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Tag Archives: Leanne Sweeney

The View From Monday

On Mondays, I join J. Kaye’s Book Blog in looking back at what I’ve read over the last week and forward at what I plan to read in the next one.

Looking back

I had some good reading time this week!  Click on the book titles for links to my review (if I’ve published it) or to further information on the book.

Pushing Up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Mystery #5) by Leann SweeneyIn audiobooks, I finished Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery. I enjoyed it, but  I developed an issue with the book, which I discussed in my review.  I then straightened out my license issues with Pushing Up Bluebonnets by Leann Sweeney, and made my way through it, with some pauses for confusion on my part.

One Scream Away (Mass Market Paperback) by Kate BradyOn paper, I dove straight into One Scream Away by Kate Brady for tomorrow’s blog tour.  I really enjoyed this once I started reading it as a thriller, rather than as romantic suspense.  Check out my review tomorrow for details and a giveaway!  I’ll have 5 copies available to lucky readers.

Last Night in Montreal (Hardcover) by Emily St. John MandelI then picked up the Twitter Book Club Book, Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel. My review will be coming out this week, probably Wednesday or Thursday.  I’m looking forward to the discussion on Twitter– I liked this book, and think it will lead to good conversation.

Welcome to Biotech Nation: My Unexpected Odyssey into the Land o... by Moira A. GunnI also started my next book for Book Club L.  We are reading Welcome to Biotech Nation by Moira Gunn.  I’m slating this for reading one chapter per day, finishing before our July 30 discussion date.  I’m not into the real meat of it yet, but I think it will be quite readable and educational.  I think it will even be discussable.

On Sunday, I started the audiobook of Laurie R. King’s The Language of Bees.  I enjoyed the physical book, but I didn’t find it to be one of the best of my favorite series. I’ll see if listening changes this opinion or reinforces it.

Looking Forward

So what am I reading next?  I don’t have any commitments this week, so I have some choices!  I think I’m going to read Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand. But I might change my mind.  And that’s just fine.

 
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Posted by on July 12, 2009 in Book Club, books, L, summary

 

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Review: Shoot From the Lip by Leann Sweeney

Shoot from the Lip (Yellow Rose Mystery #4)
rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book #4 of the Yellow Rose Mysteries. I found this to be one of the best books of a good series.

From Leann Sweeney’s website:

Even though Texas heiress Abby Rose was born with a silver iced-tea spoon in her mouth, she’s seen plenty of hard-luck stories in her work as an adoption PI. But consulting on a lifestyle makeover show will introduce her to an alternative–and deadly–reality …

I like Abby, her boyfriend Jeff, and her sister Kate. I “know” them from previous books, and the fact Kate and Jeff were both acting out of character was part of what made this book interesting. Luckily Abby was completely herself, and was able to get to the heart of the mystery.

In this book, we were introduced to Emma, a strong young woman raising her younger siblings. She was a good, solid character that I enjoyed getting to know. We also had a variety of entertaining secondary characters that made me laugh (or wince) while moving the plot along.

I cared about the mystery in this book, and about the process of finding the answers. Strangely, the details of who-dun-it didn’t really worry me that much.

I did have some quibbles with the book– although I enjoyed seeing Kate and Jeff outside their usual selves, I think Kate was a little too far out of character. I found some of the plot developments predictable. But overall, I enjoyed the book.

The big question for me with book 4 of any series is whether it would make sense to start here, or should a new reader start at the beginning.

This book stands on its own plot-wise, but you’ll miss out on some interesting character development if you skip the earlier books. If you think there is a chance you’ll want to read all of the books, I’d suggest starting at book 1. 2 is the weakest of the series, followed by 3. I still enjoyed both. Read them for the character development if they sound interesting, skip them if they don’t.

 
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Posted by on June 30, 2009 in books, reviews

 

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