Thanksgiving Thoughts & A Book Review
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: The Bangles, Doll Revolution
Topic: Life
It's been a couple of days and I just wanted to touch bases with you all.  We celebrated Thanksgiving last Thursday.  My son, who is in first grade, came home about two weeks ago and told me Thanksgiving was "lame." Well, I couldn't have that. I got him involved.  First we planned a menu and compromised a little.  We had "White Castles" on it and Turkey of course.  I also whipped some banana smoothies for him which he enjoyed.  We baked cookies, cake, and a blueberry pie.  And I got us some matching Turkey Day aprons. Soon, Thanksgiving wasn't lame anymore, but cool.  I had him help decorate the dining room and we went to the candle store and sniffed candles, picking "spiced pumpkins" from Yankee Candle. It was a little extra effort on my part to get him involved but it was well worth it. He had a great time on Thanksgiving but it was because of the prep work.  

The moral of my story:  A little effort and quality time w/your kids go along way.


Yesterday, we took advantage of Knott's Berry Farm's Police/Fire salute and took the family.  All Fire/Police got in free and brought in a guest for free. Andrew, my 6 year old, rode the log flume and liked it. He's a bit conservative in what kind of rides he picks so I was glad he was a little daring with the Log Flume. Joseph traveled, rarely any fuss until he passed out toward the end of the day.  We saw the Knott's Berry Farm parade. It was kind of busy yesterday - heck, I thought more people would be at the stores shopping for sales.

That said, my husband Brent was actually at Target when it opened at 6 am! I couldn't believe he was game to go, but he was.  He didn't get anything we talked about though.  He didn't want to wait in line for the Wii accessories, he couldn't find the Wii pajamas we wanted to get Andrew and play tent we wanted to get Joseph was sold out. He sent me a text message from Target "It's a zoo."  No kidding, Sweetie. You had to expect that.  We'll look for that stuff a little later on in the week. It just might be work paying the few extra bucks for our shopping sanity.

Anyone have any good Black Friday tales they want to share?
And now...a review. Enjoy.
Steph

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Book Review for: “Fangs for the Memories”
Written by: Kathy Love
285 pages
Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 0-7582-1131-7
$14.00
4.5 Stars


Kathy Love enters the realm of paranormal romance with her first book in the Young series, “Fangs for the Memories.” Love paints wonderfully romantic yet surreal scenes in this juicy offering which fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.

    Rhys Young is a brooding, moody vampire trapped in a human world. Filled with compassion, he rarely feeds from humans, preferring to get his blood in other ways. It’s not as satisfying, but it serves his conscious. He owns part of a nightclub with his brothers, Christian and Sebastian, and has chosen to seclude himself from the world due to his nocturnal nature. Part of his decision is due to his personality, and part of it is due to his background, having been an English viscount over 200 years ago.

    The story opens with Rhys coming to the aid of a young woman, Jane, who is being assaulted in an alley. Jane’s attacker gets away, but not after pistol whipping Rhys. Jane stays by his side and helps Rhys to his apartment with the assistance of his brothers. When Rhys comes to, he’s suffering from a bout of amnesia. Rhys mistakes Jane for his “intended,” and wraps her in an intimate embrace. Jane guilty enjoys Rhys’s advances, but assures him they aren’t engaged. It’s Sebastian who realizes that for the first time in his brother’s life, Rhys has unlocked the gate around his cool heart. Sebastian encourages Rhys to win Jane’s affections. Jane, who has lived a lonely life and was looking for a little direction is vulnerable to Rhys’s charms.

    Jane finds Rhys’s accent and old style mannerisms enchanting, but she has concerns over his habits. She notes how he only goes out at night and doesn’t care for mirrors. The chemistry between them is undeniable and Rhys’s hot kisses soon lead to nights of sinful passion.

    Jane and Christian soon notice the puncture wounds Rhys has left on her body. Christian, who has always harbored a deep seated resentment against his brother, conspires to keep Rhys and Jane apart. It soon comes down to the fact that Jane is dying from Rhys’s bites, bites he’s been unaware of because of his amnesia. The only way to save Jane is to make her a vampire. After Christian’s deception is revealed, and Rhys regains his memory, both he and Jane have tough choices to make. To save her life, will Jane allow Rhys to take the ultimate bite? The ending will satisfy those enjoy the paranormal romance genre.

    Love’s storytelling easily engages her readers. Her characters are interesting and dynamic. Love does write in a “Lonesome Dove” perspective, which switches point of view with no clear divisions or line breaks. This might be disconcerting to the reader. There’s a good blend of dialogue and narration.  Her love scenes are erotic and tender. “Fangs for the Memories,” is a story that allows the reader to deliciously escape in its romantic fantasy.