Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Tempted in the Tropics by Tracy March


Tempted in the Tropics
by Tracy March

The only thing they agree on is the sultry heat between them.

Nothing’s more important to Paige Ellerbee than her struggling bakery, Sweet Bee’s. When Lane Anderson, the temporary new doctor hot enough to rival McDreamy, moves in next door, though, she’s sure things are looking up. Until he threatens her business in their first conversation.

Lane just wants to practice medicine responsibly—not argue with the flighty bakery owner next door. But when he finds himself traveling down to the Caribbean to play guitar for Paige’s best friend’s wedding, suddenly the sight of the blonde in a bikini eclipses the fact they can’t agree on anything. And as their vacation romance grows, his reservations about starting something after getting burned by love are washed away like sand on the beach.

But once Paige and Lane land back home, will these polar opposites be able to forgive their feud and find lasting love?

Buy links: 


About the author: Award-winning author Tracy March writes romantic thrillers influenced by her career in the pharmaceutical field, and her interest in science and politics. She also writes lighthearted romances inspired by her real-life happily ever after.

Always up for travel and adventure, Tracy has flown in a stunt plane, snowmobiled on the Continental Divide, ziplined in the Swiss Alps, and been chased by a bull in the mountains of St. Lucia. She loves Nationals baseball, Saturday date nights, and Dairy Queen Blizzards—and rarely goes a day without Diet Coke and Cheez-Its.

Tracy lives in Yorktown, Virginia, with her superhero husband who works for NASA. They recently spent two years living in Washington D.C., and enjoy visiting often—especially when the Nats are in town. 

Author's links: 

Early Praise:

This is a terrific book! The storyline is fresh, modern and engaging. This is a fast-paced read the flows fluidly from beginning to end. The author does an excellent job of creating sexy seduction scenes that sizzle with heat.” – LJT on Goodreads


“Oh. My. Gosh. I so loved Tempted in the Tropics by Tracy March. It was entertaining from start to finish with the perfect blend of romance, laughter, and passion.” – Amy on Goodreads



Giveaway Info:


Tropics Beach Bling prize pack including a charm bracelet, ring and a $25 Amazon or B&N gift card.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Panic by J.A. Huss



Panic
(Rook and Ronin #3)
by J.A. Huss

Publication Date: Oct 24, 2013
Contemporary, NA

Rook is chasing her dream—film school and a chance at a life beyond the one she left behind six months ago. But before she can become the girl she wants to be, she must deal with the girl she left behind.

Ronin is also chasing his dream—a family of his own and a life away from erotic modeling. And he too, has a past he’s trying to forget. A past that makes Rook question everything about their life together.

Lies, secrets, and shocking truths will rock the foundation Rook and Ronin have built. Can they put the past behind them and move forward together? Or is this just another too good to be true relationship that will crash and burn in the end?








About the author:  J. A. Huss likes to write new adult books that make you think and keep you guessing. Her favorite genre to read is space opera, but since practically no one reads those books, she writes new adult science fiction, paranormal romance, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and books about Junco (who refuses to be saddled with a label). 

She has an undergraduate degree in horses, (yes, really–Thank you, Colorado State University) and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida. She used to have a job driving around Colorado doing pretty much nothing but shooting the breeze with farmers, but now she just writes, runs the New Adult Addiction and Clean Teen Reads Book Blogs, and runs an online science classroom for homeschoolers.


Author Links:






Links for Tragic and Manic: 

Tragic
 
Manic
  
Tragic
Manic





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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Book Review: The Promise by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

Title: The Promise (Book 2, Restoration Series)
Authors: Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley
Publisher: Revell 

About the book: One home, two hearts, and the power of a promise kept . . . 

For the last five months, Tom Anderson has been without a job, a fact he's been hiding from his wife Jean--and everyone else. He leaves each morning, pretending nothing has changed, and spends his disheartening day rotating through coffee shops and the library, using their wifi to search job listings online. The stress of keeping this secret is beginning to put serious strain on his marriage.

But Tom's not the only one hiding something. Jean Anderson has a secret of her own--one that will seriously complicate their situation. Will the promises they made on their wedding day hold firm?


Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.


Purchase Links: 
 

My thoughts: This is my fifth book that I have read and reviewed on Books and Needlepoint by Dan Walsh.  (You can find all my reviews here. ) I continue to be touched and renewed while reading his books.  This latest, the second in the Restoration Series is no exception.  I would recommend reading The Dance first though as you get some background information that not knowing won't detract from the story, but I felt it gave me a better understanding of the family dynamics.  

I enjoy these books because the foundation for the restoration is based in God's love and forgiveness.  This is portrayed though, without being preachy and in-your-face.  It is simply a story, that could be anyone's story, about things that disrupt a marriage, a family, and the importance of communication and prayer. These books have touched me on a deeper level the last couple of years as my family has faced some trials where communication and understanding have played a very big role.  For awhile the communication was lost and it is just coming back to the level where it used to be.  The difference that it has made in our marriage and in our family is tremendous.

So, whether or not your family is whole, struggling, on the brink of disaster - I am sure that you will take something away with you after reading them.

~I received a complimentary copy of The Dance from Revell Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~


About the author: Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Dance with Gary Smalley, The Discovery, and The Reunion. He has won three Carol Awards, and two of his novels were finalists for RT Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year for 2011 and 2012. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

Author Links:
Website / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest



About the author: Gary Smalley is one of the country's best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as OprahLarry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury and The Dancewith Dan Walsh. Gary and his wife Norma have been married for 49 years and live in Missouri.

Author Links: 
Twitter 

Review and Giveaway: In the Shadow of Revenge by Patricia Hale

Title: In the Shadow of Revenge
Author: Patricia Hale
Publisher: Carina Press

About the book: Everybody thought brilliant Cecily would leave dead-end Miller's Falls for something better. But a two-decades-old tragedy locks her in place. Few understand the fierce bond that Cecily and Amelia share with Hilary, who was assaulted one summer as the two other girls watched helplessly. It's a bond of love and guilt… and a desire for vengeance that cuts clear to the bone.

So Assistant DA Cecily Minos waits, eager to see the guy in her courtroom. When Amelia meets a man who has the tattoo the girls remember seeing that day, they think they've finally caught a break. But the police refuse to reopen the case, and it's up to Cecily and Amelia to pursue their suspect.

Their investigation soon uncovers secrets best left buried. But the law is slow, and they've waited long enough for revenge…. 




Purchase Links:
 

My thoughts:  For a first book for Patricia Hale, this one was very good!  I can't wait to see what she will write in the future.  I liked the bond between Cecily, Hillary and Amelia, and given what they have gone through, it is very understandable and believable.  Something like that either tears you apart or brings you together forever.  

The story unfolds with us learning more and more about the girls' childhoods and the women they have become today.  You learn how they each have developed coping mechanisms to get them past the memories that haunt them. Cecily seems to bear the most guilt and it is linked to a Ouiji board that they had played with as children.  She has a link to the board which she is sure comes from her deceased Grandmother.  She feels that the answers that she has been given through the board may have been guidance from her Grandmother all along.  

The more involved Cecily becomes in the investigation concerning the assault from 18 years before, the more danger she finds herself in, and the more muddy the lines between being loyal to friends or being loyal to family become. 

Again, loved this book - and I loved the touch of paranormal that was thrown in!

~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Partners in Crime Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Excerpt from In the Shadow of Revenge: 


My lungs were tight as fists and the voice inside my head said run, but my legs couldn’t be trusted. Standing up wouldn’t have gotten me out of there, it would only have drawn attention to the pee that was warm in my shorts and it might have gotten Hilary killed if he was serious about running that blade across her neck.

All of a sudden the man stood and keeping his back to us, lowered the kerchief and put a cigarette in his mouth. Hilary never moved though I saw her blink. She was looking at something far away like she was somewhere else entirely and I hoped that that was true so she wouldn’t have to know what happened. He pulled his baseball hat low over his face the same way it’d been when we first climbed into the railcar and without ever looking at us he jumped to the ground and walked away.

“Stay here,” I’d told Amelia, though I knew she wasn’t going anywhere. And I ran. I ran faster than I’d ever run not even caring about the pee burning the inside of my legs. I’d taken the woods instead of the path, running in the opposite direction from the way he’d gone. My legs were scraped and bleeding by the time I’d reached the road and the stitch in my side had made it almost impossible to breath, but I just kept thinking of Hilary laying there and I couldn’t stop until I was pulling open my own back door. I ran into the kitchen and through the house until I found my mother kneeling beside her bed, rosary beads draped around her prayerful hands like a spider web. I stood in the doorway and looked at her, imagined wrapping my arms around her neck and her drawing me in, holding me. I imagined feeling safe. She glanced at me standing there then dismissed me with a nod of her head, knee deep in Jesus. I turned and ran for the telephone.




About the author: Patricia Hale is a graduate of the MFA program at Goddard College in Vermont. She is a member of Sister’s in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, NH Writer’s Project and Maine Writer’s and Publisher’s Alliance. Her essays and articles have appeared in New England literary magazines and the anthology, My Heart’s First Steps. When not writing, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and kayaking on the lakes near her home. Patricia lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two German shepherds.

Author Links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook





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Tour Participants:







Friday, September 6, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Road to You by Marilyn Brant



The Road to You 
by Marilyn Brant
Cover designed by Okay Creations
Publication Date: Oct 3, 2013
Mystery, New Adult, Romance


Sometimes the only road to the truth...is one you’ve never taken.

Until I found Gideon’s journal in the tool shed — locked in the cedar box where I’d once hidden my old diary — I’d been led to believe my brother was dead. But the contents of his journal changed all that.

The Road to Discovery...
Two years ago, Aurora Gray’s world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. Now, during the summer of her 18th birthday, she unexpectedly finds her brother’s journal and sees that it’s been written in again. Recently. By him.

The Road to Danger...
There are secret messages coded within the journal’s pages. Aurora, who’s unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is hell bent on following where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels can help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy’s older brother and a guy she’s always been drawn to — even against her better judgment.

The Road to You...
Reluctantly, Donovan agrees to go with her and, together, they set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, hoping to find their lost brothers and the answers to questions they’ve never dared to ask aloud.

In that expectant space between silence and melody, our trip began...








About the author: Marilyn Brant is a national bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary fiction, and she was recently named the 2013 Illinois Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. 

She wrote ACCORDING TO JANE, the story of a modern woman who receives dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen (October 2009); FRIDAY MORNINGS AT NINE, a tale about three suburban moms, their marriages and what happens a decade or two after the "Happily Ever After" (a Doubleday Book Club and Book-of-the-Month Club pick in 2010); and A SUMMER IN EUROPE, a novel about a woman's journey of self discovery as she travels through Europe with her adventurous aunt's Sudoku & Mahjongg Club (a Literary Guild and BOMC2 featured alternate in 2011, and a Rhapsody Book Club Top 20 Bestseller in "Fiction & Literature" in 2012), all women's fiction releases from Kensington Books.

She's also a #1 Kindle Bestseller and has written a series of fun and flirty contemporary romantic comedies, available as original ebooks. Both ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE and PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH were Top 100 Bestsellers on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. DOUBLE DIPPING was a 2012 International Digital Awards Finalist for Best Contemporary Novel and HOLIDAY MAN was a RONE Award Contestant. Her next novel, THE ROAD TO YOU, is a coming-of-age romantic mystery and will be out in October 2013.

Author Links:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads



Book Blitz: Woman Walks Into a Bar by Rowan Coleman


On September 10th Rowan is publishing her novella Woman Walks into a Bar as an ebook for the first time. And 100% of her proceeds will be donated to Refuge. 
Her goal is to raise £10,000 and you can help. All you have to do is buy a book, or two, and get your friends to buy one too. You’ll get a funny, romantic and touching summer read and you’ll be helping women you’ve never even met at the same time and all for the price of $1.99.

The story behind the story

Every book Rowan have ever written has meant a lot to her, but with her latest book ‘Dearest Rose,’ something really special happened when the real world and the fiction she loves to write collided.  It changed her as a person and a writer, forever.
She was getting ready to research her tenth novel, which with the help of her Facebook readers she decided should pivot around the theme of domestic abuse. It was a subject she’d touched on briefly once before, when she wrote a short novella as one of the first Quick Reads called Woman Walks into a Bar, which to this day remains one of the pieces of work of which she is most proud.
 So she posted on her Facebook page asking if anyone had any personal experiences of domestic abuse, and any stories they might share with her in confidence.
She was shocked and amazed by the response; there were more than 200 emails waiting in her inbox the next day. Each story she read was horrific and frightening in its own way, giving her an insight into the secret lives of many women; lives that all too often remain hidden. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone - well educated wealthy women are just as likely to suffer as women from a working class background - but the one thing all those women had in common was that they were survivors. After years of being mentally and physically beaten down, they had managed to find the emotional strength, somehow, to break free and start again. 

Now Rowan wants to do something that will help other women find that inner courage, and change their lives.


Woman Walks Into a Bar
by Rowan Coleman

 ‘Woman Walks into a Bar’ is the story of 28-year-old single mother Sam spends her days working in the local supermarket and her Friday nights out with her friends letting her hair down at the White Horse. Life hasn’t been easy for Sam and her daughter, Beth (who always looks on the bright side) but she’s always hoped that one day she’ll break free from her past and meet The One.
But after a series of terrible dates with men she’s met through an internet dating site, that have all been as awful as her daughter’s terrible jokes, she’s starting to lose heart - until her friends tell her they’ve set her up on a blind date. Sam’s horrified but finally she agrees to go. After all you never know when you might meet the man of your dreams; maybe Sam’s happy ending is just about to begin….


Purchase Link:


So, come on and join Rowan, and help to #supportafriend on September 10th. Every time you buy or pre-order ‘Woman Walks into a Bar’ you’ll be entered into a prize draw for fabulous prizes every week, while the #supportafriend #womanwalks campaign is running. On 10th September, tweet Rowan photos of you and your friends, tell her your ideas to support a friend, and why your friends mean so much to you.
You can be a best friend to someone you have never even met. You can help someone out there find the support they need to change their lives.
 If you are a blogger or tweeter, spread the word using #supportafriend #womawalks. If you are a company who could offer a prize to drive book sales and thereby money for Refuge, please get in touch. If you are a woman in an abusive relationship, or if you have a friend about whom you are worried, please get in touch with Refuge and ask for help today. 

About the author:  Rowan Coleman grew up in Hertfordshire secretly longing to be a writer despite battling with dyslexia.  After graduating from university she worked in bookselling and publishing for seven years before winning Company Magazine Young Writer of the Year in 2001.  Her first novel ‘Growing Up Twice’ was published in 2002.
Rowan has gone on to write eight novels for women including the bestseller ‘The Accidental Mother, The Baby Group’ and ‘The Accidental Wife‘ and eight novels for children and teens including the paranormal adventure novels Nearly Departed and Immortal Remains under the name Rook Hasting. Her books are published around the world. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her family.

Author Links:

Book Spotlight: Going All In by Cassandra Carr, Isabo Kelly and Stacey Agdern



Grab Going All In until 9/12/13 for just $2.99. 
 On 9/12/13 it will go back to it's regular price of $4.99.

Going All In
by Cassandra Carr, Isabo Kelly and Stacey Agdern
Professional hockey players Marcus, Alex, and Chris attend their team's Vegas Night fundraiser unaware their lives will change forever. Can they face their difficulties and win the most important game of their lives – the game of love? These guys are going all in…
HEDGING HIS BET: Cassandra Carr
Marcus Mitchell never thought he’d find the love of his life with champagne dripping from her shirt rather than walking the runway at Fashion Week like the models he usually preferred, but you can’t always plan these things. Annalise Alonso isn’t going to make it easy for him, though—he’s going to have to work for her love. Now, Marcus is taking a shot and hedging his bet on love.
CASTING THE DIE: Isabo Kelly
After she sees his murder in a vision, Nathalie Mendez has to warn star hockey goalie Alexander Semenov of the danger. To keep him alive, she risks exposing her many secrets. But once the die is cast, her biggest gamble involves her heart.
PLAYING HER GAME: Stacey Agdern
Melanie Gould has been dubbed ‘The Girl in the Lace Corset’. But she doesn’t always like to be the loud mouth defender of the romances she writes, and is definitely not good at playing the games relationships require. Of course, she’s never gone head to head with a guy like Chris Emerson. Chris is trying to behave, and someone like Melanie would destroy his plans to stay under the radar. So what happens when the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset’ and the NHL’s most infamous bad boy go one on one?  Will they play her game?  Will they play his? Or will they both end up in the penalty box?



 Purchase Links:
 

 About the authors:

Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Siren Publishing, Sybarite Seductions, Decadent Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Recently she was re-elected president of Western New York Romance Writers.
For more information about Cassandra, check out her website at http://www. booksbycassandracarr.com, "like" her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/ AuthorCassandraCarr or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ Cassandra_Carr.

 Isabo Kelly is the award-winning author of multiple science fiction, fantasy and paranormal romances. After finishing her Ph.D. in animal behavior in Ireland, Isabo settled down to write full time. She currently lives in New York City with her brilliant Irish husband, her two heroes-in-training sons, and her mad dog.

For more on Isabo and her books, visit her at 
www.isabokelly.com, follow her on Twitter www.twitter.com/IsaboKelly or friend her on Facebook www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly 

 Stacey Agdern is the two time award winning Romance Specialist at Posman Books, an independent bookstore located in Grand Central Terminal. She has a regular column, ‘Dispatches from the TBR Pile’ at ‘HEA’, USA Today’s online romance blog.  She has also written reviews and commentary for publications such as Barbara Vey’s ‘Beyond Her Book’ Column at Publishers Weekly’s online site, Heroes and Heartbreakers, Criminal Element, Romantic Times Magazine and Romance at Random.  She has given presentations on the effective use of booksellers at regional and national conferences.  You can find her on twitter at @nystacey.  She lives in New York, not very far from her favorite hockey team’s practice facility.




Thursday, September 5, 2013

Book Blast and Giveaway: A Good-Lookin' Man by Marcia Lynn McClure


Goodlookin Man copy




goodlookin

A Good-Lookin' Man (novella)
by Marcia Lynn McClure 

However, in an instant—in less than a breath or the bat of an eyelid—the elusive pepper spray hiding somewhere in her purse was all but forgotten. For standing before her—right there before her, not three feet away—was the best-looking, most gorgeous, handsomest man she had ever seen in all her life!

“No, seriously,” she thought out loud with lingering bewilderment at how perfectly stunning the man standing before her was, wearing a worn pair of Levi’s, dusty cowboy boots, and a short-sleeved, plaid-print, snap-up shirt that hung open, revealing a bronzed, perfectly sculpted torso that was simply a mass of muscles. She was so unsettled by the man’s appearance that she wasn’t sure whether she was whispering aloud to herself or her car.

Either way, the man asked, “Beg your pardon, ma’am?”

“Oh…oh, nothing,” Fairlee said as she began rummaging in her purse again. But the man’s presence and appearance had entirely rattled her. As her awe-inspired brain obviously quit sending out instructions to the rest of her body, Fairlee felt her purse slip from her hands—watched in humiliated dismay as its contents tumbled out and scattered over the shoulder of the road.



marciaAuthor Marcia Lynn McClure

Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books, has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”

Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.








BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 10/5/13

 a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Cover Reveal: Fallen by Stacy Claflin



Fallen
(The Prequel: A Transformed Novella)
by Stacy Claflin
Cover designed by Bryan Hufalar
Publication Date: Fall, 2013
Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Samantha Erikson is a vampire with one mission: to rule the world. She’s spent decades winning over the world’s most feared vampire, Vince Moretti. Just when everything is going according to plan, he sidetracks her with the assignment of pretending to be a high school student in a small town.

It’s humiliating enough going from stilettos to sneakers, but Samantha must also follow the most boring person alive: the teenage girl who stands between her and the throne. When she has had all she can take, she finds a fun distraction: an attractive football player who isn't scared of vampires. There's one problem. Against her better judgment, she falls in love with him. Now she must decide between the mortal she adores and a place of power in the vampire world. If she tries to have both, she could lose everything.






About the author: Stacy loves writing, reading, and watching Young and New Adult Paranormal and Paranormal Romance. Her favorite TV shows include the Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Fringe, Pretty Little Liars, and the Lying Game.

STACY'S BOOKS
The Transformed Series:
Deception
Betrayal
Forgotten

Chasing Mercy

You can learn more about her current and upcoming books, and connect with her at StacyClaflin.com.

Author Links:
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter








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