Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays - June 18th



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...



Although Skye's fiance, police chief Wally Boyd, claimed he didn't believe in ghosts, it was kind of hard to ignore the fact that nearly every time he and Skye started to get intimate, something in her house blew up, burst into flames, or broke into a thousand pieces.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Q&A's with Author Sara Palacios (Love in Translation)





Book Synopsis

Still reeling from an unexpected breakup, Emily nurses her broken heart by spending time with her best friends and taking one-too-many vodka shots. After one long night, she takes a hard look inside herself and doesn’t like what she sees. She realizes that she has sacrificed too much in her failed relationships from the past and vows to never settle for anything less than almost-perfect again. As she picks up the pieces and regains her confidence, a sexy Spanish chef moves in across the hall and knocks her off her feet. What ensues is an unexpected and tantalizing affair that opens her eyes - and her heart - to a whole new world and leaves her feeling sexier than she has ever felt.  Emily finally sees how easy love is supposed to be. Is happily-ever-after actually possible? Just when she starts to think so, she realizes that sometimes life gets more complicated before it gets easier. And complicated is an understatement when Steven (her best and oldest friend in the world) confesses his love for her. Everything spirals out of control as Emily must make a choice between love and friendship, and in doing so, possibly risk it all.

LOVE IN TRANSLATION is a modern day love story about following your heart to unexpected places and taking chances in life … because sometimes you will find exactly what you are looking for.


You can purchase LOVE IN TRANSLATION here:
Amazon: Print or eBook
Barnes and Noble: eBook
Kobo: eBook

Q&A's With Author Sara Palacios

Please join me in welcoming author Sara Palacios (author of Love in Translation) to Socrates’ Book Review Blog.  I haven’t read Love in Translation yet, but I’m looking forward to it and learning more about this author.

So, let’s begin…


  1. Love in Translation is your debut novel.  Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for it?
I would love to. The idea for the novel actually stemmed from my own relationship with my husband…in a way. He is a native Spanish speaker (although you wouldn’t know it) but one day I wondered what would have happened if he still only spoke Spanish and I spoke English. I thought it was an interesting concept for a story and an idea for a book was born. 

  1. Was there much research involved?
Yes, actually there was quite a bit of research involved. I really immersed myself in the Spanish culture in order to make it feel authentic. I wanted the language, the sights, the sounds and the tastes to all feel real to the reader. 

  1. Do you have plans to write anymore books and do you plan to write in other genres?
I am currently writing a new novel which I hope to be finished with by the end of the year. Wish me luck!

  1. Thinking about your own reading preferences, what’s your favorite genre to read?
I adore Chick-Lit but I also really love historical fiction. My favorite book of all time is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Folliet. I also love fantasy books like Lord of the Rings!

  1. Are your fictional characters based on real life people or a creation of your own imagination?
There are small slivers of similarities between a few characters and a few people from my real life. I think my girlfriends play a big role in my writing when I am creating friendships.

  1. Who is you biggest influence in your writing career?
I don’t have one person per se, but I really enjoy looking at successful authors and trying to see what they’ve written and done and how they got to where they currently are. 

  1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing and reading. I didn’t try to pursue it professionally until after I graduated from college.

  1. What is the very first thing you wrote (published or not)?
I wrote a book prior to Love In Translation called Beautiful Disaster. It ultimately was just a trial run but I would love to try to dust it off in the future and see if I can make it shine. 

  1. Do you have any favorite authors or books?
Yes! I mentioned a few above, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Folliet and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As far as chick-lit goes, I love Sarah Jio, Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner.

  1. Can you tell us any info about your next book?
I am a fly by the seat of my pants type of writer and my story is constantly evolving, so unfortunately what I say right now may not turn out to be very accurate. But, in a nutshell, it is about a woman who has to return home to face some things from her past that she left behind. Think Sweet Home Alabama meets Sleepless in Seattle. Fun, right?

Thank you, Sara, for spending time at Socrates’ Book Review Blog!

Thank you so much for having me! I am over the moon to be featured on your wonderful book blog!




Sara Palacios

Author of LOVE IN TRANSLATION






Sara Palacios is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Advertising and a minor in English Literature. It was during her time in college that she really fell in love with the written word and ventured into writing her own stories. In addition to writing, Sara spends a majority of her time reading the works of other authors.  She reads most genres  – but thoroughly enjoys chick-lit, women’s and historical fiction. When she isn’t busy reading or writing, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is happily married, the owner of two precious doggies and a new mom to a handsome baby boy. Sara is also an avid animal-lover, runner, yoga enthusiast and wannabe vegan.


You can connect with Sara here:
Twitter: Sara Palacios
Facebook: Sara Palacios
Email: sararpalacios@gmail.com


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!

A decent week for me...

Here's what I read this week...

I finished reading...


and finished listening to...


I'm currently reading...


and I'm going to start listening to...



Next up...






What was your week like? What are you reading this week?

Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Sunday Post/The Sunday Salon - June 16th



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.


HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE!!!

We are having absolutely beautiful weather here on the East Coast!  It's really beginning to feel like summer now :)  Things have been hopping at Socrates' Book Reviews.  I even managed to complete a couple of reading challenges.

Here's what we've been up to this week and what's coming up!



So, what have you been up to?

Blog Tours/Spotlights/Reviews/Giveaways 
I Hosted 


Tuesday:  Death of a Dowager by Joanna Campbell Slan (Guest Post)

Wednesday:  Grim by Joseph Spencer (Review, Guest Post and Giveaway!)

Friday:  Blitz Tour: Bachelor's Special by Christine Warner

Saturday:  Review: Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews


Posts This Week





Blog Tours/Hops Coming Up Next Week

Monday:  Q&A with author Sara Palacios (Love in Translation)

Tuesday:   Blog Tour:  Read and Buried by Erika Chase (Guest Post/Spotlight)

Wednesday:  Promo:  The Stronger, Safer Kind by London Casey (Spotlight)

Thursday:  Book Blast:  Love Vindicated by Lisa Munro

What was your week like?

Saturday, June 15, 2013

2013 Library Reading Challenge Wrap Up!


I finished another challenge! This was really fun because they were all audio books that I got from the library. It also helped me finish up the Stephanie Plum series for now.

I did the picture book level at 6 books. These are the books I listened to for this challenge...

1. Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb (Click here to read my review.)
2. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich (Click here to read my review.)
3. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich (Click here to read my review.)
4. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (Click here to read my review.)
5. Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich (Click here to read my review.)
6. Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews (click here to read my review.)


If you'd like to learn more about this challenge, it is hosted by Gina at Book Dragon's Lair. Just click here to check it out.