Penny Watson's Blog, page 56

ARC Review of Something To Prove by Cathryn Parry

Review of Something To Prove by Cathryn Parry

As most of you know, I am not a huge lover of Harlequins. (I like to call them Harlies...☺). I find many of them too shallow, too formulaic, and too generic. I guess the Superromance series are longer, and because of that the author has more time for character and relationship development. Which is a good thing. Harlequin still loves the hard-to-believe totally convoluted plotlines, love-at-first sight premise, and  chiseled six-pack-abs kind of hero (I'm right on board with that last one!).

Anyhoo, Something To Prove has a difficult-to-swallow plotline. It involves secrets and betrayal and ambition, etc etc. It's a typical Harly sort of thing, which I just over-looked, because I really don't give a crap about plot. I give a crap about characters. Characters make the story. Plot schmott. And the characters in this book are excellent. Parry does an amazing job creating a ski legend hero running scared, but dedicated to his team, a journalist heroine who is loyal and loving with her sister, and has been crushed by a son-of-a-bitch father, and plenty of interesting secondary characters who are not just thrown into the book for no good reason, but actually help to paint a fuller portrait of the leads. Most importantly, in spite of the crazy storyline and instant love/lust-at first sight, the chemistry between the hero and heroine is totally believable. Parry does an excellent job with their chemistry, growing trust for each other, and eventually, love.

This is Parry's debut novel, and I am impressed with her writing. Something To Prove is a rock-solid debut, which showcases her writing skills, talent with character development, and ability to create an emotional and satisfying story. What is also showcases is her potential. As I was reading, I felt myself wishing that the author could slip out of the Harly restraints for a bit, and let herself go. Outside of the formula, outside of the box. This new author has a lot of potential, and I hope she gets a chance to let it shine.

Grade: B

(This is an ARC Review. Something To Prove will be released on January 3, 2012.)

All my best,
Penelope

Vacation Week: Reading, Writing & The Ultimate Easy Bake Oven

We have now entered.....the post-December 25th phase of the year. Which means....I'm done!

Any and all promotional events pertaining to the sales and dissemination of the Klaus Brothers Series have officially ceased.

Cause, let's face it....no one wants to read about Santa and the North Pole after Christmas is over. And that's fine with me. I'm freakin' exhausted.

I would just like to say.......

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!


.....to everyone who bought my book, read my book, discussed my book, sent me fan emails (hee hee! so cool!), wrote reviews about my book, left messages for me on Facebook, recommended my book to their friends, and all of you who have been supportive, wonderful and generally cool.

God bless winter vacation week! Lots of reading, relaxing, and wasting time cooking minuscule baked goods in the Ultimate Easy Bake Oven (Natty's favorite xmas gift!)

On the reading horizon....

✵ Just finished reading Cathryn Parry's debut Harly novel, Something To Prove . A solid debut, emotional story. Review coming soon.

✵ Started reading Snow Job , a holiday erotica by Delphine Dryden. I won this in a giveaway...looks cute!

✵ TBR this week.... The Heart Of A Hero by Barbara Wallace. It has a weenie dog in it! Yippee!

✵ Also on the TBR pile.... Where the Heart Leads by Stephanie Laurens. I actually read this a while ago, but I'm re-reading it and reviewing it for my new project, called The Penelope Project. I am reading books with heroines named Penelope. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Happy Day!
Penelope

ARC Review of Xavier's Loving Arms by KT Grant

Review of Xavier's Loving Arms by KT Grant


This story looked appealing to me for a couple of reasons....1.) a multi-cultural couple (I'm part of a multi-cultural couple) and 2.) Xavier has a goatee (I like goatees). Anyway, I really had no idea what this book was about when I started reading it. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure who the hero was supposed to be. We are introduced to Dev, who kept wavering back and forth between being a good guy and a douche. I wasn't sure if he was going to end up being the hero or not. Grant keeps the reader guessing, and does an excellent job making Dev a complex character, with both good and bad qualities.

I finally figured out that Xavier would be the hero, and what a great hero he is! A kind, thoughtful, sexy family man who is protective and loving of Rebecca, the heroine. I'm not usually a big fan of beta heroes, but Xavier is perfect for this story. Rebecca is incredibly vulnerable....she has a borderline abusive ex-boyfriend, a devastating eating disorder, financial woes, and a sick grandmother. She needed someone kind and supportive, not a caveman ready to drag her off to the mountains.

Even though this seems like a lot of problems for one poor heroine to deal with, they don't seem unbelievable in this story. There are plenty of people dealing w/ financial difficulties, emotional difficulties and self-esteem issues. The great part of this book is how Becca survives all these things, determined to do it on her own, but learning that love and friendship can ease her burden.

As a former eating disorder patient (I had anorexia when I was younger), I found Grant's portrayal of Becca especially heartening. Women suffering from eating disorders have control issues. They need to feel like they are not totally powerless about their lives. Dev (who is alpha-possessive) wants Becca to quit her jobs, let him pay off her mortgage and take care of her. On the flip side, Xavier helps her get a job interview for a better position. In spite of Xavier's overprotective streak, he understands that Becca needs to help herself, not be babied and coddled. That is a huge part of recovering from an eating disorder. This level of understanding made me really fall in love with Xavier.

This book packs it in. There are numerous secondary characters, story lines involving Becca's grandmother, jobs, ex-boyfriend, and home. And of course, there is a highly lusty relationship going on, as well. (This is an erotica after all). The sex part of the story was the weakest part...it didn't detract from the story, but it wasn't really necessary either. This book would have done just as well, if not better, as a romance instead of an erotica. The meat and potatoes of this story is the emotional journey for Becca. Xavier was sexy because of his caring, compassionate nature.

After experiencing this bumpy journey with Becca, the HEA was a wonderful ending to the story. She finally found hope for her future, a chance at recovery, and a man to share her life with. (I teared up a bit at the end....sap!)

To be honest, I was not expecting such an emotional and touching story. Most erotica that I've been reading lately has been about spanky elves. This book takes some very real and troubling issues, and handles them perfectly. The girl gets the guy and a happy ending. Every woman who has struggled with body issues or an eating disorder needs this message of hope.

Grade: A-/B+

(This is an ARC review; Xavier's Loving Arms will be available for purchase on Friday, December 30.)

Pleased As A Peacock,
Penny

Beard Of The Day

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.He had a broad face and a little round belly,that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE, Twas the Night Before Christmas

Random And Excellent

Scott Fiander has done it again! Made me laugh so hard my dog freaked out. He was inspired by several of my recent posts. The illustration above, titled "Penny In The ER" is a reference to my trip to the ER. The one below, "Christmas Spirit In A Candy Cane" was inspired by yesterday's post. How I love these! Merry Christmas to me. Thanks, Scott!


And in other excellent, random news, I made a Random Booklist for 2011....twice! Melissa, of Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf , listed Sweet Inspiration as Best Foodie Book and Most Embarrassing Book Cover....hee hee! Excellent! And totally random.

Also, Dead Trees and Silver Screens gave Sweet Magik an A+ review yesterday....She calls it "A perfect Christmas fantasy!" I am feeling tingly all over.

ETA: Another great 5-star review....from Got Erotic Romance..."Penny Watson has a charming style I just can't get enough of." Yippee-i-ay!

Last day of school, start of Christmas vacation, time to watch Santa Claus Is Coming To Town! Yee haw!

Happy, happy, random, excellent day!
Penelope

The True Meaning Of Christmas: Candy

I've spent the last several days shopping for the holiday. People are grumpy. They are driving like insane lunatics....um, let me modify that. They are driving even more insanely than they normally do in Boston. Which means they have a Starbucks cup in one hand, a cell phone in the other, are giving you the finger, texting, whipping the steering wheel over to cut you off, cussing you out, and generally behaving like a professional athlete. They are also driving a jumbo SUV larger than a submarine. Which is a necessity when you have 2 kids. Right?
Folks are fighting to the death for a parking space at the mall. They are hitting their children in public. They are yelling at the poor salespeople for no good reason.
So, yesterday, after another day of shopping--yippee! I'm done...I'm done!---I decided to go grocery shopping. This also involves risking life and limb for a parking spot, getting rammed by little old ladies in the store, and wanting to curl up and die in the produce section.
My main purpose for this mission was to find candy canes for the kids. I hang tins on their doorknobs on Christmas Eve, and "Santa" leaves them candy canes. They come downstairs on Christmas morning crunching candy canes with big smiles on their faces.
I found a large selection of gorgeous, hand-made candy canes. With weird flavors...apple pie, cherry, butterscotch. I've never seen a candy cane that wasn't peppermint-flavored. The store manager was standing next to the candy cane display, and I asked him if the candy really tasted like all that stuff. He said it was delicious. Then he disappeared.
As I strolled away, I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Here, Ma'am, try this." The manager had broken open a candy cane for me, and offered me a piece. We stood there in the middle of the store, as the crowd hustled around us, and munched on candy canes together. And they were delicious. 
I wished him a Merry Christmas. And he wished me a Merry Christmas.
☃☃☃☃
Penny

And This, My Good Friends, Is Why You Need A Sense Of Humor

This book is too sickly sweet.
This book is so sweet! It's filled with Christmas spirit.
I love Nicholas and Lucy.
I hate Nicholas and Lucy.
I love that Nicholas has a beard.
I hate that Nicholas has a beard.
This is very well-written.
This is book is terrible.
This book is charming.
This book is wacky.
I love the cover.
I hate the cover.

And my favorite...
I want to burn this book because Phantom Menace is clearly the worst Star Wars movie ever made.


All In A Day's Work, My Friends
Penelope

One Wacky Book, One Confused Look & A Cookie Right Hook

(Best Blog Post Title Ever!....What do you mean it's supposed to make sense?)

1. The Wacky Book.... Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone. This was one of the weirdest, wackiest, most confusing, bizarre, sexual, and surprisingly compelling books I have read. I have never been so confused at the beginning of the book. Who was the first man? Who was the second man? Who the hell was Michel? Who was the other woman? The evil woman? The evil man? The angel? Gabriel? Remember that scene in Moonstruck where the grandfather says "I'm so confused!" and he has tears in his eyes? That was me reading the beginning of this book.

Then we got to the internal dialogue. Which went on and on and on and on...for the entire book. Super melodramatic. Sentence fragments. For emphasis.

Extremely raw, blatantly sexual love scenes.

A horribly tortured hero, which reminded me of Zsadist in many ways. Raped, body and soul, almost beyond redemption. But the love and understanding of a remarkable woman brought him back from the edge. Gave him hope. Gave him a future. (Notice my sentence fragments...hee hee!).

The plot line (when I finally figured it out) became very suspenseful and engaging. Although the final climatic scene was totally over the top. Nevertheless, I kept going because Gabriel and Victoria were fascinating characters and I wanted to see what was going to happen to them. By the end, I couldn't put this book down.

It was often heart-breaking, very intense, and strangely satisfying. I almost DNFed it at the beginning because I had no freakin' clue what was going on. By the final page, I was a Robin Schone fan. I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but she got me.

Grade: A

2. The Confused Look.....

5 stars = A
4 stars = B
3 stars = C
2 stars = D
1 star = F

No matter how Goodreads wants to redefine the star system, them's the breaks. 2 stars is not a good book. It is almost failing. I don't know how Goodreads decided that 2 stars is "okay" but clearly someone was on crack when he made that decision. I'm never sure when I see a "2" rating at Goodreads if the person means a real 2 (bad) or a Goodreads 2 (okay). Those are two hugely different things in my opinion. The confusion continues.....

3. A Cookie Right Hook....

It was an epic battle of good vs. evil. Penny, in one corner, wearing her elf apron and wielding a cookie sheet like a shield. In the other corner, Lace Cookies. Penny had faced Lace Cookies in the past and won. Feeling cocky, she whipped up a batch when the unthinkable happened. The mother f*ckin' cookies stuck to the tin foil on the cookie sheet. Ravaged, crumbled beyond recognition, the cookies taunted her from the counter. (Her daughter Natalie hungrily snatched up the debris and announced "These taste delicious.") Penny conceded defeat. (Although half of the 2nd batch turned out okay). Nevertheless, in this battle, on this day, Lace Cookies kicked Penny's ass.

If you are feeling lucky, and would like to attempt these mother f*ckin' cookies, here is the recipe. Sam Wayland, author extraordinaire and cookie master, gave me the recipe. She is clearly more skilled in the culinary arts than I am.

AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I WILL AVENGE MYSELF! MOTHER F*CKIN' LACE COOKIES, BEWARE! WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, PENNY WILL JUMP OUT AND DESTROY YOUR CRISPY GOODNESS!

Here's the recipe.....

Sam's Lace Cookies
by Sam Wayland, author of Destiny Calls and With Grace

(do not attempt these if you have high blood pressure, anxiety disorder, or a tendency to whip things with a rolling pin).....

 Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
 1 tsp vanilla
1 c. oatmeal (quick oats)
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. rice crispies or other cold, crunchy cereal

Mix in order, stir well, drop by tsp on tin foil covered cookie sheets or Teflon cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until there is a dark ring around outer edge. (Penny's tip: Make sure cookies are very flat, and well-browned. If you remove them too early, they will stick to the mother f*ckin' cookie sheet and you will cuss like a sailor). COOL COMPLETELY before picking off tin foil. Then you sort of peel away the tin foil and the cookies are left behind.

Good luck!!!!!!!

Penny

P.S. Please stop by Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books today to check out a post I did about holiday inspiration and cocktails! :^)

December Joyathon At Romancing Rakes

Please stop by Romancing Rakes today to chat with me and win a copy of SWEET MAGIK.

Happy Monday!
Penny

Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life

I don't normally read "safety" lists, but this one really caught my attention. It had some new tips on it that I've never heard before, and they all made a lot of sense. Big thanks to "K" at the Refugee Goodreads group who posted this for us. If you are so inclined, copy and paste it for your friends in an email, etc.


WRITTEN BY A POLICE OFFICER...COULD SAVE A LIFE


1. Tip from a Tae Kwon Do expert: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do! And "Ms Congeniality" is correct: Go for eyes, nose, crotch, instep to disable your attacker if at all possible.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide: If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM! Toss it away from you.... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, because MOST random muggers are drug-related crimes and most interested in fast cash/pawn items, going for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy...The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit checking their phone or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE... If someone is in the car with a gun to your head, DO NOT DRIVE OFF - Repeat, DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Hit the right front side of the car. This will not not jam the driver's door in the crash, your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

A) Be aware: look around you, look into your car,
at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat...BEFORE opening the door. A good way to think about it is to pretend large, wild animals may be lurking in the dark (sometimes deer, moose or bear actually are in some states even in the city) and an unwanted attacker is no different! Get in the habit of "hunting them" with your scanning eyes before they hunt you.

B) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs, and you can always wait for the next elevator if a single male or anyone that might make you feel vulnerable is in the elevator that stops first. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT in office buildings when leaving work later!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ...RUN, preferably in a zig-zag pattern for the obvious reason!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door...'
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they had not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they heard a baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. This should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

10. Water scam!: If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors! Please pass this on to anyone you know or love!


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Be safe out there!


Please stop by Romancing Rakes  today for the December Joyathon. Kati and I are chatting, and she's giving away a copy of Sweet Magik.


Penelope