Dusty Reads Link Up

Dusty Reads is a meme started by Giselle at Xpresso Reads featuring a book that has been sitting unread on your shelf for some time. Books don't have to be 'x' years old. If you've had the book for a few months without reading it, it's dusty! :D You can post on any day but Giselle and I usually post or put up a linky on Tuesdays. If you don't use the button, try to link back to this post or Giselle's so others will know how/where to link up.  

You can use the above button, the one below or create your own if you prefer.

Excerpt from Blaze of Winter by Elisabeth Barrett

Back in June, I did an ARC review of Deep Autumn Heat by Elisabeth Barrett. While I didn't love the book, I was intrigued by another character, Theo. Well, he has his own book coming out next month and I'll be reviewing it too. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here's an excerpt.

 

BLAZE OF WINTER
By: Elisabeth Barrett
Publisher: Loveswept Contemporary
ISBN: 9780345534347
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary
Format: Ebook
Length: @310 pages
Release Date: September 10, 2012

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Winter heats up in this hot new Star Harbor romance, as another sexy Grayson brother, a wickedly handsome writer, plots his happily ever after with a sweet stranger.

Frustrated with her job in Boston, social worker Avery Newbridge welcomes the opportunity to reassess her life when family asks her to help manage the Star Harbor Inn. Trying to figure out her future is overwhelming enough, but she doesn’t count on distraction in the form of one Theo Grayson, the gorgeous, green-eyed author who she knows is trouble from the moment he saunters into the inn.

Not only does he have a talent for writing swashbuckling adventures, but Theo also has a soft spot for big-hearted damsels in distress, especially a woman who’s great at helping everyone—except herself. Avery’s demons challenge him, but for desire this hot, he isn’t backing down. With every kiss and heated whisper Theo promises her his heart . . . if only Avery is willing to open up and accept it.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Deep Autumn Heat, Callie’s Cowboy, and About Last Night.(less)

BLAZE OF WINTER by Elisabeth Barrett

Blame It On Texas Blog Tour Giveaway & Q&A with Romance Author Christie Craig

Today it's  my pleasure to welcome Christie Craig, romance author. She took the time to answer a few questions and there's also a post about some things you might learn from "Blame it on Texas"that she wrote for the tour.

Photojournalist, Author and Speaker

Christie Craig, an Alabama native, is an award-winning, multi-published writer, multi-published photo journalist, motivational speaker, and writing teacher.. Her non-fiction articles and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her seventh humorous single title romance novel, published by Dorchester, will hit the stands in June 2010. Her non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, released September 08, is The Everything Guide To Writing A Romance Novel and their second non-fiction book, a humorous self-help relationship book, Wild, Wicked and Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You Are in a Romance Novel is scheduled to be released December 2010. Craig's latest writing adventure is the sale of a young adult paranormal romance series, Shadow Falls Camp, that will be published by St. Martins Press in the near future.


Click here to see a video of Christie on the Houston Chronicle.com about her overcoming the difficulties of being dyslexic.

Find Christie Online:

website
twitter
facebook

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Q&A

Bea: Christie, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. If you could be a character in any book what would it be ie love interest, sidekick, villain, minor character, etc.?

Christie: First, a huge thank-you for having me here today at Bea's Book Nook blog. I so appreciate you helping me promote my books. . Now to answer your question . . .

Hmm. I’m tempted to say villain. Sure, I've written a lot of scenes from the POV of "bad guys" but I'd like to take it a step further. I’d like to know what it's really like to be bad. Does that make me a bad person? LOL. Okay, on second thought, don't answer that. I’m not a bad girl and I know this because I feel bad just writing that I want to be bad. LOL. So let me change that to say I’d like to be the sidekick. I always enjoy writing my secondary characters and most of the ones in my books end up getting their own stories a little later on. So I guess I’ll go with sidekick. That way I could get some novel practice before it’s my time to be in the spotlight.

Bea: What is your guilty pleasure?

Christie: Okay, now you're asking me to share my deep, dark secrets. LOL. But, hey, we're all friends here, right? My guilty pleasures are wine and a good book. Give me a glass of Cabernet and a good book and everything else will disappear. Until my glass gets empty.(Tee hee~Bea)

Bea: What was the inspiration for this book?

Christie: The underlying theme in Blame it on Texas is an identity crisis. I think every woman at some point, and often at several points in her life, finds herself asking… “Who am I?” For most of them, the question is prompted by wondering what direction you should take in life. But when it happened to me, it was a little different . . .

About ten years ago, I woke up from a dead sleep. And for about five seconds, five very long terrifying seconds, I had amnesia. I didn’t have a clue who I was or where I was. And I sure as heck didn’t have a clue who the woman was that was in bed with me.

I remember with clarity the panic swelling up inside me, staring at this strange woman, her red hair sticking out in different directions, and I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Who are you?”


She looked as frightened as I felt, but she forced a calm in her voice when she answered, “I’m your mama.”


As funny as it turned out to be—yes, Mom still kids me about it—those few terrifying seconds of feeling nothing but a vast of emptiness have stuck with me.

In Blame it on Texas, my heroine Zoe, has a major Identity crisis. Imagine seeing a picture of yourself on an unsolved mystery show that claims you were kidnapped from some highfalutin Texas millionaire family. Imagine learning that your corpse was supposedly discovered shortly after you were kidnapped. Imagine it, when all your life you’ve had some strange memories that didn’t make sense. And again, like that night ten years ago, my heroine, Zoe Adams not only is trying to find out who she is, but who the woman is that pretended to be her mother all those years.

Bea: What would your perfect day be like?

Christie: Hmm. That's an easy one. I would take a walk along a beach with my dog, Lady, I'd then work for six hours, get at least 12 pages done, have lunch with some girlfriends, spend a few hours with my grandchild, laughing and giggling, and then have a really nice dinner with hubby and the family. Then I'd retire at night with my hubby, a good book and another glass of wine. A good writing day, good times with family, good food and even better wine. That’s my idea of a perfect day.


Bea: If you couldn't be a writer, what would be your dream job or career?

Christie: You're probably going to laugh when I say this but here goes. If I couldn't be a writer, I'd be a stand-up comic. I love entertaining people and making them laugh.

Thanks again for inviting me here to your blog. If your readers want to know more about me and my books, they can find information at my website, www.Christie-Craig.com. For a little taste of my Hotter in Texas series, watch the video below. I hope you enjoy!

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Ten Things You Will Learn from Blame it on Texas.

1. Guys don’t like to play dress up; but when one willingly dresses as a clown for their six-year-old niece’s birthday party—because the real clown canceled—he’s one special uncle. And could possibly make a special hero for some lucky lady.

2. Sometimes, fear itself can do much more damage to us than the thing we’re actually afraid of.

3. Any man who doesn’t cuss up a blue streak when you dump a plate of hot grits on him can’t be all bad. (In fact, he might just be The One.)

4. It’s important to remember the lessons of the past so we can use them when making decisions for the future. But those lessons should never keep us from having the future we deserve.

5. Before accusing the sexy guy who pounced, knocked you down, and crawled on top of you of being foreplay impaired; check to see if someone is shooting at you.

6. The southern delicacy of a banana and mayonnaise sandwich may be an acquired taste, especially when a hungry hero chomps down on the delicacy and is expecting ham and cheese.

7. If you think getting caught screaming and dancing on top of a mattress—all while attempting to rescue your cat from an overzealous dog—can be slightly embarrassing, try doing it while you’re wet from the shower, and as naked as a jay bird. Oh, and just to make it even more fun, make sure you're caught by your possible love interest who hasn’t seen you naked yet, and . . . (yes it can get worse) his two best friends.

8. It’s downright amazing how playing a few rounds of Strip Scrabble can spice up an evening.

9. A family doesn’t always have to be the people who share your bloodline; sometimes, the best families are those we make when we gather together all the people we love.

10. Learning to trust yourself is usually a lot harder than trusting another person. But both are generally required before finding true love.

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Thanks to Forever Romance, I have one copy of "Blame It on Texas" to giveaway to a US resident, no PO Boxes please. You do not need to be a follower to enter, though it's always appreciated. Please read my giveaway policy. The giveaway will run through 11:59PM EST of Monday Sept. 3rd, 2012. To enter, just comment below. :)

Click on cover for goodreads info about the book.

ETA: Random.org picked comment #6, bn100, as the winner. Congrats! I have sent them an email. 

Sunday Book Share

Welcome back! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News.

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

I've decided to also participate in Stacking the Shelves, a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


I've had a wonderfully lazy week this week, but work starts again on Monday. It's our new school year. We'll spend this week getting ready then next weeks the children return. I'm moving to a younger group this year, one and two year olds. It's been about eight years since I was with that age group, I hope I can still do it!

This past week, I posted two giveaways: A big one, where I'm giving away 12 books, go check it out! and a smaller one where Tribute Books and I are giving away a paperback copy of
"Immigration and Adaptation" by Edward G Haskell. 

I also did a feature post for "Immigration and Adaptation"; it's a non-fiction book about exactly what the title says. There were four reviews, not as many as I wanted to do, but still a lot for me:  Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway, Shadow of Deceit by Mal Olson, and A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang. Those are all books from my August Review Copy Clean Up; again, I didn't do as well as I wanted but I made one goal and did decently on the other goal.

I participated in a blog hop, discussing what we look for in a review. Stop by and add your thoughts. :) There's a post where I share my frustration with my health and upcoming surgery. It's pretty ranty.

Review Books

Yes, I took on more review books. I need a slap upside the head and a clone. :P

Won

I was lucky enough to win this from the publisher over at facebook in a book club discussion.

Library

I read about this at Heroes & Heartbreakers and immediately requested it from my library. They had it in kindle version so it's now sitting on my kindle.

Kindle Freebies

How was your week?

Review of A Sliver of Shadow by Allison Pang

Publisher: Pocket Books
Series: Abby Sinclair #2
Release Date: February 28, 2012
Format Read: Paperback
Buying Links:  Amazon    The Book Depository    Barnes & Noble

*May contain spoilers*

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Just when her new life as a TouchStone — a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds — seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed.

The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding elven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.


Reviewed By: Bea

*May contain spoilers*



Bea's Thoughts:

I loved this book! It was so good and I liked it better than the first book. This one had everything: intriguing plotting, deep characterization, mysteries, lots of action, world building, humor, romance, sex, political intrigue.

Abby has grown since the last book: developed more confidence though she's still not very confident, has more maturity, and a new-found respect for her position as KeyStone. She's learning more about the Faery from Moira and learning how to use her Dreaming powers from Sonja. Not everything is going well for her; she and Brystion are still on the outs and her friendship with Charlie is strained. She also still finds herself being used as a pawn by members of the Faery, something that Brystion objects to when he does make an appearance. Still, Abby doesn't hesitate to step in and help and shows herself loyal to her friends and willing to do what she thinks is right, no matter the cost to herself.  The ending had me going "EEEK!" and is a bit of a cliff hanger. Happily, the next book is out at the end of October, so not too long to wait.

One thing I was less than thrilled to see was the introduction of a love triangle. Brystion and Abby still have feelings for each other, even though they aren't seeing each other. Then Abby and Talivar, who was introduced at the end of A Brush of Darkness, get involved. Brystion can't resist staking his claim and he and Talivar get competitive. I like Talivar; he's quiet, fierce, loyal, insecure about his looks, kind, tender, vulnerable, and moral. Pang handled it fairly well, there's not too much angst, but I hope there will be a resolution in the next book. Love triangle tropes are among my least favorite tropes and often a sure way to turn me off.

While the story moves along at a fast pace, Pang doesn't skip on characterization, plot or world building. The Queen of Faery is bug nuts but there's a reason and Abby sets out to help her which will in turn help all of the Faery, including Moira and Talivar. Maurice is back in this book and he's as twisted and nasty as he was in book one. I loved learning more about the OtherFolk, their relationships with each other and the pecking order. There are many twists and turns and even Phineas, the wisecracking, horny mini unicorn, is not what he seems.

If you enjoy urban fantasy, the fae, werewolves, demons and angels (yes, Pang makes all these different elements work together.) then you need to read this book, but read book one first. It's a must.

I received a paperback from the publisher for review.

End of Summer Giveaway!

I need to clear out my shelves, again, so I have a mix of books I reviewed and books I didn't review up for grabs. There are 4 sets of books, you can enter for one, two, or all three but there will be three different winners. If you win one set, you won't win another one.

You don't need to be a follower, though it's always appreciated if you are.

Giveaway ends at 11:59PM EST on September 7th.

I'll ship within North America: US, CA & Mexico.

The books up for grabs are:

Set #1

Two finished copies  of  mysteries, Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, a romantic suspense, and a psychological thriller, Broken Harbor by Tana French. There are also two ARCs of books now available in stores: One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, a psychological mystery and an anthology of romantic suspense short stories, Love Is Murder: Thriller 3

Set #2

Two general fiction books with a romantic subplot: Say You'll Be Mine by Julia Amante and Anne of Hollywood by Carol Wolper. Also,two general fiction releases that I was sent and decided not to read (just not my style, going by the blurbs): Finding Emilie by Laurel Corona and The Black Isle by Sandi Tan. (just released Aug. 7th)

Set #3

Some older romances, including two Harlequin series books: A Cold Creek Secret by RaeAnne Thayne and Enticed By His Forgotten Lover by Maya Banks. There's also a signed copy of historical romance Superstition's Desire by Lisa M Campbell and an erotic PNR, Wicked Harvest, by Anitra Lynn McLeod. That one is also signed, to someone named Jessica.

Remember, you can enter all or just some. Good luck!

Review of Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

Publisher: Dutton Adult
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon    Barnes & Noble     The Book Depository

Book blurb (from goodreads):

In the new contemporary romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood, a detective and a lawyer are falling in love— and making a federal case out of it.
 
When FBI agent Grayson Kincaid first encounters Olivia MacKenzie, she makes quite an impression.

The beautiful, tough, young attorney has stumbled into the middle of an FBI sting operation and has reduced it to chaos. Months of surveillance and careful planning down the drain, Kincaid’s partner is furious and lets Olivia know that she’s ticked off the wrong guy. After all, he’s FBI.

 Olivia isn’t intimidated by his partner’s bullying because she’s something even scarier . . . she’s IRS.

And working for the IRS isn’t for the faint of heart. She’s on the trail of an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that threatens to ruin the lives of naive and unsuspecting victims, and one she has personal reasons to be angry about. But after she asks questions of the wrong people, her life is suddenly endangered. She’s accustomed to fighting for the underdog but being vulnerable herself is a very different story. Smart enough to know when to call for reinforcements, she contacts Grayson Kincaid.

Together they make an excellent team to fight corruption but Olivia is also fighting the immediate and intense attraction she feels for Agent Kincaid, and that may be a battle she is bound to lose.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I wanted to like this book, I've liked most of the books I've read by Garwood, but this one was a disappointment. It got off to a fast start, after the prologue (more on that in a bit) then slowed down to a crawl. It was filled with subplots, most of which were unnecessary and one was utterly predictable; it was drawn out and could easily have been been cut by one fourth to one third. There were things brought up that were then dropped; for instance, in the prologue, we meet Olivia as a young teen when she's hospitalized with what we're led to believe, but never told, is cancer. She meets other girls who become her best friends, one of whom has the aforementioned predictable subplot. It was obvious from the beginning what was going and who was to blame. It wasn't obvious why it was there in the book at all; I do wonder if we might not see one or more of the other girls get a book of their own. Garwood also does a lot of telling, not showing in this book; I don't recall her doing that in previous books.

A friend of mine and I were talking about the book on facebook and she had this to say, among other things:

So much telling and so little showing. The illnesses could've been played up more. It's like it was vital in the beginning, but then totally disappeared only to show up again at the end. And it was never clear what type of illness it was. And why did only the heroine's blood help? And not anyone else's? That was a dropped plot point.

And speaking of illnesses, I'm going to get cranky and nitpicky so feel free to skip this paragraph. So, as an adult, Olivia has asthma, a common illness and one which I have. That's probably why I'm so cranky, because, hey, I actually know about the topic! Garwood seemingly does not. How hard would it have been to do some research? Odds are good she knows someone with asthma, she could have asked for their help; she could have gone to any of the numerous websites about asthma, including the American Lung Foundation. Hey, why didn't her copy editor or fact checker do that? There is no excuse for the inaccuracies. For example, Olivia frequently uses her rescue inhaler but there's no mention of any maintenance meds or treatment plan; you can not control asthma if all you do is use a rescue med when you have trouble breathing. If her asthma is as bad as Garwood portrays, then her doctor would have her on a treatment plan. Also,how does Kincaid get his hands on one of her rescue inhalers? He tells her that he now carries one of hers at all times because she forgets (Oh so stupid but I know peeps who do this; I don't get it) but those are prescription so how did he get it? We're told that she didn't even know he had it so she didn't give it to him. And so on. I did like that a main character had a health problem that wasn't actually vital to the plot; many books don't do that which isn't realistic. People have health issues, whether it's high blood pressure, asthma or cancer. But the portrayal was inaccurate and Garwodd couldn't seem to decide if the asthma should be important to the story or not. It was another inconsistent plot point. /end rant.

And speaking of illnesses, Garwood makes a big deal out of Olivia's reluctance to be in a serious relationship due to her childhood illness and her belief that it may return. Now, with some illnesses, a return could be a legitimate concern, but since Garwood chose to be stingy with details about the illness we don't know if it's a legitimate concern. Now, I don't mean that someone couldn't have that fear, regardless of the likelihood of a recurrence; fear is not always rational. BUT, it never felt like a real fear on Olivia's part but something the author manufactured as an excuse to keep the lovers apart.

On that note, the romance felt weak; there was no passion, no depth and it happened very quickly. Plus this makes the second book recently I've read where an FBI agent disregarded procedure to get involved with a woman who was either a victim or a suspect. Hello! Not appropriate. I've read some books where that happened but the author made the romance believable and I could buy into it, despite it's inappropriateness.

There's also a subplot involving the reaction of Olivia's family to her childhood illness that continues into her adulthood and it didn't feel believable either, but manufactured solely to make certain events happen. I know that some people view illness as a weakness but this was over the top and all too convenient for the story's purposes.

Overall, this book was, as my friend said, and I agree, "a hot mess".

I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.

Frustrated: Lung Update

Flickr Image by Rafael Edwards

 
So yesterday I was ranting and raving on twitter and facebook. I got a call from the research nurse whose been my contact for the lung surgery study; she informed the company who is sponsoring the study about my reactions to the first procedure: the asthma exacerbation and the pneumonia. They called her back and said that because of the pneumonia, they want a minimum of six weeks between procedures to be sure that my body is healed and able to handle the next procedure. So I had to call work and give them the update and call the person who has been my ride (If I drive myself, I have to be admitted overnight.) I have a very tentative date of September 25th for the next procedure. I'm not holding my breath. :P

I understand the company's concern, and I too want to be as healthy as possible for the next procedure. Which is part of why I'm frustrated. Not only is the wait aggravating, and the constant re-scheduling a nuisance for my employer, but it's the beginning of ragweed season where I live. Ragweed is a major allergen for me and every September, about halfway through the month, I get a sinus infection and an asthma flare. I have no reason to believe that this September will be any different. Of course, when that does happen, you know it will postpone things yet again. At this rate, we'll be into 2013 before I have all three procedures.

I also have to keep changing my blog calendar to accommodate all of the changes. I had deliberately kept the summer light as I knew I'd be having the procedures and wasn't sure how I'd react to them. Now I have to look at my fall schedule, see what I can get done ahead of time, and keep blog tours, etc. to a minimum. I don't want to have to cancel reviews and events at the last minute due to health reasons like I did last November when I ended up in the hospital. I am glad I already decided to scale back my Banned Book Week celebration this year; it runs September 28th through October 6th this year.

So yesterday, I was in a pissy mood for much of the day, and had to go offline for a bit and de-stress. My cat and a good non-review book helped. I'm better today and determined to see this through.

The lung section on the right, the severe asthma one? That's me. I'm hoping that when all of the procedures are done, my lungs will be the moderate one. That's still not great, but the best I can hope for with current medical knowledge and procedures.

Blog Tour Review of Shadow of Deceit by Mal Olson

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Buying Links:  Amazon    Barnes & Noble    OmniLit.com

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving widow desperate to clear her husband's name learn to believe in love again?

Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force operative's massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young widow finds unnerving.

 When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection, they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind--secrets involving a Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the world--secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazaniak has vowed to take down.

With danger surrounding them, two emotionally wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love? Can they survive long enough to find out?


Teaser:

But when he looked into her eyes, he saw sincerity and compassion. Loyalty. She's innocent. She couldn't see that her boss might be using her to get his hands on the diamond mine. And if she trusted a player like de Rios, how in the hell was Tony going to convince her that her own husband had been playing dirty?

Not that Tony had any damning evidence against Tyler or de Rios. He was going on pure Crazaniak instinct. Gut instinct.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I enjoy romantic suspense and I liked the blurb for this one so I decided to give it a try. It got off to a fast start, with a masked gunman invading her office. The pace stays fast for a while then slows down, then picks up again. Olson deftly changes the pace, slowing things down for the romantic scenes and then picking up again when she switches back to the mystery.

I could feel Shannon's pain concerning her husband's death and her reluctance to move on afterward.  I did think the relationship between her and Tony moved a bit fast and he was awfully quick to give in to lust and forget about his responsibilities and duties, though the actual sex doesn't occur until latish in the story.

The story itself was a mix of twists and turns and predictability but it moved quickly, was a fast read, has enjoyable characters, and was enjoyable to read. I really liked that Shannon was so devoted to her cat and the cat even played a part in the story towards the end. Touches like that add believability to a story, and hey, I'm a crazy cat lady! lol

Overall, not a perfect story but an enjoyable one.

I received a PDF from Sizzling PR for review.

Review of Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Buying Links:   Amazon     The Book Depository     Barnes & Noble

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

Recent college grad Alex Conner is thrilled to have landed a job as the Hughes County coroner/medical examiner in Pierre, South Dakota. But when her first day on the job ends with a missing corpse, Alex starts to wonder if she would have been better off collecting unemployment...

 When the cops made some cryptic comments about being careful with the body they brought in, Alex just thought the boys in blue were messing with her. That is, until something freaky happens that no amount of med school could have prepared her for. By the time Alex gets herself together, the body has disappeared and the other residents of the morgue start talking her ear off.

 After working up the courage to report the missing body, Alex is transferred to the mysterious Precinct 13 where she discovers that her new co-workers—including a cute technomage named Jack—are paranormals just like her. Now, Alex is being encouraged to use her ability to speak to the dead to solve crimes. And despite being in the middle of nowhere, Hughes County sure does have a lot of paranormal activity…

Teaser:

The bag dropped suddenly to the ground when the breeze shifted. There was something eerie about it, that was certain. But was it magic? Jack had told me that I'd been seeing magic my whole life, but had been told not to talk about it. In effect, I'd been trained not to see, not to believe.

The bag skittered along the ground. Like some kind of strange, urban animal, it scooted behind the corner of the building, out of sight. 

I decided there was definitely something creepy and weird about all this. I would keep an open mind.

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I've read Hallaway before and didn't really enjoy it; her humor didn't appeal to me. But I liked the sound of this book, a sort of CSI/X-Files but with overt paranormal elements. I'm glad I decided to read it, I enjoyed it. The pacing was clunky at times and there were times that I wished Hallaway wouldn't dribble out info like it was going extinct but overall, it was enjoyable.

Alex has recently moved to South Dakota and on a dare, ran for the position of coroner, and to her surprise, won. In the past she's had mental problems and now she's trying to start over. But it turns out those "mental" problems were really Alex seeing magical beings. When Alex first encounters magic in Pierre, she's afraid she's losing it again. Even meeting other magic practitioners doesn't convince her at first but she comes to believe and begins to explore her own magical ability. There's a caste system for magic users and to her dismay, Alex is distinctly in the lowest, allegedly inferior, caste.

It's an intriguing world, with characters who are likable and an interesting magic system. The mysteries are meh, and the Precinct police seemed incompetent at times but Hallaway made that latter part of the story and accounts for it. There are some twists and turns, a few predictable events, but Hallaway writes an engaging story. On her website she mentions that this may be the start of a new series. I hope so, I'd enjoy reading more about these characters and seeing how she pulls off a magical community in such a small town.


I received both an ARC and a finished copy from the publisher for review. The review is based on the finished copy.

Give Away & Spotlight on "Immigration & Adaptation" by Haskell Edwards

Today it's my pleasure to share some information about a very timely new book on immigration and adapting to a new culture. The author, Haskell G. Edwards, Director of Ministry, has vast professional experience for more than forty years as pastor, administrator, family therapist, and director of a family therapy center. His extensive experience gained from working with immigrant families in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic setting, as well as his own personal journey and genuinely encouraging approach, positions him not only to help immigrant families adapt to new surroundings, but grow stronger together in their journey.

He has successfully held immigrant seminars, workshops, and lectures throughout North America. Now a retired pastor, he continues to help immigrant families of a wide cultural heritage transition into their new homeland.

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Book Blurb (from author):

Adaptation is a must. But how does one go about doing this? It takes great planning, finances, and courage to leave one's homeland; but then finding support and comfort or anything of familiarity in a new land presents a whole new set of challenges. The stress is overwhelming. How do you gain the happiness and success you dreamed of attaining in the new land?

Immigration and Adaptation is here to help you navigate through these challenges. With the information herein, immigrants coming to North America will be prepared to identify and resolve social, family, and personal challenges with confidence. Mr. Edwards' vast professional experience with diverse immigrant families, as well as his own personal journey and genuinely encouraging approach, not only help immigrant families adapt to new surroundings, but grow stronger together in their journey.

This book includes:
- A family wellness test
- Step-by-step guidelines
- Real-life examples
- Inspirational stories
- Family, parenting, and spousal exercises
- Illustrations
- Single-parenting advice

Immigration and Adaptation also includes tips on: building self-confidence, resolving conflicts, tuning communication skills, networking and building social supports, budgeting, parenting, enhancing spousal relationships, helping teenagers adjust, communicating effectively, and more.

IMMIGRATION AND ADAPTATION
By:  Haskell G. Edwards, D. Min.
Publisher: Langdon Street Press
ISBN: 9781936782239 
Genre: NONFICTION, SELF HELP, CURRENT EVENTS
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 272 pages
Release Date: September 15, 2011
Author Website
Immigration and Adaptation blog tour site
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook
Buying Links:   Amazon      Books-A-Million      Ebook PDF

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Thanks to the blog tour company, Tribute Books, I have one paperback copy to give away to one US resident. Enter below by leaving a comment about why you want to read this book. The giveaway will run through 11:59PM EST on the 27th of August.

Please read my Giveaway Policy.

Blog Hop Discussion: What Do You Look For You In A Review?

Nat at Reading Romances is hosting another discussion blog hop, this time around the topic of reviews. All of the participants will discuss what they look for in a review: Whether you're writing or reading one, there are certain things you always look for. What are those? What do you think are the most important elements you think the reviewer should include? What would you like see more? Less? What is the role of a review? How important is it? 

So, what do I as a reader look for? There are 4 basic types of information that I want:

1. Is the story well written? For instance, are there plot holes, inconsistencies, grammatical issues, are the characters believable? Is the plot banal but the writer has a gift for language or story telling? Does it hold your interest or does it start off slowly then grab you? Is there an excess of details? A dearth of details? Is it original? A well done take on a old theme?
2. A brief recap or synopsis of the story. However, the recap should not be the bulk of the review. I have no use for reviews that are 90% recap and 10% review. Use examples from the story to illustrate points or show off the author's writing, sure, that's excellent. But if your "review" is mostly story recap, I won't be back.
3. What worked and didn't work for the reviewer and why? What did they love? What did they hate? It may be that what worked for the reviewer pushes one of my buttons and vice versa.
4. And, because it's one on my pet peeves, how well done is the copy editing and proof reading? If it's done well, with no problems or only minor ones, then I don't expect to see it mentioned in the review. But it constantly amazes me when I read a book with huge editing and proof reading issues yet when I look at reviews, there's no mention. I've read books where I have had to untangle and rewrite sentences, or whole paragraphs, to make sense of them and yet, there is NO MENTION in the review. I am not your beta reader nor should I have to untangle your mangled spelling and grammar to understand a sentence. As you can see, I get very cranky. There's a reason I work as a copy editor. :D

Those are the main things I look for. I also enjoy some humor in a review, even some mild snark, but no meanness and no attacks on the author. I also like to know why a reviewer chose a book but it's not essential. One of my personal criteria for a good book, at least the genre ones, is whether or not I'd read it again. However, not everyone enjoys re-reading so while I like to see a reviewer mention if they'd re-read it, I don't need it. Also, I don't want spoilers; unless, it's a book I probably won't read, then I don't care. In general though, I avoid blogs if their reviews typically contain spoilers. I don't do spoilers usually in my own reviews; when I do, it's to illustrate a point, or it may be a book in a series and discussing it would spoil an earlier book. In those cases, I'll post a spoiler warning so readers can decide to continue reading or skip that review.

Now the role of a review. Well, at it's most basic it's a critique of the book; the writing, the story, etc. But reviews are no longer limited to print sources such as newspapers and magazines. These days, we have blogs, goodreads, twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc. They are more casual and have immediate impact. To an extent, these have both replaced and complemented the traditional personal recommendations that we used to get from friends and family. Now, we have extended our circle of friends to include all these online resources. So, some reviews are "I really liked this. The story is fun and character X is hawt." while others are more critical and some read like traditional print "serious" reviews. So, a review is an opinion as well as a critique. If four bloggers/reviewers whose opinions I trust tell me to stay away from a book, don't waste my time; I'm going to listen and pass on that book. I may share that info with others who ask me about that book. Because these opinions and critiques are online, they have the potential to reach thousands of readers and they remain available for as long as that blog or site is online. That affects the buzz around a book, and even the sales. So, a review can share information about a book, praise a book, trash a book, sell a book or steer away a potential buyer. It's a recommendation, a critique, a sharing of information, a sales tool. It's a way for a reader to learn about a book, to gather information and decide if they want to invest their time, money or both in reading it.

How about you? What do you look for? What are your must-haves and what are the things you'd like to see but don't require? What do you think is the role of reviews?

The Sunday Post Mailbox & Recap #15

Welcome back! The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

I returned to work full-time this week and I am tired. Happily, I have this week off from work as we're closed. I plan to sleep, watch TV, read, and write reviews. I may even get caught up, O_o

I saw the specialist again this week and she was very pleased. Both the chest x-ray and the lung function test showed significant improvement, and after only one treatment! That almost makes up for the complications, the ER visit, and the unplanned absence from work. The next procedure is scheduled for the 28th of this month. I'm already planning my hospital reading for that day, lol. I even created a folder on my kindle so I don't have to go hunting for what I want.

Despite being back at work, it was moderately busy here on the blog. I've joined up with Giselle at Xpresso Reads to host her Dusty Reads meme and posted the link up. 
 I'll post the link up weekly, on Tuesdays, if you want to join in.

I posted book trailers and excerpts for two new releases, The Last Victim by Karen Robards and The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber. I also had an excerpt from "A Human Element" by Donna Galanti.

I featured a new novel, "The Harbormaster's Daughter" by Heidi Jon Schmidt, inspired by a true story.

I had only one review, "When You Wish Upon A Duke" by Isabella Bradford. If you like romances, then you need to read this one. It was very good.

There was also an info post about micro-libraries, an exciting new development in community libraries.

I didn't do well with my goals for the August Review Copy Clean Up. I finished one review book, "Sweet Talk", by Julie Garwood and started another one, "The Last Victim", by Karen Robards.

Kindle Freebies

I managed to control myself better this week; it helped that I was back at work and had less time on my hands. :D

That's it! All the books I acquired this week. :)

ETA: I forgot one! o_O *SMACKS SELF ON HEAD* Bad Bea! I bought D.B. Reynold's new Vampires In America novella, "Betrayed". I'm waiting to read it; it'll be a hospital read. 

How was your link? Leave a link in your post and I'll come by during the week for a visit.

Review of When You Wish Upon A Duke by Isabella Bradford

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Series: Wylder Sisters #1
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Format Read: digital galley
Buying Links:  Amazon     Barnes & Noble     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

In a sparkling new series filled with irresistible charm and sizzling romance, award-winning author Isabella Bradford introduces us to the eldest of three Wylder sisters—unruly country girls whose passion for life leaves their London suitors breathless.

Raised in the Dorset countryside, Lady Charlotte Wylder doesn’t care one bit about well-bred decorum. The dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty would rather ride a horse than attend a stuffy ball. So when Charlotte learns that she is to leave immediately for London to wed the Duke of Marchbourne, a perfect model of aristocratic propriety, she is less than enchanted with her arranged marriage.

But to her delight, their first encounters are brazenly flirtatious, and their wedding night burns with passion. March’s broad shoulders and dark countenance make Charlotte want to rip every button off his waistcoast. She may even be falling in love with her new husband. Yet whenever their desire boils over, March reluctantly pushes Charlotte away. Will past secrets and present misunderstandings mire their marriage in scandal, or serve to strengthen a bond that is destined to last a lifetime?

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

I'm not a big historical romance fan; I glommed them in middle school and high school, but not so much since then. Every now and then though I do read one. The blurb for this one immediately caught my eye and the cover is lovely, despite the missing head (what IS with all the headless covers these days?) I'm glad I took a chance; I loved this book and I expect I'll be re-reading it. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Charlotte and March were engaged as young children but have never met. Charlotte's father died when she was young and they moved to the country. Charlotte has never even been to London nor has her mother ever mentioned an engagement so it comes as a shock to discover that she's engaged. But she determines to make the best of it and do her duty.


March has a tortured past, one that has affected his view on marriage and what is appropriate (well, this is a romance, one of them has to :D) but he too is willing to give the marriage a chance, especially after he engineers an early meeting with Charlotte. He's charmed, she's charmed and the adventure begins. Charlotte is young, a bit immature, but willing to learn and change:

She thought again of her mother, and how, whenever Charlotte and her sisters had quarreled, Mama had always insisted that they pretend they were one another, and see the quarrel through the other's eyes.

Perhaps that was her difficulty with March. Perhaps she had become so wrapped in her own unhappiness that she hadn't bothered to see his.

It takes March a bit longer to see things from Charlotte's perspective but he does seek advice. Both Charlotte and March are likable; they care about each other and about other people, they have a sense of humor, and are eager to try new things. Charlotte's main problem is that she's naive and ignorant of society; March's main problem is that he's too concerned with what society thinks.

No, there was more than that. They both must change. If only they could forget the others crowding round their marriage, offering advice and suggestions and criticisms. If only they could simply be March and Charlotte as lovers, and not the imposing duke and duchess.

"Oh, March," she pleaded softly. "Why can we not always be like this, without a thought for what others think or say? What does our rank or station matter if we love each other?"

He was listening closely, watching her with such intensity that it gave her courage to continue.

"My own husband," she said, reaching up to run her fingertips over his lips. "I only wish to please you, you know. I don't give a tinker's dam for what anyone else might think or say. You're all that matters to me, March. All."

"All?" he repeated, the single word full of wonder. 

"When You Wish Upon A Duke" is a love story. I know, that seems obvious since it's a romance, but so many romances these days have other themes or subplots: a mystery, espionage, subplots with other characters, etc. But in WYWUAD, it's all about Charlotte and March; their learning about each other, their courtship of each other, their ups and downs, their growth. There is a underlying thread about another man, the Marquess of Andover, and his interest in Charlotte which comes to a boil at the end of the story. Although it does help move the story along and sets up the the ending of the story, I didn't feel it was completely necessary.

If you want an emotional, rich, character driven love story, then you need to read "When You Wish Upon A Duke". As I said earlier, I will definitely pick up the next book in the series, "When The Duchess Said Yes".


I received an e-Galley from the publisher for review.

Excerpt & Trailer for The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

You may recall that last month Random House and I did an ARC giveaway for "The Inn At Rose Harbor" by Debbie Macomber. The book is out now (and I have a copy waiting to be read). Never read Macomber? Read her but not sure if you want to invest time or money in this one? Check out the book trailer and excerpt below; they may help you decide. If you have read her before, this book is the start of a new series that is an offshoot of her Cedar Cove series. I believe that you can read this, without having read any of the others.



The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (Preview)

Excerpt & Trailer for The Last Victim by Karen Robards

I'm a Robards fan, have been for about 15 years. I first discovered her at my library when I had pneumonia and needed reading material. I've been reading her ever since. She has a new book out now that's a twist on her previous books. Her previous books have been romances, some of them romantic suspense. Her new book, "The Last Victim" is a romantic suspense with a paranormal twist to it. It came out on August 7th and I'll be reviewing it later this month. In the meantime, check out this book trailer and excerpt, see if it's of interest to you.

Enjoy!



The Last Victim by Karen Robards (Preview)

Blog Tour Excerpt From "A Human Element" by Donna Galanti

Donna is doing a blog tour to celebrate the release of her paranormal mystery, "A Human Element". Each participating blog has an excerpt exclusive to them. Follow the tour, you'll get a range of excerpts, and each comment you leave on a blog, enters you into a tour-wide drawing. Donna will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense novel A HUMAN ELEMENT (Echelon Press). Donna has a B.A. in English and a background in marketing. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Horror Writers Association, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, and Pennwriters. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in PA with lots of nooks, fireplaces, and stinkbugs but sadly, no ghosts.

Find her online:

website

Twitter
Facebook
Blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/

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Excerpt

"What the hell was that?" Renee looked at Laura.

More cracks rang out and then screaming.

"Oh my God, someone is shooting!" Laura pulled Renee down with her under the desk.
Laura shrunk under her desk in the corner of the cubicle and tried to pull Renee closer to her. Laura had always hated cubicles and now found relief hiding in one.

"Can you get under here more?" Laura whispered and pulled the chair toward them as far as it would go.

"No, I don't think so." Renee let out a tiny sob and bit her lip.

The screams tapered off and silence remained. Laura heard crying from down the hall. Then another gun shot. Then silence again. The phone on her desk rang. Its blaring ring startled them both.

Laura gripped Renee's hand and put her fingers to her lips with her other hand.

"It's not me," a man's voice shouted out. "Someone is making me do it." The man began to sob. He moved noisily into their area. Laura forced herself to breathe slow and silent. Renee shook; tears ran down her chubby cheeks and dripped onto her silk scarf. Laura just felt numb. She had to focus on surviving.

Renee's leg twitched. "I can't stay like this much longer," she whispered. "Charley horse."

"You've got to," Laura mouthed back. Renee's twitch got bigger. Her leg shot out and hit the chair with a bang.

The man's sobbing stopped. They heard him crashing alongside cubicle walls toward them. Renee gripped Laura's hand harder. They clung to each other.

"I'm sorry. It's not me!"

He pulled out the chair.

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Book Blurb (from author):

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next. Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite–her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a mad man, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his and she has two choices–redeem him or kill him.

A HUMAN ELEMENT
By: Donna Galanti
Publisher: Echelon Books
ISBN: 9781590808764
Genre: FICTION, PARANORMAL, MYSTERY
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 310 pages, 1690 KB
Release Date: March 10, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon      Barnes & Noble      The Book Depository
Follow her blog tour: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/06/virtual-exerpt-tour-human-element-by.html