2013 and December Challenge Wrap Up

Can you believe 2013 is over? Yikes. I succeeded in all of my challenges though a few I just squeaked by.  How did you do? I signed up for even more challenges for next year, eep. "Challenge" is definitely the word for 2014. :D

 Book Chick City's 100 Books in 2013

For this challenge, I didn't count any children's books, unless it was YA or MG, nor did I count books that I edited. I also did goodreads' reading challenge and I counted everything for that one, but didn't track here on the blog. :D (I made it but just barely.)

Review of Ivory Pal: Born to Fly Higher by Cindy McCauley

Publisher: Hooves and Tails
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon* 
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link.

Blurb from goodreads:

Try as they might, the trainers could not get Ivory Pal to comply with the "traditional" Tennessee Walking Horse training techniques. The beautiful palomino colt had completely given up, shut down, relegated to a box stall 24/7, until he met his new partner Rafael Valle. His fate was about to take a U-turn. A heartwarming true story of a "show horse reject", his trials and triumphs, and his relationship with Valle built on trust and mutual respect rather than on fear and intimidation.

Blog Tour Giveaway, Guest Post, & ARC Review of Black Arts by Faith Hunter

Publisher: Roc
Series: Jane Yellowrock #7 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Jane Yellowrock is a shape-shifting skinwalker who always takes care of her own—no matter the cost...

When Evan Trueblood blows into town looking for his wife, Molly, he’s convinced that she came to see her best friend, Jane. But it seems like the witch made it to New Orleans and then disappeared without a trace. 

Jane is ready to do whatever it takes to find her friend. Her desperate search leads her deep into a web of black magic and betrayal and into the dark history between vampires and witches. But the closer she draws to Molly, the closer she draws to a new enemy—one who is stranger and more powerful than any she has ever faced.  

This concludes my series of reviews of the Jane Yellowrock books. Over the past three days, I've reviewed books four through seven, which is today's review. I also featured a quote from "Raven Cursed" as part of the Friday 56 meme. I hope you've enjoyed visiting Jane's world and getting to know her and her companions. At the end of this post is a giveaway for a  print copy of "Black Arts" and there's also a guest post by Beast on essential items to take on a trip to New Orleans.

Review of Bayou Noel by Alexandra Ivy and Laura Wright

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Series: Bayou Heat #8.5
Format Read: Kindle Book
Source: I own it
Release Date: December 11, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* (According to goodreads, it's available on Smashwords but I couldn't find it.)

Blurb from goodreads:

'Tis the season for new beginnings.
Molly is through with spending Bayou Noel alone - after waiting five years for Garrick to notice her as more than just his mother’s caregiver. The aggravating male might always have a place in her heart, but she’s determined to find someone who wants to build a family with her. She has no idea that writing a letter of resignation will bring Garrick back to the Wildlands.

It will take a miracle to bring them together
Garrick can’t believe that Molly is willing to walk away. She’s not only become irreplaceable to his mother, but he’s become addicted to her letters when he was far away from home. He’ll be damned if he is going to let her slip away. But once back in the Wildlands, Garrick is forced to choose between opening his heart to the female he loves or risk losing her forever.

Review of Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Publisher: Ilona Andrews
Series: The Innkeeper Chronicles #1
Format Read: Kindle ARC
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 2, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | CreateSpace
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link. 

Blurb from goodreads:

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night....Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

Review of Three Ways to Wicked by Jodi Redford

Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Series: Wicked Shores #1
Format Read: Kindle Book
Source: gift from the author
Release Date: December 24, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Samhain

Blurb from goodreads:

"Three ingredients for a hot summer: sun, sand, and sizzling sex. "

"Wicked Shores, Book 1"

Following a nasty breakup with her ex, Kayla English is eager to get her erotic writing mojo back on track. Except progress on her current book has flatlined, right along with her belief in happily-ever-after.

Solution? Two weeks of solitude in the Florida sun thanks to some friends' generous offer to house-sit their place on the beach. She didn't count on having roommates-or on getting the sexiest peepshow of her life.

Seven years after an intimate encounter rocked their worlds, business partners Tyler Bishop and Gibb Masters have kept things strictly in the friend zone. A recent storm has left them homeless, though. They figure moving into Ty's parents' place is preferable to roughing it elsewhere, even if it means resisting the temptation to slip between the sheets with Kayla...and each other.

As the days heat up, so does their three-way attraction. But when emotions run deeper than any of them expect, three wary hearts must decide if it's worth the risk to write their own HEA.

Warning: This book brings the dirty. We're talking dirty sex in an outdoor shower, on a boat, and on the kitchen counter with a dirty-mouthed Casanova. In other words, all the good stuff with a side of glow-in-the-dark body paint.

ARC Review of Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

Publisher: Picture Window Books
Format Read: egalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Little Monkey is having a bad day. After a major melt down, he goes to his room and uses some coping techniques to calm down.

Bea's Thoughts:

I work with and teach young toddlers, 15 months to two years, so this book immediately caught my eye. Little Monkey drops his ice cream and has a meltdown. He screams, he cries, he throws himself on the ground, and then the omniscient narrator (presumably one of his parents who are seen at the end of the book) offers suggestions on how he can regain control. It's actually quite frightening for toddlers when they lose control so help in regaining it is both necessary and appreciated. The suggestions provided to Little Monkey are practical, simple, and easily implemented. I appreciate that the author is respectful of Little Monkey's emotions and doesn't deride them or make them seem unimportant. It's also good that the emotions are plainly labeled, helping toddlers, and young pre-schoolers, identify and control their emotions.

The artwork is bright, cute but not cutesy, and not too detailed. Children will enjoy the illustrations and relate to Little Monkey. I definitely recommend this book for homes and classrooms with young toddlers.

Blog Tour Giveaway & Review of Betting It All by Cate Masters

Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Format Read: PDF
Source: tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 14, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | ARe* | Decadent
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from tour company:

Can the daughter of a well-known prostitute start a new life where no one knows her family history? Norah Hawkins is sure going to try. When a letter arrives deeding her property in San Francisco, she packs her bags.

Irishman Gerard MacKenzie likes his life free and easy, but is tired of the snobbish East Coast folk. San Francisco has enough vice and folly to suit his needs. Meeting Norah gives him the opportunity to bartend in her saloon. Maybe he can convince her to let him play the piano. She’s a shrewd businesswoman, and negotiating with her makes his blood boil. Damn if she doesn’t make his blood boil in other ways, too.

The morning of April 18, 1906, a terrible earthquake buries their dreams beneath the city’s ruins. Can Norah and Mac rebuild their lives? Will rebuilding their dreams bond them forever, or tear them apart?

Blog Tour: Giveaway, Guest Post & Review of Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone

Welcome to my stop on the Godsland series blog tour! This is a YA epic/high fantasy adventure series by Brian Rathbone. The tour consists of reviews of all of the books and the audiobook, as well as guest posts, interviews and more. Be sure to check out the tour page with all the tour information and additional tour stops.

The books in the Godsland series:

Call of the Herald (Book One) - FREE
Inherited Danger (Book Two)- FREE
Dragon Ore (Book Three) - 2.99US

You can also find it in one bind up called The Dawning of Power Trilogy Omnibus. Find the full list of titles and links at http://brianrathbone.com/ as this is only the first trilogy in the World of Godsland series.

********************************************

Publisher: White Wolf Press
Series: The Dawning of Power Trilogy #1
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 2008
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links. 

Blurb from the author: 

Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war. When a Catrin Volker, a teenage horse trainer, inadvertently fulfills the prophecy of the destroyer, she becomes the most feared and hunted person on all of Godsland. With the help of her friends, she must convince the world that she wants only peace.

ARC Review of Thrown by Colette Auclair

Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Format Read: I received both a print ARC and a digital ARC; I read the eGalley.
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 16, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

THROWN is a lighthearted yet steamy contemporary romance by Golden Heart finalist Colette Auclair, featuring a young woman who must choose between capturing a gold medal and the man who’s captured her heart.

In THROWN, professional trainer Amanda Vogel dreams of riding jumpers in the Olympics, but after seeing her best friend die in a riding accident, she’s so traumatized she can’t show. Broke and desperate, she takes a summer job in Aspen teaching some big-shot widowed movie star’s spoiled daughters to ride—even though she hates teaching kids. She braces herself for three miserable months. But by Labor Day, she has to choose between capturing a gold medal…and the man who has captured her heart.

THROWN was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist in the single-title contemporary romance category. It also won the 2011 Winter Rose Contest (Yellow Rose Romance Writers) and finaled in the 2011 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest (North East Ohio Romance Writers Association).

November Challenges Wrap Up Post

I'll put up a wrap up post every month or early the next month for all of my 2013 reading challenges. Some books, I posted reviews on the blog, some are on goodreads, there may be one or two without reviews, especially books I edit or that are put out by my publisher.

This month I have 2 additional challenges to include, Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge and Clean Out Your E-Reader Challenge. Better Late Than Never runs October through December and Clean Out Your E-Reader was for November only.

Book Chick City's 100 Books in 2013

For this challenge, I am not counting any children's books, unless it's YA or MG, nor am I counting books that I edit. I am also doing goodreads' reading challenge and I'm counting everything for that one, but not tracking here on the blog. :D

1) Thrown by Collette Auclair
2) Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle
3) Happily Ever Afterlife by J.A. Campbell, et al
4) Thursday Morning Breakast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer
5) Roman Holiday 1: Chained by Ruthie Knox
6) Echo Prophecy by Lindsay Fairleigh
7) Worth Waiting For by Ann Corbett
8) A Steamy Holiday Romance by M.L. Young
9) Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas by Bella Andre
10) The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison
11) Alien Days by Abby McGovern
12) Taken by the Minotaur by Abby McGovern
13) All I Want for Christmas Is A Duke by Maire Claremont and Delilah Marvelle
14) A Cajun Werewolf Christmas by Selena Blake
15) The Lola Cruz Christmas Story by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
16) One Foot in the Grave - A Holiday Short Short Story by J. Steven York
17) Maddie's Choice by Joyce Zeller


Total to date: 137!   

Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013 - Goal 13 or more

1) Thursday Morning Breakast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer
 
Total to date: 15 

2013 Ebook Challenge - Original Goal 25 - New Goal 75, Next Goal - 100

1) Infamous Reign by Steve McHugh (I did the copy edits on this)
2) Thrown by Collette Auclair
3) Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle
4) Happily Ever Afterlife by J.A. Campbell, et al
5) Thursday Morning Breakast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer
6) Roman Holiday 1: Chained by Ruthie Knox
7) Echo Prophecy by Lindsay Fairleigh
8) Worth Waiting For by Ann Corbett
9) A Steamy Holiday Romance by M.L. Young
10) Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas by Bella Andre
11) Alien Days by Abby McGovern
12) Taken by the Minotaur by Abby McGovern 
13) All I Want for Christmas Is A Duke by Maire Claremont and Delilah Marvelle
14) A Cajun Werewolf Christmas by Selena Blake
15) The Lola Cruz Christmas Story by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
16) One Foot in the Grave - A Holiday Short Short Story by J. Steven York
17) Maddie's Choice by Joyce Zeller
 
Total to date: 94 I'm almost at 100. I can do this!

Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2013 - Goal 1 A Month   

1) The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison

Total to date: 11 (I have more for the year but for the challenge we can only count one per month.)

Ho Ho Ho Read-A-Thon - My original goal was 5 then I changed it to 7

1) Worth Waiting For by Ann Corbett
2) A Steamy Holiday Romance by M.L. Young
3) Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas by Bella Andre
4) All I Want for Christmas Is A Duke by Maire Claremont and Delilah Marvelle
5) A Cajun Werewolf Christmas by Selena Blake
6) The Lola Cruz Christmas Story by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
7) One Foot in the Grave - A Holiday Short Short Story by J. Steven York

Goal: 7 :)

Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge - Goal as many as I can :D 

1) Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle

 Total to date: 2 So far I suck but at least it's 2 more off my pile. :)

Clean Out Your E-Reader Challenge - My goal was 10

1) Worth Waiting For by Ann Corbett
2) A Steamy Holiday Romance by M.L. Young
3) Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas by Bella Andre
4) All I Want for Christmas Is A Duke by Maire Claremont and Delilah Marvelle
5) A Cajun Werewolf Christmas by Selena Blake
6) The Lola Cruz Christmas Story by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
7) One Foot in the Grave - A Holiday Short Short Story by J. Steven York
8) Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle
9) Maddie's Choice by Joyce Zeller
10) Happily Ever Afterlife by J.A. Campbell, et al
11) Thursday Morning Breakast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer
12) Echo Prophecy by Lindsay Fairleigh
 
Total: 12! Success :)

Related articles

• September & October Challenges Wrap Up (beasbooknook.blogspot.com)
• I Love Library Books Reading Challenge 2014 (beasbooknook.blogspot.com)
• November Wrap-Up (studentspyglass.com)
• NetGalley November: Week Four + Challenge Wrap-Up (kimberlyfayereads.wordpress.com)
• Clean Out Your eReader Challenge: Wrap Up (iam-indeed.com)
• Weekly Wrap Up - The Sunday Post #17 (sharonsbooknook.com)

Review of Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Format Read: eGalley
Source: from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 23, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Lucretia’s best friend and upstairs neighbor Sunny—a sweet pitbull of a kid, even as she struggles with a mysterious illness—has gone missing. The only way to get her back is for Lucretia to climb the rickety fire escape of their Queens tenement and crawl through the window of apartment 6D, portal to a vast shadowland of missing kids ruled by a nightmarish family of mutants whose designs on the children are unknown. Her search for Sunny takes Lucretia through a dark fantasyland where she finds lush forests growing from concrete, pigeon-winged rodents, and haunted playgrounds. Her quest ultimately forces her to confront the most frightening specter of all: losing, forever, the thing you love the most.

Lucretia and the Kroons is a dazzlingly imaginative adventure story and a moving exploration of the power of friendship and the terror of loss. This all-new novella serves as the perfect companion piece to The Devil in Silver, a thrillingly suspenseful work of literary horror that continues the story of Lucretia.

Bea's Thoughts:

The story starts off slowly, laying the foundation. We meet Lucretia, Loochie, her family, and her ailing friend Sunny. Loochie is twelve and anxious to be older; she worries that she's not developing as quickly as other girls in her class and she's worried about Sunny's health while at the same time in denial about it. I was expecting a dark fantasy/horror story but what I got was a contemporary dark fantasy with hints of "Alice in Wonderland" set in an inner-city. It's both gritty and horrific. The Kroons sound like an urban myth but they are all too real.

"Lucretia and the Kroons" is a horror story, a love story, a story of friendship, loyalty, hope, and death. A mix of the expected and the unexpected, it's a dark story; some children might find the material difficult to deal with but many young teens and tweens will be able to relate to Loochie and her life. A plus for me was that both Loochie and Sunny are people of color, not white, and yet that wasn't the point of the story, it was just part of who they were. I appreciate stories where there's diversity but it's just part of the story and isn't the point.

Trigger warnings- children dying and cancer.

Review of Kissing Under the Mistletoe: A Sullivan Christmas by Bella Andre

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: The Sullivans #10
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Sep. 24th
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble | ARe*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

For Mary Sullivan Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her eight children and their partners at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they made for her over the years. Each decoration brings with it a tide of memories, all of which she holds dear to her heart. But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary is immediately swept back to the first days of their whirlwind romance, to the love that would be the foundation on which they built the family she is so proud to call her own.  

Join the Sullivans this Christmas for a story that explores the wonder of the holidays, the meaning of family and a love that transcends time. 

Review of Happily Ever Afterlife by J.A. Campbell, et al

Publisher: Untold Press
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository* * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Revisit your favorite childhood fairy tales…with a paranormal twist. Eight classic stories rewritten by eight talented authors with one common theme, they all feature the undead. From angels to vampires and ghosts to zombies, you'll be sure to fall in love with the classics all over again and quickly learn that even the undead can have a happily ever after.

In the Belly of the Wolf by Amanda Carman
Don't talk to strangers. Don't stray from the path. If you do, the wolf will eat you. Once swallowed, you will be trapped forever in the dark and musty limbo of the belly of the wolf, a larger and more crowded world than you ever suspected. You can't blame him, though. After all, wolves will be wolves.

The Glass Coffin by Emmalyn Greyson
When Marianna's stepmother betrays her by having her turned into a vampire, she must flee home and the love of her life. Darren, her werewolf lover, believes he's found a cure. Will it lead to heartache or happily ever after?

Hans and the Best Day Ever by G.L. Jackson
After a seven-year apprenticeship with the Boss Lady, Hans decides it’s time to go home. Accompanied by Gabe, the two boys make their way back to the house in the woods where they hope to find Hans’ mother. Gabe is never at a loss for words but Hans is always quick to act on what might either be a fantastic idea…or the worst idea ever.

The Baron and the Firebird by J.A. Campbell
In the depths of the Russian wilderness, Baron Pyotr Vasilyev does his best to care for his people but his long years weigh heavily and he’s beginning to lose his taste for life. The only things that keep him going are his devotion to duty and his magical cherries. When his cherries go missing the thief turns out to be the Firebird. The desire to hear her sing one last time drives him through the centuries.

Clara and the Coon by M.K. Boise
Clara is born the height of a quarter–an abomination to the village of Fankfret. Left to die in a teapot on the outskirts of town, she learns that her story is far from over. Getting eaten by a raccoon is just the beginning.

Blood Borne Pathogen by Shoshanah Holl
Javier is too young to be waiting for death, but in the hospital battling late-stage AIDs there isn't room for much else in his mind. A mysterious woman begins visiting him and they form a strange friendship. Aurora only comes to visit after the sun goes down, leaving long before dawn. On the Day of the Dead, they both face the choice between life, death...and what comes after.

In Spite of Fire by Tilly Boscott
Alice's husband, Henry, died, leaving her to wander the world alone, searching for a way to bring him back. When she stumbles upon village gossip describing a place where ghosts dwell, she sets off to find her lost love. Instead of her husband, she discovers a ghost with eyes of fire, keen on the contents of a ragged tree. Alice clambers into an adventure of fear, darkness and true love.

The Angel by Troy Lambert
Abel is a poor urchin, trying to survive on the streets with only his wits to protect him and a tiny garden of struggling flowers to bring him pleasure. Zach is a young boy struggling in the fight of his life against the blight of cancer who wants to see the flowers of spring one last time. It seems inevitable that these young souls will soon leave the earth. But what awaits them in the beyond?

Review & Excerpt of Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club by Liz Stauffer

Publisher: Sartoris Literary Group
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: Kindle freebie, downloaded at request of publicist for review
Release Date: June 28, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Blurb from publicist:

Things are not always what they seem in Liz Stauffer’s fast paced book of murder, mystery, and intrigue. When the "breakfast club" ladies of idyllic Mount Penn see bruises on Clare Ballard's pretty face, they suspect her hot-headed husband of abusing her, but the truth is much more complicated. When violence disrupts this Appalachian village's lazy routine, the ladies, led by the irascible Lillie Mae Harris, jump feet first into danger as bodies appear, neighbors disappear, and Clare is arrested for murder. Follow Lillie Mae and the other "breakfast club" ladies, who, armed with casseroles and pastries, help the police uncover the deep secrets this town hides beneath its perfect facade.

Review of Roman Holiday 1: Chained by Ruthie Knox

Publisher: Loveswept
Series: 1st installment in a the Roman Holiday serial
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 11, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | ARe*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.  

Blurb from goodreads:

Meet Ashley and Roman—complete opposites who can’t hide their attraction—in Episode 1 of Ruthie Knox’s eBook original serial, Roman Holiday.

Ashley Bowman is having a bad week. Reeling from the death of her beloved grandmother, she returns to the Florida Keys only to learn that a heartless Miami developer has gotten hold of the crappy vacation rentals she calls home. Ashley has one day to clear out before Roman Díaz destroys the only place in the world that matters to her. Chaining herself to a palm tree in the bulldozers’ path seems like a good way to stop him . . . until she realizes she should’ve brought food and water. And pants. Also, it would help if the evil developer weren’t so ridiculously hot.

The last thing Roman Díaz needs is some sun-kissed blond protester getting her picture in the newspaper and messing up his plans. He bought the property fair and square, and the resort he wants to build on the site is the key to realizing his highest ambitions. But when a hurricane blows through, Roman has to hustle Ashley to safety if he wants to protect his reputation—and that means giving in to her unreasonable demands.

Roman needs to learn a little compassion, and Ashley’s decided to teach it to him . . . even if she has to drag him all over the Eastern Seaboard to do it.

 

Blog Tour Review of Echo Prophecy by Lindsey Fairleigh & A GC Giveaway

Publisher: L2 Books
Series: Echo Trilogy #1
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 16, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Book Depository*
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link. 

Blurb from goodreads:

The first book in a new paranormal romance/historical mystery trilogy.

"...we only see what we want to see...what we expect to see..."

Discover what's hidden--a powerful, mythic race, an ancient Egyptian prophecy, and a love strong enough to shatter the boundaries of time.

Alexandra Larson isn't human...but she doesn't know that. As far as Lex is concerned, she's simply an ambitious and independent archaeology grad student with a knack for deciphering ancient languages, especially the various forms of Egyptian. When she's recruited to work on her dream excavation, her translating skills uncover the secret entrance to an underground Egyptian temple concealed within Djeser-Djeseru--the famous mortuary temple of Queen Hatchepsut. Lex is beyond thrilled by her discovery...as is the enigmatic and alluring excavation director, Marcus Bahur.

  As the relationship between Lex and Marcus heats up, a series of shocking revelations leave the young archaeologist reeling. Once Lex discovers the truth of her ancient Egyptian roots--the truth of her more-than-human nature--the people she trusts most make one final, terrifying revelation: Lex is the central figure of a four-thousand-year-old prophecy. She is the only thing standing between the power to alter the very fabric of time and an evil megalomaniac...who also happens to be her father. As events set in motion over four millennia ago lead Lex and Marcus from Seattle to the heart of Egypt, the fate of mankind depends on one thing: the strength of Lex's love.

***Contains adult content.***

Blog Tour Review of Maddie's Choice by Joyce Zeller & GC Giveaway

Publisher: Camel Press
Format Read: Kindle 
Source: Tour Company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 1, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link.


Blurb from the tour company:

Romance writer Maddie Taylor is fed up with New York City. She is getting nowhere with her latest manuscript and does not believe true love exists outside of her imagination. When a friend, Jonah Spartman, dies and wills her half of his Arkansas cattle ranch, she sees the chance for a new beginning. Jonah has also left behind two orphaned great-grandsons desperate for affection and an accounting book in the red.

The other half of the failing ranch belongs to Gideon Spartman, Jonah’s grandson, who believes all capacity for love was torn from him during his tour of duty in Afghanistan. Rugged and sexy, Gideon is the enthralling physical manifestation of the hero in Maddie’s current manuscript. He is far from happy to be sharing an inheritance that is rightfully his. As she senses the need behind Gideon’s rough and unwelcoming exterior, Maddie acknowledges her own yearning for love and family.

Jonah’s will requires Maddie to stay on the ranch for three months. When that time is up, will she return to her comfortable but emotionally barren existence or embrace the challenges of her new life, which include cattle rustlers and drug dealers? Maddie’s choice proves to be far from simple.

Release Day Review of The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Format Read: eGalley
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through this link.

Blurb from goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive. 

September & October Challenges Wrap Up

I'll put up a wrap up post every month or early the next month for all of my 2013 reading challenges. Some books, I posted reviews on the blog, some are on goodreads, there may be one or two without reviews, especially books I edit or that are put out by my publisher.

September was a crazy busy month with the start of the new school year and I did very little reading that was non-work related. I was so tired, I forgot to do the wrap up post and when I remembered, I decided to just combine it with October. November's, however, will have to be its own solo post, as I have two additional challenges this month. :D Also, for October, November and December, I am participating in the Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge, which I'll track in my monthly wrap up posts.