Lucianne Rivers Guest Post: The Debate Between Sweet and Sexy

November 4, 2011 in Interviews

Ladies, ladies, tell me if you’ve encountered this in your adventures with men. It was recently brought to my attention by a man I went on a date with, that he was absolutely not interested in “sweet” women, or women who liked to have “sweet” sex. He was looking for someone who loved sex, as he did, and wanted it more than twice a week. He expressed the belief that a woman shouldn’t be punished for her sexual appetite by having the man abandon her the next day, a la, wham, bam, thank you Ma’am, but instead be rewarded by loyalty and appreciation on the man’s part.

 

Ah, I thought, finally a man not looking for a “good girl”. He had me right up until I smelled his body odor and he told me he was looking for a lady who would take care of the details in his life, like paying his bills on time.

See I’m not “sweet”. I’ve tried to be, but it just doesn’t fit.

 

Unfortunately, the men I meet are usually looking for acquiescent women who would prefer to make love, then (ahem) F.C.U.K, if you what I mean. To them passivity is sexier than sexuality. A woman with a sex drive is not okay, at least not for more than one night. Since I’ve never understood the desire to lay on my back and make polite, tiny sounds while with a man in bed, and don’t ever want to, I can’t quite understand this mindset. I hate the view of women, and the views of some women, that perpetuate the image of the asexual female as being correct and proper. It’s so boooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.

Needless to say, my main characters have healthy, expressed sex drives. My favorite sister of the three heroines of HOLD ME, THRILL ME, ENTICE ME, is Margo. She’s a cop, a weightlifter, and firecracker in bed. And the man she falls in love with loves her for her sexiness.

When, oh, when will real life mirror fantasy? And use deodorant?

Author bio: Lucianne writes romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Cobblestone Press. Born and raised in Ireland, she currently lives in New Mexico with her young daughter.Formerly a stage and television actress, she now manages a non-profit and is NM State Champion in her weight class for Olympic style weightlifting. Long story. Recently she has taken up Crossfit, Jiu Jitsu and boxing.

Blurb:

ENTICE ME by Lucianne Rivers

Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order to settle the Caldwell estate.

Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s lived through it. Barely.

But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone. Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.

The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?

Title: Entice Me (Caldwell Sisters, #3)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Launch Date: October 2011
ISBN: 978-1-937044-32-9

Buy at:

My links:

Web: www.luciannerivers.com

Blog: www.viceandvalkyries.blogspot.com

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Wendy Wax Giveaway

November 3, 2011 in Contests On Other Blogs

Just starting this week, Ten Beach Road author Wendy Wax is offering a book a week for each of six weeks, all women’s fiction. This week is week one and the winner will receive a copy of Carly Phillips’ new bestseller SERENDIPITY. This Saturday morning week two starts and highlights Jill Shalvis’s latest.

In the following weeks, one reader a week will be randomly selected to receive a book.   Coming weeks will offer the latest novels from first novelist K.J. Steele, Carol Snow, Marie Skinner and Wendy.

To enter, readers just go to http://www.authorwendywax.com, click on Contest News: Enter Wendy’s Latest Giveaway Now, and enter their email address as directed and they are in the running.  Each Saturday begins a new giveaway and offers another chance to enter.

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Update on Pam’s Pup

November 3, 2011 in Animals

Sadly today the vet told Pam & her husband that Dakota has brain & liver cancer. Chemo is not a viable option as the cancer is fast & aggressive. Pam and her husband will be saying goodbye to their beautiful pup this week. She appreciates all the kindness everyone has shown her & thanks you all.

Dakota actually emailed me from bed yesterday afternoon

Sweet dreams little buddy.

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CdnMrs Reviews – The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy by Lucianne Rivers

November 3, 2011 in Reviews, Series Review

Cdn Mrs Reviews – The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy Lucianne Rivers

 

 

Title: Hold Me (Caldwell Sisters, #1)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: August 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐16‐9

Buy at:

Still reeling from her mother’s death, news anchor Jane Caldwell’s life is upended further when she learns the father she lost twenty years ago is still alive. Her mother’s will unleashes a manhunt—the Caldwell sisters must find their father, or their mother’s estate will not be settled, and their questions about his disappearance will remain unanswered.

Jane’s search leads her to Guatemala to investigate a man who claims to be her father and heir to the family fortune. Needing a translator, she enlists enigmatic Harrison DeNeuve, a sexy ex-patriot with a penchant for wearing dark sunglasses in public.

As Jane struggles to reunite with her would-be father, Harrison fights to suppress his desire for Jane. He has a secret—one he’s sequestered himself in a third-world jungle hideaway to keep safe—and falling for Jane puts more than his heart at risk.

Jane finds two men in Guatemala—a father and a lover—but can she trust either of them?

Title: Thrill Me (Caldwell Sisters, #2)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: September 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐22‐0

Buy at:

Santa Fe Police Detective Margo Caldwell needs a vacation, but the wild goose chase her mother’s death triggers isn’t quite what she had in mind. Margo and her sisters must locate their father, or the Caldwell estate will remain unsettled—and they’ll never know why their father didn’t return from the Gulf War.

Pursuing a lead, Margo heads to the Virgin Islands in search of Zach Caldwell. To navigate the waters of the Caribbean, she needs a boat and a captain. Too bad Captain Adrian Prince, with his mesmerizing muscles and wicked grin, may be gunrunner.

Adrian takes Margo on his delivery route to small islands near St. Thomas that hide more than wildlife, booze, and sexy boaters. On a remote, mangrove-ridden patch of sand, they find gun-toting Zach Caldwell. When their mission turns deadly, Margo must save Adrian’s life—and her own—even if she loses her heart in the process.

Title: Entice Me (Caldwell Sisters, #3)
Author: Lucianne Rivers
Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Release Dates: October 2011
ISBN: 978‐1‐937044‐32‐9

Buy at:

 Heartsick over the untimely death of her mother, Allison Caldwell is blindsided again by the secret revealed in her mom’s will. Her supposedly dead father is alive, and she and her two sisters must find him in order to settle the Caldwell estate.

Robert Rivera, private investigator and former Navy SEAL, alerts Allison to new intel identifying her father as a P.O.W. in Afghanistan. With her sisters out of the country pursuing leads, Allison insists on heading to the war-ravaged country to find him. Robert doesn’t want his naïve client to take the risk. He knows what danger lays in that godforsaken land…he’s lived through it. Barely.

But Allison is determined to go, and Robert can’t let her travel alone. Reluctantly appreciative, Allison quickly realizes how much she needs his guidance and protection, and how deeply she longs for his love. Robert struggles to understand her effect on his battle-weary heart.

The path to Allison’s father is blocked by terrorists, traps and treachery—all demons of Robert’s past. Can he survive a second round with the enemy and keep Allison out of harm’s way?

The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy begins at the reading of the sisters’ late mother’s will. Prior to her death, and unbeknownst to her daughters, Mrs. Caldwell received an anonymous tip that her husband and the girls’ father has not been dead for the last 20 years as everyone assumed, but is, in fact, alive. As a result she has changed her will to reflect this information. Each of her 3 daughters and the father are to inherit a quarter of Mrs. Caldwell’s estate except for the Five C Ranch, a five-star bed and breakfast/retreat centre, which will go to the daughter who successfully finds her father and brings him home.

What I liked:

  • Lucianne Rivers nails the complex relationship between sisters. As one of three sisters I definitely bought into the relationships, differences and struggles these sisters had as individuals and with each other. Each sister was an individual, with her own personality, strengths and weaknesses, but with underlying traits that clearly connected then to the Caldwell clan.
  •  Rivers isn’t afraid to poke fun at herself. The initial chapters of Hold Me gave me that feeling that I’d “seen this before”. By the time I’d identified the fact that the book was baring an uncanny resemblance to Romancing the Stone (What you’ve never seen this movie!?! Dude! Go watch it now! Here’s some info) Rivers had alluded to the movie in a tongue and cheek kind of way. This made me laugh and alleviated the annoyance I had that she was ripping off 80s movie gold.

What I wasn’t crazy about

I don’t want to be presumptuous, but shouldn’t I feel sympathy for a woman who has recently died after a long, hard battle with cancer? I mean, I did until her will was read. After the will was read I wondered if Mama Caldwell was maybe on some mood altering meds shortly before her death. We’re told this was a loving woman who single-handedly raised her 3 young daughter AND established a successful, “five-star” business and yet she pits her daughters against each other and sends them into the world looking for a man they haven’t seen in 20 odd years. Yes they find love and learn more about themselves as people but they ALL nearly get killed too.

So, in light of the will changes this (see picture) is who I’m left picturing as the mother and she is not sympathetic.

 

(Shout out to the Goonies lovers! What? This is relevant. There’s a Goonies reference in Hold Me.)

Overall, The Caldwell Sisters’ Trilogy is good. None of these novellas bring anything new to the literary table, and the plot is formulaic for each. On the other hand, each novella is approximately 80 pages in length. So, if you’re looking for a quick read during your morning transit commute, lunch break or while the boss is out of the office (that’s what I did!) these are a quick, fun read.

 

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Seleste reviews Heist Society by Ally Carter

November 2, 2011 in Young Adult Reviews

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; Reprint edition (May 17, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1423116615
  • ISBN-13: 978-1423116615
  • Ally Carter’s Website
Buy Heist Society at:
  • Amazon
  • Book Depository (Unavailable)

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s history–and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll sometimes see me talk about my love for Leverage and White Collar. Yes, I am a fan of criminals (particularly thieves) as heroes. It may be a sickness, I’m not sure. Either way, I don’t know why it took so long for me to finally get my hands on a copy of Heist Society since it’s right up my alley. Plus, I actually met the author at a convention. I really should have had this book when the hardcover came out in 2010, but I didn’t. I can assure you I’ll be snagging a copy of the sequel soon though. (Heist Society 2: Uncommon Criminals was released in hardcover in June.)

Where to start with this book? First, it did catch me off guard by relegating Kat’s “normal life” to only the first chapter. While I understand Katarina at boarding school (Colgan) wasn’t the point of the story, I would have liked to have seen more of that, more of her trying to get away from the life (by living a con itself). For me, that would have given her assertions throughout the book that she’d left the family business more weight. As it was, I felt like she was annoyed more than anything. However, then the story moved forward at a nice pace, setting up not only the stakes, the crew and the con, but giving a real sense of how family often means more than blood.

Favorite Line:

She just analyzed all the angles and came to the conclusion that Uncle Vinnie was exactly right, and she essentially had two options: Colgan now or jail later.

Colgan had cuter uniforms.

I really enjoyed the caper part of the story. One of my favorite things about this type of scenario is watching the team overcome all the obstacles in their way. How are they going to find the art? Now that they found it, how are they going to get it back? This was both my favorite part of the book and one of my frustrations. I really enjoyed the interplay between the characters, but a lot of it felt convenient. For instance, there is a scene where they go to meet this old man that Kat had met when she was little. But it was presented in this fashion of Kat dreaming about a red door (the door to his shop), and that’s how she knew to go there. It was all well and good, but the way the dream was presented, it felt like the reader should know what the red door signified. And then, only later, do we realize that isn’t the case. Things like that happened a few times in the narrative and it irritated me a little.

That might have been because it was in third person. Much of YA is written in first and more or less requires that you know everything the narrator knows when they know it. Third allows more distance, but it also allows for more characters to have their moment in the sun. Which, when you’re dealing with a team situation like this, I really like. But, rather than changing point-of-view characters at scene breaks and the like, this didn’t. I don’t read much that’s in third person omniscient, and I’m going to guess that’s what this was, but it felt like head-hopping, and that I definitely didn’t like.

On the plus side, I liked the interaction between the majority of the characters. In particular the back-and-forth love-hate between cousins Kat and Gabrielle felt really authentic. The romantic subplot was there (as it is in most YA), but it was subtle and not overdone. It’s definitely something that can be carried through the series without feeling rushed.

Scoring this is wonky because the story, characterizations and fun lean toward a 4.5-5, but sadly the point-of-view hopping took away from the story for me.

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