Monday Morning Updates

1. Nat's soccer team lost the finals, 0-2. But Nat was on fire! She had an incredible game and played with the older girls on the starting line-up. I was super proud of her. Which she exploited immediately by saying "Don't you think I played great? I want a pet praying mantis." We are going to the pet store today after school. (I know. I know.)

2. I finished Sondrae Bennett's book Worth Fighting For. I enjoyed this friends-to-lovers fox shapeshifter book.

3. I started reading Linda Howard's Now You See Her. Very intriguing beginning to this book. Can't wait to see what happens. (It has a "I See Dead People" thing going on).

4. Finished a beta read for RJ Silver, which made me laugh out loud so much my family kept asking what I was reading. And started a beta read for critique partner Sam Wayland (about a sexy hockey player) and it's phenomenal. Great reading weekend!

5. TODAY IS THE LAST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL! I'm doing a quick revision on Lumberjack in Love before all hell breaks loose at my house for summer vacation.

Hope everyone has a great Monday,
Penelope

It's The Asian Invasion, Baby!

Odd and ends....

1.) As many of you know, I have a Filipino-American hubby, and 2 great adopted Filipino kids. So, basically, I'm the odd (white) man out in our family. Needless to say, we cheer for Asian basketball players (my hubby is currently obsessed with Jeremy Lin), eat tons of Asian food (Thai and Vietnamese are our favorites), and also hope that the Asian contestants on Top Chef will win (we were totally stoked when Hung won Season 3). SPOILER AHEAD (if you haven't watched the latest episode of Top Chef, stop now!): We are pretty excited that not only Paul Qui (2nd from the left, above photo--he was born in Manila! yay!) made it to the finals (I'm rooting for him!), but also Beverly Kim, the slightly Asperger-ish girl who everyone loves to hate (I personally like her). Unfortunately, Edward Lee got booted last night....too bad, because that would have been a 75% Asian final! Sorry, Ed. Note to Ed: NEVER use the canned oysters. That's the kiss o' death.

Go Paul!!!!!!

2.) I finished Kill and Tell by Linda Howard, recommended to me by Julia Barrett. She told me it had the most incredible seduction scenes ever. And she was right. Romantic suspense is not my favorite sub-genre, but this book is sex-ay! Hot and sultry, like a summer's night in New Orleans. If you're looking for a book with intense chemistry between the hero and heroine, a complex suspense storyline, and one of the sexiest love scenes ever, check it out. Grade: A (still fanning myself....whew!)

3.) I just wanted to give a shout-out to Round Pond Estates, the charming small vineyard I toured in Napa Valley. Julia and I had a private olive oil tasting that was wonderful. I came home with four kinds of delicious olive oil (Italian Varietal, Spanish Varietal, Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon). I have been using them every day in my cooking and salad dressings. I also got their Blood Orange Citrus Syrup and Meyer Lemon Citrus Syrup.....I'm going to figure out some kick-ass cocktails to make with these. Stay tuned. If you are looking for a great gift for a foodie in your life, I can't recommend these products enough. Superb!

4.) And last but not least....Valentine's Day! Yep, it's coming up next week. On Feb. 14, I will be posting my review for Dana Stabenow's Restless in the Grave. I will also be giving away a copy of this incredible book to one lucky commenter. So be sure to stop by on Tuesday for the review and give-away. Now, murder might not seem like the most romantic theme for Valentine's Day, but I guarantee anyone reading these books will fall madly in love with Liam! A big, hunky Alaskan state trooper. Schwing!

That's it for now! Have a great day,

Penelope

Walking, Talking and Gawking

I'm gawking......

.....at Carolyn Crane's new website design. Carolyn, who is hilarious, quirky and an incredibly talented writer, has been slaving away on her new website for weeks. And....it kicks big-time arse! I am totally inspired to work on my website now. I love her new font for the header, the lay-out, the super fun graphics, the whole enchilada (that's an inside joke since she loves Mexican food). Check out her website and gawk away.

I'm talking......

.....about Linda Howard's Kill and Tell with Julia Barrett. Julia loves Linda Howard, and I have only read one book by her--Open Season--which I absolutely loved. So next on the reading list is Kill and Tell, which I am assured has one of the sexiest scenes ever. Hubba hubba hubba....


I'm walking.......

.......which just may be the secret to living a long, healthy life. Big thanks to my friend Sandra who sent me this link. I might look like a big dork when I do my walks every day....picture Adrian from the first Rocky movie--BEFORE her make-over. Remember when she had on the knit cap, buttoned-up coat and glasses? That's me. (See photo below).

I might look like a dork, but those walks are the best thing going! Check out this cool vid.......

Walking to the Rocky soundtrack,

Penelope

2 (Almost) DNFs and the Unexpected Outcome

Note to Readers: This post was written B.H.A. (Before Heart Attack), so you can take it with a grain of salt (or rather lo-sodium Mrs. Dash! hee hee).....perhaps I wasn't getting enough oxygen due to my faltering heart.

***

I very, very rarely DNF (Do Not Finish) a book. Seriously, it pretty much takes an act of God before I will give up. Even if a book sucks, I still want to find out what happens (pathetic, eh?). Nevertheless, perhaps due to a misalignment of the stars, I had not just one, but two DNFs this week.

Due to some intense forces of nature (other readers harassing the holy hell out of me), I ended up finishing both books.

The unexpected outcome was that the book I thought I would love was just mediocre, and the one I thought I would hate turned out to be fantastic.

First up....Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost. I adore Jeaniene Frost. Her Night Huntress books are the best paranormal thing going right now (in my opinion). They are power-packed, intense, incredibly sexy...can't-put-them-down-books. Frost took a chance with her spin-off series, switching from first person POV (Cat) to third person narrative. I was one of the few folks who actually loved First Drop of Crimson. It was an "A" read for me. Even though it wasn't the thrill ride that the Huntress books are, it worked very well for Denise's story.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness is Mencheres' story. Once again, we have 3rd person POV. Mencheres is a very old and powerful vampire...I was expecting a very compelling and exciting story. Instead, I almost DNFed this book half-way through. Why? I was bored. Nothing was happening. There was way too much deep POV going on and not enough action (reminded me of Julia Quinn's latest book, Ten Things I Love About You.) The pacing was off. I was shocked, because Frost's Huntress books are absolutely spot-on with their pacing and story line.

So, I gave up.

I started reading Linda Howard's Open Season, which I was told was a funny, great read. I was so peeved after reading the prologue (young Mexican girl is drugged and raped), that I DNFed that book and went back to Eternal Kiss!

Well, I finished Eternal Kiss of Darkness, and it got slightly better by the end, but I was still disappointed. For some reason, she is not translating that crazy sense of urgency and excitement from the Huntress books to this new series. I didn't like Mencheres and Kira's love story nearly as much as Spade and Denise, and I thought the final scene was too short and a let-down. Also, I felt that the end of the book shortchanged Mencheres and Kira's romance....we did not to get to see them together at the very end. In my opinion, that's a really important part of the HEA. All-in-all, this was an average read for me (B-/C+), and not what I was expecting from one of my favorite authors. I am really looking forward to Cat and Bones' next book!

Now, onto Almost DNF #2, Open Season. This book is all the rage on the Amazon boards...everyone loves it. I heard it was funny. I heard it was about a librarian who gets a make-over. So, even though I generally hate contemporary romance, I decided to give it a go. After the prologue, which pissed me off no end, I DNFed this baby. There is nothing remotely funny about a young girl getting drugged and raped. However, many readers implored me to continue reading. They said the book is great and I needed to give it another chance.

Holy Hellfire, they were right!!!!

I loved this book. Even though I sped-read over the creepy sex trade parts (weak stomach, you know), I adored the love story between Daisy and Jack. Linda Howard did a terrific job showing how Daisy went from being totally turned off by the alpha police man to falling madly in love (and lust) with him. The book is funny, well written, has wonderful characters (including the supporting cast), and a successful suspenseful story line. I love how we get a lot of different POVs in this story...that is one of my favorite things.

I would just like to say....thank-you to all of you folks who cajoled me into finishing this book. I can't wait to read my next Linda Howard book. Any other suggestions?

Happy Reading,

Penelope