The Sunday *Sigh*: Are You There Brain? It's Me Judi

As I get older, I wonder how I'm ever going to survive. If I get any stoopider, it doesn't bode well for my future.

How many times do you do things without thinking, either by rout because it’s something you do all the time, you are trying to multi-task or you just aren’t paying attention? How many times have you wandered into a room, only to forget what you went in there for?

I work every Sunday morning at a part-time job (this is in addition to my full-time 40hr/wk day job) and I‘ve been doing it for about 12 years now. I don’t have to be there super early (9:00am so no excuses there), I work by myself (no one bugging me or constantly interrupting my train of thought - again no excuses) and I only have to stay as long as it takes me to complete the job (most Sundays less than 2 hours). So why than do I do soooooo many STOOOPID things?

Dear Brain:
Here are some things I need to work on:

When driving to work



do not drive instead to the gym even if it is
less than 5 minutes away from where you work.




How many times have I done this?
More times than I care to admit (including Easter Sunday when the gym wasn't even open).
The fact that work and the gym are so close is a good thing AFTER work...but not before.


When trying to open the office door: Do not try to open it using your house key - it will not work

Surprisingly it will not work by pushing the buttons on your remote car door opener either



Yes sadly I am guilty of both, hard though it is to admit. You and I really need to have a heart-to-heart and get on the same page...sooner rather than later.

*Sigh*
Until next time,
Kthxbai

PS: What are some STOOPID things you've done? Please feel free to comment if you aren't too ashamed to admit it?

Workout Wednesday: The EEEEE's Have It

Did you notice I missed my Workout Wednesday post last week? Every week I have my own Fatal Affair with a book, a bike and a deadline. 99% of the time I win, but last week I was on vacation. Not enough gym time = no book finished for Workout Wednesday. Bad Judi!



E-asy Rider: E-book on an E-reader on an E-xercise bike

♥♥♥♥

Pages read approx 400 (thx to my tweep msbookjunkie)
Riding Time 3hours 47minutes
Calories Burned 1464
Distance Peddled 65.25




For My Thoughts

Fatal Affair by Maire Force is my 1st experience at reading an E-book for my weekly challenge. I’ve read both of Force’s previous books Line of Scrimmage and Love at First Flight so when I found myself at the gym without the book I was reading for my weekly challenge, I remembered I had this book downloaded on my Itouch. So since beggars (or losers who forget their book) can’t be choosers, I decided to give it a try.

Fatal Affair was a little different departure from Force’s two previous books which were straight up contemporary romances. This one read like an episode of Law and Order (cue the music) with heavy emphasis on the murder/political suspense thriller aspect, but still had a great romantic element between the lead characters Sam Holland and Nick Cappuano.

Police detective Sam Holland has a lot on her plate. Between caring for her injured in-the-line of duty father and some wonky stomach issues, she’s back on the job after her last case went horribly wrong and back in the spotlight investigating the gruesome murder of US Senator John O’Connor when she comes face to face with someone from her past...someone she had a one night stand with...someone who has major ties to this case...Nick Cappuano.

I just want to touch briefly on the Senator’s murder. Was it professionally or personally motivated? That is the $100,000 question. See the Senator was killed the night before a big vote on a Senate bill he was backing, but the manner in which he met his untimely demise…Eeeewwwwww…I imagine the method of murder would be every man's worse nightmare cuz it sure made me cringe!

Sam and Nick made an interesting couple. It’s been six years since the one night they shared and due to some major third party interference their relationship never had a chance to develop. Sam's all business at first since she knows she's walking a very slippery slope as she works all the angles while investigating the biggest case of her life under a microscope.

Nick’s still a hottie and still single probably because he's a workaholic who's not only the Senator’s Chief of Staff but was his best friend as well, so he wants the murder solved ASAP. Nick's in shock and grieving, but he also couldn’t be happier to have Sam back in his life because he's never gotten over her. Overall he was very supportive and understanding of Sam’s need to keep things between them strictly professional, but he's not about to let her get away again cuz one thing's for sure these two have some unfinished business. They actually made a good team since Nick has the inside track on the Senator’s friends, family and business associates and they do strike somewhat of a balance between the investigation and their personal relationship...at least in public.

One last mention goes to Sam’s police department partner Freddie. He’s a newbie just learning the ropes, but he reminded me of a cute, cuddly puppy dog…all tail wagging and eager to please. Here’s hoping he gets his own HEA in a future book because his story could be very entertaining.

Finally I will admit I am old school when it comes to reading and I enjoy the feel of a book in my hot little hands. I do not like reading AT ALL on the computer, so I wasn’t sure how I would like reading on the Itouch.

Overall I rate the E-xperience 2 thumbs UP!

Available now from Carina Press

From the Author's Website

On the morning of the most important vote of Senator John O’Connor’s career he is late—again. His best friend and chief of staff, Nick Cappuano sets off to O'Connor’s apartment expecting to roust him from bed and hoping he is alone. But what Nick finds is that O’Connor, the handsome, amiable Senator from Virginia, has been brutally murdered, and Nick’s world comes crashing down around him. Complicating the disaster, the detective assigned to the case is none other than Sam Holland, Nick’s one-night stand from six years earlier, the woman who broke his heart and haunts his dreams. With six years worth of unfinished business hanging between them and more than a few scores to settle personally and professionally, Nick and Sam set out to find the senator's killer while trying—and failing—to resist the overwhelming attraction between them that seems to have only grown over the years.

It soon becomes clear that the Senator’s past holds secrets that not only led to his death but now endanger Nick and Sam as well. Working together to find a killer and to rediscover the love they thought they lost long ago, they must put the past behind them and build a future that offers a world of new opportunities for both of them—including an offer from the Virginia Democrats for Nick to finish the last year of John’s term.

Live to Tell: Suspenseful and Disturbing

♥♥♥♥♥

A day off work and a nice big package arrives in the mail containing Lisa Gardner’s Live to Tell. Backyard, sun and lawn chair..get ready cuz here I come.

Lisa Gardner is an auto-buy author or me even if her latest books do get released in hardcover (hello Book Depository..thanks for letting me buy this one for $10 bucks and change...Win!). The back cover jacket states Lisa Gardner will mess with your head so get ready...Live to Tell is pretty intense. This is no fluff read and even though the subject matter was a times hard to read…I couldn’t put it down.

Although Detective DD Warren has appeared in previous novels, this story is not about her per se. It’s about 3 women and how their lives intersect as DD and her squad race to uncover the connection between 2 entire families who have been murdered in their own homes, these 2 women and their own horrifying stories.

DD Warren is tough, has a mouth like a truck driver, can eat anyone under the table with the metabolism to match and she has no time for a personal live - even though she would like to have one. She’s a career cop and married to her job. Out on a date for the first time in a long time, she’s hoping it ends in the horizontal mambo when her pager goes off - or what she likes to refer to it as…birth control. The only action DD’s going to see this night is of the murderous variety.

Danielle a pediatric psych nurse and Victoria a loving mother are the other main characters. What was interesting and different in their story-telling was Gardner chose to tell their story in 1st person. Although I am not a fan of 1st person narration, I will admit for their story - it worked particularly for Victoria.

Victoria‘s story was one of a mother's unconditional love and extreme gut wrenching emotion. You can not help but feel for her and all the sacrifices she has made in the name of love for her family. I felt like I was right there with her, experiencing her overwhelming despair, living every day in fear and terror from her oh so psychotic eight year old son and yet her devotion to him is unwavering. How did she find the strength every day to get out of bed and survive and live under those conditions?

Danielle’s story was one of a survivor and guilt. She is the lone remaining member of her immediate family after her own family was murdered in the worst way imaginable when she was just a child. Now Danielle works with children at the Pediatric Evaluation Clinic of Boston. These children and their sad disturbing stories will tug at your heartstrings, send chills through you and keep you riveted to every page until the end.

So what's the connection? How are Danielle and Victoria a part of a murderous rampage being investigated by DD Warren and what part do the sad children in the mental ward on the top floor of the Boston hospital have to do with anything?

Make sure you reserve a block of time before starting Live to Tell, because you won't be able to put it down until you reach the end.

Read an Excerpt

From The Author's Website

He knows everything about you—including the first place you’ll hide.

On a warm summer night in one of Boston’s working-class neighborhoods, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have been brutally murdered. The father—and possible suspect—now lies clinging to life in the ICU. Murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of only one thing: There’s more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is to help children at a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by a family tragedy that shattered her life nearly twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: It has started again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. But she will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house.

Workout Wednesday: Visions of Sugar Plums? Nope Ninjas!

Yay! Made it again under the wire this week and completed True Vision by Joyce Lamb for my weekly read-n-ride challenge. (In case the significance of my graphic is lost on you it's a happy eyeball - vision get it?).





The Visual Results
♥♥♥ 1/2
Pages read 321
Riding Time 3hours 35minutes
Calories Burned 1,374
Distance Peddled 65.82





For My Thoughts

True Vision's got a little bit of sumin’ sumin’ for everyone. It’s a combo platter of romance, suspense and it's even got a paranormal element.

Lamb doesn’t waste any time getting right to the action. Small town reporter Charlie Trudeau is the lone witness to a nasty hit and run accident right outside the paper where she works. The resulting death of the young woman, who called out to Charlotte by name just before being struck down in the crosswalk has shaken Charlie to her core for more than one reason. While comforting the injured woman, we get a little glimpse into the “special abilities” that have previously been dormant in Charlie and have now been turned on big time with megawatt intensity when Charlie has a strange reaction while holding the woman’s hand. The death of Laurette Atkins has also brought Noah Lassiter, a police detective from Chicago to Charlie's doorstep as he investigates the death of his good friend.

Noah is attracted to Charlie right from the get go and he’s determined to find out the connection between Laurette and Charlie (cuz you knew there had to be one right?) and he does have some inside info that Charlie is not aware of. I might have been skeptical about Noah’s instant attraction and lust at what some might consider inappropriate times..like on the run from a Ninja (I’ll get to that in a minute), but the author does explain to my satisfaction his fascination with her.

As for Charlie's "special abilities"...pretty sure not something I would ever want to experience. There seemed to be a definite downside to her newly awakened empathic abilities and some pretty debilitating side affects. Experiencing someone else's intense pain or grief through skin to skin contact with no controlling the sensations I'm thinking is not such a good "ability" to have. That being said, during more intimate moments, it did seem that skin to skin contact was a double whammy for Charlie and her reactions were off the charts.....yowza!

Now to the Ninja. Let me just say that should I ever be the target of a Ninja-clad assassin, I hope he is inept as the one after Charlie. Ninja boy had more misses on Charlie's life than a batter at the plate - dude 3 strikes and you're out!

Charlie's mom was a real biotch! I had to wonder why the family put up with her abusive behaviour especially Dad Trudeau. Not sure that I received a satisfactory explanation as to her nasty disposition especially towards her own daughter. I wish Ninja boy would have gone after her because she needed a good beatdown.

I was never sure who was out to silence Charlie or why, what all the family secrecy stuff was all about but it keep me hooked til the end.

Next up for Joyce Lamb is True Colors which is sister Alex's story.

Back Cover Blurb:

Newspaper reporter Charlie Trudeau is living an ordinary life, until witnessing a fatal hit-and-run accident gives her an intense psychic power she has no clue how to handle—and brings a Chicago police detective to her doorstep...

Noah Lassiter wants nothing more than to find the driver who killed his good friend. But his only lead is the beautiful Charlie Trudeau, who gets prickly when he starts nosing around town. Charlie’s clearly hiding something, but Noah needs her help unraveling the mystery of his friend’s death—even if the electricity between them complicates things.

But the more Noah and Charlie uncover, the more they realize they’re looking for a desperate killer—and the more danger they’re in. And if Charlie can’t gain control over her psychic powers, they may not survive long enough to explore the full sizzling potential of their desire…

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Silent Scream

I Scream Silently Every Week While I Ride Results

♥♥♥♥♥+
Pages read 570
Riding Time 2hours 23 minutes
Calories Burned 892
Distance Peddled 44.61miles


Yes I did start out reading this book at the gym for my weekly challenge.
Yes the final numbers seem a bit low.
Yes you are correct in your assumption that I cheated and did not entirely read this book while riding a bike.

570 pages people !?!? There was no way I was going to be able to read this book in one week when I can barely squeak in a book just under 400 pages. I was willing to make this a 2 week adventure, but once I started Silent Scream, everything else ceased to matter until it was completed.



For My Thoughts

Ever since I read my 1st Karen Rose book You Can’t Hide in 2006 I was hooked on Rose’s suspenseful storylines, romantic relationships about people I actually cared reading about and amazing storytelling. She quickly became one of my favourite auto-buy authors and I did something I have never before done...I immediately went to Amazon and purchased her entire backlist. She is one of the few authors whose books I will shell out the big bucks for and purchase in hardcover because I can’t wait for the paperback. Rose delivers once again and does not disappoint with her latest release (in paperback..YEAH!).

Firefighter David Hunter and Homicide Detective Olivia Sutherland have both made appearances in Rose’s previous books (David - Don’t Tell and Olivia – Count to Ten), and can I just say how excited I was to discover that David was finally getting his own story (thanks Ms. Rose for that twitter confirmation). I can honestly say you don’t have to read the previous books to get full value from Silent Scream, but all of Rose’s books rock – so you really should read every one!

A suspiciously set fire and the death of a young deaf girl trapped inside a burned out condo under construction bring David and Olivia face to face once again since their unforgettable night two years ago where they may or may not have hooked up at a wedding. One of them can’t really remember what happened and it’s one of the reasons that these two have been tip-toeing around one another for the past seven months, since David packed up his bags and moved to Minneapolis where Olivia works.

David and Olivia have a few misunderstanding (ohhh the words you yell out in the heat of passion can do ALOT of damage even if you don’t remember doing it) to work through and are initially cool and civil towards one another, but you can just sense the powder keg of awareness and sexual chemistry simmering just below the surface. In past Rose books, the suspense and sometimes grisly nature of her storytelling has been in the forefront while the romance takes a back seat, but in Silent Scream, Rose definitely ratcheted up the romance quotient for David and Olivia...and I liked it!

David Hunter may well be Mr. Perfect. I’m pretty sure I developed a severe crush on the hunky firefighter while reading Silent Scream. He’s thoughtful and caring, can cook, risks his life to help people and seriously I just wanted him to rub my neck and stroke my hair. I melted a little inside everytime he did that to Olivia...you lucky, lucky girl!

Arson, murder, mayhem and a master puppeteer, blackmailing villain who pulls all the strings to get others to do his bidding have David and Olivia working overtime and racing to discover his identity before the body count can climb any higher.

I love a great romantic suspense novel and Rose out does herself with Silent Scream. The storytelling is superb. Everything follows in a logical, satisfying order towards a climatic end. I love it when I don’t question the villain’s motives or am shaking my head at some action carried out by the H/H. The story made sense and was all tied up with a nice big bow. There was one point when I actually gasped out loud and cursed Ms. Rose...WTF??? at the fate she delivered to one of the main supporting characters. I guess if you can illicit such reactions from your readers, then you know you’ve told an amazing story.

Silent Scream delivers 570 pages of pure reading enjoyment.

Overview
When a teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Making her work even harder is sexy firefighter David Hunter. He's not only sharing the case but sparking memories of their long-ago night of passion, when feelings were left unspoken and hearts were broken. David has his own ghosts, and a million regrets. But while he and Olivia try to face the wall of pain between them, a diabolical puppet master is pulling strings to make a group of twentysomethings do his bidding. Soon Olivia and David are scouring the city for a calculating criminal who seems tantalizingly close—and is moving in for the kill.

Secrets and Lies But No Videotape

Shhhh! Can you keep a secret? Well there's lot of secrets, lies, politicians and blackmail pictures but no videotape in Our Little Secret by Starr Ambrose.






The Not So Secret Weekly Results
♥♥♥ 1/2
Pages read 356
Riding Time 3hours 17 minutes
Calories Burned 1,360
Distance Peddled 68.47 miles




For My Thoughts

Starr Ambrose's debut novel Lie to Me was one of my favorite reads in 2008. It was funny and well written, had great characters and was an easy, quick read so when I saw Our Little Secret was available, I was really looking forward to reading it for this week's Read-n-Ride challenge.

Welcome to the live styles of the rich and famous in D.C. where mistaken identities, blackmail, corruption, foreign dignitaries and politicians are the order of the day. Mmmmm sounds just like every other regular day in Washington. The only thing missing was Chris Matthews from MSNBC's Hardball.

Identical twin sisters Lauren and Meg Sutherland couldn't be more different. Where Lauren is the responsible, reliable, practical twin, engaged to an equally boring man, Meg is promiscuous, lives life on the wild side and is now newly married to her boss and a man twice her age US congressman Harlan Creighton. And it turns out instead of enjoying wedded bliss and a honeymoon get-away, the newlyweds are in fact M.I.A. and on the run.

With her sister missing, Lauren Sutherland hightails it to Washington D.C. where the first person she encounters is Drew Creighton, ski instructor and son of the missing congressman. Drew immediately mistakes Lauren for her twin sister and thinks she's a gold-digging hussy interested only in his father's wealth and power. The sparks immediately fly between Drew and Lauren with a close call involving a hair pulling incident and a well-placed kick to the shin (I'll let you figure out who did what).

Since Lauren was an engaged woman at the start of the book, I was interested to see how Ambrose would develop the relationship between Drew and Lauren. Turns out Jeff the fiancé was a bit of a dud and I could see why Lauren would dump his ass in favor of the gorgeous, irresistible ski bum...or someone she thinks is a ski bum. You know what happens when you ass-u-me and both are guilty of jumping to the wrong conclusions about each other.

As Drew and Lauren put their amateur detective skills to work, they are actually a good team once they get past their initial misunderstandings (ohh and Lauren dumps the BF), then the hot and steamy action really heats up between them. But they've got a job to do as they dodge bullets, an attempted kidnapping (Drew's not the only one who mistakes Lauren for her twin sister), and car chases while trying to figure out the good guys from the bad.

At this point the suspense plot involving the political blackmail plot, doctored pictures, secret service agents and foreign nationals was a bit long winded and tedious and I was ready for it to be over. To Lauren's credit she was surprisingly strong and smart and really held it together at the end when she was faced with some uncomfortable circumstances.

Our Little Secrets had it's moments with funny clever writing, some madcap adventure and great chemistry between Drew and Lauren. Although I enjoyed the story, it wasn't in the same league for me as Lie to Me and as is sometimes the case, I think it suffers from the sophomore jinx.


Back Cover Blurb

Lauren Sutherland tries to set a good example for her twin sister, from her practical job to her dependable, if boring, fiancé. So when impulsive Meg elopes with her boss, a U.S. senator twice her age, Lauren hops on a plane to talk her into an annulment...but comes face-to-face with the senator's handsome son, Drew, instead.

Demanding to know what she's done with his father, Drew is as infuriating as he is annoyingly irresistible. But he's not the only one who mistakes Lauren's identity. A relentless foe is on a deadly hunt for the missing newlyweds -- unless Lauren and Drew can find them first.

Venturing into the elite Washington social scene, they discover an elaborate web of explicit photos and blackmail, but the biggest surprise is the fiery attraction they can barely control. The clock is ticking, and while the sparks between Lauren and Drew burn hot, the trail of clues is growing cold....

You Can Fool Some of The People Some of The Time....

You'll get the significance of this week's graphic in a minute. Sometime I wish I had a big wind behind me to help me blow through my workouts!




Blown Away by my Results?
♥♥♥
Pages read 368
Riding Time 3hours 29 minutes
Calories Burned 1,385
Distance Peddled 68.85 miles






For My Thoughts

Blown Away is the 1st book in a new trilogy by Sharon Sala. I haven't previously read any books by Ms. Sala, but this book looked like it had an interesting premise so I decided to take a chance on a new (to me) author (like I don't have enough books in the TBR pile O-o).

The next time you think you're having a bad day and your life sucks, I'm pretty sure the heroine of Blown Away Carolyn North has you beat by a country mile.

While on a walk near her home, Carolyn stumbles across Lance Morgan, ex-boyfriend and owner of the neighboring farm burying a body wrapped in a carpet in woods. This actually is the highlight in what is to become the worst day possible in the life of Carolyn North and in fact probably saved her life. As Carolyn flees (Lance has every intention of silencing her before she can expose his crimes), back at the North homestead a tornado has made landfall totally demolishing Carolyn's home, killing her parents and her visiting cousin Susan (who coincidentally looks enough like Carolyn that they could be twins) and gravely injuring Carolyn herself. I told you she was having a bad day.

And yet even after all these traumatic events, somehow Carolyn has the presence of mind to think that if she doesn't leave the area immediately that Lance will track her down and kill her for what she witnessed him doing in the woods. Good thing her cousin Susan's car was unscathed during the storm so Carolyn buckles up and beats a hasty retreat deciding to assume her dead cousin's identity until she can prove that Lance is a murderer.

Well you can fool some of the people some of the time, but when Carolyn passes out at a traffic light and is hospitalized and “Susan’s” contact information is her boss Mike Beaudreaux, once he arrives – she ain’t fooling nobody, especially Mike.

Mike Beaudreaux is a smart, savvy, sexy businessman, who once he learns the true nature of Carolyn’s story is most compassionate and agrees to carry out the charade as he invites her into his home to recover from her ordeal. Although the relationship between Mike and Carolyn was quick to develop considering they only knew each other for a couple of weeks, it was sweet and loving and Mike being a southern gentleman does treat her with the utmost respect. Considering what Carolyn endured, the romance isn’t too hot and heavy but it seems Mike was just what the Dr. prescribed for Carolyn's road to recovery.

While I did finish Blown Away I did have some issues with the logic/storyline that made me shake my head and roll my eyes a few times.

I admit to knowing next to nothing about tornadoes other than they are very scary and windy - but shouldn't there have been some tornado or wind warnings that day before Carolyn decided to go for an afternoon stroll in the woods? Can a tornado really form that quick that you have no inkling one is just minutes from striking?

Why not just go to the police immediately and report what she saw Lance doing in the woods? For some reason Carolyn thinks she needs to amass evidence against Lance or no one will believer her. For such a smart guy, why would Mike go along with her harebrained plan (with his help and resources of course)? Lance as the bad guy was kind of lame. He was more like a spoiled, selfish brat who got himself into a heap of trouble and then couldn’t deal with the consequences.

The set up for the next two books in the series sounds intriguing (a missing little boy and prison escapees from the tornado wrecked jail) and while I had some minor issues with Blown Away, I will in all likelihood read them as well.