Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mari Reads this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
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During this last week I've finally been able to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy a book. Finally! I haven't dared put up the hammock yet but I did sweep off the porches and get most of the outdoor furniture set up. It feels so good to feel the sun and breath the fresh air while I read. I can't wait for the trees and hills to turn green! I hope you are having a terrific Spring and plenty of good books have found their way to your home!

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
For review from Crown Publishing (arc excerpt)

Arclight by Josin L. McQuein
For review from HarperCollins (arc)

The Breath of God by Jeffrey Small
Free from Barnes & Noble Free Friday (ebook)

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich
For review from William Morrow (arc)

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
For review from LibraryThing Early Reviewers (paperback)

The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack
Bought from B&N (ebook)

The Emperor's Knife By Marzarkis Williams
Free from B&N Free Friday (ebook)

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
For review from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (arc)

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at BermudaOnion's Weblog this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

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Busy, busy, busy! But not really getting much accomplished... You how this time of year gets - from Halloween on it's a flurry of birthdays and holidays. Last week we had our grandson's first birthday. I thought the time went fast with my own kids but I think it's going even faster now! Then we hosted a family Thanksgiving dinner at our house and hubby cooked a delicious meal. I was in charge of clean up and I'm still doing dishes. I even got in some Black Friday shopping with a friend - from my comfy couch on the computer. I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving week and are finding lots of bargains too.

Now I'm trying to catch up on a few things while the house is quiet. I've got great books to read, reviews to post and a giveaway or two coming up. These are some of the books that arrived over the last few weeks. It's quite an interesting mix! What books found their way to your house?

Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan
Free from Kobo (ebook)

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Free Quickie Bundle from Amazon (ebook)

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Free Quickie Bundle from Amazon (ebook)

Murder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker
Free from B&N (ebook)

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Won from Fishmuffins of Doom (arc)

The Covenant by Beverly Lewis
Free from B&N (ebook)

Jinx by Sage Blackwood
For review from Harpercollins (arc)

My Robots by Johan Olander
For review from author (hardcover)

Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride
Free from B&N (ebook)

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at 5 Minutes For Books this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

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 I can't believe it's already mid-August. Ugh. I get so depressed this time of year knowing that summer is winding down. It bothered me even more when my kids were in school and I was still a teacher. I just need to shake it off and enjoy the amazing sunshiny weather we will still have coming our way. I do love to be outside and I have several cozy places to curl up with a good book. Of course, my favorite is my hammock. I've probably never mentioned that here, have I? HA!

I hope you're enjoying your mid-August days and that plenty of great reads have made their way to your home. These are some of my goodies from last week!

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
For review from NetGalley (ebook)

The Bourne Imperative by Eric Van Lustbader
Won from Under My Apple Tree (hardcover)

Lock Down By Sean Black
Free from Kobo (ebook)

The Lost Treasure Of Tuckernuck by Emily Fairlie
For review from Harpercollins (arc)

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Free from Sync (audio)

Crux by Moira Rogers
Free from Barnes & Noble (ebook)

Contest: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Three sips to mind the dead . . .

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the attention her grandmother Maylene bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the small town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each one Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: She took three sips from a silver flask and spoke the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead, and Bek must go back to the place she left a decade earlier. She soon discovers that Claysville is not just the sleepy town she remembers, and that Maylene had good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in Claysville the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected; beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. If the dead are not properly cared for, they will come back to satiate themselves with food, drink, and stories from the land of the living. Only the Graveminder, by tradition a Barrow woman, and her Undertaker—in this case Byron Montgomery, with whom Bek shares a complicated past—can set things right once the dead begin to walk.

Although she is still grieving for Maylene, Rebekkah will soon find that she has more than a funeral to attend to in Claysville, and that what awaits her may be far worse: dark secrets, a centuries-old bargain, a romance that still haunts her, and a frightening new responsibility—to stop a monster and put the dead to rest where they belong.

Preview of Graveminder - Prologue
Author site

Thanks to Chelsey at HarperCollins I have 2 copies to give away!

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form below to enter.
- U.S. and Canada only (sorry!)
- Winners chosen by random.org
- Contest ends 6/5/11 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Extra entries:
+1 new follower
+2 old follower
+2 promote - leave link

*CLOSED*

Contest: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sneak peek of Pale Demon - Chapter One
My review
Author's site

Thanks to Chelsey at HarperCollins I have 2 copies to give away!

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form below to enter.
- U.S. and Canada only (sorry!)
- Winners chosen by random.org
- Contest ends 6/5/11 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Extra entries:
+1 new follower
+2 old follower
+2 promote - leave link

*CLOSED*

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mari Reads this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Only two books for me last week but that's the most I've gotten in awhile. That's a good thing though since I have plenty to read and I brought home another pile of library books that I couldn't resist. Some things never change... I hope you have lots of good books and sunshine at your house!

Trader Of Secrets (Paul Madriani #12) by Steve Martini
From HarperCollins

Defense attorney Paul Madriani is embroiled in a case as perilous as any he has ever faced: one that involves an angry killer who will stop at nothing short of vengeance, and two missing NASA scientists who are holding secrets that a hostile government desperately wants to purchase—in blood if they must.

Madriani's daughter, Sarah, has evaded the man known as Liquida, who has stalked her all the way across the country. For her own safety, she is being kept under armed guard on a farm in Ohio.

But one morning, itching for a predawn run to shake off the tension that has grown in the hours she's spent waiting for word from her father, Sarah slips from her ring of protection. What she doesn't know is that at the same moment her assailant is outside, waiting patiently in the dark.

Meanwhile in California, two men in a parked car argue over millions in cash that could be slipping through their fingers and a scheme involving government technology for sale that could rock the world.

Paul Madriani, his companion Joselyn Cole, and his longtime law partner, Harry Hinds, track Liquida, not knowing that their quest will carry them deep into the vortex of international terror.It is a journey that will lead them toward a bizarre and cruel twist of nature—and the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. From the nation's capital to California, from Bangkok to Paris and the jungles of Mexico, Madriani and his party race against time to find Liquida and the scientist who is the "trader of secrets" before he can unleash the weapon that could set the world ablaze.

Eyes Wide Open (Gross Series #5) by Andrew Gross
From HarperCollins

A horrible family tragedy that may not be what it seems . . .

A past encounter with an infamous killer turns deadly today . . .

An ordinary man must risk his own family to find the truth.

Jay Erlich's nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff at Morrow Bay. It's all just a tragic suicide, until secrets from the past begin to rear up again. Did a notorious killer, jailed for many decades, have his hand in this?

Years ago, Jay Erlich's older brother, Charlie, a wayward child of the sixties, set out for California, where he fell under the sway of a charismatic but deeply disturbed cultlike figure. Tragedy ensued and lives were destroyed, but as the decades passed, Charlie married and raised a family and lived a quiet, secluded life under the radar. Yet the demons that nearly destroyed him never completely disappeared.

When Jay heads out west to help his grieving brother, he is pulled back into Charlie's past—and begins to suspect that his nephew's suicide may not have been that at all. With eyes wide open, Jay puts his own life at risk to uncover the truth, a quest that goes beyond the edge of madness and a family haunted by a secret past . . . and into the depths of evil.

Drawing on two real-life experiences from his own past, Gross has crafted a richly personal, yet utterly terrifying tale of two brothers, one successful, one wayward, trying to bridge the gap of what tore them apart.

Review: Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

R.S.V.P. to the most riotous
wedding of the year . . .

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache. But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Susan Elizabeth Phillips has combined secondary characters from several of her other books to give them their own story here.

"Every book I write stands on its own, which doesn't prevent the characters in one book from wandering into another. Lots of old friends wandered into this one-..."

Meg Koranda (Glitter Baby, What I Did For Love) is very likeable and is only trying to help her friend Lucy Jorik (First Lady) avoid a bad decision. Unfortunately she becomes the town punching bag. When the local golden boy, Ted Beaudine (Fancy Pants, Lady Be Good), gets stood up at his wedding the town people punish Meg for it and become down right cruel. I felt so sorry for her and didn't like Lucy for leaving her to deal with it alone or Ted for letting it go on. I didn't like her wealthy parents for abandoning her and totally cutting her off financially. Everyone was so mean!

The story was still interesting, often humorous and did promote some strong feelings. Although I felt sorry for Meg she was tough and didn't give up. Since she had no money or resources she was forced to stay in this awful town and earn a living. Although she took care of others it took her time to learn to take care of herself and stand up to people. I was impressed with Meg's, and eventually Ted's, ability to grow and change. And then I started to like Ted and the idea of their hot & steamy relationship.

If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips you won't be disappointed with this story. With her usual formula of romance, humor and conflict she will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. Stay tuned for another book about one of these characters coming soon!

Author site

Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book to review.

Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: 1/18/11
Pages: 385
Price/format: $25.99/hardcover
Type: romantic comedy

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mari Reads this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Lots of goodies last week and quite a variety too! It looks like I'll have some rainy days to read inside but hopefully more and more sunny days to read outside. I hope you get plenty of good books and sunshine too!


Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
From Random House for review

In Noah Barleywater Runs Away, bestselling author John Boyne explores the world of childhood and the adventures that we can all have there. Noah is running away from his problems, or at least that's what he thinks, the day he takes the untrodden path through the forest. When he comes across a very unusual toyshop and meets the even more unusual toymaker he's not sure what to expect. But the toymaker has a story to tell, a story full of adventure, and wonder and broken promises. And Noah travels with him on a journey that will change his life for ever. A thought-provoking fable for our modern world from the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr
From HarperCollins

The New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series delivers her first novel for adults, a story about the living, the dead, and a curse that binds them.

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn’t a funeral that Maylene didn’t attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words “Sleep well, and stay where I put you.”

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place—and the man—she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D—a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

A Time For Patriots by Dale Brown
From HarperCollins

Welcome to Battlefield America

When murderous bands of militiamen begin roaming the western United States and attacking government agencies, it will take a dedicated group of the nation's finest and toughest civilian airmen to put an end to the homegrown insurgency. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan vows to take to the skies to join the fight, but when his son, Bradley, also signs up, they find themselves caught in a deadly game against a shadowy opponent.

When the stock markets crash and the U.S. economy falls into a crippling recession, everything changes for newly elected president Kenneth Phoenix. Politically exhausted from a bruising and divisive election, Phoenix must order a series of massive tax cuts and wipe out entire cabinet-level departments to reduce government spending. With reductions in education and transportation, an incapacitated National Guard, and the loss of public safety budgets, entire communities of armed citizens band together for survival and mutual protection. Against this dismal backdrop, a SWAT team is ambushed and radioactive materials are stolen by a group calling themselves the Knights of the True Republic. Is the battle against the government about to be taken to a new and deadlier level?

In this time of crisis, a citizen organization rises to the task of protecting their fellow countrymen: the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the U.S. Air Force auxiliary. The Nevada Wing—led by retired Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan, his son, Bradley, and other volunteers—uses their military skills in the sky and on the ground to hunt down violent terrorists. But how will Patrick respond when extremists launch a catastrophic dirty bomb attack in Reno, spreading radiological fallout for miles? And when Bradley is caught in a deadly double-cross that jeopardizes the CAP, Patrick will have to fight to find out where his friends' loyalties lie: Are they with him and the CAP or with the terrorists?

With A Time for Patriots, the New York Times bestselling master of the modern thriller Dale Brown brings the battle home to explore a terrifying possibility—the collapse of the American Republic.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight
From Simon & Schuster

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
From Putnam

At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life: unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying.

Review: Pale Demon (The Hollows #9) by Kim Harrison

A wild journey of
black magic and
supernatural adventure.

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just started the series recently with the first book and loved it. When I got this book (#9) to review I had to skip the ones in the middle. I hate reading them out of order, although this was still a good story, so I'm going back and reading them all.

This series is a great combination of paranormal, romance, action and best of all - humor. Author Kim Harrison does a terrific job of creating strong women. Witch Rachel Morgan is the main character and with the help of her pixie friend Jenks, is off on another adventure. The road trip across the country is a riot as Trent and Ivy help create chaos. I thought my family was tough! Drama and action are soon thrown into the mix as they are being pursued by a variety of bad guys including a demon who eats living souls. Yum.

The characters are so interesting although I'm looking forward to finding out more of their back story and how they got to this point. There are obvious romantic connections and they're definitely complicated. But some loose ends are beginning to come together and the writing is excellent with several new plot twists.

I've read many 5 star reviews for this and several people have said it's their favorite Rachel Morgan book. Harrison does not slack off with the story line and intricate layers of the magical world have been built up throughout the series. I was missing out on that without reading the books in between but this was still very enjoyable. The ending has a good set up for book #10 next year.

I can't take it anymore...I'm off to read the rest of this series, right now!

Coming soon:
Hollows series graphic novel
7/12/11






Madison Avery series #3
late May or early June






Author site
Thank you to HarperCollins for a copy of this book to review.

Publisher: Harper Voyager (HarperCollins)
Release date: 2/22/11
Pages: 432
Price/format:$16.99/hardcover
Type: paranormal romance/urban fantasy

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page) is at I'm Booking It this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

These are the books I've received in the last two weeks. It's hard to believe that any delivery man could reach our house with all this snow - 8 more inches yesterday - but they do a great job around here. A couple of feet of snow doesn't stop us! I hope new books found their way to your house as well.

The Last of The Demon Slayers by Angie Fox
Autographed from author, won at Bitten By Books

Lizzie Brown would like to have one normal date. Instead, she gets a towering inferno with a message: her long-lost dad is a fallen angel in danger of becoming a demon. Not good. Especially since she’s a demon slayer.

Her grandma advises her to stay out of it. Her sexy-as-sin shape-shifter boyfriend would much rather she devote her attention to more carnal pursuits. And her dog’s one demand is for more bacon. After all, he can’t train his pet dragon on an empty stomach.

But Lizzie knows there’s no other choice but to hop on her Harley and help her dad—even if the search for the truth brings a bad-boy slayer back into her life and leads her into the middle of a war to end all wars.

Emily And Einstein by Linda Francis Lee
For review from St. Martin's Press

He was a man who didn’t deserve a second chance. But he needed one…

Emily and her husband Sandy Portman seemed to live a gracious if busy life in an old-world, Upper West Side apartment in the famous Dakota building. But one night on the way to meet Emily, Sandy dies in a tragic accident. The funeral isn't even over before Emily learns she is on the verge of being evicted from their apartment. But worse than the possibility of losing her home, Emily is stunned when she discovers that her marriage was made up of lies.

Suddenly Emily is forced on a journey to find out who her husband really was . . . all the while feeling that somehow he isn't really gone. Angry, hurt, and sometimes betrayed by loving memories of the man she lost, Emily finds comfort in a scruffy dog named Einstein. But is Einstein's seemingly odd determination that she save herself enough to make Emily confront her own past? Can he help her find a future—even after she meets a new man?

Play Dead by Harlan Coben
Won at Bookin' With Bingo

Theirs was a marriage made in tabloid heaven, but no sooner had supermodel Laura Ayars and Celtics star David Baskin said “I do” than tragedy struck. While honeymooning on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, David went out for a swim — and never returned.

Now widowed and grieving, Laura has a thousand questions and no answers. Her search for the truth will draw her into a web of lies and deception that stretches back thirty years — while on the court at the Boston Garden, a rookie phenom makes his spectacular debut....

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
From Harper Collins

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

The Bone Yard by Jefferson Bass
From Harper Collins

In this latest thriller from New York Times bestselling author Jefferson Bass, Dr. Bill Brockton discovers the dark side of the Sunshine state when he's called in to investigate human remains found on the grounds of a boys' reform school in Florida

The Bone Yard

The onset of summer brings predictably steamy weather to the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Brockton's human-decomposition research facility at the University of Tennessee. But Brockton's about to get more heat than he's bargained for when Angie St. Claire, a forensic analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, asks him to help prove that her sister's death was not suicide, but murder.

Brockton's quick consulting trip takes a long, harrowing detour when bones begin turning up amid the pines and live oaks of the Florida panhandle. Two adolescent skulls–ravaged by time and animals, but bearing the telltale signs of lethal fractures–send Brockton, Angie, and Special Agent Stu Vickery on a search for the long-lost victims. The quest leads them to the ruins of the North Florida Boys' Reformatory, a notorious juvenile detention facility that met a fiery end more than forty years ago.

Guided by the discovery of a diary kept by one of the school's young "students," Brockton's team finds a cluster of shallow graves, all of them containing the bones of boys who suffered violent deaths. The graves confirm one of the diary's grim claims: that one wrong move could land a boy in the Bone Yard. But as the investigation expands, it encounters opposition from the local sheriff, who's less than delighted to find forensic experts from the state capital and the Body Farm digging up dirt in his county.

As Brockton and his team close in on the truth, they find skeletons in some surprisingly prominent closets . . . and they learn that the ghosts of the past pose perilous consequences in the present.

Dark Prince by Christine Feehan
From Harper Collins

Enter the enchanting world of the Carpathians, where dark adventure, mystery, and love await, and the desires of two daring hearts unite in one irresistible passion.

A telepathic hunter of serial killers, Raven Whitney helps catch some of the most depraved criminals. But her work keeps her from getting close to others, and has drained her body and spirit. In need of rest and rejuvenation, she embarks on a vacation far from home.

Mikhail Dubrinsky is the Prince of the Carpathians, the powerful leader of a wise and secret ancient race that thrives in the night. Engulfed by despair, fearful of never finding the mate who can save him from the encroaching darkness, his soul cries out in loneliness. Until the day a beautiful voice full of light and love responds, softly soothing his pain and yearning.

From the moment they meet, Raven and Dubrinsky are helpless to resist the desire that sparks between them. But just as fate unexpectedly brings these life mates together, malevolent forces threaten to destroy them and their fragile love. Yet even if they survive, how can these two lovers—Carpathian and human—build a future together? And how can Dubrinksy bring Raven into his dark world without extinguishing her beautiful goodness and light?

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday at The Printed Page (this month at Rose City Reader) is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I'm a little late this week but I it's too cold here in NY state to type! This morning was below zero and schools were even closed. It takes a LOT to close schools around here! I still had to share what came in my mailbox. I hope you got lots of goodies too!

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

For review from Harlequin Teen

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

From Harper Collins

R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year . . .

Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States.

Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.

One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache.

But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.

Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut by Jill Kargman

From Harper Collins

Demonstrating Woody Allen's magical math equation, comedy = tragedy + time, a sensational collection of witty essays about life, love, hate, kids, work, school, and more from the author of The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund and Arm Candy

Jill Kargman is a mother, wife, and writer living the life in New York City . . . a life that includes camping out in a one-bedroom apartment with some unfortunate (and furry) roommates, battling the Momzillas of Manhattan, and coming to terms with her desire for gay men. In this entertaining collection of observations, Kargman offers her unique, wickedly funny perspective as she zips around Manhattan with three kids in tow.

Kargman tackles issues big and small with sharp wit and laugh-out-loud humor: her love of the smell of gasoline, her new names for nail polishes, her adventures in New York City real estate, and her fear of mimes, clowns, and other haunting things. Whether it's surviving a family road trip or why she can't stand Cirque du So Lame, living with a mommy vagina the size of the Holland Tunnel or surviving the hell that was her first job out of college, Kargman's nutty self triumphs, thanks to a wonderfully wise outlook and sense of fun that makes the best of everything that gets thrown her way. And if that's not enough, Kargman illustrates her reflections with doodles that capture her refreshing voice.

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

From Harper Collins

One Person Can Make a Difference

In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal.

Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war—for a huge fee—by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.

For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life’s work.

Little Princes is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, Little Princes is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations.