Weekend! Almost weekend and what a disappointing weather did we have here in the Netherlands after such a lovely, warm and sunny weekend... rain, clouds and cold wind and this when the summer holidays are just around the corner!

I spend some of last weekend going through travel brochures, looking for a nice place to relax for a couple of weeks and Italy is very high on my list to visit again. Why? Italy has it all, Roman culture, beautiful old sights, museums, nature and beaches, great food and... handsome, dark, sexy men!! Also, Italians know how to dress perfectly (well not all but most of them), yes I have strained my neck many times trying to get a good visual of such a handsome, well dressed member of the opposite sex. So to get in the holiday mood, here some pics of one of my favorite places in Italy, the magnificent Amalfi coast...

This week it's my first turn for "On the ROOB Radar" and I had to think long and hard about which books I'm looking forward to I wanted to mention here. First I wanted to show some books that are on my list in the near future..June/July 2010 releases in different genres but when I started looking through my list. Hmm should I say list? It's more like a partial list on the computer, an enormous amount of random post-it notes on my desk with titles scribbled on them and a folder in my email inbox with forwarded tweets with release annnouncements by various authors. But let's call it a list to keep it simple. As said when I started looking through it I noticed quite some romantic suspense titles on it and as it is one of my favorite genres I want to share some of them I'm really looking forward to.

Release: June 29, 2010
Website
(Pre-)Order
Book 2 of the Tracers Series
Summary:
ELAINA MCCORD WANTS TO FIND A KILLER.
BUT HE’S ALREADY FOUND HER.

Elaina McCord’s dream of being an FBI profiler is in danger with her first case—investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. The victims, all young women, were drugged and brutally murdered, their bodies abandoned in desolate marshland. Elaina’s hunch—met with disbelief by local police—is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years, growing bolder and more cunning with each strike.

True-crime writer Troy Stockton has a reputation as an irresistible playboy who gets his story at any cost. He’s the last person Elaina should trust, let alone be attracted to. But right now Troy, along with the elite team of forensics experts known as the Tracers, are her only allies in a case that’s turning dangerously personal. A killer is reaching out to Elaina, taunting her, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he’s getting. Now it’s not just her career that’s in danger—it’s her life. . . .

Release: September 2010
Website
(Pre-)Order
Book 3 of the Sweet Justice Series
Summary:
The man she'd trust with her heart could sabotage everything...

When terrorists attack a Haitian missionary school, brutally killing their hostages and posting videos of the senseless murders online, time is running out. Sentinels' agent Alexa Marlowe is forced into an unlikely alliance with a relentless mercenary. But he is no stranger.

Jackson Kinkaid witnessed the raid, and only he can track the killers to their mountain stronghold. Guarding a dark secret, rumored to sell his services to the highest bidder, Jackson is not the same man Alexa once knew. And although he can lead her to the terrorist leader she's been ordered to take alive, how can she be sure he won't sabotage her mission to save the one person who got him through the worst nightmare of his life?

Release: September 1, 2010
Website
(Pre-)Order
Book 2 of the Sheridan Series
Summary:
Mia Kettering is a ruthless killer who hides in plain sight. No one believes that a wealthy socialite could be capable of murder, but this beautiful woman has already committed horrific crimes. Mia has begun to play out a master plan that will leave six women murdered, punished for their dark pasts. Detective Dani Cole is determined to track down a serial killer whose victims include a young woman she pulled out of a life of crime. Her investigation leads her to a photography foundation and the renowned photographer Mitch Sheridan, who once saved her life but then disappeared. Dani and Mitch are instantly attracted to each other, though their troubled pasts keep them from getting too close. Together, through the course of the investigation, they unearth a dark chain of deception that leads to a killer who is closer than they think.

Release: October 26, 2010
Website
(Pre-)Order
Book 3 of the Armed and Dangerous Series
Summary:
After a bitter divorce, reporter Kelsey Nichols has erected a border around her heart too strong for any man to cross. She’s not ready for a relationship of any kind with any man. But when Kelsey meets Kade she can think of nothing but being in his powerful arms and in his bed.

Intelligence Agent Kade Owen is hot on the trail of a notorious smuggler when the sensual blonde reporter comes into his life. Once he gets a hold of Kelsey, nothing will stop Kade from winning her heart.

Release: November, 2010
Website
(Pre-)Order
Book 1 of the Guardian Angelinos Series
Summary:
The killer she can't escape . . .
The heartbreak she can't forget . . .
The one man who can stop them both.

When Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works, the Harvard-bound law student becomes the next target of a professional assassin. Desperate for protection the authorities won't provide, Sam seeks help from Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter who recruits her brother, Zach, to protect Samantha. A Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he's equally fearless and flawed, Zach takes the job, despite the fact that he and Sam once shared a lusty interlude that ended when he left for war and disappeared from her life. Now, as they crack a conspiracy that leads to Boston's darkest corners, Sam and Zach must face their fears, desires, and doubts, before a hired killer gets a second shot...

Sex and the City – Which girl are you?

Somewhere last week, a Sex and the City special was aired on our cable-TV, and I absolutely loved an evening with these four girls. Ever since the show started airing here in the Netherlands I’ve been hooked on it and couldn’t wait to see what the girls in New York were up to next. It got me thinking however, why did this series appeal so much to me? Was it the setting? Well to be honest New York is not my thing. I am a bling bling girl but Manola Blahniks don’t get my hormones raging, I’m no big fan of designer clothes and the partying scene. But if this all didn’t do it for me, what was?

To be honest the guys playing in the series were nice eye-candy (most of the time, I mean Alexsandr Petrovsky – Carrie girl, you can have him anytime, he’s not my cuppa tea, but then again, if the shoe fits…) but that was not it, the topics discussed were fabulous ofcourse, but coming from the country housing the all-time famous Amsterdam for all it’s… uhm… attributes… not shocking. Although I have to admit I just love the fact us woman were able to shock the unknowing guys out there. These four fabulous woman outted us in that way. All over the world men were stunned to see what we all talked about out of their earshot. You thought your talks about the “next-door-neighbours-sexy twins” was a hot topic in the gym’s dressingroom, wait till us girls get out to lunch, diner, walk in the park, on a shopping spree or just at home!



What appeals to me so much is that four completely different girls, brought together in friendship, sticking with eachother in the good, the bad and the ugly times, is what really got me hooked onto this series. The humor in dialogues, incredibly funny, and for those who know me… I just got to have the laughter in whichever I do.

But looking at the four totally different personifications I got to look at myself as well and started thinking, which one do I resemble the most? That was a difficult question! I’m not sure really, because looking at the characters of Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie I see some of them back in myself. On one moment I would like to think I’m as out-going and open like Samantha, however I used to be very carreer-driven (BCA (before car accident)) like Miranda, I am old-fashioned and a romantisist as Charlotte and I can be pointy and spot on like Carrie and definitely as frivolous as well. Hmmm self-analyzing, I’m wondering is that a 30-y.o. thing? I don’t remember doing so in my twenties, but ever since that big 3-0 hit me it’s a total shift in thought-prosessing, anyway, enough said about me, I was wondering, which of the SATC-girls do you resemble most?

SAMANTHA JONES
Samantha Jones is a powerful, uninhibited public relations executive and probably the most outgoing female character in television history. Samantha loves men and sex and doesn't care who knows it. She boldly goes after any man she finds the least bit attractive or appealing, but only to have sex with him. Throughout most of the series Samantha does not believe in the conventional relationship. She believes monogamy is unnatural and makes it her business to have as much sex as she possibly can. She describes herself as tri-sexual ("I'll try anything once!"), she brags about the fact that she can "have sex like a man", without getting emotionally involved. The number of sexual partners she has had throughout the show is way up there.

SATC: The Movie - quote
Samantha Jones: Jesus honey! Wax much?
Miranda Hobbes: What? My marriage is going through a rough spot. I dont have time to wax!
Samantha Jones: Don't blame marriage. She's married and she's not growing a national forest.

SATC: Series - quote
Carrie : I'm not going to replace a man with some battery-operated device.
Miranda : You haven't met The Rabbit.
Samantha : Oh come on, if you're going to get a vibrator, at least get one called The Horse.

MIRANDA HOBBES
Miranda Hobbes is the feminst of the group, a career-minded lawyer at a New York firm (bordering on a workaholic personality), she is firm in her belief that men and women should be equal, and has cynical views on relationships and men. She eventually finds a way to balance career, being single, and motherhood. Of the four women, she is the first to purchase an apartment (an indicator of her success), which she gives up when she moves into a Brooklyn townhouse in the final season to make room for her growing family.

SATC: Series - quotes
Miranda Hobbes: I'm in the woods in my negligee and my cell phone only has two bars left. HELP!

Miranda Hobbes: Why do we get stuck with old maid and spinster and men get to be bachelors and playboys?

CHARLOTTE YORK
Charlotte York is the daughter of Dr. Stephen Foster York and Sandra Whitehead York. She is an art dealer and Smith College graduate (where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma) with a Connecticut blue-blooded upbringing. Charlotte is the more laid back girl of the four characters from Sex and the City and she is the most conservative and traditional of the group, placing more emphasis on emotional love than lust, she is always searching for her "knight in shining armor." Presenting a more straightforward attitude about relationships, usually based upon "The Rules" of love and dating, she often scoffs at the lewder, more libertine antics that the New York dating scene entails (primarily like Samantha’s life). Despite her conservative outlook, she has been known to make concessions that surprise even her sexually freer girlfriends (such as her level of dirty talk, oral sex in public, etc.).

SATC: Series - quotes
Charlotte York: Allow me to get right to the point, guys. After careful consideration, I have decided that I am getting married this year.

Charlotte York: Everyone needs a man. That's why I rent. If you own and he still rents, then the power structure is all off. It's emasculating. Men don't want a woman who's too self-sufficient.
Samantha Jones: I'm sorry, did someone just order a Victorian straight up?

CARRIE BRADSHAW
Carrie Bradshaw is a New York Times columnist with an extreme case of shoe-fetishism and designer-clothes. She is the frivolous one, and cannot stop thinking about the love of her life (who she has an on-off relationship with). When she is not writing about her relationships, sex, men, women, careers, etc. for her column, she is shopping (mostly for designer shoes) or chatting and going out with her three best friends; Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte.

SATC: Series - quotes
Carrie Bradshaw: Modelizers are obsessed not with women but with models, who in most cities are safely confined to billboards and magazines, but in Manhattan actually run wild on the streets, turning the city into a virtual model country safari where men can pet the creatures in their natural habitat.

Carrie Bradshaw: One woman's Titanic is another woman's Love Boat.

You can find me back at my personal blog:
Natascha's Place (still a work in progress, so bare with me for a week or two before it's finally up and running)
or
Twitter-account: Natascha_ROOB

Now my next guy is Connor who likes to help Alexander from time to time and provides a great shower sandwich for me *grin*


Now Nathaniel is all brooding and mysterious, doesn't say much and always follows me with his intense stare. He quotes me poems and challenges my taste buds with foreign food. I just love him...



And last but not least...my teddy bear, Mike. He is the one who massages me after a long, hard day. He is the one who loves to snuggle until the body demands a more *achem* intimate friction LOL He turns bedtime in to so much fun :)


These guys are just a few who linger in my stable but I hope you will all give them a warm welcome here at ROOB. Have a great weekend all, don't do anything I wouldn't do and I would love to hear what your wicked plans are for three days of playtime! 

NORA ROBERTS - THE SEARCH
Release date : July 6, 2010
Website Nora Roberts
ISBN-10: 0399156577
ISBN-13: 978-0399156571
Publisher: Putnam Adult


Synopsis
The serviceable latest from Roberts centers on Fiona Bristow, a professional canine search-and-rescue trainer, who moved to Orcas Island in Puget Sound eight years earlier, just after barely escaping from a serial killer. The story opens with Simon Doyle, an artisan cabinetmaker who arrives on the island with a puppy in tow. It's the puppy that brings Fiona and Simon together, and the romance gets off to a rocky start; he's grumpy and plainspoken; she doesn't scare easily. Then a serial killer begins operating within striking distance, and all Fiona's hard-won peace and equanimity begins to wobble: the man who almost killed her is in prison, but he's got a disciple on the outside.

KAREN ROBARDS – SHATTERED
Releasedate: March 2010
Website Karen Robards
ISBN-10: 0-399-15627-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-399-15627-4
Publisher: Putnam Adult

Synopsis
The past is never over. It just gets dusty.
Lisa Shewmaker was a rising star in a prestigious law firm in Lexington, Kentucky; that is, until the firm went bankrupt and she lost her job. With an ailing mother to care for, Lisa takes the first position she can find: research assistant to District Attorney Scott Buchanan. Scott is as disagreeable as he is sexy, and Lisa suspects the only reason she got the job is because of her privileged upbringing as the daughter of a wealthy federal judge.

While reviewing cold cases in the Fayette County courthouse, a particularly thick manila envelope draws Lisa's attention. The details of the case are engrossing: An entire family-father, mother, and two children-disappeared more than twenty-eight years ago. Except that's not all: The mother in the photo could have been Lisa's twin, and the toddler in the picture bears an uncanny resemblance to Lisa herself. Before Lisa can learn more about her past, a series of catastrophes strike close to home. Lisa confides in Scott, and their relationship develops into something completely different. Together Lisa and Scott unravel a terrifying web of criminal connections that could destroy the very fabric of Lisa's life-if she lives long enough, that is.

RACHAEL HERRON – HOW TO KNIT A LOVE SONG
Releasedate: March 2010
Website Rachael Herron
ISBN-10: 0-06-184129-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-184129-3
Publisher: Avon


Synopsis
Abigail is more than ready for a change when she inherits a cottage from her beloved mentor, knitting guru Eliza Carpenter. Leaving the oppressive city for the greener pastures of a small California beach town, she intends to turn her cozy little windfall into a knitting shop and spend her days spinning, designing, and purling. But she's not going to be welcomed with open arms by her new neighbor. Eliza's disgruntled nephew, the gorgeous Cade, now owns everything surrounding Abigail's ramshackle new home, and he views this sexy city girl as an unwanted interloper.

But chemistry working overtime is drawing two very different people closer than they ever thought possible. And when the past that Abigail thought she'd left behind comes calling, she'll have to somehow learn to trust her handsome adversary with much more than just her heart.

This is a search I’m fairly proud of and I’m really looking forward to reading these novels!

SARAH MCCARTY – Shadow Wrangler series – erotica
Website Sarah McCarty

CALEB
Releasedate: October 2009
ISBN-10: 0-425-23057-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23057-2
Publisher: Berkley Trade


Synopsis
Allie always desired mysterious, sexy rancher Caleb Johnson, but he never seemed to notice her. Until the night she's attacked by a vicious animal, and rescued by a shapeshifting vampire that she almost seems to recognize: the baritone growl, the mesmerizing eyes, the inexplicable animal attraction. That's because her savior is Caleb, and now he has no choice but to bring Allie into the shadows with him - to protect her from a rival werewolf pack, and to finally reveal his true feelings for the woman he's been afraid to love.

JARED
Releasedate: April 2010
ISBN-10: 0-425-23240-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23240-8
Publisher: Berkley Trade


Synopsis
Jared Johnson has always been a force to be reckoned with, first as an outlaw and now as a vampire. Caught in a war between immortals, he doesn't have time to waste, but when a female vampire is attacked, he can't just walk away. He expects a quick goodbye, but what he gets is a vulnerable woman who intrigues and seduces while giving away nothing of the secrets holding her hostage.

Raisa may not have extreme physical strength, but she's been able to survive as a vampire longer than most by keeping to herself. But that's about to change. Forced to accept Jared's protection, Raisa finds it increasingly hard to resist his forbidden allure while keeping the secret that could destroy them both.

This following book is one that caught my attention because, eventhough it’s not romance, but because it’s something totally different on my shelves to read!

ANTONIA S BYATT – THE CHILDREN’s BOOK
Release date: August 2010
Website AS Byatt
ISBN-10: 0-307-47306-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-307-47306-6
Publisher: Vintage

Synopsis
Olive Wellwood is a famous writer, interviewed with her children gathered at her knee. For each, she writes a private book, bound in its own colour and placed on a shelf. In their rambling house near Romney Marsh the children play in a storybook world - but their lives, and those of their rich cousins and friends, are already inscribed with mystery. Each family carries its own secrets.

Born at the end of the Victorian era and growing up in the golden summers of Edwardian times, a whole generation grew up unaware of the darkness ahead; in their innocence, they were betrayed unintentionally by the adults who loved them.

Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Pocket (May 25, 2010)
ISBN-10: 143914799X
ISBN-13: 978-1439147993
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Book two in Elemental Assassin series
Main Characters: Gin Blanco, Donovan Caine, Finnegan Lane, Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux.
On sale at: Book Depository Store.com

Cover Summary:
Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.

I'm Gin Blanco.

You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

Leontine's Review: Jennifer Estep impressed me with her first novel in her Elemental Assassin series; Spider’s Bite. Now I have read WEB OF LIES and she did it all over again and then some! I just love the world she created with the Runes, elemental magic and the corrupt and violent Ashland. Friend and foe characters come alive via Estep’s imaginative and flowing writing style and the mystery ensnares from page one. The driving force in Web of Lies is Gin Blanco and she has become one of my favorite heroines in 2010.

Just by reading the first chapters Gin already reintroduced her quirky persona to me, though she has retired as an assassin she is far from being a desperate housewife. She runs the Pork Pit and with three cliché sentences, quote WoL; “Freeze! Nobody move! This is a robbery!” the plot commences. With these words uttered Gin is forced to fall back on her assassin skills as she is gradually pulled deeper and deeper in a scheme for more money at the expense of innocent people. From those cliché sentences I got a feel Jennifer Estep was instantly presenting me with key characters who were involved in the plot somehow. Jake McAllister and Eva Grayson where only the first two I got to meet who were related to some of the most influential people in Ashland.

Gin Blanco is an assassin who tries to lead a normal life. She enjoys cooking and is good at it, she also takes classes at a community college and runs the Pork Pit. In some ways Gin is very caring yet her morals guide her, and her assassin side is lethal which can quickly emerge to take charge in dangerous situations. Gin’s humor was also evident as she can reflect on her own behavior at times yet it is her passion and loyalty that prevents her from becoming too cold or distant. It makes her a very fascinating character and combined with her inner thoughts she is a woman that will stick out of a crowd.

From the first page in Web of Lies the mystery was in my face and the hints made me wonder about the bigger picture because if there is one thing this author does excellent is putting together a layered plot. With the folder left by her former handler it is almost as if Fletcher Lane is challenging her curiosity from the beyond. It brought family issues to the forefront and I was just as curious as Gin to find out how it was all interconnected with each other. Because next to the family secrets that needs to be solved there was also the current plot at work. This started when a young woman named Violet Fox came to the Pork Pit asking for the help of the Tin Man, which so happened to be the assassin name of Fletcher Lane.

There’s almost nothing more gratifying then when a mystery builds up to a pinnacle where it is all or nothing. Where true evil lurks around to fulfill their self centered needs for more power and more money. Those who will not shy away from extortion or murder to get their obstacles out of their way. The trepidation of whether it was all going to work out, whether the good would victor the bad, was making my heart beat faster and simultaneously drove me to read the pages faster too. Tobias Dawson and Mab Monroe were cruel, self-absorbed and violent but incredible characters I just ‘love to hate’ and it contributed to the need to see where their scheming would end.

Next to Gin there was a distinct group of supportive characters who I never grew tired of. First of all, the dwarfs Sophia and Jo-Jo; Sophia is a cook at the Pork Pit and can clean up a crime scene like nobody’s business. Jo-Jo is an Air Elemental, a healer and a beautician, both sisters are loyal friends to Gin and they are secondary characters that bring more flavor to the story. Finnegan Lane is a charmer of the highest order, his humor makes me smile and he is the brother Gin never wanted but will always need. Next to a few characters Gin trusts there’s also Donovan Caine, she feels an attraction for him that is not going away, something she wishes to explore but Donovan’s code of justice is a huge obstacle for them to overcome. Another man who captured my attention is Owen Grayson, he is also a man who doesn’t back down easily and contains a charm all of his own. He definitely remains on my radar!

The romance plays the third wheel in Web Of Lies yet I couldn’t escape the impact of certain actions and decisions made by Donovan and Gin. It created a drama I didn’t expect and tugged at my heart strings. This is mostly because Gin is such an awesome heroine who I also want to see happy romantically. She gives me all of her angst, her passion, her joy via the first person narrative. She is an assassin called The Spider, she lives by her own morals but deeply cares for those rare few who niggle their way into her heart. The potential of the fiery attraction is pulsating between Gin and Donovan, and though it might not be the center of attention it simmered of the pages each time they met.

Gin Blanco is an assassin with heart you’ll love instantaneously! WEB OF LIES contains a distinct and memorable cast of characters who toke me on a ride to unravel a mystery so well-crafted that I breathlessly turned the pages in want to find it all out. All that is left for me is to eagerly count down for the release of VENOM.

Quote Gin:
I heard the hard resolution in his voice. Donovan Caine had made himself a promise, and he wasn’t going to break it. Oh, I imagined I could get him to forget about his morals, his rules, his vows. All I’d have to do would be to crawl over and start giving him the lap dance of his life. A variation of the striptease I’d performed earlier this evening in the rain. But I’d made the first move twice now. I wanted the detective to want me, Gin Blanco, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not just succumb to my charms in the heat of the moment, then feel guilty about it afterward.

Apreantly I have to use Random.org for a fair drawing, so here goes...52 comment and the comment number who wins is

*drumroll please*


WINNER comment # 40: Ina said...

Hi there!

wow, ladies I like your posts more and more - ever thought about writing a book? I def would buy and read it!

congrats on the new blog - so far I really like it but I will spend more time here to be sure *gg*

wish you all the best,

Ina

Congratulations Ina, contact (contact button is on the right menu sidebar) us with your addy info and your books will get send to you ASAP!!