Review: Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson

From the author's website:
Getting burned—in and out of the kitchen—might be the best thing that ever happened to Georgia Gray.

At 33, talented chef Georgia Gray has everything a woman could want—the top job at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants, a posse of smart and savvy gal pals who never let her down, and a platinum-set, cushion-cut diamond engagement ring courtesy of Glenn, the handsome entertainment lawyer who Georgia’s overbearing mother can’t wait for her to marry. The table is set for the ambitious bride-to-be until a scathing restaurant review destroys her reputation. To add salt to her wounds, Glenn suddenly calls off the wedding.

Brokenhearted, Georgia escapes to the Italian countryside, where she sharpens her skills at a trattoria run by a world-class chef who seems to have it all—a devoted lover, a magnificent villa, and most importantly, a kitchen of her own. Georgia quells her longings with Italy’s delectable offerings: fine wine, luscious cheeses, cerulean blue skies, and irresistible Gianni, an expert in the vineyard and the bedroom. So when Gianni tempts Georgia to stay in Italy with an offer no sane top chef could refuse, why can’t she say yes?

An appetite for something more looms large in Georgia’s heart – the desire to run her own restaurant in the city she loves. But having left New York with her career in flames, she’ll need to stir up more than just courage if she’s to realize her dreams and find her way home.

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The author blurb prett much nailed the story, so I'm just going to go straigh into my thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. For as much as I hate to cook, I apparenty like stories about cooks - go figure. It sort of reminded me (very loosely) of the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun...(yes, I know it's a book and no, I never read it *gasp!*)

Georgia is the type of character that starts off thinking she knows what she wants, but what she's got isn't it. Then, she loses her job and her fiance on the same day - and realizes she has a perfect opportunity to start over. Her dream job turns out not to be her dream job, but she makes a conscious decision to learn from it, making new friends and using the lessons she learns in Italy as the foundation to pursue her dream of opening her own restaurant.

I like how she was honest with herself that she wanted to be in a relationship; she missed the sharing and intimacy (and sex) that goes along with all that being a couple entails. For whatever reason, while her girlfriends were sympathetic, I didn't really care for their characters - they felt materialistic and shallow.

I did like the fact that Georgia's business partner was her friend and not a lover. It seems that frequently a female heroine has to rely on the romantic interest in all aspects of her life; that was not the case in Georgia's Kitchen. The way the partnership came around felt full circle to me - a relationship built on respect for each other's talents.

The ending is not what I would call a typical HEA, more like an open-ended HEA if you will. Don't get me wrong, it was good and I as the reader was happy - I'd love to see Georgia again in a small cameo in a future book, you know, just to check in and see how she's doing :)

My rating:


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Come back tomorrow for a guest post by Jenny Nelson and a chance to win a copy of Georgia's Kitchen!



This book was provided to me free of charge by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Trying some thing new: Teaser Tuesdays

I saw this over at Dana's place and thought it would be fun to try:

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!

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I'm reading Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready:

"I whimpered and tried one last time to fight. Too late. It hadn't worked. I'd be dead by morning." ~page 164



I just started reading this book this morning so I'm only on chapter 2. I wonder what's going on on page 164!

Review and Giveaway: White Heat by Brenda Novak

From the author's website:
White Heat is the first book in Brenda Novak’s new Department 6 Hired Guns trilogy.

Nate Ferrentino and Rachel Jessop are operatives for Department 6, a private security company, and they’re going undercover to expose a new and dangerous cult.

This group has taken up residence in the Arizona desert, in a ghost town called Paradise. Members worship at the feet—and in the bed--of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff. On his orders, they tried to stone a woman to death. And they’re implicated in the disappearance of a teenage girl.

To expose the Church of the Covenant, with its arcane rituals and debauched practices, Nate and Rachel must pretend to be married. That’s the only way they can get in—but being Nate’s “wife” is the last thing Rachel wants. She and Nate have a one-night history that’s just an embarrassment to her now. But they don’t have a choice. Wycliff has to be stopped.

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My thoughts:
The storyline of White Heat caught and kept my attention: Private investigators infiltrating a religous cult (the "Covenanteers") to find missing women and bring the cult down if indeed there are shenanigans afoot (and you just know there are!). The investigators who are playing husband/wife, Nate and Rachel, have a weird history both apart and together. I'm not sure how to go into it without spoilers but here goes:

Rachel's father was a religious zealot/cult leader and she left when she was 17. She eventually would up woking for Deartment 6 after a stint in the police force. Nate had a previous relationship that went badly at the end and therefore refuses to get emotionally close to another woman. Approximately six months before the events in this story, Rachel "surprised" Nate by being naked in his bed when he got home from work; their differing reactions the next day have left both Rachel and Nate embarassed and distant. Because of this, they're both uncomfortable about posing as husband and wife in the deserted town the Covenenteers call home.

The Covenenteers were all I knew they'd be: Crazy leader, subjugation of women, bizarre sexual practices, weapon stockpiling, "blind" followers. Ethan, the cult's leader, was so good as a bad guy...and he was a bad guy, no matter how he tried to spin it. His assistant, Bart was equally creepy. I followed the cult storyline to the end, watching it play out to the final showown. (The only weird thing was that the author stressed that Bart was impotent, which I thought was weird in a cult that centered around sexual practices as rituals.)

The Rachel/Nate storyline was not as strong. It was hot and cold and for me didn't make a lot of sense - Rachel and Nate were attracted to each other but because of their previous "incident" didn't act on it. Except that when Nate did try to act on it, I kept thinking why now? I didn't see where it was imperitave to their investigation. Rachel's actions in response to his romantic attempts were not consistent, in my opinion. By the end of the story I think their actions were a bit more believable, but it was a strange journey to get there.

This was my first read by Brenda Novak and therefore I wasn't sure what to expect. Although I had a few little niggles about this book, overall I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next two books in the series: Body Heat (September 2010) and Killer Heat (October 2010).

WHITE HEAT Book Trailer:

My Rating:


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And now for the giveaway:
One lucky commenter will win a White Heat prize pack including:
~Tote bag~
~3D viewer bookmark~
~White Heat lip gloss – made especially for the book!~
~A copy of White Heat~


To enter, leave a comment telling me you'd like to win this prize pack. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian addresses and is sponsored by MIRA Books. Contest ends Saturday, August 21. Please check back to see if you've won.

Also from the author's website: If you'd like a pair of Brenda Novak 3D glasses (which double as a bookmark), send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Brenda Novak P.O. Box 3781 Citrus Heights, CA 95611

About Brenda Novak:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak has three novels coming out this summer - WHITE HEAT, BODY HEAT & KILLER HEAT. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com. To date, she’s raised over $1,072,000. Brenda considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life.

This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Naked by Megan Hart

From the author's website:

No strings. No regrets. And no going back.

I didn’t think he wanted me. And I wasn’t about to get involved with him, not after what I’d heard. Alex Kennedy was tall, dark and unbearably hot, but I’ve been burned before. Maybe it was stupid of me to offer but he needed a place to crash and I needed to pay the rent, but now he’s my tenant…with benefits. And now that we’ve crossed that line, I can’t seem to find my way back.

But I can’t give my heart to a man who’s so…unconventional. His last sexual relationship was with a married couple. It’s enough that my ex-fiancé preferred men, I won’t take that chance again no matter how much my body thrives on Alex’s touch. I can’t risk it, but I can’t resist it, either.

Alex can be very convincing when he wants something.

And he wants me.

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First off, let me say I'm totally in love with this cover - they really nailed it! I hate it when a cover doesn't have anything to do with the story inside; this cover is perfect!

Some authors you're comfortable with because you know what to expect. Megan Hart is not one of those authors - she always surprises me. I never know where she's going to take me with each book she writes. The thing is, I'm not sure where she took me with Naked.


I liked it, don't get me wrong. It's just that I felt like I didn't get a lot of the unsaid portions of the story.

Olivia is a black woman who was raised by a white family. Her father is Catholic, her mother Jewish. As a child, neither parent was particularly religious, but once they divorced, each parent became devout in their respective religion, each encouraging Olivia to "choose" their side.

Olivia is single, having been engaged once when she was in college to Patrick, who she learned was gay two weeks before the wedding. She is still in love with Patrick, even all these years later. She's at one of Patrick's parties when she meets Alex, one of his many gay friends. Olivia is immediately attracted to Alex, although she knows he's gay. She ends up renting him her downstairs apartment, and a relationship ensues. Here's the thing, she spends a lot of time questioning internally - his past, his lovers, his intentions. But she never really voices those questions. She learns things about him almost by accident, but still doesn't say anything. They get engaged, but by the end of the book there's still no date set or discussion of date to be set. How come she couldn't find a Comex account for him online even though his best friend's wife said they talk on Comex all the time? I think that for me, this is the most open-ended book by Ms. Hart I've read to date (Full disclosure, there are a few books on her backlist I own but haven't read yet.). The way the book ended gave the reader the impression there was a HEA; I felt like there were still too many unanswered questions, but I WANT to believe.

I have to address Olivia's camera: It was almost it's own character - a subconscious shield, if you will, to separate her from real life when she needed to disconnect, but also to remember and create. It was her livelihood and her hobby, and a trusted friend. And Olivia needed a trusted friend - her mother was judgemental towards a choice Olivia had made earlier in life; her ex-fiance was not as good a friend as she thought; and Alex's past had unpleasant surprises for her to accept or not.

This book is very sensual, the sexytime is plentiful and beautifully written. The characters are complex and the storyline was interesting, if a bit frustrating to this reader. Ms. Hart always digs deep underneath the surface of her story and this book was no exception.

My rating:

E-book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua

From the Author's website:
Three classic fairytales—“Sleeping Beauty,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Little Red Riding Hood”—cleverly retold with enough sensual twists to prove wickedly ever after does exist…

Sleeping Beau: Five years ago, the notorious rake, Adrien d’Aspe, Marquis de Beaulain, was awakened by a sensuous kiss—and experienced a night of raw ecstasy that was branded into his memory. Years later, he spots his mysterious seductress—and this time, he has no intention of letting her go…

Little Red Writing: Nicolas de Savignac, Comte de Lambelle, has been assigned by the King to uncover the secret identity of the author writing scandalous stories about powerful courtiers. He never expected his investigation would lead to his grandmother's house, or to a ravishing woman who would stir his deepest hunger…

Bewitching in Boots: Elisabeth de Roussel, daughter of the King, is accustomed to getting what she wants—and she wants Tristan de Tiersonnier, Comte de Saint-Marcel, an ex-commander of the King’s private Guard. A recent injury has forced Tristan to leave his distinguished position, but Elisabeth is determined to make him see he's every bit the man he once was—and more than man enough for her..

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The premise of this book sounded very interesting - erotic fairy tales? They were not exactly what I'd expected but I did find the book enjoyable.

In Sleeping Beau, Adrien is the newly legitimate son of the king. He's at a house party where all the ton is there, when he spies a stunning woman - a woman he'd had an unbelieveable encounter with five years previously. She'd come to his bed, had amazingly erotic sex, and then left him without a backward glance. He'd not forgotten her since. Catherine has her reasons for the events of that evening, and when she arrives at her friend's home and sees Lord Adrien she is upset. He eventually corners her and she slowly reveals her reasons for their encounter. He convinces her to agree to a daliance while they are staying on the estate, until her betrothed comes to claim her; he doesn't mention his sister is her betrothed's mistress...

This story was very erotic. Catherine had a history that made me want an HEA for her. Adrien was a good as hero, the reformed rake, smitten by the "mystery woman" who tamed his heart. The events at the end of the story came as a surprise, and tied neatly in with the original fairy tale.

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In Little Red Writing, Nicholas nickname The Wolf) is a Musketeer, searching his estranged grandmother's home for evidence of an author penning illegal books. He's narrowed it down to the three sisters living in his grandmother's home, but doesn't know which one it is. Anne and her sisters write the stories, aiding women who have no one else to turn to - airing their grievances while at the same time exposing the male aristocracy for the insults committed against those who are helpless in society (ie, women). As cold-hearted Nicholas begins his investigation, he is taken by the beauty of Anne, and after bedding her, begins to fall in love.

Anne's past had shaped her into a bitter woman, focusing only on the injustices in life, until Nicholas showed her passion. By the time Nicholas acknowledged his feelings for Anne, it was too late - the King demanded an audience. At first I wasn't too fond of Nicholas, but by the end of the story he surprised me and won me over! (And it wasn't just the desk sex!!)

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Bewitching in Boots has two of my favorite storylines: Enemies to Lovers, and Women in Historical Novels Who Wear Men's Clothing (I don't know why I like that but I do!). I think this was my favorite of the three stories - Elizabeth, favored daughter of the King, arrives at the home of Tristan, the King's former chief guard, planning to seduce him into her bed and into marriage, which will be difficult to do as he hates her. Elizabeth knows the king is planning to marry her off again and this time she wants to choose her husband. This was a nice story and I liked both the hero and heroine. There was some light bondage (yay!) and the ending made me happy.

I think sometimes with short stories, the authors have to jump right into the "good stuff" so they can occasionally feel a bit abrubt. These stories were an entertaining take on traditional fairy tales, every now and then I'd catch something and think "yes, from the original fairy tale", which made it fun.

My rating:

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Guest Post at Smokinhotbooks

I'm over at Smokinhotbooks today, talking about my favorite book so far this year (can you guess what it is?) Stop by and say hi!!!

New Orleans Author Event

Last year I saw a post over at Cecile's place - she had attended a multi-author booksigning here in New Orleans. It looked like fun, and I was disappointed that I missed a signing here in my fair city...I was thrilled when I found out this is not a one-time thing!

Author Heather Graham hosts a yearly author workshop here in New Orleans over Labor Day Weekend - Writers for New Orleans. This year, a few bloggers have decided to meet using this event as an excuse (like we need an excuse, right?). I don't know where most of you Book Bloggers hail from, but if you're anywhere near New Orleans, why don't you think about coming in over Labor Day weekend? The loose plan is to meet for dinner and drinks Saturday night (location to be determined) and maybe have coffee or brunch before the 11:30 booksigning at the Hotel Monteleone.

The schedule of events can be found here. Some of the authors attending thus far are:
Helen A. Rosburg
Heather Graham aka Shannon Drake
L. A. Banks
Corrine De Winter
Silver James
J. A. Konrath
Lisa Mannetti
Michael Meeske
Linda Conrad
Mary Sella
F. Paul Wilson
Kate Poole
Harley Jane Kozak
Kathleen Pickering
Tina Wainscott aka Jaime Rush
Kathy DePalo

You can bring your own books and they'll have books for purchase as well. Hey - it's a 3-day weekend, think about coming, it's going to be fun! If you can't come Saturday night for dinner (and drinks!), just come for the signing on Sunday or vice versa...

At this point it's all pretty much still loosey-goosey as far as plans go, but if you're interested, e-mail me at bookaddictpatti at cox dot net!

July Wrap Up

July was kind of a crazy month around here, and not in a bookish way. My brother got married two weeks ago, so it was Mexican vacation time!!! (If anyone's interested, I posted pics and stories here, here, here, here, and here! *whew!*)

July also brought a blog makeover this month (thanks Parajunkee!) as a birthday gift from my husband, *preens* nice huh?

I didn't do much reading on vacation, and even less reviewing, but here's what I read in July:

1. Linger - Maggie Stiefvater (4 stars)
2. And One Last Thing... - Molly Harper (5 stars)
3. Dead, Undead, or Somewhere In Between - JA Saare (4 stars)
4. Good in Bed - Jennifer Weiner (4 stars)
5. The Pregnancy Test - Erin McCarthy (2.5 stars)
6. Straight Up - Deirdre Martin (4 stars)
7. Tell Me Lies - Jennifer Cruisie (2.5 stars)
8. Twice Bitten - Chloe Neill (5 stars)
9. Crimson Moon - JA Saare (4 1/2 stars)
10. Dane - Elizabeth Amber (4 stars)
11. Cowgirl Up and Ride - Lorelei James (3 stars)
12. Naked - Megan Hart (4 stars) (review coming soon)
13. Marked by Moonlight - Sharie Kohler (DNF)
14. Nauti Boy - Lora Leigh (3 stars)

How was your month (besides hot!)?

Review: Dane by Elizabeth Amber

From the author's website:
DANE begins a new trilogy within The Lords of Satyr series.
It's now 50 years later, in Rome during the forum excavations of 1880. . .

Dane and Eva have secrets.

Because of a mysterious boyhood trauma, he harbors an alternate personality that seeks to protect him from the knowledge of his missing brother's whereabouts. Eva is a matchmaker, whose job it is to find human wives for Dane and his brothers. She's the only female satyr in existence. A fact she must hide, even from Dane.

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I first saw an excerpt of Dane over at Cecile's place and though it was an interesting premise. I was a bit leery of a guy with two penises, but it wasn't weird (really!).

The storyline was good and it kept me interested. (The dual penises were a part of the Satyr genetics - they only came out at full moon and were very erotic but not the focus of the story.) We learn that Dane and his younger brother were kidnapped many years ago. Dane mysteriously reappeared one year later but they still have not found his brother. Because of his experience, Dane has multiple personalities that come out when it's time for the full moon.

The story starts with Dane walking around on his land, when he finds Eva in his forest. He senses she's not human, but can't figure out what she is. It's full moon, and he starts to seduce her, but she gets away before she gets the whole "Satyr"treatment (*wink, nudge*). What Dane doesn't know, and we don't learn until Eva gets home, is that she is the only female Satyr, and as such is very valuable and succeptible to kidnapping; which is why she disguises her scent. We learn she has needs at full moon that only a Satyr can fulfill, so she creates a "shimmer skin" (fake man) to assist her in fulfilling her needs.

Eva is a marriage broker for the "Elseworld" (the non-humans living on earth). Due to a disease years ago, most of the Elseworld females cannot procreate, and therefore the men marry human women. Dane hires Eva to find him a wife. While she is working on this, they attend many functions together and are attracted to each other.

The storyline of Eva and Dane getting to know each other was twined nicely with Dane and his brothers searching for their missing youngest brother. The bad guys in this story were unrepentantly bad and I loved it! (I was a bit surprised at the culprit.)

I liked Eva but was a bit frustrated that she didn't ask some of the questions of Dane that she should have up front. She is able to see auras and Dane's auras changed with his personalities. I don't think, based on her personality, she would have ignored that.

I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, so I don't know if I would find out more about the Elseworld there, but I am definitely interested. I'd also love to see Eva's friend Alexa get a story - maybe with the long lost brother *winks*?

If you can let yourself get immersed into the fantasy world Ms. Amber has created, you'll enjoy this erotic and entertaining read; I read it in a day!

My rating:

I received this book from the author in exchange for a honest review.

Happy Anniversary to my real-life Alpha Hero!

18 years - how could we have come this far so fast? It sure doesn't feel like it!

We've been together through some ups and downs - thank you for making the highs higher and the lows bearable. I love you.