SPOTLIGHT: Cozy Christmas Capers, A Cozy Mystery Anthology

Christmas AND cozy mysteries? Oh yeah, works for me. I'm not familiar with most of these authors but for $1.99, it's hard to pass up.

Interview with Author Kelley Armstrong & A Giveaway

I'm ecstatic to have one of my fave authors here today, Kelley Armstrong. I love Kelley's urban fantasy and her mysteries. Last year she started a new young adult epic fantasy series, Age of Legends. The second book, "Empire of Night" is due to release this April. In the meantime, she has a new short story from that world, "The Kitsune's Nine Tails", as part of an anthology, "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" releasing next week on the 9th.

All of the proceeds from the sale of "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" go directly to The Colon Cancer Alliance, a charity dedicated to the prevention of this deadly disease, as well as funding research and supporting patients who suffer from it. As someone who has cancer running in her family and only a few of them survivors, I like to support projects benefittng cancer research and patient support whenever i can.

Kelley graciously agreed to do an interview and she's giving away a copy of the first book in the Age of Legends series, "Sea of Shadows" (I love the US cover of this book, gorgeous!)

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Shadow Catcher by James R. Hannibal

Thriller
Re-Release: December 2, 2014

Quote-Tastic and Review: On the Naughty List by Lori Foster, Carly Phillips, Sugar Jamison, and Beth Ciotta

Publisher: St. Martin 
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Kobo | ARe* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The most wonderful time of the year is back with On The Naughty List, bringing perennial favorite holiday stories from Lori Foster and Carly Phillips, along with two Christmas stories that delighted readers a year ago. This sexy anthology will make you want to give your heart to Christmas again and again…Lori Foster has two co-workers plan a Christmas party side-by-side-and discover a love worth celebrating in Christmas Bonus Carly Phillips explores a "mistletoe moment" when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead--and gives him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more in Naughty Under the Mistletoe.In Sugar Jamison’s Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas, former wild child Dina Gregory returns home to New York to find the father of her young son. Instead, she finds his stuffy older brother, Ben. Ben can’t help but admire her tenacity—and her bold beauty. Could it be that Dina has reignited his Christmas spirit? Beth Ciotta brings two friends who, after years apart, together at home for the holidays. They don’t seem to have much in common anymore, but when the two get stranded together during a blizzard, they are forced to reexamine if they are better off as "just friends"? Or could it be that true love was there all along? in Some Kind of Wonderful.

2015 Reading Challenges & My COYER Sign Up

I am going to cut back on challenges next year. Honest, I am. Hey, stop laughing!

Okay, I'm cutting back on the year long challenges. I'll still be doing monthly and seasonal challenges such as Ho Ho Ho Read-A-Thon and COYER in all its incarnations. In fact, there's a new COYER starting in a few weeks and I'm jumping in. It's running Saturday, December 20th 2014 to Friday, March 6th 2015. Signups are open through Sunday, January 25th.

A Month of Giving Thanks: Day Thirty

Berl at Fantasy Is More Fun and Michelle at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life are hosting a month long blog event for giving thanks. The idea is to blog about people, things, or events that we are thankful for. I probably won't post every day; I'm aiming instead for a few times a week.

If you want to participate, you still can; just click on one of the links above. You can post every day, once a week, several times a week, whatever schedule works for you. There will be a linky post every day at the to host blogs so you can link up your post.

Sunday Book Share #117

 

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. All of these memes are about sharing the print and digital books received and/or posts and events on the blog.

We had Thanksgiving last week here in the US. I had a pleasant, quiet day at home with the critters. We ate turkey (well, Thing Two didn't), I stayed in my jammies, and I didn't do any blog work or client work. The rest of the week I was busy with the blog, editing, helping my authors, the day job, and volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. Once my internet was up and running again I had a lot of catching up to do. I chatted with my dad on Thanksgiving and it was...interesting. With his Alzheimers, it can be like talking with a toddler. It used to bother me, now I just go with it. He knew who I was and he sounded content, that was good enough.

Bea Reviews A Last Goodbye by J.A. Jance

Publisher: Pocket Star eBook
Series: Ali Reynolds #9.5
Format Read: print ARC
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 24, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance brings her trademark breakneck pace to this fun and exciting e-novella, where fan favorite Ali Reynolds takes on double responsibilities as both sleuth and bride.

Ali Reynolds is finally getting married to her longtime love B. Simpson. They wanted a simple Christmas Eve wedding, but nothing is ever simple with Ali. Even as a motley crew of her friends—Leland Brooks, Sister Anselm, and others—descend on Vegas, the bride-to-be finds herself juggling last-minute wedding plans and a mystery in the form of a stray miniature dachshund. Ali’s grandson rescues the little dog, but Ali’s not in the market for a new pet right before her honeymoon, and leaves no stone unturned in hunting for the dog’s owner. But what she finds is more than just a shaggy dog story…Bella’s elderly owner has vanished, and her son seems to be behind it. So it’s Ali and B. to the rescue—and still making it to the church on time!

GIVEAWAY! Deadly Odds by Allen Wyler

Do you like thrillers? Are you looking for a new author? Well, take a look at Deadly Odds. The publisher, Astor + Blue is offering up one copy, a print for the US or an ebook for an international winner. Just enter below.

Bea Reviews All I Want for Christmas Is You by Jessica Scott

Publisher: Jessica Scott
Series:Coming Home #5.5
Format Read: Kindle ARC
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 22, 2014
Buying Links:  Amazon* | Kobo | Google Play | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

All Major Patrick MacLean wanted was Christmas with the woman and child who were his family in everything but name. But Captain Samantha Egan has come back from the war a different woman than the one who left - and she doesn't know if she can love him anymore.

But neither of them counted on the determination of a little girl they both call daughter and if Natalie has her wish, her parents may have no idea what's coming for them. It's going to take Christmas miracle to bring these two wounded warriors back from the edge of a broken heart.

The Friday 56 Tokyo Kill by Barry Lancet

This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join in the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

I'm about to start reading a thriller, "Tokyo Kill", by Barry Lancet. The quote is from page 56  in the hard cover.

Good thing the yakuza enforcer was on my side.
Apparently, he knew where I lived.

Related articles

• The Friday 56 Symbiont by Mira Grant
• The Friday 56 (#20)

Bea Reviews Organized for Homicide by Ritter Ames

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing
Series: Organized Mysteries #2
Format Read: ebook
Source: from the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 8, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

USA TODAY bestselling series!


Organization expert Kate McKenzie is looking forward to her newest consignment: organize the cross-country move for a divorced father and his two children. But when a dead body turns up, Kate's carefully organized plans are thrown into chaos. Was it an accident? Or murder? Kate aims to find out and ends up falling more emotionally involved than she'd expected when the victim's teenaged daughter becomes the police's lead suspect. As a mother herself, she just can't let the girl not only lose a mother but possibly lose her freedom and future as well. While the police follow the chain of evidence, Kate follows her gut, leading her on a dangerous investigation that could result in more than one death if she doesn't watch her step.

Cat Thursday Thanksgiving

 Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates cats; their foibles and humorousness and the joy they bring. You can join in by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you made or came across, cat art or share with us pics of your own felines, then post your link up at The True Book Addict.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day, whether or not you are celebrating Thanksgiving today. I splurged at the store and bought some shrimp for the cats and I. We're having a quiet day at home. Have a wonderful day, whether you are working or celebrating!

Holiday Haul-A-Day!

BookTrib, one of my favorite book sites, has presents, lots of presents for the holidays. From Black Friday to New Year’s Eve, BookTrib is giving away gifts to surprise and delight their readers. Everything from Etsy creations inspired by literature to hip new products from the book world, they’ve got the stuff to make a Kringle jealous. Did I mention books? A whole haul of them! One book, two books, three books—an entire box of books—are you excited yet?

Mark your calendar—the Haul-a-Day fun is about to begin!

Steph Reviews Louisiana Fever By D.J. Donaldson

Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions
Series: Andy Broussard/Kit Franklyn Mystery #5
Format Read: Ebook
Source: From the publisher for an honest review
Release Date: March 5, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from Goodreads:

Andy Broussard, the plump and proud New Orleans medical examiner, obviously loves food. Less apparent to the casual observer is his hatred of murderers. Together with his gorgeous sidekick, psychologist Kit Franklyn, the two make a powerful, although improbable, mystery solving duo.

When the beautiful Kit goes to meet an anonymous stranger--who's been sending her roses--the man drops dead at her feet before she even could even get his name. Game on.

Andy Broussard soon learns that the man carried a lethal pathogen similar to the deadly Ebola virus. Soon, another body turns up with the same bug. Panic is imminent as the threat of pandemic is more real than ever before. The danger is even more acute, because the carrier is mobile, his identity is an absolute shocker, he knows he's a walking weapon and... he's on a quest to find Broussard. And Kit isn't safe either. When she investigates her mystery suitor further, she runs afoul of a cold blooded killer, every bit as deadly as the man searching for Broussard.

Louisiana Fever is written in Donaldson's unique style: A hard-hitting, punchy, action-packed prose that's dripping with a folksy, decidedly southern, sense of irony. Add in Donaldson's brilliant first hand knowledge of forensics and the sultry flavor of New Orleans, and the result is first class forensic procedural within an irresistibly delectable mystery.

Help Me Interview Author David Baldacci

I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in a telephone conference interview with thriller author David Baldacci. The call itself will only be about thirty minutes and I don't know how many bloggers will be there but we're allowed two questions each. Since there will be a bunch of us, I want a list of questions so that if some get asked before it's my turn I still have some to choose from.

So, leave me your questions below and I'll add them to my list. I can't promise I'll get to ask them but I'll try!

David's publicist will email the transcript and I'll get that formatted and posted sometime between December 6th and December 12th.

Thanks for your help!

Bea Reviews Trust In Me by Sophie McKenzie

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 
Format Read: paperback
Source: publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 11, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Kobo | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The suspicious circumstances of her best friend's suicide drive a woman to the possibility that it was murder—a murder which might involve the same man who killed her sister eighteen years ago

On a quiet, gray, Saturday morning, Livy arrives at her best friend Julia’s flat for a lunch date only to find her dead. Though all the evidence supports it, Livy cannot accept the official ruling of suicide; the Julia she remembers was loud, inappropriate, joyful, outrageous and loving, not depressed. The suspicious circumstances cause Livy to dig further, and she is suddenly forced to confront a horrifying possibility: that Julia was murdered, by the same man who killed Livy's sister, Kara, eighteen years ago.

Desperate to understand the tragedies of her past and hold her unraveling life together, Livy throws herself into the search for Kara and Julia’s killer, who she now believes is someone close to her family. But if that is true, who can she still trust? Damien, the man Julia was secretly dating? Leo, her husband’s boss and a close family friend? His son Paul, her husband’s best mate since college? Or Will, her own dear husband, who has betrayed her perhaps one time too many?

When Livy finally faces her sister’s killer, and he tries to force her to destroy her family with one horrible, impossible choice, she must finally decide: is she strong enough to trust herself?

Entangled Publishing's Black Friday Sale!

   

Entangled Publishing is running a Black Friday sales from tomorrow through 12/6. They have LOTS of titles on sale for only 99 cents, and this is a great way to stock up ereaders, yours or someone else's. You can even gift them to anyone, for awesome stocking stuffers that won't break the bank!

Go here for the sale - http://www.entangledinromance.com/?p=15614

15 BOOK HOLIDAY PRIZE PACK SWEEPSTAKES!

Simon & Schuster is running a huge holiday giveaway of their new releases. They're giving away books ranging from Garth Stein’s SUDDEN LIGHT to WOMAN I WANTED TO BE by Diane Von Furstenburg.

The books in the giveaway: Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans, MONEY Master the Game by Tony Robbins, Innovators by Walter Isaacson, Map of Heaven by Eben Alexander, Rocks by Joe Perry, Dominique Ansel, Sudden Light by Garth Stein, Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane Von Furstenburg, Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer, Eat More Better by Dan Pashman, Thirteen Soldiers by John McCain, At Home With Madame Chic, Elements of Style by Erin Gates, Outlaw Pete by Bruce Springsteen and Frank Caruso, and Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

Winners: Two (2)

Dates: Open through 11:50pm December 19

Enter here: http://pages.simonandschuster.com/holidaysweeps?mcd=z_251114_CLP_Holiday_Sweeps

Release Day Review And Giveaway - The King by Tiffany Reisz

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: The Original Sinners
Format Read: ebook
Source: from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 25, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | The Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | ARe*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from PR company:

Cunning.  Sex.  Pure nerve.  Only this unholy threesome can raise him to his rightful place as a ruler of Manhattan's kink kingdom.

Bouncing from bed to bed on the Upper East Side, Kingsley Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched.  No carnal act or chemical compound can relieve his self-destructive heartache—only Søren, the one person he loves without limit or regret.  A man he can never have, but in whose hands Kingsley is reborn to attain even greater heights of sin.

Kingsley's plan to open the ultimate BDSM club—a dungeon playground for New York's A-list—becomes his obsession.  His expertise in domination can't subdue the one man who wants to stop him.  The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won't rest until King's dream is destroyed, and so the battle lines are set;  it's one man's sacred mission against another's.