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

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Desert Rice by Angela Scott - Excerpt and Giveaway!


YA Contemporary 
Title: Desert Rice 
Author: Angela Scott
 Date Published: 8/13/12 


 Synopsis: Samantha Jean Haggert is a beautiful twelve-year-old girl—but no one knows it. All they see is an awkward boy in a baseball cap and baggy pants. Sam’s not thrilled with the idea of hiding her identity, but it’s all part of her older brother’s plan to keep Sam safe from male attention and hidden from the law. Fifteen-year-old Jacob will stop at nothing to protect his sister, including concealing the death of the one person who should have protected them in the first place—their mother. 

 Sam and Jacob try to outrun their past by stealing the family car and traveling from West Virginia to Arizona, but the adult world proves mighty difficult to navigate, especially for two kids on their own. Trusting adults has never been an option; no adult has ever given them a good reason. But when Sam meets “Jesus”—who smells an awful lot like a horse—in the park, life takes a different turn. He saved her once, and may be willing to save Sam and her brother again, if only they admit what took place that fateful day in West Virginia. The problem? Sam doesn’t remember, and Jacob isn’t talking. 


Author Bio


I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author. For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it. 
I live on the benches of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains with two lovely children, one teenager, and a very patient husband. I graduated from Utah State University with a B.A. degree in English, not because of my love for the written word, but because it was the only major that didn’t require math. I can’t spell, and grammar is my arch nemesis. But they gave me the degree, and there are no take backs. As a child, I never sucked on a pacifier; I chewed on a pencil. I’ve been writing that long. It has only been the past few years that I’ve pursued it professionally, forged relationships with other like-minded individuals, and determined to make a career out of it. 
You can find me at my website, where I blog obsessively about my writing process and post updates on my current works. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook, but be forewarned, I tweet and post more than a normal person. 

Contact 
Blog 
Twitter - @whimsywriting
Facebook


Excerpt from Desert Rice

We stopped in a remote town outside of Kansas City, and while Jacob added a few dollars of gas to the car, I went inside the convenience store to use the restroom. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but when I returned to the car, Jacob kept glancing around, and his hands shook even though the sun hung high in the midday sky.

"We need to go. Get in the car."

His jitteriness made me nervous. I couldn't see anything around that should, but I climbed into the car as he'd told me to. He reached across and locked my door, and I tensed and sat rigid in my seat.

"What's going on?"

"Not now." He started the car and we pulled onto the highway.

He kept looking into the rearview mirror every few seconds, so I turned in my seat and glanced behind us, too. I didn't see a thing. No one followed us.

"Is it the police?"

He didn't say anything, but pressed on the gas to make the car go faster. I continued to watch behind us, but after awhile I gave up and turned back around in my seat. I'd no idea why he acted the way he did.

"You're scaring me." I watched my brother's profile. "What's going on?"

"We're going to have to cut your hair."

That took me by surprise, and I struggled to understand what one thing had to do with the other. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you see how those guys back there looked at you?" He turned and glanced at me before staring ahead again.

"What guys?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"The ones sitting outside the gas station. They watched you the whole time."

"You mean the guys with the motorcycles?" A couple of bikers parked outside the convenience store hadn't appeared to be doing much of anything, just sitting there. I'd hardly noticed them at all.

He nodded. "They watched everything you did."

"I didn't see them watching me."

He sneered. "That doesn't surprise me. You don't notice anything."

"So what," I argued. "So they were watching me. What's the big deal? Why do I have to cut my hair?"

Jacob breathed deeply and then released it. "Because you didn't see the way they looked at you." He kept driving onward. "Sam, don't you have any better clothes than this?" He tugged on my tank shirt. "You've got to get rid of this and those cutoff shorts too. You're attracting the wrong kind of attention."

"I'm not trying to attract any attention. I'm not doing anything—"

"It's not you, Sam," he interrupted. "It's those perverts that I'm worried about. You're growing up and men are starting to look."

Why would men be looking at a twelve-year-old girl? A chill ran down my spine, and I shivered while looking back out the rear window again. No one followed behind us.

I slumped back down in my seat. "So, why do I have to cut my hair?"

He stared at me and then looked away. "Because, Sam, the best way to keep you safe is to make you look like you're my brother."




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 20, 2012

Free Blogger Opportunity!


Jenn's Blah Blah Blog, Diva Fabulosa and Simply Shawn & Jenn are bringing you an awesome FREE Blogger Opportunity! They will be giving away $200, in their Have it your way event! How will this work? Whatever the winner wants, the winner will get! Kindle Fire, PayPal Cash, Amazing, Wal-Mart, Target! Who cares, they get just what they want! Bloggers get FREE Facebook link with the option to purchase additional links! Jenn's Blah Blah Blog had a giveaway just like this called the Sizzling Summer Giveaway that was fabulous, so were going to bring it back over and over and over again! This time Simply Shawn & Jenn has decided to join in the fun to celebrate reaching over 10K fans! About the event
  • Prize: Whatever you want up to $200 (shipping included) Do you want a Kindle Fire? Maybe an iPod, hummm maybe gift card to Target, oh wait Paypal cash? We don't care we want you to have it your way! So let the games begin, and let's have some fun with this one!
  • Event will run from Sept 20th until Oct 20th.
  • Free Facebook
  • Additional likes $2
  • Daily Votes $3
  • Co-host spots $10. (with this you will receive your blog mentioned all blogs posts, FREE Facebook, and FREE Twitter! If you choose this please be sure to add your links in the assigned spots on the form below)
You can sign up for this event, HERE  Please put *Books and Needlepoint* in the "who referred you" line on the form!

Cover Reveal! Conjure by Lea Nolan (and giveaway!)


Conjure
by Lea Nolan
expected publication date: Sept 24, 2012



Be careful what you search for…

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.


When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.

Well what do you think?  Do you like the cover?  I love the shade of blue, for some reason it makes me think of magic - maybe it is the little twinkling stars with the fog-like blur.  I think it is a great cover and an interesting synopsis - this should be a fun book to read.

You can learn more about it on Goodreads, or connect with the author on her website or Twitter.


Meanwhile - while you are waiting for the book to come out in September, sign up for a digital ARC of Conjure the author is having below! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, August 19, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Aug 20, 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! 

My sister came out this week at the last minute for a visit, so I hardly read at all as we were too busy visiting and running around!  She goes home tomorrow, but with the start of school (work for me) this week, I am now behind!   

Current Giveaways:

Upcoming giveaways - this week:
Desert Rice by Angela Scott



Currently reading this week: 


Reading for Various read-a-longs in August: I didn't get any further on any of these, but did decide to give up one. 
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (on audio - in the middle of disc 2 - Love it!)
The Cider House Rules by John Irving - (Just starting Chapter 3 and really like it!)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (This one is still a maybe - haven't started it yet)
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - (haven't gotten to start this one yet)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - Gave this one up -too hard to follow on audio and print version was still out at the library. 

Upcoming books:
The Memory Thief  by Emily Colin
And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman




Books reviewed last week: 
Sadly, none

Books read and needing to be reviewed:
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Permanence by Vincent Zandri
The Witch is Back by H.P. Mallory
The Search by Shelley Shepard Gray



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


Mailbox Monday (Aug 20, 2012)



Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in August  byJennifer D at 5 Minutes for Books.

I go back to work tomorrow morning!  (Posting this on Sunday night)  I am looking forward to it, but all the sudden it feels like I am really behind on my reading!  I did have a good week in books though - and also was able to hit some garage sales and picked up a few more.



The Roots of the Olive Tree
by Courtney Miller Santo

Meet the Keller family, five generations of firstborn women -- an unbroken line of daughters -- living together in the same house in a secluded olive grove in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California.

Anna, the family matriarch, is 112 and determined to become the oldest person in the world.  An indomitable force, strong in mind and firm in body, she rules Hill House, the family home she shares with her daughter Bets, granddaughter Callie, great-granddaughter Deb, and great-great-granddaughter Erin.  Though they lead ordinary lives, there is an element of the extraordinary to these women:  the eldest two are defying longevity norms.  Their unusual lifespans have caught the attention of a geneticist who believes they hold the key to breakthroughs that will revolutionize the aging process for everyone.

But Anna is not interested in unlocking secrets the Keller blood holds.  She believes there are some truths that must stay hidden, including certain knowledge about her origins that she has carried for more than a century.  Like Anna, each of the Keller women conceals her true self from the others.  While they are bound by blood and the house they share, living together has not always been easy.  And it is about to become more complicated now that Erin, the youngest, is back, alone and pregnant, after two years abroad with an opera company.  Her return and the arrival of the geneticist who has come to study the Keller family ignites explosive emotions that these women have kept buried and uncovers revelations that will shake them all to their roots.

Told from varying viewpoints, Courtney Miller Santo's compelling and evocative debut novel captures the joys and sorrows of family -- the love, secrets, disappointments, jealousies, and forgiveness that tie generations to one another.  




Safekeeping
by Karen Hesse

Radley's parents had warned her that all hell would break loose if the APP took power.  And now, with the president assassinated and the government cracking down on citizens, the news is filled with images of vigilante groups,  frenzied looting, and police raids.  It seems as if all hell has broken loose.

Coming back from volunteering abroad, Radley just wants to get home to Vermont, and the comfort and safety of her parents.  Travel restrictions and delays are worse than ever, and by the time Radley's plane lands in New Hampshire, she's been traveling for over twenty-four hours.  Exhausted, she heads outside to find her parents -- who always come, day or night, no matter when or where she lands -- aren't there.

Her cell phone is dead, her credit cards are worthless, and she doesn't have the proper travel papers to cross state lines.  Out of money and options, Radley starts walking. . .

Illustrated with 50 of her own haunting and beautiful photographs, this is a vision of a future America that only Karen Hesse could write:  real, gripping, and deeply personal.





The Reunion
by Dan Walsh

Everything lost can be found.

Aaron Miller knows a thing or two about loss.  He's lost love.  Dignity.  Second, and even third, chances.  Once honored for his heroism, he now lives in near obscurity, working as a handyman in a humble trailer park.

But God is a master at finding and redeeming the lost things of life.  Unbeknownst to Aaron, someone is searching for him.

With deep insight into the human heart, consummate storyteller Dan Walsh gently weaves a tale of a life spent in the shadows but meant for the light.  Through tense scenes of war and tender moments of romance, The Reunion will make you believe that everyone can get a second chance at life and love. 



Fire in the Ashes
by Jonathan Kozol

In this powerful and culminating work about a group of inner-city children he has known for many years, Jonathan Kozol returns to the scene of his prizewinning books Rachel and Her Children and Amazing Grace, and to the children he has vividly portrayed, to share with us their fascinating journeys and unexpected victories as they grow into adulthood.

For nearly fifty years, Jonathan has pricked the conscience of his readers by laying bare the savage inequalities inflicted upon children for no reason but the accident of being born to poverty within a wealthy nation.  A winner of the National Book Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, and countless other honors, he has persistently crossed the lines of class and race, first as a teacher, then as the author of tender and heartbreaking books about the children he has called "the outcasts of our nation's ingenuity."  But Jonathan is not a distant and detached reporter.  His own life has been radically transformed by the children who have trusted and befriended him.

Never has this intimate acquaintance with his subjects been more apparent, or more stirring, than in Fire in the Ashes, as Jonathan tells the stories of young men and women who have come of age in one of the most destitute communities of the United States.  Some of them never do recover from the battering they undergo in their early years, but many more battle back with fierce and, often, jubilant determination to overcome the formidable obstacles they face.  As we watch these glorious children grow into the fullness of a healthy and contributive maturity, they ignite a flame of hope, not only for themselves, but for our society.

Jonathan Kozol, the author of Death at an Early Age, Savage Inequalities, and other books on children and their education, has been called "today's most eloquent spokesman for America's disenfranchised." But he believes young people speak most eloquently for themselves; and in this book, so full of the vitality and spontaneity of youth, we hear their testimony.





The Good Woman
by Jane Porter


Is it possible to leave it all behind?

The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions.  But years of being "the good woman" have taken a toll, and though her winery career thrives, Meg feels burned-out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband.  Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, ruggedly handsome vintner Chad Hallahan.  It's here, alone together in an exotic city, far from "real" life, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg.

Overwhelmed, flattered, and desperately confused, Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she's ever made, especially that of her marriage.  For Meg, something's got to give, and for once in her life she flees her responsibilities -- but with consequences as reckless and irreversible as they are liberating.  Now she must decide whether being the person everyone needs is worth losing the woman she was meant to be.  




Reunion
by Lauraine Snelling

The Sorenson family has always been a tight-knit clan, gathering every year at Dagmar Sorenson's home in Munsford, where her children Keira and Marcus also live.  This year, the first since Dagmar's passing, will be bittersweet.  Keira dutifully sorts through Dagmar's belongings, desperately searching for her birth certificate so she can apply for a passport for a much-dreamed-for trip to Norway.  Why did her mother hide the document?  The fifty-year-old secret shakes her whole world.  Who is she?  Who is her father?  And who was the woman she called Mother?  How can she tell her family the truth?

Her brother, Marcus, and his wife, Leah, have a devastating secret of their own.  Their college-bound daughter, Kirsten, is pregnant.  Has she destroyed the bright future she's earned?  Her father's trust?  And what about his ministry?  

As the reunion draws closer, the secret each family member keeps erodes the solid bonds between them.  Will the truth break them entirely?




Here's to Not Catching Our Hair on Fire
An absent-minded tale of life with Giftedness & Attention Deficit--Oh look! A chicken!
by Stacey Turis

A belly-laugh inducing romp through a life so convoluted and chaotic you know it has to be true.  Stacey Turis's debut gives a voice to the genius yet tormented souls suffering from giftedness,  ADHD, or a combination of both (known as twice exceptional) who are too afraid to speak.  Chronicling her life journey from a state of self-loathing to one of self-acceptance, the stories flow timelessly, always incorporating the resulting lessons and reflections gleaned from each adventure.  Including both the tragic, stomach churning details of a horrifically abusive time in her childhood to comic adventures such as deciding to dye her hair plum the day before an important presentation to a bank only to have it turn purple, her life has never suffered from a dull moment.  Though she often thought Karma was the reason she found herself in so many "pickles," a friend explained to her that when you put yourself out in the world more than anyone else, it's really just a matter of statistics.  Lucky for Turis and the rest of us, putting herself out there all these years allows us to look at life through her pair of less-struggle-more-sass glasses. 





The Sanctuary
by Ted Dekker

The Sanctuary is the gripping story of a vigilante priest, Danny Hansen, who is serving a 50-year prison term in California for the murder of two abusive men.  Filled with remorse, Danny is determined to live out his days by a code of non-violence and maneuvers deftly within a ruthless prison system.

But when Renee Gilmore, the woman he loves, receives a box containing a bloody finger and draconian demands from a mysterious enemy on the outside, Danny must find a way to save her.  They are both drawn into a terrifying game of life and death.  If Renee fails, the priest will die; if Danny fails, Renee will die.

The Sanctuary relentlessly plumbs the depths of punishment and rehabilitation, both in flawed corrections system and in the human heart.  It is Ted Dekker at his best -- a powerful morality tale fueled by consuming writing.



The following four books I purchased at garage sales this weekend:

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop - INTERNATIONAL - (8/17 - 8/22)


It is time for another giveaway hop!  The Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop is being hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Elliot Review.  I haven't done an international one for awhile, so thought I would give away a book of your choice from The Book Depository for $15.00.  So if The Book Depository ships to you, you can sign up for the giveaway!  


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Now that you have entered mine - go enter someone else's!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Mrs. Tuesday's Departure - Book Blast & $100 Amazon GC Giveaway!!!

Mrs. Tuesday's Departure Book Blast - $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway - August 14th to 21st.

Meet Author Suzanne Anderson

I was born in Fort Lauderdale, attended the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for swimming and then worked on Wall Street. I left the bright lights of the big city fifteen years ago and traveled the world. I now live in the mountains of Colorado, where I pursue my dream of writing novels.

LINKS:
Website: http://www.suzanneanderson.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-Anderson-Author-Page/201662786512944
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seakiev



Mrs. Tuesday's Departure

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…
Hungary's fragile alliance with Germany kept Natalie, a renowned children’s book author, and her family out of harm's way for most of the war. Now as the Führer's desperation grows during the waning years of the conflict, so does its threat. Natalie's younger sister, Ilona, married a Jewish man, putting both her and her young daughter, Mila, in peril; Natalie's twin sister, Anna, is losing her already tenuous hold on reality. As the streets of Budapest thrum with the pounding boots of Nazi soldiers, danger creeps to the doorstep where Natalie shields them all.
Ilona and her husband take the last two tickets to safety for themselves, abandoning Natalie to protect Anna and Mila from the encroaching danger. Anna's paranoid explosion at a university where was once a professor, sparked by delusions over an imagined love triangle, threatens their only other chance for escape. Ultimately, Natalie is presented with a choice no one should ever have to make; which of her family will she save?
An inspirational story of faith and family, strength and weakness, and the ultimate triumph of love over hate. Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure demonstrates the power of faith to light even the most harrowing darkness.
... faith is the evidence of things not seen.





Giveaway Details:
$100 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 8/21/12


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. 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's permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

It's Monday! What are you reading? (Aug 13, 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! 

Both my kids and myself will be going back to school/work in the next 10 days.  My middle daughter starts her senior year of high school on Thursday, I go back to work at my son's school a week from today and he starts back to school the Wednesday after that.  I am hoping once we are all back on a regular schedule again that my "books read but needing to be reviewed" will start to disappear rather than grow!  I'll revisit this comment at the end of September and we can see whether or not that has happened!

Currently reading this week: 


Reading for Various read-a-longs in August: (something new I am trying):
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (on audio - in the middle of disc 2 - Love it!)
The Cider House Rules by John Irving - (Just starting Chapter 3 and really like it!)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (This one is still a maybe - haven't started it yet)
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - (haven't gotten to start this one yet)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (I have started this one, but not sure if I am going to stay with it)

Upcoming books:
The Memory Thief  by Emily Colin
And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman



Books reviewed last week: 
Revenant by Allan Leverone

Books read and needing to be reviewed:
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Permanence by Vincent Zandri
The Witch is Back by H.P. Mallory
The Search by Shelley Shepard Gray



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


Mailbox Monday (Aug 13, 2012)



Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books.  This is where I share the titles I have received for review or purchased during the past week.  Mailbox Monday will be hosted in August  byJennifer D at 5 Minutes for Books.



False Memory
by Dan Krokos

The most dangerous thing Miranda North can do is remember who she is.

Miranda North wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory.  In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except for Peter, a boy who isn't at all surprised by Miranda's shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers that she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But readjusting to her old life isn't easy -- especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can't remember loving.

Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run.  Suddenly her past doesn't seem to matter. . . when there may not be a future.

Dan Krokos's tour-de-force debut is a pulse-pounding action thriller in which one girl's discovery of her past provides enough high-octane drama to ignite an unforgettable and bold new series.



The Fine Color of Rust
by P.A. O'Reilly

Set in the Australian bush, a wryly funny, beautifully observed novel about friendship, motherhood, love, and the importance of fighting for things that matter.

Loretta Boskovic never dreamed she would end up a single mother with two kids in a dusty Australian country town.  She never imagined she'd have to campaign to save the local primary school.  She certainly had no idea her best friend would turn out to be the crusty old junk man.  All in all, she's starting to wonder if she took a wrong turn somewhere.  If only she could drop the kids at the orphanage and start over. . .

But now, thanks to her protest letters, the education minister is coming to Gunapan, and she has to convince him to change his mind about the school closure.  And as if facing down the government isn't enough, it soon becomes clear that the school isn't the only local spot in trouble.  In the drought-stricken bushland on the outskirts of town, a luxury resort development is about to siphon off a newly discovered springwater supply.  No one seems to know anything, no one seems to care.

With a dream lover on a Harley unlikely to appear to save the day, Loretta needs to stir the citizens of Gunapan to action.  She may be short of money, influence, and a fully functioning car, but she has good friends.  Together they can organize chocolate drives, supermarket sausage sizzles, a tour of the local slaughterhouse -- whatever it takes to hold on to the scrap of world that is home.



The Sisters Montclair
by Cathy Holton

The last thing twenty-one-year-old Stella Nightingale wants is a job as a caregiver for wealthy Alice Montclair Whittington.  Alice, a ninety-four-year-old Southern grande dame with a dry sense of humor and a wicked tongue, has already run off a long line of caregivers.  But Stella, a former runaway from a broken home who's only recently begun to put her life back together, is desperate for work.  And she figures she can handle Alice.

But strange things are happening at Alice's rambling mountaintop estate.  As an unlikely friendship develops between the two women, Alice, whose memory comes and goes, begins to reveal long-ago tales of her illustrious past, tales that pose more questions than they answer.  Who is her mysterious sister, Laura? Why won't Alice and her sister, Adeline, ever speak of her?  And why are the other caregivers afraid to go down in the basement?

As Stella tries to separate fact from fiction in Alice's life, she struggles to overcome her own devastating family secret, compelled by a deepening friendship that will change the lives of both women forever.

 

Postcards from the Dead
by Laura Childs

New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer.  Now a scrapbooking sleuth is going to have to stop the partying to catch the killer. . .

There's a parade rolling through the historic French Quarter, with gigantic floats, silver beads, and dizzying lights -- and Kimber Breeze of KBEZ-TV is broadcasting live from a small balcony on the fourth floor of the Hotel Tremain, interviewing locals and capturing the spectacle down below.  Her next subject will be Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop.  Carmela has never been a fan of Kimber, but she isn't about to turn down the chance of good publicity for her shop. 

But before Carmela's shop gets its five minutes of fame, a killer slips onto the balcony and strangles Kimber with a cord, leaving her body dangling above the parade.  Carmela is horrified, but she quickly discovers the nightmare isn't over. Because someone is now leaving strange postcards at Carmela's shop -- signed by the dead Kimber.  Now Carmela and her friend Ava will have to risk their own necks to find out who's posing as a ghost -- and to expose a killer. . .

 

Barefoot in the Rain
by Roxanne St. Claire

They say you can never go home again. . .

When "Life Coach to the Stars" Jocelyn Bloom is embroiled in scandal, the only place she can hide is the one place she wishes she could forget. She left Barefoot Bay -- and the boy next door who knew all her secrets - years ago.  Now nothing about the tiny island off the coast of Florida is quite how she remembers it, especially Will Palmer.  He's even more gorgeous and tempting . . . and still capable of turning her world inside out.

But what if someone is waiting for you?

To Will Palmer, Guy Bloom is more than the elderly, senile neighbor he looks after -- he's the last connection to Jocelyn, the woman Will loved and lost.  But the reunion with Jocelyn doesn't go smoothly.  Shocked by the change in her father's personality, Jocelyn struggles to reconcile her dark childhood with the sweet, confused man who has grown close to Will.  Jocelyn has guided countless clients to happiness -- but can she escape the rainy days of her past for anew sunny future with Will?




Hunk for the Holidays
by Katie Lane

Always  putting business before pleasure, Cassie McPherson works hard for her family's construction business.  That might explain why she doesn't have a date for the company Christmas party.  But it doesn't quite explain why she's crazy enough to hire an escort for the event or -- crazier still -- why she's dying to unwrap him like a present. . .

With whiskey-colored eyes and a killer smile, James is one gorgeous hunk who really knows how to fill out a tuxedo.  He charms everyone -- including Cassie.  And when the night ends, the party doesn't stop.  As Cassie falls, literally, into his bed, James falls head over heels in love.  Now he has to figure out a way to tell her the truth: he's not an escort. He's her family's fiercest business rival.  But all he wants for Christmas is her. . .


 
War Stories
by Elisabeth Doyle

A wounded veteran seeks renewal through an imagined relationship with a neighborhood girl.  A grieving father finds peace and reconciliation at the site of a disastrous bus crash.  A young woman searches for identity and meaning in the wake of her husband's injury.  Teenagers embark on a fateful last joyride.

These are just a few of the characters and circumstances that comprise War Stories, the beautifully tragic collection of short fiction by Elisabeth Doyle.  Drawing upon both the literal and figurative meaning of her title, these diverse and deftly written stories are joined through Doyle's remarkable style and ease of creating a universe full of despair, hope, and dreams.

These nine tales tell of people young and old, male and female, who share two things:  humanity and resilience.  These are taut stories of unexpected loss, the enduring quest for transcendence, and heartbreaking love. At turns tender and harsh, tragic and yearning, these stories will leave you wanting more.

 

To Catch a Vampire
by Jennifer Harlow

Beatrice Alexander, telekinetic special agent, is still adjusting to life among the F.R.E.A.K.S. while wiping out zombies and other supernatural threats.  When Bea learns about her "special assignment" investigating a series of human disappearances with Oliver Montrose, her gorgeous but annoying vampire co-worker, she reluctantly agrees to go undercover.  Disguised as a married couple, they infiltrate the gothic vamp scene in Dallas.  While sniffing out clues, Oliver's convincing public -- and not so public -- displays of affection have Bea swooning in her bustier and fishnets.  Between contending with her fake husband's ex-lover Marianna and feeling guilty for hiding the mission from her werewolf crush Will, Bea discovers she's not the only F.R.E.A.K. keeping secrets.  Clubbing with the undead turns bloody when Oliver's old enemy, the Lord of Dallas, decides to seek his revenge.  Caught in the crossfire, Bea is up to her neck in blood-sucking trouble.


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