My Thoughts On Bluegrass Undercover

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

In her first follow-up to the Bestselling Bluegrass Series, Kathleen Brooks brings Keeneston back to life through the Davies brothers.  Cade Davies had to much on his plate to pay attention to the newest resident  of Keeneston.  He was too busy avoiding the Davies brothers marriage trap set by half the town.  But when a curvy red head lands in Keeneston, the retired Army Ranger finds himself drawn to her...

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I really enjoyed Kathleen Brooks' Bluegrass Series, so I was very happy to learn that she is writing a spin off series called Bluegrass Brothers.  Each book in the series will feature one of the Davies brothers.  They were supporting characters in the Bluegrass Series especially Dead Heat which featured their sister, Paige.

The first book in the Bluegrass Brothers Series is Bluegrass Undercover, and it features Cade Davies, an Army Ranger and football coach.  This book was all I expected it to be.  It was a fun, romantic suspense, and I really enjoyed it.  I was happy to visit with all the residents of Keeneston again.  There are five Davies brothers, so we can look forward to four more in this series.

My Thoughts On "The Kite Runner"

Source:  Goodreads

From the back cover...

"This powerful first novel...tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love.  Both transform the life of Amir, Khaled Hosseini's privileged young narrator, who comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy, just before his country's revolution and it's invasion by Russian forces.  But political events, even as dramatic as the ones that are presented in The Kite Runner, are only a part of this story.  In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence--forces that continue to threaten them even today."
--The New York Times Book Review

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There are times when I finish a book and think, "wow, that was a fun book", and then there are those rare times when I finish a book and think, "this book has changed the way I see the world".  The Kite Runner is that for me.  It's not a light funny read.  You won't feel warm and fuzzy...if anything it will make you very uncomfortable.  There are parts in this book that made me absolutely sick.  There are parts in this book that made me cry like a baby.  There are parts in this book that made me plain mad.  Why read a book like this?  It's very simple...because the very same things that happened in this book happen every day all over the world, and we need to know about it!

But just as there is lots of horror and devastation in this book, there are moments of such beauty and such love that it leaves you with some hope in the end.  Love is after all the most powerful force in the world.

"For you, a thousand times over."

--Khaled Hosseini/ Hassan from The Kite Runner

You Should Watch "Bel Ami"

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie Bel Ami, and I really, really enjoyed it.  I don't know why this one hasn't been talked about more.  It was great.  Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci were terrific.  It was visually beautiful...the clothes, the furniture.  I highly recommend this one!

Uma Thurman as Madeleine Forestier
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

Kristin Scott Thomas as Virginie Rousset
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

Christina Ricci as Clotilde de Marelle
Source:  www.allmoviephoto.com

My Thoughts On "Dead Heat"

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

Paige Davies finds her world turned upside down as she becomes involved in her best friends nightmare.  The strong-willed Paige doesn't know which is worse:  someone trying to kill her, or losing her dog to the man she loves to hate.

FBI Agent Cole Parker can't decide whether he should strangle or kiss this infuriating woman of his dreams. As he works the case of his career, he finds that love can be tougher than bringing down some of the most powerful men in America.

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What a great ending to the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks.  The last book in the series definitely didn't disappoint.  It also introduces us to Paige's brothers who become the main characters in Brooks' next series, Bluegrass Brothers.  I'm actually reading the first in the series right now.  It's called Bluegrass Undercover.

All of the books in the Bluegrass Series are very similar when it comes to the romances in each one, and even though each love story was fairly predictable, they were all still  fun to read.  What kept me reading, however,  was the mystery/suspense element in the books.  I think it was done really well.

My Thoughts On "Risky Shot"

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary...
Danielle DeLuca, an ex-beauty queen who is not at all what she seems, leaves the streets of New York after tracking the criminals out to destroy her.  She travels to Keeneston, Kentucky to make her final stand by the side of her best friend, McKenna Mason.  While in Keeneston, Danielle meets the mysterious Mohtadi Ali Rahmen, a modern day prince.  Can Mo protect Dani from the group of powerful men in New York?  Or will Dani save the Prince from his rigid, loveless destiny?

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This is the second book in the Bluegrass Series by Kathleen Brooks.  I really liked the first book in the series, Bluegrass State of Mind, and I knew right away that I wanted to read the rest of the series.  It just took me a little while to get around to it.  I'm really glad I finally did though because I loved Risky Shot.

I loved the setting and the supporting cast of characters from the town of Keeneston.  The three main characters from the series, McKenna, Danielle, and Paige, each narrate a book but are present throughout the series.  I love the growth and closeness of their friendship--that feeling of camaraderie 


Risky Shot is a romance, so of course there is "romance" in it.  It's clean romance though, with no graphic sexual content.  It's mystery, suspense as well.  I love it when a book blurs the line between genres, and I find that if there's a mystery element to a book I can't help but read it quickly.

So if your looking for something quick and fun to read, you might want to give this series a try.

My Thoughts On Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

Source:  Goodreads

Goodreads Summary

The women of Freesia Court are convinced there is nothing good coffee, delectable desserts, and a strong shoulder can't fix.  Laughter is the glue that holds them together--the foundation of a book group they call AHEB (Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons), an unofficial club that becomes much more.  It becomes a lifeline.  Holding on through forty eventful years...

Faith, Merit, Kari, Audrey, and Slip are the unforgettable women we read about in Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.  They are five very different women, but they have three very important things in common.  They're all wives, mothers, and book lovers which leads to a book club and a more than forty year friendship.  I read this thinking it was going to be a light, chic-lit read, but I have to say that titles can be deceiving.  This book is anything but light.  Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons covers about every social issue from the last sixty years...domestic violence, race, politics, homosexuality, religion, child abuse, addiction, promiscuity, adoption, women's rights, and war.

I really liked this book and I loved the characters.  My favorite thing about the book is how Landvik used all the women to narrate the book.  We get to hear the story from all their different points of view.  We know what's really going on with each one when the other women don't.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys chic-lit or women's fiction.

I Had No Idea It Had Been So Long!

I didn't realize the date of my last post was June 19th!  I've read several really good books since then.  I just haven't had the time to blog about them.

 It's been softball central around here...batting practice, fielding practice, pitching practice, tournaments--if you throw in piano practice, singing practice, and my husband's recent week of vacation, it's amazing that I read at all.  But I love my busy life, and I wouldn't change it for the world.  It's so great seeing my daughter happily busy and discovering her talents and passions.  A definite passion for her is reading, and she just finished the Harry Potter series yesterday.  She said she wished those books would go on forever!  She absolutely loved them.  She has been a reading machine, and has actually read way more than me since her summer break began.  I'm beginning to suspect that she reads faster than I do, which only makes me one  happy mama!  Now she's reading The Diary of Anne Frank, which I asked her to read, and she happily agreed.  I'm interested to hear what she thinks of this one.

Tomorrow I plan to blog about a really great book I recently read, Angry Housewives Eating Bons Bons by Lorna Landvik.

Source:  Goodreads