Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Review: No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

Goodreads blurb:
After years of ho-hum dating, Noelle Gregory is tired of fooling around. There’s only ever been one guy for her—Jake Conroy, her best friend’s older brother. Now that Jake’s back in town, she’s headed to his sister’s New Year’s Eve party to make her move. Purse full of condoms? Check. Sparkly dress guaranteed to show Jake the sexy woman she’s become? Check. 

Carjacker that makes off with both two hours before the party? Check. 

When Jake finds Noelle stranded on the side of the road—looking sexier than ever in her striped socks and silly holiday shirt, damn it—he’s glad for the snowstorm that cancels his sister’s party. His and Noelle’s friendship has tormented him for years, and now, Jake wonders if he should dare to sample what he’s always wanted…and if he’ll be able to walk away when it’s over.
My thoughts: 
This was a super fast read.  Well written, descriptive, entertaining, and oh so steamy!  Jake is that man every woman wants.  Nellie is the one woman who gets to keep him!  Don't miss out on this one!

Blog Tour: Yesterday's Daughter by Sallie Lundy-Frommer

This mini blog tour is presented by  Tribute Books Blog Tours .
The official tour blog is HERE.
Another Stop 17: Xpresso Reads

Welcome to The Wormhole and stop 17 on the tour!
It is my pleasure to help Tribute Books promote 
 Sallie Lundy-Frommer's and her book, Yesterday's Daughter.


Sallie Lundy-Frommer Bio:
I can’t remember a time when vampires have gotten more attention. With shows like True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and Being Human and popular books like the Twilight and Dark Series, it’s seems like they’re everywhere. Vampires have always been my favorite supernatural characters. But why? Why am I fascinated with these fantasy beings? Why are you? My interest drove me to write a book, Yesterday’s Daughter. But I could have written about anything, werewolves, cat people or some other paranormal beings, but I chose vampires. Why, I wrote about vampires? I’m not sure I can fully explain why. Maybe I chose vampires because they exude prowess and majesty. But, that would be an all too simple answer. And when I think about it, I know it’s not a complete answer. But it’s a start. What do you think? Why are so many people so interested in these mythical creatures.


As for me, I was born on a farm in the rural South to a family of migrant farm workers. At an early age,my family moved to the urban North-East. Now I live in the suburban North-East with my husband and a large assortment of plants. I hold bachelors and masters degrees in Human Resource Management and currently work in the health care industry. 

? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I had no plans at all of becoming a writer.  I’ve always been an avid reader, but never for one second did I ever think I’d write a book.  About five years ago, I began having dreams about the story.  I wouldn’t call them repetitive dreams.  That would mean I was having the exact same dream over and over. That’s not what was happening.  The dreams I was having were like watching glimpses of a movie and the snippets weren’t always in sequential order.  Those glimpses grew in number and lengthened. After a time, I knew I had to put pen to paper.

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
 A few months ago, the medical practice where I was office manager closed.  Before that, I worked in a government agency for 17 years in the employee benefits area. Of course, there were part-time jobs I worked while in college and graduate school, but you didn’t ask for my resume.  So the simple answer to your question is, I had two main jobs before becoming a writer.

? How long does it take you to write a book?
It took just about a year to write the first draft of Yesterday’s Daughter.  Then it took about four or five months of re-writing and tweaking to finish up. 

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I don’t think I have any quirks.  Isn’t that what all the quirky people say? (smile) Well, maybe you might think it’s quirky that I use various tools for writing.  Depending on how I feel, I use my computer to write, or I dictate into a program that types for me, and sometimes I write longhand.  I’m not married to any one tool.  I’m all over the place, dictating one day and writing longhand the next day.  I never know which one will work for me on any given day. And I like to write with music playing, maybe a little louder than is polite.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
Since the idea for Yesterday’s Daughter came to me in my dreams there was no conscious process or thought to come up with book characters.  I just think that the years of reading paranormal romance novels and seeing movies with supernatural characters inspired me.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I didn’t decide what to write about, it just came to me in my dreams. Look, I’m not trying to beartsy-fartsy or cute in anyway.  I didn’t plan what to write, it was just shown to me.  Why my subconscious chose this story, well that’s a whole other question.

? What are you reading right now?
I’m reading J. R. Ward’s, Lover Unleashed.

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love traveling, although I have done much of it lately.  When I’m at home, I like to garden.  I have tons of plants and each one has a name.  And yes, I do talk to them.  I enjoy going to bookstores even if I’m not planning on buying anything. I enjoy being around tons of books.  Also, I love going to the movies and Broadway musicals.

? What is your favorite comfort food?
Oh God, I love all things pasta!  If I had to pick only one pasta dish, it would have to be lasagna. What’s not to love?

? What do you think makes a good story?
Relatable characters are a must for a good story. Good stories need characters with whom the reader can become emotionally invested.  If readers don’t care about the characters, they’re not going to finish the book.  This emotional attachment draws them in and then you sustain their interest with action and suspense.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
Now this is a hard question.  I hate to hedge, but I love so many authors equally and for different reasons.  And I have different favorites depending on the genre.  So, I’m not going to answer this question.  I feel as if I’d be cheating (*smile*) on all the authors I love, if I were to only name one as my favorite.

Fun random questions: 
Dogs or cats? I like both...but, I’d really like a dog, first.
Coffee or tea?   I like both...I’m a coffee drinker in the morning and a tea drinker in the evening or if I’m not feeling well.
Dark or milk chocolate? Milk Chocolate without a question!!!!
Rocks or flowers?  Flowers...but I like rocks too.   Sometime I see a pretty stone while walking and bring it home to place in a pot with one of my plants.
Night or day? Both...I like them equally for different reasons.
Favorite color? Black.
Crayons or markers?  Both....But sometimes you want the texture and feel that you only get with a crayon.
Pens or pencils? Both....depends on what I’m writing.


Yesterday's Daughter Book Summary
An emotionally laden paranormal vampire romance novel woven with layers of betrayal, love and loss.

Grace Stone, who later learns her true identity is Sapphira, is a loner who survives abuse in the foster care system after being abandoned as a child. A brilliant student, she escapes from her brutal foster parents as a teenager and creates a life for herself. But, her life is little more than existence; plagued with questions about what she really is, a family that she has never known and the never-ending need to keep her differences hidden.

She is alone and lonely, believing it will always remain so until Malachi appears in her life. Malachi, a Guardian of the vampire communities, has searched for his life mate, Sapphira, for decades. He refuses to cease searching for Sapphira even though she is believed dead by all. Conflict arises over the decades between Malachi and his family because of his refusals to accept another mate. But his very soul drives him on to continue his search, knowing that he could not exist if Sapphira were not in the world, somewhere.