@GoddessFish, @Archaeolibrary, #Suspense, #Adventure, #Romance

 

When Teresa Diaz's father is arrested in an ICE raid in a Los Angeles area city and deported back to Mexico, her family begins to come apart. She is a student at UCLA on a scholarship for undocumented aliens (Dreamers) looking to have a life in the U.S. in communications. Her brother in High school and her elementary school sister begin having serious troubles without a father in the household.

 

At work in a fast-food drive-through, Teri, as she wants to be known is approached by a Mexican gangbanger who offers to take you to her father. Doubting the guy wants more than picking her up, she resists, but day by day, as her sister is sent home from school and her brother is brought home dunk by the police, she gives in and goes across the border with him. Against her wishes, he takes her to a beach house in Tijuana and leaves her. She learns that illegal activities are going on in the house but without transportation, and without a birth certificate --either Mexican or American-- she can't cross the border alone.

 

After several days, virtually a prisoner, the owner of the house, a fat woman known as Mama Gorda arranges to get her across the border with a young Mexican man who rides a fast motorcycle. On the way, he takes her to lunch and there offers to talk her deeper into Mexico to find her father. She agrees, travels in his private plane and begins a romance while searching for her father in Michoacan state. The more she becomes involved, the more she is involved in activities she doesn't understand but suspects they're illegal.

 

Returning to Monte Vista, her LA area home, still without her father, she finds she can no longer return to UCLA, seeks a job, connects with a Latina who bullied her he school. When her brother is arrested for jobbery, Teri returns to Mexico seeking help from the people she suspects to belong to a cartel.

 

Ultimately, she is sponsored by the people in Mexico to participate in the Miss Mexico contest, not realizing it is the Cartel that is promoting her. In the end, she will face a life-changing decision whether to continue her romance with the son of the cartel's head or try to stand on her own. And whether to remain in Mexico or return to LA.

It all started with Marx;: A brief and o...

I finished this one and it took forever because I didn't like it. And then I more or less immediately started English Lit Relit. It could have been a bad choice: if I was just tired of Armour's sameness, then another would have been an awful idea.

But I'm really enjoying English Lit. Yeah, my degree is in English lit, so I know more about the topic, which probably helps some. That isn't the big difference though. The big difference, in my considered and re-considerd opinion, is that Armour doesn't know as much about communism and/or Russian history.

In Marx the jokes rarely rise above "he was short". So, not quality humor.That's both terribly obvious and not actually amusing.

English Lit, though, that's his specialty. So the jokes are more clever, more subtle, and for that matter, probably better auditioned and rehearsed. It's easy to imagine Armour the Professor lecturing on early English poets. You're plowing through a thousand years of literature in a semester, your text is a fat, heavy Norton Anthology printed on tissue paper to fit in as many pages a possible. Some of it is familiar, or stirring, or new to you, but much of it is just a tedious droning on and on about the same tired symbolism and such. You maybe get something three things that stopped being amusing a couple of centuries back, and once in the whole class if you're lucky there's something that really amuses you. In that setting a lighthearted lecture, or a throw-away line, can really wake you back up.

 

So, that was an interesting thing to realize.

 

Library copy

The poetry is better than the short fiction.  The poems about Blake are beautiful.

Sack Time - A.M. Willard *Warning do not eat or drink while reading Sack Time. *
Rules have never been more fun to break…

Sack Time is the perfect mix of Romance and Comedy. I was hooked from the beginning to end. I laughed as soon I started reading this book. I enjoy reading Willard’s work. The story like was good and flowed well. This story was filled with romance, secrets, laughter, determination, sexy doctor, strength, kitty cats, crazy woman, lady balls and blue balls. Man, there is a lot of ball talk. Which makes it all that funnier. As I usually feel when it comes to Willard’s work, I’d love to see Sherry & Greyson's story continue. There’s no cliffhanger or anything, but I’m just an avid reader that always wants more. Thank you, Annelle for another entertaining, comedic, and swoon worthy story. I can’t wait to see what Willard comes up with next!

Heated Sweets - A.M. Willard It's a very emotional read but I loved it anyway. Story is amazing and I already love all the characters from previous books.
Frankie has struggled all her life. She doesn't think that she can give anyone his happy ending. So when ever someone gets to close she runs. That's what happened with Brody. They have a long, sometimes happy and sometimes painful past. But they can never return to the way they were. Frankie has moved on with her life and now Brody is just a friend...
Evan on the other hand is someone she can see having a future with. Her life isn't easy and she just doesn't want to end up hurting anyone. Not to mention that Evan has a son and if she did give their relationship a try and it didn't work then she'd be hurting both father & son. Although she wants happiness for herself but she can't be selfish...
Maybe if she opens her heart things might go her way. After all Evan is perfect for her and it's high time that she stopped running.
This book is a tear jerker, at least it was for me. I find Frankie's story very sad, good this that it ended happily or I might have hated it. ;) In any case, I enjoyed reading it and I think anyone who likes chick-lit will enjoy this book. The friendship which Frankie has with Zara, Natasha, and Morgan is just as strong as can be. I loved how they are always there for each other. It's very refreshing to read about bonds like that. I think how story focuses on 'friendship' is the best thins about this series.
Love is important but friendship matters too...
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