Nici Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Comments: Not one of Martina's best books but a yarn none the less. My interest started to wane about half way through as nothing much really happens. It did pick up towards the end when you saw all the threads coming together. I hope her next book is better. Kat I had a problem with this book as well. I actually gave up (very reluctantly) but I will try it again. Not one of her best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 Body Double Tess Gerritsen Dr. Maura Isles makes her living dealing with death. As a pathologist in a major metropolitan city, she has seen more then her share of corpses every day – many of them victims of violent murder. But never before has her blood run cold, and never has the grim expression “dead ringer” rung so terrifyingly true. Because never before has the lifeless body on the medical examiner’s table been her own. Yet there can be no denying the mind–reeling evidence before her shocked eyes and those of her colleagues, including Detective Jane Rizzoli: the woman found shot to death outside Maura’s home is the mirror image of Maura, down to the most intimate physical nuances. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type. For the stunned Maura, an only child, there can be just one explanation. And when a DNA test confirms that Maura’s mysterious doppelganger is in fact her twin sister, an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing and dangerous excursion into a past full of dark secrets. Searching for answers, Maura is drawn to a seaside town in Maine where other horrifying surprises await. But perhaps more frightening, and unknown murder is at large on a cross country killing spree. To stop the massacre and uncover the twisted truth about her own roots, Maura must probe her first living subject; the mother that she never knew… and icy and cunning woman who could be responsible for giving Maura life – and who just may have a plan to take it away. Started: 25/05/09 Finished: 28/05/09 Rated: 4/5 Comments: Love Tess Gerritsen and this one doesn't disappoint. This one focuses more on Dr Isles than Jane Rizolli but there's a great cross over between the two. Great plot and as always, a great twist in the tale... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Ohh awesome, I love this series, glad to see you enjoyed it Kat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Library Nook Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I have recently become a big fan and this sounds like a great one, I will search it out thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 Oh I would highly recommend all of Tess's books. I've been gripped for some time now. I started out with The Surgeon and The Apprentice as these are the first (I think) and they are referred to a lot in other books in regards to character development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 The Kings Pleasure Norah Lofts Katharine of Aragon is a proud Spanish beauty who became Queen of England. From the moment of Katharine's betrothal to Arthur, Prince of Wales, she looked upon herself as the future Queen of England. But, Arthur died just after their marriage and it was as the wife of his brother, Henry VIII, that she went to her Coronation. This delightful, richly tapestried novel tells of her life with Henry - the many happy years; the birth of their daughter, Mary Tudor; her popularity with the people and, above all, her constant and unswerving love for the King. But after nearly twenty years, Henry - his eyes affixed firmly on the ambitious young Anne Boleyn - repudiated their marriage, submitted Katharine to the humilations of a 'trial' and banished her from his life. The King's Pleasure is a brilliant re-creation of one of history's greatest tragedies. This is a story which will impress Katharine in the reader's mind as a noble woman and great Queen. Started: 29/05/09 Finished: 06/06/09 Rated: 5/5 Comments: I finally managed to finish this book. It's deceptively long and the print is very small. At first I was put off by the overly descriptive passages but these soon faded into the background of the main story. And what a story it is. It's one I've read many a time from varying perspectives and it's one I don't get bored of. I love Queen Katherine and the whole Tudor period. I find it amazing that one story can have so many interpretations, but this story is a must for any Katherine fan. It shows her as her mothers daughter through and through and leaves the reader in no doubt of the strength of her and Mary to keep their dignity in such hard times. Well worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I shall be interested in what you make of this novel, Kat. I'll keep checking in. Hope you're excellent and well, chum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 Thanks Mac, hope you're well too. Already I'm loving this book. Kathrine is one of my favourite characters and I love reading different takes on her life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 Black Widow Jessie Keane Annie Bailey had done it all; Madam, mistress and Gangster's moll. Now she's Annie Carter, and she taking over the East End. Annie knew that it wouldn't last. Everything was going so well; she was living in Majorca, had Max Carter - the head of the Carter firm by her side, and had given him a beautiful daughter, Layla. But if there was one thing life had taught her, it was that everything could change in the blink of an eye. One minute she's lying by the pool, the next she's out cold. When she comes round Max and Layla are gone. It's not long before she gets the demands. They want money or she'll be getting her little girl back in pieces! There's only one thing Annie can do, she heads back to the East End of London and gathers the Carter firm together. Someone has snatched her husband and child. Now there's a score to settle, and it's being settled Annie Carter style! Started: 06/06/09 Finished: 10/06/09 Rated: 3/5 Comments: Although the book claims to be 'As good as Martina Cole or your money back', I don't think I would go that far. They are big boots to fill and noone has come close in my eyes. On the other hand, it's not a bad book. It's a bit wishy washy for my liking although I enjoyed the story. Just not enough depth of character for me. Still, an easy read, not too much grey matter needed to engage in the plot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 10, 2009 Author Share Posted June 10, 2009 Undead and Unpopular Mary Janice Davidson Betsy Taylor, Vampire Queen, already has plenty on her plate. For one thing, next week is her birthday - the big 3-1 in human years, and one in undead years. (Yes, she bit the dust on her birthday last year.) On top of that, she still has wedding plans to finalize - and it's not helping that the prospective groom is avoiding anything to do with it. And then there's her decision to stop drinking blood - something she has yet to share with Eric Sinclair, her fiance - who also happens to be the vampire king...So the last thing she wants to deal with is uninvited guests, even if they happen to be the powerful European vampires who have finally come to pay their respects the week before her birthday. Some of them don't want Betsy as their Queen, and will do anything to get rid of her. As if turning thirty last year (not to mention dying) hadn't been traumatic enough. And trying to give up blood is making her really cranky...But who has time to sulk? Well, Betsy does... Started: 10/06/09 Finished: 10/06/09 Rated: 3/5 Comments: Another easy read. I do love this series of books. It's almost Sex and the City meets Vampires. Very girly but incredibly funny. You just have to love Betsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 Ritual Mo Hayder Just after lunch on a Tuesday in April, nine feet under water, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. The fact that there's no body attached is disturbing enough. Yet more disturbing is the discovery, a day later, of the matching hand. Both have been recently amputated, and the indications are that the victim was still alive when they were removed. DI Jack Caffery has been newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol. He and Flea soon establish that the hands belong to a boy who has recently disappeared. Their search for him - and for his abductor - lead them into the darkest recesses of Bristol's underworld, where drug addiction is rife, where street-kids sell themselves for a hit, and where an ancient evil lurks; an evil that feeds off the blood - and flesh - of others... Started: 11/06/09 Finished: 15/06/09 Rated: 4/5 Comments: It's nice to see DI Caffery back. I love Mo's books (with the exception of Pig Island) and I feel she's got her older writing style back. Well thought out crime novels that go slightly further than any others. Not afraid to tackle those issues other writers shy away from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 Blood is the New Black Valerie Stivers The Devil may wear Prada, but real fashion taste is in the blood… When Kate is offered an internship at a top fashion mag Tasty, everyone tells her she’s the luckiest girl alive. But Kate’s not so sure. Her fellow interns are bitchy, her superiors are backstabbing, and she’s constantly getting it in the neck from her boss. Then people start to go missing, and Kate starts to really worry. Why is everyone condescending, black clad and emaciated? Doesn’t anyone sleep? What’s with the sharp teeth? Are they…vampires? Armed with a stake, a crucifix, and James the cute photo assistant, Kate sets off for a showdown – only to realise that she’s more out of her depth than a homeless person in Herm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Blood is the New BlackValerie Stivers Ooh this sounds interesting. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 Whistleblower Tess Gerritsen When Victor Holland came flying out of the night, he ran straight into the path of Catherine Weaver's car. Having uncovered a terrifying secret which leads all the way to Washington, Victor is running for his life - and from the men who will go to any lengths to silence him.Victor's story sounds like the ravings of a mad-man, but the haunted look in his eyes - and the bullet hole in his shoulder - tell a different story.As each hour brings pursuers ever closer, Cathy has to wonder, is she giving her trust to a man in danger or trusting her life to a dangerous man? Started: 18/06/09 Finished: 21/06/09 Rated: 3/5 Comments: Not one of Tess' best books. An ok read but not in the same league as the Rizzolli books. Didn't really have much depth to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Gypsy Lesley Pearse When teenagers Beth and Sam Bolton are orphaned, their baby sister is taken into a new home, so they decide to set sail for a new life too ... in America. On board the steamer to New York, Beth and Sam meet charismatic gambler Theo, and quick-witted Londoner Jack, and the four band together to seek their fortunes. Beth has always dreamed of playing her fiddle to large audiences ... and finds herself doing so in the saloons, where she is a huge success and lovingly nicknamed Gypsy by her fans. But the foursome fall foul of local gangsters and flee to Canada, as word gets out that gold has been found in the Klondike. They embark on a dangerous and epic journey to reach the Yukon valley, trailing across snowy mountains and treacherous rapids. Who will break first? Theo, the handsome-yet-greedy bounder? Dreamy Sam, so easily influenced by money? Practical Jack, a man devoted to his friends? Or Beth, the woman with the gypsy in her soul, who cares more for music than gold? Started: 21/06/09 Finished: 03/07/09 Rated: 3/5 Comments: It took me a while but I finally finished this book. Quite a long and eventful story. Very interesting as I've never read anything from the Gold Rush era. In typical Pearse style, a heartbreaking story at times but a wonderful heroine that you grow to love from the very start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 The Front Mandasue Heller When four old school friends decide to make some easy money, they pick the wrong target. Very wrong. Robbing a small supermarket on a Manchester estate looks easy -- but with one of them wounded and a dead body on their hands, could things get worse? They could. The supermarket is merely the front for something bigger. The friends are small fish who have unwittingly plunged into a very big pond and now they are swimming with the great white sharks of the criminal underworld. Started: 03/07/09 Finished: 19/07/09 Rated: 2/5 Comments: Not a bad read, trying to fit in with the Martina Cole type but failing because it just lacks the class. Not to be taken too seriously, I found the way the loose ends tied up very comical, although this may not have been what the writer intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Hi Kat. I was looking at some Tess Gerritson books yesterday...are they any good? She seems to have written loads. Would I like 'em, do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 4, 2009 Author Share Posted July 4, 2009 Hi Mac, Anyone who appreciates a good thriller/crime story will love Tess. Personally I prefer her Rizzolli/Isles series of books but her one off books are good too. I suggest you give the first couple a go as much of the back story stems from these. The Surgeon and The Apprentice. See what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Thanks Kat. I'll get on it. Have a great weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Damaged Goods Helen Black Terrified. Abused. Who do you trust when the world is against you? Hope is in short supply for Kelsey Brand! Abandoned by her mother and placed in care, 14-year-old Kelsey - along with her younger sisters - is just another forgotten child of the state. Unable to cope with the care home's harsh regimes, Kelsey attempts to take her own life, leaving her horrifically scarred - and mute. Days later, the body of Kelsey's mother Grace - a known prostitute and heroin addict - is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate. And Kelsey becomes a suspect! Enter Lilly Valentine. A tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer with a heart of gold and a will of iron, Lilly has forsaken a glittering career to move south and help vulnerable kids escape the system. Determined to prove Kelsey's innocence, Lilly ventures into the heart of a dark city with as many secrets as problems. Prostitution, paedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer! Started: 23/07/09 Finished: 26/07/09 Rated: 2/5 Comments: I wasn't so taken with this book. The story was ok but the book was not about Kelsey, in fact, it barely included her at all. It was more about the lawyer. Whilst it passed a slow weekend at work, I don't think I'll be picking up any more of her books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 I'm The Vampire, That's Why! Michelle Bardsley There's a new breed of soccer mom in town-with fangs. Does drinking blood make me a bad mother? That's the question single mom Jessica Matthews faces when she wakes from a savage attack sucking on the thigh of Patrick O'Halloran, a super-hot Irish vampire who'd generously offered his femoral artery to save her from death...only to make her one of the undead. Jessica can't rest until the beast that did this to her is caught. Meanwhile, she's having trouble committing to Patrick (in the vampire handbook, physical intimacy costs you several hundred years of being bound together) and keeping her kids in line. Started: 27/07/09 Finished: 31/07/09 Rated: 3/5 Comments: This was a really entertaining read. I loved the alternative take on the vampire story. Despite the 'soccer mom' theme, it also had some really good vampire background to it. Old folklore and myths and the such. Call me nieve (sp?) but I wasn't expecting so much 'adult' material but then again, the two do go hand in hand. With the way the book is marketed, I would have expected it to be toned down, but no, some of it is...... descriptive I only picked this one up because it was recommended by Mary Janice Davidson, who I love, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Wow this sounds interesting! A whole new take on vampires? Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 Handle With Care Jodi Picoult Charlotte O'Keefe's beautiful, much-longed-for, adored daughter Willow is born with osteogenesis imperfecta - a very severe form of brittle bone disease. If she slips on a crisp packet she could break both her legs, and spend six months in a half body cast. After years of caring for Willow, her family faces financial disaster. Then Charlotte is offered a lifeline. She could sue her obstetrician for wrongful birth - for not having diagnosed Willow's condition early enough in the pregnancy to be able to abort the child. The payout could secure Willow's future. But to get it would mean Charlotte suing her best friend. And standing up in court to declare that she would have prefered that Willow had never been born... Started: 01/08/09 Finished: 14/08/09 Rated: 4/5 Comments: Brilliant book. Very similar to My Sisters Keeper. I love Picoult's books and I'm never disappointed when I pick up another to read. She has a fantastic way of picking a topic and showing you it's not black and white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I'm The Vampire, That's Why!Michelle Bardsley This sounds great Do you know is it part of a series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilywhite Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 As far as I know this is the only one. It has the capabilities to be the first in a series but so far I don't think it is. >>>> off to look. ETA: It's called the Broken Heart, Oklahoma series and this is book 1. There are 6 so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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