The Kari AnnAlysis

From Goodreads:

There are only two seasons in Tuscaloosa—football and waiting-for-football. When Lewis Heart, football announcer and voice of the Crimson Tide, vanishes after an impromptu romp with Vivi Ann McFadden at the Fountain Mist Motel, Vivi does what any Southern woman would do: call her best friend, Blake O’Hara Heart, attorney-at-law.

Not since Steel Magnolias have we fallen in love with such sexy, strong and hilarious Southern women. So grab your best girlfriends and join these Belles on the first of many joyrides through the Deep South….

My Thoughts:
I have a nice little obsession going with the south. I love stories about belles of the south. I love the tradition and manners and the attitude when you are behind closed doors and can put the manners away.

Albright did a great job introducing this new series. Great characters. Great story. I’m hooked.

I love love love the characters. Blake is trying to find herself after years of a downward spiral she didn’t even know she was on. Her best friend Vivi is heartbroken when her Lewis disappears. Harry wants to find his brother to make it look good for his political career, not because he cares for his brother. Sonny is the lead investigator on the case and was Blake’s first love. And let’s not forget Kitty and Meridee, the matriarchs of the family. The good ones were good, the bad ones were bad… but they were all good.

The Sassy Belles is a quick and fun read. It’ll make you laugh, make you cry, fill your need for a little mystery and a love story. I give it 5 out of 5 bookmarks. I’m very excited to read Wedding Belles, the second in the series. I have it scheduled for a review in August.

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Released: May 28, 2013
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Happy  Sunday! Hope you’re having a great weekend. It’s be very nice here this weekend and busy weekend. Birthday party yesterday, graduation party today. And a movie date with the hubs yesterday afternoon. I can’t believe it’s already June! Where did 2013 go??

I’ve been slammed with work and reading the past couple of weeks. This week, I read a nearly 500 page book in two days. Then had another 300 page book to review. This is the first time in 5 years of blogging I’ve missed a deadline. I feel like a tool. But I’m getting back on track. Better late than never is a motto I hope fits here…. Needless to say, my workout schedule got bumped around a little a lot. I ran last Saturday and this Saturday and that was it. The least I’ve done since the beginning of the year. Good news is, 5 more work days until VACATION! Yippee! Going to have some girl time, pool time, reading time, workout time and me time. Excited for a few days off. I get a lot more done on week days compared to weekends.

On The Blog

AnnAlysis: Restrike
AnnAlysis: Bare it All
AnnAlysis: The Sassy Belles (coming today)

On My Bookshelf

Out This Week

From Goodreads:
As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it…until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.

Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice’s secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire….

My Thoughts:
I have to say I’m a little conflicted on this book. This is the 5th book in the series, the 3rd that I have read. They are all similar when it comes to a group of steamy, brawny, downright good lookin’ men trying to protect a damsel in distress. Oh and there’s some steamy scenes. With this being my third book that I have read in this series, you’d think I’d get used to the sex scenes. I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I still blush and think that people are reading over my shoulder. Maybe one day that will change. Guess I’ll just have to keep reading more of her books to find out.

Ok so let me see if I can explain this. Bare it All is the 2nd book in the Love Undercover series. BUT it’s the 5th book in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor Series. There’s a character in this book that comes from the Honor series and each book is kind of woven into the others, where a character will be brought back, or a plot line. In this one, one of the McSteamy’s makes another appearance, which is just fine with me.

When it comes to characters, you have Alice, who has a secret that not many know about. She has worked very hard to keep it hidden and can protect herself if it ever comes back to haunt her. I completely, absolutely understand that this would make her not want to trust men. BUT I felt like she talked out of both sides of her mouth. One second she was nervous about being in the same room as Reese, then the next, giving up the goods. I honestly think I’m just not used to this kind of character. Most female characters are either strong or weak. There aren’t many that are written with layers that show both sides. I understand why she is strong, which is also what makes her weak and Reece can understand both. I’m still feeling “meh” about her and thinking about her is still driving me nuts. I liked Reece, a lot. But I’ve not read about a single guy in this series that I did not like. Keep ‘em coming.

One of themes that I hate in this new series (there are a couple of references from the previous book in this one) is how the characters use each other. Give them sex to get what you want. I understand it makes for a good scene and an intriguing read, but we all know how I feel about morals I have a hard time fictionalizing characters.

I did love the plot of this book. It involves human trafficking and some past meddling with the present. It’s hard to say much more without giving too much away. I got started on this book a little later than I had hoped and was running a little tight with my deadline. I got through the book in two days, and since it’s 400+ pages, that’s saying something for me.

I will absolutely pick up Foster’s books in the future to see how they unfold. I really enjoy how Foster introduces a group of characters in each series. She gives each one a chance to shine in the spotlight, while you still get to learn a little about the others in the background. Then the next book is about one of them. I get really involved with characters and hate to see them have such a strong presence then fade away. I love that she keeps them around so we can still feel connected to them. I need real life friends

Just like the others in the series that I have read, I give Bare it All 4 out of 5 bookmarks.

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Released: April 30, 2013
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From Goodreads:
Cousins Coleman and Dinah Greene moved from North Carolina to New York after college to make their mark on the art world: Coleman is the editor of an influential arts magazine and Dinah is the owner of a print gallery in Greenwich Village. But their challenges are mounting as one of Coleman’s writers is discovered selling story ideas to a competitor and The Greene Gallery is in the red because sales are down.

When a print dealer dies in peculiar circumstances, Coleman is suspicious, but she can’t persuade the NYPD crime investigator of a connection between the dealer’s death and Bain’s buying spree. After one of Coleman’s editors is killed and Coleman is attacked, the police must acknowledge the connection, and Coleman becomes even more determined to discover the truth about Bain. In an unforgettable final scene, Coleman risks her life to expose the last deception threatening her, her friends, and the formerly tranquil print world.

My Thoughts:
This is the second art-related book I have read in the past few months. I was never good at art, I embraced the teasing during art class in high school and I can’t tell you a Monet from a Manet… wait are those even real artists? Well, that settles it. I  know nothing about art. But in both of the books I have read about the art world, I have fallen so deep into the scenery, I’ve had a hard time digging myself out.

I never knew there was such a thing as a restrike until I read this book.
re•strike (v. riˈstraɪk; n. ˈriˌstraɪk): a new print made from an old lithographic stone, metal engraving, woodcut, or the like

That’s my art lesson for the day. Thank you, come again. I have to say the more I read about the glamour and glitz of the New York art scene, the more intrigued I am. I enjoy the few museums I’ve been to, but that’s just not my world in West Virginia. The only museum in my town is the Mothman Museum…. Yes, I’m serious. I may need to do a little more reading up on this high society.

Now to the book: Williams has anything a girl could want in this book. Lust, wealth, murder, scandal … and a couple of hotties to keep the pages turning if you can’t get into the art. Although there were times I had no idea what I was reading about, the art wasn’t too technical, but anything over paint by number is too much for me, I breezed through this book. There were so many different agendas in this book and skeletons hid behind the corners, you can’t put it down until you know if the same person is behind all the drama, or if it’s just coincidence that it all happens at once.

I’ve read so many murder mysteries in the past few years, I fancy myself an amateur sleuth. I can normally figure out who the bad guy(s) is(are) before the author reveals them. But Williams had me stunned in this one. I said out loud, “Really? That’s the killer?” I was a bit shocked, not who I expected and not for the motive.

I really like Coleman and her drive and passion in her career. I am excited to see where the next book in the series takes her. I also liked Dinah, but I’m hoping she loses her controlling, possessive, jerk of a husband. Not that it bothers me too much…. But even more than both of them, I absolutely loved Rachel’s character. She played her own little role in London, but boy is she fierce. She finds out a partner is out to get her and she pulls out all the stops to make sure she doesn’t lose her name or her fortune. I hope that she will make some more appearances in the series and maybe help out a little if the future mysteries cross the pond.

I give Restrike 5 out of 5 bookmarks.

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Released: May 6, 2013
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From Goodreads:
Ariana Osgood ruled exclusive Easton Academy — until she was arrested for murdering Thomas Pearson. She’s spent the past two years at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women plotting her escape and is determined to get a second chance at the glamorous life she left behind. And Ariana will do anything to get her way….

My Thoughts:
Oh Kate Brian, how I love thee! The Private series was one of the first series that I fell in love with. And I owe it all to my husband. When we were first dating, he knew I loved to read and bought me a random book in the Private series. I’m a little OCD, and the book he got was in the middle of the series, so I just had to get the others before it and I was hooked.

I have had this book for a while and recently needed a pick-me-up and good ole’ Kate and Ariana were waiting on me. It was definitely what I needed and a very quick read. And I need the other books in the series ASAP.

Brian does not disappoint with the start of this new series. She impresses me more and more with each book. Ariana has a plan to break out of the facility and has a new best friend to protect and also spring from the facility. As if you didn’t notice in her first go round in the Private series, Ariana is crazy. We get a better idea of how crazy she is in this series, but you can’t help by like her and feel bad for her. Maybe she’s just misunderstood….or maybe she has me snowed too! Although the girls in this book are just teenagers, they are vicious intense and a bit scary. They make me thank my lucky stars that I am no longer involved in teenage girl drama.

My only complaint about this book is that there were a couple of mistakes that made it through the editors/proofers. That. Drives. Me. Nuts. In one instance, the name Brian was used instead of Briana and in another, a wrong girls name was used. I need an proofing job!

Just one book in and I already love, love, love this series! I give Privilege 5 out of 5 bookmarks!

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Released: December 2008
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