Saturday Spotlight!

Saturday Spotlight is a brand new meme started by Lori where each week bloggers will have a chance to showcase something new. It will be the place to gather, talk and shine the “spotlight” on all things book related. Not to mention a place to discover new to us authors, characters, series and places.

Each week, Lori will pick a new theme for us to share our favorite of, and every once in a while she'll make it a “reader's choice” week where you can spotlight whatever you want.

This Week's Spotlight: Favorite MALE Mystery Author

I would first like to give a huge thanks to Lori to was gracious enough to let me know the topic ahead of time so I could type this out and schedule it to post while I'm away. So, thank you Lori!

I have to say that as soon as I read what the topic was going to be ... I almost flipped. I have one who holds a very special place in my heart that I've absolutely loved over the years ... even before I was introduced to Stephen King! My grandmother loved him, my father loved him, and I think I can safely say that he's the reason I have a slightly morbid interest in anything dealing with psychology - fears, phobias, serial killers ... all of it intrigues me!

Curious as to who it is? I'll tell you!

It's Dean Koontz! And I can tell you the first book I ever read by him ... Night Chills. I actually snuck it from my parents' room when they weren't looking. I think I may have been eight, but I could have been younger. All I remember about it was being absolutely gripped by the story and my adrenaline stayed through the roof through most of it. It never scared me, the part that I feared was the "what if" of it. What if that actually happened? Thinking of that kept me up at nights. However, I never had nightmares and I never had to sleep with Mommy and Daddy because of it - it just intrigued me. After I read that, I confessed to my parents what I had done. Mom was horrified and thought I'd be traumatized for life. My Dad looked very proud of me - and, as a Daddy's Girl, that was the best reaction I could ever ask for! Instead of banning me from the books, they allowed me to read more if I promised to drop them if they got too scary. I promised, but I never stopped reading them.

So, there you have it ... my favorite mystery writer. Who's yours?

Weekend Hiatus!

Alright guys, I'm off for the weekend! I'm packed and driving down to see my parents. Since my parents aren't big on the internet thing, it's doubtful I'll have any access to it until I get back here on Sunday. However, I have typed out a couple posts that are scheduled to be posted tomorrow and Sunday. Hopefully, that will be good until I get back. Then, I have reviews to do and maybe a little something extra. I'll let you know more when I get back.

Feel free to post any news on here that I may miss while I'm gone.

Love!

Review: Catch A Mate, by Gena Showalter

*Disclaimer: This book contains graphic sexual situations and, therefore, will be rated as such. Any time you see the pretty pink "M" sign up there, then you'll know I'm not exactly reviewing a YA read.*

Title: Catch A Mate
Author: Gena Showalter
Pages: 378
Publisher: HQN Books
Release Date: June 1, 2007; Reprinted May 1, 2010

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Keywords/Themes: Girl v. Guy, Dating, Romance, Chick Lit.

Jillian Greene is always getting caught in the act--it's her job! Working at Catch a Mate, Jillian gets paid by suspicious wives to smile, flirt and prove that no man can be trusted around the opposite sex. But she never gets physical--until a heart-stoppingly gorgeous male walks in....

Marcus Brody has just been hired to test female fidelity. But the last thing Jillian needs is a partner...especially an infuriating, irresistible man who's got her fantasizing about tearing off his clothes!

Can a savvy modern woman find happiness with the most tempting man she's ever known? Is there such a thing as a totally monogamous male?

My Review: I'll start by saying that, besides her paranormal Lords of the Underworld series, I've never read any of her other works. If you've read any posts on my blog the past few weeks, you'll know I've mentioned LotU a few times - even in comments on other blogs. Why? I abso-freaking-lutely love the Lords series! I picked up the first one on a whim and haven't looked back since.

But I was always hesitant to read any other type of romance books other than paranormal. I don't really have a problem with other people reading them, I just always associated them with middle-aged housewives who read while tanning and drinking mixed cocktails. Nothing wrong with that - my mom and aunt fit under that category - I just didn't think it was for me. I was wrong!

Like the Lords, I picked this one up on a whim. The cover got my attention, along with seeing that it was written by Gena Showalter. I loved her writing style in LotU, so I assumed her writing would be similar with her other books. A few hours later, I started reading and didn't stop until I was done. I was absolutely hooked!

The premise of the book from the blurb was promising enough. A girl, Jillian, who was paid to go flirt with men and catch them trying to cheat on their wives. She's good at her job and, given her history, it's a nice perk to catch them in the act so she can tell their wives what kind of men they really are. Enter Marcus, Jillian's male counterpart. From the very beginning, it's bad blood between them - spoiler ahead! - and even worse when Jillian finds out Marcus is her new boss. Throughout most of the book, their relationship can best be described as love/hate, kiss me/I want to kill you - type relationship. But, then again, I think that's what makes a great story.

As mentioned earlier, I love Showalter's writing style. It's nice and smooth, just the way I like it. The characters have their own unique voice and personality, which is a big plus for books. I also loved the character interactions, mainly Jillian and Marcus - the witty dialogue made me laugh out loud many times ... much to my husband's dismay, who was playing video games at the time. The ending sealed up the package nicely.

Rating: ½ - I'm a little hesitant at giving it a perfect score as I am pretty new to this contemporary romance thing, but it IS one of the best books in its genre that I've read ... and, since this book, I've definitely read more! That's right, thanks to Gena, I've gone over to the dark side.

More Books By Author: Gena Showalter has many books out in both contemporary romance and paranormal romance. Lords of the Underworld, Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, and the Atlantis series being three of my favorites. She also has a few YA novels out as well, which I will be reviewing on this site very soon! For a complete list of her books, please visit her website!


Sidenote: I did give a small spoiler about the book, so I tried to censor it for you guys that didn't want to read it. If you do want to know what I said, just highlight over the white area after the spoiler warning.

Used Bookstore Booty

So, I just got back from the used bookstore. I know I told you guys about it before, but I lurve going there. It's book love to the millionth degree. A lot of books that I can't find in my retail stores, I end up getting there. Because I have been out of work, I haven't been going lately because I feel guilty to using my husband's money for my obsession. I know, I know ... when you're married, it's both of your money, not just one. I've been working and supporting myself for over a decade now - old habits die hard. ;) Anyway, we ended up getting our refund check in the other day, so I took the money I've been hoarding since the last time I went to the used bookstore, and took it and spent some of it.

This is what I came back with.

In their efforts to wreak original variations on the vampire theme, the writers represented in this collection have imagined ingenious new means of vampire disposal, envisioned vampires interfacing with computers and piloting time machines, and even proposed more than a few reasons why people might want to be a vampire--or at least have one as a close friend. (Not that there aren't a few traditional vampires lurking between these covers.)

Readers will also find that beyond the classic bloodsucking vampire who lives off the life force of his victim lies the more sinister type of vampire: the one who feeds on the sympathy rendered by unsuspecting caregivers, on the affection of incautious lovers, on the tithes donated by the religious faithful.

Expanded with great new stories, this is the biggest and best anthology of ghostly hauntings ever. Over 40 tales of visitation by the undead—from vengeful and violent spirits, set on causing harm to innocent people tucked up in their homes, to rarer and more kindly ghosts, returning from the grave to reach out across the other side. Yet others entertain desires of a more sinister bent, including the erotic.

This new edition includes a selection of favorite haunted house tales chosen by famous screen stars such as Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. In addition, a top ranking list of contributors includes Stephen King, Bram Stoker, Ruth Rendell, and James Herbert—all brought together by an anthologist who himself lives in a haunted house.

This is the collection that true fans of horror fiction have been waiting for: sixteen of H.P. Lovecraft's most horrifying visions, including Lovecraft's masterpiece, THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME--the shocking revelation of the mysterious forces that hold all mankind in their fearsome grip.

"I think it is beyond doubt that H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the Twentieth Century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale."
Stephen King

After the tales of horror that took place in Harrow House in The Infinite and Mischief, this book takes a look back to tell the story of how the sinister house was built.

Harrow is haunted, they say. The mansion is a place of tragedy and nightmares, evil and insanity. First it was a madman's fortress; then it became a school. Now it lies empty. But an obsessed woman and a ghost hunter want to bring the house back to life to find out what lurks within Harrow. Together they assemble the people who they believe can pierce the mansion's shadows.

Pretty awesome, right? Want to know how well I did purchasing?

100 Vicious Little Vampire Stories: $4.00
The Mammoth Book of Haunted House Stories: $3.50
H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror...: $2.50
Nightmare House: $2.00
Infinite: $2.00

With taxes and everything, I spent just a hair over $15 -- $15.09 to be exact. And I'm really excited about it! She had a ton of books in there that I want, but I try to limit myself to a $20 budget each visit. I don't want to go completely overboard and go in debt! Plus, this'll occupy my time for the next week or two while I catch up on reviews anyway. ;)

And before you ask ... no, it was not my attention to get all horror books. I was just in one of those moods and this is how it turned out.

Breaking Dawn [Movie] Gets A Release Date!

From HitFix:

A Summit Entertainment spokesperson has confirmed to HitFix that "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" will open nationwide on Nov. 18, 2011. It's still officially unknown if "Dawn" will be broken up into one or, as rumored, two films. Stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are all expected to return.

Directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon, the fourth book in Stephenie Meyer's popular series chronicles Bella's most advanced initiation into the vampire world to date, but is also seen by many as the most difficult to adapt of all the best-selling novels. Melissa Rosenberg, who adapted the first two novels, would continue in that role for "Dawn."

"Breaking Dawn" will face off against "Happy Feet 2" and the Hugh Jackman Sci-Fi thriller "Real Steel." Even with the lucrative Thanksgiving weekend the following week, expect at least one of these films to move their release date to avoid going head-to-head with the "Twilight" franchise.

The third movie in the series, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," will debut in theaters on June 30 nationwide and in IMAX.

Look for more updates on "Breaking Dawn" as news breaks on HitFix.

Who's excited?! I am!!