Review of The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Rating - 4 

Phillips reintroduces Lucy Jorik, the U.S. president's adopted daughter from her previous novel, Call Me Irresistible. Lucy has always felt the pressure to be perfect, but when she runs out on the perfect man, Ted Beaudine, on the day of her wedding, she knows that she wants something else. Throwing caution to the wind, she accepts a ride on the back of a motorcycle from a menacing-looking stranger nicknamed "Panda." Lucy isn't quite ready to face her family, and the rest of the world, again, and her growing attraction to the grizzled biker just makes it easier to keep her real life on hold. After a secret about Panda comes out, however, Lucy realizes that escaping her too-perfect life will be harder than it seemed.

This is trademark SEP: Familiar, quirky characters, humor, romance and hot sex. The beginning is a little slow, but once it gets going, it's hard to put down. I hate for SEP books to end because I don't want to let go of the characters! I hope she writes fast...I can't wait for her next novel.

Review of Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell

Rating - 4

 Molly Hagan's husband left her for a younger woman and now she finds out his business has just gone bankrupt. So now she has to find a way to support herself and her 6 year old son with no support from her ex-husband. Through a former colleague, she finds a job copywriting for a new bakery just opening up. Molly finds herself experiencing all of the ups and downs and "politics" in the business world, but she loves what she's doing and maybe has found romance in the process.

Vanity Fare is entertaining and funny and romantic. The premise of the new bakery is that it is opening near the New York Public Library, so the owner is trying to combine the idea of food and books. Molly suggests that each item in the bakery should be named after a famous book. In fact, the name of the bakery  is "Vanity Fare", a take off on the book of the same name.One of my favorite parts of the book were the food descriptions that opened each chapter in the book, such as "Portrait of a Ladyfinger" or "Tender is the Bite". At the end of the book, there are recipes for each of the bakery items. Molly is a strong character and faces her new life with trepidation and humor. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Review of Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Rating - 4

 Isabel Favor is a life-style coach whose life is falling apart. Her accountant has run off with her money, her reputation is in tatters and her fiance has just dumped her for an older woman. Isabel needs to escape so she heads for Tuscany determined to find a little perspective - breathing room - and start over. Instead she ends up in a hotel room with Hollywood bad boy Lorenzo Gage. He makes his living killing people...on the screen at least. Ren's reputation is blacker than black. But when you're everyone's favourite villain, it goes with the territory. Isabel's always prided herself on her neatly ordered life. But look where being good has got her. Maybe it's time to live a little...? (Amazon desc.)

This is trademark Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Lots of romance, humor and colorful secondary characters. Highly entertaining.

Review of Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn

Rating - 4

 Private Investigators Chet (a dog) and Bernie are hired to find a missing showdog named Princess and her owner who have been kidnapped. Also missing is local newspaper reporter and very good friend, Suzie Sanchez. As Chet and Bernie dig further into the case, there seems to be a lot more going on than a missing showdog.
Quinn's Chet and Bernie books are great. The two work together and always manage to solve their quirky cases. In typical PI fashion, Bernie never has any money and tends to drink a little too much, but Chet is really the main character and is also the narrator of the story. Quinn does a great job of writing the books through Chet's eyes and that's what makes them so humorous. Highly recommended.

Review of Paper Towns by John Green

Rating - 4
Young Adult

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life--dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge--he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues--and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew. (Amazon desc.)
Green is a master at exploring the character of teens as they search for adulthood. "Q" is a great character and his friendship with Radar and Ben is spot on. I found myself laughing out loud in several places. This is a very satisfying, enjoyable look into the lives of teenagers on the brink of adulthood.

Review of In the Bag by Kate Klise

Rating - 4
Release Date - 5/2012

Daisy and her daughter Zoe are traveling to Paris from St. Louis for Zoe's spring break. Daisy is a top-notch chef and recently left a restaurant job to clear her mind and decide what she wants to do next. Andrew and his ason are heading to Madrid for Andrew's job as an exhibit designer. On the plane, Andrew actually jostled a woman holding a glass of wine which spills on her silk blouse. Andrew feels terrible. The woman is very attractive and Andrew is drawn to her. Uncharacteristically, Andrew composes a note apologizing and asking her out for a drink when they are back in St. Louis. He stuffs the note in her open purse. When the parties arrive at their respective destinations, Zoe and Webb realize that somewhere during their journey, their bags have been switched. From this unpromising beginning, the four characters...Daisy, Zoe, Andrew and Webb...go about their business not realizing that everything they do is connected in some way.

This book is a light, entertaining and funny read. It is told through the POV of each character. The reader sees the interconnections among the characters which adds to the fun and fast pace. It's really two stories...Daisy's and Andrew's, both looking for something more in their lives...and Webb and Zoe's...both on the brink of adulthood and trying to stand on their own. Teens  will enjoy this book as much as adults will. It's a perfect beach book!

Review of Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie

Rating - 3

Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it's a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don't mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they'll do everything in their power to resist--because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime. (Brilliance Audio Description).

This was a typical Jennifer Crusie madcap romance, full of her signature humor. It is a reprint of one of her earlier books and it was obvious, lacking some of the depth of her more current books. Still it was fun, enter taining and great to listen to.

Review of Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Rating - 4

Stephanie Plum is back and nothing much has changed. She's still trying to choose between Morelli and Ranger, her mother is still trying to "fix her up" with a potential husband and she and Lola are still busy trying to pick up criminals who have jumped bail. This time, she has three people trying to kill her which keeps her on her toes!

I've read all of the Stephanie Plum novels. Some have been better than others and this one was one of the better ones!

Review of Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Rating = 3
Young Adult

Everyone in Daisy's family is psychic... except her. She appears to be a "normal" like her father who mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Daisy's mother uses her talent to solve crimes and when teenage girls in the town of Nightshade begin to die mysteriously, Daisy decides to solve the case herself. She is aided in her task by her best friend Ryan. When she and Ryan discover that cheerleaders in their high school seem to be targets and the killer appears to be a particularly vicious form of vampire, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad to get investigate. Daisy soon finds herself in grave danger; Ryan is starting to become more than just a "friend; and most importantly of all, Daisy discovers she has some psychic talent after all!

This is a light, humurous and entertaining read. In general, I'm not a huge fan of the vampire genre, but this one was fun. The romance beween Ryan and Daisy is a realistic teen romance and the focus is more on psychic talent than vampirism. This is the first book in the "Dead Is..." series by Perez. Read by Suzy Jackson.

Review of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Rating = 4
Young Adult

Nobody (Bod) Owens has lived in a graveyard since he was 18 months old and toddled in after his family was murdered. His graveyard parents are Mr. and Mrs. Owens and he sleeps in their tomb. His "guardian" is Silas who is neither dead nor alive and who is able to slip into the outside world to buy Bod clothes and food. As Bod grows up, he learns many things about the world of the dead and the world of the living. The most important thing he learns, though, is that he must never leave the graveyard, because his graveyard family can't protect him "out there".

This is a highly original, quirky book. I listened to it and the recording was read by the author, which added to the richness of the work. The story is told in chapters that almost stand on their own as separate stories. Each story is another lesson learned by Bod, but they also eventually come together as a whole. Although the book won a Newbery Award in 2009, parts of the story may be too scary for younger children. It's listed as a top ten favorite book by teens on the YALSA website. As an adult, I LOVED Gaiman's command of the language; his irony and references to things only adults would probably be aware of. There is something to enjoy for audiences of any age!

Review: Salting Roses by Lorelle Marinello

Rating: 4

Gracie Lynn Calloway was left on a doorstep in her small Alabama town as a baby. She was raised by her two "uncles", Ben and Artie and by her "aunt" Alice, Ben's wife. Although her upbringing was unusual, she never doubted that she was loved. Now, at 25 years of age, she learns that Ben, Artie and Alice aren't related to her at all. In fact, she is a kidnapped heiress. In addition, she learns that her real father has been watching her over the years and that Ben knew it all along. Now Gracie feels as if she doesn't know herself or those she loves and trusts at all. AND, she has to decide if she wants to accept the millions of dollars that are now hers and all of the hoopla that goes along with it. To add to her confusion, the "messenger" from her New England family is, Sam Fontana, a tall, dark and handsome Yankee who literally takes her breath away everytime his eyes meet hers.
Gracie Lynn Calloway is a stong, engaging heroine who is thrust into a situation totally beyond her experience. Her relationship with her uncle Artie is warm and tender and her battles with Aunt Alice are funny and definitely believable. "Salting Roses" will make you laugh, cry and cheer but will also make you think about your own values and foundations and what would happen if that foundation suddenly fell away.

Review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Rating: 4

Stephanie's cousin, Vincent Plum, has been kidnapped and held for ransom. It seems that Vinnie has been scamming the books for his bail bonds business and scammed the wrong people. Stephanie, Lola, and Connie set out to rescue him, since they stand to lose their jobs if Vinnie is killed. Along the way, Stephanie searches for her usual quirky criminals, trying to bring them back to jail. Of course, Ranger and Morelli are in the mix, keeping Stephanie as confused as ever as to which of the two men she cares for the most.

This installment is just as funny and quirky as the other Stephanie Plum novels. At #16, they are getting rather formulaic, but the plot in this one was fun and kept me entertained to the end and waiting for the next installment.