The Sunday Post: November 26-December 1, 2012

December 01, 2012 | 12 Comments

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
~this meme was inspired in part by – In My Mailbox~

It’s a chance to share News.

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

I don’t know about you all, but the holidays are getting in full swing for me.  I put the tree up this week and some house decorations.  I still need to do the outside lights, but hey, at least it’s progress.  I have mostly figured out what to get everyone for Christmas and I’m hoping to get my shopping done early this year… wish me luck  It’s been busy here at Book Savvy Babe and I have even more goodies coming up this next week with blog tours and author stops.

This week at Book Savvy Babe:

• Monday:- Announcement day, I announced the Black Friday Book Bonanza Winners
• Tuesday: Teaser & Top-Off Tuesday-Rock Me by Cherrie Lynn.  Urban Fantasy Review- Broken Promises by Belinda Boring (great start to a new series, much different than the Mystic Wolves though )    I also joined the 2013 Audiobook Challenge, so if you like to listen to books or are interested, check it out!
  

  Enter to win 1 of 2 ecopies!

• Wednesday: Historical Romance Review: The Devil’s Thief by Samantha Kane (excellent Historical Romance, I really liked this one, I recommend!)
• Thursday: The Winemaker’s Dinner Event- Book 2, Entree, Cover Reveal, EXCLUSIVE excerpt, and giveaway of book 1- The Winemaker’s Dinner Appetizers (contest open INT, 2 winners, if you are a romance reader, DO NOT miss this event!)
• Friday: Rory’s Review- Nice & Naughty by Tawny Weber (Holiday Romance, 4 stars from Rory)
• Saturday: Saturday Snapshot: Random but Fun (I share more of my Kauai pictures, which made me want to go on vacation again…)

New to the TBR

I am trying to play catch up on review writing and reading, so I didn’t go too overboard on adding to the TBR this week, yay!  Now to catch up…

For Review:

• Keeper of the Night by Heather Graham (courtesy of NetGalley)
• What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuiston (courtesy of Edelweiss)

Bought, Won, Freebies, Etc..

• Beast of Fire by Lisa Renee Jones
• Mine at Midnight by Jacquie D’Alessandro

Well, I think that covers my week.  I hope you all had a great week, I’m off to work on catching up and I have some awesome books waiting around to be read.  Thanks for stopping by,

Saturday Snapshot: Random but Fun

November 30, 2012 | 13 Comments

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home With Books.  To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky (at At Home With Books). Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Last week I shared a few of my Hawaii pictures, the really pretty ones of the Stone Dam on Kauai and the hike to get there (see pics).  This week, I have a few other shots to share.  These are a little more random.  The first picture is actually from the Stone Dam area, but it didn’t quite fit with the others…

When I saw this rope swing in the Stone Dam area, my exact thoughts were “That is the best rope swing ever!”  We had just walked 2.5 miles to get to the Dam, and I was actually very tempted to swing away and go for a swim.  But I was in hiking clothes, had no towel, and the thought of having to walk 2.5 miles back to my sister’s car sopping wet kept me from diving in… And it was a public place, no stripping down to the skivvies either… So, I satisfied myself with the picture and told myself that next time I’m wearing a swimsuit and bringing a towel…and a picnic, and a book, and maybe a tent… Anyhow, the swing itself is a little hard to see, but I think it’s still a cool picture.

So tempting…

My second picture… here’s where the random comes in.  So, in Hanalei every Saturday morning is the farmer’s market.  Local farmers and a few merchants set up shop and sell their wares.  I was meandering around, tasting fruits and goat cheese with my sister when I saw this Jackfruit and decided that it is definitely the biggest fruit I have ever seen (Look at it, it fills that entire bin!).  According to Wikipedia, it IS the largest tree-born fruit and supposedly tastes like a tart banana…hmmm… Maybe one day I will buy one and do a taste test, but for this trip I was happy to ogle.

Hungry??

Thanks for stopping by Book Savvy Babe today.  I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Romance #Review: Nice & Naughty by Tawny Weber

November 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

Nice & Naughty

by Tawny Weber

Published by: Harlequin

Rory’s Rating: 

Christmas scandal is comin’ to town.

He’d better watch out.

Because she’s not at all shy.

She’s looking for a bad boy

And he’s just the guy!

She’s making a list

Because her life needs some spice

And he’s gonna show her

How being naughty is nice!

It’s almost Christmas, and fashion-obsessive librarian Jade Carson is stuck. Stuck with her family, stuck in the town of Diablo Glen and stuck in her lousy life. Then superhot bad-boy detective Diego Salvador roars into town, looking for a criminal known as “the panty thief.” And Jade decides—right then and there—that the only panties he’ll be touching are hers.

 Rory’s Review:

This is one of the rare instances where I don’t think the publisher’s description does the book justice. Usually, I find that the blurb makes the book sound better than it actually is. In this case, the blurb makes Jade sound…jaded (no pun intended), because her life isn’t lousy, she actually enjoys it and she isn’t bitter. She is well-respected, well-settled, and all around comfortable in her small town. Perhaps a little too comfortable, as she finds the dating pool shrinking (and her pool of potential partners for hot sex shrinking too). Then Diego Salvador comes into town and turns her world upside down.

I really enjoyed this longer novella, though I may be a little biased for two reasons. The first, I love books and movies about librarians (I am one!). I think I am one of the few who actually watched The Librarian series on TNT starring Noah Wylie. Don’t worry if you missed it. The second is that I LOVE holiday romances. Thus, since Nice & Naughty combines two of my favorite things, I was bound to adore it.

Jade is a fun character. Things haven’t gone exactly as she planned since she had to move back home and take care of her mother, but she’s made things work. She has started teaching fashion classes at the library, she’ll soon be teaching a dress for success seminar at the local college, and her online and local fashion consulting business is starting to take off. The only thing missing in her life is a little spice. That changes the moment she sees Detective Diego Salvador standing in her bedroom holding her panties (he is trying to catch a panty thief after all!). She isn’t a shy girl, so she lets the detective know he is exactly what she wants.  However, sis promotion to a precinct in San Francisco is riding on his catching the criminal. He soon realizes the faster he catches the criminal, the sooner he leaves Jade behind. Together they must figure out what will happen and what risks they are willing to take.

As I said earlier, I adored this novel. I love reading about romance among glittering lights, gingerbread, and the Christmas season. Add in a hot cop and a sexy librarian and you’ve got a fun way to spend a holiday afternoon (though any afternoon will do).

The Winemaker’s Dinner:Entree- Cover Reveal, Exclusive Excerpt &Giveaway

November 29, 2012 | 27 Comments

For those of you who follow my blog regularly, you may remember my gushing review of The Winemaker’s Dinner: Appetizers (that’s 5 stars BTW, my review).  This series is about a hot couple, chef Jaden Thorne and Physician/ Mr USA Dr. Ivan Rusilko.  I loved book 1 and I am very excited to help announce book 2: The Winemaker’s Dinner: Entree will release on December 18, 2012!

If you have not started this series yet, get to it!  You do not want to miss this hot contemporary romance!  Here’s a little bit more about book 2, including the newly released cover:

The Winemaker’s Dinner: Entree

Exclusive Excerpt (That’s right, you can only find this excerpt here at Book Savvy Babe!)

When the last vestiges of the sun disappeared, Ivan cleared his throat. “Is everything okay at work?” he asked. “I hear you have a playmate coming to the kitchen.”

“Are you trying to spoil this moment? Don’t even get me started!” She kept her voice lighthearted, but inside she burned all over again. “The only reason Kevin hired Ken is to appeal to the young, female demographic. It’s not as if he can actually cook!”

“Ken? I thought his name was Damian.”

“Ken, as in Ken doll,” she replied. “I think Kevin believes we’ll reach a whole new viewership of teenage girls and desperate housewives.”

“Well, aren’t you the one attracting all the guys for a quick wank here and there? Doesn’t that creep you out?”

She slapped him on the shoulder. “I do think there are a few people who watch the show for the cooking,” she teased. “But not at all. That’s what I have Adam for. He keeps the weirdos at bay.”

“I find it funny that the girl every guy on the planet wants to sleep with loves to get downright dirty and nasty with me.” Ivan slid his hand up her thigh and tickled her stomach. She giggled into his shoulder. “I feel like that geeky kid in high school who somehow managed to score a gorgeous girlfriend.”

“Something tells me you were never the geeky kid, and you had your pick of girls.”

He said nothing and just hugged her more tightly, leading Jaden to assume her suspicions were correct.

2 Winners!

Omnific Publishing is sponsoring a giveaway with this post.  2 winners (contest open to US & INT) will each receive an e-book copy of book 1, The Winemaker’s Dinner: Appetizers.  To Enter: Must be at least 18 years old!  Leave a meaningful comment on this post (answer the question below, comment on the excerpt, the hot-ness of the covers, etc…), be sure to enter your correct email in the email box  The contest will run for 1 week, from today November 29 through Wednesday December 5 at midnight, winner will be chosen randomly via random.org.  Following Book Savvy Babe is not required at all, but much appreciated

Question: Speaking of appetizers, entrees, and romance– Do you believe in aphrodisiacs?  If so, what is your favorite foodie aphrodisiac (sharing is caring afterall…)? 

Historical Romance #Review: The Devil’s Thief

November 28, 2012 | 2 Comments

The Devil’s Thief

by Samantha Kane

Published by: Loveswept /Random House

My Rating 

 The daughter of a reformed jewel thief, Julianna Harte knows a thing or two about stealth. When the foundling home she provides for finds itself in dire financial straits, Julianna is forced to do the unthinkable. In a bit of misguided Robin Hood derring-do, she slips through the window of a wealthy rake to search for a treasure she knows is there: an invaluable pearl. But when the towering and very naked occupant of the moonlit bedroom ambushes her with a bargain—a night in his bed in exchange for the pearl—Julianna doesn’t know if it’s masculine heat or sheer desperation that makes his terms so tempting.

Alasdair Sharpe had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain. Planning to offer his little cat burglar carte blanche instead, he promptly loses himself in the delights of unexpected pleasure. But when he awakes the next morning to find his family heirloom gone, fury quickly replaces sensual languor. Of course, Alasdair is more than willing to use seduction to reclaim his stolen pearl—and find the key to Julianna’s heart.

My Review:

I found The Devil’s Thief to be a very cute, fun read.  Julianna made a daring, desperate move in trying to steal Alasdair’s family pearl.  She winds up immersed in a night of heat and passion and then sneaks away, with the pearl.  Julianna is a bumbling thief and feels guilty as soon as she thinks her actions through.  She is determined to right things with Alasdair, but making things right proves to be more dangerous than she bargained for.

From the beginning, Alasdair and Julianna have a sizzling connection that strengthens as the book goes on.  Alasdair has 2 friends who “help” him find Julianna and get his pearl back, and their camaraderie was fun to read as well as intriguing.  Julianna was a cute character, she was fairly naive, but that was expected of a young lady trying to be a thief.  Alasdair let his anger fog his head when it came to Julianna and he was slow to come to terms with what was truly important to him.  Their relationship is full of passion and frustration and they kept me wondering what would happen next.

The best part about The Devil’s Thief was the secondary characters.  From Julianna’s father (the former thief), to Wiley, the street-smart boy who gets drawn into the debacle, and to Alasdair’s friends, The Devils, who have their own personality quirks and faults, the secondary characters provided depth, background, and fun to the story.  There was not one moment where I was bored, every moment had me fully immersed in the story.  There are funny, light-hearted moments and moments of passion and heat.  The Devil’s Thief is a well-rounded, highly enjoyable novel that historical romance fans will not want to miss.  As I loved the secondary characters, I am looking forward to future books in the series.  I can’t wait to see what troubles The Devils get into next, especially the intuitive Sir Hilary.

The Devil’s Thief recently released (November 12).  You can grab your copy now at:

2013 Audio Book Challenge!

November 27, 2012 | 5 Comments

I have been listening to audio books a lot lately.  Audio books are an easy and fun way to read more of the books off of my “want-to-read” list.  I download from audible and zone out while at the gym or doing random chores around the house.  It works and I love catching up on my books.  It’s a win-win, chores get done and I catch up with my characters  So, when The Book Nympho and Hot Listens joined forces to create this challenge, I knew I was onboard.  The challenge starts January 2012 and runs through the end of the year.

My challenge level: Tickle Me Audio (Seriously, I’m getting serious) 10-15 audios

I listen to about 1-2 audiobooks a month, so I figure this is a good number.  I love to listen to Urban Fantasy and fun romance books on audible.  They keep me entertained on those long bouts on the treadmill…

My Recommendations:

• *The Fever Series or Iced by Karen Marie Moning- I just listened to Iced and it was awesome, plus Phil Gigante is an amazing narrator
• *The Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter- kick-butt heroine urban fantasy, gotta love it!
• *The Anna Strong Chronicles by Jeanne C. Stein- more kick-butt heroine, vampire urban fantasy!
• *In Death Series by JD Robb- I listened to book 1 and fell in love, I have big plans to catch up on this series, even though there are like 30 books… (they may not all be audio)

So, if you want to join in this fun challenge sign up at one of the hosts blogs, or click here.

Happy Reading or Listening Everyone!