I'm Watching You

The contest winners are:

HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS - Bishiesruleme
THE ELITE - Marjolein
VIOLET IN PRIVATE - Mari

Thanks for participating! Please e-mail me (inbedwithbooks AT yahoo DOT com) with your shipping address within 72 hours. If you do not contact me within that time new winners will be chosen.

Please go to the archives of my radio show to listen to an interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith. It's full of all sorts of goodness, including information about the upcoming ETERNAL and BLESSED.

By Mary Burton



Lindsay O’Neil survived her father’s abuse. He killed her mother and then himself, but she managed to survive and begin a sheltered for battered women. But now someone calling himself ‘The Guardian’ is threatening that. He’s killing abusers in her name and sending her their severed hands. To complicate matters, her estranged husband Zach Kier is one of the lead detectives investigating the case.

She and Zach separated due to his alcoholism, fueled partly by his work as an undercover vice cop. Zach managed to get clean, but Lindsay is still wary of renewing their relationship. His partner Jacob Warwick believes he’ll return to drinking as well and treats him rather brusquely.

Lindsay works with the cops to catch the killer, but she also tries to continue protecting battered women – including her secret roommate Nicole Piper. Unfortunately, some of those women are suspects. Even more unfortunately, Nicole’s husband is looking for her. I liked that Lindsay both had a reasonable motive for not cooperating completely with the police and didn’t go looking for the killer on her own. She trusts them to do their job.

I likewise enjoyed Mary Burton’s portrayal of Zach. An alcoholic is easy to make unlikeable. But I know many undercover narcotics cops do have substance abuse problems, and he made the effort to change his lifestyle and get clean. Lindsay’s decision to kick him out wasn’t the best possible, but it makes sense given her background of abuse.

Some scenes in I’M WATCHING YOU are rather violent, but I don’t think Burton revels in the gore as much as some suspense writers. Children (teenagers) are hurt during the course of the novel, which I know bothers some readers. There are many references to and scenes of abuse that might not be palatable to those close to the subject. Nothing in the story bothered me, but it does tread close to issues that bother some people (often with good reason).

Burton develops an interesting serial killer who is all the more disturbing because his motives are altruistic. I’M WATCHING YOU plays well within the conventions of the genre and possesses the favorable characteristics of a non-jerk hero and a thinking heroine.

You can find more information at Mary Burton's website. I'M WATCHING YOU is available now. The follow-up, DEAD RINGER, will be available in November.

My review copy was courtesy of Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

Fashion Week Day Six: Melissa Walker

Let's welcome the final Fashion Week guest author. In addition to writing the Violet series, she has worked for ELLEgirl and Seventeen. We've had blogs about swimsuits and bags, and now Melissa Walker is going to tell us about a true style icon.



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Melissa Walker on "Fashion People"

Sometimes my friends ask me what it's like to be around "Fashion People." Like designers and models and stylists and editors are some alien life form. And, okay, sometimes they act like it. My favorite "fashion people" are a little bit volatile, slightly catty, and always unpredictable. Razor sharp wit softens a bit when you add in a dash of brilliant creativity.

A fantastic representative of the quintessential "fashion person," in my mind, is Little Edie Beale. The cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, Little Edie lived with her mother (Big Edie) in a house called Grey Gardens in East Hampton, NY when the Maysles brothers filmed a documentary of their lives called, appropriately, Grey Gardens.

The two of them lived in a 28-room mansion off the water, where the gardens grew to cover the house and cats ran wild with raccoons in the attic.

It is a must-see film for anyone interested in fashion. From scarves wrapped into head-dresses and pinned with diamond broaches to skirts made from towels, Little Edie's style is all her own (and has inspired several fantastic fashion shoots, including this one from Vogue: http://greygardensthemusical.com/vogue/vogue.html).

Not just a fashion icon, but also a philosopher queen, Little Edie says the most wonderful things. One quote in particular, I think, is particularly fashion-worthy. She's reminiscing on the days when she was engaged to a Kennedy brother herself, the days when she was known as Edie "The Body" Beale. Then she looks off in the distance and quietly says, "It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present. You know what I mean? It's awfully difficult."

Little Edie is a quintessential fashion person, and she's my personal definition of crazy beautiful. Watch the movie, give it a shot, and let her inspire your whimsy.

Oh, and Drew Barrymore's doing a remake (http://justjared.buzznet.com/2007/10/23/drew-barrymore-grey-gardens/)—but watch the original first if you can!

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Don't forget to comment on this post for a bonus entry to win VIOLET IN PRIVATE, Walker's latest novel. Walker will be hosting a release party for VIP on her blog next week.

Fashion Week Day Five: Violet in Private

By Melissa Walker



Teen model Violet would like to lose the 'teen model' title. She stayed in the picture for the travel opportunities and because she liked the message a campaign was trying to send, but now she's ready to be a Vassar Girl. In addition to finding her place in college, with new friends, she's also discovering a talent for writing that lands her a job with magazine Teen Fashionista.

I respect Violet. She thinks she's much less assertive than she actually is, but it's easy to identify with that lack of self-confidence. Besides, it lends itself to a scene of supreme irony. (Those in middle or high school, take notes for your book reports. Teachers love irony.) Her ad about loving your body comes out, and her classmates think it doesn't work because the message doesn't square when paired with an image of ideal beauty. But the real reason it doesn't work is because Violet doesn't believe the message herself; she isn't comfortable with her body or the weight she lost for the ad. It's an incredible scene.

For those who have not read VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY or VIOLET BY DESIGN, I do not think it will be hard to get into VIOLET IN PRIVATE. Melissa Walker reviews past events concisely. These instances also don't come at once, but are spread throughout the story as they become relevant. She writes the relationships between the characters so well I think even newcomers will appreciate their progression.

The new relationships are also satisfying. Oliver is a nice guy and would be excellent for Violet if Roger weren't in the picture. Kurt is hilarious, but not a one note comic relief. Some of his cutting remarks are actually pretty cruel.

While Violet gains new friendships and grows as a person, she still makes some mistakes. She enjoys her internship with Teen Fashionista and makes the most of that opportunity. On the other hand, she's horribly irresponsible about her remaining modelling jobs. She doesn't talk to her boss or her coworker sometimes, and makes no effort to promote the campaign. It's easy to understand why she wants to avoid confrontation, but in a few moments it is hard to feel sympathy for her because of the way she ignored her responsibilities.

VIOLET IN PRIVATE could be a wonderful end to the series, or we could be lucky enough for a fourth. It's a well-written story with likeable characters, reasonable dilemmas, and it addresses various issues in a mature manner. (One I would like to talk about would absolutely spoil the book. Feel the frustration of the reviewer!) Plus, there's Christian Louboutin heels. Those things are crazy.

VIOLET IN PRIVATE hits shelves this Tuesday, August 5th. That means the winner will get it pretty close to the release date! You can find out more on Walker's blog. Plus, she has contests every Wednesday!

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To win VIOLET IN PRIVATE, leave a comment on this post.

Fashion Week Day Three: The Elite

By Jennifer Banash



From Normal, Illinois to the Upper East Side – Casey’s made quite a move and she’s not sure how to adjust. She’s armed with Abercrombie and American Apparel, but soon realizes she’s out of her depth. She feels how much she doesn’t fit in the first time she meets Madison Macallister, Phoebe Reynaud, and Sophie St. John. But Sophie and Phoebe kind of like her and talk Madison into a makeover. However, Casey is attracting attention from Drew Van Allen, Madison’s on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Madison and Drew are currently in an off-period due to a disaster on their last date, after which they separated from the summer. Madison thinks Drew will come right back to her, and he would if they didn’t keep awkwardly messing things up with each other. Their relationship is realistically rough. I also appreciate that they are not actually dating when Casey and Drew discover their attraction. I do find it hard to cheer for a character who is trying to steal another person’s boyfriend.

Sophie and Phoebe get their own character arcs as well. Phoebe, like Casey, is facing a problem normal to teenagers. She listens nightly to her parents fighting, comforting her sister Bijoux and wondering when they’ll finally divorce. Sophie thinks her biggest problem is adjusting to her older brother moving back into the house, but her parents drop a bombshell on her. Her storyline is probably the most far-fetched in THE ELITE. Like her, I cannot understand why her parents choose to keep the secret from her for sixteen years. It’s hurtful.

One of THE ELITE’s strong points is the fact that it possesses more realism than most of the mean girl/clique books currently on the market. For one thing, Jennifer Banash mentions sale racks. Yes, the characters still have ridiculous amounts of money but they acknowledge how expensive designer clothes can be and thus don’t fear the sale rack. It’s about the quality of the clothes and how they look on you, not the current trend.

I also like Drew more than the love interest in most of the books. He’s a bit of a geek at heart, only polished by Madison and then some travel abroad. He likes museums and foreign films. C’mon, who doesn’t like a boy who likes Almódovar? And while everyone likes a villain, Madison isn’t over-the-top evil. She’s confident and can be mean, but she’s also just a girl who doesn’t know how to talk to the boy she likes.

Some of THE ELITE’s twists are easy to see coming, but it’s still a fun ride. I enjoyed Banash’s first foray in YA literature and I’ll be back for IN TOO DEEP. You can find out more at The Elite site or at Banash's MySpace.

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Comment on this entry to be entered to win a copy of THE ELITE! Come back tomorrow for a guest blog by Jennifer Banash.

Fashion Week is here!

Welcome to In Bed With Books Fashion Week! For this event, there are going to be three authors guesting on the blog.

JULY 29: Maryrose Wood

JULY 31: Jennifer Banash

AUGUST 2: Melissa Walker

All of them wrote wonderful pieces, so be sure to stop by for all three!

In addition to these special guests, there is going to be a giveaway. Three people will win either HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS, THE ELITE, or VIOLET IN PRIVATE. These giveaway copies were graciously provided by the Penguin imprint Berkley Jam.

The rules for the giveaway are:

1. To enter, leave a comment on the review of the book.
Closed: HOW I FOUND THE PERFECT DRESS, THE ELITE, and VIOLET IN PRIVATE
2. To receive another entry, leave a comment on the author's guest blog (posted the next day).
Closed: Maryrose Wood, Jennifer Banash, and Melissa Walker
3. One extra entry can be received by posting about the contest. To receive this entry, link to your post here and tell me which book you want to put the third entry towards. If you don't tell me I'll choose for you.

All three contests close midnight Sunday, August 3rd. Winners will be announced on the 4th.