(ARC Review) STRANGE NEIGHBORS by Ashlyn Chase

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STRANGE NEIGHBORS
Author: Ashlyn Chase
Source: Sourcebooks
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (June 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402236611
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402236617
SYNOPSIS:

He’s looking for peace, quiet, and a little romance…

There’s never a dull moment when hunky all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco invests in an old Boston brownstone apartment building full of supernatural creatures. But when Merry MacKenzie moves into the ground floor apartment, the playboy pitcher decides he might just be done playing the field…
A girl just wants to have fun…

Sexy Jason seems like the perfect fling, but newly independent nurse Merry’s not sure she’s ready to trust him with her heart…especially when the tabloids start trumpeting his playboy lifestyle.
Then pandemonium breaks loose and Merry and Jason will never get it together without a little help from the vampire who lives in the basement and the werewolf from upstairs…
MY THOUGHTS:
Strange Neighbors was a such a delight to read!  I was laughing throughout the book and loved each of the characters.  The writing was great and flowed nicely.  I almost hated to have to stop mid story to deal with real life because I was so engrossed in this fictional world of magic and fun. 
Merry decides to stand on her own feet and get a place of her own where she meets sexy owner Jason.  The chemistry between the two is obvious and you quickly find yourself falling in love with them.  You will also find quirky neighbors as well in the story.  We have ghosts, vampires, phone sex operators and more that help round out the story and give it even more to enjoy.
The author did a wonderful job of creating plenty of characters balanced with the right amount of suspense and humor. A job well done and I can’t wait to read more from this author. 
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

ENEMY LOVER by Karin Harlow

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ENEMY LOVER
Author: Karin Harlow
Source: Publisher
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket Star (May 25, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439109826
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439109823
SYNOPSIS:
When you have no alternative, then you call in L.O.S.T. Because with the Last Option Special Team, it’s do or die. . . . 
It’s Jax Cassidy’s first mission for L.O.S.T.—one that will give the former cop who went rogue a chance to prove herself. Her assignment: gain the trust of assassin Marcus Cross . . . eliminate him . . . then take down Marcus’s mentor, Joseph Lazarus, a man with a bold eye on the White House. But the woman who’s known by her team for being a femme fatale succumbs to passion, only to discover Cross’s deadly secret. He’s a vampire, and Joseph Lazarus is his creator. 
Left for dead by his platoon in the violent hills of Afghanistan, Special Ops sniper Marcus Cross was given a second chance at life. His newly heightened skills make him the perfect killing machine, and as Lazarus’s right-hand man, he’s quickly rising to the top of his dark empire, purging enemies with speed and precision. Only when dangerous beauty Jax Cassidy is sent to bring him in does he begin to question Lazarus’s motives and his own actions. But when Jax’s life is threatened by the one thing that can destroy them both, Marcus must make a bitter choice—her death or his. 
MY THOUGHTS:
I love it when books start out with a bang and keep you interested from the get go.  What caught my interest with this book at first was the cover.  Then I read the first page and was hooked! This book has the suspense and thrill to keep you on the edge of your seat, the paranormal vampire to keep you sucked in, and the skillfully moving plot that will keep you reading until the last page. 
Now this book wasn’t all about romance.  It was a darker read than I normally would pick up. I would classify this as more of an Urban Fantasy book.  It has more butt-kicking suspense than between the sheets love.
MY RATING:



Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU by Julia Quinn

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TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (May 25, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061491896
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061491894
SYNOPSIS:

Ten Things You Should Know About This Book 
1. Sebastian Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.
2. Annabel Winslow’s family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind and The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.
3. Sebastian’s uncle is the Earl of Newbury, and if he dies without siring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.
4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.
5. Lord Newbury has decided that Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.
6. Annabel does not want to marry Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.
7 is shocking, 8 is delicious, and 9 is downright wicked, all of which lead the way to
10. Happily. Ever. After. 
MY THOUGHTS:
I remember seeing some of this author’s work at the book stores, but to be honest, I never usually buy historical romance.  This is a genre I need to really start looking at differently.  When I see books in this genre, I think of weird accents, dialogue that will not make sense, fancy gowns and arranged marriages. Now that I have read a few, this genre is really starting to grow on me. 
In this book I loved everything.  The romance was heart fluttering and well written.  Each of the characters had their own personality that leaped off of the pages. I loved how the author knew when to use witty dialogue and when to back off.  Everything about this story flowed perfectly from page one up until the last page.  
Julia Quinn has made me a believer in Historical Romance with her exceptional writing and effortless story telling.  This is one author that I will try out again with no worry of disappointment out of this genre. 
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

THIS WEEK’S RELEASE’S

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Here are the release’s scheduled for Tuesday May 25th, 2010.  If I am missing any and or if they were released at an earlier date, I apologize. I have had a bad toothache and haven’t felt like double checking it today. If you know of some others, please let me know and I will add them to the release page. Thanks!

May 2010

5/25 The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter
5/25 Long Tall Texans by Diana Palmer
5/25 Fade to Midnight by Shannon McKenna
5/25 Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
5/25 Sweet Magnolias-Honeysuckle Summer by Sherryl Woods
5/25 Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
5/25 Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
5/25 No Werewolves Allowed by Cheyenne McCray
5/25 Demon Princess: Reign Check by Michelle Rowen
5/25 Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
5/25 Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn
5/25 Daemon’s Mark by Caitlin Kittredge
5/25 Moon Sworn by Keri Arthur
5/25 Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison
5/25 Dane by Elizabeth Amber
5/25 The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C. K. Kelly Martin
5/25 The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
5/25 Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
5/25 Never Too Hot by Bella Andre
5/25 Cheat The Grave by Vicki Pettersson
5/25 One Dance With a Duke by Tessa Dare
5/25 Forbidden Highlander by Donna Grant
5/25 Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev
5/25 Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

NEVER LET YOU GO by Erin Healy

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NEVER LET YOU GO
Author: Erin Healy
Source: BookSneeze
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 4, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1595547509
  • ISBN-13: 978-1595547507
SYNOPSIS:

Losing everything has made Lexi hold those she loves tightly. Hell is determined to loosen her grip.
Lexi lives in the shadow of choices her husband made. Especially Grant’s choice to leave seven years ago, without a word. Her relationship with their daughter, Molly, is now the most important thing in her life. Lexi will do anything—work grueling hours, attend church on her only day off, sacrifice financially—just to see Molly smile.
When Grant shows up declaring his intent to re-enter their daughter’s life, Lexi is skeptical of his motives. She soon determines not to let him near Molly. Then a drug dealer named Warden arrives on Lexi’s doorstep, demanding payment of Grant’s old debts.
But that’s just the earthly perspective. Staggering supernatural events are spilling into her world in real and shocking ways. Hell’s fury is great, but Heaven’s power is greater still.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is my first book by this author.  She has written other books with other authors, but this is her first solo book.  I didn’t know what to expect from this author since I had nothing else to go on.  The author did a wonderful job of including the right amount of suspense and drama to keep you interested in the book. This isn’t a light read though.  It deals with a lot of subjects that aren’t happy or fun.  It reminds you that no matter how bad and hectic life can get, God is with you the entire way.  With all that being said, some things could have been better.  The author left some things unresolved up until the last chapter.  Some things could have been worked out a little earlier and the book could have been better.  It dragged a bit throughout the book. The author also throws in some paranormal to add to the story.  At times, it seemed a little too much. 
Still, for this being the authors first time at writing an entire novel by herself, she did a great job. 
MY RATING:


 
Okay book, but it left me wanting more! 3 STARS