The Challenge is over as of 12 midnight last night.  I didn’t quite make it but came pretty darn close.  I finished 2 books and wrote reviews for both.  I want to thank Kristen for hosting and hoping she does another Read-A-Thon.  My final tally is:

Sidney Sheldon’s After The Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe
Published by HarperCollins
ISBN 978-0-06-172830-3
At the request of LibraryThing, an ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review.
  Synopsis (from back of book): Grace Brookstein is the very young, naive wife of financial superstar Lenny Brookstein. Lenny is a billionaire many times over, with estates around the world, a fleet of yachts, and a life that is the stuff of fantasy. He and Grace live in New York where Lenny is revered as King of the Wall Street social scene. A noted philanthropist, he is both liked and respected in the worlds of high finance and high society. When the stock market goes into a terrifying freefall, the Brookstein’s glamorous lifestyle of Palm Beach polo tournaments and G5 jets is barely touched.
  That is, until the day Lenny goes sailing from their Nantucket beach estate and never comes home. When his abandoned yacht is found far out at sea, the police investigation reveals Brookstein’s death was no accident. The famous investor was involved in some sort of spectacular fraud and was about to be exposed by someone close to him.
  But as Lenny’s malfeasance comes to light, Grace learns there was more to his boating “accident” than she originally thought. And suddenly her life may be in danger too….
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I started reading Sidney Sheldon’s books in the 70s and remember them to be great reads, always waiting anxiously for his next novel to be released.  I also remember hearing of his passing and thinking what a tremendous loss for fans and the literary world.  But thankfully the family did not let that happen, entrusting an author to continue his legacy.  And Tilly Bagshawe most definitely did.  I have to say that I honestly was a little skeptical when I started reading this book, wondering if it would live up to the older Sidney Sheldon books?  And the answer is a resounding YES!!
  Ms. Bagshawe created a cast of characters that you either loved or hated, had compassion for or envied, cheered them on or wer glad when they fell.  The plot is a non stop “who done it” of multiple possibilities to the very end.  And speaking of the end, it is one that I did not see coming until the very last pages !!! Throughout the entire book, the story line is a continuous, fast paced, speeding suspenseful ride with the elements of love, betrayal, hate, envy, trust, greed, strength, lies and revenge, and self preservation, just to name a few.  Do I recommend this book?  My answer, another resounding YES!!  This is a definite can’t put down, page turning novel !!!

Sidney Sheldon’s After The Darkness by Tilly Bagshawe
Published by HarperCollins
ISBN 978-0-06-172830-3
At the request of LibraryThing, an ARC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest review.
  Synopsis (from back of book): Grace Brookstein is the very young, naive wife of financial superstar Lenny Brookstein. Lenny is a billionaire many times over, with estates around the world, a fleet of yachts, and a life that is the stuff of fantasy. He and Grace live in New York where Lenny is revered as King of the Wall Street social scene. A noted philanthropist, he is both liked and respected in the worlds of high finance and high society. When the stock market goes into a terrifying freefall, the Brookstein’s glamorous lifestyle of Palm Beach polo tournaments and G5 jets is barely touched.
  That is, until the day Lenny goes sailing from their Nantucket beach estate and never comes home. When his abandoned yacht is found far out at sea, the police investigation reveals Brookstein’s death was no accident. The famous investor was involved in some sort of spectacular fraud and was about to be exposed by someone close to him.
  But as Lenny’s malfeasance comes to light, Grace learns there was more to his boating “accident” than she originally thought. And suddenly her life may be in danger too….
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I started reading Sidney Sheldon’s books in the 70s and remember them to be great reads, always waiting anxiously for his next novel to be released.  I also remember hearing of his passing and thinking what a tremendous loss for fans and the literary world.  But thankfully the family did not let that happen, entrusting an author to continue his legacy.  And Tilly Bagshawe most definitely did.  I have to say that I honestly was a little skeptical when I started reading this book, wondering if it would live up to the older Sidney Sheldon books?  And the answer is a resounding YES!!
  Ms. Bagshawe created a cast of characters that you either loved or hated, had compassion for or envied, cheered them on or wer glad when they fell.  The plot is a non stop “who done it” of multiple possibilities to the very end.  And speaking of the end, it is one that I did not see coming until the very last pages !!! Throughout the entire book, the story line is a continuous, fast paced, speeding suspenseful ride with the elements of love, betrayal, hate, envy, trust, greed, strength, lies and revenge, and self preservation, just to name a few.  Do I recommend this book?  My answer, another resounding YES!!  This is a definite can’t put down, page turning novel !!!

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week ‘leftovers.’ Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn’t worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?
That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!
  Today I would like to open a topic up for discussion.  I wasn’t around for BBAW and really don’t know a lot about it.  I recently have seen it in my google reader so I went to investigate.  I read a bit about it, think the categories are great, and would even consider this blog in the “new blog category, however, I am having ambivalent thoughts on and about it.   I would think it was like when another blogger presents you with an award.  That is an honor to think a peer thinks your blog is special.  So isn’t the BBAW like the grandest of all awards.  To nominate yourself doesn’t quite seem right to me.  Does it then become a popularity contest?  So today I would like to hear your views.  What do you think about the BBAW?  Were you a participant last year?  Did other bloggers nominate you or did you put your blog up for the award?  Are you nominating yourself for this year’s award?  What are your thoughts and feelings on this topic?
 Let’s have a Slapdash !!!!!