24-Hour Giveaway!!!!! Salvation Day by Kali Wallace ENTER NOW!!! Ends June 28th!!!!!!

Kali Wallace’s "Salvation Day" is a gripping tale of high-stakes survival set over a 24-hour period. It follows a doomsday cult that takes a group of students hostage on board a seemingly abandoned spaceship, where a terrifying threat lies in wait.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Berkley is hosting a 24-hour giveaway! Don't wait to enter!!!!!

The giveaway is live now and runs until midnight on June 28. 

Excerpt & Giveaway: A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the "Bone Secrets" and "Callahan & McLane" series as well as the "Mercy Kilpatrick" novels. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born and raised, and still lives, in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her family, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.

Books from the Backlog - The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012

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.

May Balancing the Books

Inspired by The Geeky Blogger's Book Blog, and the now defunct Fantasy Is More Fun, 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, professional growth, 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 Grown-Up's Guide to Making Art with Kids by Lee Foster-Wilson

Publisher: Walter Foster Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 21st, 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:

Make art and memories with the special kids in your life! Packed with how-to drawing and painting projects, creative prompts, and original crafting activities, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids will inspire you and your little ones to spend hours of creative fun together.

This book includes drawing and painting projects featuring popular, kid-friendly, and on-trend subjects—like dinosaurs, pets, flowers, and robots—that adults and kids can create together. Guided practice pages invite interactivity and allow children and adults to draw and paint the same subjects, side by side, for a fun-filled joint activity. The book’s artwork is colorful, approachable, and done using ordinary, easily available art tools, including markers, crayons, colored pencils, and acrylic paint.

In addition to drawing lessons, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids also includes projects and ideas for using artwork created from the prompts in the book to make crafts, including a map, pop-up art, and paper dolls.

The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids teaches valuable drawing, painting, and crafting skills to both kids and adults; inspires creativity; and encourages family togetherness. What better way to avoid screen time than by drawing, painting, and creating together with your kids? Follow-up books in the series include The Grown-Up's Guide to Paint Pouring with Kids and The Grown-Up's Guide to Crafting with Kids, both publishing in June 2020.

Friday Book Memes: Tightrope by Amanda Quick

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.

This week's book is Tightrope by Amanda Quick, a romantic mystery set in 1920s California. I'll be reading it over this long holiday weekend.

Book Beginnings Rules:

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

Bea Reviews The Dictionary of Difficult Words by Jane Solomon, Illustrated by Louise Lockhart

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 30th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository*  | Google | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

What is a bumbershoot? Or a moonbow? And what does it mean when someone absquatulates...? Find out all this and more in the Dictionary of Difficult Words. Test your knowledge with more than 400 words to amaze, confuse, and inspire budding wordsmiths (and adults). All of the words featured in this book are difficult to spell, hard to say, and their meanings are obscure to most children (and most adults)! Written with simple, easy-to-understand definitions by lexicographer Jane Solomon, this dictionary celebrates the beauty of the English language for family trivia time spent around the printed page. (less)

Bea & Jax Review Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson #11
Publisher: Ace
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 7th, 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:

In this new installment in the No. 1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves . . .


My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.

And a coyote shapeshifter . . . And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.

But we are pack, and we have given our word. We will die to keep it.

Bea Reviews The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver

Series: Colter Shaw #1
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 14, 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:

From the bestselling and award-winning master of suspense, the first novel in a thrilling new series, introducing Colter Shaw.

"You have been abandoned."

A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a "reward seeker," traveling the country to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons. But what seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America's tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry.

"Escape if you can."

When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past--The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?

"Or die with dignity."

Shaw finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game, risking his own life to save the victims even as he pursues the kidnapper across both Silicon Valley and the dark 'net. Encountering eccentric game designers, trigger-happy gamers and ruthless tech titans, he soon learns that he isn't the only one on the hunt: someone is on his trail and closing fast.

The Never Game proves once more why "Deaver is a genius when it comes to manipulation and deception" (Associated Press).

April 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 and my classroom, $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 Up, Up, Up, Down! by Kimberly Gee

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 7th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon*  | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google Play | Kobo | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Follow an energetic toddler's day with Dad that's full of opposites - up and down, make and break, yum and yuck, and more.


From his first demand to be picked up and then immediately put down, opposites pop up all day long for this energetic boy. Breakfast is no, no, no, yes! At the sandbox, it's make, make, make, break! And jumping into the pool goes from can't, can't, can't, to can!

Kimberly Gee's expressive illustrations emphasize the loving connection between a boy and his father in this clever concept book about everyday highs and lows that is sure to entertain little (and big!) members of the family.

The Friday 56: The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver

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% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post at the Link here.here.

I'm reading a suspense mystery novel, "The Never Game", by Jeffery Deaver. The quote is from 56% in the e-galley. I'm loving it so far.

The Friday 56: Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

This is a fun meme 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% on your ereader.
If you have to improvise, that is okay.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and add the url to your post at the Link here.here.

I'm re-reading the entire In Death series by Robb and I'm currently on book 10, "Witness in Death". The quote is from PAGE 56  in the large print paperback.

Bea Reviews Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine

Series: Stillhouse Lake #3
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 23rd, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | BooksAMillion | IndieBound |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.

Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.

But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead—her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.

Bea Reviews You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey, Illustrated by Soyeon Kim

Publisher: OwlKids Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 15th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Google |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

From the creators of You Are Stardust and Wild Ideas comes a new informational picture book that explores how humans are inextricably connected to nature. This book draws examples from the clouds and the cosmos, the seafloor and the surface of our skin, to show how we are never alone: we are always surrounded and supported by nature. Whether it's gravity holding us tight; our lungs breathing oxygen synthesized by plants; the countless microorganisms that build our immunity; or the whales whose waste fertilizes the plankton that feed the fish we eat: nature touches every aspect of how we live.

Using lyrical text grounded in current science alongside detailed diorama art, this book presents the idea that we thrive through connections to the land and sea and sky, and togetherness is key to nature. It encourages inquiry-based learning, inviting readers to wonder, ask questions, observe the natural world, and engage with big ideas. An author's note at the end offers more insight into the research behind the text.

Bea Reviews Blind Justice by Gwen Hernandez

Series: Men of Steele #5
Publisher: Gwen Hernandez
Source: the author for review
Release Date: March 25th, 2019
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | iBooks* | * affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When Tara Fujimoto’s quest to avenge her sister’s death makes her a target, a sexy security specialist steps in to watch her back, but his quiet appeal threatens her carefully guarded heart. Can she resist their lightning-hot attraction, and stay alive long enough to expose her enemy?

Former military special operator Jeff Patarava has good reasons to keep his distance from his impossibly perfect coworker, but when her life is threatened, his resolve is shot to hell. Forced into close proximity, sparks fly as he learns she’s far more than her flawless appearance suggests. Now, he’ll put everything on the line to keep her alive. 

EXCERPT from Fatal Reckoning by Marie Force

Jax Reviews That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire

Series: The Incryptid Series

Publisher: DAW books

Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: March 5, 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:

Crossroads, noun:

1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.”

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,” shows up…

It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure. Crossroads, noun:

1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.”

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,” shows up…

It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure. Crossroads, noun:

1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.”

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,” shows up…

It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure. Crossroads, noun:

1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.”

Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.

Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.

New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.

And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,” shows up…

It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.

But no pressure.

Bea Reviews Cold & Deadly by Toni Anderson

Series: Cold Justice - Crossfire, Book 1
Publisher: Toni Anderson
Source: Purchased
Release Date: February 12th, 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:

Hostage Negotiators can talk themselves out of anything—except falling in love.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent Dominic Sheridan is an accomplished expert in the Crisis Negotiation Unit. Practiced, professional, used to dealing with high-stake situations under tense conditions, Dominic is a master at manipulating people. Everyone, that is, but the headstrong rookie agent bent on destroying her fledgling career.

As a child, Ava Kanas put her life on the line when the mob executed her father. Now someone has killed her mentor, the man who inspired her to become an FBI agent—and she’s the only one who recognizes it was anything but a tragic accident.

When another agent is murdered and Dominic nearly dies, it becomes obvious a serial killer is targeting the FBI. Together Dominic and Ava search for clues in the investigation, all the while fighting a forbidden attraction that will complicate everything, especially when the predator sets their sights on Ava.


In this exciting crossover series, Toni Anderson introduces new characters alongside some reader favorites. Read the thrilling Cold Justice - Crossfire series today. (less)

Excerpt from Kendra Elliot's A MERCIFUL FATE & A Giveaway

Welcome! Come in and make yourself comfy. Today I have an excerpt from the newest Mercy Kilpatrick series. It's a thrilling and twisty series, and I expect this book will continue that tradition. At the end of the post, there's a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book.

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops. Visit her at www.kendraelliot.com.