Brenda Jackson's Finding Home Again - Excerpt & Giveaway!

Today we're part of the blog tour for Brenda Jackson’s Finding Home Again! Check it out, read the excerpt, and be sure to grab your copy today!

Cat Thursday - Peek A Boo!

 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.

Review, Excerpt & Giveaways: Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine

Series: The Great Library #5
Read As a Stand Alone: No
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 3rd, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google Books | iBooks* | Kobo | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble.

Bea Reviews Ice Cold Heart by P.J. Tracy

Series: Monkeewrench #10
Can it be read as a stand alone? Yes, though there may be some confusion.
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 10th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google Books | iBooks* | Kobo | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Minneapolis detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth join Grace MacBride and Monkeewrench to uncover a dark and ugly conspiracy that reaches deep into the safety of homes in this latest electrifying thriller from New York Times bestselling author P. J. Tracy.

It's a bitter winter in Minnesota--too cold to kill. There hasn't been a murder for a month, but the lull quickly comes to an end for Detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth, when they're called to the gruesome homicide of Kelly Ramage. Found in a friend's vacant house, this was no random attack, and clues reveal that she was living a very dangerous secret life.

Magozzi and Gino trace her steps back to an art gallery where she was last seen alive. The gallery seems like a dead end, but the art is disturbing and exploitative. It may very well be inspiring a sadistic killer, because in this instance, art doesn't imitate life, it imitates death.

Tipped off about a year-old murder that is a mirror-image of Kelly's crime scene, Gino and Magozzi enlist the aid of Grace MacBride and her eccentric, tech genius partners in Monkeewrench Software to help them decipher the digital trail that might connect the cases.

As coincidences emerge, Magozzi, Gino, and the team have to work around the clock at breakneck pace to unravel a series of clues that form the framework of a larger, more sweeping, and insidious conspiracy than any of them could have imagined. Is Kelly the last person to die or just the most recent? And is there any way to stop it?

August Balancing the Books

Inspired by the now defunct Fantasy Is More Fun and by The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided a few years ago to track my book expenses. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $40 real money each month to spend on books for myself, $40 for professional books - classroom use, teaching, and editing, $30 a month for books that are gifts, and $10 a month for blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. Books that I borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases though I'll track them here as books acquired. Personal funds not spent will be added to the next month and any overages will be deducted from the next month; gift and blog cash however will reset each month.

Bea Reviews The Buddy Bench by Patty Brozo and Illustrated by Mike Deas

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
Source: the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A school playground can be a solitary place for a kid without playmates; in one survey, 80 percent of 8- to 10-year-old respondents described being lonely at some point during a school day.

Patty Brozo’s cast of kids brings a playground to raucous life, and Mike Deas’s illustrations invest their games with imaginary planes to fly, dragons to tame, and elephants to ride. And these kids match their imaginations with empathy, identifying and swooping up the lonely among them.

Buddy benches are appearing in schoolyards around the country. Introduced from Germany in 2014, the concept is simple: When a child sits on the bench, it’s a signal to other kids to ask him or her to play.

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 - The Bear's Chosen Mate by Vivian Arend

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

I'll be starting this book tonight or tomorrow, with a review hopefully next week.

Books From The Backlog - Aegean Intrigue by Patricia Kiyono

This is a fun new meme! Many years ago, there was another meme about neglected TBR books, known as Dusty Reads. That meme died and recently this one popped up. I'm delighted to participate and I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog. Join the fun and share a neglected book from your shelf.

Bea Reviews I'm A Gnome! by Jessica Peill-Meininghaus and illustrated by Poly Bernatene

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 13th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Fans of Mo Willems and Dev Petty's I Don't Want to Be a Frog will love this humorous tale about one gnome's journey to prove he is unlike the other magical creatures in the forest.

Join Gnome (that's spelled G-N-O-M-E--don't ask why the G is silent!) as he travels through the magical forest to attend the annual Gnome Festival.

Along the way he encounters elves, dwarves, trolls, and fairies. But don't be mistaken. He is NOTHING like those magical creatures. Well, maybe he is . . . but only a little bit!

When Gnome finally arrives at the festival, he realizes that all the traits he thought made gnomes different from the others actually made them alike--and that's just fine.

Books from the Backlog - The Seductress by Morgan Ashbury

Woot, a fun new meme! Many years ago, there was another meme about neglected TBR books, known as Dusty Reads. That meme died and recently this one popped up. I'm delighted to participate and I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.

This week's neglected book ~

Bea Reviews Catalyst by Jody Wallace

Series: Cat Ship #1, Obsidian Rim #8
Publisher: Meankitty Publishing
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 13th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Angus & Robertson | iBooks | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Dance teacher Wil Tango, adopted by a cat who needs to make use of his opposable thumbs, knows all too well the primary rule of their arrangement: never reveal the cat is a genius. Their clever scheme to win all the jackpots on Gizem Station works until a bigwig gets suspicious, and he finds himself stuffed in a stasis box and shipped to Garbage Planet. At least he’s got the cat for company.

Sulari Abfall, scrapyard picker extraordinaire, thinks she’s scored when she earns access to the latest offload from Gizem Station. Their trash is her treasure, and the profits from her recycling program should provide more than enough to upgrade her clunky garbage scow into a clunky tow ship, a huge step up in trash hierarchy. When she’s drawn to a hazardous waste container, she finds more than she ever bargained for. A naked man. And a sentient cat.

But unsealing the stasis pod sends an interspace signal back to Gizem Station—and the vengeful VIP who thought Wil was dead. It will take all the wits of a lovely garbage scow captain, a down on his luck dance instructor, and a brave orange feline to defeat a gang intent on mayhem, murder, and a galactic catnapping that could change the course of the future for the entire Obsidian Rim.

Bea Reviews A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

Series: A Royal Guide To Monster Slaying #1
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository  | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Monster hunting isn't for the faint of heart—the first in a brand-new middle-grade series by NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her royal monster hunter aunt's official sword and having tea with dignitaries with her mother, the queen. But a tragic event breaks up longstanding rules, and now Rowan finds herself in hunt of a dangerous gryphon.

Accompanied by a feisty and determined baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, she sets off on a journey that will see her join forces with other unlikely allies: a boy who has ambitions of his own to hunt monsters, and a girl from a nearby clan with hidden motives for befriending Rowan. It will take all of Rowan's skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this journey on track. The future of the kingdom depends on it.

Release Day Review: The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre

Publisher: Midnight Ink
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 8th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Some people just need killing.
Marlena Altizer Durst lives in her husband’s shadow. He controls her every move—what she wears, the food she eats, and the friends she’s allowed to make. If she disobeys, there are… consequences. And he has all the power, so nobody would believe her.

Her Cinderella story has been well-documented and it seems that she leads a fairy-tale life. But nobody ever wonders if Cinderella was happy after she married the prince. Marlena has traded freedom and safety for luxurious imprisonment, and most days, that seems like a bad bargain. Death may be the only exit she’s allowed. Just like his first wife. And his second.

Unless she flips the script.

And gets away with murder…

Release Day Review: Terns of Endearment by Donna Andrews

Series: Meg Lanslow Mysteries #25
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A new side-splitting Meg Langslow mystery from award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Toucan Keep a Secret.

Meg's grandfather has been booked to give lectures on a cruise as part of the education/entertainment itinerary, and he's arranged for a passel of family members to join him.

The passengers' vacation quickly becomes a nightmare when they wake up to find themselves broken down and in need of repairs. Things get even worse when a crew member announces to all that a woman has jumped overboard, leaving behind her shoes, shawl, and a note. The note reveals she's a disliked member of a writers' group onboard for a retreat, and the group is split on whether this is in-character for her.

The captain decides not to investigate, saying he'll notify American authorities when they reach their destination. But Meg's father decides they need to look into whether there was possible foul play while the prime suspects are all stuck on board. It'll be a race against the clock to solve this mystery before they make the necessary repairs and return to shore.

Donna Andrews' long-running Meg Langslow series continues to be beloved by its fans, who loyally buy every new installment. Terns of Endearment is a perfect new addition, full of laughter, adventure, and Andrews' wonderful cast of wacky characters. (less)

July Balancing the Books

Inspired by the now defunct Fantasy Is More Fun and by The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided a few years ago to track my book expenses. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $40 real money each month to spend on books for myself, $40 for professional books - classroom use, teaching, and editing, $30 a month for books that are gifts, and $10 a month for blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. Books that I borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases though I'll track them here as books acquired. Personal funds not spent will be added to the next month and any overages will be deducted from the next month; gift and blog cash however will reset each month.

Bea Reviews My Tiny Pet by Jessie Hartland

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 6th, 2019
Recommended Age: 4+
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | iBooks* |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A witty celebration of the tiny tardigrade, a microscopic creature that looks like a bear

Living in a tiny house has one huge drawback--no space for pets. So when a little girl's parents announce that it's time for the family to simplify, downsizing from a huge home in the city to a tiny house in the woods, it's quite a blow--after all, she's grown quite fond of her pet poodles, cats, tarantula, snake, hedgehogs, mice, birds, fish, octopus, rabbits, pony, pig, and turtles. Fortunately, she finds them all good homes, and she has to admit that she enjoys her new simpler life. 


There's just one thing: She still really wants just one pet. 


At first the answer is no. But using a little scientific savvy, she finds one that could be just the right fit--how could anyone turn down a pet smaller than an ant's eye that doesn't need special food or toys or walking, and will always be small enough to squeeze into their home, no matter how much they downsize?

Jessie Hartland creatively blends fantasy and science in a far-out story that bursts with exuberance. Her whimsical art celebrates one very thoughtful, persistent little girl and introduces readers to the tiny tardigrade, with its fascinating array of survival skills.

A Hallmark Original - Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa by Nancy Naigle - Excerpt & Giveaway

Today we have the blog tour for CHRISTMAS IN EVERGREEN: LETTERS TO SANTA by Nancy Naigle! Check out this sweet new Hallmark holiday romance and grab your copy today!

Gorgeous New Covers for the Fantastic Cold Justice Series by Toni Anderson!

Toni Anderson's bestselling, and wonderful, COLD JUSTICE series has a brand new look - check out the stunning new covers below and get your hands on these gripping romantic suspense books today! They're great!

10 Amazing Years of Jane Yellowrock! Enter This Fantastic 10 Year Anniversary Sweepstakes!

Ten years ago the first Jane Yellowrock book, Skinwalker, was published and it's been non-stop action ever since. It's a favorite series here at the Nook; we always look forward to the next book. Jane is a fascinating woman and a major bad-ass. Not just anyone can hunt vampires!

To celebrate this anniversary, Ace is giving away the entire series to date, an ARC of the next book, Shattered Bonds, and some swag.

June Balancing the Books

Inspired by the now defunct Fantasy Is More Fun and by The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, I decided a few years ago to track my book expenses. I'll do a wrap up post at the end of each month.

I've given myself $40 real money each month to spend on books for myself, $40 for professional books - classroom use, teaching, and editing, $30 a month for books that are gifts, and $10 a month for blog giveaways. "Real money" being cash from my bank account as opposed to gift cards and store credits. Books that I borrowed from the library or a friend, and books received for review do not count against my purchases though I'll track them here as books acquired. Personal funds not spent will be added to the next month and any overages will be deducted from the next month; gift and blog cash however will reset each month.