Swim the Fly ~ Don Calame

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pub. Date: April 2009
ISBN-13: 9780763641573
Age Range: Young Adult
352pp

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart.

Oh, my! Don Calame is one of the most humorous writers to walk this universe. Swim the Fly knocked me out. I was so immersed in Calame's witty prose, I just found myself turning the pages rapidly & it still didn't seem fast enough.

Swim the Fly is a must read for both males & females. Matt & his lovable cohorts get themselves into so many priceless scenarios you will be rolling so much your sides will ache. You will shake your head @ their hijinks, nod as their shenanigans ebb & flow & you find yourself relating to their comical teenage adventures.

Calame is an artisan when it comes to creating characters. Each individual had an unrivaled
trait & a voice that was intrinsic to each personality. Don't let me get started on Matt's grandfather ~ he alone delivered uproarious scenes that made my sides throb.

Swim the Fly is a phenomenal novel. I was so engaged w/ the adventures of the Calame's sidesplitting players, I was reluctant to reach the ending. It. Was. That. Hilarious.

I can't wait to get my hands on the next whimsical treat Calame delivers!

Run, don't walk , to grab a copy of Swim the Fly!

Check out my interview w/ the campy Don Calame here.

Visit Don's website.

Thank you, Candlewick, for this awesome book to review.

Wolves in Chic Clothing ~ Carrie Karasyov & Jill Kragman

Pub. Date: April 2005
Publisher: Broadway Books
Format: Hardcover, 272pp
ISBN-13: 9780767917803
ISBN: 0767917804

Synopsis

Julia, a hip, downtown salesgirl at Pelham’s jewelry store, finds her social life turned on its head when she is asked to deliver a necklace to the store’s young heiress, Lell Pelham, on Lell’s wedding day. Beguiled by Julia’s earnest cluelessness and her vintage-chic vibe, Lell and her gang adopt Julia, and “Eliza Doolittle” her into passing as the heiress to a family fortune, just for a laugh. Dazed by the whirlwind of trust funds, pedigrees, Cosmopolitans, and penthouses in her new world, Julia is unprepared for the ardent advances of Lell’s husband—or the vicious claws her new “friends” develop when they decide Julia is an ingrate, and demote her from society goddess to penniless cling-on with one well-timed editorial. Suddenly, she must return the borrowed couture clothes and try to remember who she was before the body snatching took place. Hilarious and completely addictive, Wolves in Chic Clothing is a modern-day rags-to-riches-and-back-again fairy tale that will leave fans stamping their Manolo Blahniks for more.



Wolves in Chic Clothing is as delicious as a banana split oozing w/ hot fudge, caramel & butterscotch!

Forget Chick Lit, I'm talking juicy Gossip Lit. Yum! Dig in!

Set against the glittering backdrop of New York City, Karasyov & Kargman co-author a tale dripping w/ wicked goodness.

Welcome to the lush, decadent society sphere that few live but many dream of making it their own.

Ahhh, the glitz & glamour of the beautiful people, wrapped in ravishing clothes, dining @ extravagant restaurants, shopping @ posh boutiques & living the moneyed life. *Sigh*.

Wolves in Chic Clothing's irresistible Julia goes from ingénue to trendsetting sweetheart unexpectedly.

Genteel Lell Pelham, heiress of Pelham's, leader of the highbred hyenas is about to stroll down the aisle.

Psst! WHATEVER YOU DO, PLEASE, DO NOT PICTURE PARIS HILTON!

Yes, polished Lell has landed the "perfect chap" in Willoughby Banks, a man w/wandering eyeballs, a passion for Lell's assets & the determination to ingratiate himself into the blue blood realm.

The rest of the players have interesting stories that Karasyov & Kargman showcase smoothly.

Subsequently, Julia realizes that the opulent life of the Big Apple's blooming aristocracy isn't as amazing as it appears.

Karasyov & Kargman do such an outstanding job w/ narration, you will find yourself not only yearning to live the life of the well-heeled but living it as you turn each scrumptious page!

Bone Cold ~ Spindler

Publisher: Mira
Pub. Date: March 2001
ISBN-13: 9781551667942
512pp


Synopsis

She thought the nightmare was over...
Twenty-three years ago, Anna North survived a living nightmare. A madman kidnapped her, cut off her pinkie, then vanished. Today Anna lives in New Orleans, writing dark thrillers under another name. She finally feels safe.
But it was only just beginning.
Suddenly Anna's quiet life takes a frightening turn. Letters start to arrive from a disturbed fan. Anna is followed, her apartment broken into. Then a close friend disappears.
Anna turns to homicide detective Quentin Malone, but Malone's more concerned with the recent murders of two women in the French Quarter. But after a third victim is found—a redhead like Anna, her pinkie severed—Malone is forced to acknowledge that Anna is his link to the killer...and could be the next target.
Now Anna must face the horrifying truth—her past has caught up with her. The nightmare has begun again.



Erica Spindler writes hair raising chillers like nobody's business! Bone Cold was my first Spindler novel & the rest is history.


I am the first in line to get the latest Spindler novel ~ I am so hooked on Spindler's creepy thrillers, I pre~order her books.

Psst! I even secretly hope it ships early (as long as it doesn't mess up her sales).

Bone Cold is an outstanding page turner that will leave you breathless!

Spindler interlaces so many gripping twists & turns you will find yourself reading deep into the night ~ just triple check the locks.

What Spindler does flawlessly is plait the pieces together to create a high octane suspense novel that makes sense. No filler to distract you, Spindler delivers incomparable attention grabbing chills that will leave you craving more.

Bone Cold introduces the intriguing Malone family & kicks off w/ the delicious Quentin. *Sigh*.
Bone Cold is a compelling novel that chilled me to the bone. Spindler distributes a fast paced, explosive, action infused, creepy read that is an outstanding standout!

Spindler's characters are an eclectic blend of charm, humor, intrigue, warmth & straight up deranged you just can't stop yourself from wanting to know what exactly makes them tick.

Spindler doesn't just toss a few procedural terms @ you for the sake of "sounding" good, she really does an extensive amount of research & it is skillfully showcased in her writing.

Spindler is also proficient when it comes to executing credible details.

Kudos to Spindler for always making me become part of the story everytime I read one of her captivating novels.


I just couldn't put Bone Cold down, infact, I inhaled it in one sitting. Spindler's novels are addictive, compelling & highly recommended when you want a spellbinding tale that will curl your toes.

Bone Cold is an addictive read & definitely one for your keeper shelves!


Hurry! Grab a copy of Bone Cold!

Check out Erica's terrific website.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs ~ Molly Harper

Synopsis

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.

Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?

Move over Charlaine Harris 'cause Molly Harper's nipping @ your heels faster than the horses crossing the finish line @ the Kentucky Derby.

Harper's Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs is an entertaining debut brimming w/ humor to the point of overflowing. This is topnotch hilarity!

If Sookie Stackhouse had a cousin, it'd definitely be saucy Jane Jameson!

I want to start out by saying I am not a vampire fiction groupie. I read what I love & usually love what I read. Usually! I am an extremely moody reader. No wonder the charming ladies decided to bestow me w/ that royal title -- lol : p.

I find the genre becoming saturated w/ watered down versions, blatant knock offs & snooze fests galore. Sadly, too many authors are chasing the elusive dream of recreating something that has garnered success for others instead of listening to their muse & creating their own literary blockbuster. That said...

Enter Molly Harper! Harper delivers comedy so effortlessly you will be laughing out loud from the first page.

Harper has created an engaging cast of characters. Every individual is well crafted, intriguing & riotous. Every riveting player hanging out in Half Moon Hollow is three dimensional & nobody's sidekick.

Jane is a feisty heroine that is not only energetic she is a bookworm! Love it!

When Jane gets laid off from her librarian job, due to "budget cuts" she expects a bit of green in the form of a severance check. Wrong. Instead of a severance payment she gets a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to a bar. Yep, nothing like a little "courage" to get you through the hard times.

So, when Jane heads home after drowning her sorrows in Electric Lemonades & meeting a tall, dark hottie...

Her car dies in the middle of the night -- basically keels over. What does Jane do?

She starts to walk home but is mistaken for a deer. Did I mention it is the middle of the night?

Jane gets shot in a case of drunk drive by deer-hunting...

That is all you are getting from me because I don't want to spoil it for those who are rushing out to grab a copy or ordering it online ; p.

Y'know, Harper just may have created the humorous vampire chick-lit subgenre in Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs is the book to grab when you are thirsting for a rollicking read & a new author to adore. This series is just good 'ole f-u-n!!!

You can visit the author’s website here or blog here.

To purchase a print copy of Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs from Amazon click here or from Barnes & Noble click here.

The Jane Jameson series:

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men

Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever

Some Girls Bite ~ Chloe Neill

Synopsis

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker—and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude— and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war—and there will be blood.

Some Girls Bite is the kick off novel in the Chicagoland Vampires Series. Chloe Neill makes her delicious debut penning this fantastic new urban fantasy series situated around the adventures misadventures of the delightful Merit. Oh, did I mention that she happens to be a reluctant initiate for the Windy City's Vampire denizens?

Narrated in the first person (which I am not always thrilled to read) Neill does a fantastic job weaving this engrossing novel through Merit's eyes.

Neill definitely goes beyond the new breed of vampire chick-lit territory that has staked (couldn't resist ; p) its claim on this increasingly popular sub genre.

The story line is peppered w/ juicy plot twists that can rival the best Hollywood blockbuster.

Some Girls Bite is a fast paced read bursting @ the seams w/ a medley of mystery, romance, hilarity & adventure!

Neill's characters are alluring & each well thought out player can carry their own in this charming debut.

Applause to Neill for doing a terrific job sprinkling in supernatural creatures to spice it up even more!

Vampire --fanpire-- fiction fans will definitely place Some Girls Bite on their keeper shelves!


Visit Chloe @ chloeneill.com.

Crazy Beautiful ~ Lauren Baratz-Logsted's

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pub. Date: September 2009
ISBN-13: 9780547223070
Age Range: Young Adult
208pp

Synopsis

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.
Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.
But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.
Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.


Lauren Baratz-Logsted's exposition is breathtakingly beautiful. I found myself aching @ the raw emotion & losing myself in the sheer creative brilliance that is Crazy Beautiful!

I didn't read Crazy Beautiful, I devoured it! I must admit, I started to drag my feet as I was reaching the end. Why? Because Crazy Beautiful is so hypnotic (thank you my GH lovin' literary angel, Lauren Baratz-Logsted)!

Crazy Beautiful is an unparalleled fairy tale. Baratz-Logsted's interpretation of Beauty & the Beast is absolutely arrestive.

Told w/ a modern twist, Crazy Beautiful will have you believing anything & everything is possible thanks to Baratz-Logsted's striking & charismatic prose.

Crazy Beautiful is told in alternating point of views, which is not only refreshing but allows readers to experience the deeply intense emotions that cover Lucius & Aurora like second skin.

Baratz-Logsted weaves an enthralling tale of fractured teens who are destined to be. Not in some mushy/gushy/eye rolling/syrupy/words on paper/teen heart tripping/"who are you again?" /third rate/ straight to DVD nightmare!

Baratz-Logsted scribes a cultivated novel resplendent in exquisiteness! Lucius & Aurora are soulmates. You will become enchanted, bewitched & ravenous for more.

Baratz-Logsted's provocative duo are extremely well written, you can't help but wish them to exist outside of the pages she skillfully crafted.

Every player in Crazy Beautiful is vital to the story ~ the novel just couldn't propel smoothly w/o every cast member sustaining the life Baratz-Logsted created for this remarkable tale.

Crazy Beautiful is rich w/ a sense of strong family dynamics. Aurora's relationship w/ her father is well orchestrated & a breath of fresh air. Lucius' place in his family is realistic & well developed & the author deserves kudos for not sugar coating his role.

I absolutely loved the mall scenes w/ his sister. Misty is a dynamic character & I'd love to see her get her own story.

Crazy Beautiful is a fast, emotional read w/ a unique take on a classic tale.

Now since Baratz-Logsted lightly touched upon Lucius' back story, I am hoping visions of a prequel dance in her head. Hint ~hint! I wouldn't mind if it was told in alternating perspectives as we experience life w/ Aurora's mom.

I loved Lucius! He was such an enthralling character; he simply jumped out of the pages. He was absolutely a three dimensional player. I adored Aurora! She was authentic & not so sweet you develop sugar shock. Aurora popped out of the pages, too. It was like watching a play.

Despite some of the dark undercurrents, Baratz-Logsted shines w/ humor.

As much as I wanted to add a seashell w/ my 5 rating, I didn't. Why? I wanted more. Much more. I wanted to see Lucius & Aurora outside of the school environment & was spoiled when they had dinner.

To me the end was a bit rushed & I felt a bit cheated because I fell in love w/ these mesmerizing characters, I wanted more Lucius & Aurora. I know there is more to these two & I hope Baratz-Logsted doesn't forget to tap into a prequel & a sequel because this defintely showcases characters worth knowing!

Hurry! Grab your copy of Crazy Beautiful!

Check Lauren out @ http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/.

Identical ~ Ellen Hopkins

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pub. Date: August 2008
ISBN-13: 9781416950059
Age Range: Young Adult
576pp


Synopsis

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for Congress. Everything on the surface of their lives seems Norman Rockwell perfect, but underneath run deep and damaging secrets.Kaeleigh is the good girl-her father's perfect flower, something she has tried so hard to be since she was nine and he started sexually abusing her. She cuts herself and vomits after every binge, desperate to feel something normal. Raeanne uses painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite. Both girls must figure out how to become whole, but how can they when their world has been torn to shreds?

Ellen Hopkins has a natural gift for writing so poignantly you don't just read the words on paper, you become the words she so eloquently delivers.

Hopkins writing style is so naked & sincere it simply steals your breath away. Identical is told in free verse & sometimes that form of free verse utilizes pictures or poems w/i poems to convey it's message -- simply brilliant.

I knew where Hopkins was going w/ the storyline & it made me ache inside. I was not just an outsider looking in but was experiencing all the heart wrenching emotions Kaeleigh & Raeanne endured thanks to Hopkins' seamless stratagem.

It was difficult reading about what the father was doing to one of the daughters. I had a difficult time w/ it because it hit too close to home. All I am saying is, the cycle of abuse is a violently vicious one!

Hopkins' descriptions are remarkably riveting & powerfully fervent you may have to write a memo w/ the words "exhale" in bold print!

I am not going to give away the design of Identical, you are going to have to read the book for yourself. Hopkins' Identical is definitely not a book to be missed.

I have heard mumblings that this book is "graphic" but I ask myself as I type this, "Is this book anymore graphic than what you endured @ the hands of your uncle @ the tender age of 9?" My answer... No!

I believe Hopkins deserves kudos for shattering the glass ceiling w/ her groundbreaking prose, ripped from the headlines storylines & richly poured lyrical exposition.

Identical needs to be on every library shelf in the universe, given as gifts to young girls & parents across the globe.

While imitator's dip their toes, literary doyenne Hopkins plunges right in!

Grab a copy of Hopkins' Identical.

Check out Ellen's website.