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

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

GREAT! Book Review: Going Under by S. Walden




Virtual Book Tour of Going Under by S. Walden is presented by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, March 19 - 21.  Ebook is currently 99 cents and definitely worth it!  Purchase links at bottom.
 
March 19th
PROMO Stops

1. Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet



 
March 20th
Review Stops
 

March 21st
PROMO/Excerpts
 






Title: Going Under
Author: S. Walden
Publisher: Penny Press

About the Book: Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.

Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.

(This is a New Adult fiction book with mature themes. It contains explicit language and descriptions of sexual violence.)

My Thoughts: I stayed up until 1AM reading this book because I just knew that I had to finish it.  It was fantastic.  The author took a very tough subject and handled it with great sensitivity.  Brooke was perfect as the teenage protagonist against this group of boys who treated the girls in their school as toys.  She was deluded, as a teenager would be, into thinking that she would be able to handle anything that came up on her own - and she wanted to avenge her friend Beth's death.  Along the way, though, she does come up with some colorful allies. 

Terry, the head chef from her job, becomes her computer hacker, and is able to get her all kinds of information that confirms her suspicions.  Gretchen, her best friend from her old school, gets wrapped up in the plot when one of the swim team members  takes a liking to her.  Then there is Ryan, they are instantly attracted to each other, though they each seem to be trying to keep their distance.  Brooke is trying not to have any romantic attachments, because she thinks it will thwart her plans for revenge.  Try as she might though, she can't stay away from Ryan.  He ends up playing an unlikely role in the end anyway.

Speaking of endings, I thought the author wrapped this up beautifully.  It could have been a tragic ending, but it contained hope and healing. I will agree with the disclaimer above though, there is explicit language and descriptions of sexual violence, but they were essential to the story.
 
~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Reading Addiction Blog Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.~



About the author: S. Walden used to teach English before making the best decision of her life by becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Georgia with her very supportive husband who prefers physics textbooks over fiction and has a difficult time understanding why her characters must have personality flaws. She is wary of small children, so she has a Westie instead. Her dreams include raising chickens and owning and operating a beachside inn on the Gulf Coast (chickens included). When she's not writing, she's thinking about it.

She loves her fans and loves to hear from them. Email her at swaldenauthor@hotmail.com and
follow her blog at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com where you can get up-to-date information
on her current projects.

Connect with her:
Blog: http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com
email: swaldenauthor@hotmail.com
twitter: @swaldenauthor
 
 
 
Purchase Links: 
The Author is having Going Under special release day price of 99 cents.
~Amazon~     ~Smashwords~     ~CreateSpace~    




 



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop (Mar 20 - 25)



2nd Annual Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop

It's time for some spring cleaning!

This is your chance to clear out your overflowing bookshelf and pass some of your books on to other booklovers.  Time to pass on those books that just weren't for you or the review copies that you are never going to get read.

I am going to be giving away some fitness books that have been collecting dust on my shelves.  Hopefully someone else will put them to good use!  They are: 


by Denise Austin




by Chantel Hobbs




by Ashley Marriott and Marc L. Paulsen, MD




by Chantel Hobbs










To enter - just fill out the rafflecopter below.  This giveaway is only open to U.S.  

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown (Book Review and Interview)

Title: The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks

About the Book:
You Are Cordially Invited...Come early, eat until your buttons pop, and dance until you drop!
Miss Clawdy's Cafe has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time.  This year, town matron Violet Prscott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.

It's time for cafe owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day -- or blow everything to smithereens.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapenos are hot, the gossip is even hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing. . .



My thoughts: I didn't want to put this book down to go to work (and I work in a library, so that's saying something - lol).  I loved the relationship that the three main women had - Cathy and Marty and twin's, and admit that they are two halves of a whole - opposite in everyway - and Trixie has been their best friend since they were little.  Their momma's were best friends before them.  They will stand up to anyone and anything to have each other's back, but at the same time they give each other enough space to make the right decision before stepping in.  Notice I said "right" decision?  Because if they don't make the right one - you can be sure they are gonna hear about it!  

They share most of life's victories and secrets with each other - each holding a little something back that they have not shared with anyone.  But like in any small town, usually someone knows something about it.  There is much gossip here - some true, most not - but all of it sure to bring a smile to your face. 

I had recently watched parts of an old movie "Something to Talk About" with Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgewick and Dennis Quaid.  I couldn't help but picture Julia and Kyra in the role of the twins in this book. (But after reading her cast of characters in her interview, I like them much better.  And I love Shirley MacLaine as Aunt Agnes!)  It would make a great series on T.V. as you know when you put the book down that the gossip in town isn't going to end! 

Like they say, everything is big in Texas, and they go over the top with it all  - good food, gossip, politicians, cheating husbands, loyalty, family, friendship.  This was a feel good book for me and I look forward to reading more by Carolyn in this new genre for her!  Great job!


Praise for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee

“Brown brings her cowboy-romance writing talents to bear on this hilarious tale of women in a gossipy small town… Fast-paced, the intertwined tales collide along a bumpy road toward a surprising calamity at the jalapeño jubilee. A high-spirited, romantic page turner.” —Kirkus

 

“Humor and down-home charm make this a first-place prize winner. All the character quirks and small-town appeal are used to the fullest advantage.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

 

“An excellent book. I loved every bit of it...” —FreshFiction.com

 
~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~
 
Thanks to Sourcebooks, I also have a copy to giveaway!  Please see the giveaway post to enter!
 
 

About the author: Carolyn Brown is a bestselling and award-winning author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she is working on her next cowboy romance, Billion Dollar Cowboy, which will be in stores in June 2013. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee is Carolyn’s first fiction novel, and there are more to come, including The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off (April 2014)! For more information, please visit http://carolynlbrown.com/.
 
 
Carolyn was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions for me!  Please enjoy the interview below.
 
 
 
Thank you so much for letting me stop by your site on my blog tour for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. It’s been out a couple of weeks now and the response has been awesome from reviewers and fans.
 
1.       How do you typically write?  Do you plot it all out beforehand or do you just let the story pour out?
CB: Plotting is something I TRY to do but it only works for about the first two chapters for me. Then the characters hijack my brain and we begin to really tell the story the way it happened.
2.       Do you have a favorite place to write or “must haves” while writing?
CB: I’m not picky. I can write in my office, in the bedroom with notes scattered all over the bed, in the living room with two cats curled up around my feet or in a motel room. If my characters are in a chatty mood, I find a place and time to write.
3.       Do you have much say in the title or covers of you books?
CB:  Titles are a joint effort between me, my awesome editor and the Sourcebooks staff. Sometimes I hit upon one that sticks; sometimes not. I haven’t been disappointed in a single one no matter who comes up with it. Covers are most usually a surprise. Happy squeals bring out the neighbors. They have quit calling the police, thank goodness. That was embarrassing! I especially LOVE the title and the cover for The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. The cover is vibrant and eye catching, just in time for spring when we’re all so very tired of this long, cold winter; the title is so southern.
4.       Is there anything that has surprised you about writing, publishing or touring with your books?
CB: Everything surprised me and continues to do so but I love surprises. Just this morning a fan wrote to say that she was writing a book and wanted to know if she could use my name in her book since her character’s favorite author was Carolyn Brown. All the wonderful people I’ve met, those who’ve taken me under their wing and answered my eight million questions have surprised me with their kindness. The list goes on and on!
5.       Do you have a favorite author/book or one that you always recommend?
CB: I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys everything from Faulkner to the nutrition facts on the back of the cereal boxes. Today’s favorite author is different from yesterdays or tomorrows but right now this minute, I’d recommend Mary Kay Andrews, Carl Hiaason, Susanna Kearsley and Jill Mansell.
6.       Was there anything (or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
CB: My sister!
7.       Do you have a job outside of being an author?
CB: I’m fortunate enough to be a full time author with no day job.
8.       What would you tell a beginning writer?
CB: WRITE…don’t WHINE! You will get rejections and when you do, you can have fifteen minutes to whine and then it’s time to go right back to writing. Whining robs you of writing time and you can’t ever sell if you don’t write. Set a daily goal, a weekly goal and a monthly goal. And don’t ever give up!
9.       What were your favorite books growing up?
CB: I read everything I could get my hands on and can’t begin to remember a favorite.
10.   Do you have any books on your nightstand right now?
CB: Cowboy Tough by Joanne Kennedy and a Christmas novella by Carolyn Hughey.
11.   If you could meet one person who has died, who would that be?
CB: Margaret Mitchell.
12.   If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be?
CB:  I'm such a lone wolf that I don’t think I could ever co-author. The authors who do that have my utmost respect.
13.   Do you have a favorite quote?
CB: This, too, shall pass.
14.   In one sentence, why should we read your book?
CB: It will make you laugh until your sides ache, wipe a few tears from your eyes and fire up mad before you finish it!
15.   What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
CB: I wrote a prize winning newspaper column for fourteen years.
16.   What do you come up with first when creating your character- the back story, the plot, the characteristics?
CB: Back story, every time. Got to know the past to understand the future.
17.   What do you do in your spare time?
CB: Write!
18.   What does a day in your life look like?
CB: I like to write a thousand words before breakfast. That sets the mood for the day, then after breakfast another two thousand before lunch. Then all I have to do in the afternoon is two more thousand to make my goal. Sometimes grandkids, Husband and a bright shiny warm day get in the way but that’s a normal day.
19.   What does a day look like in the life of your main character?
CB: In The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, there are five friends. A day in Trixie, Marty and Cathy’s life is running Miss Clawdy’s Café; Jack is a policeman in Cadillac so he could be working or he might be in the garage behind Miss Clawdy’s with Marty working on her vintage Cadillac ; a day in Darla Jean’s life is getting ready for her church services.
20.   How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
CB: Oh, yes and those who have read The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee have declared it the best book I have ever written and are clamoring that they should read the next one, The Red Hot Chili Cook-Off before it even goes to press. (It won’t happen but it makes me happy to know they want to read the next one.)
21.   What time of day do you like to write?
CB:  Until my goal is met, I write any time of day or night.
22.   Where/when do you brainstorm best?
CB: I get the best ideas when I’m riding down the road on a trip. It’s amazing how much of a story line will come to me inside a car.
23.   How long do you think about a story before starting to write the book?
CB: Depends…ten minutes? Ten days?
24.   What is the most you have written in one day?
CB: Ten thousand words. I was on a roll.
25.   What themes do you love to read or write about?
CB: People and their quirks.
26.   What book fairs or events do you attend?
CBL: The RWA  National Conference is a highlight of my year.
27.   What is your favorite way to promote a book?
CB: Word of mouth…if people are talking about it and liking it, others will buy it.
28.   If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
CB: Lord have mercy, Carolyn Brown is a slave driver. She makes us go into that office every morning and tell her what happened next and then she drills us like an interrogation officer to get it right.
29. What book would you like to read again?
CB: It is time to read Gone With the Wind again. I like to read it at least every ten years and am always amazed at which character I’m most impressed with since the last time I read it.
30.   If your book was made into a TV series or movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? Feel free to add pics.  
CB: Katherine Heigl could play the part of Cathy and Marty. Ashley Judd is Trixie. Michael Weatherly is Jack. Shirley MacLaine is Aunt Agnes.  Darla Jean is Daniela Ruah.
31.   Favorite childhood memory?
CB: Momma’s Sunday dinner…fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and her famous hot biscuits with cobbler (peach or blackberry) for dessert.
Silly questions –
1.       If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
CB: Write faster and better.
2.       Do you have any hidden talents?
CB:  Several and I would tell you but then…well, you know!
3.       Night owl or early bird?
CB: Early bird…I was a robin in a previous life and I like to get the worm.
4.       Favorite season?
CB: Spring.
5.       If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
CB: Oh My God!
6.       Favorite sport?
CB: Reading…it’s going to be an Olympic sport before long. I’ve put in the paper work. It’s just a matter of time before it is recognized.
7.       Favorite music?
CB: County music.
8.       Talk or text?
CB:  Talk!
9.       Cat or dog?
CB: Cats…have two. Boots and Chester.
10.   Guilty pleasure tv show?
CB: Justified.
11.   Sweet or salty snacks?
CB: Both!
12.   Coffee or tea?
CB: Coffee!
13.   Favorite holiday destination?
CB: Florida for Christmas with just Husband and me on the sand.
14.   Do you have a literary crush?
CB: Don’t think so.
15.   If you could live in a literary world  - what world would that be and why?
CB: I love living in the world I’m in. I can’t image living anywhere else.
16.   Most embarrassing moment?
CB: That would be like taking one needle from a mountain sized stack of needles. The one that comes to mind right now was backing my little red truck into a highway patrolman!
17.   Favorite gadget?
CB: Can opener.
18.   If you could travel forward or backward in time, where would you go and why?
CB:  Backward to visit with Scarlet O’Hara for one day. After that I’d want to come home to air conditioning and indoor plumbing.
19.   If your book were made into a movie who would the play the main characters?  What would the theme song be?
CB:  The theme song would be The Yellow Rose of Texas. Characters are listed above! And you can see me dancing a jig under the red light on Main Street the day that I sign papers for a movie to be made about The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee.
20.   Most __________ in High School?
CB: FEARLESS!
21.   Ebooks, paperbacks or hardcovers?
CB: All of the above with emphasis on paperbacks!
 
Wow!  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer ALL of my questions!  Completely unexpected, but loved your answers!   I am also looking forward to reading The Red-Hot Chili-Cookoff next year!! 
 
Purchase Links




Monday, March 18, 2013

What are you reading? (Mar 18, 2013)



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! 
 
 
Wow - my last It's Monday, What are you reading? post was way back in October!  That tell you how easy it is to get out of the habit of doing something!  Let's try to rectify that and get back on the ball.
 
Currently  reading:
 
Physical book
 
 
The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
by Carolyn Brown
 
Bestelling author Carolyn Brown makes her first foray into women's fiction with this poignant and hilarious novel about four friends in Cadillac, Texas—where the best jalapenos in the world are grown.

Everything is calm in Cadillac, Texas until Aunt Agnes declares war on Violet Prescott, the president of the Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society, just in time for the annual jubilee. But after the festivities—and the hostilities—are over, it's four friends who are left standing, proving once again that friendship is forever.
 
E-book
 

Going Under
by S. Walden
 
Brooke Wright has only two goals her senior year at Charity Run High School: stay out of trouble and learn to forgive herself for the past. Forgiveness proves elusive, and trouble finds her anyway when she discovers a secret club at school connected to the death of her best friend. She learns that swim team members participate in a “Fantasy Slut League,” scoring points for their sexual acts with unsuspecting girls.

Brooke, wracked with guilt over her friend’s death, decides to infiltrate the league by becoming one of the “unsuspecting girls,” and exact revenge on the boys who stole away her best friend. An unexpected romance complicates her plans, and her dogged pursuit of justice turns her reckless as she underestimates just how far the boys will go to keep their sex club a secret.
 
Bathroom Book
 


 
Saturday Night Widows
by Becky Aikman
 

In her forties – a widow, too young, too modern to accept the role – Becky Aikman struggled to make sense of her place in an altered world. In this transcendent and infectiously wise memoir, she explores surprising new discoveries about how people experience grief and transcend loss and, following her own remarriage, forms a group with five other young widows to test these unconventional ideas. Together, these friends summon the humor, resilience, and striving spirit essential for anyone overcoming adversity.

Meet the Saturday Night Widows: ringleader Becky, an unsentimental journalist who lost her husband to cancer; Tara, a polished mother of two, whose husband died in the throes of alcoholism after she filed for divorce; Denise, a widow of just five months, now struggling to get by; Marcia, a hard-driving corporate lawyer; Dawn, an alluring self-made entrepreneur whose husband was killed in a sporting accident, leaving two small children behind; and Lesley, a housewife who returned home one day to find that her husband had committed suicide.

The women meet once a month, and over the course of a year, they strike out on ever more far-flung adventures, learning to live past the worst thing they thought could happen. They share emotional peaks and valleys – dating, parenting, moving, finding meaningful work, and reinventing themselves – while turning traditional thinking about loss and recovery upside down. Through it all runs the story of Aikman's own journey through grief and her love affair with a man who tempts her to marry again. In a transporting story of what friends can achieve when they hold each other up, Saturday Night Widows is a rare book that will make you laugh, think, and remind yourself that despite the utter unpredictability and occasional tragedy of life, it is also precious, fragile, and often more joyous than we recognize
 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Book Review: A Plain Scandal by Amanda Flower

Title: A Plain Scandal
Author: Amanda Flower
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

About the Book: The people of Appleseed Creek in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country are under attack. Soon after the dust has settled on a buggy accident that turned out to be murder, an unknown assailant begins cutting off the long hair of Amish women and the beards of Amish men.

New to the area, computer specialist Chloe Humphrey may not share their customs, but she is certainly alarmed over these crimes against the Amish and worries how such events will impact her growing number of friends who are more connected to that way of life.

In this small community, when Chloe discovers the body of an Amish businessman who was stabbed in the back and whose beard was cut off, she knows that finding the murderer and restoring peace to Appleseed Creek is as much her responsibility as anyone else's.

My thoughts: This is book 2 in the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series but it reads well as a stand alone.  They give you some information from the first book, so if you don't like spoilers, I would recommend that you read them in order. 

Chloe is very likable as a young woman trying to find her place in the community.  Being new, she has made a few friends, many of them Amish, or Amish who have left the Church.  Actually, her roommate Becky is one of the "formerly" Amish as is Becky's brother Timothy.  Chloe is sweet on Timothy and suspects he feels the same way, but the differences in their backgrounds has left Chloe wondering how, or even if, to pursue him. 

The three of them had been in the center of the buggy accident from the summer before and they once again find themselves in the center of the mystery surrounding who is cutting the Amishs' hair and beards.  Curt and Brock, the two who had been sent to prison for the accident have been released and they are back to harrassing Chloe.  So far they haven't crossed any lines, but Chloe wonders if they are involved in the recent crimes.  

When she doesn't think her life can get any more messed up, she finds that the house she and Becky are renting has a new landlord.  He is intent on restoring it to it's original style and doesn't seem to care that it might disrupt Chloe and Becky's lives. 

I liked the chemistry between Timothy and Chloe and look forward to seeing how that develops in future books. 

~I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from B&H Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.~

About the author: Amanda Flower is an academic librarian for a small college in Ohio and grew up visiting the state's Amish Country with her family. An avid traveler, she has taken trips to Slovakia, Ireland, Israel, and Great Britain. Her 2010 debut, Maid of Murder, received an Agatha Award nomination for Best First Novel.

Previous books reviewed by Amanda Flowers - Maid of Murder.

Purchase Links


A Plain Scandal
Publisher/Publication Date: B&H Publishing, Feb 2013
ISBN: 9781433676987
336 pages

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Book Review: Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews

Title: Love in a Broken Vessel (New Treasures of Love from Old Testament Tales)
Author: Mesu Andrews
Publisher: Revell
 
About the Book: Hosea has been charged by God with a difficult task--marry a prostitute in order to show God's people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim God's message, the prostitute God tells him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only choice, Gomer does what she's good at--she survives. Can Hosea's love for God and God's love for Israel heal Gomer's broken spirit?

With her potent combination of in-depth research and masterful storytelling, Mesu Andrews brings to life a complex and fascinating biblical story of the power of love and forgiveness in the face of utter betrayal.

My thoughts: I really enjoy reading biblical fiction.  While there is no better source than the Bible itself, reading biblical fiction allows me to retain the story and the message that God was trying to give in an easier fashion. 

Love in a Broken Vessel is based off the book of Hosea and helps explain why God had wanted Hosea to marry Gomer.  Gomer was representing Israel and the fact that Israel had turned away from God.  Gomer was a childhood friend of Hosea, but when he shows up, she turns her back on him and doesn't want to have anything to do with him.  Having no other choice, she relents and marries him, only to go back to her old ways.  Hosea shows enormous faith and character in taking her back again.  In much the same way that God was faithful to Israel, even though they turned away from Him - and as we struggle in our day to day walk with God, and may turn away, He is forever faithful to us as well.

It is a beautiful love story and the author does a great job in bringing the characters to life.  It was easy to become immersed in the story and to feel the pain and betrayal, as well as the forgiveness and love that both Hosea and Gomer felt.  This is the third book in the series, New Treasures of Love from Old Testament Tales, and I am looking forward to reading the first two that I missed!
 
~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my unbiased review.~
 
About the author: Mesu Andrews is the author of Love Amid the Ashes and Love's Sacred Song. She is an active speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep understanding and love for God's Word, Andrews brings the biblical world vividly alive for her readers. She lives in Washington.
 
 
If you have any questions for Mesu Andrews, or just want to say hi, Revell is hosting an Author Café, an hour chat with Mesu, on Wednesday March 20 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT . Join the party on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/revellbooks)! Plus get a chance to win a signed book!

 
 
 
Love in a Broken Vessel is available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
 
Purchase Links:
 
 
Love in a Broken Vessel
Publisher/Publication Date: Revell, March 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8007-2169-5
448 pages
 



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