Blog Tour: Secrets by S.L. Pierce

Synopsis: If you like strong women with a slice of attitude and a side order of kick a$$… Try Secrets…we all have them A woman with a hidden past… Two men who should not have been seen together… A cop who won’t let go… Industrial espionage…. Deception… Betrayal… Secrets is a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing to the very end. Gwen Michaels moved to California two years ago to start fresh, hoping her past could stay secret forever. But when a hired killer shows up, she assumes her cover is blown. When it turns out the man knows nothing of her past, the search is on for who wants her dead, and why. Gwen Michaels moved to California two years ago to start fresh, hoping her past could stay secret forever. But when a hired killer shows up, she assumes her cover is blown. When it turns out the man knows nothing of her past, the search is on for who wants her dead, and why. My Thoughts: Secrets starts with a bang. Gwen finds someone in her home trying to kill her. Her old instincts kick in and this man ends up duck taped to a chair in her kitchen. Gwen gets the information she is looking for, at least in part, enough to help her figure out who is trying to kill her, and shoots the intruder between the eyes. She placed a call – to be sure her identity has not been compromised, she has not, and begins the clean up. The doorbell ringing interrupts, the police, she quickly puts together a plan and gets rid of the police. Next, is getting rid of the body and some how getting out of town. She quickly realizes that she is going to have to tell her husband, Jack, about her dark history and who she really is. Surprisingly, he stands behind her as they begin to unwind the mystery of who is trying to kill her. Each clue brings more frustration and Gwen can’t quite pull the pieces together, something always seems to be missing. Will she be able to figure it out before she gets hurt? Secrets stated out without any real background, jumped right into an action scene. I would have liked to gotten some background about Gwen or her normal life at least before diving right into a huge action scene. From this point, there was a lot going on but it was very difficult to get into the story. Very short chapters, written from many different points of view made this book difficult for me. I know a lot of people enjoy this in a book, I am just not one of them About halfway into the book it really began to pick up and the consistency of who was telling the story began to even out, this is the point that I really began to enjoy this story. I could not figure out who was out to murder Gwen or how Jack was really going to adjust to this totally different wife but I felt like it was coming together. I really enjoyed the last 25 pages of this story. Everything came together it a very climatic manner which I enjoy in a mystery. S.L. Pierce has a unique writing style and knows her characters well enough to write from many different points of view. That being said, at points, it almost felt like there were too many points of view. I think that was the biggest challenge for me in this book. I liked the outcome and how the end played out. My Rating: This was a decent story. It just not quite written in a format that I enjoy. Good plot line and well developed ending. More About the Author: S.L. Pierce spent ten years earning a PhD in engineering before deciding she would rather be a writer. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband and four children. She is always at work on her next novel. Where you can find and follow S.L. Pierce: Author Website Author Blog Twitter Facebook Goodreads Buy the BOOK at: Barnes & Noble – NOOKbook Smashwords Amazon.com – Kindle Amazon.co.uk – Kindle *I was provided an ecopy of the book for review from Nurture Virtual Book Tourz.. There was no compensation and all opinion are my own.

Review: Fancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Fancy Pants

Overview – 

 

Fancy Pants

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: June 1991
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback , 512pp
  • Sales Rank: 48,410

Synopsis

THEY’RE CAVIAR AND BEER. KEROSENE ON FIRE. AND THEY’RE FALLING HEAD-OVER-HEELS IN LOVE….
She was the most beautiful British bauble in Europe’s jet-set playgrounds. Now she’s broke, furious, and limping down a backwoods road in an ugly pink Southern Belle gown….
He was tall, lean, and all-American gorgeous. He liked his brews cold and women loved to keep him warm. Why in hell is he stopping his car for this woebegone, surly Scarlett?
Meet Francesca Day and Dallie Beaudine, two incredible characters whose tangled love affair is at the heart of this ravishing New York Times bestseller from award-winning author Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Come enjoy the adventure of a lifetime- an irresistible story that’s touching, hilarious, and hellcat-passionate. You’ll never forget Dallie and the sassy lady who needs a good swift kick in her…
 

My Thoughts

 
This book took me much longer to read that I was hoping that it would or than it should have so I have been trying to pin down exactly what it was that made it such a long read.  I think what it boiled down to was the book just did not move along a good rate.  It was very slow in part and seemed as thought there was too much background given for certain parts of the story.  While the story itself was kind of a different take on opposites drawn to each other and the stress and argument that go along with that situation.  The character were fun to get to know and so very very different.  Francesca starting off with everything, losing everything and then making herself whole again.  And Dallie, the pro golfer, who seems to be just a little to carefree and doesn’t seem to care about much.
 
At times, I felt like the story was pulled too thin and more background added to make the story work.  The story was pretty predictable but not in a bad way.  The book was worth the read but not something that I would pick up again and read in the future.  It was a one time read in my opinion.  
 
I enjoyed the different settings in this book.  Everything from the prime time in Europe, to middle of nowhere Texas, to New York City.  I enjoy seeing how each of these character would react in the different settings and what flaw they would bring out.
 
The banter and arguing in the book brought some great life to the characters and helped me to relate to each.  I could understand who they were using the banter to get their own goals accomplished. This made the book stronger.
 
Overall, this is classic romance story but for me it was a bit longwinded.
 

My Rating

 
3 stars.  Decent book but nothing outstandingly special.
*This book was provided to me from the Book Bloggers and Publishers Conference free of charge for my honest opinions.

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)

Overview –

Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse / Southern Vampire Series #11)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: May 2011
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Format: Hardcover , 336pp
  • Sales Rank: 4

Synopsis

New in the #1 New York Times bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series-the basis for HBO(r)’s True Blood!
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. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his “child” Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows…

My Thoughts

I have been a long time fan of this series long before the HBO series came out a few years ago.  I am probably one of the few people who really enjoys the books more than the TV show.  I just have some major problems with who some of the characters are in the TV show.  But back to the most recent book.  It starts out with a very strong being – really a firebombing at Merlotte’s.  Ms. Harris does a wonderful job at laying out this event.  It is laid out so well that it played like a movie scene for me.  From this point however, it took me a while to really get into the story which is very unlike this series.  I was pleased with the action scenes in this book right from the beginning.
I love Sookie and Eric together but this book was a bit odd with their story line.  There were many times that Eric should have been with Sookie and he just wasn’t.  There was no ideas as to what was more important that her.  It just made for a very frustrating story being left out of what was going on with Eric.  Sookie was also a bit more frustrating in this book.  She was suddenly scared of things that she had come to terms with in previous books.  I don’t know she suddenly seemed a bit weak to me which I have not questioned in a really long time.  I have come to love and expected a very strong woman and I felt a bit let down with this.
As always, there are vampire politics.  I have the hardest time with this aspect of the stories.  I don’t know if it is I can’t kept track of all the rules and such or if I just get irritated with them!  Pam and Eric are at odds in this book and Pam let’s Sookie in on a secret that Eric was not ready to share and it is gong to have a major effect on their future together.  That is all I am going to say.  There is also Eric and Victor’s issues at hand.  Major drama here!
 
Beyond vampire issues, there is a lot of foreshadowing to Faerie drama as well.  This does not surprise me since they are always up to something but I never see it coming until it is all laid out in my face.
 
While I did enjoy the book, the more I think about it the more I felt that things were not wrapped up as tightly as in previous books.  It was a good book and I am glad that I read it but I wish that it didn’t feel like such a filler book.  It is very unclear as to where the story is going or if it is going anywhere at all.  
 

My Rating

3 of 5 stars.
*I purchased this book and all opinions are my own.