Blog Tour Review of The Look of Love by Bella Andre

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Series: The Sullivans #1
Format Read: Print ARC
Source: from Meryl L Moss in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository*
* affiliate links; clicking & making a purchase results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Expanded Edition! More Story! More Sullivans! Fans of Bella Andre's Sullivan Series will love this long-awaited print edition of THE LOOK OF LOVE. It features a longer, more-detailed story with all the emotion and sensuality that readers love. Not to be missed!

Sometimes one look is all it takes.

Chloe Peterson has vowed never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Her reasons are as vivid as the bruises on her cheek. So when her car skids off a wet country road straight into a ditch, she's convinced the gorgeous guy who rescues her must be too good to be true.

As a successful international photographer, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women. He's satisfied with his life—until he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley.

With every loving look—and every sinfully sweet caress—the attraction between them sizzles, and Chloe can't help but wonder if she's met the man who may be the exception to her rule….  

It’s the Bella Andre Summer of Love! Win a Beach Bag Or a Trip to Las Vegas!

Summer 2013 is the Bella Andre Summer of Love! She has three books releasing this summer and to celebrate this spectacular summer of hot reads AND the release of the first three books in her sizzling Sullivans series, Meryl Moss Media is having a Bella Andre Summer of Love Beach Bag Contest!

The bag has brands such as O.P.I., Evian, Not Your Mother’s Hair Care, and Unisun Eyewear. See the picture below for some of the goodies in the bag. Enter using the rafflecopter, open to residents in the US and Canada. Giveaway ends May 31st at 11:59PM EST.

ETA May 22nd 6:50PM EST: I'm so sorry but the sponsor had to change the giveaway to US residents only. I apologize for the inconvenience and annoyance ~ Bea 

There's even more!

It’s the Bella Andre Summer of Love Mixtape Contest!

Visit Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks from May 22nd – May 31^st and create your SUMMER OF LOVE Mixtape for a chance to win a trip for YOU and THREE friends to Las Vegas.

            *No purchase necessary. Ends May 31, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Evidence of Life and A Quick Q&A with Barbara Taylor Sissel

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Format Read: print ARC
Source: from PR firm Meryl L Moss in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

On the last ordinary day of her life, Abby Bennett feels like the luckiest woman alive. But everyone knows that luck doesn't last forever.… As her husband, Nick, and daughter, Lindsey, embark on a weekend camping trip to the Texas Hill Country, Abby looks forward to having some quiet time to herself. She braids Lindsey's hair, reminds Nick to drive safely and kisses them both goodbye. For a brief moment, Abby thinks she has it all—a perfect marriage, a perfect life—until a devastating storm rips through the region, and her family vanishes without a trace.

When Nick and Lindsey are presumed dead, lost in the raging waters, Abby refuses to give up hope. Consumed by grief and clinging to her belief that her family is still alive, she sets out to find them. But as disturbing clues begin to surface, Abby realizes that the truth may be far more sinister than she imagined. Soon she finds herself caught in a current of lies that threaten to unhinge her and challenge everything she once believed about her marriage and family.

With a voice that resonates with stunning clarity, Barbara Taylor Sissel delivers a taut and chilling mystery about a mother's love, a wife's obsession and the invisible fractures that can shatter a family.

Quote: 

 Abby said, "Sometimes everything feels so ordinary, you know? As if they'll walk in the door and everything will be the way it always was when we came for a visit. Jake will be hunting through the pantry--"

 "Lindsey will have straw in her hair from playing with the cats in the barn."

 "That kid would live in the barn if we let her," Kate said.

 Abby pressed the backs of her wrists to her eyes, and Kate came and circled her shoulders. She bent her head until it touched Abby's.

 "Sometimes I let myself drift--" Abby resumed breaking the beans, stem end, blossom end"--way up. I go higher and higher until the earth is a tiny glowing speck, and it's as if it never happened."

 
Bea's Thoughts:

I can not imagine the horror of having a family member go missing. I've had family die but that's very different. When Nick and Lindsay go missing during a storm, Abby, Nick's wife and Lindsay's mother,  and their son Jake have different ways of coping. Jake and his grandmother, Louise, are quick to accept that Nick and Lindsey are dead while Abby holds onto the hope that they are still alive, somewhere. Jake and Louise move forward while Abby is stalled. Sissel clearly shows both Abby's shock and her determination to find out the truth. When Nick and Lindsay disappeared, Nick was under a shadow at work and some people think that he used the storm as cover to disappear.

Abby is flawed and there were times when I was irritated with her but that added to the characterization. When a novel engages my emotions and I'm talking to or yelling at the characters, the author has successfully engaged and involved me.

The story is a mystery and a journey. Abby is on several journeys - to find the truth, to move past her grief and her to learn to trust again after being betrayed. There's minimal detail; there's enough for me to picture what she's describing but she also leaves some to the imagination. It's a character focused story more than it is a mystery story but Sissel spins an interesting tale. After about thirty pages, I was hooked and stayed up late to finish it. Some things were predictable but there were some surprises along the way.
There were a few times when the pace slowed and I'd get impatient but overall the story held my interest and I enjoyed it.

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

I have a brief Q &A with the author. Enjoy!

Bea: If you could go back in time and give advice to your 12 year old self what would it be?

Barbara: To trust in myself and my intuition more.

Bea: What’s your favorite city and why?

Barbara: Of the ones I’ve visited, I love most, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, to visit, but I like the quiet and peace of the country.

Bea: Do you have any writing rituals?

Barbara: Not other than to show up every day at the same time and do the work.

Bea: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Barbara: I would offer my ritual as a guide. If you show up everyday, at the same time every day, even if you can only manage 15 minutes, and do the work, you’ll have something to show for it. More than if you didn’t. Then I would say don’t ever give up, but, of course, you won’t if you have a fire in your belly. It won’t let you quit. I almost did a number of times, but that desire wouldn’t let me.

Bea: What are your favorite things to do when you’re not writing?

Barbara: I love to read and to garden. I love to go antiquing and/or junking. I love to be outside on a gorgeous day and have nothing better to do than to listen to the wind. I also cross stitch. I do really involved patterns. Right now I’m stitching Austrian painter Joseph Nigg’s oil painting titled, Bowl of Flowers in a Landscape. It’s gorgeous or it will be if I ever finish!

 

Thank you Barbara for taking the time to answer some questions. Good luck with your book, and your cross stitching.

Spotlight on The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

 

International Best Selling author and Quill Award nominee Pam Jenoff is back with the long-awaited follow-up to "The Kommandant's Girl" and "The Diplomats Wife". 

Pam is the author of several novels, including "The Kommandant's Girl", which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for a Quill Award and became an international bestseller. She previously served as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelor’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.
 

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

Book Blurb ~

Paris, 1919. The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly.

Brought to the peace conference by her father, a German diplomat, Margot Rosenthal initially resents being trapped in the congested French capital, where she is still looked upon as the enemy. But as she contemplates returning to Berlin and a life with Stefan, the wounded fiancé she hardly knows anymore, she decides that being in Paris is not so bad after all.

Bored and torn between duty and the desire to be free, Margot strikes up unlikely alliances: with Krysia, an accomplished musician with radical acquaintances and a secret to protect; and with Georg, the handsome, damaged naval officer who gives Margot a job—and also a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie.

Against the backdrop of one of the most significant events of the century, a delicate web of lies obscures the line between the casualties of war and of the heart, making trust a luxury that no one can afford.

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: General Fiction
Formats: paperback, ebook
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon   Barnes & Noble   Book Depository

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

How do you create a love story during times in history when love and lust were not discussed outside of marriage? Author Pam Jenoff has this to say ~ 

One thing that fascinates me as a writer of historical fiction is the commonalities in people, the way that women in differing time periods had the same feelings and doubts and desires as we do today.  So the love story feels much the same to me.  However, it is certainly true that the conversations were different.  I’m not sure they were often discussed inside marriage, much less outside.  But operating within those societal constraints creates a level of tension that can actually, if managed properly, be very useful in storytelling.

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

Mini Excerpt

“A moment later, I turn onto a side street and pull the bike up against the wall, which is covered in faded posters exhorting passersby to buy war bonds. A bell tinkles as I enter the bookshop. “Bonjour.” The owner, Monsieur Bartteau, accustomed to my frequent visits, nods but does not look up from the till. I squeeze down one of the narrow aisles and scan the packed shelves hungrily. When we first arrived in Paris weeks earlier, it was books that I missed the most: the dusty stacks of the college library at Magdalen, the bounty of the stalls at the Portobello Road market. Then one day I happened upon this shop.”

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

 "The Ambassador's Daughter" is out now. If you like romances and fiction set during war times, and enjoy reading about other times and places, this is the book for you.

Linda Lael Miller: Excerpt, Guest Post & Giveaway of Big Sky Mountain

It's my pleasure to have Romance author Linda Lael Miller back again today with another guest post, and an excerpt from her newest book, "Big Sky Mountain", part of her Swoon-Worthy Cowboys series.

Photo from author website

As the daughter of a town marshal, Linda has come home to the western lifestyle that gave birth to one of today’s most successful authors. She left Washington years ago and pursued her wanderlust, living in Arizona and London and traveling the world. Now the author of more than 100 novels, the “First Lady of the West” is glad to be back home, writing contemporary and historical stories that have earned her awards and placements on all the national bestsellers lists.

Linda traces the birth of her writing career to the day when a Northport teacher told her that the stories she was writing were good, that she just might have a future in writing. Later, when she decided to write novels, she endured her share of rejection before she sold FLETCHER’S WOMAN in 1983 to Pocket Books. Since then, Linda has successfully published historicals, contemporaries, paranormals, and thrillers before coming home, in a literal sense, and concentrating on novels with a Western flavor. For her devotion to her craft, the Romance Writers of America awarded her their prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Linda’s 2011 contemporary Creed Cowboy trilogy—A CREED IN STONE CREEK, CREED’S HONOR and THE CREED LEGACY, released in March, June and July, respectively—each debuted in the number one position on the New York Times bestseller list.

First up is Linda's guest post, then a brief excerpt and book info at the end. Enjoy!
  *****************************************************************************************************

When brainstorming your next storyline, do you know whether it will be a trilogy or a stand-alone book? Can you discuss the differences between writing a trilogy or a stand-alone?

I usually think in terms of a series—there are actually six books in the Parable/Big Sky group. I’ve tried many times to write a stand-alone book—I meant “The Man from Stone Creek” to be one—but I seem to be wired for trilogies. J Some engaging secondary character always appears, with a story to be told, and the next thing I know, I’m off and running. Some of my early books—“Fletcher’s Woman” and “Willow” come to mind—were intended as single stories and stayed that way, but the series thing goes back a long way. My first series was the Corbin books—there were brothers, and an interesting sister, too. So the first book turned into four. It’s organic with me—I guess I just think in terms of big, sweeping stories with casts of thousands!

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

Excerpt

Hutch’s head reeled, but he quickly reminded himself, silently of course, that he had to live in this town—his ranch was just a few miles outside of it. If he passed out cold at his own wedding, he’d still be getting ribbed about it when he was ninety.

While the next bridesmaid started forward, he did his distracted best to avoid so much as glancing toward Brylee Parrish, his wife to be, who was standing at the back of the church beside her brother, Walker. He knew all too well how good she looked in that heirloom wedding gown of hers, with its billowing veil and dazzling sprinkle of rhinestones.

Brylee was beautiful, with cascades of red-brown hair that tumbled to her waist when she let it down. Her wide-set hazel eyes revealed passion, as well as formidable intelligence, humor and a country girl’s in-born practicality.

He was a lucky man.

Brylee, on the other hand, was not so fortunate, having hooked up with the likes of him. She deserved a husband who loved her.

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

Book Blurb (from goodreads): 

With his rugged good looks, vast wealth and family name, hell-raiser Hutch Carmody is still the golden boy of Parable, Montana. But he's done some growing up-making peace with his illegitimate half brother and inheriting half of Whisper Creek Ranch, which should have been all his. These days, Hutch knows there are some things money can't buy: like the heart of loving, ladylike divorcé e Kendra Shepherd.  

Kendra's quiet mansion reminds her of what she wants most-a devoted husband and the pitter-patter of little feet. She can't get Hutch Carmody out of her mind. But a rough-and-tumble cowboy like Hutch, coming home for family dinner? Seems crazy! Then again, crazier dreams have become reality under the vast Montana sky. 

BIG SKY MOUNTAIN
By: Linda Lael Miller
Publisher: HQN Books
ISBN: 9780373776610
Genre: FICTION, ROMANCE, CONTEMPORARY
Format: EBOOK, PAPERBACK
Length: 384 pages
Release Date: July 31, 2012
Website & Blog
Twitter
facebook
Buying Links:   Amazon   Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository 
Follow her blog tour: http://booktrib.com/booktrib-blog-tour-nyt-bestselling-author-linda-lael-millers-big-sky-mountain/

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

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, I have one paperback copy for a reader in the US or Canada. Comment below, telling me why this book appeals to you. Please leave a way for me to contact you - email, twitter handle, etc.

Please read my Giveaway Policy.

You do not need to be a follower to enter.

Giveaway ends Saturday August 11th, at 11:59PM EST.

Good luck!

ETA 8/12/12: Using random.org, a winner has been chosen.

ETA 8/15/12: I didn't hear back from the first winner so I've drawn a new name and emailed that person. When I hear back, I'll announce their name.

Review of The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane

Publisher: Mira
Series: Forensic Instincts #2
Release Date: June 19, 2012
Buying Links: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

"The man she loved is gone forever. The child she lives for could be next."Each day is a struggle for Amanda Gleason's newborn son as he battles a rare immune deficiency. Justin's best chance for a cure lies with his father, who was brutally murdered before Amanda even realized she carried his child.


Or was he?

One emailed photo changes everything, planting a seed of doubt that Amanda latches on to for dear life: a recent photo of a man who looks exactly like Paul. Could Justin's father be alive? The mother in her is desperate to find out. But tracking down a ghost when every second counts is not for amateurs.

"Forensic Instincts is the one team up for the challenge."

A behaviorist. A former navy SEAL. A techno-wizard. An intuitive. A retired FBI agent. A human-scent-evidence dog. Together they achieve the impossible, pushing ethical and legal boundaries whenever the ends justify the means.

The manhunt is on for the elusive father. Yet the further FI digs into his past, the more questions are raised about whether the man Amanda fell in love with ever really existed at all.

Dark secrets. Carefully crafted lies. From the congressional halls of Washington, D.C., to exclusive Hamptons manors, there are ruthless people who would stop at nothing to make Forensic Instincts forget about the man Amanda desperately needs to find.

Little do "they" realize that once Forensic Instincts takes the case, nothing will stop them from uncovering the shocking truth that transcends "The Line Between Here and Gone."

Reviewed By: Bea

Bea's Thoughts:

*Warning: If dying children are a trigger for you, consider skipping this book.*

I had some reservations about the first book in this series, "The Girl Who Disappeared Twice". Although not marked as being the first book in a new series, though it ended up being so, it often read like one while at other times it read like a book in the middle of a series. This book, the second in the series, doesn't suffer from an identity crisis. Kane gives enough info to fill in new readers without dragging down the story; it would read well as a stand-alone, I believe.


This story grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. I stayed up until 3:11 AM reading it and had tears on my face when I finished. As you can see from the book blurb, the story is designed to tug at your heart strings, and it does, but there's also a mystery and the FI team grabs hold of it, while never losing sight of their main purpose: Find Justin's father and maybe save his life. There were some predictable parts but also some twists and turns. The tension in the story comes from many sources: the dying infant, the missing father, the familial conflicts, the conflict between the FI team and the FBI, the conflicts between the team members. That sounds like a boat load of conflict and tension but it doesn't drag the story down; there's also humor, hope, romance and action.

The story was a quick read but an engrossing one. I really liked the interaction between the FI team members, including their disagreements; they felt real, not sugarcoated or exaggerated. In fact, I think it's the characters, and not just the team members, along with the urgency of Justin's situation, that really grabbed and held my attention. The circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Justin's father were a bit complicated, unnecessarily so at times but it did provide for a reason for the tension between the FI team and the FBI, as well as adding another layer to the disappearance. It's not a perfect book, but a good one. I will definitely read the next one in the series.



I received a print ARC as part of a blog tour. 


Andrea is currently on a blog tour for this book, you can follow along if you want. Click here for her schedule. Click here for short Q&A with Andrea and a brief excerpt from the book.

Q&A with Author Andrea Kane and Scavenger Hunt

Last month, romance author Andrea Kane popped in for a short interview as part of her blog tour for the anthology "Love Is Murder". This month she's back, touring for her new suspense novel, "The Line Between Here and Gone" and she generously took the time to answer a few more questions.

Kane’s psychological thriller "The Girl Who Disappeared Twice", became an instant New York Times bestseller, the latest in a long string of smash hits. It introduced Forensic Instincts, an eclectic team of maverick investigators, each with different personalities and talents, all with one common bond: a blatant disregard for authority. "The Line Between Here and Gone" is the next exciting installment in the Forensic Instincts series. Armed with skills and talents honed by years in the FBI and Special Forces, and training in behavioral and forensic psychology, the team solves seemingly impossible cases while walking a fine line between assisting and enraging law enforcement.

With a worldwide following and novels published in over twenty languages, Kane is also the author of eight romantic thrillers and fourteen historical romances. She lives in New Jersey with her family, where she is plotting new ways for Forensic Instincts to challenge the status quo.

Where to find Andrea online:

website and blog
twitter
facebook 

Bea: What sort of attachment do you have to your characters?
Andrea: They become part of me, like family. The ending of a book is bittersweet. My characters are fully formed, have achieved some resolution in battling the trials and tribulations of life. Just when I’m ready to enjoy their creation, it’s time to say goodbye. Fortunately with Forensic Instincts, I get the chance to stay attached and further the FI team’s characters and stories in their next book.

Bea: Where do you do most of your writing?
Andrea: Wherever my Pomeranian lets me. It’s amazing where he can place his snout, his paws, his tail and his body on my laptop to prevent me from writing

Bea: Do you have an inspiration board for each book? Maybe a scrapbook? What inspires you when you’re writing?
Andrea: No boards, no scrapbooks. I’m a pretty cerebral person. For me, the inspiration comes from within – characters with a story they’re excited to tell!

Bea: Are any characters in the book based on people you know or have met in your personal life?
Andrea: I am constantly inspired by people (and animals) I meet while researching my novels: FBI agents, cops, other law enforcement personnel, doctors, nurses, vets, dogs, as well as people I meet in my everyday life. I think my characters embody the best and worst traits of all of them. Working closely with the FBI has given me the opportunity to see integrity, dedication, intelligence, and insightfulness up close and personal.

Bea: Which part of THE LINE BETWEEN HERE AND GONE was the most enjoyable to write?
Andrea: The best part of writing THE LINE, for me, was bringing back the whole FI team. They've become so real to me, I love "spending" more time with them!

Brief Excerpt from "The Line Between Here And Gone":

An email from a fellow photojournalist, a friend of hers who’d been traveling internationally for months and wouldn’t be aware that Justin had already been born or that his condition had turned Amanda’s life upside down.

Andrea is currently on a blog tour for this book, you can follow along if you want. Click here for her schedule. Click here for my review of "The Line Between Here And Gone".