Bare it All (and gardening adventures)

Bare It All                                


by Lori Foster is part of the ‘Love Undercover’ series and continues where “Run the Risk” leaves off, but changes the focus to the intriguingly eccentric and resourceful neighbor, Alice Appleton. Alice has formed a tentative relationship with Detective Reese Bareden because of the stray dog that he has adopted and named Cash. Reese is fascinated by his reclusive neighbor and his instincts lead him to explore the reasons behind her possession of a surprising number of defense tools. His growing attraction to the skittish woman is complicated by the danger that she seems to attract but fortunately there are plenty of allies to call upon in his quest to keep safe the woman who is becoming increasingly important to him. Of course, he also has to break down some of her defensive walls but he has never shirked a challenge, especially when the stakes have been so high.

This fun romantic suspense tale combined characters from two of this author’s very enjoyable series even as it continued to touch upon a serious underworld which threatens women. It is fun watching the alpha males interact with each other as they struggle to subdue their dominant natures enough to protect the women in their lives. A new perspective of several of the characters, including the intimidating Lieutenant Peterson, gave an entertaining spin and provides fodder for potential stories in the future. I enjoyed the opportunity to get more insight into Rowdy Mullins as he gradually begins to accept that he will have a policeman for a brother-in-law and Alice was a poignant blend of former victim and increasingly secure woman who enchanted the intense detective who constantly demonstrates both his protective instincts and his compassion. It was great to get a brief glimpse of several familiar characters and one can only hope that there will be plenty of additional stories about these deliciously alpha males and the essentially powerful women who capture their hearts. Another delightful read.

© Night Owl Reviews

I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review. 

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 Adventures in gardening...


Ok, last year my hubby had the brilliant idea that he wanted to grow tomatoes so we tried our hand at cherry tomato plants.  We bought the plants and raised one in the high desert where we live (think triple digit temps) and took one down to the more moderate climes where the MIL is.  Both plants were very generous at giving us fruit (until the MIL drowned the one at her house) but hubby wasn't thrilled that the skin was a bit tough (don't ask me, I am not a tomato connoisseur--they tasted like tomatoes to me, lol).  So, this year we decided to try to raise full-sized tomatoes.  

It gets pretty cold here so we started seeds indoors (did I mention I am a procrastinator?) but evidently should have started them earlier in the year.  I, of course, wondered what on earth we were going to do with all of the fruit from the 6 plants that survived my less than assiduous attentions so my best friend very kindly accepted one, we took one down to the MIL's house (with instructions that she NOT water it, lol) and kept the others.  We have been anxiously watching and were thrilled when the blooms started appearing.  

The problem...the blooms came and went...but NO FRUIT!  Uh-oh.  Hmm, perhaps not enough water...after all, I tend to hibernate indoors when the temperature exceeds 98 F because I am heat sensitive and believe me, it has been much hotter than that for the past several weeks.  Ok, I have been slinking outside when it is only high 80's at 9:00 p.m. or so and watering more.  Probably not the ideal time to water but hey, at least they are getting water.   I have a liquid fertilizer that indicates that it is specifically for tomatoes (and yes, I tried using it on the cherry tomato plants) so I tried adding that.  Still sadness...blooms come and go, but no fruit.

Sigh.  Ok, when desperate...research.  Oh, this is a common problem amongst novice tomato farmers.  Hmm...calcium...seaweed extract...ok, trip to home improvement store.  Stern warnings about not getting things too close to the main trunk.  A little difficult since we are growing these things in a pot.  (Yes, I know...but if you saw the sand that is considered the soil in our yard, you would understand why I am not anxious to try to put in enough potting soil to change the ground to an arable bed).  So, I have been adding measly amounts of the new 'food' to the outer circumference of the pots...but I am a coward so it has been a very gradual process.  I still anxiously peer nearsightedly (yes, I still hate my bifocals) at the ugly dead blooms and I was frustrated enough yesterday to start removing some of them...only to discover that one in my hand had a microscopic bud...that was no longer attached to the plant that would have nurtured it.  So...elation and sadness...yes it is POSSIBLE for us to get fruit, if Ms Impatient will leave things to take their course.  (Oh yes, the plant at the MIL's house?  It's THRIVING...beautiful leaves, thick sturdy trunk which is quite crooked since I didn't get it into a support system quickly enough...and...fruit...but it had black spots on it so I picked it off.  We will have to research that as well!)

So...I am hopeful...maybe sometime in September, I will get a tomato before the weather starts getting cold, lol.  Now, if only I can figure out how to make the lettuce survive in this heat...
 

Run the Risk

Run the Risk  
by Lori Foster is another exciting  addition to her wonderful collection of suspenseful romances.  This first book in her ‘Love Undercover’ series showcases Detective Logan Riske who is undercover and attempting to get to know his reticent neighbor in an effort to discover the whereabouts of her brother.  Logan is determined to catch a murderer but gradually gives in to the attraction that he feels for the dowdy and self-effacing woman even as he plans to use her to catch her brother.  Logan is not the only one trying to get to know an elusive woman, his partner Reese is also puzzled about the aloof woman living in his apartment building.  Each man has quite a few obstacles to get past, not least of which is determining who can be truly trusted during their dangerous investigation. The problem is, the women also will have to deal with their own trust issues before any progress in the relationships can progress.

This was a fun read by Ms Foster who invariably creates strong male characters who are wonderfully protective and action-oriented and Logan Riske is no exception to this rule.  He is a bit of a jerk at first in that he is willing to use (and be used) by someone to achieve his goal but he eventually develops a rapport with the quirky woman that he enters into a rather unusual intimate relationship with.  Their passionate encounters are unique and somewhat of a role reversal but there is definitely chemistry that blossoms between the two as they both hide their true identities.  There are several different mysteries involving various secondary characters that are alluded to which will undoubtedly be addressed in future novels and delightful glimpses of a cute canine who has bounced into Reese’s life on all four paws.  The suspense is nicely balanced with the spice and makes this a nice start to the new series.  This title will be released on September 25, 2012 and subsequent titles featuring the other yummy males will hopefully make their appearance in 2013.

I was provided an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Squid color change and music

Ok, I admit it, I can get easily distracted when I am writing a review and at a temporary loss for words.  That is happening a lot lately since I have written reviews for Night Owl Reviews for the past three years according to a particular template and last month the specifications changed abruptly.  It's amazing how one gets into a rut and makes a commonplace task difficult but it has been really difficult for me to switch to the new format and I fear that my writing is even more stilted than ever before.  Anyway, that means I get stuck frequently and start wandering around and doing other things like looking at e-mails and visiting blogs and getting my 10 second news inputs at various homepages.  I was really intrigued by the article stating that some scientists hooked up a squid to an iPod nano and recorded video of the color changes (squids have something called chromatophores in their skin that allows them to release color...brown, red or yellow).  The video shows their response to Cypress Hill's Insane in the Brain.  It's fascinating to watch (and yes, I turned up the volume since I usually have my computer on mute).  The link to the article is here and directly to the video is here.  And no, I don't get hungry when looking at squid since I don't like calimari but I do admit that visiting another blog which gave a picture and a recipe for lobster roll (yum) did make me hungry!

Back to the reviews.  Don't get me wrong, most of the reviews on tap are for excellent reads, I have been fortunate to have been reading some great review books (although there were a couple of titles I am still struggling about what to say since I had trouble finishing them) and will be posting over the next few days about Lori Foster's Run the Risk, Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade, Shift and Shine trilogy (yes, there is a story about this since I have already posted about Shine) and Corrina Lawson's Luminous.  I also was fortunate enough to receive Laura Griffin's upcoming novel, Scorched so that is toward the top of my TBR pile!  Back to being productive...



   

Lovely surprises

I don't mind eating fruit...but I like it to be sweet!  Pineapple is my favorite fruit (yes, I turned my tongue numb when my mom took me to the Dole plant on our first trip to Hawaii...but part of that was from the long pineapple spears that they served back then on the airplane trip over) but I actually like grapes and pears and mandarin oranges as well and I will tolerate most others as long as they are sweet.  My problem is that I don't know how to pick sweet fruit, and I have failed miserably at keeping it around and trying to let it ripen enough to sweeten BEFORE it rots.  I have some idiosyncrasy wherein I start choking if I bite into an apple that still has its skin (so, I had a brief moment of panic when a friend asked me to pick up a bag of apples since I don't know what to look for to choose sweet ones) and we actually never eat the apples that grow on the tree in our backyard (bugs eat them first) whereas the resident squirrel is very efficient at picking our apricots, extracting the pits and throwing the fruit onto the ground.  Yes, I have been tempted to find a lethal solution for the canny mammal but instead elected to wait until he died of old age (and I am still waiting!).  Anyway...we received the most excellent surprise today from friends...an Edible Arrangement©.  Now, if you have never seen one of those, it is an arrangement of fruit that is shaped into flowers.  If I ever figure out how to shrink my camera pictures, I will post one but until then, picture pineapple cut into a flower shape (and dipped in chocolate on one side, mmm-mmm) with a cantaloupe ball as the center, chocolate dipped strawberries, orange sections dipped in chocolate and regular strawberries and grapes...wow!  Beautiful, tasty and good for you, what more can you ask?  And yes, the chocolate takes care of the sweetness (and my friend reminds me that there are lots of lovely antioxidants in it).  Diet?  What diet?

Another lovely surprise is Lori Foster's upcoming Run the Risk.  Wow!  Great addition to her pantheon of lovely romantic suspense books.  I am REALLY behind at writing reviews and had no business stopping to read this one but it grabbed my attention and I wasn't able to put it down until I finished (well, I fell asleep but I finished it this morning, lol).  Great story, hopefully I will get the review up in a few days, but if you like romantic suspense, put this on your must buy list!



Ok...off to eat more fruit (0:

A Perfect Storm is out... and don't forget monthly contests!

I can't believe I forgot to mention that A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster is out!  I really enjoyed this read and almost forgot to post on Amazon...but my review is up at this link.  I'd appreciate a positive vote for ELF2060 if you have a chance (-:

Those of you who enter into the monthly contests, don't forget about Writerspace (link) and Fresh Fiction (link) and of course there are the ongoing giveaways at Goodreads (link) and of course those great blogs such as SOS Aloha (link), The Reading Reviewer (link), Seductive Musings (link) and the list goes on and on....

A Perfect Storm connections

It's amazing.  I posted my review about Lori Foster's A Perfect Storm a few days ago ( link) and I woke up one morning and discovered that quite a few people (for me) had looked at it!  I was flabbergasted because I have no idea how they found it.  I have a very small number of followers (and I greatly appreciate every one of you...although I am never sure whether it would be nosy to ask how some of you found me so I reluctantly refrain) and I am always amazed to see the different countries that pop up when somebody from that country evidently visits.  It is a puzzle to me how someone in Guatemala or Serbia or Russia or Germany or some other country finds my blog. Hopefully one of these days some of those visitors will make comments so I can interact with them directly!  

Anyway, I was gratified to realize that some people were reading the review because I was very disappointed to realize that I hadn't requested to review the title for Night Owl Reviews in time and it had already been assigned to someone else!  That is one of the drawbacks to using Netgalley...it causes a bit of confusion because some of us go wandering there and request titles directly and of course the authors in high demand get requested by several people.  I pondered about what to do because I feel it is important to repay the gift of having received the title early by publicizing it as much as possible (especially because I really liked this book!) and I know that not many know about my blog.  It occurred to me that I could post it on my Goodreads shelf.

I usually try not to put my Night Owl review books on Goodreads because I think that it could be a conflict of interest, especially if the review isn't 'live' yet on Night Owl's site.  (Publishers like the reviews to be released right around the same time as the book is so sometimes I read a book 2 or 3 months before its release so I am 15 or so books past by the time the review actually gets posted to the public...and I forget to go back to put the review on Goodreads).  Now I have started transferring some of my reviews to Amazon (it turns out that I can use my Night Owl reviews provided I give them the proper credit) and I am slowly watching my ranking improve...which evidently happens when people push the 'yes, this was a helpful review' button.  I had been slow to post reviews on Amazon because I thought I would have to write a fresh review that was entirely different from the one already submitted to Night Owl...now my problem will be keeping track of when reviews can be accepted for books that I have read in advance.

Ok...back to why I was so excited.  I received a 'like' on my Goodreads shelf for my review of A Perfect Storm.  That was nice.  What was even better was who it was from!!!!   The author herself!!!  What a thrill to know that Lori Foster read my review and liked it.  I will be in a happy haze for awhile  (-:   So hopefully, your interest is piqued and you will read the book for yourself....it is well worth it!  Hmm....I guess I should go post it on my Library Thing shelf also....

A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster

A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster is the latest in her enjoyable series about the mercenaries (Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor) who have taken on those who perpetrate the heinous crimes of sex trafficking.  Arizona is a young woman who was rescued from one such horrible situation by Jackson Savor but has never really had a normal life.  She has been gathered into the family consisting of Jackson, his partners and their respective mates but still feels the burning need to avenge herself as well free other victims caught in the same horrific trap.  Spencer Lark is a bounty hunter who has crossed paths with the tight-knit group and Arizona feels that he stole her revenge away when he dealt with the woman in charge of one of the horrible organizations.  Spencer is startled to discover that the emotionally damaged young woman has blossomed into an adult who has honed her skills with all manner of lethal weapons but hasn’t quite healed from the damages to her psyche.  His protective instincts war with his attraction to the female that he feels is too young and fragile for his own self-protective style of personal relationships.  Spencer has his own demons to fight and scars of his own to deal with but Arizona just might force them to find a way to heal each other even as they search for a comfortable working relationship with Jackson and and his colleagues.

A great addition to a very entertaining series about extremely competent mercenary men who have made it their mission to free as many victims and destroy as many sex and forced labor trafficking rings as possible.  Arizona is an enchanting mixture of competent self-confident fighter (I thought I had a lot of things necessary for being prepared in my car trunk!) and insecure damaged former victim.  Spencer is a rough-edged protector who wants to compensate for some of the horrors that she has experienced yet has his own issues, not least of which is dealing with Arizona’s self-appointed guardian and colleagues.  A testament to the healing power of taking action to combat or eliminate past traumas and the importance of a good support group.  A sizzling and heart-warming read that also gives cameos of favorites from the previous stories in the series (2- and 4-footed) while drawing a beautiful portrait of courage.

I would greatly appreciate a 'yes, this was helpful' vote for my Amazon review under ELF2060 at this link  if you are willing!

I was briefly loaned a copy of this title from Netgalley in return for an honest review.