Monday Morning Cuteness!

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Mary Balogh's The Proposal - Read An Excerpt Before It Goes on Sale 5/1/12

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

Monday Morning Cuteness!

funny dog pictures - I Has A Hotdog: Why Should Bunnies Get All the Glory?
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My Fair Concubine by Jeannie Lin Book Trailer



Available June 2012 From Harlequin Historical - I CANNOT wait to read this one!

Eloisa James' New Release Paris In Love: Video & Preview Excerpt!



Excerpt: Paris in Love by Eloisa James (an excerpt)

Winners of Jane Green's Another Piece of My Heart!

The winners of a copy of Jane Green's Another Piece of My Heart are: 


Mariann & Kristin!


Ladies, I will email you for your information to pass on to the publisher to make sure you get your books! 


Happy Reading! 


Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Monday Morning Cuteness!

funny dog pictures - I Has A Hotdog: Hoomans Best Friend
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As an animal lover and mom to 3 dogs, I'm a big supporter of organizations that help animals. Please consider adopting your next furry family member or including animal organizations in your charitable giving plans. Shelters can always use donations of cleaning supplies, old blankets, and all the things dogs and cats need. Every single thing helps! 


If you're interested, here is the ASPCA website with tons of information on easy ways you can help pets in your local area or ways to support laws that protect our furry pals. 

Book Review & Giveaway: Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green

Book Review: Another Piece of My Heart 
By: Jane Green 
Publisher: St. Martin's Press 
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Women's Fiction 
4 Heart Review 

Book Blurb: 
From the New York Times bestselling author of JEMIMA J, and THE BEACH HOUSE, comes Jane Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet: a story that explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.

Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she's finally found him.  Ethan--divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia--is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is a novel that illuminates the nuances and truths about relationships and is Jane Green at her absolute best.

While this book is Women's Fiction and not a Romance, the story itself does contain a very interesting romance for me between Andi and her husband Ethan. Although already married, this book takes you through the ups and downs they experience over a span of years that to me is nothing less than a romance story. There are so many possible things I could say about this book that would be a spoiler, so while my review is short please don't think this book doesn't deserve your attention - it totally does! 

As a fan of Jane Green books, I was excited to read this but must say it was slightly different from what I've read of hers before. There is still all the depth of emotion and insight readers would expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the book's set-up in multiple Point of Views. 

You get to really see and understand how every bit of this book affects each of the characters. What's even more interesting to me as a reader is that Mrs. Green does not make these characters insanely likable, nor does she write them were they do everything perfectly. There are times you'll want to scream at the characters for being stupid or doing the wrong thing, but that's how life really is. 

Again, you won't fall in love with these characters, because they are so real and their shortcomings and issues are presented along with their strengths, but you will become engrossed in their story and want to see how it ends. 

A compelling and insightful look at the deep emotional bonds and turmoil that families face, you'll find yourself feeling like the author has tapped into the emotional vein of a specific family and shared it with you. 

About the Author
Jane Green is the author of twelve bestselling novels, dealing with real women, real life, and all the things in-between, with her trademark wisdom, wit and warmth. She contributes to various publications, both online and print, including Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, and assorted Anthologies.  Passionate about both food and the home, most weekends see her cooking up a storm in her home in Westport, Connecticut, where she lives by the beach with her husband and their many children.

Jane Green Links: 
www.JaneGreen.com
https://twitter.com/janegreen
http://www.facebook.com/authorJaneGreen


GIVEAWAY: Two Cheeky Reads readers will win a copy of Another Piece of My Heart! Leave a comment below letting me know if you like reading Women's Fiction in addition to romances, and if you've read and liked romances that feature an already married husband and wife. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win! 


Giveaway will end Saturday March 31st at Midnight and the winner announced on Monday, April 2nd. 

Book Review: Legacy of the Highlands by Harriet Schultz

Book Review: Legacy of the Highlands
By: Harriet Schultz
Self-Published - Available at Amazon & Smashwords
Contemporary Romantic Suspense
2.5/3 Heart Review

Book Blurb:
When Will Cameron’s body is discovered in a Boston alley, the only clue to the thirty-four-year-old man’s murder is a pristine Scottish sgian dubh dagger left beside it. His devastated widow, Alexandra, flees Boston to find refuge in the Miami villa of Will’s best friend, Diego Navarro, who has the means, power and temperament to solve the puzzle and to avenge the senseless killing.

Diego, a handsome and wealthy Argentine, is equally determined to win the grieving widow’s heart. The growing attraction to each other becomes hard to resist as Alex and Diego follow leads that take them from Miami to Buenos Aires and Scotland, unraveling the Cameron family’s secrets and the Legacy of the Highlands.

Most of my blog and twitter followers know that I love a good romantic suspense.  I love the heightened emotions and truly I love to read about the villain getting his. I'm also a fan of historical fiction and so I was very excited to read this book by Harriet.

Let me start with the parts of the book I thought were done well, the historical research and the suspense.  The history included in this book is fascinating and I loved how it was presented. When the story was done, I immediately wanted to look up some of the things Harriet mentioned to see how much was creativity on her part and how much of it was real history. It's really amazing stuff! 

I also thought she created a compelling suspense story and the characters she created to move the suspense forward were interesting. She plotted the suspense portion of this story extremely well and it's not only fast paced, but you do keep trying to guess how this can come to a end, especially in light of the historical aspects of the story. 

What didn't work for me was the romance. Honestly, this book would have been so much better for me if it was a straight up suspense without the romance included. This might not be true for everyone as the reasons I have for the romance not working might not bother another reader. I can't go into too much detail in order not to let out any spoilers, but I just never bought into the romance situation or time-frame that it occurs in.

Likewise, the heroine is so different seeming between her suspense scenes vs. her romantic scenes it was to follow her story and believe in her romantic actions. It was hard to connect with the heroine since I didn't agree with what was going on romantically, which disappointed me since based on the first few chapters I really wanted to cheer for this character.

Style wise, the story set-up and flow were very well done but there were a few scenes that head-hopping pulled me out of the action sometimes. Mostly though, I was really into the historical story and also the suspense storyline and found that it propelled me along even if I wanted to forget the romantic plot that just didn't jive for me. It seemed almost as if the romance had been added to the story later to fit around the suspense.

Again, this would have made an excellent straight suspense story and the Scottish history alone is fascinating and worth the read.  Harriet moves a story along very well and her story was very entertaining. The romance just went into territory I couldn't buy in to so that didn't work, but it might for other readers. If you like Scottish history and suspense I think you'll enjoy this book for those alone!

Happy Reading! 
Cheeky Girl Sabrina 

Monday Morning Cuteness!

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Book Review: Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas

Book Review: Paris, My Sweet: A Year in The City of Light (and Dark Chocolate)
By: Amy Thomas
Published By: Sourcebooks
Non-Fiction Memoir
4 Heart Review

Blurb From Goodreads: 
Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general. It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake and about how the life you’re meant to live doesn't always taste like the one you envisioned. Organized into a baker’s dozen of delicacies (and the adventures they inspired) that will tempt readers’ appetites, Paris, My Sweet is something to savor.

Yes, I know. This isn't really a romance but it is a love letter to Paris and New York and after my first trip to Paris last Fall I've been fantasizing about going back. I LOVED Paris and tried to soak up every second of time while I was there. So when this book came to my attention I just had to read it and I thought I would share it with you even if it isn't my typical book to review. 


Amy Thomas writes in such a way that even though I spent an idyllic week in Paris, I could so easily see the nuances of the city and the People that were both amazing and that later made her feel lonely. She picked up and conveyed so well those small little things that can throw you off in Paris. For instance, it just felt so alien to me not to smile at everyone I met and walked past on the street. I love Amy's inclusion of instances of how Parisians reacted to her smiling since I had the same experience. 

But what really drew me to this book, and I think you will love, are the amazing descriptions of the perfect desserts to be had all over Paris and their sometimes up to par counterparts in New York. You can read Amy's love of fine pastry and the work that goes into each small bite on every page. 

I mean this is the ultimate guide to eating in Paris (and New York) and you can bet I'll be using this as my sweet tooth guide the next time the hubby and I make it to Paris. A few of the places she includes in the book are ones we actually managed to find when we went and it was fun to relive the experience we had there. Others, I wish we had found! 

If you've ever wanted to go to Paris, or if you've been before, I think you'll enjoy this book that includes not only so much detail on Sweets in Paris, but also a taste of life living in the city as a foreigner and the awe that is discovering this city over and over. 

It's DABWAHA Nomination Time!

Every year as March approaches I get more and more excited...not for March Madness, but for DABWAHA the Romance Book World's bracket madness eviqavlent!


The insanely awesome brainchild of Sarah from Smart Bitches Trashy Books and Jane from Dear Author, the DABWAHA is the romance readers ultimate battle of the books.


Basically, it's a line up of the best romance books for the past year based on different categories and you create a bracket of who you think will win in each round.


Check out all the details at the DAWAHA site and play along with us!

Romance Book Review Round Up!

There are a lot of books that I read and somehow never manage to write a review for them at the time. This could be because I was busy, the book just didn't speak to me either way, or a handful of other reasons. Some of these books were really good and some not so much so just because these are shorter reviews doesn't automatically reflect how I felt about them.

So, I thought I would start doing occassional posts with short reviews of these books. Think of it like book review cliff notes. Most of these are not new books, but that's the beauty of finding a new book or author - who cares if it's a new release...It's new to you!

Coming Clean by Inez Kelley - 4 Heart Review
Coming clean never felt so good...
Grant and Vivi Michaelson share everything in their marriage: love, commitment--and their wildest sexual desires. But their relationship is tested when Vivi admits she wants a threesome with Grant's old friend Cade, proposing their annual trip to the lake as the perfect opportunity to fulfill her fantasy.

All three of them are aroused by the idea. Vivi and Cade have long felt a smoldering attraction to each other...and Grant and Cade have hidden an illicit desire for decades. Going through with the ménage will test their boundaries, reveal old secrets...and maybe tear them apart. After all, there might be room for Cade in bed, but is there room for a third in their marriage?

I had my doubts about this book because to be honest, I've never read a menage involving a married couple and the idea of it made me slightly uncomfortable with how I could enjoy this book. But wow. Inez Kelley can seriously write. This novella is insanely full of deep emotion and insight and so much of it just felt "right" for the characters. Which is really the difference between good and bad writing with any menege. These characters and their story just felt natural and because of how stellar this book is, Inez is on my auto-buy list.

The Scent of Jade by Dee DeTarsio - 2 Heart Review
Julie Fraser is the least adventurous person she knows…until she hops on a plane to surprise her husband who’s on a business trip in Costa Rica. Reeling from the discovery that her husband isn’t who she thought he was, she embarks on an unexpected rainforest adventure that leaves her not knowing where to turn, literally, or whom to trust. She knew she should have stayed home! Can a monkey, a Latin hunk, and a mysterious ‘love potion’ help Julie on her mission to find and forgive her husband?

Not a typical romance, this one kept me reading because I really wanted to figure out where it was going with it's plot, but in the end I wasn't happy with the outcome. I can't tell you the major reason I didn't enjoy the book without giving away a spoiler, but I can tell you that I was half way through the book and still wondering it is was really going to turn into a romance. The heroine had some good points in that I liked how she handled herself at first, but I felt like halfway through her actions and responses didn't fit with the character that has been introduced at first. I will give this story credit for being very creative and engaging since I never did put it down, but in the end, it really came down to not buying into the hero/heroine really belonging together.

Building Magic by Lilly Caine - 3 Heart Review
When architecture student and summertime welder Tina Moreland develops a reputation as a peeping Tom, it isn’t the first time she’s been teased for being different. Catching a glimpse of the man of her dreams is worth the aggravation. But when she witnesses him doing something stranger than stripping in his hightower office, it’s enough to make her forget that when working unharnessed on the fifth floor, the first step is a long way down.

Sent to Earth to find a power source strong enough to end the civil war at home, Devin Ken’Draga doesn’t have time to rescue a damsel in distress. But since she is literally falling at his feet, he can’t help but to save her. Bringing her home wasn’t part of the plan, but once they fall through the magical portal together, there is no going back. It is only when he spreads his wings in his true dragon form that Devin realizes something he hadn’t anticipated – the woman is a virgin, a temptation no dragon can resist. Together Devin and Tina create a sensual bond, gladly sacrificing virginity to find love and a solution to the bloody war.

I was plesantly surprised by this book and thought it was highly unique and I thoroughly enjoyed the heroine. If you are looking for more Dragon shifter romances I would suggest putting this one on your list. There were a few things about the writing that would occassionally pull me out of the story. Nothing big, or it wouldn't have still received 3 Hearts, but the occassional word choice here and there felt off to me. Again, this book suprised me with how creative the story was and I enjoyed the world-building very much.

Love In a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly - AudioBook Review

Audiobook Review: Love In a Nutshell
By: Janet Evanovich & Dorian Kelly
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Loreli King
Contemporary Romance
3 Heart Review

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Keene’s Harbor, Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than savory. 

Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can insert herself into Culhane’s business and snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss.

Can these two smoke out a saboteur, save Kate’s family home, and keep a killer from closing in…all while resisting their undeniable attraction to one another? Filled with humor, heart, and loveable characters, Love in a Nutshell is delicious fun.

Classic Evanovich, this story features a quirky heroine who's a little off balance and a left of fitting in with regular society slightly. Also per usual it was the characters themselves that made this story stay with me and kept me listening to the audio.

I thought the mystery plot of the book was well paced and as the reader I didn't figure it out until much later in the story, which was really nice since some romances tend to very thinly veil the villain. The balance between the mystery and the romance was well done and both unfolded together in the story.

All in all, this is a average fun and cute read. BUT. Evanovich definitely has character traits that seem to almost always be present in all her characters and that makes them all start to run together. This is made worse by the fact that ALL of her stories include the same narrator and it makes the similarities of the characters that much more noticeable. It feels like all her heroines are Stephanie Plum, just in a new situation.

I will say that narrator Loreli King is ALWAYS excellent. It's not her fault as she does a really great job, which I'm sure is how she keeps getting hired to narrate Evanovich's books. But the audio publisher should really take note that this may not be the smartest decision.

Yes, there are some fans who will love the amazing job that Loreli does and not give a care about all of the books sounding like they have the same exact characters, but there are those of us who do. There are those of us who want something different from Evanonich, yet still "her". But by having the same narrator you are not helping readers to make that distinction between books and characters.

Again, this is a really nice read and works on both the romance and mystery sides of the plot. I liked the characters, but kept being drawn out of the book every time I thought to myself, "That's something Stephanie would say."

If you haven't tried any of the Plum series on audio then you should really stay away from them and just listen to all the non-Plum stories on audio - then they'll be excellent and would deserve 4+ Hearts.

Click here to listen to the audio excerpt, watch the book trailer or read an excerpt.

Happy Reading!
Cheeky Girl Sabrina

Welcome Tom & Lexie From Ruthie Knox's New Release Ride With Me & Giveaway!

Cheeky Reads is super excited to welcome Tom and Lexie, the hero and heroine of Ruthie Knox's new contemporary romance to our site! I hope you enjoy meeting them as much as I did and don't forget to comment on their interview to enter to win a copy of their story!

How We Met: An Interview with Tom and Lexie

TOM: So what are we supposed to be talking about, again?

LEXIE: How we met, I think.

TOM [scowling]: I don’t want to talk about that.

LEXIE: Why not?

TOM: Because I was a jerk.

LEXIE: Actually, I wouldn’t say you were a jerk.

TOM [hopeful]: You wouldn’t?

LEXIE: No, I’d say you were a dick.

TOM: Oh, thanks, babe. That’s great.

LEXIE: Well, it wasn’t great at the time. It worked out okay.

TOM: I was trying to do the right thing.

LEXIE [smiling a little]: You were. You couldn’t bear to think of what might happen to me if I rode across the country by myself, so you let me ride with you. And then you wouldn’t talk to me.

TOM: You’re the one who gave me the silent treatment for three days.

LEXIE: Only because you deserved it.

TOM [reluctantly]: True. But in my defense, you’re kind of a lot to get used to. All that yammering. [smiles]

[Lexie punches Tom in the shoulder]

TOM: Plus, you were pretty awful to me, too. You told me you were married.

LEXIE: Only because you were so cocky. Like, [pitches voice low] I’m not going to sleep with you, sweetheart, so don’t even think about it.

TOM: So you were, like, Screw you, buddy, and the horse you rode in on.

LEXIE: Exactly. Except you rode in on a bike.

TOM: We both rode in on bikes.

LEXIE [smiling fondly]: Yeah. And you have such a nice ass. That was really my downfall—the view. That, and it turned out you have unforeseen charms.

TOM: I do?

LEXIE: Sure. I unearthed them. I had to dig around in your pants for a while, but—

[Tom covers Lexie’s mouth with his hand]

LEXIE: Mphm-bmbh mm hmubph mbuh.

TOM: We’re done here. They’ll have to read the book if they want to know the rest. [winks at CheekyReads] Thanks for having us.

CHEEKY [blushing]: You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

[Tom pushes Lexie out of the room, keeping one hand firmly over her mouth.]

Curtain falls.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Ride with Me, available from Loveswept on February 13, 2012!


In this fun, scorching-hot eBook original romance by Ruthie Knox, a cross-country bike adventure takes a detour into unexplored passion. As readers will discover, Ride with Me is not about the bike!

When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger — a lean, sexy loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she’s spent years planning.

Roped into the cycling equivalent of a blind date by his sister, Tom doesn’t want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map kind of woman, and he certainly doesn’t want to want her. Too bad the sight of Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.

Even Tom’s stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance can’t stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?

BIO


Ruthie Knox figured out how to walk and read at the same time in the second grade, and she hasn’t looked up since. She spent her formative years hiding romance novels in her bedroom closet to avoid the merciless teasing of her brothers and imagining scenarios in which someone who looked remarkably like Daniel Day Lewis recognized her well-hidden sex appeal and rescued her from middle-class Midwestern obscurity. After graduating from Grinnell College with an English and history double major, she earned a Ph.D. in modern British history that she’s put to remarkably little use.

These days, she writes contemporary romance in which witty, down-to- earth characters find each other irresistible in their pajamas, though she freely admits this has yet to happen to her. Perhaps she needs more exciting pajamas. Ruthie abhors an epilogue and insists a decent romance requires at least three good sex scenes.

GIVEAWAY - One lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to win a digital copy of Ride with Me. Winners will pick up their copy through Net Galley. Good luck to all!

Winner of The Valentine's Day Giveaway!

The winner of the Cheeky Reads Valentine's Day blog giveaway is...

Kletch1

I'll email you soon for your shipping details. Congrats and happy reading!