Secrets of My Hollywood Life 6: There's No Place Like Home Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the first rules of writing is to write about what you know. The author has worked as a Hollywood journalist for years, interviewing the hottest teen idols in the business. What was so enjoyable about the series (okay, I only read #5 and #6) is that Calonita creates likeable protagonists, likeable antagonists, and likeable support characters. It is also a clean read, worthy of Disney Channel's ratings. Rather than giving a lot of fluff I can pick up in any gossip magazine, Calonita gives the reader an interesting story and peppers it with Hollywood Secrets, scripts from plays, commercials, or television series, and (most entertaining) media interpretations (read: gossip articles).
The sixth book is the culmination of the previous five where Kaitlyn Burke is a star that is highly sought, driven beyond exhaustion by her mother/manager and wonders how it would be to have a normal life. She has a great boyfriend, supportive best friends, a fantastic career, and Jimmy Choos shoes to die for. Heck, she has Jimmy Choos. My best shoes come from Nordstrom Rack. But she is not making any of her own decisions. Her personal assistant insists she go to college. Her mother pushes her to take on two major movies during her hiatus along with double booking her for whatever event gives her media exposure (like taking her driving test), her agent and publicist have another agenda while Kaitlyn doesn't know what SHE wants to do. So she follows the yellow brick road and gets in a car crash, wakes up, and she's normal. In fact, she has cooties.
The fresh take on this reverse Cinderella story is that Kaitlyn finds things in her new life that she loves, defines her priorities and then makes changes in her new life to help her friends and family members. She isn't Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life who ends back on the bridge having made no headway whatsoever. There is no fairy Godmother or Clarence or Glinda. It's Kaitlyn winning over friends and influencing people. Yes, she grows a backbone but I won't tell you how.
It's a fun, quirky, teen, chicklit read.

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After her brilliant run on Broadway and surviving the harsh concrete jungle of New York City, seventeen-year-old Hollywood "It Girl" Kaitlin Burke is back in L.A. starting a sitcom with her former-nemesis-now-BFF, Sky. The show is a huge success! In fact, maybe a little too huge, Kaitlin realizes, after a bad run-in with aggressive paparazzi puts her boyfriend Austinin danger. She wishes, once again, that she could have a normal life. But what Kaitlin doesn't realize is that her Hollywood life has had a positive influence on just about everyone she loves, and it takes a minor car accident and a nasty concussion to truly grasp how lucky she is. In Jen Calonita's sixth and final Secrets of My Hollywood Life novel, Kaitlin learns at last about the price of fame, the unending upside of friendship, and that there really is no place like home-even if it's Tinseltown.

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The Squad: Perfect Cover Review

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(More customer reviews)THE SQUAD: PERFECT COVER
JENNIFER LYNN BARNESRating: 5 Enchantments
Toby Klein is your typical unpopular high school sophomore, with a talent for computer hacking. When she suddenly finds herself invited to a meeting of the varsity cheerleading squad, she's sure it's some sort of practical joke, but her younger brother Noah couldn't pull something like this off. And when she gets a note written in invisible ink, Toby can't help thinking there's something more going on - after all, she's not exactly the cheerleader type, right?
THE SQUAD: PERFECT COVER pulled me into the story from the first page. From the coded first few notes to the one written in invisible ink, it's obvious there's more to the cheerleaders than meets the eye. Beneath the school is a high-tech area called The Quad which belongs solely to The Squad. There, the ten members receive their instructions via audio file - an event makes Toby want to say `good morning, Charlie' more than once.
After a somewhat frightening stage-six makeover that includes a trek to Victoria's Secret as part of her first mission, Toby is almost unrecognizable to herself not to mention half the school. But when her new makeover is more of a hit than expected, she's given the task of using one of the hottest guys in school in order to plant a bug in his father's office.
I loved the unique world Ms. Barnes created for THE SQUAD. From a secret lair beneath the school to bulletproof push-up bras and a holographic cheerleading squad, this group of underage government operatives has everything imaginable and then some. Toby's a very likable character, who goes from being an unpopular hacker to an undercover member of THE SQUAD. Faced with the fact she's now not only an undercover agent, but a gasp, an actual cheerleader as well, Toby has to learn to deal with her newfound popularity, the attention of hottie Jack and the fact that certain members of the team aren't exactly her number one fans.
I read through this book in one night and am very excited I have book two on my desk waiting for me to read. THE SQUAD promises to be a great series! I look forward to reading more from Ms. Barnes.
Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
April 2008

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Bayport High's Varsity cheer squad is made up of the hottest of the hot. But this A-list is dangerous in more ways than one. The Squad is actually a cover for the most highly trained group of underage government operatives the United States has ever assembled. They have the perfect cover, because, beyond herkeys and highlights, no one expects anything from a cheerleader.

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Wolf at the Door (The Others, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)Quinn is a werewolf that has traveled from his home in Ireland to the United States to meet with the Council, the governing body of the Others. The Others are non-human races; vampires, werewolves, witches etc. Before the important meeting takes place, the tantalizing scent of honeysuckle has Quinn distracted and searching for its source. He can't fight his desire for the sweet scent and he abruptly leaves to find it.
Cassidy, a werefox, is taking a break from the meeting when she hears growling. She turns to find Quinn hiding in the shadows staring at her. Cassidy runs and Quinn chases, each shifting in to their Other forms. She manages to get away but she ends up coming face to face with Quinn again soon after, when she is brought unwillingly to the Council's emergency meeting.
The mistress of a very powerful vampire has been kidnapped and the group thought to have taken her, The Light of Truth, could expose the Others to the humans now. The Council decides that, because Cassidy is an anthropologist, her extensive knowledge of human culture will be useful in finding more information about The Light Of Truth. She will be working closely along side Quinn as well. Right away Quinn and Cassidy's relationship becomes intimate.

It's a race against time for Cassidy and Quinn to find the ones responsible for the kidnapping and to stop their evil plans before the Others are exposed and Cassidy's loved ones are harmed as well.
Wolf At The Door is jam-packed with mystery, thrills and it's full of fascinating characters. Quinn is incredibly sexy and Cassidy is strong and intelligent. Their passion is scorching! This story draws you in with a familiar time and setting and then it's blended with an edge of the supernatural. Christine Warren does paranormal stories so well, and Wolf At The Door is no exception. This new series is proving to be a very entertaining and exciting one!Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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Sullivan Quinn didn't travel 3,000 miles from his native Ireland and his wolf pack just to chase rabidly after the most delectable quarry he's ever seen. Quinn is in America on a mission--to warn his Other brethren of a shadowy group willing to use murder and mayhem to bring them down. But one whiff of this Foxwoman's delicious honeysuckle fragrance and he knows that she is more than a colleague or a conquest'she is his mate.Anthropologist Cassidy Poe is a world-renowned authority on social interaction, but the overpowering desire she feels around Quinn defies every ounce of her expertise. Working by his side to uncover The Others' enemies poses risks she never expected--to her own safety, to those she loves, and to her heart, as every encounter with Quinn proves more blissfully erotic than the last'Now, with no one to trust but each other, Quinn and Cassidy face a foe that's edging closer every day, threatening to destroy the life they've always known, and the passion they've just discovered'

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The Orphan Of Ellis Island (Time Travel Adventures) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a fifth grade teacher and our class reads this book during a unit on immigration. I've used it for two years and the students love it. Students who usually dislike reading moan with disapproval when I say "put away your books until tomorrow." It is exciting and is a great way to integrate instruction. Students who read about this time-traveling orphan express appreciation for their own families who are often taken for granted. Donna King, teacher on Long Island, NY

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The Undead Next Door (Love at Stake, Book 4) Review

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(More customer reviews)Sweet Heather Westfield has an adorable daughter, an overbearing ex-husband, a feisty nanny, and too many dreams that were never fulfilled. The talented designer/seamstress stayed in her small Texas town to appease her mother and became a school teacher instead of pursuing her ambition to be a fashion designer. When one of the world's top names in couture opens a boutique nearby, she is drawn to the life she gave up, and to the man who has designed fashions for some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
World-weary Jean-Luc Escharpe has seen it all since he was transformed into a vampire centuries ago. A skilled swordsman, he fought as a lieutenant-colonel in the vampire army, and in later decades, pursued his skills a businessman and designer. His career has kept him in the public eye a little too long, however, causing many to wonder how the designer who clad Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant still looks so young and handsome. What he needs is some time away and a place to hide out. But on the eve of his self-imposed isolation, he meets a beautiful woman who has been burned by love. Heather awakens long-dead feelings in Jean-Luc and makes him start to wonder if he could have another chance at love after all.
But with a crazed killer bent on revenge tracking Jean-Luc's every move, being around him is not exactly the safest place in the world. Then there's the whole undead element thrown into the mix. Jean-Luc is certain a relationship with Heather would never work out because she could never accept him as he is. But Heather has some surprises up her homemade sleeves: she's declared a war on fear, and this Texas sweetie vows not to let anyone stand in the way of what she wants. And she wants Jean-Luc.
The Undead Next Door, Kerrelyn Sparks' fourth book in the Love At Stake series, is a thrilling, fast-paced detour through the beautiful Texas Hill Country with two wounded but strong souls. As usual, the story resonates with Sparks' trademark humor, wit, and warmth. There's something here for every reader as the author deftly combines history, humor, deep emotion, and paranormal elements for a deeply satisfying love story.


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Three signs that something is very different with your mew man:

1. He sleeps all day . . . which would be annoying except he's so attentive at night.

2. He's attacked by sword-wielding assailants, yet insists he can handle it on his own.

3. He never seems to age.

Heather Westfield has always lived a quiet life, but that all changes when she helps a very handsome, very mysterious stranger. There's something not quite right about Jean-Luc, but still, she's never been with a man so charming, so attractive . . . so wonderful. Now if only a murderous villain wasn't after them, they might get their happily-ever-after.

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A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ms. Cole's latest effort is "wildly" delicious and entertaining. She has taken the paranormal genre and created her very own legends and lore...filled with ultra entertaining characters.
Emmaline is half vampire and half Valkyrie. She is known in her coven as Emma the timid. Her family is shocked when she decides she wants to travel to Paris alone to find out the truth about her father. While there she is attacked by a handsome, yummy, strong, yummy, scary...oh yes yummy man who scares the stuffing out of her. She is even more shocked to find out that in order to return to Louisiana she will have to help Lachlain MacRieve the leader of a Lykae Clan return to his home in Scotland. She'll do it believing she will be allowed to return home. She has no idea Lachlain is her forever mate and he has no plans on ever letting her get away.
Lachlain has spent the last hundred and fifty years being tortured by the vampire Demestriu. He is slowly going mad and then...he scents his mate. He has been waiting an eternity to find her and he is not going to let her get away now. He is shocked and somewhat disgusted when he finds out his long awaited mate is half vampire. But despite this he can't keep himself from feeling things for the wee little Emma. She fires his blood and he will do what he must to keep her...even if it means to lie to her. Anything to get her home to Scotland where he will be able to keep her safe and protected when he goes to get revenge against Demestriu. But, life doesn't always go according to plan and wooing Emma is just one of those things. Will he be able to keep her safe and with him or will the vampire horde take away the one thing he needs to live?
Lachlain and Emma are wonderfully constructed characters. These two are both strong likeable characters. Their conflict is entertaining as is their way of dealing with what they face. Emma is sassy and quick witted...Lachlain is patient and yummy. This is a great new series and I truly can't wait for the next installment. Ms. Cole has made her mark on the paranormal genre and is an author you need to add to your must read list!


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Acclaimed author Kresley Cole introduces a sizzling new series with this tale of a fierce werewolf and a bewitching vampire -- unlikely soul mates whose passion will test the boundaries of life and death. A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her . . . After enduring years of torture from the vampire horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him. A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy . . . Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents -- until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae -- and their notorious dark desires -- ebbs as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings. An all-consuming desire . . . Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be? Includes an excerpt from Kresley Cole's next romance novel, No Rest for the Wicked.

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The Sixes: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Here are six reasons why I found The Sixes less than satisfying (minor spoilers):
1. The Implausible Set Up. I'm happy to suspend disbelief, but this book stretches even my credulity. I highly doubt any respectable college would hire someone accused on plagiarism. And even in fiction, reasonably intelligent people call the police when their home is repeatedly broken into and their safety threatened.
2. The Shallow Characterisation. None of the characters ring true; they're all one-dimensional. The author meticulously describes what everyone is wearing, but never digs beneath the facade. Phoebe is bland and far too trusting for someone who supposedly used to dig up dirt for a living. Best friend Glenda is a driven career woman, so focused on her job she fails to notice that her marriage is disintegrating. Love interest Duncan is stereotypically handsome and brooding with a mysterious past.
3. The Dull Villains. The girls in the Sixes are more mild than mean. They don't pose a credible threat and, in the end, aren't even involved in the murder.
4. The Total Lack of Suspense. This thriller is lacking in genuine thrills. For example, the Sixes break into Pheobe's house leaving apples and later teaspoons. Sorry, but I just don't find fruit and flatware frightening.
5. The Bad Sex Scenes They weren't necessary to the plot. They also weren't romantic, sensual or erotic.
6. The Bland Storyline. The mystery failed to engage me and the solution was rather trite and predictable. Ultimately this book was like a made-for-cable movie: nothing special, but not bad enough to make you change the channel.


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From the New York Times bestselling author of Hush and the Bailey Weggins mystery series comes a thriller set in a college town where a student's death sends one woman on a search for the truth and into the clutches of a frightening secret society.

Phoebe Hall's Manhattan life has suddenly begun to unravel. Right after her long-term boyfriend breaks off their relationship, she's falsely accused of plagiarizing her latest bestselling celebrity biography. Looking for a quiet place to put her life back together, Phoebe jumps at the offer to teach in a sleepy Pennsylvania town at a small private college run by her former boarding school roommate and close friend, Glenda Johns.

But behind the campus's quiet cafÉs and leafy maple trees lie evil happenings. The body of a female student washes up on the banks of a nearby river, and disturbing revelations begin to surface: accusations from coeds about abuses wrought by a secret society of girls on campus known as The Sixes.. To help Glenda, Phoebe embarks on a search for clues-a quest that soon raises painful memories of her own boarding school days years ago.

As the investigation heats up, Phoebe unexpectedly finds herself falling for the school's handsome psychology professor, Duncan Shaw. But when nasty pranks turn into deadly threats, Phoebe realizes she's in the middle of a real-life nightmare, not knowing whom she can trust and if she will even survive.

Plunging deeper into danger with every step, Phoebe knows she's close to unmasking a killer. But with truth comes a terrifying revelation: your darkest secrets can still be uncovered . . . and starting over may be a crime punishable by death.

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Frost Moon (Skindancer, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Frost Moon" grabs you by the neck and throws you head first into the rip-tide life of Dakota Frost, magical tattoo artist and skindancer. This dark urban fantasy by Anthony Francis challenges you from the start to keep up or drown, tangled in the hidden roots you can feel lurking just under the surface.
Dakota is part of the Edgeworld--an alternate-world subculture that is populated by weres, vampires, witches, magicians, and the occasional agent of a secret government law enforcement agency--set in Atlanta, Georgia. As a magical tattooist, Dakota inks powerful designs into her own skin and that of her clients. Whether for protection or control, these magical tattoos can take on a life of their own.
In "Frost Moon", Dakota is recruited by law enforcement to consult on evidence from a serial killer who is murdering Edgeworlders for the very same kind of tattoos that Dakota creates. And there are only days left until the next murder is expected to occur. The story launches from there. Much of the plot is invested in Dakota's process of tracking down people to consult on new magical tattoo designs and the dangers she encounters along the way. And oh, what trouble she gets into with the numerous supporting characters that are tossed into the mix, seemingly at random.
The biggest criticism I have for this book is that time is unbelievably condensed, with too much happening in too short of a time frame. At times, the plot feels excessively full with too much going on while still being delivered in a rather brusque tone. Francis struggles with the balance between too much information/action and not enough, a hazard of creating his own world for this series, though he manages to pull most of it together at the end.
Overall, a good read. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Dakota Frost in the next book of Francis's Skindancer series.
Note: This review is of the "Early Reviewers" edition of this book via LibraryThing. (*** 1/2 )

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In an alternate Atlanta where magic is practiced openly, where witches sip coffee at local cafes, shapeshifters party at urban clubs, vampires rule the southern night like gangsters, and mysterious creatures command dark caverns beneath the city, Dakota Frost's talents are coveted by all.She's the best magical tattooist in the southeast, a Skindancer, able to bring her amazing tats to life. When a serial killer begins stalking Atlanta's tattooed elite, the police and theFeds seek Dakota's help.Can she find the killer on the dark fringe of the city's Edgeworld?Among its powerful outcasts and tortured loners, what kind ofenemies and allies will she attract?Will they see her as an invader, as a seducer, as an unexpected champion ... or as delicious prey?FROST MOON is Book One of the SKINDANCER fantasy series by debut author Anthony Francis. Filled with unforgettable characters, spine-tingling action, kinky rebellion and edgy love, FROST MOON is classic storytelling at its best, and Dakota Frost is an irresistible new star of fantasy fiction.Anthony Francis is a computer scientist who works at the 'Search Engine That Starts With A G'. By day he studies human and other minds to design intelligent machines and emotional robots; by night he writes fiction and draws comic books. He received his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Georgia Tech.He lives in San Jose with his wife and cats but his heart will always belong in Atlanta.

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