Sunday Book Share #15

I'm participating in Feed My Reader Friday hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. The  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received and different posts and events at their blog.

The week was going pretty well up until Friday afternoon when I checked twitter on my afternoon break and heard about the mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, almost thirty children and adults dead. I truly do not comprehend how or why people commit these crimes. It put a pall on the rest of the day and my co-workers and I had to be careful not to discuss it in our classrooms. My heart goes out to all of the families affected.

The tragedy took some of the joy out of my going to see "The Hobbit" Friday evening but once the movie started I was able to enter into Middle Earth and enjoy myself. I didn't love it but I did like it. It's much darker than the book, which I didn't enjoy.

The week in review

Review: The Devil's Garden by Brady Christianson

Cover reveal: Timespell by Diana Paz

Spotlights: Winter's Magic by Cynthia Gail

Toying with Temptation by Madison Martin

Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen & Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage by Sally Smith O'Rourke

Excerpts: The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella

Giveaways: 10 eBook copies (tour wide) of Toying with Temptation by Madison Martin

The Grimm Diaries Prequels (set of 6) by Cameron Jace

$50 Amazon GC or PayPal Cash

Memes: Sunday Book Share #14   Dusty Reads

News & Info: Live Chat with Diana Pharaoh Francis

Help First Book Donate Books to Children in Need

BOOKS

It was a very, very light week for books. I downloaded one kindle freebie, a cookbook sampler, didn't buy any books, or get any from the library.

Won - Kindle

I won this from the author on twitter.

Review - Print

Wishing peace, health and happiness to you and yours.

Spotlight on Michael Meyer, Mystery Author

              

Suspense/Thriller

Date Published: 10/17/11

COVERT DREAMS synopsis: Imagine waking up remembering intimate details about a country in which you have never traveled and fluently speaking a language that you have never spoken. B.J. is living the ideal life. He has a great wife, a wonderful job. And yet he is experiencing life-like vivid dreams of Munich, a city he has never visited.

Stan Halsey is a professor in Saudi Arabia, who sends for his wife to join him. She arrives, and, in the blink of an eye, she vanishes, leaving no trace of ever being alive in either the United States or in Saudi Arabia.

COVERT DREAMS is a fast-paced international suspense thriller that moves from Munich to the burning sands of Saudi Arabia. What is real, and who is responsible for the terrifying nightmare?

COVERT DREAMS trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9drU4-um_U 

Suspense/Thriller

Date Published: 3/8/12

DEADLY EYES synopsis: James Cuffy, better known as Cuff, is living in paradise with his girlfriend, Rosie, on the small Caribbean island of St. Croix, where the sky is as blue as Cuff's eyes, the ocean as pretty as Rosie's cheeks, where the gentle lapping of the waves is a lullaby, and the swaying of the palm trees is a dance. The sandy beaches are as white as sugar, and the horizon is a world away. St. Croix indeed is paradise, the perfect place for living, laughing, and loving. 

But the sandy beaches and the turquoise sea can provide no cover from the deadly eyes of the unknown stalker pursuing Cuff. Murder leads to murder as he attempts to untangle the terrible web in which he has suddenly become entangled.

The twists and turns are many, the roads of the fast action leading in all directions. Cuff and Rosie are relentlessly pursued by a diabolical force that shows them no mercy. Do these two good people stand a chance against such sheer evil? 

DEADLY EYES trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWLBtVDUdC4&feature=relmfu  

I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have

contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled

throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany,

Thailand, Saudi Arabia (where COVERT DREAMS is set), and the U.S. Virgin

Islands (where DEADLY EYES is set). I gained the wanderlust to see the world,

to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left

me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel

internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling

around both my home state of California and other nearby states.

I spent my early years in the small town of Lone Pine, California, the home of

almost every western movie, in addition to a wide variety of other genres, made

in the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. In fact, Hollywood still films parts of big-time

movies there today. My dad, the town's lifeguard at the time, personally knew

John Wayne, Lloyd Bridges, and Lee Marvin, all of whom came to the town's

pool, the Memorial Plunge, at times to cool off after a hectic day of working

in the sun. I was even an extra in a movie filmed there in 1957, MONOLITH

MONSTERS, a B-cult favorite even today. I was ten years old at the time. Even

though I resided in a small town hours from the big city, I was exposed to the

excitement of action and heroes at a formative age, and, thus, my interest in

writing novels of suspense such as COVERT DREAMS and DEADLY EYES was

born.

As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, I now live in

Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two other cats.

Contact Links

Website

LINKS TO BUY

COVERT DREAMS Amazon 

DEADLY EYES Amazon 

First Book and Their Big Give Campaign for Children

It's holiday season; last month there was Diwali and this month there's Hannukah and Christmas, oh and winter solstice. The month of January has Kwanzaa and undoubtedly I've missed some. What all these holidays have in common is the tradition of giving; giving your time, your money or an actual physical present. It's also a time of year when many, many organizations of all varieties seek your money.

First Book is no different; they always need money so that they can provide low-cost or free books to children in need. Since I work with young children and I am an avid reader, this organization seems tailor-made for my support. I'm getting ahead of myself; here's some basic info about First Books from the Groupon page:

First Book is a nonprofit that aims to empower children from low-income families in the United States and Canada by improving their reading skills and subsequently their academic success and quality of education by increasing their access to books and educational resources. The organization connects classrooms and programs serving children with brand new books through its First Book Marketplace, where it sells new books online to community programs and schools at a reduced cost, and through the First Book National Book Bank, a clearinghouse for en masse donations from publishers. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources in partnership with a network of more than 35,000 schools and programs across North America. After receiving books from First Book, children read more at home and overcome a pervasive barrier to success.

First Book has partnered up with Groupon, the social coupon site, to make it easy for people to donate money to buy books. Please, take a minute, share your love of book and donate to help a child out and make them happy. Thank you. <3

Excerpt from The Reluctant Countess by Wendy Vella

Today's excerpt is from a forthcoming historical romance by Wendy Vella. I like the colors in the cover but I wish there were more contrast between the blues.  If you like Mary Balogh, Julia Quinn or Sabrina Jeffries, you’ll probably enjoy Vella’s fluid writing and witty style. Next month, on the 18th, I'll have a guest post from Vella and several copies to giveaway so if you enjoy the excerpt, come back then.

The Reluctant Countess
Author: Wendy Vella
Publisher: Loveswept
ISBN: 978-0-345-54007-2
Formats: ebook
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Release Date: January 14, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon   Random   Barnes & Noble 

Book Blurb (from publisher):

From rising romance star Wendy Vella comes a Cinderella story of whirlwind passion between a dashing earl and a beautiful countess—and the secret that threatens to tear them apart.

Regal, poised, and elegant, Sophie, Countess of Monmouth, is everything that a highborn lady should be. But Sophie is hiding a past that is far from royal. When Patrick, Earl of Coulter, realizes that her story doesn’t add up, he resolves to find out the truth of what Sophie and her sister-in-law are concealing. Although Sophie has every reason to avoid him, the handsome and charismatic Patrick awakens something wicked deep within her soul . . . a powerful need that Sophie must stifle in order to protect her place in society.

Despite Sophie’s humble background, the raven-haired beauty has won Patrick’s heart. But what Sophie needs now is an ally. Viscount Myles Dumbly, the disgruntled former heir of Monmouth, is determined to expose Sophie as a fraud to recapture his lost inheritance. Soon Patrick is drawn into a fight for both their lives. Somehow he must find a way not only to rescue Sophie from poverty once and for all, but to keep her in his arms forever.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: "The Escape Diaries", "The Devil’s Thief", and "The Magic".

Vella ReluctantCountess Final

Cover Reveal: Timespell by Diana paz

Timespell by Diana Paz - Publication date: April 1st, 2013 / Rhemalda Publishing 

Book Blurb (from author):

In TIMESPELL, the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French Revolution.

AUTHOR BIO:

Diana Paz writes books about magic, adventure, and romance. She was born in Costa Rica, grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Los Angeles in high school, and went to college in San Diego. Basically, she’s a beach bum. Diana graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She loves old movies, epic fantasy, all kinds of music, and heading to the beach with a good book. Preferably sipping a highly sweetened iced coffee. (I love iced coffee! I do drink it less sweet than hot coffee but it's still pretty sweet. Basically, I have coffee with my cream and sugar. :D ~ Bea)

Author Links:

Website: http://www.dianapaz.com/

Blog: http://www.dianapazwrites.blogspot.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianapazwrites

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianapazwrites

The style and pose have been done to death but I love the colors in this and the title font.

 

Curious? Want more? Check out this book trailer.

Book Blitz & Giveaway: 2 Romances by Sally Smith O'Rourke

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the reason why!

His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?

Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz and Eliza or the tie that binds them?

Praise for Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

O’Rourke’s sequel to The Man Who Loved Jane Austen brings the reader a skillfully choreographed romance and smartly old-fashioned love story that is poignant and completely enthralling, while being laden with well-researched details to satisfy any Austen fan.
~Regina Jeffers


Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is a sweet Austen related romance with a time travel twist.
I felt the author captured Jane Austen's voice very well and I enjoyed reading her thoughts and reactions as the story flowed.

~Naida the Bookworm

Imaginative, fresh and endearing. Well done!

~Ann Channon (Jane Austen House Museum)

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage

With its rough gray shingles and weathered slate roof, Sea Pines cottage seems, at first glance, past its prime. But inside this remote fisherman's house, a driftwood fire crackles in the fireplace, brightly colored rugs cover the floor, and cozy cushions dot the worn, welcoming furniture. A young man named Robert has retreated after the war, planning to spend his days writing, tending to the local lighthouse, and nursing his injuries. For company, he adopts a young Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor.

Robert and Meteor spend months in quiet companionship, until the day Robert rescues a young woman from a storm at sea. Strong-willed and intelligent, Laura sees past Robert's injuries to the proud, passionate man beneath, and--with some matchmaking help from Meteor--they begin a new life together at the cottage. But even Meteor's tireless devotion can't protect his cherished family from all of life's unexpected challenges--hurdles that will teach each of them lessons of courage, faith, friendship, and the enduring love that can sustain us through life's coldest seasons. 

Praise for Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage

This story is unashamedly a sweet love story, perfect for a Christmas read, and will bring a tear to the eye of even the most cynical of us!
~Anne

I just knew from the moment I read the forward that this was going to be a very sweet and touching story. And I was right!
~Sophia Rose

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author Sally Smith O'Rourke

Sally Smith O’Rourke is a surgical scrub nurse at the City of Hope national cancer research hospital in Duarte, California and resides in the near-by Victorian village of Monrovia.

With her late husband, author Michael O’Rourke (aka F.M. O’Rourke) Smith O’Rourke owned and operated a medical advertising company where she used her diverse talents to produce and co-write teaching films and videos. Working not only with major medical and surgical manufacturing companies but also network television. These endeavors ultimately led to a collaboration on two feature films (direct to video) and three published novels.

The wife and husband writing team of Sally Smith and Michael O’Rourke, being long-time fans of Jane Austen, wrote The Man Who Loved Jane Austen released by Kensington Books in 2006. Kensington followed that very successful effort with The Maidenstone Lighthouse in 2007 and Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage in 2009, both also collaborative projects by Smith and O’Rourke. Published after her partner and spouse’s untimely death in 2001, the publisher chose not to use the names Michael O’Rourke and Sally Smith (as the manuscripts were presented), releasing all three books under Sally Smith O’Rourke.

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is Sally Smith O’Rourke’s first solo novel.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter 

$50 Amazon GC or PayPal Cash Giveaway

Ends 12/23/12

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent'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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace

Do you like the TV show "Grimm"? Do you like fairy tales with an edge? Then you need to check out "Snow White Sorrow" by Cameron Jace; it's the first book in his The Grimm Diaries series. For several months now, Cameron has been releasing prequels, a total of six, focusing on different characters from Grimm's fairy tales. The Grimm Diaries Prequels are a number of short books in the form of epistolary diary entries. The diaries are more of teasers for the upcoming series: The Grimm Diaries, allowing you to get a glimpse of what to expect of the series. The 6 diaries are told by The Evil Queen, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, the Devil, Prince Charming, and Alice Grimm.

 Author Warning: these Grimm Prequels are snap shots of a magical land you're about to visit soon. I like to think of them as poisoned apples. Once you taste them, you will never see fairy tales in the same light again.

Interested in checking out the prequels? Until December 13th, the prequel pack (all 6) for Kindle is only 0.99c! Purchase link: -Amazon

A little about Cameron, in his own words: Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

Author Links:

Website: http://cameronjace.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/995289.Cameron_Jace

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camjace

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronjace

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Snow White Sorrow
Author: Cameron Jace
Publisher: Akmal Eldin Farouk Ali Shebl
Genre: YA, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Horror
Format: Kindle

Special Note: All "Likers" of Cameron's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/camjace) will get to notified of the exact release date, which is also when you will be able to get Snow White Sorrow for only 0.99 for only that 1 day.

Book Blurb (from author):

What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?
Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that talks to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.

Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again.

When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.

The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.

What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it.

Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live, and whispers two words in his ears; two words that will change his life forever.

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Cameron is giving away The Grimm Diaries Prequels set, all 6 stories. Enter below by telling me what your favorite fairy tale is. Winner will be picked using Random.org, giveaway ends Friday Dec, 21st at 11:59PM EST. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

Important:
This is only available on Kindle format, but can be read through any Kindle app available free (here) for Macs, PCs, iPads, and iPhones.

Giveaway & Spotlight - Toying with Temptation by Madison Martin

Today I have an excerpt and giveaway from a contemporary romance, "Toying with Temptation" by Madison Martin. Madison is also the author of Briefly Yours: An Erotic Romance Novel, Nights on Catalina, The Deep End: Erotic Stories For Women, and The Deep End 2: Wedding Night. To find out more about Madison, visit http://www.madisonmartinbooks.com/.

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 Excerpt

“Trust me. I never thought we’d be in this…er, position.” Hailey Burton smoothed her hands over the skirt of her brand new Armani suit to keep her hands from shaking. Quinn Matheson could never see how nervous she was. She wouldn’t let him. It would add further humiliation to her unfortunate circumstance, and she felt humiliated enough.

Quinn, the King of Matheson Toys and the picture of confidence, silently appraised her from behind the huge oak desk in his office.

“I mean, we’ve been in every other posi—” She coughed before she finished a sentence that could get her in big trouble. Whatever “positions” she and Quinn may have found themselves in ten years ago, it was too long ago to matter now. Wasn’t it?

She stiffened her spine and felt herself growing hotter by the second. A trickle of sweat began to run down the small of her back. Why fight it? Her brand new, one-of-a kind suit, bought for a special occasion, was headed straight for the cleaners.

  

Why did she think this would be easy? Why did she think she’d have the upper hand? And why was Quinn sitting there staring at her, refusing to say anything?

He watched her with calculating dark brown eyes, noticing every time she fidgeted or said something stupid. It was beginning to drive her crazy.

“Are you going to say something?”

He shrugged. “It’s your meeting.”

In her eight years of experience, she’d met with and given presentations to presidents and corporate execs from companies all over the world. She always acted with cool confidence in situations that made tough men sweat, and not one minute of it ever fazed her.

What did faze her was sitting here in front of her ex, begging for tens of thousands of toys for her company’s first Christmas toy drive in five years.

Christmas was beyond the limits of her expertise. In her entire life she’d celebrated maybe one or two. Last year, she’d spent the holiday on a conference call closing a deal with a company in Hong Kong. The year before that, she’d been in New York collecting leads for a new account. Her boss knew Christmas was out of her league, but he also knew she never gave her projects less than a hundred and twenty percent, and he’d saddled her with the toy drive despite her protests.

If the promise of moving up the Tryton Financial Institute corporate ladder weren’t waiting for her at the other end of this, she’d have told her boss to forget it. But as usual, the desire for success was stronger than…well, the desire for anything else.

Stronger, even, than the will to never see the man she’d run out on ten years ago. As much as she never thought she’d have the guts to look him in the face again, that promotion was staring her down…waiting. Begging for her to come and get it.

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Toying With Temptation
Author: Madison Martin
Publisher: Chances Press
ISBN: 978-0981718644
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Length: 188 pages, 310 KB
Format: paperback, ebook
Buying Links:  Smashwords   ARe  Barnes & Noble   Amazon

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Madison is giving away 10 eBook copies of "Toying With Temptation" (1 each to 10 winners). Contest is tour-wide, open internationally, and ends Dec 17th. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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.  

Live Chat with Diana Pharaoh Francis

On Wednesday, December 12th, 2012 at 6:00 pm ET, join fantasy novelist Diana Pharaoh Francis in an online video chat book event!  Diana will deliver a live reading from her new book, Blood Winter, the latest in her Horngate Witches series releasing December 26, 2012. The reading will be followed by an interactive audience Q&A, so prepare your questions about any of her books, or writing, or how she wrangles kids and corgis in order to write.

To RSVP and attend, visit http://shindig.com/event/blood-winter. 

Anyone can join in this event, attendees can talk with each other.  You can text or type questions.  No download necessary!

Still have questions?  You can view a brief overview video of the Shindig platform here.

 

Blog Tour Review of The Devil's Garden by Brady Christianson

Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Format Read: PDF
Release Date: November 11, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon   MyBookOrders   Barnes & Noble

Book Blurb (from the author):

A Marine’s past is never far behind him, but sometimes it’s a lot closer than he thinks . . .

After years of enjoying the soft, quiet, civilian, family life, former Recon Marine Brandon Colson still has a large price on his head…only his family doesn’t know it. That is, until a heavily armed squad of terrorists breaks into his house and tries to kill him and his family.

After swiftly dispatching the would-be assassins, Colson realizes the ghosts from his past have somehow managed to come back to haunt him. His worst nightmare has come true. His identity—a secret until now—has been mysteriously compromised. Something he did years ago, while on a recon mission during his tour of service, has kept anger burning in the hearts of powerful Arab adversaries. And the men who attacked his house are simply an omen of what is to come.

With his family in hiding, Colson and local detective Sam Collier set out to locate and neutralize the remainder of the terrorist cell. It’s a race against time, and the plot they uncover along the way defies all expectation.

Their fates in the balance until the last second, the two men must fight for their lives as they navigate a trail littered with bloodshed and revenge that leads straight to hell on earth: The Devil’s Garden.

Quote: 

"Tell me, Doctor," Brandon chided with dislike dripping from the title, "do you believe in God?"

"Of course not," the doctor admitted.

"Now, how is it that I knew that?"

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't like me because I don't believe in God?"

"No, I'm trying to tell you that you are a fool. Not that it would matter to an educated man such as yourself."

"Are you calling me a fool because I don't share your beliefs?"

"Negative. I am calling you a fool because the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. You are a fool because you are not even at the beginning of the road that leads to wisdom and life, yet you think you can cure people out of your ignorance."

Reviewed By:  Bea

Bea's Thoughts: 

Our past is never really behind us; whether we made a mistake or did something that someone else disagreed with, often the consequences reach out to hit us sometime in the future. Actions that Colson committed as a Marine lead to he and his family being in danger.

I had a hard time warming up to Colson; he was arrogant, condescending, rude, a know-it-all, constantly shoved his religion down people's throats and was offensive to people who dared to disagree with him.
And he was supposed to be the good guy! Some of his actions I could understand, even if I disagreed while others I just can't condone. Be warned, there is lots of violence and Christianson doesn't hesitate to get gory. Also, I'm not into weapons so my eyes would glaze over at the loving descriptions and I'd skim to the end of the descriptions.
 
I have mixed feelings about the book. The story was okay and at times I was caught up in it but the attitude and all of the proselytizing were grating and obnoxious. It's one of those books you need to read for yourself; some will love it while others will not. The story alternated between engrossing and boring; the flashbacks were overly long though they mostly added to the story. There's some humor in the story which I appreciated and I did enjoy Colson's relationships with his former Marine comrade Dain and local detective Collier. He was as rude to them as he was to everyone else but he's also loyal to a fault.  I'd have liked to see more of Colson's wife and kids; they were not well-fleshed out but were important to Colson and drove some of the action. The action is decent and Christianson's expertise shines through. I was bothered by Colson's attitude towards people of differing beliefs. To be honest, if I'd realized the book was basically a sales pitch for Christianity in the guise of a thriller, I'd have passed on it. For me, the emphasis on Christianity and Colson's overall attitude (which may or may not the reflect the author's beliefs) pretty much overshadowed the rest of the story for me. Your mileage may vary. You could say that Christianson did an excellent job writing Colson since he evoked such a strong response in me.



I received a PDF from Tribute Books for review.

You can follow the blog tour by checking thus schedule: http://the-devils-garden.blogspot.com/

Spotlight: Winter's Magic by Cynthia Gail

"Winter's Magic" is the first in a new contemporary romance series, Music City Hearts, by Cynthia Gail. Home is where you hang your hat. A native Missourian, Gail's family relocated twice during her teenage years, taking her from a high school freshman class of over 1,200 students to living in a small town in Kentucky with a total population of less than 1,000.

Home is where your heart is. Despite the culture shock and challenges of those shy, teenage years, she met her true love in that tiny town and couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to experience a community where everyone waves, calls you by name, and treats you like family.
 
She and her husband live in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee with their eighteen-year-old son and three dogs. Life is busy, but when she's not working or writing,  she can be found with family and friends. She loves to bake in the winter, grill in the summer, and on occasion, sneak away from everyone and curl up with a good book.

Each of her stories touch on modern day issues, fears, and challenges that women face every day. And each one illustrates that love is within reach if you let down those walls and allow your heart to open. Our lives and experiences are so much more meaningful when we have someone to share them with.

Winter's Magic
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Author: Cynthia Gail
ASIN: B009WEFVLI
Series: Music City Hearts #1
Release Date: October 24, 2012
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 174 pages, 2837 KB
Format: ebook
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble   Soul Mate Publishing

Boo Blurb (from the author):

Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.

After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.

Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.

Read a FREE first chapter sampler on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The book is available now if you want to pick up a copy.

Sunday Book Share #14

I'm participating in Feed My Reader Friday hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. The  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received and different posts and events at their blog.

Happy Hannukah to everyone who is celebrating!

I am not nearly as ready for Christmas as I need to be. I keep looking at my to-do list and it's not getting noticeably shorter. Somehow, it will all get done but I had hoped to be more organized this year. Two weeks from today I'll be driving down from Massachusetts to Virginia to spend Christmas with my parents and siblings. In good weather and easy traffic, it's about an 8 hour drive so I figure it'll take me about 10 hours. 

This Friday I'll be booking it out the door at work at 6PM to go see "The Hobbit". Any parents who are late picking up their child will find them dressed and sitting in the parking lot. Just kidding, but I will be eyeing the clock anxiously as I won't have much time to get to the showing on time. I have high hopes for the movie and I can hardly wait.

Also, I'm looking to sell my old kindle. It's a gray keyboard model, with both 3G and wifi. It comes with a skin (or I can keep the skin) and a black leather cover with a light. If you're interested, email me at beasbooknook@gmail.com

Reviews: BookTrib Review - What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank by Krista D Ball

Nook Review - The Burning of Isobel Key by Jen McConnel

Cover Reveal: The Tiger's Heart by Marissa Dobson

Spotlights: Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Housetrap by R.J. Hore

All I Want, romance anthology: Jolene Parry, Kaylee Baldwin & Rachael Anderson 

Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers

Excerpts: The Betrayal by Sheila Hendrix

Challenging the Legacy by Genie Gabriel

Release Me by J Kenner

 Housetrap by R.J. Hore

Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers

Giveaways: Release Me Blog Hop Giveaway - $25 GC to retailer of winners choice; 10 print copies of Release Me; 15 NetGalley previews of Release Me(ends Dec. 10th)

$25 Visa Gift Card

Ebook copy of Tiger Time by Marissa Dobson and 3 book thongs

$15 Amazon Gift Card

$100 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash

$50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash

Ebook copy of Frost Fire by Olivia Rivers

Guest Post: Sex and Research the Jodi Redford Way (Jodi calls me a crafty wench and I accuse her of loving disco :D)

Memes: Sunday Book Share #13  Dusty Reads

News/info: Sizzling Scoop Magazine Wants Your Help

Nora Roberts 2013 Release Schedule

Kelley Armstrong Ebook Bundle Sale 

Whew! Busy week. Now, onto the...

BOOKS

Won

Decadent Publishing has a weekly book club on facebook and I won this from the author in last week's discussion. 

Review - ebooks

Yes, I failed in not requesting new review books. Somebody kick me please.

Kindle Freebies

Have a great week and don't forget to leave a link to your post.