So Damn Lucky by Deborah Coonts ~ My Thoughts

So Damn Lucky

So Damn Lucky by Deborah Coonts 
Series: Lucky O'Toole #3
Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Published June 13th 2015

Magician Dimitri Fortunoff appears to have a fatal accident while performing his final trick at the performance marking the end of a forty-year run of one of Las Vegas’ most renowned burlesque shows. Soon after, his body disappears and the questions mount for Lucky O’toole, head of Customer Relations for the Babylon resort, the crown jewel of the mega-resorts dotting the Las Vegas Strip.

But the timing couldn’t be worse. Her live-in lover, Teddie, is on tour with a young and lovely pop star. Paxton Dane, a handsome Texan long on charisma and short on history, is forcing himself into the void of Teddie’s absence, and a suave French chef is proving to be equal parts charm and venom, seasoned with a dash of irresistible.

But Lucky can’t shake the question: Did Dimitri Fortunoff really die or is this an elaborate hoax? The trail leads her through the miles of storm culverts under the city of Las Vegas, to the hordes of believers who gather at Rachel for a glimpse of a UFO, to hints of secret programs at Area 51, then culminates on the catwalk above the crowd attending the annual, Harry Houdini Séance on Halloween, where Lucky must risk her life to catch a killer.

My thoughts about So Damn Lucky ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Some things in life are best savored alone—sex is not one of them."

Lucky O'Toole has a great life. She is head of Customer Relations for the Babylon resort, she has a lot of respect in the community, she has a set of parents who love her, and a boyfriend who may or may not want to commit. Well, that last part might not be so great.

I love this series. I never know what kind of adventure I will be starting when I open the next book. I know I can count on great characters getting into all kinds of trouble. And lots of humor. And there's always the mystery that Lucky has to solve but that's what makes this series a pageturner. How can so much go wrong? It's so much fun trying to figure out how it's all going to turn out.

I enjoy being a part of Lucky's world and I can't wait to start my next adventure with Lucky and her crew.  

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Read my thoughts about  

Wanna Get Lucky (book #1)
Lucky Stiff (book #2)
Lucky in Love (book #2.5)

Deborah previously visited The Book Bag and talked about the 'voices in her head'. Read what she had to say here.

Find the complete list of the Lucky series books here.

About the Author

My mother tells me I was born a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted. These things I do know: I was raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer. I am the author of Wanna Get Lucky? (A NY Times Notable Crime Novel and double RITA™ Finalist), its five sequels, Lucky Break being the latest, four between-the-books novellas and the first in a new series, Crushed, a novel of wine and love.

Currently I’m stretching my writer muscles working on a women’s fiction/contemporary romance series set in Napa, a dark thriller, a romantic suspense series featuring a female helicopter pilot, as well as the next Lucky adventure—all very different projects. So, if you see me with a glass of Champagne in hand, you’ll understand. I can usually be found at the bar, but also at www.deborahcoonts.com.

Connect with Deborah

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Lucky in Love by Deborah Coonts ~ My Thoughts

Lucky in Love

Lucky in Love by Deborah Coonts 
Series: Lucky O'Toole #2.5
Kindle e-book, 122 pages
Published Published June 13th 2015 by Deborah B. Coonts

Lucky O’Toole, the Vice President of Customer Relations for the Babylon, one of Las Vegas’ most over-the-top strip properties, is seriously regretting booking a reality television show, The Forever Game, into the small theatre at her hotel. One thing she knows for sure: Vegas does NOT need a dose of reality.

The four couples competing in the Forever Game add their own mischief to the incendiary mix normally available in Sin City while competing for a Las Vegas wedding extravaganza. The host of the show, Trey Gold, appears interested only in keeping the spotlight on himself while the contestants run-wild sampling all Vegas has to offer, threatening to blow the whole show out of the water.

Not only must Lucky keep the couples from killing each other, killing their relationships, or ending up on the front page of the Review-Journal, she has to navigate the rocky road to love herself. Teddie, her live-in lover is leaning more-and-more towards chasing a new dream as a singer, leaving Vegas…and Lucky behind. And a new French chef who seems determined to muddy the murky waters of love even further.

Then there’s Lucky’s mother, Mona, who never could leave well enough alone….

My thoughts about Lucky in Love ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"'Did you know my wife is seriously into chicks?' The guy was brave, I'd grant him that. Approaching a woman in a bar with that line was no small feat, even in Vegas."

And so begins another fun romp into Lucky's world. I love Lucky and this series is such a treat to read. First of all, it's set in Vegas, and who doesn't have a good time there?

Then there's the fun, quirky set of character. I love catching up with them with each new story and it's wonderful to see the characters grow and move forward with their lives. Some series I have read just seem like things stay the same. Not this one—you never know what is going happen. The humor in this series and the great characters keep me coming back for more.

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Read my thoughts about  

Wanna Get Lucky (book #1)
Lucky Stiff (book #2)

Deborah previously visited The Book Bag and talked about the 'voices in her head'. Read what she had to say here.

Find the complete list of the Lucky series books here.

About the Author

My mother tells me I was born a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted. These things I do know: I was raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer. I am the author of Wanna Get Lucky? (A NY Times Notable Crime Novel and double RITA™ Finalist), its five sequels, Lucky Break being the latest, four between-the-books novellas and the first in a new series, Crushed, a novel of wine and love.

Currently I’m stretching my writer muscles working on a women’s fiction/contemporary romance series set in Napa, a dark thriller, a romantic suspense series featuring a female helicopter pilot, as well as the next Lucky adventure—all very different projects. So, if you see me with a glass of Champagne in hand, you’ll understand. I can usually be found at the bar, but also at www.deborahcoonts.com.

Connect with Deborah

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

*******************

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts

A young woman plunges from a Las Vegas sightseeing helicopter, landing in the Pirate's lagoon in front of the Treasure Island Hotel in the middle of the 8:30 Pirate Show. Almost everyone writes her off as another Vegas victim. 

But Lucky O'Toole smells a rat. She's head of Customer Relations at The Babylon, the newest, most opulent mega-casino and resort on the Strip, so she's got a lot on her plate: the Adult Film industry's annual awards banquet, a spouse-swapping convention, sex toy purveyors preying on the pocket-protector crowd attending ElectroniCon....  Still, Lucky can't resist turning over a few stones. 

When a former flame is one of the snakes she uncovers, Lucky's certain she's no longer dealing with an anonymous Sin City suicide. To top it all off, Lucky's best friend Teddie--Las Vegas' finest female impersonator--presses to take their relationship to the next level. Leave it to Lucky to attract a man who looks better in a dress than she does.

Lucky must manage the Babylon's onslaught of outrageous festivities, solve a murder, and struggle to keep her life and libido from spinning out of control... not to mention keep her balance in six inch heels. ~~synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on Wanna Get Lucky? ~~

I loved this book and I love the character of Lucky! She kind of reminds me of a cross between Stephanie in Evanovich's Plum series and Eve Dallas in the J.D. Robb In Death series. And I love both of those series!!

Lucky has the quirky friends and family like Stephanie but has the seriousness and 'get the job done' personality of Eve. The setting is in Vegas, with that whole lifestyle and living like no other place. I would love to visit Vegas some day so the setting was a perfect fit for me, I was able to experience Vegas without leaving my reading chair. And since Lucky is a behind-the-scenes employee, the reader is treated to a look at that aspect of Vegas.

One of the great lines that I marked was from Lucky ~~ "I didn't want to fall in love - I wanted to be in control." Hmmmm, how did that work for you, Lucky? 

The story is very well written and the author has a wonderful sense of humor that comes out in the book. (Loved the belligerent macaw that Lucky owns!) I truly did read most of this book with a smile on my face with some chuckles-out-loud. What a hoot!

I highly recommend this series - yes - it is a SERIES!!! Coonts next book, Lucky Stiff is coming out in paperback on November 29th and the 3rd in the series, So Damn Lucky, is due out in 2012. I know I will be adding them both to my TBR list!

Author Bio
 

Deborah Coonts, author of Lucky Stiff, says her mother tells her she was born in Texas a very long time ago, though she's not totally sure -- her mother can't be trusted. But she was definitely raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer. She currently resides in Las Vegas, where family and friends tell her she can't get into too much trouble. Silly people. Coonts has built her own business, practiced law, flown airplanes, written a humor column for a national magazine, and survived a teenager. She is the author of Wanna Get Lucky?, the first in a series of Lucky O'Toole Vegas adventures.

For more information please visit
http://www.deborahcoonts.com/ 

and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion.