Beautiful Imperfection by Kathryn J. Bain

Beautiful Imperfection, the fourth novel by Kathryn J. Bain, follows the tradition of wonderful writing she established with her first novel.

Honestly, she is one of my favorite authors.  Her writing style is clean, concise, with plenty of action to keep the reader's interest.  One of the best things about her books is that she understands the use of "the hook" to grab the reader at the beginning.

In Beautiful Imperfection, we are introduced to Teddy Federline, a woman who had a recent mastectomy and has been pronounced cancer free.  At the insistence of friends, she is meeting a man for drinks in a local restaurant.  We see her apprehension in having this date as well as her insecurities due to the recent surgery.  It is a brief but wonderful introduction to this character.  The reader just starts having empathy for Teddy, when a gunman walks into the place and begins killing people at random.  Boom!  And there's the well-placed hook.

Teddy watches as someone she knows is killed, as well as others in the room.  Given her recent illness, she is determined to survive and takes action she never would have before in her life.  She helps take down the gunman so he can be disarmed.

That act of bravery makes her the target of the serial killer who shot the people in the restaurant.  One by one, the witnesses start dying, even though he sits securely behind bars.

In walks Sloan Michaels, her boyfriend from years ago, now a detective with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.  Teddy does not want to trust him because he deserted her when they were young.
He has feelings of his own and secrets he has never revealed.  He is determined to protect her, even at the cost of his own life.

Thus begins an intricate story that moves quickly and keeps you reading until the satisfying conclusion.

Ms. Bain has filled her story with well-drawn characters with whom we can empathize.  She also researched the healing process for women with breast cancer.  Teddy's battle, both physical and psychological is real.  In my old days in the field of social work, I worked with women like Teddy who were trying to cope in the aftermath of treatment from this disease.  I recognize Teddy's behavior as well as her physical symptoms.

The author will donate a portion of her net earnings for 2013 to Breast Cancer Research.

This is a terrific story of healing and redemption and not just for Teddy.  Filled with sensitivity and suspense, it is a good read that will stay with you.

I hope you will read this book and discover the talented Kathryn J. Bain. 

By the way, her cover art just took first place for the Inspirational category in the Sunshine State Romance Authors "Show Me Your Cover" contest.  It is a gorgeous cover, indicative of the sensitivity of the story inside.

Brava, Ms. Bain for another beautifully written novel!

Blurb:

When witnesses to a mass murder start dying, breast cancer survivor Teddy Federline must push aside her anger and trust an ex-boyfriend to ensure she lives long enough to testify against the killer.

Detective Sloan Michaels still has deep feelings for Teddy but realizes that after the way he left her years ago, he has a lot of making up to do. Now, he must keep his focus on the case and off the woman he loves. If Sloan doesn't keep Teddy safe, he'll never get a second chance.

Where to purchase: 

Amazon.com

One Lucky Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Lynsay Sands' most recent Argeneau novel, One Lucky Vampire, has been published.  It is the story of Stephano Notte, who goes by the name of Jake Colson.  Stephano, or Jake, doesn't want to be a vampire.  In fact, he's estranged from most of his family.  He's asked to do a favor for Marguerite, the charming and infamous matchmaker of the Argeneau clan.  There is a young lady of her acquaintance who is being threatened by an unknown stalker.  She is in need of a bodyguard, but will not accept the fact that someone is after her.

So Marguerite presents Jake to the young lady as a cook/housekeeper of the live-in variety.  The fact that Jake can't really cook doesn't seem to matter.  With cookbook in hand, he accepts the job and moves in with the soon to be divorced artist, Nicole Phillips.  There are several apparent attempts made on her life.  Plus there is a dangerous attraction between Jake and Nicole.  He fights the attraction, but the signs are all in place.

How does Marguerite always know?

This novel is hot, hot, HOT!!  Also, it is laced with Ms. Sands' characteristic humor.  The vivid characters bring life to the tale.  It is a warm and passionate love story played out among elements of danger, everything a reader could want in an enjoyable novel.

You'll read it in one sitting, because you won't want to put it down.  Vampire novels are common in the romance world.  But nobody writes them like Lynsay Sands.  Each story is a gem on its own, never a formula followed.  One Lucky Vampire is no exception. 

Wonderful job, Ms. Sands!  You keep writing and we'll keep reading.

Blurb

Luck be a vampire tonight . . .

When Nicole Phillips agreed to hire a housekeeper, she pictured someone a little frumpy and almost certainly female. Instead, she gets gorgeous, unmistakably male Jake Colson. The man is proving indispensable in the kitchen—and everywhere else. Except Jake might not be a mortal man at all.

. . . and every night

Who wouldn't want to be a tall, dark, powerful vampire? Jake, for one. He's barely had time to adjust to his new state before he's roped into a family favor. Still, secretly playing bodyguard to sweet, sexy Nicole is turning out to be the wildest ride of his life. First he'll put a stop to whoever's targeting her. Then he'll prove that this kind of love, and luck, happens only once in an eternity.

 

Links for purchase: 

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_10?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=one%20lucky%20vampire&sprefix=One+Lucky+%2Caps%2C497


Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/one-lucky-vampire?keyword=one+lucky+vampire&store=ebook

 

Carly's Rule by Vickie King

I just finished reading Carly's Rule, a wonderful first novel from talented author Vickie King.

Carly's Rule is the story of Carly Braddock who owns a bakery called Sugar Plums in her home town.  Carly's life hasn't always been easy.  In fact, she has known grief and loss in her young life.  She finally comes back home and opens her bakery.  She has a large family and spends time with her nieces and nephews when she isn't baking.  Life has taught her not to risk her heart.  She has one hard and fast rule about relationships.

Enter a man from her past - Luke Donovan.  Though intellectually, Carly knows he is dangerous to her heart, she is still attracted.  Will he be the one to finally break Carly's rule?

This is a warm, engaging tale, filled with realistic characters who face problems in their lives.  The players and the situations pull the reader into the story.  It is an engrossing read from beginning to end, filled with the colorful inhabitants of a West Virginia town.  All of the characters are well written and memorable.  They live on the page and in the readers' memory.  You will remember these folks and wonder about them when you close the book.

I give Carly's Rule four and a half stars, only because I wasn't ready for it to end!

This is the first book in a series. The second book due to be published in 2014 is the story of one of Carly's brothers and is entitled Dusty's Fate.

I will have my copy reserved.  I can't wait to read more about the Braddock family.

Warning! Ms. King does such a good job describing the delectable treats baked in the bakery, you may well be tempted to wolf down some carbs!

I hope you're listening, Hallmark Channel. You've got the makings of a great movie in this book.

What a lovely job, Ms. King!  Carly's Rule is a must read for fans of contemporary romance.

BLURB

Pastry Chef Carly Braddock only ever loved one man, Luke Donovan, who disappeared from her life years ago, breaking her heart and leaving her to wonder what happened to him. When he walks into Sugar Plums, her West Virginia bakery/cafe, and back into her life after all this time, she isn’t in a forgiving mood. Though he doesn’t know it, her experience with him shaped the other relationships in her life and led her to create a rule to protect her heart. What neither counts on is that the chemistry between them is still as fierce and tangible as it was all those years ago, and Carly doesn’t know until her heart is completely involved once again that Luke has kept an important part of his life from her. When she finds out what it is, she knows she must let him go, and this time for good. Not only did he keep something from her, but he broke the one thing she created to protect her heart . . . Carly’s Rule.

 

Available at Amazon.com

 

http://www.amazon.com/Carlys-Rule-1-Braddocks-ebook/dp/B00FAWKJ18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380495640&sr=8-1&keywords=carly%27s+rule

Update - BBC's Broadchurch

In my previous review of this incredible series on BBC America's "Dramaville", I was mistaken in how many episodes there were.  Actually, it aired its final episode this last Wednesday.

This is an amazing series, a mystery with many clues like strands of fog on the British coastline.  The story is haunting.  The production is evocative and unforgettable.

The cast makes a wonderful ensemble with excellent performances all around.  The directing is seamless.  The production values (sets, music, lighting, locations, etc) all play a part in bringing this poignant story to life.

There is a surprise ending that will stun you.  It did me. 

I recorded the episode on Wednesday and watched it again this morning just to see if it was as good as I remembered.  Yep, it was...I may even appreciate it more knowing that even a repeat of something I'd seen could keep me engrossed in the hour.

If you haven't seen it and get BBC America, please see if it's available On Demand on your system.  If not, rent it when it comes out.  You won't regret it.

BRAVO, BBC America for another exquisite series.

I am looking forward to their upcoming production of "Burton and Taylor" which stars Helena Bonham Carter in what looks like a dead-on portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor.  That premiers on October 16th.

Enjoy our incredible pop culture, where there truly is something for every taste.

Peace.

Ode To The Dearly Departed Thunder Thighs

Remember I once said I studied ballet as a child and wanted more than anything to be a dancer?  Well, that's true and even though I took classes and practiced all week, I still had big thighs.  They were muscular, but they were also big.  I inherited them from my mom.  In high school, not only did I take dance classes and practice, I was also on the drill team.  My thunder thighs stayed firmly in place...

Our best and most requested routine for the drill team ended on a spectacular contagion of movement beginning at one end of the line and progressing through the girls to the opposite end.  Those of us short enough to be at the end where the contagion started did 64 high kicks in a row.  My thunder still rolled.  (Talk about a cardio workout!)

And let's not even talk about the splits we had to do.  My worst memory of high school is performing at a game where the temp was below 50 and the field was wet.  I had the misfortune to be located on one of the yard lines when split time came.  My majorette boots dug trenches in the yard line as I performed my perfect split.  I got up with mud and yard line paint striping my legs...YECH!

My life is pretty stressful right now, with health issues for my loved ones, two leggeds and four leggeds.  So, it's understandable why I miss some things these days.

Earlier this week, I put on a new pair of pants only slightly less fitted than leggings.  That's when I realized...my THUNDER THIGHS ARE GONE!!!

Wha??? Where'd they go?  I hadn't been hearing the telltale whoosh-whoosh when I walked, but it didn't register on my conscious mind.  Besides, it's too early in the season for corduroy.

Granted I have been a dedicated dieter and carb counter for the last year or so.  I also started an exercise program back in the spring, which I do 6 to 7 days each week.  But who knew at this age, my old thighs would depart?  I mean they never did before...though I worked at it and wished they'd go away.

After an adult lifetime of walking like a thunder lizard, shaking the ground whenever I moved, it is very strange to tread so lightly now. (And so much faster!)

Along with the low carb diet, I have an elliptical on which I pedal daily.  I am up to eight miles a day, with my goal being ten miles daily.  My little elliptical is portable.  It can be used while you sit in a chair.  So each afternoon, I pull out one of my dining room chairs and pedal away at a fast pace (one-two, one-two, one-two.)  It takes me about 26 minutes most days to pedal eight miles, so I keep a fast pace.  I also use resistance bands for my arms while I pedal.  I am up to 200 reps per day with the bands.

Having problem knees, I couldn't really use a bike when I started.  The elliptical is much easier on the joints.  Besides, I've pedaled over 500 miles so far, not far enough for the Tour De France, but that's an impressive stat for such a dedicated couch potato!

Who knows how far I'll go?  One of these days, I may get a real bicycle and go out into the world.

In the meantime, take heart, for this is my advice and assurance to you. 

If you dream it, you can do it.  I am very serious about this.  We humans have an amazing capacity for manifesting success in our lives.  Go for whatever you want.  You can do it.  I'm living proof.

One of these days I may take my act to the beach!  (In bicycle shorts and a tank top, of course.)

So fare thee well oh thunder thighs of mine.  You kept me warm in the winter, and chafed in the summer (in Texas and Florida!) Now I'll chortle gleefully as I pull on my leggings and walk silently into the sunset...

Live Long and Prosper...*



* Quotation from Mr. Spock

Confessions of Football's Grim Reaper

I tried not to take it personally.  But lately, it's hard to ignore it.  I am the Grim Reaper for football teams.  My support slays any chance they have at successful seasons - bowl games, the playoffs - and forget the biggie - the Super Bowl!!!

Take this last week...who did I want to win?  Everybody who didn't.  They all failed, some spectacularly, some not with a bang but a whimper.

I've loved football most of my life.  It was inevitable.  My dad was the quarterback of the State Championship football team when he was in high school.  We started going to the high school games in the town where we lived when I was about twelve years old.  In Garland, Texas in those days, Friday nights were all about the Garland High School games.  Didn't matter if they played in the rickety all-wooden stadium (where I got some big honking splinters in unmentionable places, especially when I was in the drill team and sat unaware in my little short skirts.) Or if the bulk of the town's residents drove in a winding caravan all over north Texas in heat, wind, rain, whatever.  Nothing was more important than football.  Yep, Friday Night Lights, though it was written about one of our arch-rivals in playoffs, Odessa Permian High School, was real all over the state.  That's the way it was.

In those days, Garland only had one high school.  They got their second when I was a junior.  We had the option to move to the new high school if we wanted, but no way would I do that...I mean, did they think I would give up years of tradition?  No way, no how.  Would I give up being a Dashing Deb to become a Southern Belle?  Bleah...it was totally unthinkable.  Dad thought about sending me to a prestigious private school, but I BEGGED him not to ruin my life!

So is it any wonder that I am a football fan?  In the glory days of Garland, we won the state championship two years in a row, beating Odessa Permian to get to the final game, I should mention.

With that foundation, I have loved football ever since.  My main teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the University of Texas Longhorns.  I also like Texas A&M, if they're not playing the Longhorns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.  (I mean I live in Jax, after all...)

But this season is not turning out well for the Longhorns, the Cowboys, and especially the Jaguars.  On Saturday, even Johnny Football couldn't pull off a win against Alabama.  I couldn't watch it when they got so far behind, but my dad assured me it was a really good game.  BUT DID THEY WIN?!!!  NO!!!!!  The Cowboys handily beat the Giants in the first game of the real season.  Yesterday, they lost to Kansas City (who had the nerve to sneak in Andy Reid as their new coach...)

Ahem...the Longhorns, well they're not even in the rankings anymore this season...I swear I saw Bevo crying on the sidelines.  Or maybe he was chewing his cud, or the rope that held him in place.  I don't blame him, I'd try to escape the madness, too.  It must be hard to stand before 90,000+ fans in that heat and noise.  It would be much nicer to be munching grass in a field somewhere.

So I have come to the inevitable conclusion, in the "Superstition" mode (thanks, Stevie Wonder).  IT'S MY FAULT!!!  I'M TO BLAME!!!  I must be, otherwise why are all my teams losing?

I have come up with a plan.  I've decided to advertise a special service in which I will cheer for the opponents of my customers' teams.  That way, their teams will win...I haven't worked out the particulars yet, but I will...I can be clever when necessary...

Take care. 

Adios, Burn Notice

I don't know how many of you watched USA's series Burn Notice.  I started watching it when it came on originally.  The premise was intriguing as was the fact that it was shot in Miami.  I was born in Miami and spent many happy summers there as a child.  To say I was stunned at the enormous city shown on the tv screen would be an understatement.  Of course I haven't been back to Miami since my grandparents died.  So, as far as I know there could be space aliens sitting at the cafes sipping mojitos.  Some of my friends are sure Austin, TX is already full of them...I'll reserve judgment on that one.

Anyhow back to Burn Notice.  I always thought it was an exciting series, full of action, but also with some human pathos for balance.  It had a great cast who worked well as an ensemble.  I liked all of them.  They all did a wonderful job in their respective roles.

My favorites were Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe and his alter ego - Charles Finley.  I have always been a fan of his.  They frequently referred to his character on the show as the "guy with the chin."  If you have seen Bruce Campbell, he does have a memorable chin.  It became a running joke.

My other favorite was Sharon Gless who played Michael's mom, Maddie Weston.  I have liked her for years, from the time she and Tyne Daley, played female detective partners for the NYC police dept in the breakthrough tv drama, Cagney and Lacey.  It was the first tv show that had a female team of investigators.  I loved it.  Of course we were all much younger then.  It was the heyday of feminism in the 70s.

Throughout all the difficulties in the storyline of Burn Notice, Gless played a courageous woman who had two sons at the beginning of the show.  At the end, she had one living son and a three-year-old grandson.  SPOILER ALERT - the hardest, most jarring part of the finale last night was when Maddie Weston sacrificed herself so her little grandson could escape from the bad guys.  She sent him to safety with Jessie (one of Michael's crew) and sat calmly smoking a cigarette, when the bad guys burst in, their weapons ready.  She looked at them and said, "this is for my boys."  Then she pushed the button on the detonator connected to C-4 that she held in her hand.  Goodbye Maddie as well as all of her would-be attackers.

Jessie took care of the two guys left outside and got the little boy to safety.

In the end, Michael and Fiona, as well as Sam and Jessie made it out alive.  Although Michael and Fiona let everybody think they were dead and went to another country with his little nephew.  Sam and Jessie were off on another mission to help someone in need.

It was a satisfactory way to wrap up the story.

I always watched Burn Notice.  It was a good combination of action and wry humor.  Last night was no exception.

I will miss seeing these guys tooling around Miami going after the predators who preyed on their human victims.  I will miss Sam's wry humor, Maddie's love and her problem with cigarettes, as well as Michael and Fiona with their on-again, off-again love story.

Nice job, folks.  Enjoy your respite from series television.  I know you will enjoy those residuals you get.  That's the real beauty of series television for the actors.  Once you reach a certain number of episodes "in the can" - the residual checks just keep on coming as long as the series is shown in reruns.

You can thank the Star Trek crew for that.  They didn't get residuals from that show.  Since then the acting unions lobbied and got a deal to take care of the actors when a show goes into reruns.  Nice gig, if you can get it.

Take care and enjoy the upcoming fall shows!