Everyone Needs a Guardian Angel(ino)

I don’t know if Roxanne St. Clarie plans on writing any more books in her Bullet Catcher series (maybe they’re just on temporary hiatus), but her new series featuring the men/women of the Rossi/Angelino families are sure to entice, excite and get your heart pounding if Edge of Sight is any indication.

So au revoir Bullet Catchers and hello…Bring on the Guardian Angelinos.

Making the Grade: A

For My Thoughts


It’s like a murder mystery dinner theatre gone bad at the upscale Boston restaurant Paupiette the night part-time waitress and future Harvard Law student Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder for real. This game of Clue gone wrong…it was the assassin…in the wine cellar…with a gun… has a decidedly bad ending for Sam. Now she’s become the #1 target on more than one person’s hit list after it’s discovered that her image - smile you’re on Candid Camera - was caught on the security camera which the killer thoughtfully removed before leaving the scene of the crime.

Tired of being alone, afraid and holed up in her apartment, Sam decides to call in reinforcements and contacts her good friend and reporter Vivi Angelino for help. Showing up under the cover of night at Vivi’s apartment, Sam gets more than she bargained for when she has a run in with a blast from her past in the form of Vivi’s twin brother and the stuff wet dreams are made of...Zaccaria Angelino. Doesn’t that name conjure up a hot, spicy Italian dish? Yummy...I’ll take an Angelino to go!

Sam and Zach share a steamy past. Three non-stop hot, off the charts weeks of sex before Zach shipped out for active duty to Iraq (for the 411 on how this relationship began, check out the prequel, Taken to the Edge here). It’s been three years and in all that time, Sam has never heard from the Zach, not even a measly postcard. It’s very obvious that what transpired between these two in the past is far, far from over.

Zach’s never forgotten the time he shared with his Sammi but he’s not the same guy she knew. He’s not only changed mentally, but physically. A close call with a mortar shell, almost cost him his life and did cost him an eye and left him with a disfiguring scar on his face. Dude’s even sporting a black eye patch a la Captain Jack Sparrow. The last thing Zach wants is to take on the job of Sam’s bodyguard, but deep down he knows there’s no one else he can trust with her protection and safety. And Sam’s going to need Zach on her side since the bad guys will stop at nothing including using friends and family to get at Samantha. Being around each other 24/7 and keeping their hands (and mouths) off each other is going to test even the strongest of wills.

St. Claire writes the Rossi/Angelino family members as real, likable (well except maybe JP) characters that we come to know and care about and have a vested interest in their well-being while giving us just enough information to wet our appetite for future books in the series. She has a lot of characters to draw from as the Rossi family consists of 5 siblings (Gabe, Marc, JP, Nicki and Chessie) and then of course the 2 honorary members of the family, adopted cousins - twins Zach and Vivi Angelino.

With twists and turns Edge of Sight is an emotional roller coaster ride from start to finish. Chills galore, taunt, gut wrenching action and a compelling story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned.

What a fantastic beginning to what is sure to be a great new series from Roxanne St. Claire starring the men and woman of The Guardian Angelinos. Next up is Marc Rossi’s story in Shiver of Fear due out next year.

Read an excerpt of Edge of Sight

Back Cover Blurb

When Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works, the Harvard-bound law student becomes the next target of a professional assassin. Desperate for protection the authorities won't provide, Sam seeks help from Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter who recruits her brother, Zach, to protect Samantha. A Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he's equally fearless and flawed, Zach takes the job, despite the fact that he and Sam once shared a lusty interlude that ended when he left for war and disappeared from her life. Now, as they crack a conspiracy that leads to the city's darkest corners, Sam and Zach must face their fears, desires, and doubts, before a hired killer gets a second shot...

Happy Halloween Mini Goal Mildstone: Great Treat - With No Tricks

Happy Halloween

I've been really good over the last eight months about making mini goals for myself in my weight loss journey and to date I have achieved some remarkable results with a lot of hard work.  I've found that having a small goal to work towards and something that is attainable has really kept me focused on making small changes and not stress over the big picture.

Last Friday I ran 6 miles...all at one time...in 1 hours 11 minutes. That is really incredible for me. I was determined to try it since I had been running 5 miles at least once a week for the last few weeks and I thought it was time to up the ante. And I did it! Considering where I was 8 months ago...I've come a long way baby!

So I set a mini goal for myself for October 31 - Halloween Day - a day celebrated by eating unlimited, mass amounts of candy.  Seemed like a good day to set a goal. 

I wanted to reach 90 lbs lost...and I did it!

Workout Wednesday: Ice Cold: Suspense That Will Chill You to The Bone

Pages read 97 of 336 pages
Riding Time 1 hours 4 minutes
Calories Burned 242
Distance Peddled 13.42

Disclaimer: Yes I had a read-n-ride fail this week. I had good intentions, but once I started this book...I just had to keep on reading!

Making the Grade: A

For My Thoughts


I do love me some Tess Gerritsen. She’s an auto buy author for me (even if they are in hardcover first). Her books always evoke a wide range of emotions. Her stories are always memorable, compelling and highly suspenseful. Sometimes the descriptions can be graphic since Gerritsen pulls no punches but you just have to keep turning the pages, no matter how cringe worthy the descriptions.

Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles are back in Gerritsen’s latest novel. Jane and Maura are great friends with a mutual respect for one another and have forged a strong friendship. In Ice Cold one woman battles for her life against evil forces and the elements, while the other races against the clock to save a friend.

If you’ve never read any books in this series, I wouldn’t suggest you start with this one. If you do want to give it a try, there is some back story provided but so much history exists in this series that you would be doing yourself a disservice by not starting with the amazing and unforgettable first book in the series The Surgeon. If you’ve been a follower all along, then buckle in for another great ride. Ice Cold was a chilling, roller-coaster ride that was worth the wait.

Medical examiner Maura Isles is kind of at a crossroads in her life and is in the midst of making a difficult, life changing decision in her personal relationship with Father Daniel Brophy (yes the Catholic kind of Father). So when she heads off to a medical conference in Montana, the time away allows for some personal reflection and a spur of the moment decision to accompany an old classmate she reconnects with at the conference, his daughter and another couple on a little sight-seeing side trip - will result in one of the worst decisions Maura ever makes.

A freak snowstorm and car trouble strands the group in their SUV in the middle of nowhere with no help in sight.  Cold, wet and forced to rely on each other for their survival, the group is forced to trek through the wilderness and fight the elements as they seek shelter in an abandoned settlement they happen upon called Kingdom Come (cue the spooky music). Gerritsen uses the elements in Ice Cold  to the fullest extent as this group struggles to stay alive.

It doesn’t take long to establish that something seriously bad happened among the deserted homes. The evil presence is palpable and Gerritsen is a master at making you feel like you are a part of the story and experience the emotions right along with the characters. There was lots of heart pounding tension and teeth gnashing as I flew through the pages.

Once homicide detective Jane Rizzoli finds out her good friend Maura is missing, she along with her FBI hubby Gabe and Father Daniel trek off to the wilds of Montana to search for Maura, leaving no stone unturned. Jane’s not about to let the local yokels give up on looking for Maura - no matter what the evidence points to.

The suspense is riveting, the story chilling and if you can figure out what was going on before the end, then kudos to you. If you plan to start this book then 1. Don’t start it at night - cuz it’s spooky and 2. You better block off a chunk of time because you won’t want to put it down until the last page is read.


From the Author's Website

In Wyoming for a medical conference, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles joins a group of friends on a spur-of-the-moment ski trip. But when their SUV stalls on a snow-choked mountain road, they’re stranded with no help in sight.
As night falls, the group seeks refuge from the blizzard in the remote village of Kingdom Come, where twelve eerily identical houses stand dark and abandoned. Something terrible has happened in Kingdom Come: Meals sit untouched on tables, cars are still parked in garages. The town’s previous residents seem to have vanished into thin air, but footprints in the snow betray the presence of someone who still lurks in the cold darkness—someone who is watching Maura and her friends.
Days later, Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli receives the grim news that Maura’s charred body has been found in a mountain ravine. Shocked and grieving, Jane is determined to learn what happened to her friend. The investigation plunges Jane into the twisted history of Kingdom Come, where a gruesome discovery lies buried beneath the snow. As horrifying revelations come to light, Jane closes in on an enemy both powerful and merciless—and the chilling truth about Maura’s fate.

Workout Wednesday: Personal Protection

See this smoking hawt cover? Yowza!! Definitely NOT the book to be reading at the gym and yet I keep on reading and peddling faster.

Pages read 239 pages
Riding Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Calories Burned 1019
Distance Peddled 47.12
(numbers are estimated-too busy to keep track!)

Making the Grade: B+

For My Thoughts

So my love affair with new-to-me authors continues with Personal Protection (Hauberk Protection) by Leah Braemel - yet another eBook for the read-n-ride challenge. I’d never even heard of Ms. Braemel before I discovered and started following her on Twitter. D’oh…she’s a fellow Canadian - why haven’t I read any of her books before?

So Itouch in hand, ebook loaded I had noooooo idea what to expect when I started Personal Protection…and I got waaaaay more than I expected. Erotica? BDSM? Who knew? And I’m reading it at the gym! I’m sure the hot flash and sweaty, flushed cheeks were not totally as a result of my workout.

Sam Watson may be the head honcho at his own upscale personal protection and security company Hauberk Security, but sometimes even the boss needs protection. When Sam starts receiving obscene pictures of himself doctored with his head blown off and then his highly secure apartment is broken into and trashed, his close friends and associates know it’s time to bring in the hired guns for his own protection. Question is: who’s he gonna call...Ghostbusters ( I couldn‘t resist)?  No silly! He’s got the best operatives right on his own payroll and there is no one better than Rosalinda “Rosie” Ramos.

Rosie is one of the best operatives working for Hauberk and she takes her job and responsibilities very seriously even if she is constantly being tested to prove her worth despite her small statue. So Rosie’s got mixed feelings when she’s tasked with being the lead operative on Sam’s protection detail because its such a huge honor and she doesn‘t want to risk her job or career. It's going to be a tough gig though considering she’s been jonsing for her hot, hunky employer for months and keeping those feelings under wraps and being around Sam 24/7 is going to push her to the limit.

What Rosie doesn’t realize is that her feelings are not all one-sided. Sam’s got a constant raging hard-on for the spicy, hot Latina whenever he even thinks about her. Let me just state that there was a lot of fantasizing going on about what these two wanted to do to each other *fans self*. Somehow they both manage to maintain (not for long) the Boss/Employee relationship(and not without a lot of cold showers) as they work to discover who’s out to eliminate Sam from the human race.

As these two grow closer Sam’s got serious issues with Rosie risking her life to protect him. He wants to be the boss; the protector; the dominant in their relationship. Which brings us to the other part of Sam’s life that he’s been keeping from Rosie and is hesitant to reveal. He’s actively involved in the Dom/s lifestyle and one of the founding members of a very exclusive club. Crackling Rosie’s education into this lifestyle was again *fans self* so smoking’ hawt!

Let us not forget during all this hawtness that someone wants Sam dead.

I must give kudos to Ms. Braemel for the ending of Personal Protection. The suspect everyone was on high alert for? I NEVER saw it coming. If you can figure out who the bad guy is….well you are much better at solving puzzles than me. I thought it was an excellent twist even though I am sure I was asking myself WTF just happened as I was reading. GOOD on you Ms. Braemel.

Even though this is book #2 in the series (and Sam probably made an appearance in book #1), I had no trouble starting with Personal Protection.

Disclaimer: Sam and Rosie weren’t the only ones in need of a cold shower during the reading of this eBook.

From the Author's Website

Read an Excerpt


She can cover him with one hand tied behind her back. Maybe two.

Sam Watson excels at keeping other people safe. Now a stalker is targeting him, but so what? A few doctored photos and a couple threatening phone calls are no big deal. He can watch his own back. Then again, the view from behind the sexy spitfire assigned to protect him isn’t so bad…

Rosalinda Ramos has managed to keep her attraction to Hauberk Security’s owner tightly under wraps. It’s just as well he doesn’t know. One slip—in the bedroom or on the job—will cost her her heart and her career, so she’s got only one thing on her mind. Protect Sam, whether he wants it or not.

The stakes—and the heat—rise exponentially when she discovers Sam belongs to an exclusive sex club—one she must investigate for potential suspects. Suddenly she finds herself immersed in a world that pushes her boundaries.

Sam delights in leading Rosie deep into his sexual shadows—until they go one game too far. Making him wonder if he can allow the woman he loves to take a bullet for him.

The Sunday *Sigh*: My 33 Second Rule

Hey Brain! Yup it's me again with another installment of the Sunday *Sigh*.

When you workout at the gym, whether it's the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or weight machines, proper gym protocol dictates that as a courtesy to the other members you clean the machines when you are finished your workout. Because really do you want to be working out in someone else's sweat?

So the workout's complete, it's time to clean the machine. I amble over to the paper towel dispenser and I'm waiting and waiting and waiting for the person in front of me to get the heck out of my way...why is she taking so long...move it sista don't you know I've got miles to peddle and weights to lift?

Finally with my paper towel all spritzed up I waltz back to my elliptical, Itouch blaring tunes in my ears. One arm swiped and wiped on the elliptical and I'm working on the second, when I spy the man two machines over giving me the side eye and trying not to smirk. Mmmmmm what's up with him?

Light bulb moment! I'm cleaning the wrong machine! I was on the machine beside gym guy and he's trying not to laugh at me cleaning the wrong elliptical.

Shoulders squared, head held high I put the imaginary gun to my head and pull the trigger as I slink over to my machine and begin the wipe down process again as if I'd intended to clean the wrong machine all along.

I've just proven to myself once again that after 33 seconds...I can't remember anything.

Workout Wednesday: Last to Die

I Did Not Die While Riding Results

Pages read 432 pages

Riding Time 4 hours 1 minutes

Calories Burned 1489

Distance Peddled 76.24

**Rider's Disclaimer: It's getting harder and harder to finish a book within one week and yes this one took longer.**

Making the Grade: B-

For My Thoughts



Let me begin by saying that Kate Brady's debut novel in 2009 One Scream Away was one of my favorite books of the year. I fell in love with the book's hero Neil Sheridan, so when I found out that Brady’s next book Last To Die would feature his brother Mitch I certainly had high hopes.

Ms. Brady wastes no time getting right to the action in Last To Die with the murder of an ex-hooker and the prime suspect in her brutal murder Russell Sanders, a bigwig at the prestigious J.M.S. Foundation has now turned up missing as well. Coincidence? I thing not. Let the games begin.

Police Detective Dani Cole lands the murder investigation and she’s got a lot to prove and a lot on her plate. She‘s recently buried her dirty cop father, she's being watched by Internal Affairs like a bug under a microscope…cuz you know the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and now she has to deal with a blast from the past in the form of Mitch Sheridan - her teenage love. On a side note she’s got a really cool nickname…Nails…as in hard as nails…and she comes by her moniker honestly. This girl don’t take no S@#t from no one.

Mitch Sheridan world renown, award winning photojournalist and the force behind the J.M.S. Foundation, never intended to return to Lancaster Maryland, but when he receives word his mentor and good friend has gone missing and is being investigated for the murder of a dead prostitute, Mitch knows it’s time to bite the bullet and return home to face the music…and her name is Dani Cole.

It’s been 18 years since Dani and Mitch’s young lover's hearts were torn apart and these two definitely still have a lot of unresolved feelings for one other. Truthfully for me 18 years seemed a tad long to be carrying a torch for someone, but maybe that’s just because I can’t remember what I did last week?

Last To Die is a suspenseful thriller that has it all. Ms. Brady weaves in lots of layers as the investigation takes many twists and turns before the killer is finally revealed. Dani shines as the lead investigator and Mitch makes sure he’s got her back as they team up to solve the case. Although the romance between Dani and Mitch takes a back seat to the investigation, the two do manage to reconnect along the way and discover that what they say about your first love is true - no matter the time, the miles travelled or the circumstances - you never forget your first true love.

I thought Last To Die had an interesting, fast-paced plot and certainly kept me turning the pages, but it did't grab me the way the story and characters in One Scream Away did. A solid sophomore effort.

Read an Excerpt

Back Cover Blurb

A ruthless killer hides in plain sight, someone no one believes is capable of murder. Within a week, six women will be murdered, all punished for their dark pasts. Detective Dani Cole is determined to track down this serial killer whose victims include a young woman she pulled out of a life of crime. Her investigation leads her to a photography foundation and the renowned photographer Mitch Sheridan, a man she she fell in love with years ago but has tried to forget. Dani and Mitch are instantly attracted to each other again, though their troubled pasts keep them from getting too close. Together, through the course of the investigation, they unearth a dark chain of deception that leads to a killer who is closer than they think.

Review: Simply Too Irresistible To Put Down

Simply Irresistible

Grand Central

September 26, 2010

Read an Excert

Maddie Moore’s whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother–a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won’t be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career–if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes–and mouth–are making it hard for her to remember that she’s sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie’s struggles to overcome the past, though she’s about to discover that there’s no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.


Making the Grade: A-

For My Thoughts



Jill Shalvis 1st book in her Lucky Harbor series Simply Irresistible was truly irresistible.

There’s lots to love about Simply Irresistible and Jill Shalvis knows how to deliver a witty, cast of loveable characters in her newest novel about the folks of Lucky Harbor -population 2,100 lucky people and 10,100 shellfish.

First of all how can you not love Maddie Moore a girl after my own heart with her love of potato chips whether she‘s eating them or wearing the tell-tail crumbs on her shirt. The poor girl is at a crossroads in her life, recently finding herself jobless, she takes to the highway and heads to Lucky Harbor where she hopes to convince her two half-sisters, Tara and Chloe into renovating and running the ramshackle Inn left to them by their slightly eccentric mother Phoebe Traeger.

Maddie’s barely within the city limits when she almost wipes Jax Cullen aka Hot Biker Guy and his motorcycle off the face of the earth. The smiles and giggles started early - it only took until page 6 when I had my first LOL moment. Here's a sample.

What she needed now was an exit plan. So she put her phone to her ear, pretending it was vibrating. “Hello,” she said to no one. “Yes I’ll be right there. “ She smiled, like look at me, so busy I really have to go and turning away, she lifted a hand in a wave, still talking into the phone to avoid an awkward good-bye, except---
Her phone rang. And not the pretend kind. Risking a peek at Hot Biker Guy over her shoulder, she found him brows up, looking amused.

Ohhhhhhh Maddie you are so BUSTED!

Another enduring quality I loved about Simply Irresistible was how Ms. Shalvis started every chapter with some words of wisdom from Mamma Phoebe Traeger. These little quips set the tone for what’s to come in each chapter. Here are just a few note-worthy gems outta the mouth of mom:

“Don’t take life too seriously. After all, none of us are getting out alive anyway.”
“Just when you thing you’ve hit rock bottom, someone will hand you a shovel.”
“Experience is something you get…after you need it.”

Lucky Harbor is your typical small town cliché…where everybody knows your name and is all up in your biz-nass. What's not so small town are the quaint names of several establishments including the Eat Me Café and the Love Shack Bar. Loves it!

Finally how can you not smile at the love story between Maddie and Jax. There’s lots of trademark witty, sexually-laced Shalvis repartee between this duo. Here’s just a tease for you. Jax notices Maddie’s preoccupation with being eaten…by the big bad wolf…or whoever…and calls her on it.

He sent her a mischievous glance. “What is it with you and things eating you?”

A nervous laugh burst from her, and he let loose with a smile that was just wicked enough to boost her pulse and scare her at the same time. “Tell you what,” he said silkily. “If I ever get the chance to eat you, I promise you’ll like it.”

Whoa! Promises, promises….*fans self*

Simply Irresistible is a fun, fast-paced read and since this is the first book in the series, we can expect more hi-jinx from Maddie “The Mouse”, Tara “The Steel Magnolia Southern Bell” and Chloe “The Wild Child”.

In the market for a few laughs? Then Simply Irresistible is the one you’ve been waiting for…so don’t wait! Go! Read it! Now!