Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (Mar 17 - 22)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I may not be full blown Irish, but am more Irish than anything else - so I had to  be part of this hop hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer, Books Complete Me and Author Cindy Thomas.

I am offering for giveaway a set of 3 Kindle books by Carol Mason. These books are The Love Market, The Secrets of Married Women and Send me a Lover.  All are bestsellers in Canada and internationally published.  For the month of March, Carol is donating 50% of her net proceeds to breast cancer.  You can visit her website www.carolmasonbooks.com for more details.  So if you do not win them here, you will still have time to purchase them before the end of the month.  Just email Carol at Carol@carolmasonbooks.com with proof of purchase and she will do the rest at the end of the month.

The Love Market

When a marriage ends and a first love reappears, Celine Lewis is about to learn that moving on is as complicated as going back. 

Three years after seeing her first love, Patrick, quite by chance in London, Celine's ten-year marriage to Mike is over and she is running her own business, called The Love Market, a professional matchmaking service in Northern England. She's coping with the unanticipated heartbreak of a marriage ending, and her quirky twelve-year-old daughter who seems to blame her for the split. 

Then, out of the blue, Patrick emails. Tempted to find out if all the old feelings can possibly still be there, she's thrown into tailspin again when Mike has an unusual proposition for her, forcing her to question whether a divorce really means it's over.  

Buy at Amazon

Send Me a Lover


We love. We lose. And sometimes we love again...Back when neither could have imagined what lay ahead, Angela's husband Jonathan made her a promise - that if he died before she did, he would see to it that she wasn't on her own. He would send her someone to love. Now two years have passed since Jonathan's sudden death, but the pain of losing him is as sharp as ever. Feeling cut adrift in his native Canada, Angela whisks her vivacious mother off to a Greek island, thinking a holiday might be just the prescription she needs. But being with your mum who's afraid of dying, when you yourself are afraid of living, is hardly the formula for a laid-back week in the sun. It's only when Angela meets two very different men who seem to have the uncanny ability of seeing right into her soul, that she starts to think about Jonathan's promise to her. Can something magical be happening? Is one of these men the lover her husband has sent for her?

Buy at Amazon 

The Secrets of Married Women


'Affairs are easier to have than you'd think.' Jill and Rob are happily married - until they discover that it's Rob's fault they can't have kids. It isn't the end of the world for Jill. She's just happy to have a trustworthy husband who loves her deeply and presses all the right buttons in the bedroom. But Rob's gone off sex and refuses even to discuss it. In fact, all communication between them has come to an infuriating halt. And Jill just yearns for a bit of fun. It wouldn't be so bad if one of her best friends wasn't having the best sex of her entire life (albeit behind her husband's back) while her other friend has a stunning husband who she's still in lust with. But are things ever what they seem? How well do we ever know our husbands, our best friends or even ourselves? Jill is about to find out when she faces infertility, infidelity and the truth head on... 

Buy at Amazon

So - once you have entered my rafflecopter giveaway below - be sure to follow the linky link to another giveaway!  Happy Hopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Write What You Know. . .

. . . And Sometimes What You Don't Know

by Jennifer Walker

One of the most common pieces of advice bandied about by experienced authors is that you should write about what you know. This is definitely a good piece of advice! It drives me crazy when I read a book or see a movie with wildly inaccurate facts...horses that do things real horses don't do, dance scenes that don't look anything like the dance they're supposed to portray, etc. Some of these things would be so easy to correct with a modicum of research.

Beyond getting the basic facts right, when you live something, there is a depth of knowledge you have that cannot be replicated by someone who has never spent much time with that thing. For example, my thing is horses (big surprise if you've read anything about my books). One thing that is common among reactions to the books is that my knowledge of horses comes through. On the other side of the coin, I was once asked to write some reviews of high end luxury sports cars for a magazine. I knew I couldn't do justice to them, so I handed the assignment over to my husband. He claims he's not a car guy, but secretly he is. He did a fantastic job--way better than I could have done. I could have presented the facts about the cars OK, but when he did it, his enthusiasm for the subject matter shone through because he's spent a lot more time studying and drooling over cars than I have.

All that said, I think it's good to step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while. For NaNoWriMo this last year, I wrote a middle grade fiction that had no horses whatsoever. That took some effort! I also have some other story ideas that are way outside my comfort zone. I'm going to have to do a lot of research, because I want to get everything exactly right. And that's the key right there: if you do decide to go into unknown territory, make sure you do your research. If you're talking about something you don't have a background in, you might find a beta reader who knows the subject well just to check on you so your story rings true.

Above all, keep writing...no matter what the topic!

Jennifer is the author of the Green Meadow Series (for middle grade girls), one of which I recently read and reviewed - Bubba to the Rescue.  There is still time to comment to win a copy of her short story, Leslie and the Lion.

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue (Book Review)

Title: How to Eat a Cupcake
Author: Meg Donohue
Publisher: Harper Collins


About the book: Funny, free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated, ambitious Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clair’s housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia’s San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls who know nothing of class differences and scholarships could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship. 

A decade later, Annie is now a talented, if underpaid, pastry chef who bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother’s death. Julia, a successful businesswoman, is tormented by a painful secret that could jeopardize her engagement to the man she loves. When a chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, they must overcome past hurts and a mysterious saboteur or risk losing their fledgling business and any chance of healing their fractured friendship.

My thoughts:  I really liked the way that the author told Annie and Julia's story.  The timeline went from June to May with the chapters alternating between the two young women.  It was almost as if they were sitting in front of you, telling you the story as a friend.  There were times I wanted to laugh and times I wanted to cry and times I wanted to shake one of them to open up their eyes as to what was in front of them!  

The girls grew up together since they were babies - they might as well have been sisters.  Annie got to do a lot of the same things that Julia did, thanks to Lolly and Tad - Julia's parents.  Over time, Lucia, Annie's mom, though employed by the St. Clair's, became Lolly's best friend.  When the girls entered high school though, the dynamic between the two of them began to change.  They went to a private high school, Devon Prep, and for Julia, it was like coming home.  She fit in perfectly and didn't think about pulling Annie along with her.  Annie, being the daughter of the housekeeper, was only at Devon Prep thanks to Lolly and Tad.  She didn't fit in well, but adjusted, until rumors blew her life apart her senior year.  Her mother died that summer and she left soon after for college, and did her best to not look back.

Lolly St. Clair, however, kept tabs on Annie, and urged her to provide the cupcakes for one of her charity functions.  This is where the story really begins - the above you learn through flashbacks.  Annie reluctantly caters the function and runs into Julia, whom she didn't know was back in town.  Julia hasn't thought much about how her actions in high school almost derailed Annie for good, and can't understand why Annie is still holding a grudge.  

"Of course, that was back when I still cared about making Julia happy, before I realized that the person releasing that peal of laughter was a manipulative, lying, cruel young woman who was trying her damnedest to ruin my life." (p14 - Review copy)

Julia is actually in town to plan her wedding to Wes, a southern charmer who adores her.  She is keeping a secret from him though, and the more time that passes, the harder it is to tell him.  Instead of planning a wedding she decides she needs something else to occupy her mind.  Since she is in love with Annie's cupcakes, she decides that her and Annie should go into business.  She would provide the capital and after a year, Annie could buy her out and she would go on with her new married life.  She sees no problems with this, as Julia has usually gotten whatever she wanted.  I thought this passage described her pretty well:

"I had, I'll admit, affected a certain style - a  method, if you will - of cupcake eating.  To begin, you remove the cupcake liner carefully so as not to unnecessarily crumble the cake, and set it aside.  You then turn the cupcake slowly in your hand, taking bites along the line where cake meets icing, your mouth filling with a perfect combination of both components. Once you've come full circle, you gently twist off the bottom half inch of cake, a move that takes considerable finesse -- leaving a delicate sliver of cake -- the ideal size for lying flat on your tongue and allowing it to slowly dissolve, building anticipation for that final bite.  To finish you are left with the center cylinder of cake and icing, the cupcake's very heart, sometimes filled with a surprising burst of custard or jam or mousse, sometimes not, but always, always, the most moist, flavorful bite of the entire cupcake.  Take a breath before diving into that final perfect bite, it is to be savored for as long as possible.  Finally, of course, you scavenge the crumbs from the cupcake liner you set aside during step one, then ball the liner into your fist and overhand it into the nearest receptacle.  Make the shot?  You get another cupcake." (p30 - Review copy)

Can't you just picture this woman in your head?  I know that I don't eat a cupcake this way (well, I will admit, I did try it today!)  Annie is nothing like this, diving right into her cupcake and eating away.  This was their take on life as well.  Julia's was planned out, well, had been planned out until something happened that made her unable to see her future and really making her wonder about her upcoming wedding and future.  And Annie, who has worked multiple jobs just to be able to pay rent, never knowing if she would have enough for the next month.  Add to those differences the slight Annie still feels from high school and you have a recipe for an upside down cake!

I liked Annie right off, but took a little while to warm up to Julia.  Even by the end of the book, I liked her better, but still wondered if she truly knew, or could even fathom, what she had done to Annie in high school.  Coming from her background, I am not sure that is something she could really understand.  Oh, and you think you have a nice little chick lit book here, and then the suspense starts to build toward the end as the vandal who has been doing a little nuisance vandalism to their cupcakery ratchets up his game a notch.

This is Mrs. Donahue's first novel and I am looking forward to reading more from her in the future!
You can find her at her website - http://www.megdonohue.com/ or on twitter @megdonohue.

~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Harper Collins.~

How to Eat a Cupcake

Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collins, Mar 13, 2012

ISBN: 9780062069283

320 pages

It's Monday! What are you reading?

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! 

I didn't get as much reading done this week as I wanted to.  We went skiing at Big Powderhorn Mountain in Michigan and I came home with two injured family members -- which also meant I got to drive the 6 hours home and didn't get to read in the car like I usually do!  We have been going skiing for at least 12 years - and this is the first time anyone has gotten hurt! I will have a picture posted later.

Currently reading: 

The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson

How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue

May the Road Rise Up to Meet You by Peter Troy

Books up this week:
Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream
The Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs
Being Lara by Lola Jaye
You're Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holly Gerth

Audio Book:
Graceling by Kristin Cashmore

Bathroom Book:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Books finished and reviewed since last post:

Bubba to the Rescue by Jennifer Walker

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson (partial review)

Children's Books read and/or reviewed since last post:

If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff

Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!

Mailbox Monday (Mar 12, 2012)

 Mailbox Monday will be hosted in March by Anna at Diary of an Eccentric.  In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 

The Thirteen
by Susie Moloney


Desperate Housewives meets The Witches of Eastwick in this novel about a woman who returns with her teenage daughter to her childhood home, not knowing that she's stepped back into a community run by a group of witches.

Haven Woods is suburban heaven, a great place to raise a family.  It's close to the city, quiet, with terrific schools and its own hospital right up the road.  Property values are climbing.  The crime rate is practically non-existent, unless you count the odd human sacrifice dismemberment and/or blood atonement.  When Paula Wittmore goes home to Haven Woods to care for her suddenly ailing mother, she brings her daughter and a pile of emotional baggage.  She also brings the last chance for twelve of her mother's closest frenemies.

A circle of friends will suport you through bad times.  A circle of witches can drag you through hell.

City of Scoundrels: 
The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago
by Gary Krist


The masterfully told story of 12 volatile days in the life of Chicago, when an aviation disaster, a race riot, a crippling transit strike, and a sensational child murder transfixed and roiled a city already on the brink of collapse.


Summer 1919: the city of Chicago seemed on the verge of transformation.  Modernizers had an audacious, expensive plan to turn the city from a brawling, unglamorous place into "the Metropolis of the World."  But just as the dream seemed with in reach, pandemonium broke loose -- the city's highest ambitions were suddenly under attack by the unbridled energies that had given birth to them in the first place. 


It began on a balmy Monday afternoon when a blimp in flames crashed through the roof of a busy downtown bank, incinerating those inside.  Within days, a racial incident at a hot, crowded SOuth Side beach spiraled into one of the worst urban riots in American history, followed by a transit strike that paralyzed the city.  Then, when it seemed as if things could get no worse, police searching for a six-year-old girl discovered her body in a dark, North Side basement.


Meticulously researched yet expertly paced, City of Scoundrels captures the tumultuous birth of the modern American city, with all of its light and dark aspects in vivid relief. 

Missing (The Secrets of Crittenden County - Book 1)
by Shelley Shepard Gray


In the first book in her new Secrets of Crittenden County series, the beloved author delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country.


When the body of Perry Borntrager is discovered in an abandoned well, the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky, is thrown into turmoil.  Perry had been missing for six months, and everyone in the town believed he'd left the order, seduced by the wider world he discovered during his rumspringa.


Overwhelmed by grief, Perry's family and friends and the rest of the stunned community struggle to understand how such a terrible tragedy-- the first death by mysterious circumstance to strike their placid small town in more than twenty years -- could have happened.  But the death has not only shaken the town, it has invited the scrutiny of the outside world when a homicide detective arrives to investigate the crime.


Lydia Plank, Perry's former girlfriend, and Walter Anderson, an Englisher who was Perry's best friend, are the first suspects in the crime.  Drawn together by the suspicions of both the authorities and the community, they discover an unlikely companionship that offers solace, understanding, and the promise of something more during the hardest of days. 

Boneyard 11
by Linton Robinson

BONEYARD 11 can't seem to escape getting called "Pretty Woman" meets "The Godfather", and that has a lot to do with it. But it's much more than that.  We think you'll find Nan to be a character that lingers in your memory when a lot of ripped bodices have been forgotten.  She's a high-priced call girl that ends up getting selected for a behind-bars wedding when border crime kingpin Gaspar find himself in prison and divorced.  Beautiful and gracious, Nan is all a gangster could want in the conjugal visitation area--"boneyard" in convict slang.  But so much more than that.  When he is attacked and disabled by a rival organization, she first shows a touching kind of tough love in re-uniting him with his estranged children, then turns a steely fury on the attackers, bathing the border in flame and blood.  And all she really asks of life is a good night's sleep.

Her damaged and untried heart has opened somewhat to her husband of convenience, but suddenly ambushed by the gorgeous, athletic Fed attached to the task of cracking her hubby's links and networks.  A very dangerous temptation... and not just to her physical self.

If you liked Vivian in "Pretty Woman" Nan will delight you.  Her gangster husband, the Feds, local border cops, the corrupt DEA agent out to score, the local lowrider gang, the scary international swarm known as Mara Salvatrucha, even her jolly ex-madam,  all get far more from Nan that here serenely beautiful face led them to suspect.  And many of them didn't survive the surprise.  And others still find them themselves loving her and laughing at her wry humor.  Among the latter will be you and your readers.  Promise.

Chasing Vegas
by Tad Vezner


When Ricky Vegas got out of jail, his parole officer told him to get a job and stay in Nevada. Hours later police spot Vegas entering Horizon Station - a tower of interstellar transit stretching to the stratosphere. He could only be going one direction: away. When the search for Vegas turns into a manhunt of epic proportions, his parole officer, Geoffrey Sink, wonders why all the fuss for a simple fugitive. He stops wondering after a series of violent, bloody incidents lock the station down - and starts worrying when he realizes Vegas's flight up Horizon coincides with a rare appearance by the most recognizable people on Earth. The Originals - the first astronauts to return from deep space; the faces everyone thinks of when they stare up at the stars - arrive on Horizon to deliver their first speech since touching down in the desert five years ago. And when Vegas gets accused of trying to kill them, Sink realizes there's more to chasing this ex-con than he ever wanted to know.

Dreams of Gold
by Jonathan Chamberlain


Heart-warming, surreal and very, very funny.
How The London 2012 Olympics were saved from the bizarre schemes of a mad dictator
P.G.Wodehouse meets Tom Sharp with a dash of Spike Milligan.
Wales - the land of poets and sporting heroes . Rowan Jones, the up-and-coming Welsh poet, accidentally finds himself attracting a motley crew of disaffected athletes from all over the world to his eccentric farmhouse deep in the heart of Wales. 
There's Jeremiah the Tennessee backwoodsman, Marguerite the French existentialist, Yoshi and Toshi, the Japanese identical twins, Leonardo the Italian hunk, Solomon, the Hassidic weight-lifter, and Mad Mike and Jade and Kono and Ayesha and all the rest of them....
And then there is the mad dictator, Osmanakhian.
And Perkins, the quintessential English butler, is not all he seems.
And what about Anna? Well, Anna is... Oh dear, it's much too complicated. I'm afraid, you'll just have to read this book to find out.

Tyler's Mountain Magic
by Malcolm Ater


No one at Harpers Ferry Junior High knew why Tyler wanted to wrestle when he had cystic fibrosis. Maybe he wanted to do something with his life while he still had time. We just knew that he loved wrestling and being a part of our team. But whenever he went to the hospital, we always expected him to come back home to Blue Ridge Mountain. We also knew that Tyler had a dream. He always said that if we all stuck together, something would happen to our team that people would never forget. He was right about that. It was funny, because Tyler wasn't a very good wrestler, at least not in the beginning, but neither were most of us. But for three years we stuck together. It was Tyler who helped us overcome the curse of John Brown and the constant beatings by our hated county rival, Mecklenburg Junior High. He led us through a major cheating scandal that was reported in every newspaper in the state, and all the finger-pointing that divided our county and brought our coaches to the brink of resigning. Tyler was some kind of kid. It was that last year together that we will always remember, both the good and the bad. Certainly we went on the most magical sports ride in West Virginia public school history. But as we battled the brutal winter trying to accomplish something that had never been done before, it took something terrible to bring everyone to their senses. Along the way we learned about friendship and courage and holding on to the important things in life. And more importantly, we did the impossible. We made Tyler's dream come true. You won't see any signs in our little town honoring John Brown and his infamous raid that ignited the Civil War. But you will see a sign at the entrance to Harpers Ferry honoring a teenage boy who had a dream and ended a war in our county that had been going on forever. Call it Tyler's Mountain Magic. Unfortunately, we learned that everything comes with a price.

Doxology
by Brain Holers


Vernon Davidson is an angry man. After a lifetime of abuse and loss the 61-year-old is ready to get back at God, his co-workers, and everyone else is in his north Louisiana hometown. He drinks too much to numb the pain, shuns his friends and embarrasses himself in the community. The once-cautious Vernon spirals into a reckless mess.  Only when he is reunited with his estranged nephew Jody is he forced to confront his situation. Jody is struggling in equal parts after inflicting a self-imposed exile upon himself by fleeing the family, and thereby himself, for a new life thousands of miles away. Now his father, Vernon's brother, is dying and Vernon agrees to retrieve him for his brother's sake. Jody embarks on a reluctant journey back to his Louisiana home and the two men together embark on a journey that will ultimately change their lives.  Brian Holers's Doxology examines an impossibly difficult question: how does a man go about forgiving a God he has grown to despise after the tragedies and endless disappointments he has faced? Follow Vernon and Jody on their road from loss to healing in this deep and moving book that will challenge and surprise you, as it takes you deep into the backwaters of rural Louisiana. Doxology does for small town Louisiana men what Steel Magnolias did for small-town Louisiana women, exposing flaws while showcasing their inner strengths.  It is a tale of grandfathers, fathers, sons and brothers, and recreates family dynamics and memories in a way that forms a doxology, a song of praise for the male family bond, the emotional ties men conceal from the world and each other.

Wings of Hope
by Hillary Peak


Wings of Hope is the journey of a daughter who has the remarkable opportunity to realize that the man she thought she knew from holidays and spring breaks is more than simply her father and who finds out that death is sometimes the most heartbreakingly beautiful part of life. Jules knows her father as a physician, but she never dreamed he had liberated a concentration camp, dealt cards to Bugsy Siegel or saved the life of a Black panther. Wings of Hope takes you on a road trip through the memories of a man making peace with his life through his conversations with his daughter. Hope is the last gift of a father to his daughter--the power to reach for her dreams.

Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party
by Ginnie Siena Bivona


The book opens with Ida Mae Tutweiler preparing for a tea-time visit with her life long best friend Jane Tetly. Jane and Ida Mae are an unlikely pair; Jane is a glamerous actress in a day-time soap opera, much married, and naturally adventurous. Ida Mae is reserved and steady, a successful businesswoman. She owns a charming Victorian tearoom called Ladyfingers, in the town she was born in. She has never left Walton Falls, Ohio, nor does she care to. She is content to let Jane be her window on the world. And Jane needs Ida Mae's steadfast love, her anchor in a whirlwind life. Jane is rhinestones and red chiffon and Ida Mae is a simple well worn navy blue suit. 


Woven through the pages is the story of Ida Mae's life, her failed first marriage to her her high-school boyfriend, the tragic death of her beloved Mum shortly before the birth of her adored daughter Kate,and the somewhat less than gracious support of her haughty Aunt Germaine. There is a passionate love affair that ends badly when her lover refuses to file for a divorce from his separated wife. And there is the satisfying and hilarious ending of her Cousin Bernadette's abusive marriage. But throughout it all there is her beloved Jane, flashing in and out of Walton Falls "like a comet, trailing stars and small planets in her wake". Jane arrives in a whirl of expensive gifts and the two women settle down for tea. But the visit is not what Ida Mae expects, because Jane tells her that she has breast cancer that has progressed beyond help and she is going away to die. Ida Mae is stunned, and desperate...how can she live with out her Jane? 


How Ida Mae deals with this terrible news, and the wonderful events she creates for her dearest friend before she must leave is the warp of this story, woven in and out with the threads of their past taken from the pages of Ida Mae's diary. Written for today's woman the book celebrates the releationship between best friends, mothers and daughters, men and women, and the struggle to find hope in a time of loss. It's the tender story of two beautiful women, discovering what their lives were all about, before they must say a final goodbye. And becaues it's about the comfort to be found in a nice hot cup of tea, the book includes a small collection of delicious tea-time recipes. Brew up a nice hot cup of Earl Grey tea, grab a box of Kleenex, curl up in a quiet corner and enjoy a different kind of love story.

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith (Book Review)

Title: Sarai
Author: Jill Eileen Smith
Publisher: Revell


About the Book: Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half-brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promises never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?

Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the bestselling Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba, all part of The Wives of King David series. She has more than twenty years of writing experience, and her writing has garnered acclaim in several contests. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Available March 2012  at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

My thoughts: I really enjoy Biblical fiction books and this one was no exception.  While there is no replacement for reading the true story from the Bible, for me, it is a lot of fun to read the stories with all the added dimensions that the authors bring to them. It is fun to imagine along with the author what the characters may have been thinking, and learning more about the times in which the people lived. 

This is the story of Sarai, wife (and half-sister) of Abram.  The prologue starts out with the wedding of Lot (Sarai and Abram's nephew) to his wife Melah - then it jumps 15 years into the future.  Melah is trying to get Sarai to make a sacrifice to her (Melah's god) to try to help her conceive a child.  Sarai gets as far as the temple steps and then turns and runs.  She cannot be unfaithful to Abram's God, Adonai.  

The theme running through the story is about Abram and Sarai's vows - that Sarai would give Abram a son and that if she did, then Abram would never take another wife.  Abram had also received a promise from Adonai that he would have a son and his descendants would be great, but that he needed to leave his father's household and go to a land that He would tell him to go to. Sarai and Abram go through many many years waiting for the promise of a son.  They travel through many lands, including Egypt, where Abram almost loses Sarai to the Pharoah because he claims Sarai is his sister, not his wife.  He thought he could protect her better that way -- but Adonai sends an illness to the wives and children of the Pharaoh and the truth comes out.  Sarai and Abram are sent on their way, unharmed.

I don't think that I would be spoiling this for anyone if I tell them that Sarai does eventually bear a son, Isaac, in her old age, just as God had promised.  This is where the book comes to a satisfying conclusion.  I hope that I get to read more of the Wives of the Patriarch books in the future. 

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Donna at and Revell Blog Tours in exchange for my review.~

Sarai

Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, March 2012

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3429-9

320 pages

Bubba to the Rescue by Jennifer Walker (Book Review and Giveaway)

Bubba to the Rescue

by Jennifer Walker

Blog Tour March 1 - 15

What starts out as a leisurely trail ride turns into a terrifying afternoon when Alex and Leslie see a plume of smoke rising in the trees. After saving the neighbor's horses from a horrible fate, the two teens must run through the burning woods and get back to Green Meadow before it's too late. 

On the way, they encounter a strange horse wandering through the woods by itself, and it follows them home. Leslie soon becomes attached to "Spark", when she can't find his owner... but will she get to keep him, or will someone come forward to claim the horse she has come to love? Bubba to the Rescue is the second book in Ms. Walker's series of Green Meadow Riders fiction teen, tween and children's books.

Become a fan of The Green Meadow Series on Facebook.

About the author: Jennifer Walker is the author of Bubba Goes National and Bubba to the Rescue, and her stories appeared in the anthologiesElements of the Soul and The Ultimate Horse Lover. A full time freelance writer and editor, her work has appeared in numerous magazines and websites. She resides in Northern California with her husband, cat, dog, and Arabian stallion.

She is donating $1 from the sale of each book to send a deserving young lady to Arabian Horse Youth Nationals.

Title: Bubba to the Rescue
Author: Jennifer  Walker
Publisher:  Twin Trinity Media

My thoughts: This book starts out with the thrilling forest fire and race home for Leslie, Alex and their horses.  We learn alot about the teens and their love for animals in this opening scene as they risked their lives to save the neighbors horses from being burnt up in their barn.  Once home though, they discover that Lucky, Leslie's championship horse, must have been hit by a burning branch and has a pretty bad wound on one of her legs.

I don't think Leslie is your typical teen.  I believe she was a freshman in high school, but she was very responsible.  Her dad has just remarried her riding instructor (Leslie's mom had died a few years before).  She has accepted this woman very easily in her life and even calls her mom from the beginning.  Even though she has known her for a very long time, I am not sure that there wouldn't have been a little more trauma involved in accepting her as a mom. Leslie keeps up her grades at school and also works every day in the stable with the horses.  She is also in a relationship with Alex, a fellow freshman and stable employee.

A horse, who they have named Spark, followed them out of the fire.  He wasn't really hurt from the fire, but appeared as if he had been on his own for quite some time.  He was malnourished and they could tell his coat had not been groomed in quite awhile.  Leslie adopts him as her own, as Lucky is recuperating from his wound and can't really be ridden.  She knows though, that the real owner could claim him at any time.  This does not stop her from becoming attached to him though.

I liked learning about the care of horses and some of the things that go on at horse shows.  I think at some time in every little girl's life they would like to have a horse.  There is something romantic about them.  This would be a great book/series for any tween/teen who has a love for horses.

~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Jennifer Walker and Walker Tours in exchange for my review.~

Bubba to the Rescue

Publisher/Publication Date: Twin Trinity Media

ISBN: 978-0984209569

240 pages

Reading level: 9-14 years old

Free Preview available at Amazon

Giveaway!

Leave a comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Jennifer's short story, Leslie and the Lion.  This is open internationally and the winner will be announced on the 15th when I have Jennifer back with a guest post!

The Priest and the Peaches (Book Review)

The Priest and the Peaches

by Larry Peterson

Blog Tour Jan 2 - Mar 31

Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Larry Peterson's Bio: Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other. 

You can also find the author on Facebook and Twitter.
Something really weird - It has been a year and 1 day since I reviewed Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes.  What a coincidence!

My thoughts:  I am only halfway through this book, but wanted to get my post up today for the blog tour.  I am loving this book.  These five kids are dealing with a tragedy with the loss of their father within years after losing their mother to leukemia and their grandmother to a stroke. 

Teddy is the oldest and is just barely out of high school. Together with Joanie, his 17 year old sister, they are trying to help their three younger brothers, Dancer, Beeker and Joey deal with their father's death.  While they saw their absentee father as an alcoholic, they are finding out that in the neighborhood he was much loved.  He had a saying that he used as a greeting, L-Y-N, Love Your Neighbor, and they are finding out that he was known for doing exactly that.

I can't wait to finish up this book and will post a recap when it is done.

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

Tribute Books can be found online at their website, Facebook and Twitter. 
The Priest and the Peaches

Publisher/Publication Date:  Tribute Books, Jan 2012

ISBN: 978-0-9837418-4-8

285 Pages

Buy it now for your Kindle or Nook!

It's Monday! What are you reading? (March 5, 2012)

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! 

I don't know about you, but I think this year is already flying by. I didn't have a post up last week due to some computer gremlins, so this post is covering the last two weeks.

Currently reading: 

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson

Bubba to the Rescue by Jennifer Walker

Books up this week:
Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream
The Agony of the Leaves by Laura Childs
Being Lara by Lola Jaye
You're Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holly Gerth

Audio Book:
Graceling by Kristin Cashmore

Bathroom Book:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Books finished and reviewed since last post:

Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry

Frantic by Mike Dellosso

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McComas

Children's Books read and/or reviewed since last post:

Little Toot by Harold Gramatky
Minerva Louise on Christmas Eve by Janet Morgan Stoeke
Buildings: Community Helpers by Jordan McGill
DK Readers: Big Machines by Karen Wallace
Let's Do Nothing by Tony Fucile

Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!