T5W - Summer Book Covers

Sorry this is so quick.  I've been a tad tardy on my updating recently but I hope to post some pics of my new - and beautiful - books soon ;-D

In the meantime, I'm back for another Top 5 Wednesday.  This week we're looking at Summer Book Covers.  You know, those books you look at an immediately think of summer - even in the middle of winter (which I am heading into!).

click image to enlarge

It took a lot of searching to come up with some Summer-type themes let me tell you.  I chose these because they each represented either the heat of summer, or had something identified uniquely with summer, like swimming or the beach.  The piggy bank was just a fun, bright and cheerful cover that I immediately associated with Summer, the sunnies just sealed the deal ;-D

Well, I don't think there's anything left to say about my choices.  Do they scream Summer to you?  Let me know in the comment area what you think.  I'd also love to hear what your favourite covers for summer are? 

If you're interested in becoming part of the Top 5 Wednesday family, then head on over to the Goodreads group {here}.  Also don't forget to check out some of the great BookTube videos, namely the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY - who created this series!

Until next time,

 

Series Update

It's just come to my attention (probably because I hadn't search for it) that Nancy Martin has added more titles to her Roxy Abruzzo series.

Initially it was just a stand alone story, Our Lady of Immaculate Deception, but now I have found that there is another title available.

Sticky Fingers

Roxy Abruzzo stays one step ahead of trouble----especially now that her cash flow is less than stellar, and she's "doing favors" for her slippery uncle Carmine, one of the last old-time Mob bosses in Pittsburgh. With her sidekick, Nooch, and her thieving pitbull, Rooney, Roxy hustles the mean streets collecting debts for Uncle Carmine and keeping his customers in line. With her daughter's college tuition to pay, Roxy can almost convince herself that the shady jobs are legal. But when Carmine's consigliere offers Roxy a contract to kidnap someone, that's a line she won't cross. Trouble is the kidnapping happens anyway, and when the victim turns up murdered, Roxy's number one on the police hit parade. To protect herself, she investigates and soon learns the victim had a big secret---or two. Add a rock singer with a penchant for dinosaur bones and throw in a pesky paleontologist, plus an ex-nun with a mustache problem---not to mention a sexy chef with a taste for whatever Roxy dishes up---and you've got a caper full of quirky characters and laugh-out-loud mayhem. Peppered as usual with Nancy Martin's sharp one-liners, Sticky Fingers---the second Roxy Abruzzo mystery---is even tastier than the first.

{synopsis taken from Book Depository}

Plus a Name Change...

Foxy Roxy (previously published as Our Lady of Immaculate Deception)

Big truck, big dog, big hair. Bad attitude. Roxy Abruzzo, bestseller Nancy Martin's latest creation, is the sexy, streetwise niece of a Pittsburgh crime boss, and she's trying to stay on the straight and narrow . . . most of the time. But now and then temptation is just too much for hot-blooded Roxy. As she prowls the mean streets looking for architectural treasures, she can't help swiping an ancient Greek statue that's not exactly hers. Then the statue's owner, heir to a billion-dollar steel fortune, gets himself killed, and the police investigation sweeps Roxy into a mess that requires all of her wits and wiles to escape. All this plus a dotty grand dame, a slippery lawyer, and an avaricious socialite or two makes for a lethal combination of danger and desperation--with Roxy in the middle. With her wicked sense of humor and a devilishly clever premise, author of the beloved Blackbird Sisters mysteries, Nancy Martin has started another outstanding mystery series with "Foxy Roxy."* *(Previously published in hardcover as "Our Lady of Immaculate Deception")

Our Lady of Immaculate Deception

Okay, this book is a doozy.  Nancy Martin, who also writes the Blackbird Sisters Mystery series, has come up with a character that has more than a few issues.  To put it simply, I did like this book but I had more than a few problems with Roxy Abruzzo, owner and manager of an architectural salvage company, who sleeps with anything that has a dick at the drop of a hat! Seriously, she doesn’t even have to know the guy but will fling him a condom and “...test his mileage.”   Hey, don’t blame me.  Her quote, not mine.  Now if she wasn’t such a . . . what’s the word I’m looking for . . . slut (and I really hate that word) then this would be a really great book.  If you can however get past her not so endearing hobby, Roxy is a funny, tough, level headed, independent single mum who struggles to pay the bills and stay out of her Uncle Carmine’s employment (mob boss), yet is loyal to her friends like Nooch. 

I have no idea whether this is part of a series, but I can definitely see more books featuring Roxy.  This gals got so much baggage to work through that you could get a whole Eve Dallas sized series out of her.  Her ex-lover Patrick Flynn (and father of her daughter) is back in her life.  A nice enough guy, Flynn's troubled past is hinted at here and there, but although he's still drawn to Roxy, he’s dating someone.  You can see the sparks fly between Flynn and Roxy that would have them wind up together in any future books, but with all the emotional baggage weighing them both down they’d more than likely sink like a bloody stone.  An emotional train crash just waiting to happen. 

The storyline for this book is simple, wife burns down house (with husband and his mistress inside), and from the ruins Roxy salvages a few items – including a nude Greek statue.  Turns out that this statue is worth an absolute fortune and was being hidden in plain site by the family’s matriarch (who is in and out of a convenient coma at a nursing home) and when her son is killed the same night Roxy takes the statue then it turns into a race against time until she can offload the antique for a good price, or the killer finds her.

The real scene stealer for me in this book was Rooney.  A moth eaten looking pit bull Roxy adopted that loves his momma, and will take a bite out of your arse at her say so.

Now, I’m not sure if I’d ever buy this book to put on my bookshelf, but I can see myself borrowing it again in the future.  I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who isn’t keen on reading sex scenes, not that it’s terribly graphic, but she does get around.  You do get sucked into Roxy’s world so it doesn’t take long to read. Great for a bus or train, or even during your lunch hour.

Rating: 3 / 5