Girl's Best Friend Blog Tour - Put A Ring On It

TITLE: Put A Ring On It (Black Dog Bay #3)
AUTHOR: Beth Kendrick
PUBLISHER: NAL
PUBLISHING DATE: November 3, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: Brighton Smith doesn’t do outrageous. As an insurance actuary, it’s her job to assess risk and avoid bad investments. But when her fiancé calls to confess he’s married someone else on a whim (“I looked at her and I just knew!”), she snaps…

That night, at a local bar, Jake Sorensen—hot, rich, and way out of her league—buys Brighton a cocktail. At midnight, she kisses him. And by dawn, they’re exchanging vows at a drive-through chapel.

Brighton knows Jake is a bad bet, but she doesn’t care. After a lifetime of playing it safe, she’s finally having fun. Until the whirlwind romance gives way to painful reality...and Brighton finds out the truth about why a guy like Jake married a girl like her. With her heart on the line and the odds stacked against them, Brighton must decide whether to cut her losses or take a leap of faith that this love affair is one in a million.

MY THOUGHTS: 
I received this book as part of a blog tour for Book Sparks and I admit, I primarily chose it based on the cover and the fact that it's "A Girl's Best Friend" tour which seems perfect for my blog. This book is the 3rd in a series, and I was a tad hesitant to get into it because I have never read the first two. However, it didn't really seem to have much impact on what I read and I think they are basically companion novels anyways.

There were several things I liked about this book. I have been reading a lot of darker titles since Halloween just passed and it was nice being able to just dive into a chick lit novel and enjoy the ride without thinking too much. I absolutely love books set in small towns and Black Dog Bay has all the quirky characteristics I treasure. I enjoyed the main characters and Kendrick adds some humor in her writing which is fun and refreshing. It was nice to see some twists and turns play out in the plot which I didn't necessarily see coming and this is a great book for passing a rainy, dreary day.

Now to the main thing that bothered me and almost made this a 3 paw read. The dog and the cover. Anyone who saw my updates knows that the dog didn't arrive until page 163 and although he was vital in the ending, he really didn't have a big part. Also, he is described as a large Mastiff mix. Now I know dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and I don't expect the cover dog to look exactly like described, but come on, the dog on the cover is NOTHING like a mastiff. The book is part of the Black Dog Bay series and I figured out there is a legend about a large black dog (I think a lab) that lovers visiting the town might see appear from time to time (think apparition here), but the cover dog doesn't look like that either. Now none of this really takes away from the plot, and the author herself may have had little say in the cover, but this is a book pet peeve of mine (can't you tell).

Overall, "Put A Ring On It" was an enjoyable read and I have already checked to see if my library has the first two in the series because I really want to learn more about this quiet little town. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a romantic read with some humor interspersed. I have also read "The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service" by the same author a few years back and would recommend that one as well. 

RATING: 4 PAWS 

BOOKER T'S THOUGHTS: Dog on the cover - 5 paws, Rory (dog in the book) - 5 paws.  The fact that they are two entirely different dogs - 1 paw.

A Blog Hi-Jack

Hello there!  It's me.  Cassius G. the pup (T always uses his middle name so why can't I?  It's actually Cassius Grey for those of you out there wondering).  I am getting a tad sick of T. hogging all the glory so while he is napping, I wanted to let you guys know about the other pup at the farm.

First of all....here I am, all grown up.  I turn 2 later this week and plan on having a glorious party.  I am sure Mom is planning something, but I can't figure out who this Glen character is and why she hopes to find out if he is dead or if he was actually eaten by zombies on MY birthday.

Also, I have started a new hobby - bird watching.  I have loved birds since I was a baby and Mom bought me this chirping bird stuffy.  Of course, she and Dad tried hiding it from me, saying it was bothersome at times, but I always found it.  I love birds and sooooo wish I could fly (in fact I try jumping and leaping off the furniture but it never works right).  So finally I managed to convince the folks to get me a bird feeder.   Let me tell you, the little guys can eat.  I worry about them being outside alone and when I hear them chirping up a storm, I run to the backdoor and whine until someone lets me out to check on them.  I know there are some dangerous felines in the neighborhood who like to frequent OUR yard.

Well, I hear T. moving around so I better jump off here before he finds out what I did.  He will be so mad, but he can just get over it.  It is my birthday week after all!  Until later guys!

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

Waiting on" Wednesday is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases. 








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Releases January 19, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: From the award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages comes a chilling new psychological thriller about a professor accused of killing her favorite student in a hit-and-run accident.

Nan Lewis—a creative writing professor at a state university in upstate New York—is driving home from a faculty holiday party after finding out she’s been denied tenure. On her way, she hits a deer, but when she gets out of her car to look for it, the deer is nowhere to be found. Eager to get home and out of the oncoming snowstorm, Nan is forced to leave her car at the bottom of her snowy driveway to wait out the longest night of the year—and the lowest point of her life…

The next morning, Nan is woken up by a police officer at her door with terrible news—one of her students, Leia Dawson, was killed in a hit-and-run on River Road the night before. And because of the damage to her car, Nan is a suspect. In the days following the accident, Nan finds herself shunned by the same community that rallied around her when her own daughter was killed in an eerily similar accident six years prior. When Nan begins finding disturbing tokens that recall the death of Nan’s own daughter, Nan suspects that the two accidents are connected.

As she begins to dig further, she discovers that everyone around her, including Leia, is hiding secrets. But can she uncover them, clear her name, and figure out who really killed Leia before her reputation is destroyed for good?

WHY I'M WAITING:  I love books with a snowy, winter setting, especially those in the thriller/horror genres.  I haven't read anything by this author but can't wait to change that when this one is released. 

What are you waiting for this week? 

 

2016 New Release Challenge!

I have discovered this year that I really enjoy participating in reading challenges so I am busy lining up some new ones for 2016.  I have met so many great bloggers through this year's challenges so how could I resist the chance to meet some more?  This challenge is being hosted by Lexxie at (un)conventional bookviews and co hosted by Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews Oh My!  The rules are as follows:

• Books has to be released and reviewed in 2016.
• Other challenges can be used as well, if you are participating in the Netgalley / Edelweiss challenge or in the COYER challenge, books can count towards more than one challenge, as long as the ones you use for the 2016 New Release Reading Challenge qualify to the other rules.
• The minimum length for a book to qualify is 100 pages, it can be in any format though, physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook.
• The New Book Release Challenge is open from January 1st through December 31st 2016, and sign-ups are open until February 15th 2016.
• You don’t have to be a blogger to participate, you can link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes instead – so don’t be shy!

There are four levels  in the New Release Challenge:

1. 1-15 books per year – New Release Newbie
2. 16-30 books per year – New Release Pro
3. 31-45 books per year – New Release Veteran
4. 45+ books per year – New Release Enthusiast

I think I will plan to be a New Release Pro.  If this looks like fun, head over to Lexxie's post HERE and sign up!

In the Mood for a Cozy Mystery????

TITLE: A Likely Story (Library Lover's Mystery #6)
AUTHOR: Jenn McKinlay
PUBLISHER: Berkley
PUBLISHING DATE: November 3, 2015

FROM GOODREADS: Delivering books to the housebound residents of the Thumb Islands, just a short boat ride from the town of Briar Creek, library director Lindsey Norris has befriended two elderly brothers, Stewart and Peter Rosen. She enjoys visiting them in their treasure-filled, ramshackle Victorian on Star Island until she discovers that Peter has been killed and Stewart is missing. Now she's determined to solve a murder and find Stewart before he suffers his brother's fate.

MY THOUGHTS:  This is one of my favorite cozy mysteries and the sixth installment did not disappoint. I am quickly discovering that I love books set in quiet little towns (I call in the Stars Hollow Affect) and Briar Creek is no exception. Lindsey, the main character and town librarian, once again finds herself in the middle of a town murder and uses her librarian savvy and amateur detective skills to help solve it.

I love that several side characters are more prominent in this story, especially the real police woman in town, and as always like seeing Lindsey interact with some old favorites. The mystery did have me guessing through most of it and even if you may know "who done it," McKinlay has a way of adding in some twists and turns so it never plays out exactly as the reader anticipates.

I really do not like love triangles much in books, but since this is a series, and the relationships develop over time, the triangle in this book doesn't bother me much. However, I will say that while the book ends on somewhat of a cliff hanger, given some things that happen in the book, it really shouldn't be as much of one as some readers make it out to be. I also missed Heathcliff, Lindsey's dog, who wasn't mentioned much in this installment. However, there is a really cute short story at the end of the main novel which definitely made up for his absence.

I will continue on with series as long as McKinlay keeps writing it. It never disappoints and if you enjoy cozy mysteries and reading, I don't know how you could pass up this one featuring one cool librarian! 

RATING: 4 PAWS

BOOKER T's THOUGHTS:  Heathcliff saved a life!!!!!  Go puppy.  He gets 5 paws!!!!!!!!

 

Stacking the Shelves (40)

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves or TBR piles, may it be physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in a physical store, online, books you borrow from the library or friends, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks! The original meme was started over at Tynga's Reviews.  Clicking on the book should take you to the Goodreads page.

Once again my clicking finger struck and I added some books to my Kindle.  This is way too easy to do and I am a sucker for books on sale.  Unfortunately, I also bought a few full price, but they had been on my W.O.W. features this year so I wanted to pick a few up that were already out before the holiday rush kicks in.


I received a few ARCs from Edelweiss and Netgalley:


I want to thank all the publishers as well as Netgalley and Edelweiss. Steamborn has these things in it called "Spider Knights" and the way my week has went, I sure could use one right now. I figure a lot of people hate spiders so maybe if I had a giant one, some people would leave me alone!

 What did you guys add to your TBR this week? Leave me a comment so I know to check out your blog!

Weekend Reads!

WEEKEND READS!!!!!

Hoping to get some reading done this weekend so I thought I'd add a little update on my plans. Also, hopefully this will help me stay a tad bit more on target with the monthly TBRs.  I have also started reading more than one book at a time and while I don't think it is working out too well, I haven't totally given up on the concept.  Anyway, here's what I hope to open!

I'm over 85% done with this so it should be easy to finish Friday night.

About 1/2 way done with this so I may be able to check it off as well.

And then I will start this one.  I need some horror in my life.

What are you weekend plans and have you read any of these????