Book Review: Secrets by Freya North

I love British Chick Lit and I don’t know why I’ve never run across Freya North before but I can tell you that Secrets won’t be the last of her books that I read. For me this novel was a great escape from my everyday life as it was a nice and fluffy kind of read and I needed that.

Tess is in trouble – big trouble. We find her hiding with her daughter at the beginning of the novel although we have no idea why. Tess is looking for a way out so when she finds an ad in the paper about a job as a house sitter she jumps at the chance. She phones up the owner and doesn’t really give him a chance to say much before he finds that she’s telling him that she’s driving up to his place right away. He’s thinking he’s got a real nut on his hands until he opens his door to Tess and baby Em.

Joe doesn’t know why but he ends up letting Tess stay. She’s nutty and a little odd and she just seems to take over. Even stranger is she has showed up with nothing. Most house sitters he’s had come with almost everything except the kitchen sink. Tess keeps asking if she can use his stuff. He has to admit though that she seems to make a house come alive. On his first trip away Tess starts her overhaul of his place and when he comes back he has to secretly admit to himself that he kind of likes it. She’s made this house of his into a home again.

I liked Tess. She was funny and I enjoyed the exchanges between her and Joe and especially all the new British words I learned. Joe on the other hand irritated me with his playboy ways but by the end of the book I warmed up to him. He was a man who had no intentions of becoming serious with anyone and especially someone like Tess but hey, who has any power over love most of the time? To be truthful, this is a slow book. Will you find anything earth shattering in its pages – no, but you will find a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon curled up in your favorite chair. It’s like taking a look into the everyday life of two people and it worked for me. I loved that slow pace and the eventual revealing of the all important secrets that both Tess and Joe kept. I also loved the setting of Secrets- a seaside town that I would love to live in!

You can pick up your own copy of Secrets by Freya North here in the US and here in Canada.

Source:  Review copy provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

Interview with Linda Wisdom, author of A Demon Does it Better & Giveaway

 I’m pleased to welcome Linda Wisdom, author of  A Demon Does it Better,  to Peeking Between the Pages today.  I reviewed A Demon Does it Better yesterday (my review) and I just loved it.  I haven’t read a book of hers yet that I haven’t liked and I fully intend to read the others.  I really do love any books dealing with witches – I only wish I had more time to read more of them.  In the meantime Linda was nice enough to take the time to answer a whole bunch of questions I asked her so I hope you’ll all enjoy our little chat…

 

1. A Demon Does It Better was fantastic! I couldn’t put it down. Would you like to share a bit about it with my readers.

LW: Lili and Jared’s book has to do with our witchy MD Lili Carter who’s returned to San Francisco and Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum to find out what happened to a friend of hers who disappeared from the hospital. What she doesn’t expect to find is that more nurses and doctors have disappeared from there, to meet a lost little girl ghost wandering the asylum, a scary dragon shiifter head nurse or an incredibly sexy patient who’s branded a homicidal maniac. Still, what man is perfect? :}

2. The Demon series all have fantastic covers but A Demon Does It Better is extra hot! Did you have any say in the cover art?

LW: I am asked for cover suggestions when I provide character descriptions. I love this one. Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend was all my idea!

3. I noticed Maggie (loved her!) from A Girl is a Demon’s Best Friend made an appearance in A Demon Does It Better. Will the witches Lili and Maggie be making appearances in future books? They are both fantastic characters.

LW: Yes, they’ll show up. I also want to write novellas with the past characters.

4. If A Demon Does It Better was made into a movie, which by the way, would make a fantastic flick, who would you cast in the lead roles especially considering how hot the leading men in your Demon series are.

LW: The latest actor who’s been rolling around in my head is Sam Worthington, but I could see him more as vampire Nick. Still, darken Sam’s hair and I could see it. I haven’t seen anyone yet for Lili. I’d love to hear who the readers would choose.

5. Would you like to share a bit about your other books with everyone? I have enjoyed both the Jazz Tremaine series and your Demon series. You’re definitely my go to author for the paranormal.

LW: The two series are intertwined since both deal with the expelled witches from the Witches Academy in 1313. Jazz Tremaine, a curse eliminator in the Hollywood area (that and Beverly Hills keeps her busy), is sassy and snarky and looks to be finally settling down with her vampire honey, Nick Gregory. Stasi Romanov owns a lingerie/romance novel boutique in a small mountain town and has hooked up with a sexy wizard attorney. She shares the building and living quarters with another witch, Blair Fitzgerald, whose shop carrying vintage items is popular with the tourists. Blair’s hooked up with local carpenter, Jake Harrison, who happens to be a Were Border collie. Maggie O’Malley is my kickass witch. A team leader with the Hellion Guard who overlooks all the supernatural creatures, she’s someone you don’t mess with. Right now, she’s got a half fire demon as a mate and guardian of a teenage girl that makes her crazy most of the time.

6. I love your witchy tales Linda. What inspired you to write books like these and do your novels require any research or just an extra creative and imaginative mind?

LW: I wish I could tell you, but all I know is Jazz popped into my head with her story. I knew I wanted to write about a 700 yr old witch, and she finished what I needed.

7. On a personal note what do you like to do when you have some time to yourself and you’re not busy writing?

LW: With my mother’s failing health the past couple years I didn’t have as much time, but when I did it was reading and dog time. We have incredible wineries in the next town and I love visiting them.

8. Do you have a favorite place where you like to do your writing?

LW: I’m usually at my laptop with the TV and dogs nearby. If I do some writing longhand, I’m either curled up in a chair or on the bed. Also with the dogs. :}

9. So what’s next Linda? I hope there’s more to come in the Demon series but do you maybe have another series for us in the works as well?

LW: A lot of things. I will be putting Thea’s book up myself along with a YA urban fantasty book and a Jazz and Nick novella titled Hotel Hex. After that definitely more witch books. They won’t let me stop.

10. Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

LW: I hope readers will also check out my backlist books that are re released as ebooks. I have some up at the usual places and also at www.joyridebooks.com I’ve had a lot of fun going through these books again.

Thanks so much for visiting Peeking Between the Pages today Linda and thanks for another great book in A Demon Does It Better.

_________________________

 

ABOUT A DEMON DOES IT BETTER BY LINDA WISDOM – IN STORES JANUARY 2012

A madhouse is not place for a curious witch…
After more than a century, Doctor Lili Carter, witch healer extraordinaire, has returned to San Francisco and taken a job at Crying Souls Hospital and Asylum, where something peculiar and wicked I shappening. Patients are disappearing, and Lili wants to know why.

And double dangerous for a demon…
Lili finds herself undeniably attracted to perhaps the most mysterious patient of all—a demented but seriously sexy demon named Jared. What’s behind the gorgeous chameleon demon’s late-night escapades?

Before long, Lili and Jared are investigating each other—and creating a whole new kind of magic.

Buy A Demon Does it Better at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Wisdom has published more than 70 novels with 13 million copies sold worldwide including traditional, paranormal, humor, action/adventure romance, and romantic suspense. Her bestselling books have been nominated for RT Book Reviews awards and the Romance Writers of America Rita Award. She lives with her husband in Murrieta, California. For more information, please visit www.LindaWisdom.com.

Linda’s website
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GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 2 copies of A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winners on Saturday, February 4/12.  Good luck everyone!

Book Review: A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom

A Demon Does it Better by Linda Wisdom is a fun and entertaining novel full of magic- exactly what I’ve come to expect from this author. My first book by Linda was Hex in High Heels (my review) and I loved it. I wanted more so when A Demon is a Girl’s Best Friend (my review) came across my radar I jumped at it. I was hooked! Linda’s Demon series is fantastic and as I’ve found with all of her books that once I pick it up I have a really hard time putting it down until I reach that last page. A Demon Does it Better kept me up late at night as I got all caught up in the witchy goings-on.

Lili is a very powerful witch; she’s also a healer and doctor. I was excited to learn that Lili was one of the witches that had been banned from the Witches Academy along with Jazz who I met in another book and a few others. She’s also chums with Maggie from A Demon is a Girl’s Best Friend and of course it never hurts to have friends in the Hellion Guard who sport a tattoo of a black widow spider named Elle who can unattach from her arm and become alive. Anyhow, back to Lili. She’s accepted a position to work at Crying Souls hospital because she wants to find out what happened to her friend Sera, a nurse, who disappeared from there. Turns out that there are quite a few more than just Sera and while others think it’s strange that they’ve just up and disappeared nobody is really making any effort to find out why. Well, Lili is surely going to.

Lili ends up being assigned to work in the ‘basement’ where the mentally ill are housed. Lili is downright appalled at the conditions down there and the way that the so called inmates are treated. Even more surprising is she sees that one of the patients is a demon that she has previously seen outside of the hospital. This happens to the be the ever so gorgeous Jared – well gorgeous when he’s not at the hospital being beaten by the orderlies that is. Being a healer Lili feels that these patients in the basement can be healed even though they’ve been labelled as hopeless. Lili voices her concerns to the head doctor but he is a well respected man with years of experience and he pretty much brushes her off. As time goes on though the doctor becomes stranger and stranger and Lili has to find some way to stop him from continuing in his evil ways.

Of course a big part of the book is the romance that blossoms between Lili and Jared. Now you may wonder how a romance or any hanky panky can possibly occur when one is locked in a cell but Jared is a shadow demon and these shadows enable him to move around in the outside world but only for certain time periods. When they decide to pull him back, he’s gone. As things heat up between Lili and Jared, the good old head doctor is up to no good trying to devise a plan to get rid of the both of them. The question is – will he succeed?

As with Linda’s other books her characters are great. Her main characters are always likeable and her side characters are extremely engaging. This time around in A Demon Does it Better we have Cleo the cat. Cleo is one smart cat who often knows things her witch Lili doesn’t but that isn’t the best thing about her – the best thing is she claims to be none other than Cleopatra, the Queen of the Nile. Oh yeah, you read that right! She’s hilarious and my favorite line of hers has to be this one…

“”Talk to the paw.” She held up an appendage, offering the witch a wicked smile as long, razor-sharp claws shot out. She lowered it to the metal and etched her name with that painful nails-on-a-chalkboard screech.” (from uncorrected eCopy, final print edition may be different)

As you can see Cleo is one cat not to be messed with. Really folks, this book is entertaining and a great way to spend a few hours. You’re guaranteed a few laughs and a wonderful time with a host of fabulous characters. I can’t wait to see who shows up in the next novel!

You can find Linda on her website, blog, Facebook or Twitter  and you can purchase your very own copy of A Demon Does it Better here in the US or here in Canada. Be sure to check back tomorrow as Linda pays a visit to Peeking Between the Pages and answers some of my questions along with a giveaway of  a couple of copies of A Demon Does it Better!

Source:  Review copy provided by Sourcebooks through NetGalley.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Book Review: Wild Thing by Robin Kaye

Robin Kaye fast became a favorite author for me back with the first book of hers that I read and I haven’t missed one since. Wild Thing, her newest, is another fun and spicy read! Robin’s books are the perfect escape for me. I don’t have to think too hard or try to figure anything out. I get to just sit back, enjoy, and get more than a few laughs while reading her books. Now, most everyone who reads my blog knows I’m not a fan of romance books but Robin’s are different for me. They are romantic comedies and always leave me feeling happy and I think we can all use that once in a while.

In Wild Thing, we meet goth girl Toni who works for Action Models as a manager in New York. She loves the city so when she finds herself out on a shoot in the mountains she is none too happy. She’s not an outdoorsy type girl at all and has an intense fear of the outdoors since being lost in the woods as a little girl. Then she meets the tour guide for the shoot – one very gorgeous Hunter Kincaid. What a feast for the eyes this man is! He is one of those go-getter type of men. He knows what he wants and generally gets what he wants too. So, while nobody is more surprised than him, he falls for Toni from the first moment he sees her. It’s just too bad Toni doesn’t seem to want to fall for him too.

Now I have to tell you that I met the Kincaid brothers in another book of Robins that I read. Hunter’s brothers are named Trapper and Fisher and all these boys got their names because of what their father was doing while they were being born. I’ve always gotten such a kick out of that. To top things off their sister’s name is Karma and truthfully she’s the real handful of the family. I’m hoping to see a book just centered on her one of these days. Anyhow, turns out the whole family is out at the camp and they can all see that Hunter has fallen for Toni and they seem to think it’s pretty funny that she isn’t just falling all over their brother like most women do.

Eventually though Toni can’t resist Hunter’s charms but she is reserved. Toni has never really known love and family and all that kind of stuff so she has a hard time really giving of herself. Throughout their time at the camp though Hunter wears her down and she starts to come around. Yet we all know that in any good romance things don’t just go along smoothly and this one is no different. Hunter makes a big oops and Toni packs up and goes home to New York. Not being one to give up though Hunter heads off after her. Now, is there a happily ever after – well I guess you’ll just have to read it for yourself to find out!

I liked Toni and seeing her finally open herself up to love was nice. I loved having the Kincaid brothers and Karma in this book. They really are a great family and I hope to see more of them in future books, especially Karma as I said before. Grandpa Joe was back in this book too and he is a narly old man who is absolutely hilarious. He loves to rule over his family but at his heart he’s a softie and I always get a kick out of any situation he ends up commandeering. All in all, another great read from Robin and as usual I’ll be patiently awaiting her next book! Just as a side note there is bad language and a lot of spicy hanky panky goings-on so if that isn’t your thing, then it’s likely you don’t want to give this book a try. For me though, I don’t mind either so I had a great time reading this book.

Be sure to pop in and visit Robin’s website where you can also check out all her other books. You can pick up your own copy of Wild Thing by Robin Kaye here in the US and here in Canada.  Make sure and check back tomorrow as Robin is stopping by Peeking Between the Pages to answer a few questions for me!

Source: Review copy provided by Sourcebooks through NetGalley. No compensation was received for this review.