Saturday, August 31, 2013

Book Giveaway Winner!






The winner of Seeking Philbert Woodbead by Anya Wylde is:

Entry #25 Lisa H.

Congrats to Lisa!  

Thanks to all who participated!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Cat Thursday - August 29th



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.




From:  LOL Cats

Blog Tour: Against the Ropes by Cindy McDonald (Review)


Monday, August 26, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays/First Chapter Tuesday - August 27th



Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon. Care to join us?



If you'd like to play along on Teaser Tuesdays, just click the button above.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week I'm reading...






From the e-book...

My boss has gotten easier to handle since I realized he's a magpie.

I don't mean that literally.  Literally, he's a consulting detective for the San Francisco, PD, a man who has solved hundreds of impossible cases, usually with me at his side keeping him calm and handing him antiseptic wipes.

I mean that he's distracted by shiny objects - only in his case the objects are odd numbers and germs and dirt and a hundred major phobias.  Exactly one hundred.  There's a list in a binder, centered on the coffee table.  Whenever a new phobia pops up, he has to either eliminate one of the old ones or, more often, combine a couple.

 

Review/Interview: Murder of Sex by Geoffrey M. Gluckman


Genre:
Romantic Suspense

Publisher:
Booklocker.com, Inc.

Format:
E-Book

Release Date:
February 2013









Sunday, August 25, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?



This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

An okay week for me...


The Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - August 25th



If you'd like to participate with The Sunday Salon, just click the button above.


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Promo and #BookGiveaway : Seeking Philbert Woodbead by Anya Wylde



About the Book


Miss Celine Fairweather’s life was bobbing along like a boat on a tranquil stream when all of a sudden a summons from her beloved sister Penelope Radclyff, the Duchess of Blackthorne, changed it all.

Celine hurtles off to the London to help the duchess run the Blackthorne Mansion and to discover the whereabouts of her lost love Philbert Woodbead.

Sensible Celine manages to keep things deathly dull and under control for a whole week until she enlists the help of the handsome Lord Elmer—a mischievous rogue, an ex-pirate, and an incorrigible flirt who is wanted dead by all of England’s husbands with attractive wives.

They scurry from one giddy escapade to another seeking Philbert in musty inns and dusty streets, and through it all Celine tries to keep her bonnet straight, her gloves spotless and her heart in tune with her head.

Life has suddenly turned exciting, and love has well and truly bitten her rosy buttocks. Now the only question is … who has done the biting?

Excerpt

In the latter part of March of the year seventeen hundred and something a large schooner rested on calm blue waters off the coast of England.

It was mid-afternoon, the water was unruffled and crystal clear, while the sky above had sent its grey clouds to London.

The sun beamed down on the deck where gentlemen with missing toes, feet, teeth or hands lay draped around the schooner attempting to snooze away the day.

Now, this schooner was no ordinary schooner (as you might have guessed from the hint above referring to missing limbs and such) but a piratical schooner, and the gentlemen were not really gentlemen but looters, marauders and plunderers.

Yes, sir, they were murderous, unscrupulous adventurers and stinking water rats.

They were all pirates. Each one of them were pirates. The whole blasted lot of them were pirates. In fact, they couldn’t be more piratical if they tried. And they tried. Oh, how they tried to be more devilish than the devil himself.

And one of them came close to being the devilishest … if that is a word. If it is not, then it should be because it perfectly described the tall, muscular, grey eyed man with his long silver streaked black hair and cruel mouth. This man was so wicked that the mere reference to him caused the afternoon light to dim, the wind to blow more urgently, the men to wake mid snooze, the tea to jump out of the cup … Where were we?

Ah, yes, the captain of the ship, the head pirate, the Black bloody Rover, whose name was enough to frighten the children of the world into behaving, was the owner of this piratical schooner called The Desperate Lark and the leader of these dim muscled men.

He stormed now onto the middle of the deck sending the seagulls screaming into the air. His appearance caused the men to scatter while his frown had them cowering in the bilge. While they cowered, the Black Rover grabbed the cuff of a one legged man, his most trusted aide, and in low, clipped cultured tones asked, “Who stole it, Tim?”

“George Rodrick Irvin, the future Earl of Devon currently holding the courtesy title of Viscount Elmer,” squeaked Tim. “The one we call Lord Wicked.”

“Kill him.” The Black Rover was a man of few words.

Tim bowed in response.

“And kidnap the cooks,” the Black Rover continued.

Tim dared to frown, “Cooks?”

The Black Rover glowered. “And the chefs. I want every single person who can cook to be kidnapped and tortured until we get it back.”

“Torture?” Tim asked uncomfortably. “Can’t we simply kill them and be done with it? I don’t like torturing. It is a messy job, and I don’t like it when they cry and they all cry.”

The Black Rover smiled harshly. He leaned closer to Tim and whispered in his half bitten ear two words, “Pigeon feathers.”

“Arr.” Tim’s sparsely lashed eyes widened in admiration. He shook his head at his captain’s intelligence. The most learned man, Tim thought proudly, was right here.

Pigeon feathers … The Black Rover was a blooming genius.

Buy Link

Amazon

Book Giveaway!

Now you can win an e-book of Seeking Philbert Woodbead by Anya Wylde for your very own. Thanks to the author, I can offer an offer an e-book to anyone who has an Amazon account. 

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the form below (including a valid email address).

2) Entrants must have an Amazon account.

2) For an extra entry: Follow this blog

3) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter

4) For an extra entry: Follow me on Goodreads

5) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.

6) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway begins on August 24th (midnight est) and ends on August 31st (midnight est).

The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, August 23, 2013

Review: Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand


Genre: Fiction

Format: Audio

Publisher:

Release Date:

Synopsis from Fantastic Fiction:

It's June 15th, the night of Nantucket High School graduation. Four juniors are driving home from a party when something goes horribly wrong and there is a crash. The driver of the car, Penny Alistair, is killed, and her twin brother, Hobby Alistair, is left in a coma. Penny's boyfriend, Jake Randolph, and Penny's friend Demeter Castle are unhurt--but suffer tremendous emotional damage. Jake and his family move to the other side of the globe--to the west coast of Australia--in order to escape the horrors of the accident. Demeter falls prey to alcohol abuse and other self-destructive behaviors that nearly lead to her destroying her own life.

SUMMERLAND delves into the circumstances surrounding this accident, the roots of which lie deep in the past, with the first interactions between these four friends and their parents. It's a novel about how tragedy affects individuals, families, and the island community as a whole, and how healing can happen, in even the most devastating circumstances.

My Review:

This is a very emotional read. Like with any book, there are some characters you hate and some that you like. That's how I felt with this one, but overall, I enjoyed this story. I loved the way it all unfolded. This is the first Hilderbrand I listened to, before this I read the books. I think I prefer to read them to the audio. I found myself becoming more attached to the characters I read. However, this could have been the book and not the format I read it in. Either way, I thought this was a good story with strong characters.




FTC Disclosure: I took this audio book from the library for my own enjoyment. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.



For reading challenges:
Where are you reading? challenge (Massachusetts)

Book Giveaway Winner!








The winner of You Lucky Dog! by Kate Kelly is:

Entry #6 Deb

Congrats to Deb!  

Thanks to all who participated!

The Friday 56



This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.


It's that simple.

This week I'm reading...


From 56% of the ebook...

"I say we bike ride to Something Natural for lunch and then hit the beach."

"You know I can't bike ride."

"Yes, you can. Your dad told me he taught you when you were little."

"He may have, but I forgot."

"You can't forget. There's actually a saying - 'It's like riding a bike,' meaning 'Once you know, you know'."

"I'm familiar with the expression, thanks. Unfortunately, I'm the person who it doesn't apply to."



Thursday, August 22, 2013

Blog Tour: Deathwatch by Dana Marton (Guest Post and Giveaway!)




Deathwatch Blurb

The only person who can identify the most notorious hit man in the country, Kate Bridges is running for her life. Murphy Dolan is in the Army Reserves, returning from his 2nd tour of duty, only to find a stranger hiding in his house. She's scared spitless. He's completely burned out on violence. Neither has any trust left to give.


Deathwatch Excerpt

“Let’s try one more time.” Murph moved toward her. “Pretend I’m the assassin. Murph is dead out in the kitchen. You’re out of bullets and cornered.” He reached for her. “First choice?”

“Kill the bastard.” Kate grabbed for the barstool and whacked him in the head as hard as she could, but he twisted in the last second and the blow glanced off his skull.

He’d ordered her right at the beginning, fairly forcefully, to hold nothing back. And then he’d pushed and pushed, baiting and goading her. At this stage, if she maimed him, she figured he deserved it.
“Second choice?” He pushed forward with a growl.

“Incapacitate him then call 911.” She lunged forward instead of pulling back, and kicked at his most sensitive parts, but wobbled at the last second and missed by a fraction of an inch.

“Third choice?” He grabbed for her.

“Run like hell and live to see another day.” She put her head down, then yanked it up hard, smashing it into his chin so that his head snapped back and his grip on her slipped.

She ran for the stairs that led up.

He was on top of her in a second, bringing her down and pinning her. “Wrong move. What did we say about the stairs?”

“If I have a choice, go down.” The basement had an outside exit, while upstairs she could get trapped.

“Right.” He lifted his body off her and sat next to her, his eyes narrowing as he watched her struggle to catch her breath. His biceps bulged from under his black T-shirt that was barely wrinkled, while her shirt and pants looked like he’d mopped the house with her. Which, technically, he had.

She sat up. He was insanely strong. She hadn’t expected that, considering his injury. And he was fast. He didn’t have to think about what move he was going to make next. He fought on instinct, while her instincts pushed her to run away screaming.

Except when they pushed her to throw herself into his arms. She looked away from him, not wanting him to read her pitiful reaction in her eyes.

“I’m going to reinforce the rainspouts. Then you can go upstairs if you have no other choice, and climb down without breaking your neck.”

“I can break my neck even if the rainspout doesn’t break under me. Severe balance deficiency. Remember?”

He closed his eyes for a second. “All right. If at all possible, go for the basement.” He reached into his pocket and gave her a set of car keys.

“What’s this?”

“I got a rental today. It’s parked in front of 212 Summer Lane. You run out the basement door, cross the back neighbors’ yard. It’s a black Mustang. There’s some money and a backup gun in the glove compartment. If all else fails, you get in and drive away. Tank is full. It has GPS. Just drive and be safe.”

“And you?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Tension filled the air between them as they stared at each other.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“We’re going up against a master hit man. We’re going to get hurt. Our best case scenario is just not to be dead when this is over.”

She drew back, her limbs going cold suddenly. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. I could just leave. I’m good at running. I’m a hell of a lot better at running than I am at fighting.”

“If all goes well, you won’t have to fight. I’ll fight for you. We discussed this already. This is the only way you’ll ever be free. This is your best chance. You have a partner this time, someone who’s been trained both as a cop and a soldier. And we know Asael is here, that he’s coming. He loses the element of surprise.”

He moved closer and took her hand. “If you want to be free…I’m pretty sure it’s one of those now or never things. We’ll set the trap for the day after tomorrow. I don’t want to wait too long, or he might make his move when we’re not expecting it.”

She nodded.

“We’ll make a show of me going off,” he said. “But I’ll circle back and come in through the back door. When he comes, I’ll engage him. You go call for help. If he gets through me, you run for your life. But it’s not going to happen. I’m going to handle him.”

He stood then reached out to pull her to her feet.

She hesitated a moment before she asked, “How is your shoulder?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Right. That’s why you still favor your right arm.”

“I can use my left arm.” He put his left hand under her chin, tilting her face to him. Then he lowered his head to hers and kissed her.

Everything went still inside her as his warm lips touched hers. She could barely remember the last time she’d been kissed. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed this, a man’s arms around her, his dark gaze boring into hers with scorching heat. And, boy, could Murph Dolan fix a girl with a look that sent tingles down all the way to her toes.

He smelled like man, tasted like coffee and felt like heaven.

Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she gave herself to the sensation of being pressed against his hard chest while his mouth explored her gently, teasing her, tasting her. His great warrior body vibrated with restrained need, but he took the kiss slowly.

He brushed his lips over hears in agonizingly slow motion, covering every nook and cranny, then catching her bottom lip between his teeth for a minute before he swept inside and tasted her fully, making her weak in the knees.

Maybe he remembered her balance issues, because he gathered her against him tightly. Part of her wouldn’t have minded staying like that forever.

“I wanted to do this from the moment I saw you sleeping in my bed,” he murmured against her mouth.
“I just wanted to shoot you,” she said the first thing that popped into her dazed mind, then caught herself and winced. “Sorry.”

He laughed as he stepped back. “That’s a very healthy survival instinct. We’re going to develop more of that in whatever little time we’ll be given.”

And then he attacked her.

About the Author


Dana Marton writes fast-paced action-adventure romances that take her readers all over the globe. She is a Rita Award finalist and the winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. She loves writing stories of intrigue, filled with dangerous plots that try her tough-as-nails heroes and the special women they fall in love with. Her books have been published in seven languages in eleven countries around the world. 
She would love to hear from her readers.

Okay, the above version is the glamour version for press releases. The truth is that my path to publication was nothing but unglamorous. I wrote for 13 years and completed 4 books (as well as having others in various stages of completion) before I finally received a call from a Harlequin editor. I was beginning to wonder if I was being tenacious or just too dense to know when to quit. But it all worked out at the end! J I love, love, love writing and would spend all day in front of the computer if I could just break my family of the habit of wanting to eat and wear clean clothes. What’s up with that? But I must get up from the desk now and then, if only because my Internet connection goes down or my ancient PC overheats. Then I do enjoy cooking, knitting, hunting for treasures at the flea market, our Beagle, Peanut the Destroyer, and gardening.

I’d love it if you picked up one of my books and emailed me to tell me what you thought of it. I’ve been known to name characters after readers. Just ask Princess Judi.

LINKS:
Amazon Link for Deathwatch   (the purchase link isn't live yet, so this link is for Dana's Amazon page)
Amazon link for Deathscape
Amazon link for Deathtrap

Guest Post

Dog Days of Summer

Thank you Yvonne, for having me as a guest here at Socrates’ Book Reviews!

Can you believe summer is almost over? It’s already the second half of August! The kids are getting ready to go back to school, the cicadas are humming and the grass doesn’t have to be cut quite so frequently. The official dog days of summer are almost over. I had to research (and who doesn’t love an excuse to go research?!) the phrase Dog Days, and discovered that it dates back to the ancient Greeks, and was also commonly used by the Romans, to mark the hottest days of the year. The Dog Days were linked to what was then the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. According to Wikipedia, “the Romans sacrificed a red dog in April to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather”. I won’t mention that historical fact to my dog!

Summer has always had its own magic. The warm days and blue skies are perfect for gardening, swimming and reading. Twilight comes late, bringing out fireflies with their mysterious bioluminescent glow. And can we have a moment of respectful silence for the memory of s’mores? Toasted marshmallows with a warm, gooey center gently pushed together by rich, dark , melting chocolate, all held together by the healthy graham crackers?! I’ll give you all a moment…

As an adult I’ve started to mark the end of summer by the annual Perseids meteor shower. It’s so hard to believe that this beautiful display is just the dirt and dust of a comet. Wish my household dust bunnies were so lovely! Getting up in the middle of the night to stargaze, hoping to see the bright lights of the meteors shooting across the sky, is special and has become a way to note the end of the season. There is something mystical about seeing dozens of fireballs streaking across the night sky. It’s easy to see why ancient humans saw mystery in such events, imagining those lights being hurled by angry beings, or a sign of powerful inhuman forces.


What are your favorite summer memories?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Sun, Sand, and Seances by Kathleen Ann Gallagher

Join Kathleen Ann Gallagher, author of the contemporary romance novel, Sun, Sand, and Seances, as she tours the blogosphere August 5 - 30 on her first Book Blast with Pump Up Your Book!


divider




SunSandandSeances_large (4)ABOUT SUN, SAND, AND SEANCES


Bobbi Collins is a caring and devoted kindergarten teacher who had her world turned upside down when her fiancé died after a lover’s quarrel. Five years later, she still struggles with acceptance. Her role as an educator fills up her week, but on weekends, she longs for something more. When she stumbles across a newspaper ad for a psychic fair in the historic town of Cape May, New Jersey, it seems like the answer. Bobbi is determined to revive her once vibrant life.



Kevin Carlton a successful realtor is tired of the dating game. He doesn’t remember buying a raffle ticket, but when his co-worker announces he holds the winning number, he decides to take a chance and attend the all expense paid weekend in Cape May, at the Lady of the Sea's Psychic Fair. He hopes to find a spiritualist who has the ability to contact his late father and prove he has become a man to be proud of.



Sparks fly when Bobbi and Kevin run into one another at the fair. When strange happenings occur, Bobbi rushes into her ex-boyfriend’s arms. She never imagined having a weekend of magic, memories, and a chance to rekindle the flame with her lost love.



Can sun, sand, and séances cast a spell on their hearts and allow the reunited couple to find what they both desire, or will the spirits sabotage it all?

Purchase your copy:


amazon2


divider




ABOUT KATHLEEN ANN GALLAGHER


OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAKathleen lives in New Jersey with her husband and their two puppies. Her children are all grown, but her three grandsons keep her spirit energized. She is a registered nurse who works in an emergency room. Her passion for story telling began when she was a young girl. Since her father was a professional magician, she learned how to use her imagination while assisting him with his act. When Kathleen is not writing, her favorite place to relax is down the Jersey Shore. You might find her under an umbrella, wearing a straw hat, dreaming of a new story.



Visit her website at www.kathleengallagher.net



Visit her blog at http://kathleensplacetoreflect.blogspot.com



 

socialize


Twitterfacebook





book blast schedule


Monday, August 5 - Margay Leah Justice


Tuesday, August 6 - What's on the Bookshelf


Wednesday, August 7 - Miki's Hope


Thursday, August 8 - Authors and Readers Book Corner


Friday, August 9 - Sweeping Me


Tuesday, August 13 - Carol's Notebook


Wednesday, August 14 - Mary's Cup of Tea


Friday, August 16 - Inside BJ's Head


Tuesday, August 20 - Icefairy's Treasure Chest


Thursday, August 22 - Socrates Book Reviews


Friday, August 23 - The Phantom Paragrapher


Monday, August 26 - Literary Winner


Wednesday, August 28 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews


Friday, August 30 - Must Read Faster


 



dividerline132

Pump Up Your Book


 

Cat Thursday - August 22nd



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.




From:  LOL Cats

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Blog Tour: Social Insecurity by Kate Eileen Shannon (Guest Post and Giveaway)





About the Book


Brigid Kildare is not your typical hard boiled private eye. But she doesn’t pretend to be. No matrimonial. No child custody. No bodyguard or surveillance work. No process serving. Brigid is strictly data. Asset searches, background searches, computer security, pre-employment screening, and basically any type of records research is what she deals in. And you really could not expect anything else. After all, your average five foot tall, blue eyed, blond (one friend describes her as looking like a Christmas tree angel) is rarely the person you would send out after a bail jumper. Oh, and there is that whole one leg thing – ADA aside, most people don’t think of an amputee as the go to person for a security job.


But in SOCIAL INSECURITY, the first in the Brigid Kildare Mystery Series, professional PI, Brigid Kildare, turns amateur sleuth when old ladies in the Federal Hill area of Providence start to go missing and she can’t get the police to believe her. As her assistant and long time friend, Kevin, puts it: “Honey, if an old lady like Jessica Fletcher can do it, a one-legged PI and her gay PA can do it too!” Brigid solves the mystery, along with an odd cast of friends and family, but not before four old ladies have died, she has caught the eye of a handsome Providence detective, and she discovers that not everyone who is close to her is what they appear to be.

About the Author


Kate Eileen Shannon is a Writer, Artist, and sometimes Real Estate Agent – as she says, ‘a purveyor of ephemera and bagatelle’. Trifles. Little things. Here today, gone tomorrow. In other words, a little of this, a bit of that.

She has had three husbands and two children; lived in Ireland, Rhode Island, and Florida; owned a brake repair shop, an art gallery, a farm, and a boat building business; been a Realtor, a title examiner, a real estate closer, and a government employee which led her straight to being unemployed, laid off, made redundant.

Kate is currently living in Rhode Island overlooking the water and a lighthouse; with her husband, Dick Thomas (who won’t let her have a cat); where she spends her time painting, drawing, and of course working on the next book in the Brigid Kildare mystery series, MEDITATED MURDER.

Online links:

Webpage http://kateshannon.com/
Blog http://kateeileenshannon.wordpress.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Brigid-Kildare-Mystery-Series/114105325364455
Twitter https://twitter.com/_KateShannon
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kateeshannon/boards/
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kate-eileen-shannon/60/42a/7a
Google+ https://plus.google.com/114985415367750527192/about/p/pub
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7027461.Kate_Eileen_Shannon
She Writes http://www.shewrites.com/profile/KateEileenShannon
Book Blogs http://bookblogs.ning.com/profile/KateEileenShannon

Purchase Links:

Amazon B & N Powell’s Books

Guest Post and Book Giveaway!

Thank you so much for having me here Yvonne.

My mother is confused about why I wrote a book and why I am writing more of them. It just makes no sense to her why I would do something like this. I guess she sees authors as vague, shadowy sort of people that you don’t run into every day or know personally. Which is really very funny because my mother is a very big part of why I write.

When I brought my children to the United States from Ireland, they had a computer. There was an internet and email and soon Facebook to keep in touch with their friends. They also had cell phones to text. I had none of those things. (We have been going back and forth for four generations now.) I had the post office and I had a mother who made me write to my cousins. And I didn’t find it a chore. I wrote about everything going on in my life. The letters were long and I’m sure, quite boring. I even kept notebooks where I jotted down things that happened or ideas that popped into my head so I would have them to refer to when I sat down to write my letters. Soon I had notebooks for notebook’s sake. Just places to write stories or poems just for myself. Years later my sister had a friend who went into the army. He complained that she hardly ever wrote to him and his family was even worse about writing. So even though I didn’t even know this guy, I felt bad for him and started writing to him. Long letters complete with illustrations. And he gave as good as he got and we had a wonderful correspondence back and forth for several years until he came home. I now keep in touch online but there is still one aunt back in Ireland that hasn’t gone online so for her at least, the letter writing tradition lives on. She is a grumpy sort and once complained about me wasting so much time writing long letters. But I found out she keeps them all and rereads them frequently so I keep writing them.

So my mother’s confusion is sort of funny when the fact is, she is the one who really started me writing.

Thank you again Yvonne for having me here and let me just mention the second book, Meditated Murder, will available shortly. And as I am explaining on this tour, it is a serial as opposed to a series. Visit some of the other tour stops to find out what that means (no repetitive backstory). Be sure to comment at each stop to increase your chances of winning one of the books and be sure to leave your email address. I’ll be announcing the winners on my blog one week after the tour closes, on September 9th.

5 autographed paperback books will be given away across the tour
with the entry being simply leaving a comment.
The chances of winning increases with blog visit each blog and leave a comment.  


Tour Participants

August 19 – Omnimystery News Guest Post
August 20 – Kaisy Daisy’s CornerReview &  Guest Post
August 21 – Socrates’ Book Review Blog Guest Post
August 22 – Mommasez…Review & Guest Post
August 23 – readalot Review & Guest Post
August 25 - Chloe Gets A Clue Interview
August 26 – Dru’s Book Musings Guest Post
August 27 – Musings and Ramblings Review & Guest Post
August 28 – Melina’s Book Blog Guest Post
August 31 – Must Read Faster Review & Guest Post
September 1 – A Chick Who Reads Review & Guest Post
September 2 – THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK Review

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday- Trudy Relaxing and Stretching!












For more Wordless Wednesday if you click here.



Teaser Tuesdays/First Chapter Tuesdays - August 20th



Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon. Care to join us?



If you'd like to play along on Teaser Tuesdays, just click the button above.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week I'm reading...(not the cheeriest of beginnings, would you continue


Prison

I looked around the small room. An array of full-length iron bars preceded my view out onto the walkway and cellblock D at the medium security facility in Central California. The bars were spaced so that even an anorexic woman couldn't slip between them. The other three walls consisted of cold, gray concrete. My cellmate and I had covered the walls with newspaper clippings, posters, photos, anything to make it feel more comfortable. After all, it had been my home for the last four years, more or less, but I don't know if anyone really gets comfortable on the inside, even Jorge, my cellmate. He made this life, my life inside, if one could call it that, possible. I kicked the small cardboard box at my feet. A guard had been nice enough to give it to me, to put my things in.

Monday, August 19, 2013

#CoverReveal: Wanted by J. Kenner


About the Book

For fans of Fifty Shades of Grey, Bared to You, and Release Me comes an all-new erotic series of three enigmatic and powerful men, and the striking women who can bring them to their knees.

He is everything I crave, all I desperately want—and he is everything I can’t have.

Evan Black embodies my every fantasy. He is brilliant, fierce, and devastatingly handsome. But he is also headstrong, dangerous, and burdened with secrets.

My family warned me to stay away, that I could never handle Evan’s dark dealings or scarred past. Maybe I should have listened. Maybe I should have run. But our desire is undeniable, and some temptations you just can’t fight.

And from the moment we touch—the passion between us consuming us both—I know that I will never be the same.

About the Author

J. Kenner, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Release Me, Claim Me, and Complete Me. She spent more than ten years as a litigator in Southern California and central Texas, using her rare free time to indulge in her passion of writing. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughters.

Buy Julie’s books here http://www.randomhouse.com/book/234806/wanted-by-j-kenner#abouttheauthor

Review: The Star Attraction by Alison Sweeney


Genre:
Chick Lit, Romance

Publisher:
Hyperion

Format:
E-Book

Release Date:
May 2013







LA publicist, Sophie Atwater, is one very busy lady. She’s juggling a high-pressure career, a relationship and now her latest client, sexy superstar Billy Fox. Sophie loves everything about her life, especially her exciting career – escorting celebrities on the red carpet, going to interviews and fundraisers.

When Sophie is assigned a new client, the hot actor Billy Fox, things start to change. Suddenly she’s not happy with her banker boyfriend, Jacob, and is more than a little flattered when Billy flirts with her. Unfortunately, after one kiss, the news gets out that Sophie is having an affair with her client and that’s a big no-no at Sophie’s company. Of course Jacob isn’t too thrilled either.

This is a fun summer read. It’s filled with misunderstandings, romance, LOL antics and even a little drama tossed in. The Star Attraction is a fast-paced book that will keep you laughing and smiling, although I must admit that sometimes Sophie’s decisions made me shake my head in disbelief. That often happens to me in chick lit books, though. Of course if the main characters did the right things all the time, there would be no story :)

The author is one of the stars of the daytime drama “Days of Our Lives”. She’s a great actress and now it looks as if she will have a nice career in fictional writing. This is her fiction debut and it’s off to a great start.





FTC Disclosure: Ashley from Triple 7 Public Relations provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.