I made my way through the second Bakery Sister book SWEET SPOT by Susan Mallery. This book is about Nicole, the responsible yet often under appreciated sister. She raised her younger sister and resented her twin’s abandonment and success. In this book she gets over her divorce discovers what true love is really like and raises another teenager.

Love comes along into her life and his name is Eric “Hawk” Hawkins the local football coach. They start a relationship, a sham relationship of simply sex that grows into deeper and more complex feelings. Eric is a widow with a spoiled teenage daughter. He needs to learn to let go of his past and his dead wife and straighten out his daughter before she becomes someone no one likes.

While Nicole finds herself struggling with her feelings towards her younger pregnant sister. Along the way she takes in a young man who becomes part of her family and teaches her about trust.

I have to say I read this copy in days and ran to get the third book the day after it hit the shelves. I only waited a day because I hadn’t realized it had been already released. Otherwise I would have bought one the day it released. There are parts I had problems with such as Nicole’s anger. She seemed angry in the first book and her anger became stronger in this book. Did it go away by the end of the book? Not really because she hasn’t resolved her relationship with Jess, her younger sister. However she becomes a more confident woman. I truly enjoyed the book and have high expectation for the third book in the series along with sadness in reading the end of this wonderful trilogy.

I have to say that I haven’t this great feeling in a very very very long time and I’m sooo glad it’s back. Wanting to do nothing but read. To some that might sound boring, but to me it’s not. I was a late bloomer to reading. I didn’t find an interest until we moved to Ottawa when I was 14 years old. I had no friends and no fields to run in. So I discovered books again. I do read regularly still but it’s been a while that I’ve wanted to drop everything and simply read. Yep I’ve had to resist the urge to read during work.

Then yesterday I noticed that the third book in Susan Mallery’s SWEET series is already out in most Chapter locations in Canada. All I wanted to do was skip (yes literally skip) over to the bookstore one street over and snatch a copy during work hours. A big no no. However I resisted the urge until after work. I stopped off at the mall and picked up a copy. I am going to spend the weekend or at least part of it at my parent’s cottage. Can you guess what I’ll be doing? You got it

READ!

Well I spent the end of the week reading a really good book. It was Molly O’Keefe’s August 2008 SuperRomance WORTH FIGHTING FOR. This is the third and concluding book in the Mitchell’s of Riverview Inn series. Boy was it ever worth the wait.

This book is about Jonah, the surprise child neither Patrick, Max or Gabe knew about until their mother comes back into the picture 30 years after leaving the family. Jonah is a bitter land developer and doesn’t want to connect with his father or brothers. While Daphne is happy being the organic developer and Mom to a great 7 year old. Put Jonah and Daphne together and watch the embers ignite. They challenge each other to become better people and in the end fall in love with one another.

I have to say, I hate to see this series end (I do have some hope that Ms O’Keefe will return to tell Cameron’s story, a new addition to the family). The characters are vibrant, the writing sparkles and a reader simply can’t get enough, at least this reader couldn’t. I look forward to Ms O’Keefe’s next release whenever it might be.

Well the 2008 Summer Olympic’s came to a close yesterday.  The ceremony was gorgeous, most of the artists there I didn’t know and didn’t understand since most sang in their native language.

However all I kept thinking about were the great stories of the Olympics. Some might remember them as the Bolt and Phelps Olympic’s but that’s not how I like to remember them. I’ll remember those who got their first medal in multiple Olympics like Ian Millar or those who failed to meet expectations the first time and within hours rallied to meet them in a different race which happened to Adam van Koeverden’s (to me it showed him to be human and not above lessons in life to learn) or those who rose to the occasion and won medals such as Ryan Cochrane who won in the men’s 1,500 metre freestyle and Priscilla Lopes-Schlie who won bronze in the women’s 100 hurdles. The best stories were those who didn’t get medals but did their bests like Mike Brown who finished 4 (wow 4^th in the world what an accomplishment) and Kyle Schewfelt who fought his way back after breaking not one but both legs along with tearing ligaments.

I’ve always been one to root for the under dog, the one people are less likely to support. That said I can’t wait until the next Olympic’s in Vancouver 2010. Do I plan on going? Not at this point. However I do plan on applying to be one of the few thousands who will run with the flame. It is my dream and has been since seeing the flame on the side of the road in 1988. I like to run and will be one of those runners who gets to carry the flame for 1 km or so!

Earlier this week I decided I want to read something different something new. When I feel this way it usually means it’s time to discover new authors. What better to do that than picking up an anthology, which is exactly what I did. I picked up HOT TICKETS by Deirdre Martin, Julia London, Annette Blair and Geri Buckley.  Now to be fair I’m already a huge fan of Annette Blair but this is a different take from what I’ve read of her lately.

As a whole this book was hot hot hot and all about sport guys. Yummy! Here I thought it would be all about hot sex, hot looking men, incredibly strong women and great steamy stories. The men were hot and so were their bodies and the women were independent but on a whole the stories weren’t all that great. I hate to say this but I felt quite let down.

Do I have a favorite among all the stories? Yep, I thought Deirdre Martin’s story would interest me but the story felt rushed, I think I would have really enjoyed it more if it had a full book instead of a novella. However it’s Annette Blair’s “You Can’t Steal First” that I enjoyed the most.

Would I recommend this book? I’d say pick it up at your next trip to the library.

You have got to love a well written and plotted series. That’s just what Victoria Pade (one of favorite contemporary authors from Harlequin) has done with her “Northbridge Brides” series. There is a continuous mystery going from book to book that is slowly revealed in each book. It’s not annoying as you might think but it keeps the reader on their toes and guessing what it will lead to next.

The latest “Northbridge Bride” release is THE DOCTOR NEXT DOOR. This story is about Faith Perry who returns back to Montana after a failed marriage and Boone Pratt the local vet who couldn’t imagine living anywhere but his small home town. Boone fell in love secretly with Faith when they were young, but is determined not to fall for her again. Why? Well she’s a small town girl who loves living in the big city. Faith isn’t prepared to fall in love again after the deceit of her failed marriage. Together they find to trust and love one another.

This is a great book. I can’t believe I didn’t snatch it right away when I bought it last February. I loved the characters and small town gossip/atmosphere in this book. It made for a great entertaining read. If I weren’t already a fan of Ms Pade I would be after reading this book. We’ve already been introduce to the mystery to take place in the next “Northbridge Bride”. I can’t wait to read all about it in her next installment in October.

The 2008 Summer Olympics are quickly coming to a close, we are more than halfway to the closing ceremony where rumour is that David Beckham will be part of the team to accept the Olympic flag in honour of Londonhosting the 2012 Olympics.

There are so many stories coming out of these Olympics. The media is centering a lot on Michael Phelps. Yes, it’s true he has accomplished something few of us will ever do, but there are times I think the media forgets that there are other athletes at these Olympics.

So whose story has touched me the most? Well the first one was watching Kyle Schewfelt compete. It’s barely a year after he fell and broke both legs and damaged ligaments as well. He might have made the finals but he was a great Olympian example to the next generation. It’s not always about the medal you get but about the battle to get there and do the best you can.

However my favourite story so far is Ian Millar winning his first Olympic medal at the tender age of 61 at his 9^th Olympics. Now that’s a persistence and patient man. He also plans to attend the London 2012 Olympics, hopefully with his children. Cool! The best part is that he lives a little over an hour away from Ottawa in small town called Perth. I’m sure there will be a huge celebration when he comes back.

Do I have a favourite to carry the flag during the closing ceremonies? It might a little too early to drop a name, but I would love to see Ian Millar have the honour. He certainly deserves it.

Well after locking myself in my house for the whole weekend with the exception of a few hours on Saturday night to go and help a friend get settled in her new home, I met my editor’s edits deadline. Yep as of 9:30 pm last night I finished my first round of edits.

How do I feel? Exhausted, but happy to have it all completed. Now I can center my attention on booking ads and spreading the word further about DEADLY SECRETS.

Soon enough I’ll be doing my copy edits and then after 14 years it will be all done and ready for PDF and print. I can’t wait!

I just found out that my wonderful publisher (thanks Carole) has nominated my book for the Are October Bookclub.  ARe is All Romance eBook, an ebook seller.  I buy my ebooks from them when I want an ebook.  I can’t believe that my book will be out electronically in less than 2 months.  I know I signed my contract almost 3 years ago and it’s been a long journey to get DEADLY SECRETS (which has gone through countless names) to where it is today.

Now all I have to do is sit back and pray that my title is chosen among however many are nominated for October. If I’m selected that will increase my sales and the amount that both myself and LBF books will be donating to the American Breast Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  I’d love to see my part be 3 digits. I know that’s going to take some doing but I think it’s possible.  If DEADLY SECRETS were chosen as ARe’s bookclub selection I’d be that much closer to signing over a bigger donation.

So please keep your fingers crossed for me. Mine certainly will be.