, I prefer using an agency and going through all the proper channels. No offense. And I need someone willing to put in at least fifty hours a week.”

Sunny almost pinched herself when she heard fifty hours a week. That would pull in a lot of money. She obviously wasn’t doing a great job selling herself, though. Sam was already back to calling her Miss instead of Sunny. She needed this job. But what else could she say? She finally looked to Kim for help.

Kim took the cue and stood, taking Sam by the arm and leading him out of earshot of the children. “Well, just so you know,” she said in a hushed tone, “this is a small town. There’s no agency here, and from what your children said, I’m not so sure you’ve had the greatest luck with that. So you should at least consider Sunny. It’s really simple when you think about it. You need a nanny and she needs a job. Anyone in town will vouch for her. Heck, if you’d use your eyes, you can see for yourself that she’s great with kids.”

Sam rolled his eyes then his gaze fell to his children. Emma had already climbed up onto Sunny’s lap, running her little fingers through her straight blond hair. Cole had his hands in prayer position next to her. Sunny said a silent prayer, too. If Sam didn’t fall for this kind of corny Norman Rockwell pose, then she had no absolutely chance in securing the position. She held her breath and waited.

Sam walked back toward them with a resigned look. His cell phone went off again, but he ignored it this time. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he finally muttered, “Fine.”

“Yay!” the kids shouted, giggling and dancing around the table.

The breath Sunny had been holding rushed out of her lungs. She almost thought she’d misheard him. “You mean it? You’ll really hire me?”

“Yeah, but let’s not get carried away. It’ll just be temporary. Let’s see how the week goes first.”

Sunny high-fived Kim then jumped out of her chair. She was so happy, she almost threw her arms around Sam and kissed him. Fortunately, Sam’s disapproving scowl kept her firmly rooted to the two foot distance between them. He didn’t have much confidence in her, but that was okay. She had more than enough for both of them.

“Oh, you won’t be sorry,” she assured him. “I’ll be the best nanny slash brownie maker slash ex-princess you’ve ever had. I guarantee, after this week, you’ll be so pleased, you won’t ever want to let me go.”

Sam folded his arms and smirked. “Yeah well, we’ll see about that.”

---

Giveaways!! :

• A print copy of "Sunny Days for Sam" (US/Canada only -- an eBook copy of "Role of a Lifetime" will be substituted as prizes for any international winners) to two randomly drawn commenters

To Enter : Please leave a comment on this post, with a valid email address included at the end of it.

Soo .... COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT on this post!! And you could WIN!! =0)

ALSO -- Be sure to follow the tour around the other blog sites! Commenting on the other stops on the tour will also increase your chance of winning!

---

Find Jennifer Shirk :

• Jennifer Shirk - Website
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Idolizing In: The Phoenix Pack Series, Book 1

Format: Kindle Edition | File Size: 772 KB | Release Date: March 2012 | Publisher: Self-Published | Obtained: Amazon.com

"Feral Sins" [The Phoenix Pack Series, Book 1] by Suzanne Wright

My Book Summary : Taryn has a problem. She is being forced into a mating that she wants no part of. However, even though she is an Alpha female she is also a latent, meaning that even though she has the feels her wolf inside her and has wolf instincts she doesn't have the ability to shift into her wolf form, which makes everyone think they have the right to attack and pick on her. So, when she finds herself inside another packs territory with a proposal to get out of the forced mating she's surprised and a little intrigued in the proposal. The biggest problem with the proposal is it would mean a temporary mating with the Alpha of the Phoenix Pack, Trey, who has known to turn feral sometimes. However, even with that knowledge Taryn's wolf can't seem to get enough of him and feels safe around him, so she agrees, with the hope that the three months of this mating will fly by. In return, she's supposed to help him gain alliances so Trey can better protect his pack to an upcoming fight that he has against him.

Will the agreement between Taryn and Trey work out in their favors? Will they find that their wolves like each other more then they originally knew? Could thing actually work out between them and possibly grow into something more?

Or will everything fall apart when they find out that there is a traitor inside Trey's pack targeting Taryn, even before the fight already planned to head Trey's way?

My Book Review : 5 out of 5 stars!! This novel has a really good plot along with being spicy enough, with its erotic scenes, to get you all hot and bothered by the time this book is over! Trey is a possessive and domineering werewolf who isn't always in control of his wolf side. Taryn is a sarcastic, smart, feisty, and even though she's on the small side, she knows how to protect herself. Together they are an unstoppable duo that are perfect for each other and fun to read about!

I truly loved this plot (and subplots), the erotic scenes, and all of the characters ... well at least the ones in Trey's pack and Nick. =0) I can't wait to see where the author will take us next with this series!

I recommend this book and series to everyone who enjoys a suspenseful erotic-packed paranormal romance novel!

Book Teaser(s) :

She rolled her eyes. "Easy there, Flinstone."
"Flinstone?"
"If you're Alpha of a place like this, you're Fred Flinstone. I have no intention of hiding from you. You're mistaking me for one of your submissive Jane's. That's not to say there won't be some struggling involved if you expect to get in that bed with me."
"I'll be following you there in about twenty-minutes. We'll let the struggling commence then. But, what with your wolf riding you so hard to complete the mating, I can't see you struggling that much."
"Ah, so you're a resident of La La Land. I bet you're Sultan there too." The sound of Dante's throaty laugh followed her out of the kitchen. ~ within Chapter 4

"I'm heading to bed. Can't stay awake any longer. Goodnight." She had only taken two steps toward the door when Dominic called her name. She turned and raised a brow questioningly. He motioned with one finger for her to go to where he was on the end of the chaise. Rolling her eyes, she walked over and sighed.
He smiled. "I just made you come with one finger. Imagine what I could do with my whole hand." Everyone groaned. "What? That was a good one." ~ within Chapter 14

For more information on this book, series, and/or any other books by Suzanne, then please check her out on the Goodreads' website.