Cover Reveal: Melting Into You by Cassandra Carr

Today, we have the cover reveal of Cassandra Carr's next romance novel.  Here it is:

Original Title: Melting Into You

Series: Give Me A Taste #5

Author: Cassandra Carr

Release Date: March 2015

Genre: M/M Romance

Goodreads

Seth Mason's life as a macaroni and cheese food truck owner in Austin, Texas, is pretty good, except for one thing: he'd like to find a man to share that life with. As part of an organization Seth founded, he donates leftovers to the local homeless shelter, and meets Ben, a new employee. He's a preppy guy, and very much not Seth's usual type, but the attraction is strong and not going away.

Ben's just moved to Austin from Connecticut to take a job as a case manager at the Austin City Mission, the first time he's left home and family. But only a short time after he starts work, he meets a man who, though he looks like an extra in a surfing movie, intrigues him. He's hardly seen what life in Austin has to offer, and yet finds he wants to discover that with Seth's help.

The passion burns hot between them--hotter even than Austin in the dog days of summer, and neither man can deny it. As they grow closer, both must decide if they have the necessary ingredients for lasting love, or if the relationship will go up in smoke.

Author bio

Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.

She thinks the best part of being a writer is how she writes about love and sex while most others struggle with daily commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers. Her inspiration comes from everywhere, but she'd particularly like to thank the Buffalo Sabres, the hockey team near and dear to her heart.

For more information about Cassandra, check out her website, "like" her Facebook fan page or follow her on Twitter.

Links:

Website: http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cassandra_carr
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/booksbycasscarr/

ALL THE BEST, CASSANDRA, ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS NOVEL!

Top Ten New-to-Me Authors of 2014

As always, Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by  the girls at "The Broke and the Bookish".

Here is the list of top 10 authors (in no particular order) that are new to me, from the list I read in 2014! 

1.  Carol Weston - Book: Ava and Pip
2.  Rosamund Hodge - Book: Cruel Beauty
3.  Sophie Jordan - Book: Uninvited
4.  Gayle Forman - Books: If I Stay series
5.  Shannon Hale - Book: The Goose Girl
6.  Soman Chainani - Book: The School of Good and Evil
7. Colleen Oakes -  Book: The Crown
8. Rachel Hartman - Book: Seraphina
9. Rainbow Rowell - Book: Fangirl
10. Lisa Kleypas - Book: Love in the Afternoon

Does any of the above authors made your list?  Or do you have different list?  Please share with me..I always look forward to hearing about new books/authors..  What authors made to your list?

Win $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD & Help An Author!

Hi readers!  Greetings!

Do you know Sariah Wilson, the author of "The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back"?  If you don't, you must start reading her books.  She is one of those amazing authors, whose books will make you feel good even years later after reading them.

So, let me get back to the helping this author part.

Her new book, "Royal Date" is nominated for Amazon Scout program.  If she gets enough nominations, she will get a publishing contract from Amazon.  This is just you helping this author with just your nomination.  You can read about her book and a short excerpt before nomination in the link below.

And it will also enter you into a $100 Amazon Gift Card from the author's site.  Visit her link - http://www.sariahwilson.com/Sweeps.aspx and follow the simple instructions to nominate her book.  If you would like to mention the referral id when asked for, please mention booksaremagicblogspot@gmail.com.  You can refer others for another sweepstake, which will for referrals and it's also $100 Amazon Gift Card.

If her book gets selected for this program, everyone who nominated will get a FREE copy of this book.  Sounds good, right?

Please help an author get a publishing contract!

Review: Devil Music by Carly Orosz

Original Title: Devil Music

Series: Devil Music #1

Author: Carly Orosz

Publisher: Logsine Labs Press

Release Date: April 14th 2014

Source: Review copy from the author via Novel Publicity

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Cain Pseudomantis leads a miserable life. Bound to the mortal world by a powerful spell no demon could hope to break, he must obey his human master’s every command or face harsh punishment. He finds solace in the rock music which he listens to when he isn’t running unsavory errands for his master. Then everything changes. While on a mission in a seedy section of 1980s Los Angeles, Cain impulsively buys an electric guitar and discovers an unusual talent for music, a talent that catapults him to hair metal stardom. With three superpowered human band mates and his beautiful girlfriend Michelle by his side, his life starts to look a lot better. But Cain soon finds that even rock stars have troubles. The crusading televangelist Nathaniel Breen—who happens to be Michelle’s father—accuses him of turning the city’s youth to Satan worship. Meanwhile a mysterious killer known only as the Engineer terrorizes the Los Angeles rock scene with a series of brutal murders. When Cain and his friends attempt to unmask the killer, they discover a deadly secret that could cost Cain his hard-won freedom, and possibly his life. 

REVIEW

Although urban fantasy is what I would go for, when asked to choose a book, this is something I would not immediately pick up.  But, after reading this book, I don't regret even the slightest picking this up.

Cain is a demon, who is enslaved by Mr. Warwick and treated badly.  He is sent out on errands by his master, which he has no memories on, later.  He was sent out to find a girl for Warwick's son, Lance, and make her love Lance.  But, when Cain goes to LA, everything changes for his good.  He makes new friends, finds a new talent in the electric guitar and above all, he may also be liking Michelle, who is the girl he was sent to find and deliver, which he has no intention of doing.  Meanwhile, there is a serial killer on the loose, who targets young men involved with music.  Cain and his friends need to find the killer before he draws close to any of them.

It was a big read, but a good read!  Interesting premise!  Wild and different characters!  You couldn't make a demon more interesting than this.  Yeah, at first I had my doubts.  How can a demon be so spineless?  But, there was some past involved in this as well.  He was trained to be like a dog, just to do his master's bidding that he became fearful to show his feelings at anything.  But, as he becomes free of his master's control, his real strength began to show.  And there were so many different side characters that are interesting to read.  There could be more on Cain's past, which would have helped for better understanding.

The killer's premise was also brought on well.  The suspense went hand in hand with fantasy and it worked too.  Although you will be able to guess who the killer is, after some time, it still will not stop you from reading more.

There are some unanswered questions, but I suppose that this is a series, so it doesn't end here.

Interesting and recommended read for someone who wishes to try something different!

Life Of A Blogger: 10 things I’ll never do

We all have some things we would never ever do.

I have some too..

1.  I will never do a house chore that is not extremely urgent when I have my favorite book waiting for me.

2.  I will never be satisfied with my collection of clothes.

3.  I will never live without an electronic gadget (Kindle, tablet, PC, laptop, smartphone) near me.

4.  I have a full time job and my working time is 9 hours.  I know after many experimentations that I will never work the full 9 hours productively. (Please someone say I am not alone in this..this is normal, right?)

5.  I will never get rid of the habit of checking my mails every time I see my mobile on the table.  I am not even that busy person, who gets important mails all the time.  But, still I think some habits are hard to give up.

6.  I will never ride the bus that is over-crowded again.  Once I have to do this every single day, but now?  NO, A BIG NO!  Don't think I am exaggerating.  You must see our buses (see picture below), if you have to know what I am speaking about.

7.  I will never stop re-reading Harry Potter.  It's been so many years, and I still always feel the need to go back to that one series again and again, just after a few months of finishing them...again.

8.  I will never stop talking, even when I know I should.  Like when my husband is extremely angry or my boss is being an idiot!

9.  I will never travel anywhere without a book (or a Kindle).  I will deeply regret it, if I forget this..happened only once or twice in my life.

10;  I will never love another person in the world, the same way I love my husband. (Awwww!  I know! :))

So, that's it!  What are yours?  Tell me the things you will never do.....

Interview & $50 Amazon/B&N Gift Card Giveaway: Deceived by L.A. Starkey

Goodreads | Amazon

They say a soul is the immaterial essence, the animating principal, the actuating cause of an individual life.

But what if you had to share yours with the one person you hated the most?

The soul mate principal states that for every one soul there is another that will recognize its match, hence creating the perfect union.

But what if you had two soul mates, which would you choose?

What if your choices had eternal ramification?

Deceived, the debut novel in the Soul Keeper Series, is a modern day love story about the implications of having more than one soul mate, and having to choose between the two of them. The decisions of the gods has left the next generation, their heirs, torn between fate and reality, and the balance of the future hangs in anticipation of what's to come.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR L.A. STARKEY

What is your least favorite word?

                Um. I’m not sure if it’s a word, um, but, um, it takes, um, up a lot of, um, space. I hate commas too. Probably um’s fault.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

                Oh… editing. I’d rather brush my teeth with superglue than edit a manuscript. I’m a math girl and this grammar thing has become my nemesis. If I ever strike gold with my books I’m not going to buy a large house or a new car. I’m going to get an editor.

What is your favorite Joke?

                Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from re-possessing the ranch they need to purchase a bull from*a stockyard in a far-away town so that they can breed their own stock. They only have $600 left. 

Upon leaving, the brunette tells her sister, "When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home." 

The brunette arrives at the stockyard, inspects the bull, and decides she wants to buy it. The man tells her that he will sell it for $599, no less. After paying him, she drives to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram to tell her the news.

She walks into the telegraph office, and says, "I want to send a telegram to my sister telling her that I've bought a bull for our ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home."

The telegraph operator explains that he'll be glad to help her, then adds, "It's just 99 cents a word." Well, after paying for the bull, the brunette only has $1 left. She realizes that she'll only be able to send her sister one word. After a few minutes of thinking, she nods and says, "I want you to send her the word "comfortable."

The operator shakes his head. "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her just the word "comfortable??”

The brunette explains, "My sister's blonde. The word's big. She'll read it very slowly...
com-for-da-bull."

(Borrowed the exact wording from http://www.funnyville.com/Blonde-Jokes/Come-for-the-bull.html)

Where do you get your best ideas?
                From life. I try hard to pay attention to the characters in my real life and use a lot of them in my books. If I’m running dry, music is always something that will help bring me back. I write what I’d love to read really.

What do you do to relax?

                I rarely relax, which is a weakness of sorts. I think I need to purchase a tranquilizer gun so that my husband can put me down when I need to take a break. The only relaxing things I force myself to do are taking bubble baths now and again and lounging in the pool in the backyard. 

GIVEAWAY

Win $50 Amazon/B&N Gift Card from the author by entering via the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Major life changes of a mom-to-be book blogger #1: Following mom blogs

Source: Creative Bloggers

I still don't remember when this shift has happened.  I was once reading a lot of book blogs or searching for the next great series to start and tracking (stalking) all my favorite author's new releases.  But now, I seem to care less about those things.  The grave truth - but there is no denying that I started to lose interest in them.  Yeah, I still can't stop getting excited about Richelle Mead or Rick Riordan or Jill Shalvis or so many other authors' new releases.  I still pre-order and read them the moment I get them in my hands.  But, my major focus is on the mom blog nowadays.

I am really really terrified regarding about this whole baby thing, as much as being excited about them.  Maybe, I am looking for some support group or to check whether there is someone as terrified as me.  Maybe, that's the reason I started following mom blogs.  But, whatever the reason is, I don't regret this change.  I actualy love them.  Maybe, one day, I will relate to them more than I do today.  But, for now, it is easy to think that my kid would be more easy to deal with, compared to those bloggers' kids.  I find myself smiling automatically, when I read about other mom's experiences with their little ones.  It surprisingly calms me about my pregnancy fears, or atleast makes it easy to hold these fears at bay in the hope of having my own adventures with my kid.

Is this me coping in my own way?  Or did you also do this - following blogs other than something based upon books, I mean?

Review & $10 Amazon GC Giveaway: Black Hole Bounty by Sienna Bronwyn

SYNOPSIS

Destiny is written in the stars? Maybe, but when you’re in a black hole you make your own damn destiny.

It’s not every day you get abducted by an alien general, but then, Jerusa Whichab isn’t having an average day. Earth is fading from view and she’s got a decision to make—cooperate with her despotic, yet unnervingly attractive captor or receive an injection of goo. General Toyeb can’t be trusted, and his body-healing, mind-blowing Theta waves leave her panting for more. But what choice does she have if she’s to stay alive?

None, if enemy bounty hunter Berwyck dal Korth has his way. Intent on capturing Jerusa, he performs a binding ritual to ensure she cannot escape him—a ritual with unforeseen side effects for both of them. Forced into hostile proximity, Berwyck and Jerusa battle to subdue their rising attraction, but will they conquer their desire—or succumb?

REVIEW

Jerusa was abducted by aliens, just when she is trying to overcome her phobia of flying.  It seems that she is descended from the aliens herself and her blood is the only thing that can save the alien species from a virus.  Jerusa accepts to help, provided she will be handed over to her family unharmed.  And just when she thinks that things settled down, she is abducted again.

Jerusa's characters is not something bold or admirable.  She doesn't stand up for herself and easily convinced.  And the two male main characters in the book are also not your typical hero material.  But, the author has to be given credit for making a reptilian alien look appealing.  It's a unique premise and a tough one too.  For the first book in the series, this book is a good start.

The author has potential and the novel could have been better at many areas, especially in the characterization.  I have no complaints in the world building.  The author has done an amazing job on that front.  The Kuna Indian history is fascinating.  And the writing style is witty and neat.

Overall, a good start from a potential author!

3.5 STARS!

GIVEAWAY

Sienna will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

$100 Gift Card Giveaway: A Matter Of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak

When Maximillian Wilder joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but he has to gain Jack’s trust. He’s determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could bring.

Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father’s career. She believes she is going to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene and protect her, no matter the risk to his plan . . . or his heart.

EXCERPT

It was a perfect specimen. Almost.

Abigail Hale took a steadying breath and stooped into the cool, dark alley to examine the bloodless gash on the cadaver’s high forehead. The injury was a minor flaw, really. Nothing to worry about, although she intended to use that imperfection to best advantage when haggling over price. 

Straightening, she opened the door wide and motioned the five figures surrounding the body inside. “Quickly!” 

Three men followed as two, their features distorted by the flickering light of her lamp, hefted the sack containing the corpse into her father’s office and dropped it with a thud as solid as though it contained nothing more than so many rocks.

Abigail squared her shoulders and crossed to the desk adjacent to her father’s. Although she had dealt with resurrection men during the last school year, thrice, she had never done business with this particular gang. The sheer number of them took her off guard. Usually a couple of gravediggers or sextons showed up, regular men who didn’t look nearly so unsavory. 

Hoping to keep the “sack ’em up” men from seeing how badly her hands were shaking, she clasped them behind her back. 

A behemoth of a man, marked with the smallpox and dressed all in black, stepped forward. “When I saw the name on your letter, I assumed we were dealin’ with the good surgeon himself,” he said with a thick Cockney accent. “So who the bloody hell are you?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter so long as you get paid. Am I correct, Mr.…Hurtsill?” She was guessing at his name. This was the first time she had ever met him, but he seemed in charge and had referenced her letter.

“This is some risky business we’ve got going here, little lady. I have to trust you and you have to trust me. And that means who you are matters more than you might think.”

Since he didn’t correct her, she assumed she had accurately identified him. “Fine. I am steward of the household accounts here, if you must know.” 

He picked a piece of food out of his teeth. “The surgeon’s daughter, eh?”

Apparently, he knew more about the school than she had expected.

“Does your father know you’re doin’ this?” he asked.

If they didn’t get on with it, he would find out. And she couldn’t have that. “Time is money, Mr. Hurtsill. How—”

“Big Jack,” he interrupted.

“I’m sorry? 

“Call me Big Jack.”

“Fine. Mr…er…Jack, then. How much do you want for…um…” Abigail nodded toward the sack.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books. A four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $2 million. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.

AUTHOR ONLINE: Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

GIVEAWAY

Brenda will be awarding a $100 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Out with it.....Finally!

Source: Sodahead

So, I have been very inactive in my blog for the past few months.  I apologize for leaving my blog like this with occasional memes and discussion posts.  But, trust me, for last few months, I don't want to blog.  Well, I don't want to do pretty much anything else either.  Okay, this is it, the big reveal -- I am pregnant - for 5 months now.

We were so happy when the doctor confirmed our assumption.  But, then the symptoms hit - nausea, dizziness and vomiting.  I was thrown off guard.  I had a full time job to deal with.  Luckily, my company gave me permission to 'work-from-home' for a month.  Before we even had time to celebrate the good news, I felt like I am in a roller coaster, only this time vomiting all the way (Ew!  I know!).

But, you know, we both wanted to have a child and we know this will be okay.  My hubby was so supportive and so are my mom, dad and my brother.  I stopped cooking altogether for these few months.  I took all meals from my mom's home.  Now that it's the fifth month and almost all the symptoms subsided, I finally feel better.  Of course, there is still this lower back pain and disturbed sleep pattern.  I think I can manage with these things.

AND I felt my baby move a week back (** squeals **).  And he/she has been doing a lot of acrobatics ever since.  It's the feeling I would not trade anything else with - feeling some new life inside you for the first time.  Everything is worth it for this moment.

Yes, I am still deadly terrified of my labour and the wellness of my baby.  (** sighs deeply **)  But, I trust and I know it's going to be okay..we are going to be okay.

So, that's my 'big' reason for partially abandoning my blog.  I don't want to review or blog.  But, I still read and update in Goodreads.  And suddenly, for the past few days, I feel like I want to write something..anything.  So, DO NOT blame me, if there are more of random discussions or completely unnecessary and/or irrelevant posts.  It's totally one of the pregnancy perks. :)

Life of a Blogger: Languages

Well, today let's speak about the languages I can speak.  If you don't know about India, it may be weird to you that I am going to say some new languages that you didn't know about.

Image Courtesy: http://bit.ly/1niiYQ2

As our country is rich in so many religions and caste beliefs, so are we rich in languages.   There are nearly 398 languages in our country according to Ethnologue, although only 22 of them are considered official regional languages of India.

I know to speak 4 languages.

Tamil:  A complicated, but sweet language.  Although not my mother tongue, born and raised around people who speak Tamil, this has been my favorite language and feels more like a mother tongue to me.

Telugu: This is my mother tongue.  I know only to speak this language, not to write.

Hindi: Our national language.  I can speak this, but not fluently.  I can understand and read and write Hindi.

English:  Of course, this is the universal language.  This is one of the languages I am good and fluent in.  English needs no introduction to any of you, I suppose.

I am happy sharing these with you.  India is an amazing country.  It's good to share some of its greatness with you all. :)

Above all, in whatever language you speak, be polite and kind.

How about you?  Any of the above languages interests you?  What are the languages that you can speak?

NEED to READ More.....

As always, Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by  the girls at "The Broke and the Bookish".

Here is the list of top authors I've only read (and of course, enjoyed) one book from, but NEED to read more!   Below is the list containing that one book that I enjoyed from the author.

1.  The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1) - Alexandra Bracken
2.  Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge
3.  Uninvited (Uninvited, #1) - Sophie Jordan
4.  The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back - Sarah Wilson
5.  Seraphina (Seraphina, #1) - Rachel Hartman

 6.  The Scourge - A.G. Henley

7.  The Crown (Queen of Hearts, #1) - Colleen Oakes

8.  Ava and Pip -  Carol Weston

9.  Atone: A Fairytale -  Jessica Grey

10.  Bluff - Lenore Skomal

Does any of the above interest you?  Or do you have different list?  Please share with me..I always look forward to hearing about new books..  What authors made your wish list this year?

Back to School Day 1: Something about me...

I know I have been silent in my blog for a few days now, but trust me, I have my reasons.  I will share with you in some other post.  I will continue to be silent for few more days, especially with my reviews.  But, when something good turns up, I can't resist to participate, even though I have so minimum time.

Today is DAY 1 of this challenge.

DAY 1: It’s time to stand up in front of the class and share with the rest of us a little bit about you.

I am an Indian book blogger.  I have been blogging for more than 2 years now.

I have not been active in blogging for a few days now and I am still not.  I have come to terms with myself that I can't be in the same mood all days of the year and it's okay, if I don't want to blog or review for some time.  I still love to read and I keep reading.  I just don't like to sit and write something in my computer.

I have been married for nearly 2 years now (tomorrow is my 2nd Wedding Anniversary) with the only guy I ever loved.  I still can't believe it's been two years; time flies fast.  It's just been like I fell in love with this guy only yesterday.

And then we are both IT professionals and that's how we met - yes, we are colleagues.  So, things are good at my job.  I have some great friends at work and most of them are my college mates.  We got placed at the same company in our final year of college.  So, it's pretty fun to work with your friends.  But, things can get tough here sometimes when deadlines have to be met and the rope is around your neck.  For now, my job and family is smooth and cool and I feel content.

With a full time job, it's tough to find some time to read; but I manage them during travel mostly.  My travel time is nearly two hours.  I have many audio books at office and this helps me so much.

Apart from this, I am a certified non-vegetarian and so lazy at doing household works.  I hate to clean or dust things.  I love my cooking.  I would rather sleep in my weekend than sit up and clean my house.  But, things has to be done and I do clean when I am alone and when I am not in the mood to read.  Of course, my husband is a darling when it comes to helping me (but if he is not in the good moods, he can be a devil).  We both love to curl up and sleep all day in the weekends.

So, as you see, it's a bit lazy but happy family. :)

Top 10 Authors I own the most books from!

As always, Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by  the girls at "The Broke and the Bookish".

Here is the list of top 10 authors that I own the most number of books from! 

1.  Enid Blyton
2.  Meg Cabot
3.  Sophie Kinsella
4.  Rick Riordan
5.  J.K. Rowling

6.  Richelle Mead

7.  Nicholas Sparks

8.  Jeff Kinney

9.  Jonathan Stroud

10.  Sidney Sheldon

Does any of the above authors made your list?  Or do you have different list?  Please share with me..I always look forward to hearing about new books/authors..  What authors made to your list?

Review: The Prank List by Anna Staniszewski (@annastanisz)

I read a lot of middle grade novels, and in the past year, I read like 4 novels from this author.  She is good - I have to give her that.

Original Title: The Prank List

Series: The Dirt Diary #2

Author: Anna Staniszewski

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release Date: July 1st 2014

Source: Review copy from the publisher

Genre: Middle Grade

Rachel never thought she'd fight for the right to clean toilets, but she has to save her mom's business. Nothing can distract her from her mission - except maybe Whit, the cute new guy in cooking class. Then she discovers something about Whit that could change everything. After destroying her Dirt Diary, Rachel thought she was done with secrets, but to save her family's business, Rachel's going to have to get her hands dirty. Again

REVIEW

After what Rachel has faced in the last book and how it ended, you would think she will be happy with her 'altered' life.  But, no, she still has no boyfriend, although Evan seems to like her.  And her pastry class seems like a total failure, considering how much she wants to take this class to prove herself.  Her pastry chef thinks she is totally dumb.  And her mom is going to lose her cleaning business, because of the new competitor and a rumour spreading in town..about Rachel.  If they are losing their clients so rapidly, then they are going to sell their house and move elsewhere, where there will be no Evan or her only true friend, Marisol.  She is not ready to give up her only two happy elements in life..no, not yet.  The worst thing is she has not given up on her irresponsible dad.  Her life is a disaster..again..now, even more nastier!

If you remember Rachel from "The Dirt Diary", she seems to have grown up a little in this book.  But, I have to admit she is still childish and still have a lot of growing up to do.  And I also understand it takes time to give up some things and take certain decisions in her age.  But, it's fun to watch her make mistakes and learn from them.  It's sad to watch her trying to do anything to make things and her mom's mood improve.

And then there are these other characters.  Marisol, the 'good' girl of the novel, wants to play bad once in a while and she enjoys it..I liked her. :)  Evan - I want to kick this guy; okay, there is a lot of mistakes from Rachel's end, but can't they just talk?  Anyway, in spite of his irritating shyness, he is a good guy for Rachel.  Other minor characters like Brianna, Rachel's mom and others - they did their parts very well too.

I am not going to ruin the little mystery part for you, although it's not a mystery, once you rule out the one character, we all voted as bad for most of the novel.  And the plot is pretty simple and it's good enough for a middle grade novel.  I enjoyed it and I will definitely be going back to the third installment to see where Rachel ends up again in another light read.

Recommended for middle graders, who want some fun and parents, who want some decent novel for their kids.

SERIES ORDER

1.  The Dirt Diary

2.  The Prank List