Never Knowing

Is ignorance really bliss???

Sara Gallagher is headstrong and passionate. Once an idea enters her head it’s difficult for her to let it go, so when she decides to find her birth parents she attacks the task with her usual gusto. Sara’s birth mother is less than enthusiastic about meeting her, in fact when Sara shows up on her doorstep wanting answers she seems rattled. Unsatisfied with her birth mother’s reaction and unwillingness to talk Sara continues to dig and what she finds out is horrifying. Sara’s father is a serial killer/rapist and her mother is his one victim who got away. As if this news wasn’t devastating enough, Sara’s “father” was never captured. He soon learns of Sara’s existence and wants a reunion.

Through a series of sessions with her therapist, Nadine, we follow Sara as she tries to figure out how to keep herself safe and decide if she was better off never knowing the truth.

Never Knowing was a great read, but I found myself a bit conflicted because I did not like Sara very much. I understood her desire to know more about where she came from especially when she always felt like she wasn’t truly a part of her adoptive family. Simply put, Sara was like a pitbull. She wouldn’t listen to reason, she insisted upon throwing herself head first into dangerous situations and she was extremely defensive when challenged. Despite wanting to strangle Sara, most of the time, I really enjoyed this book. I could not wait to see how the story would unfold and I was not disappointed.

This is definitely a must read!!!

The First Husband

Annie Adams is finally living a somewhat stable life. She is living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Nick and their dog Mila. She writes for a travel column Checking Out and Nick is an up and coming film director. Everything is just as it should be… until Annie watches Roman Holiday. Annie has an interesting history with her favorite movie, every time she watches it something bad happens the first time she saw it her parents got divorced and since then any time she dares to watch it something terrible happens and this time is no exception. As soon as the credits roll Nick comes home and tells Annie that his therapist thinks he needs a break from their five year relationship.

After a few days of mourning her relationship and at the advice of her best friend Jordan, Annie decides to be “the opposite of herself” and she goes out. While out Annie meets a charming Chef named Griffin and this begins their whirlwind romance. Griffin is everything Nick is not.

Fast forward three months Annie and Griffin are married and living in a small Massachusetts town. Shortly after the move and a series of events Annie begins to question everything her marriage, career, and life in general.

The First Husband is not only a romance, but also a story about finding yourself and discovering the true meaning of home.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

So this book was featured as a Free Nook Friday book. I very much enjoyed it! It was a great adventure to follow although in some spots I wondered how realistic it was. There is just something about scavenger hunts that just get my blood pumping and adrenalin flowing! I have never traveled anywhere without a plan A, B, and C, so perhaps I've learned through this what living in the moment is all about. 

Keith was by far my favorite character. He is hilarious with his sarcasm. I'm glad Ginny made some long term friends on this trip and that she wasn't harmed. This definitely had the potential to go wrong at so many turns.

This book makes me want to take a similar jaunt across Europe. I think it would make a great movie and I'm looking forward to reading the next one!

How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire

I came across this book because it was featured as a Free Nook Friday book.


I LOVED this book. It was a bit predictable in places but the characters were extremely likable. The character development was very good and not very much was left to the imagination. While it really doesn't use profanity, there are 2.5 really steamy (and thoroughly detailed) sex scenes. Some components parallel the Twilight series. I like that the story switched from different character's point of view through out. The author pulled that off well. When authors do that, sometimes it makes a story disjointed and hard to follow, but she changed vantage points always at the right time would you find yourself thinking "i wonder what such in such feels about this".

The title is a bit misleading. I don't think the title in any way reflects what the book is about. Also, male lead's constant use of the phrase "God's blood" was so annoying! I get it was suppose to lead credence to his archaicness but it was overkill by the middle of the story.

It seems as if this will be a series. I will definitely catch the next one and I might try another one of her books as well to get more of a feel for her writing style.

Little Earthquakes

Finished reading this story on my flight to Honolulu from Atlanta. Took me a little longer than my usual time to read this one. It was a bit thick.


This is a great story of friendship! It is written in first person of one character then in 3rd person from the other three.


The added bonus of the pregnancy of each character will tug at your motherhood heart string or biological clock. I loved each character. They were very realistic and easy to identify with because they all came from so many different walks of life. 


It was not a predictable story in a lot of parts. My favorite character was Becky. I love the story of her and Andrew.  I don't see how she didn't see he was a mama's boy from much earlier on in their relationship.


I don't think their acceptance of Lia was realistic however. The way the story is set up with keeping the story of Lia a mystery until the middle definitely helps the reader feel more understanding of how she left California. 

2nds Challenge

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE series!! If I like an author, I always try to find another book of theirs to read to find out if I like them as a author, or did they just get lucky.

That being saying, the lovelies over at A Few More Pages are hosting a 2nds Challenge and it would only be a challenge if I signed up to participate for "A Full Plate". This coincides nicely with my own 50 Books in 2011 Challenge and commits 24% of my books to be by an author I've read before.

I'll update my progress as I go through the Challenge and hopefully I can remember to put reviews and not just list the books.

1. Undead and Unemployed
2. Bling
3. Would I lie to you?: A Novel
4. Real Vampires Live Large
5. Spells
6. Charmed & Ready
7. The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Perilous Journey
8. Such a Pretty Fat
9. The Last Little Blue Envelope
10. Seeing Me Naked
11. Living Dead In Dallas
12. Something Blue
13. A Nicholas Sparks book (open to suggestions)

1st in a Series Challenge 2011

I LOVE SERIES!!

If they started a cult for those people who love to read series, I'm afraid my kool-aid cup would have to be a 40 ounce. To me, its the best way to keep a reading "to do" list especially if the story line is creative and intriguing.  

Well 2011 is sure to guarantee I get to delve into the lives of a cast of characters repetitively because A Few More Pages is throwing down the gauntlet to get book readers engaged in reading series.

I am a self-proclaimed Series Fanatic, so it is only fitting for me to rise to the challenge to earn my title by reading at least 20 books that are the 1st in a series. Between this challenge and the 2nds Challenge, I've already accounted for more than half of the books needed to complete my 50 Books in 2011 Challenge.

How amazing would it be for me to go from failing one challange in 2010, to successfully completing THREE in 2011. I'm so STOKED!

I'll chronicle my progress and feel free to give me some suggestions because I can't think of 20 Series all by myself!!

1. Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. Wings
3. Undead and Unwed
4. Nappily Ever After
5. Real Vampires Have Curves
6. Bitter is the New Black
7. The Ivy
8. Sloppy First
9. The Alchemyst
10. 13 Little Blue Envelopes
11. Marked
12. 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover
13. Pandora Gets Jealous
14. Dead Until Dark
15. The Clique
16. I Am Number Four
17. The Hunger Games