Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wednesday Reads and Other Stuff

I didn’t get a lot of reading done this weekend - too darn busy! Anyway, this is what I finished in the past week:

May 25: “Perfectly Matched” by Heather Webber. This is book 4 of the Lucy Valentine series and I believe it falls under mystery (although it has paranormal and romantic elements). Blurb: When Boston psychic Lucy Valentine finds herself involved with a group of eccentric mediums trying to fine tune their abilities, she is convinced a rare spring heat wave has flushed all the local crazies out of hiding. Adding to her theory is her newest client in the Lost Loves division of Valentine, Inc., her family’s lucrative matchmaking firm. He’s an animal whisperer who hires Lucy to locate his soul mate--because his cat told him so. Finding his purrfect match, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. But craziest of all is the Beantown Burner, a serial arsonist who is targeting private eye Sam Donahue, brother of Lucy’s boyfriend, Sean. With the help of her kooky psychic group, Lucy must tap into hidden abilities to catch the firebug before the fires turn deadly. She never expected to discover that the motive behind the flames hits a little too close to home…and dangerously close to her heart. I realized as I was half-way through this book, that this is another series with a Lucy and Sean (see Allison Brennan Lucy Kincaid series). True, they are nothing alike, but I thought it was interesting. I like this series, but don’t care for the little cliffhanger at the end (setting up the next book no doubt). I think it would have been fine without that little bit, since I’m already hooked on the series and I have NO IDEA when the next book will be out. So I’m grumbling about that. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

May 28: “Nerves of Steel” by C.J. Lyons. This is book 1 in a 3 book series, a romantic medical thriller. Blurb (from Goodreads): Dr. Cassandra Hart is fighting a war. And losing. A deadly drug epidemic, a killer stalking her hospital…meet the ER doctor who never gives up. Cassie’s Pittsburgh ER has been deluged by patients who have overdosed on a new drug, FX. After Cassie discovers that the source of the FX is her own hospital, her best friend is killed, and Cassie’s life is threatened. She is forced to place her trust in Detective Mickey Drake. Drake’s irascible charm eventually penetrates the barriers Cassie has built around herself, and their relationship progresses from professional to passionate. After Cassie discovers the truth behind the thefts, she and Drake must confront a killer. In the end, their only weapons are their newfound love and the courage that it gives them. This book was pretty good, but dragged a bit in some scenes and it’s long (845 pages on my e-reader or around 400 in a paperback). I liked the couple though and will read the rest of the books, since I purchased the set. Although on my reader, it’s one huge file (2450 pages!!) and I have NO IDEA how close to the end I am on any but the last book. Ah, but that’s a gripe for the reader (or maybe the publisher - couldn’t they make it three separate files???), not the book. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Amazing what a travel holiday can do to a schedule (and yes, I have one, even unemployed as I am), not to mention having a relapse (I’m drowning in a sea of tissues!). I’ll tell you about Detroit on Friday and post some pictures then - I promise! Until then…

Happy Reading!

 
Stacy

6 comments:

The Happy Whisk said...

Oh no, not a relapse?????? NOOOO.

I feel into a relapse of sorts myself yesterday. Went to Barnes and got my nose stuck in a cookery book for awhile (rather than the photography I was reading the other day outside).

Anyway, HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON.

James Garcia Jr said...

Hi, Stacy. Feel better!
It's tough to find time to read, isn't it? It certainly is for me. I did just finish the latest Dan Brown Robert Langdon book. It was good. Lots of twists and turns, as well as his patented cliff-hanger chapters.
I hope the rest of the week is better!

-Jimmy

Stacy McKitrick said...

Ivy - I'm afraid to go into any kind of book store. That romance section gets me every time (and I can't avoid going there).

Jimmy - I do try to get at least an hour read a day, but I expected to have more time to read on our little trip. Didn't happen, but that's okay. It's not like I was bored or anything!

The Happy Whisk said...

Stacy: My Spidey sense made me go over to the cookery shelf.

I love being at Barnes. Still miss Borders though.

Do you ever let yourself go into the cafes, drink a drink and read? I love that.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Ivy - Would you believe I've never ordered any drinks or food from that place? Although, the cheesecake is TEMPTING! Our closests B&N is about 10 miles away and if I go, I'm usually with someone, so no time to do that.

The Happy Whisk said...

Stacy: No drinks? We're grooving on a new summer one. Not sure the name but we'll be getting another one today. Maybe I'll snap a picture.

10 miles? That's heaven. We'd be there all the time. With each other and alone, if it were that close.