Can't Wait Wednesday #10: No Saints in Kansas by Amy Brashear

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  My pick this week is a kind of YA retelling of a classic adult novel.  Now, I've never read the classic novel by Truman Capote that this is supposed to mirror, but it is something I've been intrigued by.  Plus, it takes place in Kansas, the state I work in, right next to the state I live in.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads.com:

A gripping reimagining of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and the brutal murders that inspired it

November is usually quiet in Holcomb, Kansas, but in 1959, the town is shattered by the quadruple murder of the Clutter family. Suspicion falls on Nancy Clutter’s boyfriend, Bobby Rupp, the last one to see them alive.

New Yorker Carly Fleming, new to the small Midwestern town, is an outsider. She tutored Nancy, and (in private, at least) they were close. Carly and Bobby were the only ones who saw that Nancy was always performing, and that she was cracking under the pressure of being Holcomb’s golden girl. The secret connected Carly and Bobby. Now that Bobby is an outsider, too, they’re bound closer than ever.

Determined to clear Bobby’s name, Carly dives into the murder investigation and ends up in trouble with the local authorities. But that’s nothing compared to the wrath she faces from Holcomb once the real perpetrators are caught. When her father is appointed to defend the killers of the Clutter family, the entire town labels the Flemings as traitors. Now Carly must fight for what she knows is right.  

What do you think?  Have you read In Cold Blood?  Does this sound like your kind of story? What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Seven New Adult Free/Cheap E-book Mini-Reviews

So, I haven't done much of this kind of thing, other than with novellas or series.  But recently, I've started downloading free or very cheap New Adult/Romance ebooks.  And they are pretty quick to read, for me.  There isn't that much to the story that they require you to make sure you read every word. And really, I'm kind of just reading it for the romance (sexy parts), so that makes it a little quicker to get through as well.  I also downloaded the Kindle app to my laptop, so sometimes I can sneak in a little reading when I have an extra minute or two at work.  :-)  I also am going to consider this a little bit of research to help me with the story that has been percolating in my brain. The one that I intend to work on when I take a little writing retreat at the end of June.  Anyway, here goes with all the reviews!

Back to You:  A Hudson Family Series - Book 1 - Synclair and Reece by Chontelle Brison

So, this was a very fun, quick read.  The beginning started out in a similar way to how the first book in the After series ended, but the story went a much different way, and the characters were totally different.  I loved the characters though, I liked the way the story went, and I kinda want a Hudson boy of my very own now.  Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
Synclair Patrick is having a crap week. A drug dealer burned down her bar and her apartment above it, a gigolo tried to rob her and to top it all off, she gets panicked text messages from her barmaid, begging for her to save her. So ending up in Carson City, Nevada- in the hands of the man that broke her heart fifteen years ago is enough to make this Vegas chick start swinging.

Reece Hudson has his hands full. With a successful Veterinarian practice, an ex-wife that won’t go away, three brothers who always seem to be into something and a baby sister who still believes in fairytales, Reese is shocked when the woman he loved fifteen years ago falls into his arms, Literally! He never got over Synclair and now that he has her in his arms, he’s not letting go. But Synclair wants nothing to do with him. He knows Synclair feels the chemistry between them. It will take every dirty Hudson trick in the book, a little blackmail and his whole family getting involved, but Hudsons never give up on one of their own and Synclair is a Hudson, she just doesn’t know it yet.

Baby Mine!:  A Hudson Family Series - Book 2 - Lucas and Sara by Chontelle Brison

I actually finished this one a little later.  While the first one was free, this one cost, not much, but enough that I signed up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited for a month so that I could read it for free. I loved all the Hudson brothers being back, as well as Synclair.  I have to say that knowing what Lucas did to Sara, man I wanted to smack him!  And then later, when Reece kind of did the same thing to Synclair, well the not believing/trusting bit, I wanted to smack him too!  But you gotta love the brothers, spying on the girls when they were mad at them, and then going to beat up the guy that had hurt their baby sister.  I hate that I'm going to have to wait till July for the third book now!  Here's the synopsis of this from Goodreads:
Lucas Hudson is kicking himself. After watching his brother Reece get a second chance with Synclair, now Lucas is looking for his own happy ending with Sara Wilmington. Three years ago Lucas's best friend Travis convinced him that Sara had willingly had sex with him. Even after it had come to light that Sara was drugged and assaulted by Travis, Lucas couldn't get past what happened. To make matters worse, Sara found out she was pregnant not long after. Now, after three years, Lucas is tired of living without the woman he loves. Deciding to no longer stand on the sidelines of his life, he makes a full court press for her. Sara has every right to be mad, when she needed him to accept the child that came out of that terrible night, he couldn't do it. Lucas may not deserve a second chance, but he's determined to get one. With the help of the Hudson clan and his new sister in law Synclair, Lucas plans to rope himself the angry, gun shy beauty, even if he has to hog tie her!

Sara Wilmington gave up on Lucas Hudson years ago. At least, she thought she had. Now that she was partnering with his brother's fiance in a restaurant, it seems Lucas is everywhere. Sara refuses to give Lucas the time of day; she has a son to raise, a business to run and the last thing she needs is the arrogant, Lucas Hudson trying to weaken her resolve with his stolen kisses. Sara knows that Lucas is relentless when he's going after something, now it looks like he has her in his sights. Her brain has no problem shutting him out, after all, he hurt her terribly, if only her heart and body would pay attention. 

 Becoming Us (London Lovers #1) by Amy Daws 

This was another free ebooks that sounded really good. And honestly, at first I didn't understand the "London Lovers" part of the title.  But after reading the sneak peek at book two, I definitely do.  And since it was payday, I went ahead and spent the high price of $3.99 to get book two, because there is quite a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one.  I loved the story, the whole being friends with someone and them not really wanting more for some reason.  And as someone who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, all the talk about this city, as well as other places in both Missouri and Kansas, was so cool for me!  Now the little bit of a cliffhanger at the end did, once again, remind me of something that happened in the After series, in the last book I think.  Anyway, here is the synopsis for this one from Goodreads:
The dreaded friend-zone... The last place I ever want to be with college basketball God, Jake LaShae. I am losing my mind trying to figure out what this gorgeous and confident man wants from me. I need to break through his walls. What is it about me that makes him not go there? What am I lacking? When a mind-blowing betrayal knocks the wind out of me, and I think I can't feel any lower...Brody stumbles into my path-barefoot no less, and sexy as hell. His direct and mouth-watering swagger is a breath of fresh air. The feelings this man gives me are like nothing I've ever experienced. But Brody has a past. A past that makes it nearly impossible for him to trust me and let us become us in whatever capacity that may be. Just when Brody and I truly connect, just when I think that finding my soul-mate in college isn't a total joke, Jake comes back into my life...and messes things up...possibly for good.

A Broken Us (London Lovers #2) by Amy Daws:

This is the sequel to the book above.  It is one that I gave up and purchased for the $3.99 that it cost because the way the first one ended I had to know what would happen next.  Actually, I feel like I ended up  liking this one a little more than I liked the first one! It still had a little story plot part that reminded me of the After series again, but I was still okay with that.  I like that we get a happy ending for the characters, and I like that we get a look at the characters who book 3 will be about.  Now while I'm eager to read about those characters, it won't be as immediate of a need to read it as it was with this one.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads for this one:
The moment those words come out of the doctor’s mouth, I feel sick.
So sick.
The life I have dreamed of…obliterated.
And Brody.
God, Brody.
How will he look at me?
How can he accept me?
He'll know what I hid from him.
He'll know everything.
It’s over. It’s completely over. I can't tell him "I love Us" anymore.
Even though I do.
Even though it will kill me.
I can't tell him anything. Everything is ruined. Pummeled. Broken.
I have to leave him. I have to give up us.
I know he'll come after me.
I just have to do something to make him not want to.

 Inside Her - Book One by Lucia Jordan:

This was a ridiculously short, 45 page novella, and it ended so abruptly.  The sex was definitely steamy, but I don't know if I'll go back for more of the series.  I could buy the whole series for like $2.99, just don't know that I will.  Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:
Cleo Cantrell leads an unassuming life as the owner of indie-bookstore Happily Ever After, but on the side, she writes best-selling romance novels under the pen name Dominique Darling. When A-list actor-director Tony Markson contacts Cleo about turning one of her novels into a movie, she initially rejects his offer. Tony’s gorgeous and hot as hell, but Cleo’s pretty sure he uses his looks to make up for a lack in IQ, and she’s been burned by pretty boys before.
Tony truly is a great actor, though, and he’s been trying to act around his looks his entire career. When he and Cleo finally meet, his sensitivity, intellect, and uncanny insights into the characters in Cleo’s book quickly overcome her defenses. But there’s still one thing: no one but Cleo’s agent—not even her parents or best friend—knows that Cleo is Dominique Darling.
Can their shared passion in Cleo’s novel turn into something more? And what sort of feelings will Tony elicit when he decides to act out a scene from Cleo’s novel?

Lick - Stage Dive #1 by Kylie Scott:

Now this was a pretty good read.  At first I was ready to not like the main love interest, David, as he seemed to be a jerk when Evelyn woke up and didn't remember what had happened the night before. He should have realized just how drunk she was!  Anyway.  He soon made up for it, and let me tell you the sex scenes were HOT!  I grew to love the story, and even teared up at the end.  I fell in love with David, and even though one of the covers made him totally  not attractive to me, the one that I feature here is a good one of him.  I'm kind of wanting my own rock star again!  I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series, especially book two about Mal, who I really liked him.  But while this one was free or cheap, the next one is $4.99, so I will wait for an Amazon gift card probably.  Here is the blurb for this from Goodreads:
Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas's plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride.

What I Really Learned In College - With Honors Series Book 1 by Addison Winters:

I thought this might be fun.  I'm a bit of a cougar myself, even though unlike the main character I don't have kids and have never been married.  The story wasn't horrible, and the sex scenes were good for the most part, BUT, and this is a big but for me.  The main character, Alex, was taking a bunch of psychology classes, and one of them had to do with sexuality.  And so she tried out these things on the younger guy, Mason, that were just too weird for me.  Like making it so that he didn't ejaculate?  And weird prostate stuff too.  Sorry, some people might enjoy that, just didn't do anything for me, and made it a creepy kind of read really.  It was a free ebook, so that's good.  I'll let you read the synopsis from Goodreads and see if you're interested:
Alex Rose is a 32-year-old divorced mother of two, looking for a better life for her and her sons. In search of answers, she returns to college to finally get that degree she’s always dreamed of. What she finds is something she wasn’t even looking for.

Mason Brooks is every girl’s dream: 21 years old, tall, with dirty blond hair that curls when it’s wet, sea-blue eyes, and dimples. Hot, sexy…and deliciously naïve and innocent.

Enter a tantalizing world where an average soccer mom utilizes her newfound knowledge of psychology to make life just a little more interesting. Follow along as Alex educates Mason on the art of seducing and pleasing a woman. Take notes as she introduces him to a whole new level of intensity and sexual pleasure. Study the sensual art of tantric sex as Alex creates her own style of silk and lace female dominance.
This little tryst will never survive past college–but Alex is determined to enjoy it the fullest while it lasts.

Those are the free/cheap ebooks that I've read in pretty much the past week.  Like I said, these are quick to get through, and are really putting me ahead on my Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Have you downloaded free or cheap ebooks before?  Did they turn out to be good, like most of the ones I described above?  Or did they turn out to be more like the last one here, and you could see why they were free?

Review: No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die 0.5) by Danielle Paige

When I saw this was available as an e-novella, I had to purchase it right away.  I bought it before I got ahold of the ARC of Dorothy Must Die, but just didn't get around to it until after I read it.  It was nice to read this because it did kind of answer some questions I had as I read Dorothy Must Die.  If you go back to my review that I liked to above, you can see what my questions were.

As it says, this is a prequel.  In No Place Like Oz we join Dorothy about 6 months I believe after she returned from Oz.  But when she gets back, she finds that she really, really misses Oz.  In fact, you kind of see a connection in the way she feels about Kansas compared to the way Amy Gumm felt about it in the first book.  It is just about time for Dorothy's birthday, and at the party she begins to feel like she misses Oz even more.  Her Uncle Henry and Auntie Em are having some issues with raising money with the farm these days, and so the cake doesn't turn out so great.  And when her best friend shows up, she sees that her tales of Oz may have lost her to other, more well-to-do girls in the town.  Dorothy gets upset at one of her gifts and runs to shut herself in her room.  Under her bed is a gift from Glinda!  Some bright red shoes.  When she puts them on, she makes a wish, and she is back in Oz.  Only, not alone.  Her aunt and uncle end up there as well.  And they are not happy to be there.  They want to get back to take care of the farm.  But they land right by the old house, and there is a message from Glinda that she is in trouble.  So Dorothy sets off on a journey to find and help Glinda.  While many years have passed in Oz compared to the short time that passed in Kansas, she is still able to find all her friends, as well as meet the Princess Ozma, and begin looking for Glinda.  But she gets a taste of magic, and loving the life she lives as a hero there, and gets really irritated about her aunt and uncle who just keep harping about going back.

It's a different Dorothy than we know from The Wizard of Oz, but that's okay.  A trip like she had would change anyone.  Another great read, that while it gives you an idea of what is to come, it doesn't tell us every detail leading up to Dorothy Must Die, and that is just done perfectly.  Read it before or after, you won't be disappointed either way.

Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I was lucky enough to get to read an ARC of this that was sent to the Barnes and Noble where I work part time by HarperCollins.  I was extremely excited to read it because I had been hearing so much about it on other blogs, as well as from Epic Reads, and then the fact that I am supposed to be moderating a discussion panel with the author in May.  Unfortunately, I will not to get to keep the copy of the ARC, because I have to pass it along to the other librarian who will be helping me moderate the panel.  Guess I'll just have to buy an actual copy of it.  Not sure where that money is coming from at the moment, but I've got a month before the author will be visiting.  Anyway, on with my review!

If you haven't heard about this, as the title might give you a clue, Dorothy is now a bad guy.  She's come back to Oz and seems to have gone to the dark side.  She wants all the magic for herself, she's taken over Emerald City as a princess, and has enlisted her friends, the Tin-man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion as her advisers/security.  But as with other story re-tellings, we learn that some of the story may not be quite as it seemed.  Glinda the "good" witch has also become a bad guy, as one of Dorothy's friends.  The Tin Man is a bit different than pictured as he now has sharpened weapons as part of his tin suit.  The Scarecrow is a bit evil with his experiments that his brain wants him to do, many to only help himself.  And the Lion is pretty evil as well.  He takes the fear of others to increase his "courage".  The main character of this book however is not Dorothy.  It is Amy Gumm.  Amy also comes from Kansas, but has had a much different upbringing than Dorothy.  She lives in a trailer park with her mother.  Her mother who has emotional problems, as well as drug problems.  The kids at school are horribly mean to her, and when the popular girl, who is also pregnant, punches her at school, Amy gets kicked out.  So Amy walks home, seeing the skies get dark and stormy.  After a fight with her mother, who is leaving for a "tornado" party, the tornado does hit the trailer park, as you would expect from the old adage.  And Amy soon lands in Oz.  A much different looking Oz than she'd seen in the movie.  You see, Dorothy is mining all the magic from the land so that she can hoard it at the Emerald Palace for herself.  And taking the magic has made huge holes in the land, as well as turning it brown and gray, and dead looking.  She is met upon arrival by a very handsome boy with intriguing green eyes.  But he is very mysterious, and while he gives her the directions to follow the yellow brick road, he then disappears.  Amy sees an abandoned Munchkin village along the road, but all the Munchkins are out helping Glinda mine the magic.  One Munchkin ends up helping Amy on her travels.  Other creatures along the way are different than expected, such as the flying monkeys.  Which are now under Dorothy's command.

Amy must now decide what to do, and who to trust.  She will be arrested for trying to save a creature.  She will see a new friend be destroyed by Dorothy's minions.  So she knows Dorothy is not a good guy.  She is approached by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, which includes one green familiar looking witch named Mombi, another witch named Gert, and a witch named Glamora, who is a twin to Glinda.  Also, a boy named Nox, handsome in his evil looking way, but at first not a fan of Amy's.  They have said that Amy is the only one who can defeat Dorothy, because she has come from the same place, Kansas.  She will train with them, but still doesn't know if she can trust them.  Amy will infiltrate the palace as a servant, to see what she can learn to help with the plan.  While there she will find out just how evil the Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man really are now.  She will meet the Wizard, who is also back.  But can he be trusted either?  And back at the palace she will see the mysterious boy who greeted her, and also meet Ozma, the true princess of Oz.  She must decide who to trust, if Dorothy really must die as she's been told, and if she can really play a role in saving Oz from losing its magic.

A really fun, original read.  One thing that kept me hanging on every page was what would be incorporated from the original story/movie, and how it would be changed, or used to fit this story.  Now, I will admit that I've never read the books.  So of course Dorothy's shoes should be red in my mind.  This book talks about them being silvery.  Any of you who have read the book, is that true?  Or is it one way the author has made it her own story?  Questions I had about how old Dorothy would be in the story, and why she came back, etc.,  I am currently getting answered as I read the prequel There's No Place Like Oz.  I'm glad in a way that I waited to read the prequel until after, although as I've not finished it yet, I don't know that it would have ruined anything for me to read it before.  I'll let you know when I review it.  All that said, this is a great book, you need to get your hands on it.  And know, it will be a series, as the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, and we're kind of left still not knowing who to trust for sure.

The Hazards of Working at a Bookstore Vol. 2.2

This will be a combination of Saturday night and last night, as I am way behind on blogging. Which means there are four books to talk about, so here goes.

First, I have always been intrigued by the Titanic disaster (as I know many other people are). And imagine my surprise and excitement to see another young readers novel, by a bestselling author about this event. Titanic is going to be a 3 part series by Gordon Korman, similar to his Island and Kidnapped series I assume, neither of which I've read though. Here is the info on the first in the series: We have Paddy, a stowaway, Sophie and her mother who have been arrested, Juliana and her rich, eccentric father, and Alfie who has a secret that could get him kicked off the ship. It will be interesting to read the stories that Korman weaves here and learn who will survive, if any.

Second: Family by Micol Ostow. I have to admit the cover is what drew me in, and look at it here, doesn't it make you want to pick it up and read it, or at least see what it is about? It is loosely based on teh Manson family murders in 1969. It is about a teenager who is on the run and finds a boy named Henry who invites her to live with his family. At first it seems great, they share food, chores, everything. Everything includes their bodies and beliefs. And Melinda must agree to it all to belong.





Third is The Sallie House Haunting by Debra Pickman. Ever since this haunting was brought to my attention from my first Ghost Hunters University with Chris Moon at the Mason House Inn in Bentonsport, Iowa, I have wanted to learn more. Especially since it is so close by, in Atchison, Kansas. This is a place that has had a multitude of different types of hauntings, full body apparitions, items moving, sounds, and even physical harm has come to people in the house. The famous scratching of the people who lived there or investigators. From what I know not just anyone can go to this house, it is kept locked and only certain people are allowed to go in with permission from the people who own it and investigate it. I am interested to read this book from the people who have done the most of the research.




Fourth and final is The Uninvited by Steven LaChance. This is another true ghost/haunting story. As you can tell I spend some time in the New Age section of the bookstore Saturday night. It is right by the 2nd floor customer service desk. Anyway, this is a home in Union, Missouri. So, another place I might want to visit. But supposedly there are horrific sounds there, people have been possessed, really scary stuff. I've never heard of this before, so I'm very interested to read the story. I guess the author is someone who lived in this house and was driven out by all the stuff going on. Sounds like a spooky read!