The Boogie Man is My Friend
Author: Kathryn Ann Loving

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Kathryn’s book talks about today’s decline of the family structure, the dysfunction seen among many children today, and a society that refuses to believe. Find out how to be more aware as a parent and learn what lurks out there waiting to prey on your child. There are no fancy terms, medical jargon, or textbook answers… just plain English, and many pages of sick cop humor. The words are hers and the content is real.

MY THOUGHTS

The Boogie Man is My Friend is not a typical read of mine.  I am not a fan usually of real life stories. Obviously, I read to forget real life — as do most readers.  Every once in awhile though, I escape from my usual reading “comfort zone” to try and find something entirely different to capture my interest.  So I decided to try this one out and sit down for an adventure of life.

That is exactly what I got in this book — life. Real life people. Not the ‘shine’ of everyday life, but the ‘dull’ or evil parts as well.  While the first part of the book was a little off paced to what I am used to, I did slide into the story fairly easy once I figured it out.  As the author would probably say, this is due to my “ed-u-ma-cation” of regular reads. If you read the story, then you know the definition of that word and how it relates.

There is humor that had me cracking up, but there is also deep and dark things that will go bump in the night as well.  She is honest and she will tell you flat out her experience’s as a cop.  She doesn’t sugar coat it either.  Parents will open their eyes to a different light after experiencing this read.

Still not sure if you want to dive into this read?  Well, I just so happened to have another friend read this book as well. JW actually read it before me and I wanted her to share her opinion as well.  Here is what JW thought of the book:

This book was an awesome read. I have read this authors  blog for years and was looking forward to the day she put out a book. I was not disappointed.
While I was expecting stories such as her blog contains, her book was much much more.
Kathryn was able to give us insight into the perverted criminal mind of sex offenders. In her author/cop way, she threw in many of the humorous stories from her days as a cop.
Kathryn gave us plenty of reasons to work harder at keeping our kids safe, but she also gives us plenty of tools to work with. I was impressed with the fact that she could toss in the cop humor to keep you from totally freaking out.
Anyone that has ever been concerned about sex offenders should read this book. We see this kind of stuff on a daily basis from the media, now we can see it from a cops point of view. She also gives us a glimpse of what it looks like from a victims point of view.
I’ve known the author for quite some time and was still surprised at the tidbits of information she gave about her time as an officer.
She also gives you a great deal of insight in to how all this affected her personal life and her family.
This book made me think, laugh, cringe, cry and try to better my thinking all at the same time. I walked away armed with information I didn’t have before and the never ending question of, “How’s Dave?”.
Grab her book from Amazon and dive into the criminal justice system with the humor that only this author can dish out.

So now you have two opinions to think about in case you were wary of reading a book out of your comfort zone as well.

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

Coming May 14th, 2013

Until I Break

In love, sometimes what you fear most is exactly what you need.

Laura Drake is an author.  She writes bestselling paranormal romances that continue to top the charts.  She is sharp.  She is confident.  She is in control.
And she doesn’t exist.

Samantha Jansen is the woman behind the wig, the woman most of the world doesn’t know exists.  She is shy.  She is insecure.  She is nothing like her main character or her alter ego.  She is scarred—deeply scarred—by a past she can’t let go of and a present she can’t make peace with.

Samantha’s dreams are consumed by one man, the broken hero from her books.  Mason Strait is both her wildest fantasy and her most terrifying nightmare.

When Samantha meets Alec Brand, a corporate consultant, it is as though Mason has come to life.  Alec is handsome to a fault, as elegant as he is arrogant, and more intense than any man has a right to be.

Samantha is soon sucked into a world that mirrors the fiction she writes.  Just like her main character, Daire Kirby, Samantha finds herself unable to resist the forbidden lure of Alec.  And just like Daire, she also finds that she is faced with taking a chance on a man who could either set her free or destroy her.

The scale tilts toward destruction when Samantha finds out that Alec is as much a work of fiction as Mason.  And he has scars of his own, scars that could ruin them both.

Fall of Night
Series: Morganville Vampires #14
Author: Rachel Caine
Young Adult Paranormal

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane. 

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires. 

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

MY THOUGHTS

Fall of Night is the 14th book in the Morganville Vampire series by author Rachel Caine.

I am a huge fan of this series.  I feel connected to Shane, Claire, Eve, Michael and yes Myrnin. There town is complicated and full of suspense and not much down time to just relax.  But that is what makes them the best characters when they have to deal with problems in a vamp run town.

In Fall of Night, Claire travels away to MIT.  She needs to find her way on her own and see what life is like outside of Morganville.  What she finds though is another game of chess being played between scientists, vampires, and undercover organizations.  They are all deadly and they want one thing.  They want the Vampire Gun also know as VLAD that Claire created.  They want it to start the war between humans and vampires and could care less for the reasons and rules that Claire had it built for.  This group of people are wanting to disable the vampires permanently.  The results in the final mock-up of the gun can have serious side effects though for the vampires.

I really enjoyed this installment in the series.  This book is shown with alternating chapters from Shane and Claire.  We get to enjoy Myrnin arriving to rescue them all.  Oliver finds his way into the group as well to help lead the group.  Also Jesse and Pete help the gang out and Jesse does have a deeper role than what we think.  While there is action and suspense with a little bit of sexy times thrown in when needed, it does leave the book left with unanswered questions.  With the way the book ends, you can’t help but wonder how they gang is going to make it to the next book.  Is it the Daylight Foundation taking over?  Where is Amelie now when Morganville is having a major war between humans and vamps with the humans being the ones with the upper hand.

I can’t wait for the next book and I do hope we will get to read more about Myrnin and how crazy that contraption actually made him.  Is he really going crazy again, or is it all a defense to keep  the humans on their toes?

MY RATING

Very Good! I would recommend this book!

It’s time for the Weekly Wrap Up!
What did you miss this week on My Overstuffed Bookshelf?  Find out below!
(inspired by Smexy Books)

*****

Hello my lovelies!  I missed last weeks wrap up post due to more dental surgery, so this weeks post is two weeks combined.  Lots of things to share so be sure to check them out.  This week I am catching up on some review books that feature humor, love and suspense — something for everyone.  I have to say that the best ones from the last two weeks is The Dark Duet series by C.J. Roberts. So freaking dark and addictive. Also a special shout out to Anna for the lovely box of books I received today!

REVIEWS

Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner (2 Martini)
All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey (5 Martini)
Pivot Point by Kasie West (5 Martini)
Speechless by Hannah Harrington (3 Martini)
The Buckhorn Legacy by Lori Foster (5 Martini)
The Angel by Tiffany Reisz (3 Martini)
Evidence of Life by Barbara Taylor Sissel (4 Martini)
Need by Todd Gregory (1 Martini)
Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts (5 Martini)
Seduced in the Dark by C.J. Roberts (5 Martini)

DISCUSSION POST

Need some humor reading?

CHALLENGE LINK UPS

150+ Reading Challenge for April
Young Adult Reading Challenge for April

Seduced in the Dark
Series: The Dark Duet #2
Author: C. J. Roberts

SUMMARY
(From Goodreads)

What is the price of redemption?

Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani officer, Caleb carries the weight of a debt that must be paid in blood.

The road has been long and fraught with uncertainty, but for Caleb and Livvie, it’s all coming to an end.

Can he surrender the woman he loves for the sake of vengeance? 

Or will he make the ultimate sacrifice?

MY THOUGHTS
Seduced in the Dark is the second book in The Dark Duet series by author C. J. Roberts.

“Once upon a time, Caleb held me captive in the dark, now he used it to seduce me.” 

Breathe. Just calm down and breathe.  Yes, that was my thoughts after finishing this book.  My emotions were all over the place.  My heart had been ripped from chest, stomped on, and put back in my chest bruised and battered.  I cried multiple times and I hoped for the best with every turn of the page.  After Captive in the Dark, I really struggled with my feelings involving Caleb.  I honestly thought there was no way the author was going to redeem him in my eyes to where he could be a potential hero. No way for him to be the white knight for Livvie.  I honestly was worried about reading the second book because of this.  I found myself understanding more about Caleb and his past. 
When you start reading Seduced in the Dark, we are brought to the hospital with Livvie dealing with the aftermath of her kidnapping.  She is in pain and heartbroken that her Master has left her.  She is withdrawn and in her own little bubble of despair.  No one can break through to her until Officer Reed starts investigating further and makes a deal with Livvie.  With flashbacks and Livvie retelling what happened after those first days of torment, we learn what has really happened and how Livvie was able to let Caleb into her heart.
The author did an amazing job of redeeming Caleb for me.  While what he did was horrible and hard to forgive, what he does to try and fix it was what did it for me.  

“Live for me, Kitten. Be all those things you’d never be with me. Go to school. Meet a normal boy and fall in love. Forgive me. It’s time for you to go, Kitten. Time for us both, to go.” 

At this point in the book I was an emotional mess.  I couldn’t hardly breathe through the tears that racked my body.  I hurt just as much as Livvie did and I didn’t think I was going to make it to the end of the book.  Then the author gives you a ray of hope.  We learn that there is more to this story and the reader will need this small hope — at least this reader did.  I felt the sunshine upon my face again after all the time in the dark with these two characters.  I can’t wait until the next book comes out so I can read more.  I crave it as much as Livvie craved her Master in those first days of the hospital.  I have my tissues on hand and I am ready for the dark pain again.
MY RATING
Outstanding book that will stay on my bookshelf for rereading!