26 -- Motor Mouth

Motor Mouth by Janet Evanovich

finished: April 27, 2009

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Synopsis:It's the last race of the season, and the wheels are smoking and the temperature is rising at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Alexandra Barnaby is NASCAR driver Sam Hooker's raceday spotter, his eye-in-the-sky, telling Hooker when to pass and when to get off the gas. From her vantage point high above the grandstand she's also seeing things going on in the infield that will change her life. Things that will lead to a stolen racecar hauler, a kidnapped Saint Bernard, a bizarre murder, some restless nights under the covers with Hooker, and a reunion with super cigar roller Rosa Florez and the queen of wholesale fruit Felicia Ibarra.

From Miami, Florida to Concord, North Carolina and back to Miami this is an action-packed multi-car crash of shady dealings, stolen technology, drive-thru windows and destruction of personal property. Everything you always wanted to know about righteous indignation, stealing an eight-wheeler, stashing a dead body, and sex in the fast lane.

My thoughts:I don't like this series as much as the stephanie plum books. It just doesn't work for me. You'd think it would since they are about Nascar and I'm a Southern gal, but they don't. Not nearly as funny. Characters aren't as lovable. And there's no Morelli or Ranger. That's enough to make it not so great!


View all my reviews.
3 stars

25--The Host

Author: Stephanie Meyer
finished: April 21, 2009
Synopsis: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time. (from the publisher)

My thoughts: I really didn't like this book. First of all, I loved the premise I just didn't think it lived up to it's potential. I'm not sure why so many people think this is better written than the vampire series. I certainly can't see that it is. It feels alot like a young adult novel rather than an adult novel as advertised. It was mostly a love story and I thought the ending sucked big time. Yep, I said it. I think the ending sucked.

2 stars

24 -- Run for your Life

Author: James Patterson/ Micheal Ledwidge
Finished: April 12, 2009
Synopsis: A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror.

Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have come down with virulent flu at once!

Discovering a secret pattern in The Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author comes RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.

My thoughts: This is more like the Patterson I love. Fast paced and full of suspense. Even though I figured out the 'mystery' before the cops did, I still enjoyed this book. Thank goodness I didn't give up on him. Hope to see more of the Michael Bennett books.

4 stars

23 -- At Risk

Author: Patricia Cornwell
Finished: April 9, 2009
Synopsis: A Massachusetts state investigator is called home from Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is completing a course at the National Forensic Academy. His boss, the district attorney, attractive but hard-charging, is planning to run for governor, and as a showcase she’s planning to use a new crime initiative called At Risk -- its motto: “Any crime, any time.” In particular, she’s been looking for a way to employ cutting-edge DNA technology, and she thinks she’s found the perfect subject in an unsolved twenty-year-old murder -- in Tennessee. If her office solves the case, it ought to make them all look pretty good, right? Her investigator is not so sure -- not sure about anything to do with this woman, really -- but before he can open his mouth, a shocking piece of violence intervenes, an act that shakes up not only both their lives but the lives of everyone around them. It’s not a random event. Is it personal? Is it professional? Whatever it is, the implications are very, very bad indeed . . . and they’re about to get much worse.

Sparks fly, traps spring, twists abound -- this is the master working at the top of her game.

My thoughts: I didn't really like this one at all. It felt like it was too rushed and hurried. It did flow well. I felt like alot was skipped over and you better just hope as a reader that you could infer most of it. Certainly not on the Scarpetta level.

2 stars

22 -- The Quickie

Author: James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Finished: April 8, 2009
Synopsis: Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour.
In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she's paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren's desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood--and her life.
Patterson takes us on a twisting roller-coaster ride of thrills in his most gripping book yet. This story of love, lust and dangerous secrets will have listeners' hearts pounding to the very last page.
My Thoughts: Absolutely better than the last book I read by James Patterson, however, a little bit too contrived and neatly tied up at the ending. Still, it was a quick, easy and suspenseful book to read.

2 stars

21 -- Sex Lies and Vampires

Author: Katie MacAlister
finished: April 6, 2009
synopsis: As far as she can tell, Nell Harris is either going insane or she is in love. Nell thought she had been summoned to Prague to work on an inscription in a rare fourteenth-century breastplate. Instead, she is immersed in the world of the Moravian Dark Ones (think vampires) when she is swept up in the search for a boy held captive by the demon lord Asmodeus. Although Nell would like nothing better than to use her powers as a "Charmer" to help find the missing boy, the last time she dabbled in magic the consequences were dire. Then Nell meets Adrian Tomas. Bound to serve Asmodeus and forced to betray his fellow Dark Ones, Adrian desperately needs Nell to charm away his curse. One look into Adrian's haunted eyes, and Nell discovers she will do just about anything to save the soul of her new beloved. The third in Mac-Alister's wickedly sexy and wildly humorous Dark Ones series, this is another wonderfully original, practically perfect paranormal treat.
My thoughts: Another wacky paranormal that was fun and light. Just what I needed.

3 stars

Popin's Lair: Book Giveaway: The Lost Hours by Karen White

Popin's Lair: Book Giveaway: The Lost Hours by Karen White

This looks like a very yummy book. Go enter!

20 -- Change of Heart

Author: Jodi Picoult
finished: April 5, 2009
synopsis: Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth?

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?

Once again, Jodi Picoult mesmerizes and enthralls readers with this story of redemption, justice, and love.

My thoughts: As always with Jodi Picoult's books, it was an emotional read for me. I had always been pro death penalty until several years ago when I read John Grisham's novel The Chamber. That book made me look at the death penalty in a whole new way and this book gave me another look at why I changed my mind. I felt cheated in a way at the end. Not because I didn't like the ending of the book, but because I just wanted more. I wanted to know lots more about Claire's life and Maggie's and Father Michael's and Grace's.

4.5 stars