Until Now by Denise Skelton
Terry Meyers' life seems to be falling apart. Her husband left her and their 2 sons for a woman 10 years her junior, she has a mortgage that she can't afford, a car that stays broken more than it works and a son who's going through puberty and seems set to drive her crazy in the process. Add to that the desire to go into business with her cousin, who is adamant that that will never happen and Terry believes her life could not get much worse.
Wade Nelson has moved back to Chicago to work as the new English teacher at Jefferson High. His strained relationship with his father has kept him away for many years. What his family doesn't know is that Wade has another agenda for being back in Chicago.
As things seem to go from bad to worse, Terry decides it's time to take stock in her life. First on the list, handle her deadbeat future ex-husband. Second, find a new career. Third, swear off men, what's the point, she always chooses the wrong one, always ends up being used or hurt. . . Until Now. . .
When Wade meets feisty Terry Meyers, the last thing he's thinking about is being in a relationship with anyone, let alone a woman who has two children, but Terry has a way of finding herself in rather strange situations and he just happens to be the one there to bail her out. With a past that he has never put to rest, Wade, by no means, considered the idea of settling down, Until Now. . .(back cover)
A Survival Guide for Teenage Girls
by Richard M. Dudum
Who's Jack? Jack is not a person. When I say, "You don't owe him Jack," I mean, you don't owe him anything.
You get compliments. You get gifts. He buys you a ring. He takes you out. He tells you you're beautiful. He says all the things you want to hear. What do you owe him? NOTHING. YOU DON'T OWE HIM JACK! (back cover)
(I received What Your Mother Never Told You from the author through Bostick Communications)
Thirsty by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe
It is 1883, and all of Klara Bozic's girlish dreams have come crashing down as she arrives in Thirsty, a gritty steel town carved into the slopes above the Monongahela River just outside of Pittsburgh. She has made a heartbreaking discover. Her new husband Drago is as abusive a the father she left behind in Croatia.
In Kristin Bair O'Keeffe's debut novel, Klara's life unfolds over forty years as she struggles to find her place in a new country where her survival depends on the friends who nurture her: gutsy, funny Katherine Bekavac, who isn't afraid of Drago's fist; BenJo, the only black man in Thirsty to have his own shop; and strangely enough, Old Man Rupert, the town drunk.
Thirsty follows a chain of unlikely events that keep Klara's spirit aloft: a flock of angelic butterflies descends on Thirsty; Klara gives birth to her first child in Old Man Rupert's pumpkin patch; and BenJo gives her a talking bird. When Klara's daughter marries a man even more brutal than Drago, Klara is forced to act. If she doesn't finally break the cycle of violence in her family, her granddaughters will one day walk the same road, broken and bruised. As the threads that hold her family together fray and come undone, Klara has to decide if she has the courage to carve out a peaceful spot in the world for herself and her girls. (back cover)
I received Thirsty from Phenix Publicity)
D for daring, E for enchanting, L for loving, I for inspiring, C for captivating, I for intriguing, O for outgoing, U for unique, S for sophisticated: DELICIOUS.
what's in a word? Anything you want there to be!
Twenty-five exhilarating real-life stories about delicious women, eccentric men and stubborn dogs.
"Tales for Delicious Girls" offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. The book is a modern relationship manual, providing answers to the most pressing dating and friendship questions that strong, independent, modern women want to know. "Tales for Delicious Girls" deals with wishes, desires and dreams - as well as hilarious mishaps and dating disasters.
However, "Tales for Delicious Girls" is not simply a humorous book. In addition to entertaining the readers, the tales inspire women to think about their life and relationships, see themselves through different eyes and realize that they are their own best friend, the pillar of their own life, and the only person they can always count on. "Tales for Delicious Girls" encourages women to love, respect and appreciate themselves, to live the life thy have always wanted, and become aware of their true uniqueness and deliciousness. It helps them to realize their own strength and power and overcome difficult life and relationship situations.
With over fifty beautiful, original illustrations.
This book will make you laugh until there are tears in your eyes. It will become your faithful companion, and will help you find yourself. It was written for you because you're delicious - the most delicious girl in the world. (back cover)
(I received this book from Pump Up Your Book Tour.)
Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr., a Boston private eye, is hired to investigate the death of Jennifer Clark, tragically killed in a car bombing in her own driveway.
Gallagher has been commissioned by Jeanne Campbell, Jennifer's twin sister, to find a mysterious woman - Jennifer's secret lesbian lover who vanished immediately after the bombing. While the authorities continue to pursue their suspicions that the terrorist act may have been intended for Jennifer's husband, Bill, who holds a top-secret position in the counter-intelligence division of the National Security Agency, Jeanne reveals intricate details to Gallagher that intrigue him enough to take on the case. While Gallagher begins searching for the missing woman, he has no idea that a bounty has been placed on his own head - two hired gunmen are plotting to kill him. Gallagher's search takes him to Washington D.C., where he discovers that the car bombing is only a backdrop to a complex, treasonous scheme to sell code-breaking formulas to a hostile enemy nation.
As the violent mystery unravels, Gallagher finds himself under deadly attack from two shocking but powerful forces - one he knows and another he never expects. (back cover)
(I received this book from Author Marketing Experts.)
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula by Marta Acosta
Latina Ivy League grad Milagro de Los Santos can't find her place in the world or a man to go with it. Then one night, at a book party for her pretentious ex-boyfriend, she meets an oddly attractive man. After she is bitten while kissing him, she falls ill and is squirreled away to his family's estate to recover. Vampires don't exist in this day and age - or do they? As Milagro falls for a fabulously inappropriate man, she finds herself caught between a family that has accepted her as one of its own and a powerful, clandestine organization that refuses to let the undead live and love in peace. (back cover)
I won this at Reading with a Bite - thanks Lindsay!
1904 ~ New York, New York
Maggie Rose, the spunky, friendly, twenty-year-old middle daughter of Michigan resident Jacob Kane, feels compelled to leave her beloved hometown of Sandy Shores to pursue what she feels in her heart are God's plans for her life - in New York City.
Maggie Rose adjusts to her new life at Sheltering Arms Refuge, an orphanage that also transports homeless children to towns across the United States to match them with compatible families. Most of the children have painful pasts that make Maggie aghast, but she marvels at their resiliency. As she gets to know each child, her heart blossoms with new depths of love and compassion.
When a newspaper reporter comes to stay at the orphanage in order to gather research for an article, Maggie is struck by his handsome face - and concerned by his lack of faith. She can't deny their mutual affections though. Will she win the struggle to maintain her focus on God and remain attuned to His guidance? (back cover)
(I won this book at Cross and Cutlass - thanks Mary Lu!)
My First Read and Learn Book of Prayers
by Dr. Mary Manz Simon
In My First Read and Learn Book of Prayers you'll find ideas and suggestions for special days and specific situations. Most importantly, these prayers will help a young child begin a lifelong conversation with God. (back cover)
(I won this at Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports - thanks Marina!)
by Jim Colombo
Caroline Baker is having a day like no other.
While playing hooky from her job as an independent soybean trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, she is approached by a man looking for a lift into the city.
As they are driving to his downtown office, the stranger makes another request; he needs her help in retrieving a sensitive file from his office. Caroline agrees and easily collects the file, filling the rest of her day with bathing suit shopping, fending off attempted purse snatchings and giving a philandering boyfriend the boot.
It is only after this very long, very strange day that Caroline finally opens the mysterious file. Its contents will not only spring unlucky-in-love Caroline into the romance of a lifetime, it will plunge her headlong into an international adventure with the fate of the entire international banking system at stake! (back cover)
Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham
Peek inside a dinosaur egg, discover what dinosaurs really ate, and learn how dinosaur tracks are made - all in this awesomely-illustrated book!
Dinosaurs for Kids share the unique world of dinosaurs and their true history like never before as you:
- meet the most unusual creatures to ever walk the eart, stalk the seas, or soar across the sky!
- discover how dinosaur bonebeds are made, and other kinds of fossils beyond just bones!
- learn the truth behind museum exhibits and flawed evolutionay timelines!
(I received this book for a First Wild Card Tour.)