Spotlight & Giveaway: Pocket Star eBook Holiday Books! Win the anthology Baby, It's Cold Outside!

 

The holiday stars of Pocket Star EBooks offer perfect escapes for winding down this holiday season. Take a break, get a drink and some cookies and indulge in a new book or two:

Bea Reviews Lighting the Flames: A Hanukkah Story by Sarah Wendell

Publisher: Smart Bitches Trashy Books LLC
Source: owned by the reviewer
Release Date: December 13, 2014
Challenges: Ho Ho Ho Read-A-Thon
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Smashwords*  | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Genevieve and Jeremy have known each other since they were seven, and have been summertime best friends at Camp Meira, a Jewish overnight camp in the mountains. As campers, and then as staff, their friendship was a constant, something neither wanted to change, no matter how tempting those changes might be.

Then, last year, with little warning, Jeremy left camp early. After that summer, Gen left the country on a graduate fellowship.

Now, a little over a year since they were last at Meira, Gen and Jeremy are back together to help run a special Winter Camp during Hanukkah. Any water under the bridge is frozen this time of year, and with so much left unspoken and unexplained, this week may be their chance to rekindle their friendship, or turn it into something new.

Sunday Book Share #171

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. It's a chance to share the print and digital books we've received and posts and events on the blog.

It was a really quiet week on the blog last week. My asthma exacerbation became full-blown and I spent all Sunday, and most of the week, on the couch. I was out of work until Friday, which made for a very short work week. The timing was lousy since I haven't been at the new job very long but my asthma has never been cooperative. :D But, once I got to the doctor's office and got steroids and antibiotics, I saw a rapid improvement. I decided take some time off and not to worry about visiting other blogs or spending much time on my blog. I slept a lot, and once the drugs kicked in, I blazed through my pile of library books. I hope to do better this week with content and visits.

Steph & Liam Review Blue Whale Blues by Peter Carnavas

Publisher: Kane Miller, A division of EDC Publishing 
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 2015
Buying Links: USBorne Books & More


Blurb from goodreads:

"I've got the Blue Whale Blues, I've got the Blue Whale, BLUE WHALE BLUES"

When Penguin hears Whale singing the blues, he tries to help. But how do you stop a blue whale feeling blue?

A delightful story about a whale with bike trouble and the happy-go-lucky penguin who cheers him up.

Cat Thursday: All I Want For Christmas Is...

 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.

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: A SEAL Forever by Anne Elizabeth

Welcome! Today I'm sharing an excerpt from a new military romance and there's a giveaway. Grab a drink, have a seat on the couch, and enjoy. :) 

New York Times bestselling author Anne Elizabeth is an award-winning romance author and comic creator. With a BS in business and MS in communications from Boston University, she is a regular presenter at conventions as well as a member of The Author’s Guild and Romance Writers of America. Anne lives with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL, in the mountains above San Diego.

Sunday Book Share #170

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. It's a chance to share the print and digital books we've received and posts and events on the blog.

The weather has continued to be mild and I'm loving it. Of course, last winter started out mild too but then it went apocalyptic on us halfway through so I have my fingers crossed.  I think I'm going to my stepmother's for Christmas, just for the weekend though. I'm too new at my job to get time off. Though, I may be forced to take some sick time as my asthma has flared up. It started late Friday afternoon and went downhill rapidly on Saturday. It's my annual holiday tradition; it wouldn't be Christmas if I wasn't battling asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, or some combination of the three. You're probably thinking "But Bea, it's three weeks until Christmas! You'll be better by then." Probably not; my recovery time is 2 - 8 weeks. Happy holidays to me! :P 

November Balancing the Books

Inspired by Fantasy Is More Fun and The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided to start tracking my book expenses this year. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $10 real money each month to spend on books, whether for myself, as gifts, or blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. I am counting money spent to ship giveaways and Paperbackswap.com books. Books from my personal shelves, borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases.

November Challenge Wrap Up

This year I signed up for fewer year long challenges and I'll do more short-term challenges.

November was the annual Ho Ho Ho Read-A-Thon hosted by the Caffeinated Reviewer and The Book Shelfery. It's less than a week long but lots of fun! I exceeded my goal so I was happy.

I'm hosting 4 reading challenges next year as well as participating in several others. See here for more info and sign up links.

Grab a drink, get comfy, and get ready!

Steph Reviews The Plain Choice: A True Story of Choosing to Live an Amish Life by Sherry Gore

Publisher: Zondervan
Source: Purchased
Release Date: August 25, 2015
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:

Raised in a broken family and emotionally overlooked, Sherry Gore grew up without a solid foundation, a prisoner of her own poor choices, and at times without hope. A series of terrible mistakes left her feeling wrecked and alone and a sudden tragedy threw Sherry into an emotional tailspin too powerful to escape.

Sherry hangs by a thread, unable to see how she can go on living, until it happens: on a morning of no particular significance, she walks into a church and BAM the truth of Jesus’ forgiving love shatters her world and cleaves her life in two: She goes to bed stunned; she wakes up a Christian.

Unwilling to return to the darkness of her former life, Sherry attacks her faith head on. Soon the life Sherry Gore remakes for herself and her children as she seeks to follow the teachings of the Bible features head coverings, simple dress, and a focus on Jesus Christ. Only then does she realize, in a fit of excitement, that there are others like her. They are called Amish and Mennonite, and she realizes she has found her people.

The plain choice that Sherry makes is not easy – and life still brings unexpected pain and heartache - but it changes everything for her, as she becomes one of the few people on earth to have successfully joined the Amish from the outside.

She has found her place. And her story proves that one can return from the darkest depths to the purest light with the power of God.

INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY - BURNING BRIGHT: Four Chanukah Love Stories by Megan Hart, Jennifer Gracen, KK Hendin and Stacey Agdern

It's the holiday season and Chanukah starts in two more days. While we mostly see Christmas stories this time of year, today I'm delighted to share some Chanukah stories with you. There's an interview with K.K. Hendin and a tour-wide giveaway. Take a break from shopping and preparing for the holidays to experience the joy of Chanukah.

Free Romance Reads from Sourcebooks Casablanca

Sourcebooks Casablanca has a free daily email called Free Romance Reads. They serialize some of their best books so you get a snippet of the story each day in your inbox. Just a few minutes a day of reading and you'll have a read a book, for free! Starting on December 7th they will be serializing a prequel novella to a highly anticipated romantic suspense series that’s coming out in 2016 by debut author Katie Ruggle. The novella, On His Watch, doesn’t come out until January, but if you sign up for the email you can read it before it’s released! Then after On His Watch is finished, they move on to another great title. Important: in order to start getting the emails from the very beginning of On His Watch, you need to sign up before 5 p.m. CT on Friday (12/4). That way you will be in their system so you can start digging in when the first email arrives in your inbox bright and early on Monday morning. Below is more about On His Watch and here is the link to sign up for Free Romance Reads: eepurl.com/bvOR45  On His Watch is the pulse-pounding prequel to the riveting Search & Rescue series by Katie Ruggle. In the remote Rocky Mountains, lives depend on the Search & Rescue brotherhood. But in a place this far off the map, trust is hard to come by and secrets can be murder… Ice rescue diver Derek Warner never meant to be a hero. But when two little girls go missing, he’s the first in line to bring them home—even if that means scouring the wilderness with the woman he once loved and lost, Artemis Rey. Artemis has never stopped wanting Derek. Now, racing to find the girls before it’s too late, minutes turn to hours. Night falls. Old flames rekindle. And a danger grows in the darkest wilderness that may be more than even the Search and Rescue brotherhood can hope to face…

Cat Thursday: The Cute, It's Blinding

 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.

Aaaawwwww, so sweet. This pic makes me smile every time I see it.

Waiting on Wednesday: Pacific Burn by Barry Lancet

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where bloggers have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases they're anticipating.

I found this author last year and I'm looking forward to the next book, which releases in March 2016.

GIVEAWAY, GUEST POST & EXCERPT: Target Engaged by M.L. Buchman

M. L. Buchman has over 40 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the Year,” nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews, and twice Booklist “Top 10 of the Year” placing two of his titles on their “The 101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.

He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.

Find Buchman Online:

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Nora Roberts/J.D.Robb 2016 Release Schedule

It's that time again, time for the Nora Roberts release schedule. It is, of ourse, subject to change so doublecheck her site for updates.

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: In the Company of Wolves by Paige Tyler

I love werewolves! They're my favorite supernatural creatures. Add in romance and some action or a mystery and I'm a happy girl. I've been enjoying this series and I'm excited to have an excerpt and giveaway to share with you today. Grab a drink, make yourself comfortable, and enjoy!

Read my review here.

Paige is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy romantic suspense and paranormal romance. She graduated from The University of West Florida with a degree in education in 2000, but decided to pursue a full-time career as a writer in 2004. Since then, she’s written over fifty books in several genres, including paranormal, contemporary, western, sci-fi and erotica. She loves writing about strong, sexy, alpha males and the feisty, independent women who fall for them. From verbal foreplay to sexual heat, her stories of romance, adventure, suspense, passion and true love will leave you breathlessly panting for more.

Quote-Tastic & Review: In the Company of Wolves by Paige Tyler

Series: SWAT #3
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Challenges: Finishing the Series |  NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge |  What An Animal |
Buying Links: Amazon* | Are* | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Book Depository* | Chapters | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

He opened his mouth to order her to drop the MP5 she had aimed at him, but nothing would come out. It was like she’d robbed him of the ability to speak. Shooting her wasn’t an option, though. And the idea of arresting her didn’t make him feel any better.

There's a new gang of criminals in town who are organized and ruthless in the extreme. When Eric Becker, along with the rest of the Dallas SWAT team, ends up in the middle of a shootout, he immediately senses werewolves-a lot of them. Turns out, the new bad guys are a pack of wolf shifters.

In a spray of gunfire, Becker comes face-to-face with the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen. Becker does the logical thing. He hides her and leaves the scene with the rest of his team.

Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy helped her, but she's glad he did. Ever since she and her pack mates got mixed up with those Eastern European mobsters, everything had pretty much fallen apart.

So what's a street-savvy thief like Jayna going to do with a hot alpha-male wolf who's a police officer?

Sunday Book Share #169

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. It's a chance to share the print and digital books we've received and posts and events on the blog.

It was nice to have a short work week. I had a quiet Thanksgiving with a friend and her family. We rarely get to see each other despite living only a mile apart so I really appreciated the time together. I've spent a quiet weekend, reading books and starting to write Christmas cards. Working full-time again is really interfering with my reading, review writing, and blog visiting so things may be erratic for a while until I get a new, managable schedule in place. Unlike my previous teaching positions which were 30-35 hours a week, this is a full 40 hours a week plus a weekly commute of 10 hours total so basically a 50 hour week.

Steph and Liam Review The Pea Patch Jig by Thatcher Hurd

Publisher: Creston Books
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

“Where the pole beans climb, where the tomatoes grow fat, where the onions smell sweet and the corn is yellow as the summer sun, that’s the garden of Clem — Farmer Clem.” So begins this story about Baby Mouse, a tiny mouse who loves to go exploring in the garden. But watch out! You never know what might happen when Baby climbs into a head of lettuce, or up a tomato plant, or when there’s a fox on the prowl.

These are some of the ingredients of The Pea Patch Jig — a book as refreshing as a summer evening in Vermont.

Inspired by the traditional song "The Pea Patch Jig," which was unearthed by the great songwriter singer John Hartford.