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.

Cat Thursday - Party time!

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.

Since tomorrow is my birthday, I thought I'd post some party pics.



I can have some cake, right?



And of course, I must have a drink for my birthday -

Giveaway! BUNKER HILL: A City, A Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick

Are you a history buff? Is the American Revolution an interest of yours? Then this book might need to be on your bedside table. Written by award-winning historian Nathaniel Philbrick, it looks at the events and people around the siege.

Blurb from the author's website ~ 

Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord. In June, however, with the city cut off from supplies by a British blockade and Patriot militia poised in siege, skirmishes give way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists. Philbrick brings a fresh perspective to every aspect of the story. He finds new characters, and new facets to familiar ones. The real work of choreographing rebellion falls to a thirty-three year old physician named Joseph Warren who emerges as the on-the-ground leader of the Patriot cause and is fated to die at Bunker Hill. Others in the cast include Paul Revere, Warren’s fiancé the poet Mercy Scollay, a newly recruited George Washington, the reluctant British combatant General Thomas Gage and his more bellicose successor William Howe, who leads the three charges at Bunker Hill and presides over the claustrophobic cauldron of a city under siege as both sides play a nervy game of brinkmanship for control.With passion and insight, Philbrick reconstructs the revolutionary landscape-geographic and ideological-in a mesmerizing narrative of the robust, messy, blisteringly real origins of America.

Publisher: Viking
ISBN: 9780670025442
Format: Hardcover
Length: 416 pages
Release date: April 30, 2013

Check out the book trailer too ~

Interested? Thanks to the publisher, I have one finished hardcover copy to give away to one US resident. Enter below using the rafflcecopter. Giveaway ends April 20th. Please read my Giveaway Policy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Giveaway & Review of Girls & Monsters by Anne Michaud

Publisher: DarkFuse
Format Read: eARC
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Buying Links:  Not available for pre-order; publisher's site; goodreads

Blurb from goodreads:

This dark but uplifting collection of five Young Adult novellas includes:

Death Song: Liz is in love with Joe, but the monster of the lake has other plans for them.

Black Dog: Scarlet is engaged in a struggle for her sanity, but according to the voice in her head, she may be too late.

A Blue Story: When Katherine's beloved dog goes missing, she fears her strange new neighbor might be involved.

Dust Bunnies: Christiane faces her childhood arachnophobia and ends up confronting even greater fears in this test of sisterhood.

We Left at Night: Brooke and her family must abandon their home and their lives to make it out of a disease-plagued town overrun by zombies.

Girls & Monsters is for everyone who has ever been brave enough to confront their childhood fears...and lived to tell about it.

Bea's Thoughts:

 I still love this cover so much. Back in February, I did a cover reveal and excerpt for "Girls & Monsters" and today I have a review. 

The stories have some commonalities: teenage girl leads, animals or pets (except for "Death Song"), dysfunctional families or families in crisis, and leaving home. Some of the stories end on a hopeful note while others, not so much. There were run-on sentences and misplaced punctuation, which always irritates me. Michaud's descriptive ability waxed and waned; at times it was choppy and at times, just a few words could call up an image. The story quality is mixed but overall it's an enjoyable read.


My favorite of the collection was "A Blue Story". It's an original update on the Captain Bluebeard story with a twist. Katherine loves animals, plans on being a veterinarian, and is happy to get a job at a pet supply store for the summer. Neighborhood animals are going missing at an alarmingly high rate and when Katherine's dog goes missing, she'll do anything to get her back. The story is spooky and nicely evocative.

"We Left At Night" was my least favorite of the collection. There's a plague, humans are mutating into zombie-type beings, but it hasn't affected all of the US. Martial law has been declared and Brooke and her family are trying to get away. I never connected with Brooke or feel the urgency of the situation. A little more background, a stronger look at the outside world would have given more depth. I also couldn't relate to Brooke or her family.

"Death Song" had potential, it had a few good twists and turns, but it was rough. The world building was minimal, descriptions were choppy, and, stupid as this sounds, I kept expecting Jo, a boy, to be a girl, because of the spelling. I also had trouble taking Limnade seriously because the name sounds like a drink. :D I did like that Michaud used a lesser known being from Greek mythology, despite its name. The basic idea was good but could have been better developed and both Jo and Liz could have been fleshed out more. Despite that, I enjoyed it.

 If you're scared of spiders (I'm looking at you Kate!), don't read "Dust Bunnies". Feuding sisters, bereavement, a science experiment that took a turn, first love and a genuine monster under the bed all are mixed together to create a sometimes sad, sometimes hopeful, quirky story. It was confusing at times as to why Chris's older sister didn't trust her but Michaud beautifully shows us the fractures in their relationship. The monster under the bed starts out terrifying then changes during the story. I didn't completely buy into the change but the ending is cute.

"Black Dog" was disturbing to read. Scarlet is troubled and self-destructive; Michaud conveys her pain, her erratic thinking and the voices in her head clearly and sympathetically. I thought I knew where she was going with the black dog in the story but I was only partially right. The story has several twists and at one point, it seems as if Scarlet might find her way out of the darkness. This was the most emotional, and disturbing, story.

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

There's a tour wide giveaway for a softcover copy of the book and The Monster Collection Skellies, 5 pieces handcrafted by the author: GIRLS & MONSTERS Giveaway. The winner will be announced during a LIVE CHAT on release day, April 30th at 9PM EST http://www.darkfuse.com/events.html

Spotlight & Excerpt: Alejandro by K. Victoria Chase

Alejandro by K. Victoria Chase -

Blurb from author:

Audrey Hughes hasn't heard from her sister Penny in years.  When she receives a letter from her former drug-addicted sister that someone is going to kill her, Audrey believes her sister is being dramatic--until she discovers Penny is dead, and she's left behind a son Audrey never knew existed.It's his fault she's dead. Lana was his source, his responsibility. US Marshal Alejandro Santiago vows to avenge her killer, a drug trafficker who is the key to finding a dangerous fugitive. One problem: Lana's beautiful sister Audrey and her nephew have just become targets. Can he protect them both without his emotions compromising the mission? What will happen when Audrey learns the truth of his involvement in her sister's death?An interracial romantic suspense with a bit of faith weaved in.

Publisher: K. Victoria Chase
Genre: Romance, Suspense
Length: 340 KB, 197 pages 
Format: ebook

Date Published: March 2013
Buying Link:   Amazon

Add to Goodreads

 

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

EXCERPT

She backed herself into a corner, keeping her eyes straight ahead, and her chin high. Ale leaned against the opposite wall and hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. The longer he stared at her side profile, the more she fidgeted — checking her watch, gripping her bag, glancing up at the ceiling. If she were going to give him a hard time, he’d at least have a little fun. 

“How do you plan to leave? If I recall, we drove here in my car. Yours is back at your sister’s.” He smiled triumphantly.

She favored him with half a glance before setting her gaze on the control panel. “I’ll call a cab.”

“No one is going to give you the number to a cabbie, on my orders.” She gave him a chagrined smile. “There’s an app for that on my iPhone.”

His eyes fell to her bag and he lifted his brows. “I’ll wrestle it away from you.”

“Ha! After our last fight? You wouldn't dare.”

“ Wouldn't I?” 

Being reminded of his literally crushing defeat at the hands of a woman would've normally irked him, but he remained unbothered. In fact, the thought of another round with the pretty spitfire intrigued him. She gave him a slitted stare, and he responded with a wide grin.

“You have some nerve.”

“Actually, you don’t know the half of it.” 

The memory of their kiss exploded in his brain, his blood pounding in his ears and racing throughout his body, warming muscles stiff after a long day’s work. Her eyes widened a bit, and he wondered whether her thoughts mirrored his own. Maybe they do…

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

About the Author:

From childhood, K. Victoria Chase enjoyed writing stories and plays and reading Christian romance. She received degrees in Criminal Justice and Diplomacy and worked as a federal law enforcement officer for several years before deciding to try her hand at writing a complete novel. Today, K. Victoria Chase is an Amazon bestselling author both in the US and the UK. She writes both clean and Christian interracial romance.

Find her online: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Blog Tour: Review of I'll Follow the Moon by Stephanie Lisa Tara & A Giveaway

Publisher: CreateSpace
Format Read: Paperback
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 27, 2012 (originally released 2005)
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble   IndieBound

Blurb from goodreads:

On a quiet, moonlit beach, a baby green sea turtle stirs from a dream of home. Slowly, slowly, with a tap, crick, crack, the baby turtle embarks upon a mysterious nighttime journey. Gentle, tender verse and enchanting illustrations carry this tranquil tale from sand to sea.

Stephanie's first book, I'll Follow the Moon comforts children with its soothing tone and melodic repetition.

Bea's Thoughts:

"I'll Follow the Moon" is a sweet story about a newborn turtle's hatching and journey to rejoin his mother in the ocean. Told in rhyme and using wonderful descriptive language, each page ends with the phrase "I'm coming, Mama, I'll see you soon, I know just how...I'll follow the Moon" It's a tranquil story, calm and soothing but with a message of hope. The young turtle pushes on to find his mother and doesn't stop until he succeeds.

The artwork is calming in pastel watercolors with simple backgrounds. The pictures are light on detail, I would have liked a bit more, but the young turtle itself is nicely detailed and, I think, quite adorable.

I saw a few reviews that mentioned the book wasn't scientifically accurate. That may be true, I don't know, but the book isn't written or marketed as a science book so I don't see that's a problem. The back of the book has a page with suggested activities and lesson plans to extend if the child enjoys the book. If a child is interested in learning more, their parent, caregiver or teacher could do some research.There is a facebook page for the book and green sea turtles that may be of interest.

"I'll Follow The Moon" is an enjoyable read for older toddlers and young preschoolers. I see myself sharing this at my school.

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

Stephanie is touring the next few weeks to get the word out about Earth Day on April 22nd. You can follow the tour here:  http://www.candacesbookblog.com/2013/02/earth-day-blog-tour-announcement-and.html

She's also doing two giveaways, you can enter below using the rafflecopter widgets. Please read the directions carefully.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

I almost forgot! I was supposed to talk about what we do at my school to help the earth. For the most, we recycle. Being a preschool and a child care center, recycling takes two forms: 1) collecting items with the recycle symbol and turning them into a recycle center, and 2) saving and collecting items everyday items to be used in the classroom or in art or science activities. Actually, that latter is reusing not recycling.

Each classroom has a mesh bag for collecting recyclables and parents take turns bringing it to their local recycle center. We save anything that has a recycle symbol - yogurt containers from children's lunches, empty cracker boxes, etc. We also collect plastic shopping bags which have many uses in the room. I almost hate to see them go and be replaced by fabric bags, those are much less useful for our purposes. Additionally, our office has boxes for recycling paper and we save and turn in our printer's ink cartridges. The break room has a container for drink bottles that can be turned in for bottle deposits. 

As for items that we save and use, well, that's a nearly infinite list of items: old keys, coffee cans, stationary, pretty boxes and ordinary cardboard boxes, fabric, pipe cleaners, magazines, calendars, golf balls, buttons, etc. We even have old cell phones, with the batteries removed. The kids love playing with them and also with old landlines. They solemnly push buttons and carry on conversations. Much of the clothing in our dress up closet is cast-off kids and adult clothing as well as the occasional donated dress up. In fact, many families recycle toys, books, games, clothes, etc. by donating them to the center. We've even had furniture donated, saving us the cost of buying new furniture for the classroom.

Additionally, we plant. Every playground has a garden and we garden organically. Most years, the gardens include vegetables or herbs and the classes, from infants on up to eight year olds, get to eat the results of their labors. Often, we'll make bird feeders in the winter using pine cones and all of the playgrounds have a year round bird feeder that the birds and squirrels enjoy.There's also a compost bin for food scraps.

Is there more we could do? Undoubtedly. We have some constraints that come from state regulations about what we are allowed to do and have. Other limitations come from the usual culprits of time, money,

space, and initiative. But we'll continue to explore and see what we can do, and continue educating our students about the earth and caring for it. 

What do you do? Is there one small change you could make today that would help?

Sunday Book Share #31

I'm participating in Feed My Reader Friday hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received, and different posts and events at their blogs.

Spring! Spring is here. My mood always picks up when spring rolls around. The downside to spring is that I feel guilty about staying inside to read whereas in the wintertime, staying inside to read is wonderful. Oh well, nothing's perfect. :D I had the windows open this week and the cat loved it. He was pressed as close as he could be to the screen and his head and ears were swiveling, taking in all the information they could. I also got to see my brother last week when he was up for the funeral. Despite the circumstances it was good to see him again and spend time with him.

The Week In Review

Reviews: Loose Ends by Lucy Felthouse (erotic romance)

Blizzard by Taryn Kincaid (erotic romance)

Cover Reveals: Bathing Beauties, Booze and Bullets by Ellen Mansoor Collier

Excerpts: Spicy With A Side of Cranberry Sauce by Rachell Nichole (contemporary romance)

Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone (YA, UF)

Giveaways: An ebook copy of Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone, ends April 9th

$25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash, ends April 12th

Kindle Fire HD OR $199 Amazon Gift Card OR $199 PayPal Cash, ends April 15th 

$50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift, ends April 25th

Memes: Cat Thursday - Underwear Edition  Sunday Book Share #30

Challenge Wrap Ups: March's Reading Challenges Wrap Up

Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge Wrap Up

Odd Search Phrases That Led to the Blog: There were a bunch this week. One that's not weird but made me smile was how many times this one was used - "how to catch a cat" followed by "trap a cat". Apparently my Cat Thursday meme post about catching a cat was popular. :D  Some of the odd phrases- "and seclusion" still popular and I'm still clueless; "aurora_valente@hotmail.com" who?, "krystal ball in boots" Why any of these lead to my blog I do not know. :D

BOOKS

Bought - Kindle

This was on sale at Amazon for 99 cents and is a Smart Bitches recommendation. I'm leary because apparently the heroine has asthma and that's a large part of the story. I've yet to read a book or watch a movie that accurately portrays asthma. A co-worker of mine read the book and said Shalvis did okay but it could have been better. I liked the blurb and it was cheap so I'll give it a shot. If she gets it wrong, I won't be reading her again (I've never read her before).

Review - Kindle

*Happy Dance* So many awesome authors in one anthology!!

Kindle Freebies

How was your week? Don't forget to leave a link to your sharing post so I can visit.

Review of Loose Ends by Lucy Felthouse

Publisher: Resplendence Publishing
Format Read: PDF
Release Date: January 2013 (This is an edited and revised version of a previously released title.)
Buying Links:  Barnes & Noble  Resplendence Publishing

Blurb from publisher:

When Jonathan and Lauren met at University, it should have been the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, and Jonathan became ‘the one that got away.’ Years later, at a University reunion, Jonathan shows up unexpectedly throwing Lauren into turmoil. The pair start talking, and soon all the old feelings come back. But will this time be different, or will their mutual affection continue to be unrequited?

**Publisher's Note** This is an extensively edited and revised version of a previously released title.

 WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT

Bea's Thoughts:

Well, this was super short. The PDF was only 20 pages so I expected short but that 20 pages includes the cover, the credits page, about the author, etc. so that the story itself was only 11.5 pages. In those 11.5 pages we get a college reunion, a lost love, a second chance with the lost love, friends to lovers,  and a sexy love scene.

Jonathan seems like a decent enough guy but I wish we'd been given more of a reason for Lauren's crush and enduring interest in him. In the flashback scene where Lauren meets him, we're told about his physical attributes but we're not given insight into what else may be appealing about him other than a reference to his sense of humor. When we meet him, he's polite, friendly and funny but again, I didn't see why Lauren was so attracted to him. Still, Jonathan comes across as a good guy, Lauren is likable and when they both realize that they are single at the same time, they grab their second chance, and eight plus years of longing comes to an end. The ending is a Happy For Now. 

Felthouse's style is sharp, with just enough attention to detail, and fast paced. I liked that she didn't try to tie up all the loose ends but left the ending open; a definitive happy ending would have weakened the story. "Loose Ends" is short, sweet and fun to read.

I received a PDF from the author for review.