Workout Wednesday: I'm a Fool if I Think I'm Golden

Here I am riding my bike this week in my read-n-ride challenge as I finished Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery. The lead male character Josh Golden and I have a lot in common. He's famous, gorgeous, rich, a world class athlete and Tour de France Champion, admired and respected by all the people in his home town of Fool's Gold.  I...ummm...am a world class athlete cycle while I read a book. Ummm...ya lots of similarities.


Racing results this week

♥♥♥ 1/2
Pages read 376
Riding Time 3hour 10minutes
Calories Burned 1,119
Distance Peddled 52.19 miles




For My Thoughts

Chasing Perfect is all about small town living…where everybody knows your name...and gets all up in your business. Ohh! And there seems to be a shortage of eligible men of marrying age.

Charity Jones is Fool’s Gold new City Planner. Hopes are high that she can recruit some new businesses to locate in Fool’s Gold and along with new jobs bring some much needed bodies of the male persuasion to town. Work aside Charity’s pretty pumped to be setting down roots in this small, friendly community, something she’s always dreamed of doing as a young girl after being dragged around from town to town by her mom. Charity longs for stability, friends, a sense of family and a simpler life after a few failed relationships.

Josh Golden is the town’s local Golden boy. He’s famous, he’s gorgeous, he’s an athlete, he’s got a reputation as a ladies man and women of all ages are gaga over him. This is totally understandable since men are in such short supply, but his reputation may be more speculation or wishful thinking on the women’s part than based in fact. From the first moment Charity meets Josh after her first big presentation literally goes up in flames – her laptop that is - and he comes to her rescue, she can’t deny the sparks she feels whenever he’s within spitting distance. Controlling her hormones is going to be a big challenge, but Charity knows she doesn’t want to be the next notch on this playboy’s bedpost.

Chasing Perfect is at its core a good old fashioned love story about relationships. Under the watchful eye of the entire town, Josh and Charity explore and develop their budding romance. There are lots of interesting characters in Fool’s Gold from Mayor Marsha who has her own special relationship with Charity, to Pia the party and event planner to Ethan Hendrix the now estranged, but once best friend, fellow racer and closest thing to a brother Josh has ever had. These relationships are the foundation of Fool’s Gold and what Chasing Perfect is all about. There are no guns or car chases, things getting blown up, or bad guys out to kill anyone. The only drama happening in this city is between two rival sisters who for 25 years have had a battle over who has the best hair salon. I kind of wish more had been made of the man shortage problem, but maybe that is coming in one of the follow-up books in the series.

Finally, for anyone who follows Susan Mallery on twitter or facebook, then you know she is a big American Idol fan. I laughed at the mention of the show in Chasing Perfect when one of the city council meetings had to end on time so everyone could make it home to watch Idol. It’s fitting then that I am posting this review on the finale night as American Idol crowns a new champion. Go Crystal or Lee, whoever you are voting for, both are deserving of the title of American Idol.


Back Blurb:

Welcome to Fool’s Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There’s lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there’s just one tiny problem in Fool’s Gold: the men don’t seem to stick around. Maybe it’s the lure of big-city life, or maybe it’s plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.

Charity’s nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer — everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he’s perfect just the way he is. But maybe that’s just what he needs — someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he’s just chasing perfect.

An Apple a Day Can't Keep This Romeo..err Romo Away!

In Toni Blake's latest release Sugar Creek , the Farris Apple Orchard is the happening place where a lot of the action takes place...action as in picking apples (ok so there's lots of the "other kind of action" also!). So an apple riding a bike seemed like it was Destiny. Need I say more?



Apple Pie in the Sky Results

♥♥♥♥
Pages read 372
Riding Time 4hours 8minutes
Calories Burned 1,643
Distance Peddled 76.84 miles




For My Thoughts

This is where I bring out the old clichés. One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch girl...sing it Donny Osmond! And of course this one is a given: Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?

Welcome to Destiny Ohio where if you speed, you better be prepared to pay the consequences! Too bad that wasn't the welcoming sign on the way into town. Rachel Farris could have used the warning...on more than one occasion.

Family Feud is alive and well in Sugar Creek. Forget the Hatfield's and the McCoy's. It's the Farris's vs. the Romo's with a side of Romeo and Juliet thrown in (only with a much happier ending). The Farris and Romo families have been feuding for years..over the Farris Family Apple Orchard.

With Rachel Farris's advertising career in a state of flux, she decides to answer her dear old Aunt Edna's plea for help during apple harvesting season, packs up her bags and her life in Chicago and hits the road to Destiny...a place she couldn't wait to leave in her dust as soon as possible when she was younger.

From the moment local, hometown hottie Officer Mike Romeo.... err Romo pulls over Rachel in her sporty, little BMW her first day back in town for doing well in excess of the posted speed limit, they snipe and snip and sling verbal slurs against each others family. Rachel calls Mike "Romeo" (as well as Deputy Dawg and Barney Fife) so many times just to piss him off that every time she did I got such a kick out of it..I just had to do it too. Really could you resist?

Small town boy and big city girl differences aside, Mike and Rachel seem to be able to shelve the family feud long enough to agree on one thing...sex is A-Ok. No strings, no commitments...just some serious smoking up the pages and hot sexual chemistry going on that neither one can deny (although they both try to repeatedly). Who knew that being locked in a concession stand at the local high school, falling out of an apple tree or driving in a convertible with the top down could end with such satisfying and arousing results?

Finally I've got to give some props to Aunt Edna. From her fabulous baked apple pies, her love for Brett Michaels and The Rock of Love, to her suspect aching knees and the telling of the Farris/Romo love/feud story through flashbacks she's a real character who wants nothing but the best for her niece and the family business.

Meet your destiny in Destiny. This small town once again brings together two people who eventually realize everything they've ever wanted and needed is right under their noses. Thank goodness true love does conquer all.

Take a trip this summer and visit Destiny Ohio, you won't be disappointed. Just make sure you don't speed!

Back Cover Blurb:

Rachel Farris returned to her childhood home with one mission in mind: get Mike Romo out of her family’s apple orchard business and out of their lives. But hard-nosed and totally hot Mike, who happens to be the law in Destiny, is convinced the Farris clan stole the land from his family fifty years ago and he’s not backing down. Even when shapely trouble shows up in a pair of designer blue jeans. However, neither the hunky cop nor the sexy prodigal hometown girl can anticipate the electricity that heats things up whenever they’re together—adding new sizzle to an ongoing feud that’s raged for generations, and soon putting both their hearts at risk. [close]

Workout Wednesday: If You've Got The MONEY, HONEY I Got The Time

I`ve discovered you can find just about any image riding a bike and a dollar bill this week seemed appropriate. I wish someone would pay me money to ride-n-read.





Show Me The Money Results

♥♥♥ 1/2
Pages read 293
Riding Time 3hours 3 minutes
Calories Burned 1,210
Distance Peddled 55.54miles








For My Thoughts


I swear I wasn’t two chapters into Money, Honey by Susan Sey when it struck me that it reminded me of a combination of two of my favourite TV shows. White Collar (yummy Matt Bomer) meet Castle (Nathan Fillion). If you haven’t watched either of these shows, you should check them out. The eye candy alone is reason enough.

Career thief gets recruited by the FBI (to prevent his sister from heading to the slammer) to use his particular skill set to catch other criminals (White Collar) and is now a bestselling novelist (Castle). So the premise had me hooked plus I had a nice visual in my head of leading man Patrick O’Conner and I was ready to rock-n-roll read-n-ride.

Suave, sophisticated, debonair Patrick O’Conner has not seen FBI agent Liz Brynn for 3 years since their “working” relationship ended (read he paid his debt to the FBI in full) and he’s never forgotten the beautiful agent who was married to her job then and now and is still wearing her stuffy, buttoned-up, bad polyester suits...some things never change. Patrick’s back in Grief Creek Minnesota to help his sister, Mara solve a little counterfeiting problem she’s having at the Brightwater Casino and Restaurant she runs. Watch out Agent Brynn cuz I think some grief is headed your way!

It's just like old times in Grief Creek when Patrick and Liz are forced to work together again as a team. Only this time around, Patrick is hired on as an FBI consultant and that makes him a contemporary to Liz rather than a subordinate. Liz has a few problems with their new "working" relationship and try as she might to keep her professional distance from Patrick, he's just as determined to work his magic and get at least a few of those darn buttons on her suit undone. Patrick may not have the best track record when it comes to personal relationships, but he’s always had the hots for the no-nonsense Agent and he knows she’s the one who got away. He plans on rectifying that oversight this time around.

One of the things I loved about Patrick was how his relationship with his sister Mara developed. He’s keep his distance from Mara and his adorable niece Evie for the past three years partly for their own protection and partly because he doesn't do warm and fuzzy family reunions. His scenes with the incorrigible Evie, sticky fingers and all were a test of wills to see who would break first. Made for some cute, funny scenes.

Patrick and Liz have a lot of sexual chemistry, flirting and innuendo of things to come. Liz is determined to hold out against the very persuasive reformed thief, but a girl only has so much willpower plus they both have a lot of old history, family baggage and personal issues to work through. So its down to business first for this duo because there’s a case to solve, a villain out for revenge against Patrick and said villain is willing to hit Patrick where he’s most vulnerable and those closest to him are in more danger than they realize.

In the end there was a pretty creative plot hatched to catch the bad guy and thank goodness for a blatant disregard for the law as a little "break and enter" opened the door for a HEA.

This is Susan Sey’s first book and I liked it. What makes me pick up a new author? Well in this case, I loved the title Money, Honey – it’s cute and catchy; the cover art hints at a sexy duo inside and of course the back cover blurb sounded just like the type of book I like to read. Win win all around.

Next up for Susan Sey is Money Shot and it sounds like Ranger Rush and Special Agent Maria “Goose” di Guzman (we meet her in Money, Honey) are going to be another fun read (n-ride).

Back Cover Blurb

WHEN A LAWMAKER...

FBI Agent Elizabeth Brynn has dedicated her life to her job, having earned her position through hard work and a firm belief in law and order. She played strictly by the book until she recruited a notorious jewel thief as an informant-a professional criminal who used his wicked ways to tempt her into something more personal...

BETS ON A HEARTBREAKER...

Patrick O'Connor assisted the Feds for three years before going legit. Now a successful crime novelist, he wheels and deals his way around Hollywood, getting anything and everything he desires-except a certain federal agent who remained immune to his charms...

THERE'S MORE AT STAKE THAN JUST THE MONEY, HONEY.

Cop and robber are unexpectedly reunited when Patrick agrees to go undercover to help bust a counterfeiter-but his true motive is to get Liz under the covers, and she's not sure she can keep her hands to herself this time....