Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My teaser today is from Diagnosis Death by Richard L. Mabry. Here's the teaser:

As she passed the Dallas city limit sign, she felt she should say something to mark the occasion. Something like, "Good-bye Dallas, hello Dainger."

I hope you liked the teaser. What was yours this week?

Book Review: A Werewolf in Manhattan by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Blurb (Goodreads):

"Emma Gavin writes about werewolves, but that doesn't mean she believes in them-not until a pack of real-life New York weres decide to investigate the striking accuracy of her "fiction".

When Aidan Wallace, son and heir of the pack leader, tries to sniff out Emma's potential informant, he discovers something even more dangerous- an undeniable attraction to her."

My Opinion:



A werewolf in Manhattan is the first book of the series Wild About You by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I think it's pretty good for a start. Like with all the other series I've read, I was left with a lot of questions and way too few answers. I hope some of those questions will find their answers in the next book in the series.

I liked Emma. She's the girl next door. Maybe a little plain Jane. An ordinary girl with a talent at writing. But she's also witty, very curious, a loyal friend and daughter. I think her character was sort of fresh. Not the sex bomb I'd expected, which was really refreshing. I would've liked her to accept the whole "werewolves are real" part a little bit harder, but that's another story.

Aidan is... Well, he's a werewolf first. A very sexy one. A cursed werewolf, given his genetic little problem. He's the oldest son, which means that he has to take a werewolf female as a mate, not a human one, and become leader of the pack. I like that he stands up to his father in order to protect Emma. I really liked that.

One of the things that I didn't like was, as I said before, the quick acceptance of the werewolf concept. I wished Emma was a little bit skeptical. I know that she was forced to believe in this world, but I don't know. I was expecting something else.

The second thing that I didn't like was the quick ending. This isn't my first Vicki Lewis Thompson book, so I'm used to her writing style. But I felt this ending was a bit too rushed. I would've liked a scene with Emma and Aidan's father alone. See how they interact and how Emma convinced his dad she's trustworthy.

All in all, I liked the book. It could've been better though. I'm anxiously waiting for the second book in the series. Maybe we'll get to see more of Aidan's sexy brothers :P

Book Review: The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker

Rating: DNF

Blurb (from Goodreads):

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 Wellness 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?

 

When I read the blurb I couldn't wait to sit down and devour the book. It had me at "serial killer". What could be more interesting for a psychology graduate than a book about a serial killer? The cover and the title also attracted me. The book starts with a crime scene, which I thought was very well described. It made me picture the scene very clearly, which I thought was very good. I also liked Raines partner, Nikki, a forensic psychologist. I liked her not only because of her job, but also for how the author imagined her: she knows when to ask questions and when to listen, she admits that she can't "figure" everybody out, even though that's her job.

I also liked how the people with a high intelligence are described. Yes, geniuses sometimes have mental problems and yes, they are outcasts. And I liked that the author managed to show that.

The book lost me the moment the killer was revealed very quickly. I know that the police have no clue who the killer is, but I do. And I like the mystery and the thrill of not knowing who the killer is. Maybe the idea is to show that the killer was a genius and how he manages to avoid looking too suspicious to the cops. But I'd rather "feel" that he's a genius without knowing his identity. I would have liked a little exercise, a little more mystery. The few scenes from the killers POV that I read didn't give me the image of a genius. Instead he appeared like any other sociopath to me.

I do think that the book has potential and maybe some readers wouldn't be put off by the early (dare I say prematurely) reveal of the killer's identity.

New face and what to expect next week...

Hello everyone. Do you like the new template? I love how it turned out.

I know I said I will post some reviews this week, it's just that I'm sick. I have a really bad case of a flu and I feel like a truck ran me over. Thank God I didn't have a fever until now. Let's hope it stays that way.

Anyway, I wanted to upload the new template and let you know that I'm still alive LOL.

Next week I'll be reviewing The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker and A Werewolf in Manhattan by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I'll try to review another book, but I don't know if I'll get  to finish it this week. We'll see how it goes.

How was your week? I hope it was better than mine!

xoxo, Ruby

News and stuff

I'm behind my schedule a little here. Okay, a lot. Oops. I've just had a weird week and all. Plus, I'm trying to redesign the blog. I think on Tuesday-Wednesday I'll be back with a new look and with new reviews :)

Ruby's most anticipated books this year

I have an obsession. The very first week of the new year I start a list with my most anticipated books for that year. Since my list is very very long, I'll stick with Top 10 for each category. Here is my Top 10 books that I cannot wait to get published:

1.  Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Blurb (Goodreads):

"Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse...

Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.

But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by 

 the end of the week, he will become one of them..."

2. Live Wire By Lora Leigh

 Blurb (Goodreads):

Meet Captain Jordan Malone. For years he has been a silent warrior and guardian, operating independent of government protocol or oversight, leading his team of Elite Ops agents to fight against terror at all costs. A legend in the field, Jordan’s true identity has remained a mystery even to his own men...until now.
Tehya Talamosi, codename Enigma, is a force to be reckoned with A woman this striking spells nothing but trouble for Jordan. Armed with killer secrets-and body to die for-she’ll bring Jordan to his knees as they both take on the most deadly mission they have ever faced. Because this time, it’s personal..."

3. The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton

Blurb (Goodreads):

"Football pro Mick Riley is an all-star, both on the field and in the bedroom. But a sexy, determinedly single mom just might be the one to throw him off his game…

For years Mick has been taking full advantage of the life available to a pro athlete: fame, fortune, and a different girl in every city. But when he meets and beds confident, beautiful event planner Tara Lincoln, he wants much more than the typical one-night stand. Too bad Tara’s not interested in getting to know football’s most notorious playboy any better.

As the single mother of a teenage son, the last thing Tara needs is the jet-set lifestyle of Mick Riley; even though their steamy and passionate one-night stand was unforgettable. Tara’s life is complicated enough without being thrust into the spotlight as Mick’s latest girl du jour. Tara played the game of love once and lost big, and she doesn’t intend to put herself out there again, especially with a heartbreaker like Mick.

But when Mick sets his mind to win, nothing will stop him. And he has the perfect play in mind.

Isn’t it just yummy?"

4. Lover Unleashed  by J. R. Ward

 Blurb (Goodreads):

"Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. 

Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. 

With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?"

5. The Chase by Erin McCarthy

Blurb (Goodreads):

"Kendall Holbrook is determined to make it to the top, even with the challenge of being a woman on the male-dominated racing circuit. She doesn't have time for romance-especially not with racing rival Evan Monroe, the man who nearly crushed her dream years ago. Tricked into meeting him, Kendall is experiencing all those old feelings again-and she can't deny that they still have enough chemistry to set fire to the track."

6. A Werewolf in Manhattan by Vicky Lewis Thompson

 Blurb (Goodreads):

"Emma Gavin writes about werewolves, but that doesn't mean she believes in them-not until a pack of real-life New York weres decide to investigate the striking accuracy of her "fiction".

When Aiden Wallace, son and heir of the pack leader, tries to sniff out Emma's potential informant, he discovers something even more dangerous- an undeniable attraction to her."

7. Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Blurb (Goodreads):

"The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds forever."

8. Dead Reconing by Charlaine Harris

Blurb (Goodreads):

"With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . . . "

9. Citadel by Kate Mosse

"LABYRINTH took us to the walled city of Carcassonne, SEPULCHRE travelled to the mysterious town of Rennes les Bains, now CITADEL transports us right to the southern-most edge of France - and to an amazing adventure set at key points in history in this scarred land right on the Spanish border.Combining the rugged action of LABYRINTH with the haunting mystery of SEPULCHRE, CITADEL is a story of daring and courage, of lives risked for beliefs, of unlocking secrets buried by time. Through history, this 'green land washed red by blood' has seen so much - not least the bravery of the men and women who smuggled exiles out of occupied France and away from the Nazi regime over the border into Spain. In CITADEL, Kate Mosse once again sets out to captivate the reader with the people at the heart of ancient struggles, to bring alive places and times unknown to us and to keep us on the edge of our seats with an amazing story."

10. Redemption by Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Harm no human...

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.
A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect."