I thought the story and plot were both pretty good! The characters had real life qualities that weren’t predictable. When a Hollywood Star (Adrian) comes to do a play with the queen of Johnson, Ohio (Eileen) there is a mad dash to make him welcome. Eileen goes to such extremes to get the correct vodka (he loves to drink and note to publisher it’s Stoli – Stolichnaya not Stoly) and the trendy food that looks pretty. Eileen is the local theater maven and her attorney husband Danton, together they have a son Kyle.  Kyle is not sure what he wants to do with life and who he loves, man or woman. 

The small town of Johnson has secrets and mayhem. While Adrian is annoyed he is stuck staying with Eileen and her family while they rehearse, this is the hi-point of her life. Her antics and the way her family carried out her bizarre requests were at times hilarious. 

 What was not appealing and took a star off was the language. (example:” With an expression that was part incredulous but mostly crestfallen” ) There were far too many phrases that were at a graduate school level. I actually looked something up because I was stumped. I did enjoy it and I would recommend it to the older readers (over 40) because there were quiet a few references to musicals and old time Hollywood actors that the younger audience wouldn’t appreciate.

Goodreads

Buy it at Amazon

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The author’s page on Goodreads

http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/the-obvious-game-by-rita-arens-release-day-party/

Enter

Kindle Fire HD Giveaway!

 

The winner will have the option of receiving a Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

This giveaway is sponsored by these Authors:

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

One Classic Latin Lover, Please by Marcia Lynn McClure

Betrayal by Anne Patrick

Belleyache by Crystal Marcos

Ethan Justice: Origins by Simon Jenner

I Have People by Taylor Dean

For What It’s Worth by Karey White

A Kiss of Ashen Twilight by Rae Lori

The Unraveling by Holly Barbo

Fateful by Cheri Schmidt

Dracian Legacy by Priya Kanaparti

Cascade Brides by Bonnie Blythe
A World Apart by Camelia Miron Skiba
Reality Bites, Tales of a Half-Vampire by Shaunda Wenger
Face-Off by Stacy Juba
Two Equals by Marta Szemik

The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw by Suzy Turner
One for Kami by Charlene A. Wilson

Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

Grace Doll by Jennifer Laurens

The Secret of the Scarlet Stone by T.L. Clarke

Gallagher’s Hope by M.K. McClintock

The Spy Lover & Prize Winning Pacific Stories by Kiana Davenport

Rejected by Heather Bixler
Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy Bennett

A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin

Starseed by Liz Gruder

   

Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (Internaitonal).
Ends 2/28/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Hope for the Wicked

Sometimes, bad people do good deeds.

Larry and Mo Laughlin are retired killers turned private investigators with monetary woes. So when their handler introduces them to the Trudeaus, one final job is placed on the docket.

Jacob and Bernice Trudeau need their teenage daughter, Amy, found, and they also want the men responsible dead. Two million dollars is an offer Larry and Mo can’t refuse.

To find Amy, the Laughlins must travel to Mexico, where they are thrust into a world of debauchery so foul they will be forever changed.

One crazed pimp, a veterinarian turned doc-for-hire, and an enigmatic facility called “The Show” lie in wait for the wayward couple.

This ARC was given to me by Red Adept Publishing and will be posted February 11.

Is there any hope for the wicked?

ALL OVER THE PLACE, a Contemporary Romance by Serena Clarke This one looks great

Livi Callaway has fled back to London after a reality TV disaster in New Zealand. Safely anonymous in the big city, she’s determined to stay under the radar from now on. But her attempts to build a new life are complicated by unexpected visitors from her old one, and new dangers and temptations lie in wait.

With help – and occasional hindrance – from her friends, what she eventually finds is something unexpected . . . sometimes, running away can lead you to exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

Excerpt:

 Here’s a peek at the main characters’ first meet up in since their break up two years ago, told from the hero’s point of view.  Ben stood behind the richly embroidered drapes at the condo’s living room window and discreetly watched Sterling walk to the car as he shuffled paperwork through his fingers. Her petite frame, dressed in a slim gray suit, pulled his attention as though he had no control. That’s the way it was with her. He hadn’t seen her for two years, but all during that time he’d been unable to will her out of his thoughts for very long. Seeing her up close and feeling her presence today had stirred up old feelings inside him. After they’d gotten together, the terrible aloneness he’d grown to live with had vanished. It hadn’t mattered that before she’d come along he’d had no one, no family, because she’d completely filled the emptiness in his gut. Then when she left, he’d felt all the more alone for having known but lost her. Sterling’s straight, chestnut-colored hair had grown longer, brushing gently against her slim shoulders. He liked it. And the two years apart had worn beautifully on her fine-boned face. She looked even lovelier than he remembered. In the brief moments he’d stood next to her, he’d taken in everything: her shapely curves, her intense, blue-green eyes, her sensuously curved lips the color of a rich Merlot wine.

 Ben’s stomach tightened. It had to happen sooner or later, he thought to himself. Even though Sterling had left his life, it seemed inevitable that they’d run into each other sometime while working a case. He’d like to think it meant their destinies were intimately intertwined. That even though their paths might occasionally diverge and meander, they were actually headed in the same direction. She’d been emphatic at their breakup that there was no future for the two of them—that they wanted different things in life—but he just didn’t believe it. He believed in possibilities, and though in the interim he’d given Sterling her space, the hope remained strong in him that eventually, along the way, they would come together again, perhaps even stronger than before.

 Ben watched Sterling drive away and couldn’t help himself. Was it too much to hope maybe

this time it could be different?

The Fabulous February giveaway is up and running yeesh now I can relax and read! Go ENTER

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Banister

A State of Jane by Meredith Schorr

Goodbye Emily by Michael Murphy

Torn by Amber Lehman

Running on Empty by LB Simmons

Roses in Ecuador by Heather Huffman

It’s Nothing Personal by Kate O’Reilley

Absolutely loved this one. Heather scores again. I will say the message was there and received. Jane Russell moves to Ecuador to write about Jaguars. She is interested in the preservation and breeding of these animals. Already there in Ecuador is Devon McAllister, who is hot, rich and the son a well to do American. He is unlike his greedy father, he starts his business opening a fair trade rose plantation in the fertile soils of Ecuador.

Not giving away anything but the jaguars get some attention from a bad ass and then these two highly focused people become involved in a ring on deceit. Both are scared and need to learn to trust again.

This book was a very different setting. What I LOVE about Heather (I have an author crush on her) is that she brings to light issues that we are not aware of. A lot of us buy roses but do we know that Ecuador has some of the best? No, like I had no idea there were preserves for jaguars there. Very enlightening and a pleasure to read.

The good news is she has written several other books so new readers can get their fill.

I am giving copies away today for the release so leave me a comment and I will gift a copy! Go to the sidebar and enter one of the raffles too!