Coffee And Cockpits By Jade Hart

Her face rioted with emotion, but her eyes quickly settled into peace. “You know I don’t like my last name. It’s kind of odd to call an airline after it.”

“Not odd when I fell in love with the girl with Poppins as her name. I wanted to call it something that would remind me of you, even if you didn’t forgive me.” I swept hair from her eyes, adding, “I don’t think you understand how much those days we shared meant to me. They may not be real in the sense of reality, but they were more real to me that everyday living. I was able to be myself. No games. No silly things like taking it slow. It was intense, visceral. Real.”

This is the second book I’ve read this year that I’ve got to say is a must read. It was a fabulously long book, but every part of it was needed and wanted. I found myself in awe as reality sunk in for both of the characters.

This book is in three sections. First, Pre-crash, we learn about Nina Poppins and Liam Mikin, a first-time airline attendant and co-pilot of a commercial airplane. Nina has secrets that she didn’t think anyone else knew, but so does Liam…like having a crush on her for almost a year. He watched as she accomplished major things in her life, one of which was getting her PPL (her personal pilots license).  When she brings him a coffee and guesses right the first time how he likes his coffee, he knows it’s destiny that they get together.

The next section is Post-crash and they crash on a Samoan island. They get off the plane, no one is majorally injured, but since the airline wouldn’t be able to get another airplane to them for six days, it was like a mini-vacation for the rest of the crew. It’s the time for Liam to make his move on Nina.

But all is not that they thought. The next section is called Reality…what really happened. I can’t go any further, because what happened after the crash will leave you in awe.

I loved this story…a story of new love, of heartbreak and of a medical miracle between two people so close, even though they just met. You’ll be crying in this section, wanting so desperately for everything to work out. Anyone who can’t believe in the power of the mind and body, and who gives this book a one star review, didn’t read the book and doesn’t believe in miracles.

I whole-heartedly give this book 5 stars! I’d give more if I could!!

Here Comes The Bride By Rita Herron

“He’s paying you two thousand dollars to do what?” Kimberly Turner tapped her cell phone to make sure the connection was solid, then pressed the phone back to her ear. What had her identical twin gotten herself into this time?

Marci’s soft laughter echoed over the line. “To be his fiancee for the weekend. But Kim, something’s come up andI need you to switch. Go pack.”

This is the third book I’ve read of this author, and with each book, she doesn’t disappoint. I’ve loved each and every one of them. This book is the first of two.

Kimberly and Marci are identical twins. Kimberly is the practical, kind-hearted, stay-in-with-a-good-book kind of girl while her sister, Marci, is the party type, the one with the tattoo and belly-button ring. Marci works as a waitress in a restaurant where she wears skimpy outfits and flirts with all the guys. Kimberly would never do that.

So “playing” the part of a fiancee to someone she’s never met is a very far stretch for Kimberly.

Austin is a hard-working, workaholic, an architect by trade. He’s not into the long term relationship thing…that’s why he chose Marci to go with him to play his fiancee for his family. He figured he could announce their engagement to his family, then when they got home, he could take back the ring he bought her and give her the money. No strings attached.

What he doesn’t expect is to fall in love with who he thinks is Marci in just one weekend.

What happens when they get back home? The lies have snow-balled over the weekend, and now, it just seems they’re getting worse. Will Austin forgive Kimberly and Marci for lying to him, even though he lied to his own parents? You’ll have to read this one to find out.

I love the style in which this author writes. She shows both character’s angst over ill-perceived ideas/thoughts. Both are thinking the same thing, yet both are afraid to shout out their feelings to the other. The sexual tension was paramount and the sex scenes were just right.

If you get a chance, definitely read something from this author. Here are the other reviews I did. Husband Hunting 101 (http://wp.me/p26uaB-6y ) and Single And Searching (http://wp.me/p26uaB-8V ).

5 stars!

ON CALL By Brooklyn Hudson

Will hits the button severing their connection, but the blue light comes right back on.

This is a short story written as a screenplay. And, even though it’s written in this style, you’ll have no difficulty reading it.

Will Mason is stuck in traffic, so he calls his wife to tell her that he would be a little late getting home. But when he inadvertently hits the ON CALL button in his car, he gets more information than what he bargained for.

Because the story is so short, I’m not going to tell you what happens when the ON CALL button is pressed…and who he ends up talking to, but he finds out some very interesting information from this very unlikely source.

You won’t regret reading this short story. A psychological thriller/horror with the added creep factor of the paranormal, you won’t be disappointed.

5 stars!

Crazy For Cowboy (Stampede Sizzlers) By Roxy Boroughs

As it happened, getting out of bed the next morning was the first hurdle.

Brandon swung his legs over the edge of his foldout couch and groaned. His abs felt as if he’d spent the morning doing crunches. He tried to rock himself into a sitting position but the attempt left him flat on his back, sucking in air.

A different strategy was needed. Grabbing his sheet, pulling hand over hand, he hauled himself up to a semi-vertical position. Mission accomplished, he slumped over, leaning his elbows on his knees for a rest. Even that hurt.

He looked down at his legs. His inner thighs were chafed where the saddle had rubbed against him and his forearms were tense from holding onto the reins for dear life. He was glad he’d had the foresight to take out an insurance policy. Another day of this horseback riding just might kill him.

This book ended before it really started. This is the second book I’ve read of the Stampede Sizzler series, and while it may not be my last…cause I do like a nice cowboy story…this one kind of missed the mark.

Emily is a vet who mostly looks after the farm animals and is afraid of falling for another cowboy. Cowboys can be cruel on the heart, making her think she’s falling in love then pulling the rug out from under her feet. She’s sworn off cowboys for good. Except when she sees a good looking cowboy at a fancy restaurant, she just can’t help but stare.

Brandon is an actor who just so happens to work at the fancy restaurant on his off days. While he doesn’t normally dress up in cowboy garb, he is trying out for a movie part…a part in which includes rididng a horse for which he doesn’t know how to ride and just so happens to be allergic to. But, he’s willing to do anything to land the part.

Then he meets Emily and she takes his breath and sensibilities away. He thinks, because she’s staring at him that she must like cowboys. So, he tells her a fake name. Lies are told, lies are found out…but the sparks fly amongst them anyway.

I really wanted to like this book as much as the other Stampede Sizzler romance novel that I read (http://wp.me/p26uaB-9u ), but this one missed the mark by a long shot. While the story was okay, and there was lots of sexual tension, the book sort of ended before it could get to any good parts. There wasn’t even a hint of any sexual encounters which I would have liked to have seen.

Studded with a little bit of humour, this romance would be good for those who like their romances less HOT. While it was predicatable, it was a fair story. I just would have liked to have seen more…if you know what I mean.

3 stars.

Reverb By J. Cafesin

James scowls at him. “Well, since I no longer hear music in my head, you’ll be pleased that I don’t hang out there anymore. You have my attention, Martin, just above the screaming.”

Martin stares at him. What is he supposed to say to that? “Screaming isn’t good. The dreams probably won’t go away either until you deal with whatever happened to you, find a way to live with it and move on. You won’t get away with trying to bury it.”

“Watch me. I bury it or it buries me. It’s warped and distorted and I just want it to go away. Dissecting the past won’t change it.”

This is the story of a young man with a tortured life, a life that he’s been trying to get away from before it kills him.

James Whren is a young man with a tortured past, one that will be with him for as long as he lives. From the tragic childhood loss of his mother and step-father, to living a life as a troubled musician, James has trouble letting anyone in for fear of the loss. But when James’ father, Edward, does something so incomprehensible and cruel to James, thinking that he was helping his troubled son, it backfires into a lifetime of bad memories for James.

Chapter after chapter, a lifetime of these memories unfold before you as you read about the torture that he endured. As each memory unfolds, you can’t help but feel sorry for James. Yet, is there more to James than meets the eye? He can run to the ends of the Earth, but James can’t get away from these painful memories.

When he finally gets away, he goes to Greece and meets Elisabeth and her young son. Although he is distant at first, he slowly begins to trust her, to open up to her, to tell her about himself. In turn, she tells him things about herself. Together they open up a lifetime of memories by creating new ones. And though it’s difficult for him to open up, Elisabeth understands and is willing to wait for him to open up to her. She knows that if he doesn’t come to terms with his own demons, then there isn’t much chance for their relationship. And, it’s a relationship they both are craving.

What happened to James to make him such a tortured soul? Will he ever forgive his father for what happened to him? Could he ever forgive him? Will he be able to confront his demons so that he can build a relationship with Elisabeth?

This book is a must read! I can’t say enough good things about it. It captured me from the very first chapter. It was dark and tortured, the memories of James’ past so painful that as you read it, you feel what is happening to him. I couldn’t imagine even one day of what he went through…and he went through over a year of this. And yet, there were the beautiful romantic moments between James and Elisabeth that I found myself wanting more of.

I felt myself wanting to reach into the book, to free James, to shake him into reality and to let others in. I cheered when Elisabeth and her son came into his life, to bring some life and light into his unhappy existence. I secretly wanted to smack Edward for what he’d done, and yet, he had his reasons, misguided as they were.

I don’t often read this genre of book, but this one was a wonderful read, and will be on my list of books that are must reads. Although it is long and seems daunting, the info from each chapter is relevant and necessary. The book is divided up into three sections, some chapters being in James’ first person point of view, while the others were in third. But it was never confusing.

I found myself reading this book when I shouldn’t be just to find out what was going to happen next. I can definitely say that this book is one of my favourites to date. I happily give this book 5 stars!

Reckless For Cowboy (Stampede Sizzlers) By Daire St. Denis

“Stay away from cowboys.”

Sydney, the newest addition to the Cattleman’s serving staff, looks around the crowded bar. “What are you talking about? I’d pretty much have to avoid every single guy here. Look at this place.” She indicates the Cattleman’s Saloon with a sweep of her hand.

I shake my head while taking in the multitude of cowboy hats. “I’m not talking about the pseudo urban-cowboys, with their Levis, cheap hats and polished boots that only come out during Stampede week. I’m talking about the real deal.” I point to the men at the table she’s been ogling. “Wranglers, mother-of-pearl button-down shirts, expensive hats, and lines around their eyes from working outside.”

“Them?” She visibly swoons.

“Them.” I say, slinging my arm over her shoulder. “And those boys are the worst.”

Brooke is a barmaid who’s had her heart burned and broken from just the sort of men she is telling Sydney to stay away from. However, that’s easier said than done.

Cooper Hays isn’t just any cowboy…he’s a competitor with the rodeo circuit. But don’t you dare dare him. He’ll take you up on it…and that could lead to something reckless.

No matter how hard Brooke tries, she can’t resist Cooper. Maybe it’s because she sees something different in Coop. What sets him apart from all the rest? Is Cooper going to hurt her/break her heart just like all the rest, including her ex-step-father?

Whew! Did it just get HOT in here?

This book wasn’t what I thought it was going to be…and I very much liked it. Great storyline…with *gasp* HOT love scenes. A Western/contemporary romance/erotic tale, this one gives a little bit of all three. The love scenes weren’t raunchy like you get with some erotica, yet were still hot enough to make you swoon. I was thinking it was just another romance book with a hot guy on the cover…but this one took it up a notch without making it raunchy.

Set in first person point of view, this is a nice light story that you can read in a few hours. I enjoyed it. But then again…I’ve always been partial to cowboys. *wink* 5 stars!

Bailin’ By Linton Robinson

Bunny, steady and steely-eyed when wheeling getaways, performing vehicular mayhem, and pot-shotting your occasional law officer, was losing it as she floored the car out the desolate stretch of two-lane blacktop leading significantly south. Fighting panic at the site of blood flowing copiously from Cole’s various perforations, she waved her pistol like a conductor’s baton, attempting to direct the movement towards Life and Light. “Don’t you even think about dying on me, Cole Haskins,” she yelled. “You make one dying move, I’ll blow your damn head off. You hear me, Cole?”

Bunny and Cole are two lovers who apparently don’t like to work…their work consists of loving one another and trying not to get killed as they rob banks and armoured trucks.

Flathead and Bogart are two bumbling idiots who are trying to figure out how to smuggle drugs across the border without getting caught, hurt, shot down and killed. They try everything, always seemingly meeting up with disaster each and every time.

Hunstetter embezzeled six million dollars from the city. Now he’s on the run. He’s somehow managed to out run the law. But they’re coming after him with full force.

What have these five in common? Oh, you’ll have to read the book to find that out.

The author has a unique style of writing, sometimes making up his own words for things/objects/people…while sometimes overusing the thesaurus just a little…but the story is well worth having to look up a few words. The author’s humour shines through with this piece. It was a fun read, one that will have you shaking your head in wonderment of how such people can even exist. You’ll be chuckling along, tryng to figure out what their next move will be.

The story moves along nicely with no lulls in the humour or action. It grabbed me from the beginning.

Set in the Tex-Mex area, there are chuckles galore. 5 stars!

Chasing Paris By Jen Carter

To my granddaughters–

My greatest sadness is in not knowing you. This I cannot change, but I do hope that you can forgive my absence. I have loved you from afar, and I have cherished the pictures and stories about you that Eva has shared with me. Please accept the gifts coming to you as a piece of my heart.

What would you do if you found out that someone you had no idea existed, was really your grandparent? Would you try to find out all you could about them, or push them under the rug and hope the thought of them will just disappear?

If you found a textbook with writing’s in the margins throughout the whole book, would you try to find the owner of that book, knowing that it might possibly have been lost by the old owner? What lengths would you be willing to go?

Amy Winthrow wasn’t going to let the new knowledge that the woman that she had grownup calling Nana, wasn’t really her grandmother. She finds some old letters that were written by Lizzie, her maternal grandmother. She finds out that Lizzie was a free spirit, willing to go to great lengths to show off her free spirit. She meets Billy Strath, an artist, in Paris as he paints.

Will was helping his friend write his English paper for school using an Renaissance Poetry textbook that he had bought at the school bookstore. But what he finds intrigue him…there are writing’s in the margins–lots of writings. Some of the writings pertain to the poems and others have more to do with the life of the person who wrote in the margins. He decides that he has to find the owner, because clearly the person who wrote in the margins would never have willingly given up this textbook. It was obviously a mistake.

What happens next brings Amy and Will together to help find out more about her long-lost grandmother, and brings Amy closer to her right path in life; the path she must take in order to be happy.

This coming of age book shows what happens when one doesn’t follow their dreams. 5 stars!

Titanic With Zombies By Richard Brown

“The boilers are holding up. The engines are working well. You said it yourself, Cunard is on their heels.” Ismay spoke slow and assuredly. “You may be retiring after this but the future of the White Star Line goes on. Let’s show the papers that the Titanic is more than just luxury. Let’s give them a headline they won’t soon forget.”

There is no Jack or Rose on this ship this time, no love story between a poor boy and a rich girl or even a big-assed jewel of the ocean that an elderly Rose throws overboard. No, this story has everything the original Titanic had and more. The poor down below decks where they couldn’t be seen, a rogue iceberg in the middle of the night and not enough life jackets and life boats for everyone on board.

Oh, and zombies?

Elise Brennan is awaiting to board the White Star Line tender Ireland, which would take passengers to the RMS Titanic. But while waiting in line, she is stuck by someone with a needle in the back of her neck. She thinks she’s been bitten by a bug, but then she sees the broken syringe and knows the truth. Of course, she worries about her health, but also that she might not be able to get on board if she flunks the physical examination by the doctor.

She tells the doctor that she is ok, that she just has a bug bite. The doctor lets her on board. However, things aren’t well with Elise. She begins to get a fever, and within a short time, she is very ill. Before getting too bad, she writes down what she experienced and how she was feeling at the time and the events which led to this infection.

Elise stumbles out onto the deck and is found by Margaret (The Unsinkable Molly) Brown. With the aid of Thomas Andrews (managing director and lead designer at Harland and Wolff, the shipyard that had built the Titanic), Molly and Andrews carried the woman to the hospital ward.

Within hours of her being infected, two more are infected. When one of the doctor’s decides to try to help them by giving them bread and water, he soon realizes that they don’t want bread and water…they want flesh! They manage to get free, and in the process, get the flesh they so desire. They try to contain the infected, but when they are able to break down the door, it’s every man for himself.

When the ship hits the iceberg and starts taking on water, well…we know what happens next. Or do we?

Well, one thing is for sure, being that so many are infected, there probably is enough lifejackets and life boats for everyone now.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I actually liked it. No, there wasn’t any Jack/Rose love story, but instead, a more real account of what actually happened.

As I’m reading the book, I could envision Kathy Bates as Molly Brown, because everything that Brown said, I heard Bates’ voice. As with the movie, the orchestra played to help calm the fleeing guests, while also using their instruments to defend themselves against those that were infected. And then there was the shiphand that Molly shoots down with her words, telling him that they have to go looking for survivors.

The only thing I didn’t get about the book was why someone would knowingly infect someone and where did this virus come from? Was someone trying to sabotage the maiden voyage of the Titanic? Possibly.

I enjoyed reading this book. 5 stars!

Penniless Hearts By Eve Gaal

“Penny,” he repeated, ignoring her comment about being dependable. “I’ll level with you. I’m just flying through and I don’t know anyone.” The rain started to subside. “I’m lonely for company and I’m going back to Pittsburgh in a week. After I fly to Honolulu, they told me I could fly to any other island and stay on the company dime at any property of my choice.” Slowly his facial features morphed into those of a droopy, sad-eyed dog at the pound, before continuing with, “and a whole week alone in Hawaii sounds like hell.”

Blinking away his puppy-like stare, she had to get a hold of herself–maybe he thought she was born yesterday.

“I doubt you’ll be alone for long,” she said with a trace of sarcasm. Holding the two plastic bags with his purchases in one hand, he put his other hand over his heart, and looking quite dismayed, said, “Ouch, that hurt, but you’re probably right.” Then he pursed his lips and made a funny frown that made her struggling butterfly leap into orbit. “I’m not very good at being alone and from what I can tell,” He looked her in the eyes, “I’m not very good at repairing windshield wipers either.” At which, they both burst into laughter–it all sounded so…so honest. Standing up, he brushed the dust and water off his right sleeve before leaning across the open driver’s side door.

Hastily, she got in and looked up at Captain Dan Losegg before saying, “It was nice meeting you but I really have to go now.”

Hating rejection, he grabbed her door,

“Wait, Penny, will you at least have dinner with me?” Smiling and waving goodbye, she gently backed out of the parking space, while Dan kept staring and his eyes kept pleading. “How can I reach you?” Desperation made him sound pathetic. Like someone about to be fired, someone left in the desert without water or a helpless lost soul. She waved again and rolled down her window.

“I work at the Daily Globe, bye.” She accelerated and zoomed out of the parking lot into the street, splashing water onto her windshield and wondering why she told him where she worked.

Penny is at a crossroads. She loves her boyfriend, John, but does she really? Penny is in a rut of sorts, wanting more than just to settle down. He wants a quiet, predictable lifestyle. She wants adventure. Even though she just met this guy, she decides to meet up with Dan, the pilot.

Except, Dan isn’t all that he says he is. He might be lonely, but he’s got a wife. Being the wife of a pilot isn’t easy since he’s gone so much of the year, so she decides to meet up with him in Hawaii.

John loves Penny more than anything and with Penny’s father in tow, he decides to go to Hawaii to look for her, to bring her back to reality. Then there’s Tina who works with Penny at the Globe. She ends up in Hawaii, too.

Through many adventures, from finding out that the man she came to Hawaii to be with was actually married, to being stranded on another island with no money and no one to help her, Penny goes through some harrowing mishaps, like a botched drug deal with hostages. She also meets some wonderful people along the way, ones that help her when no one else will, and in turn, she ends up helping too.

Will John, her father and Tina find her after all the problems Penny encounters? Will Penny want John after all this? I mean, she did run away so she could have adventures.

Penniless Hearts is a heart-warming story of friendship and love. Maybe it took a few near-death experiences to make Penny see what she needed to see.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. 5 stars!