Book #13 - Hunter's Moon by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp

ISBN: 0765357359

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 328pp

Pub. Date: October 31, 2006

Genre: Paranormal romance

Series: #1 in A Tale of the Sazi series

Depends on WHICH copy of this book you are referring to when you ask where I bought it. I can't remember where I bought my original copy of the book, but currently it is lost in no man's land, so in the meantime CTGMOM bought me a 2nd copy at Meijer for $4.99 (or maybe cheaper since they discount books there), and then I found a 3rd copy for $2 at Book & Music Exchange (a UBS here in New Albany). I actually read the copy CTGMOM picked up though. :P

From the Publisher

SHE NEEDS A WHITE KNIGHT

Sue Quentin has reached the end of her rope - she's desperaate, and there's only one way out: death. Her plan doesn't include falling for Tony, the mysterious hit man she hires. He listens when she speaks and somehow convinces her that maybe her problems aren't insurmountable. He even thinks that her little potbelly is sexy. So what if he's a werewolf - everyone has flaws!

Sue enjoys being coddled by Tony, and, for his part, Tony likes the way Sue moans when he touches her. She begins to think that she and Tony might have a shot at a future together, despite his unorthodox profession... and even though she doesn't know his real name.

But when Tony's enemies - not all of whom are fully human - decide Sue makes a perfect target, will Tony risk letting his darker side out durin the day to save her?

My Opinion of the Book

I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit despite how many times I picked it up and put it down... fell asleep reading it... etc... I am looking forward to future books in this series (which I already have on Mt. TBR to read) so that I can see how things progress for Tony, Sue, and other characters in the book.

This wasn't a "light & fluffy" paranormal romance like I read more so, but it was still a fun read with some funny moments. I was a bit surprised by some of the stuff that did occur towards the end of the book.

Book #12 - Out of Whack by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 0759945020

Format: Trade Paperback, 248pp

Pub. Date: February 28, 2004

Genre: Comic Fiction

Dates Read: I give up tracking this! I jump back and forth between books too much!

Not part of a series, though I wish it were!

Bought at Amazon.com for $12.95

From the Publisher

From the author of How to Rescue a Dead Princess comes Out of Whack, an outrageous comedy about friendship, love, following your dreams, and other really scary stuff. Seth Trexler has two goals in life: to find success with his off-the-wall sketch comedy troupe, and to win the girl of his dreams. But when you suffer from brain-erasing stage fright and an incredible female-phobia, those goals can be a bit tricky to attain. With his best friend Travis at his side, Seth struggles to overcome his fears (along with the 2,873 other roadblocks in the path to success) in this hilariously demented yet heartfelt tale.

But don't read it for the laughs. And don't read it for the heartfelt parts. Read it for the sex scene, which proves that even if you're filled with ravenous animal passion, trying to dramatically tear off somebody's underwear can only lead to wedgies.

My Opinion of the Book

I have to say this may be my favorite Jeff Strand book yet, although I still really like the Andrew Mayhem series. So... I guess I'll have to re-read those to better decide. This book made me laugh a LOT and the clog dancing joke was just priceless for me since I am a clogging instructor. For those of you out there who have yet to read a Strand book and want to laugh, you have got to try his stuff... he is awesome!

Book #11 - Pressure by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 0976633949

Format: Hardback, 239pp

Pub. Date: August 1, 2006

Genre: Horror

Dates Read: 03/05/07-02/10/07 (6 days)

Not part of a series

Bought on Amazon.com for $25

From the Publisher

Alex stared at the red pocketknife shown to him by his daughter. A pocketknife owned by somebody he hadn't seen in years... CHILDREN They met first in boarding school at age twelve. Alex Fletcher, shy and scared. Darren Rust, always furiously scribbling away in a private journal. It was not an immediate friendship, but then one night Darren convinced his roommate to sneak off school grounds to see something glorious. There was a sleazy strip club, you see, and every once in a while the back door opened just long enough to maybe catch a quick glimpse... Though a bond was formed from their pre-pubescent interest in completely naked women, Darren had another interest. A morbid curiosity about death. A curiosity that turned into something much more sinister. FRIENDS They crossed paths again in college and became the best of friends. But Darren wasn't just looking for a friend. He had dark, ghastly urges squirming around in his mind, and he believed he saw the same things--the urge to hurt, the urge to kill--in Alex. He was looking for somebody who understood. A partner. But Alex could never become a monster. Not even when Darren tried to bring out his friend's most deeply buried feelings of rage. Not even when Darren tried to show him the euphoria of having that much power over another human being. It just couldn't happen...right? ENEMIES Now Alex has a wife and a daughter. And Darren is back. He's hiding. He's patient. His mind is twisted in the worst possible way. And he's seeking a soul mate.

My Opinion of the Book

Jeff was right when he said this book isn't like his others. I'm a huge fan of his comic/horror Andrew Mayhem series and I do think that I enjoy that writing-style of his more so than that of PRESSURE, but I did enjoy PRESSURE and would read other books by Strand written in this style. It's nice to see authors having various writing styles and being able to pull them all off! :) PRESSURE is a very weird book and Darren is just a f'ed up character. I hope I never meet anyone like him! *shudders*

Book #10 - How To Rescue a Dead Princess by Jeff Strand

ISBN: 1594264538

Format: Trade Paperback, 186pp

Pub. Date: July 7, 2006

Genre: Comic Fantasy

Dates Read: 03/03/07 - 03/04/07 (2 days)

Not part of a series

Purchased at Amazon.com for $12.00

From the Publisher

From the creative genius who would have brought you Hamlet, The Scarlet Letter, and a less-boring Moby Dick (if he'd been born on time) comes this outrageous comic fantasy. It's a tale filled with so much adventure, so much excitement, so much vocabulary, that all who read it will suffer a fit of giddiness that will freak out everyone in their general vicinity.

It's the saga of Randall, a squire assigned to escort the lovely Princess Janice on a diplomatic journey of utmost importance. Then she gets killed. Now Randall must overcome desperate odds and ridiculous dangers in his quest to bring her back to life...before the entire Generic Fantasy Land falls into the evil clutches of The Dark One!

Packed to the bursting point with unrestrained silliness (so be sure to hold it a safe distance from your face when reading), How to Rescue a Dead Princess is the novel all the really cool people are reading this year, an epic fantasy for your family to cherish approximately forever.

My Opinion of the Book

So I get addicted to MySpace because I found that I can actually talk to authors on there, which got me extremely excited! I come across Jeff Strand (whose books I've thoroughly enjoyed thus far) and end up chatting it up with him. This leads me to tracking down even MORE of his books and went a bit crazy on various sites trying to find his books. At any rate, Jeff is a fantastic guy and author! DEAD PRINCESS was just the book I needed this weekend because I was having a very depressing weekend. Thanks to Strand's book I was able to laugh my way through all the stress and avoid yet ANOTHER migraine! I don't want to spoil anything from the book by commenting directly about anything inside, but I'm going to highly recommend this book to any and all that need a good laugh... yes, it's a bit silly, but we all need silly from time to time. I still think his Andrew Mayhem series is better, but this one is not far behind them!

"Oh defecate!!!" (one of my fave lines from DEAD PRINCESS) I almost forgot, you should go check out Jeff Strand's website:

JeffStrand.com