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Trace of Fever by Lori Foster
Chick Lit Review

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Lori Foster is keeping hearts racing and palms sweaty with her latest novel Trace of Fever. This book picks up after When You Dare, and follows Dare’s friend and partner Trace Rivers as he works undercover as a bodyguard for Murray Coburn. Murray runs a human trafficking business, and Trace has a personal interest after the kidnapping of his sister Alani. Just when Trace thinks he has gotten enough information and amo to take down Coburn and his business, Priscilla “Priss” Patterson shows up at the offices claiming to be Coburn’s daughter. Priss is set for revenge against Coburn, who used and abused her mother and eventually led to a terrible and fearful childhood for Priss while her mother had to cope with her nightmares. Now Trace’s plans are foiled while he tries to protect Priss, all without blowing his cover and exposing the real him to Coburn and his associates.
I was really excited to pick up Trace of Fever after I gave When You Dare a five star review, but the book fell a bit flat for me. There is so much odd sexual tension and innuendos between Trace and Priss during the beginning chapters that I started to feel a bit lost. I felt that Dare had a lot more action and kept the story moving with a seat of your pants feel to it, while Trace focused more on the sex. Every character seemed only to care about sex, and it started to get stale for me after so many chapters. Once the end started approaching and I didn’t know if Trace of Priss would get out alive after confronting Coburn, the story started to pick up for me and I became engrossed in the last few chapters. If you are a big romance fan, I would definitely recommend checking out the book, but if you like the action more, you might become a bit bored with the beginning. It was fun to catch up with Dare and Molly and even Chris from the first book, and see how their lives have progressed. There is a third book coming out, Savor the Danger, that follows Jackson and Trace’s sister Alani, and I will be interested in reading that one as well. That will be available June 28th.
[Rating: 3.5]

June 21, 2011
6 Comments
In My Mailbox: Week of May 30
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of May 30

In My Mailbox: Week of May 30

Title: The Kitchen Shrink
Author: Dee DeTarsio
Received: From Dee DeTarsio
Synopsis: When did Lisby Shaw’s life turn into a country music song? Probably when her best friend signed her up for the debut of the new reality TV show, The Kitchen Shrink, for the ultimate life and home makeover! Unable to squirm out of this “it will be fun” opportunity, Lisby tries to juggle her upstairs-behind-the-scenes-life with her downstairs-in-front-of-the-camera persona, where everything she says and does can and will be used against her.

Hopefully, the show doesn’t find out about her fling with that hunky carpenter. Or that she and her friend smoked hootch she found in her daughter’s room. Lisby cannot believe what a freak show her life has become. At least no one knows about her crush on Sam, Sam, the Cameraman…

Lisby tries to find her way as the TV cameras capture her every move, zooming in on drama with her kids, her ex, her mom and her best friend. Stay tuned for Lisby’s extreme close-up as she becomes a jilted laughingstock on national TV. All is lost…or is it?

Title: The First Day of the Rest of My Life
Author: Cathy Lamb
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: Madeline O’Shea tells people what to do with their lives. A renowned life coach, she inspires thousands of women through her thriving practice – exuding enviable confidence along with her stylish suits and sleek hair. But her confidence, just like her fashionable demeanour, is all a front. For decades, Madeline has lived in fear of her traumatic past becoming public. Now a reporter is reinvestigating the notorious crime that put Madeline’s mother behind bars, threatening to destroy her elaborate facade. Only Madeline’s sister, Annie, and their frail grandparents know about her childhood – but lately Madeline has reason to wonder if her grandparents also have a history they’ve been keeping from her. As the demons of the past swirl around her, a tough, handsome judge with a gentle heart is urging Madeline to have faith in him – and in herself. And as she allows her resistance to thaw, the pain she expects pales in comparison to the surprises headed straight to her door. With one bold, unprecedented move, Madeline O’Shea may just wake up out of the sadness and guilt that have kept her sleepwalking through life for so long – and discover that the worst thing that can happen is sometimes the very thing we desperately need.

Title: Trace of Fever
Author: Lori Foster
Received: From Tricia Carr @ Media Muscle
Synopsis: Undercover mercenary Trace Rivers loves the adrenaline rush of a well-planned mission. First he’ll earn the trust of corrupt businessman Murray Coburn, then gather the proof he needs to shut down the man’s dirty smuggling operation. It’s a perfect scheme—until Coburn’s long-lost daughter saunters in with her own deadly plan for revenge.
With a smile like an angel and fire in her eyes, Priscilla Patterson isn’t who she seems to be. But neither is the gorgeous bodyguard who ignites all her senses. Joining forces to plot Coburn’s downfall, Priss and Trace must fight the undeniable heat between them. For one wrong move, one lingering embrace, will expose them to the wrath of a merciless opponent….

May 29, 2011
3 Comments
When You Dare by Lori Foster
Chick Lit Review

When You Dare by Lori Foster

I don’t usually go for the romance novels, but something about When You Dare by Lori Foster made me say yes to reviewing it. Maybe it was the hunkalicious piece of man meat on the cover- who knows. But I decided to take a chance, and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this suspenseful romance that has just that filling the pages- a whole lot of suspense and a whole lot of steamy romance. The main characters are Dare Macintosh and Molly Alexander, and the story begins with professional mercenary Dare rescuing Molly from Tijuana and a human trafficking setup. Molly, a best-selling author of scandalous romance novels, fears she was no ordinary kidnapping. Someone planned to take her- and that someone could possibly be her father. Or her ex-boyfriend. Or a disgruntled fan that was not happy with the way she redeemed a character in her latest book. With her life in danger, Dare decides to become Molly’s bodyguard, protecting her until they can figure out who would want Molly dead. But in the process of trying to keep herself alive, Molly starts to see Dare in a very different light. A very sexy light. And Dare is trying to keep his feelings for Molly shoved below the surface so he can keep her protected. But the more they try to ignore their feelings, the more the want builds between the two.
I thought When You Dare was excellent! Molly’s character was strong, a fairly independent chick who was ready to track down her kidnappers. And Dare was scorching the pages! You could sense his sex appeal from miles away. I thought the suspense was great, I really wasn’t positive who the culprit was until closer to the end. There were a few oddities about the story that caught my attention, like in the beginning where Molly didn’t seem at all frightened when it came to Dare, nor didn’t ask him many questions about why or how he rescued her. There were a few instances like that which I picked up on, but I still really got into the story and the characters. There were a lot times where I didn’t want to put this book down! The plot was fast paced with enough twists to keep my attention firmly on the story. Even if you aren’t usually a romance/suspense reader, I would give Lori Foster a chance. She won me over!
[Rating: 4.5]

April 29, 2011
2 Comments
GIVEAWAY: When You Dare by Lori Foster
Updates

GIVEAWAY: When You Dare by Lori Foster

Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he’ll take the mission he’s offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who’d had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare’s tempted to combine work with pleasure.
Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she’s uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful, estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…

I have XXX to giveaway! To enter, just leave a comment below letting me know why you want to win- easy! The winners will be chosen Wednesday, May 4th. Thank you to Tricia Carr @ XXX for sponsoring this giveaway.

April 28, 2011
31 Comments
In My Mailbox: Week of March 27
Updates

In My Mailbox: Week of March 27

In My Mailbox: Week of March 27

Title: Wherever Grace is Needed
Author: Elizabeth Bass
Received: From Kensington Books
Synopsis: When Grace Oliver leaves Portland for Austin, Texas, to help her father, Lou, recuperate from a car accident, she expects to stay just a few weeks. Since her mother’s divorce thirty years ago, Grace has hovered on the periphery of the Oliver family. But now she sees a chance to get closer to her half-brothers and the home she’s never forgotten.
But the Olivers are facing a crisis. Tests reveal that Lou, a retired college professor whose sharp tongue and tenderness Grace adores, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Grace delays her departure to care for him, and is soon entwined in the complicated lives of her siblings-all squabbling over Lou’s future-and of the family next door…
Ray West and his three children are reeling from a recent tragedy, particularly sixteen-year-old Jordan, whose grief is heightened by guilt and anger. Amid the turmoil, Grace not only gives solace and support, but learns to receive it. And though she came to Austin to reconnect with her past, she is drawn by degrees into surprising new connections.

Title: Girl in a Spin
Author: Clodagh Murphy
Received: From Clodagh Murphy
Synopsis: Jenny Hannigan might be a good-time party girl, but all she secretly craves is a life of domestic bliss and solid respectability – worlds away from her troubled upbringing back in Ireland. So when she crashes into the arms of Richard Allam — the young, handsome, recently separated politician hotly tipped to lead his party to victory in the upcoming election — she thinks she’s found her perfect match.
Richard’s spin doctor, charismatic publicist Dev Tennant, thinks otherwise. Charged with putting a positive spin on the relationship, Dev soon discovers that Jenny has more than one skeleton in her closet – and as the election gathers momentum, he is working overtime trying to keep them there.
And as Jenny’s life starts to spiral out of control, suddenly she isn’t sure what she wants anymore …

Title: When You Dare
Author: Lori Foster
Received: Tricia Carr @ Media Muscle
Synopsis: Foster’s new romantic suspense series hilariously juxtaposes private mercenaries and publishing. When Dare Macintosh raids a human trafficking trailer in Tijuana to find a friend’s sister, he also rescues the unconscious woman locked in with her: Molly Alexander, a sexy romantic suspense author who has no idea why she was kidnapped from a street in Ohio. After Dare gently nurses her back to health, she hires him to find out who wants her dead. Suspects abound, including her relatives, her ex-fiancé, and disgruntled fans. Foster dissects family dynamics as Molly and Dare eliminate suspects and find their initial hot sexual attraction deepening into something more. Dare’s relationship with his gay assistant spotlights a healthy relationship between men, and readers will enjoy the strong plot and a glimpse of Foster’s publishing world.

March 27, 2011
2 Comments