It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 12, 2010)

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too!

My goal last week was to get caught up on reviews - and I did get one old one done!  So I am going to keep working on that and trying to get ahead on my reading as vacation time is coming!

Currently Reading:
The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells
Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank

Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck
The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker



Bathroom Book:
Starvation Lake: A Mystery by Bryan Gruley





Audio Book:
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

New this week:
Tempted by a Warrior by Amanda Scott
Wild Irish Sea by Loucinda McGary
Farm Fatale by Wendy Holden
Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon

Books Reviewed Last Week:
Damaged by Pamela Callow
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (audio)
Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer
A Tidbit Romance by Erin Coss

Waiting to Be Reviewed:
101 Things I Learned in Fashion School by Matthew Frederick and Alfredo Cabrero

Heart of My Heart by Kristin Armstrong
Meet Me in Dreamland: A Lu-Chu and Lena Book by Steven McKinney, Valerie McKinney

 

Ready - Set - Read!

Tempted by a Warrior by Amanda Scott - (Blog Tour July 5 - July 16)

Tempted by a Warrior

by Amanda Scott

(Blog Tour July 5 - 16)

Before her marriage, it was whispered that Lady Fiona Jardine was a young woman no man could control. Now the rumors are more threatening. Her cruel and womanizing husband has vanished into the battle-scarred Scottish borderlands without a trace, and everyone thinks Fiona is to blame.

Sir Richard Seyton, Laird of Kirkhill and a powerful knight and baron, is honor-bound to be Fiona's guardian until her husband is found. Kirkhill strives to keep her safe -- while her enemies plot to prevent her from ever being the mistress of the Jardine lands. But can he protect her from the desire that ignites at their slightest touch? For with suspicions mounting and tensions along the Borders rising, surrendering to their passion could cost Fiona and Kirkhill their very lives. . .

About the author: Amanda Scott, best-selling author and winner of the Romance Writers of America's RITA/Golden Medallion and The Romantic Times' awards for Best Regency Author and Best Sensual Regency, began writing on a dare from her husband. She has sold every manuscript she has written. More than twenty-five of her books are set in the English Regency period (1810-1820), others are set in fifteenth-century England and sixteenth-and eighteenth-century Scotland. Three are contemporary romances. Amanda lives with her husband and son in northern California.

Participating Blogs:

Books Like Breathing 7/5/2010 Review
Bookhounds 7/5/2010 Review, Giveaway
Thoughts in Progress 7/5/2010 Feature, Giveaway
A Moment With Mystee 7/5/2010, Review, Q and A, Giveaway
My Book Addiction and More. . . 7/5/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
Just Another New Blog 7/5/2010 Giveaway
{A}musing Reviews 7/6/2010 Review, Giveaway
A Journey of Books 7/6/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
Mom of Boys with Toys 7/8/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
Just One More Paragraph 7/8/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
My Guilty Pleasures 7/10/2010 Review, Giveaway
Rundpinne 7/10/2010 Review
Running Away? I'll Help You Pack 7/10/2010 Review, Giveaway
Distracted Musician7/11/2010 Review, Giveaway
Marta's Meanderings 7/11/2010 Review, Giveaway
A Room Without books is Empty 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Just Jennifer Reading 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Thrifty Things 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Broken Teepee 7/13/2010 Review, Giveaway
Paranormal Romantic Suspense Reviews 7/13/2010 Giveaway
Martha's Bookshelf 7/14/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
Tricia Reads 7/14/2010 Review, Giveaway
My Foolish Wisdom 7/14/2010 Review, Giveaway, Q&A
Book Soulmates 7/14/2010 Review, Giveaway
In the Hammock 7/15/2010 Review, Giveaway
Rex Robot Reviews 7/15/2010 Review, Giveaway, Q&A
This Book For Free 7/15/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
Falling Off the Shelf 7/15/2010 Feature, Giveaway
Candid, Clever and Cost Effective 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
Mommy Reads Too Much 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Fiction Enthusiast 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
Renee's Reads 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
My Book Views 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
Books and Needlepoint 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
DK's Everything Romance Books 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
Simply Stacie 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
Libby's Library News 7/16/2010 Giveaway
Starting Fresh 7/16/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Avid Reader 7/16/2010 Review, Guest Post

Mailbox Mayhem 7/4/2010 - 7/10/2010

In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren.  Mailbox Monday is currently hosted at The Printed Page, but will be going on tour after this month . Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!

Her Fearful Symmetry

by Audrey Niffenegger

(Regal Literary/August)

Julia and Valentina Poole are twenty-year-old sisters with an intense attachment to each other. One morning the mailman delivers a thick envelope to their house in the suburbs of Chicago. Their English aunt Elspeth Noblin has died of cancer and left them her London apartment. There are two conditions for this inheritance: that they live in the flat for a year before they sell it and that their parents not enter it. Julia and Valentina are twins. So were the girls' aunt Elspeth and their mother, Edie.

The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders the vast Highgate Cemetery, where Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Stella Gibbons, and other luminaries are buried.  Julia and Valentina become involved with their living neighbors: Martin, a composer of crossword puzzles who suffers from crippling OCD, and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. They also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including -- perhaps -- their aunt.

Think of a Number

by John Verdon

(Shelf Awareness)

Arriving in the mail one day is a taunting letter that ends with a simple declaration: "See how well I know your secrets -- just think of a number."  Eerily, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD's top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial-murder investigation. Brought in as an investigative "consultant," Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that have local police in awe. Yet, with each taunting move by his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney feels his tragedy-marred past rising up to haunt him, his marriage approaching a dangerous precipice, and, finally, a dark, cold fear building that he's met an adversary who can't be stopped.

The Bishop

(Book 4 in The Patrick Bowers Files)

by Steven James

(Baker Publishing tour - August)

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's cutting-edge skills are about to be pushed to the limit when a young woman is found brutally murdered in Washington D.C. Her killers continue a spree of perfect crimes in the Northeast, but with nothing to link them to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet -- even as his personal life begins to crumble around him.

The Bishop is a gripping, adrenaline-laced story for readers who are tired of timid thrillers. Strap on your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride.

The Wolf of Tebron

(Book 1 in The Gates of Heaven series)

by C.S. Lakin

(Phenix and Phenix - August)

A young blacksmith must undertake a perilous journey to the four ends of the world to rescue his wife, who is held captive by the Moon. Along the way, he befriends a powerful wolf who encourages, protects, and ultimately sacrifices his life to save his human friend. A stirring allegory of God's love in classic fairy tale tradition.

 

Stash

by David Klein

(Shelf Awareness)

Gwen Raine has it all: She's an attractive, thirtyish stay-at-home mom who lives with her successful husband and two small children in the kind of tranquil, upscale suburban community where everything seems to be right -- yet so much can go wrong.

And it does, starting with a seemingly minor decision that turns Gwen's perfect life upside down. One summer morning, after dropping off her daughter at swim class, Gwen purchases a small bag of marijuana from an old flame. (She's counting on the pot to help her unwind that night, when she and her husband, Brian, have some precious private time after the kids are asleep.) On the way home, Gwen has a car accident that leaves her bruised and somewhat battered but leaves the other driver (an elderly man who crossed into her lane) dead. The cops know it's not her fault, but when they find the marijuana in Gwen's car, they throw the book at her. There have been problems with drugs in the schools, and they're determined to crack down.

Meanwhile, Brian, a pharmaceutical company executive, is embroiled in an ethical dilemma of his own over the marketing of a drug for "off-label" use. And Gwen's former lover, Jude, a local restaurateur and the supplier of the stash of the title, has gotten in way over his head with his little side business.

Told from multiple perspectives and driven by psychological suspense and an ever-thickening plot, this ambitious and deeply satisfying novel examines the moral complications that arise when a modern woman's fierce determination to do the right thing collides head-on with human fallibility and desire.

Once Wicked Always Dead

by T. Marie Benchley

(Shelf Awareness)

Molly Madison is unaware of the sociopath who is on the loose, creating havoc with a sense of his or her own justice. Her life is shattered by the sudden death of her beloved parents, and the revelation of her husband Phillip's affair -- with another man -- Molly leaves the life of Country Clubs and the luxury of city life in Florida and heads west to Montana, resolved to run the family ranch, and to move on with her life. Her attraction to Clayton Leatherbe, the ranch foreman, is instant. But before a romance can blossom, the ranch falls prey to sabotage by wealthy land developers determined to drive Molly out, and Clayton learns a family secret and collides with the sociopath that could put the ranch -- and Molly's life -- in jeopardy.

A sharp mystery that swirls with family secrets, betrayal, love and loss, Once Wicked Always Dead is a strong debut from an author with literary blood in her veins.

The Body Shop

by Paul Solotaroff

(Hachette - July with giveaway)

In January of 1976, Paul Solotaroff went off to college as a skin-and-bones loner in platform heels and a David Bowie mullet. When his father drove out to campus to bring him home at term's end, Paul was 190 pounds of shrink-wrapped muscle, having discovered the alchemies of the campus weight room and the new miracle of steroids. It was the summer that disco swept New York, and the city, nearly bankrupt and besieged by crime, forgot its troubles in a riot of sex and dancing that cranked till four in the morning.

Paul quickly discovered that his ripped physique made the velvet ropes swing open -- as if by magic -- at the hottest nightclubs New York had to offer. And his biceps threatened to tear the sleeves of his Nik Nik shirts as he met willing young women on dance floors populated by Gotham's elite. His life exploded in Day-Glo glamour: sleeping with beautiful tourists, becoming a main attraction of East Side orgies run by a kimono-clad millionaire, popping quaaludes and bennies in penthouse lofts. Caught in the throbbing beat of nonstop pleasure, Paul found a way to finance his addiction to drugs and Bottega boots: by stripping at bachelorette parties all over Long Island. It was up and up and up, bigger and bigger and bigger, until his body and his soul were stretched to the point of bursting.

Set at the dawn of the muscle culture -- when a flood tide of Schwarzenegger-inspired young men flocked to fitness clubs -- The Body Shop is a coming-of-age romp and a comedy of bad manners, good intentions, and really hideous clothes. Equal parts Boogie Nights and Saturday Night Fever, it sends up the era in a swath of wicked jokes. But woven into the stretchy fabric is a question of deadly seriousness: How does a kid who's been largely unfathered become an honorable man, and how far will he go to figure it out before he kills himself trying?

Amish Proverbs

by Suzanne Woods Fisher
(Baker Publishing tour and giveaway - August)

Through firsthand research and personal relationships, Suzanne Woods Fisher has collected more than 200 proverbs that uncover the rich heritage, folklore, faith, values, history, and essence of the Plain People. These proverbs serve as teaching tools and maxims for practical living -- but they're not just for the Amish. They're for anyone who seeks God's wisdom and truth for everyday circumstances.

Ranging from the simple to the profound, from the serious to the humorous, these sayings will stick with you through life's joys and sorrows. With beautiful full-color photos throughout, Amish Proverbs is the perfect gift for any occasion. 


WHAT DID YOU FIND IN YOUR MAILBOX?

A Tidbit Romance by Erin Coss (Book Review)

Title: A Tidbit Romance
Author: Erin Coss
Publisher: k2e books

My thoughts: The full title of this book is A Tidbit Romance: Falling in Love with God's Word One Devotion at a Time, and though it is a mouthful, it is definitely a good description of this book.

Each devotion is just a couple of pages long and they each start out with a verse or verses from the Bible.  What I liked best is that these weren't verses that were well known and often quoted.  These were verses that might often be overlooked, but accompanied with the devotion from Erin, were full of gems.  Erin takes the verses and really shares what they mean to her, and at the same time tell what is happening in the passage they are taken from. 

I could really relate to some of the struggles that she shares and it is nice to know that I am not alone.  It was also wonderful to be able to read how God addresses these same scenarios in the Bible.  This is a book that doesn't have to be gone through once and then put on a shelf.  I believe that everytime you open it up, you will be able to find something new, no matter how often you use it!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review.~

I currently have a giveaway of this book going on here.

A Tidbit Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: k2e books, April 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9817847-3-1
161 pages

Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer (Book Review)

Title: Barely a Lady
Author: Eileen Dreyer
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group

My synopsis/thoughts: We meet Jack as the book opens on the battlefields in 1815 Belgium. We learn that he is trying to get back to his family to explain something, but that is about it.

Olivia, as the title proclaims, is 'barely a lady'.  She had once been married to Jack, but he had thrown her out and promptly divorced her.  Over the course of the book you learn all the details as to how this came about.  Olivia's current situation is tenuous as her current employer has fled the country and a new acquaintance, Lady Kate, has taken her under her wing.  Olivia has been living under an alias since her divorce and believes that if Lady Kate (a duchess) finds out who she really is she will send her packing.  Kate is no ordinary duchess though and tends to look for the scandal or create it herself!

Olivia finds Jack on the battlefield almost dead and his ex-servant begs Olivia to help him.  It has been 5 years since he threw her out and she is not sure if she should help. In the end though, she does, and the fun begins.

When Jack finally wakes, he has amnesia and does not remember the last 4-5 years.  He sees Olivia and thinks they are still married.  He doesn't understand why she tries to stay away from him.  We get bits and pieces of his past as his memory returns.  Olivia and the staff are forbidden to tell him what year it is as they are afraid it would cause 'brain fever' and kill him.  The doctor thinks he needs to remember things on his own to get a full recovery.  Meanwhile, Kate is playing matchmaker and trying to get the two of them to admit they love each other - or at least convince Olivia as Jack still thinks they are married.

This is no ordinary historical romance though - we also have a killer called the Surgeon, and his henchman Axman Billy looking for Jack.  The Surgeon is called the Surgeon because of his love for knives - I think you get the picture. 

I enjoyed this story for a couple of reasons - First, it wasn't your boy meets girl, they annoy each other, true love reigns in the end.  It was boy and girl were in love - love was disrupted - and should they really end up back together?  Second - in the historical romance books that I have read you usually don't find yourself with a character like the Surgeon! I thought he was a nice twist.  Third - while there was some mention of society and the ton - this was not a big part of the book.  A good portion took place within the confines of Lady Kate's house.

This is the first of a series of books called Drake's Rakes - Drake is Marcus Beldon, Earl Drake - and I am not sure at this point who he is - other than he seems to carry around a lot of power.  Jack had been working for him - so am going to jump out on a limb and say that all the books are going to center around someone who work's for Earl Drake.  Second book in the series is called Never the Gentleman and is due out next spring while book three - Always the Temptress is due out next summer.  You can find out more about these books at http://www.eileendreyer.com/.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette in exchange for my review.~

I currently have three copies of this book up for giveaway here.

Barely a Lady

Publisher/Publication Date: Grand Central Publishing, July 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-446-54208-1

392 pages

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Audio Book Review)

Title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith
Reader: Scott Holst
Publisher: Hachette Audio

My thoughts: I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  It took the historical things we know about Lincoln and intertwined how it could have happened if there were really vampires.  From the deaths of Nancy Hanks (Abe's mom) to Ann Rutledge (first fiance) and all the way through to his election as President and subsequent assassination. 

You see, Abe was really a vampire hunter. He learned about them at a young age when he saw his father making a deal with one for a loan.  He later went on his own to hunt them down and kill them.  During his travels he actually is befriended by a vampire who saves him when another tries to kill him.  When Abe asks why he didn't kill him - he says that some people are too interesting to kill (sorry if I didn't get the quote quite right - I finished this some time ago). Over the years this vampire feeds information to Abe about "bad" vampires in the area so that Abe can go and kill them.

I must say that I did enjoy it.  With audiobooks I have discovered that if I don't like the narrator, then it is hard to get involved in the story line.  Obviously, this was a narrator (Scott Holst) that I liked.

~I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Hachette Audio in exchange for my review.~

 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette Audio, Mar 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60788-173-5
9 CDs - 10 hours

Damaged by Pamela Callow (Book Review)

Title: Damaged (Book 1 of Kate Lange series)
Author: Pamela Callow
Publisher: MIRA Books


(Please don't confuse this with Damaged by Alex Kava which I am currently holding a giveaway for).
My synopsis: Kate was a new lawyer at Lyons McGrath Barrett law firm.  She knew that she was going to have to work hard to prove that she belonged there.  Having recently ended an engagement to Ethan Drake, detective, she had got a new job, bought a new house, and acquired a dog named Alaska.

Barrett was determined to keep Kate practicing family law for 2 reasons - He had a bone to pick with Ethan Drake and with John Lyons - the partner who had recruited her.  He assigned her a case with a futile outlook.  A grandmother (Marian) wanted custody of her granddaughter (Lisa) - but did not have any proof that the granddaughter wasn't being taken care of properly or that she was doing drugs.  The hitch was that Lisa's mom was Hope Carson, a criminal court judge known for her icy personality and demeanor.

Kate tells Marian that she really doesn't have a case, but after mulling it over tries to call her back to discuss it.  Unfortunately it is too late and Lisa has been murdered and dismembered.  Talk about opening a can of worms!  Now Kate has to worry that she did everything by the book in talking with Marian.  She figures she can throw her law career out the window when John Lyons assigns her a litigation file with Trans Tissue as the client.  Trans Tissue makes surgical products and they are being sued by someone who believes they contracted Hep C after an arthroscopic knee surgery using their product.  See, the surgical products are made from human tissue from cadavers harvested by tissue suppliers. 

So you really have two stories in one.  You have the medical mystery of how this patient contracted Hep C and you have the very grisly thriller of the serial killer.  There are quite a few supporting characters which are absolutely necessary to round these out and the book kept me tuned in all the way to the end.  They did not give anything away too quickly but rather dropped the pieces in a little at a time.  Definitely a must read.  I am eagerly awaiting the second book in the series Indefensible, which is due out in January of 2011.  I just discovered there is a third book - Tattooed coming out in August of 2011 and a fourth book planned for 2012. 

Pamela will be at Thrillerfest at the Debut Author Breakfast and Signing tomorrow morning (July 10).  I so wish I could go!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Media Muscle in exchange for my review.~

Damaged
Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA, June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2750-9
453 pages

Innocent by Scott Turow - Audiobook giveaway

Innocent

by Scott Turow

Read by Edward Herrmann and featuring Orlagh Cassidy

More than twenty years after Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto went head-to-head in the shattering murder trial of Presumed Innocent, the men are pitted against each other once again in a riveting psychological match. When Sabich, now over sixty years old and the chief judge of an appellate court, finds his wife, Barbara, dead under mysterious circumstances, Molto accuses him of murder for the second time, setting into motion a trial that is vintage Turow—the courtroom at its most taut and explosive.

Like" Scott Turow on Facebook

Visit ScottTurow.com

Giveaway

Thanks to Hachette Audio I have 3 copies of this audiobook for giveaway.

U.S./Canada only - No P.O. boxes

Simple Summer Rules - Just comment to enter with email address (would be nice if the comment actually made me think you read the post - and not just skipped to the giveaway - Just sayin'. . . )

This giveaway will end July 28.

Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - Audiobook Giveaway

Fever Dream

by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Read by Rene Auberjonois

At the old family manse in Louisiana, Special Agent Pendergast is putting to rest long-ignored possessions reminiscent of his wife Helen's tragic death, only to make a stunning-and dreadful-discovery. Helen had been mauled by an unusually large and vicious lion while they were big game hunting in Africa. But now, Pendergast learns that her rifle-her only protection from the beast-had been deliberately loaded with blanks. Who could have wanted Helen dead...and why?

With Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta's assistance, Pendergast embarks on a quest to uncover the mystery of his wife's murder. It is a journey that sends him deep into her past where he learns much that Helen herself had wished to keep hidden. Helen Pendergast had nursed a secret obsession with the famed naturalist-painter John James Audubon, in particular a long-lost painting of his known as the Black Frame.

As Pendergast probes more deeply into the riddle-the answer to which is revealed in a night of shocking violence, deep in the Louisiana bayou-he finds himself faced with an even greater question: who was the woman he married?

 

Listen to an Excerpt

Start Reading Online
Visit PrestonChild.com

Giveaway

Thanks to Hachette Audio I have 3 copies of this audiobook for giveaway.

U.S./Canada only - No P.O. boxes

Simple Summer Rules - Just comment to enter with email address (would be nice if the comment actually made me think you read the post - and not just skipped to the giveaway - Just sayin'. . .  )

This giveaway will end July 28.

Damaged by Alex Kava - Giveaway!

Damaged

A Maggie O'Dell Novel

by Alex Kava

On Pensacola Beach, the Coast Guard prepares for a Category 5 hurricane that has entered the Gulf of Mexico. When the air crew patrols the waterways, they spot a huge fishing cooler about a mile offshore. Drug traffickers have been known to dump coolers with smuggled product to avoid detection and pay fishermen to retrieve them. But when the crew open this cooler, they're shocked by what they find: body parts tightly wrapped in plastic.

Though she is putting herself in the projected path of the hurricane, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell is sent to investigate. Eventually, she's able to trace the torso in the cooler back to a man who mysteriously disappeared weeks earlier after a hurricane hit Port St. Lucie, Florida. Only Port St. Lucie is on the Atlantic side. How did his body end up six hundred miles away in the Gulf of Mexico?

Cliffhanger chapters, behind-the-scenes forensic details, colorful characters, and satisfying twists have become the trademarks of Kava's psychological thrillers. In Damaged, she ratchets up the suspense a notch by sending Maggie into the eye of an impending monster hurricane to track down a killer.

Giveaway

Thanks to Doubleday books I have 2 copies of this book for giveaway.

U.S. only - no PO boxes

Simple Summer Rules - Just leave a comment with your email to enter.

This giveaway will end July 27.

Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn - Giveaway!

Ravished by a Highlander

by Paula Quinn

Davina Montgomery is no ordinary English lady. For her own protection, she's been locked away from society, her true identity the Crown's most closely guarded secret. Until a shocking betrayal--and a bold rescue--land her in the arms of a fierce Highlander, a powerful warrior whose searing gaze and tantalizing touch awaken her body and soul.

As the firstborn son of a powerful Scottish laird, Robert MacGregor has no loyalty to the English throne, but he's not the kind of man to leave a woman in distress, even if she is English. He vows to deliver Davina to safety, unharmed and untouched. Yet one stolen kiss leaves them both smoldering with desire...and desperate for more. With Davina's secret threatening to destroy his clan, Rob must choose between everything he holds dear and the one woman he can't live without.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Hachette Books I have 3 copies to giveaway.
US/Canada only - no PO boxes
Simple Summer Rules - just comment with email to enter.
This giveaway will end July 27.

The 9th Judgment by James Patterson - Audio Giveaway

The 9th Judgment

by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

Read by Carolyn McCormick

The most personal

A young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick.

The most dangerous

The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria.

The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever

Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, The 9th Judgment is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!

Listen to an Excerpt

View the Video

Visit JamesPatterson.com

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to Hachette Audio I have 3 audio CD's to giveaway. 

 U.S/Canada only - no PO boxes.

Simple Summer Rules - Just leave a comment with your email address to enter.

This giveaway will end July 26.

A Tidbit Romance - (Blog Tour July 5 - July 28) and Giveaway!

A Tidbit Romance: Falling in Love with God's Word One Devotion at a Time

by Erin Coss

A Tidbit Romance Woos Readers Through Summer Blog Tour

Christian devotional seeks to engage readers in heartfelt study and time with God.

Cross writes on several "everyday" topics in her devotions, which she calls "tidbits."  Some of the subjects discussed include:

• Why "ugly days" are a thing of the past.
• What the common phrase "apple of His eye" really means.
• Was the Holocaust prophesied in the Bible?
• Which ghost story is included in the Bible.
• Was there teleportation in the Bible?
• Why God handpicked you!

Author Sandra B. Rice, contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul - Devotional Stories for Women, writes of the book: "In a hectic and time-consumed world, it is nice to find a place of peace. A Tidbit Romance gives us a chance to focus on God's Word as Erin's insightful and honest devotionals guide us through each day."

GIVEAWAY!

Erin has very generously offered one book for giveaway to one of my readers.  No Mailing Restrictions!  Simple Summer Rules - just comment with email address to enter.  This giveaway ends July 26.

About the author: Erin Coss - A.K.A. The Chicken Dance Mama, is a published author and speaker. Her published works include Revival Nation Magazine, First Conversations, My Surgery Journal and My Hospital Journal. She resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband Eric and their three children.

Participating Blogs:
This Mom's Delight - July 5
The Vessel Project - July 6
What You Reading Now? - July 7
The Change - July 8
Books and Needlepoint - July 9
Three Different Directions - July 13
Shelly's Bits & Pieces - July 14
Ruby for Women - July 15
The Christian Scroll - July 16
Life in review - July 19
Bee Hive Books - July 20
Gather In Spirit - July 21
All a Bunch of Momsense - July 22
Word Wanderings - July 23
Mama's Little Treasures - July 26
Smallest Inspirations - July 27
I am Believing God's Blog - July 28

Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer (Blog Tour July 1 - 12) and Giveaway!

Barely a Lady

by Eileen Dreyer

Olivia Grace has secrets that could destroy her. One of the greatest of these is the Earl of Gracechurch, who married and divorced her five years earlier. Abandoned and disgraced, Grace has survived those years at the edge of respectability. Then she stumbles over Jack on the battlefield of Waterloo, and he becomes an even more dangerous secret. For not only is he unconscious, he is clad in an enemy uniform.

But worse, when Jack finally wakes in Olivia's care, he can't remember how he came to be on a battlefield in Belgium. In fact, he can remember nothing of the last five years. He thinks he and Olivia are still blissfully together. To keep him from being hanged for a traitor, Olivia must pretend she and Jack are still married.

To unearth the real traitors, Olivia and Jack must unravel the truth hidden within his faulty memory. To save themselves and the friends who have given them sanctuary, they must stand against their enemies, even as they both keep their secrets.

In the end, can they risk everything to help Jack recover his lost memories, even though the truth may destroy them both?

About the author: Born and raised in Brentwood, Missouri and a product of Catholic Schools, she lives in St. Louis County with husband Rick and her two children. She has animals but refuses to subject them to the glare of the limelight.

Dreyer won her first publishing award in 1987, being named the best new Contemporary Romance Author by Romantic Times. Since that time she has also garnered not only five other writing awards from Romantic Times, but five RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, which secures her only the fourth place in the Romance Writers of America prestigious Hall of Fame. Since extending her reach to suspense, she has also garnered a coveted Anthony Award nomination for her last paperback, Bad Medicine. She has over three million books in print world wide, and has made regular appearances on the Waldenbook and B.Dalton bestsellers list, and now the USA Today list.

A frequent speaker at conferences, she maintains membership in Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and, just in case things go wrong, Emergency Nurses Association and International Association of Forensic Nurses, for which she is the unofficial mascot.

Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world, and admits she sees research as a handy way to salve her insatiable curiosity. She counts film producers, police detectives and Olympic athletes as some of her sources and friends. She's also trained in forensic nursing and death investigation, although she doesn't see herself actively working in the field, unless this writing thing doesn't pan out.

Friend Eileen on Facebook
Follow @EileenDreyer on Twitter
Visit EileenDreyer.com

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to Hachette I have 3 copies of this book to giveaway. 

Giveaway is open to U.S./Canada only - no PO boxes.

Simple Summer Rules!  Just leave comment with e-mail address. (If you want to click the tweet button at the bottom, don't let me stop you though  :)   )

This giveaway will end July 26, 2010.

Participating Blogs:
A Journey of Books 7/1/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
Books with a Cup of Coffee 7/1/2010 Feature, Giveaway, Guest Post
Broken Teepee 7/1/2010 Review, Giveaway
Just Another New Blog 7/1/2010 Giveaway
Books Like Breathing 7/1/2010 Review
Thoughts in Progress 7/1/2010 Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
Book Hounds 7/1/2010 Review, Giveaway
Freda's Voice 7/2/2010 Review, Giveaway
Seductive Musings 7/2/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway, Guest Post
My Book Addiction and More 7/2/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
The Book Girl 7/2/2010 Review, Giveaway
Running Away? I'll Help You Pack 7/3/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Thrifty Things 7/5/2010 Review, Giveaway
Rundpinne 7/5/2010 Review
Just Jennifer Reading 7/5/2010 Review, Giveaway
Rex Robot Reviews 7/5/2010 Feature, Review, Giveaway
Marta's Meanderings 7/6/2010 Review, Giveaway
Minding Spot 7/6/2010 Review, Giveaway
Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews 7/6/2010 Giveaway
The Eclectic Booklover 7/6/2010 Review, Giveaway
My Reading Addiction 7/7/2010 Feature, Giveaway
Book Soulmates Book Blog 7/7/2010 Review, Giveaway
My Guilty Pleasures 7/7/2010 Review, Giveaway
In the Hammock 7/8/2010 Review, Giveaway
A Moment With Mystee 7/9/2010 Review, Giveaway, Q&A
Books and Needlepoint 7/9/2010 Review, Giveaway
Book Junkie 7/9/2010 Review, Giveaway, Q&A
Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks 7/10/2010 Review, Giveaway
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf 7/10/2010 Review, Giveaway
Chick with Books 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
DK's Everything Romance Books 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Mommy Reads Too Much 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Simply Stacie 7/12/2010 Giveaway
Starting Fresh 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Fiction Enthusiast 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Candid, Clever & Cost Effective 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Renee's Reads 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
Libby's Library News 7/12/2010 Review, Giveaway
The Avid Reader 7/12/2010 Review, Q&A