Thanks to the Cadence Group for sponsoring this giveaway.
Elijah's Coin is one of the best books I've read in the past year. Though originally intentioned for young adults, I believe it holds an important message for everyone; the meaning of life.
Now, I get to give one of you a free, brand-spanking-new copy! It's sitting right here on my desk as we speak! So, how do you win? It's simple! Just leave a comment. You can tell me why you want to win. You can tell me your favorite color. You can just say 'Boo!' if you'd like! Please make sure you leave a way for me to contact you if you win, though. Good luck! I know this is a book that you'll treasure!
I will randomly draw the winner on March 12th.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Only Mr. Darcy Will Do by Kara Louise - Review
A nice twist added to this Austen fiction.
Poor Mr. Bennett has passed, leaving Elizabeth and the rest of the family with no home and no prospects. Elizabeth is forced to take a position as a governess. While watching a budding romance unfold between Mr. Darcy and a relative of the family she works for, she begins to see the man that she turned down in a new light. Now it's too late to even change her mind though. Her position is even lower than it was. Just as she realizes her heart's desire, she realizes it's too late to ever obtain it.
At this stage in the game, there are two major items that I judge Austen fiction on. First, is it readable and enjoyable or is it dry and a nightmare to read through? What has the author done to make this book stand out among the rest? We all know and love the characters and the settings. That doesn't normally change. Basically, it comes down to flow and creativity for me. With this book, Kara did extremely well. I can't say it's the best Austen fiction I've read, but it's right near the top of the list.
Once I began reading last night, I wasn't able to put it down. Kara kept me guessing at how everything would unfold. We have all the major beloved characters, but some of the more annoying and gruesome ones have been replaced with new ones. These new characters are created in such a way that you love to hate them. I'm not a revenge person, but I kept praying for a horrible accident to take care of these nasty creatures.
As for creativity, this is the first book I've read where Mr. Bennett dies. I'm not saying it's the only one out there, but it's the only one I've read. I can clearly see Kara sitting at the dinner table one night and her mind saying 'But...what if Mr. Bennett dies? That changes everything....' and her rushing from the table to start putting everything on paper. With one simple creative change, Kara has produced a new story from a tale retold repeatedly.
Austen fiction fans will love this. If you've not read any Austen fiction, this is a good place to begin. You don't have to know the characters to love them and delve right into the story.
Poor Mr. Bennett has passed, leaving Elizabeth and the rest of the family with no home and no prospects. Elizabeth is forced to take a position as a governess. While watching a budding romance unfold between Mr. Darcy and a relative of the family she works for, she begins to see the man that she turned down in a new light. Now it's too late to even change her mind though. Her position is even lower than it was. Just as she realizes her heart's desire, she realizes it's too late to ever obtain it.
At this stage in the game, there are two major items that I judge Austen fiction on. First, is it readable and enjoyable or is it dry and a nightmare to read through? What has the author done to make this book stand out among the rest? We all know and love the characters and the settings. That doesn't normally change. Basically, it comes down to flow and creativity for me. With this book, Kara did extremely well. I can't say it's the best Austen fiction I've read, but it's right near the top of the list.
Once I began reading last night, I wasn't able to put it down. Kara kept me guessing at how everything would unfold. We have all the major beloved characters, but some of the more annoying and gruesome ones have been replaced with new ones. These new characters are created in such a way that you love to hate them. I'm not a revenge person, but I kept praying for a horrible accident to take care of these nasty creatures.
As for creativity, this is the first book I've read where Mr. Bennett dies. I'm not saying it's the only one out there, but it's the only one I've read. I can clearly see Kara sitting at the dinner table one night and her mind saying 'But...what if Mr. Bennett dies? That changes everything....' and her rushing from the table to start putting everything on paper. With one simple creative change, Kara has produced a new story from a tale retold repeatedly.
Austen fiction fans will love this. If you've not read any Austen fiction, this is a good place to begin. You don't have to know the characters to love them and delve right into the story.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
March Book Of the Month
J.R. Ward fans are celebrating! This month marks the next Black Dagger Brotherhood installment! I'll admit it, I'm a naughty girl and haven't even finished Crave yet, but I've already pre-ordered my copy of Lover Unleashed.
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them? (Taken from Amazon)
I'm a huge J.R. Ward fan, and that's why Lover Unleashed is March's book of the month.
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them? (Taken from Amazon)
I'm a huge J.R. Ward fan, and that's why Lover Unleashed is March's book of the month.
It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare - Review
Highlander vampyres that will make you tingle!
The witches! The vampyres! The lycans! With a magnificent writing team that tosses these back into the Scottish Highlands, this book is a winner.
Anyone who's read any of my reviews knows how I feel about sex scenes. Usually they're tossed in and annoy me rather than entice me. I'm a typical romantic girl. What good is a sex scene if I'm not feeling the romance? This book is a perfect example of where sex scene excel. Before everybody's getting nekked, we're filled with that hunger and passion that make your skin vibrate and your senses heighten. Few books have held me captive as a romance, but this one definitely succeeded.
My goodness! I completely forgot to tell you what the story is about! Basically, James is a vampyre that's been trapped by a coven of witches because one of the witches believes that in the future he'll harm her daughter (who's unborn at the time of entrapment). So, they put him in a sleep stasis and leave him in the middle of nowhere, locked in a castle. Twenty years later, he awakens. On the other side of the story we have Blaire, who's a warrior witch. Her brother just inherited the castle, supposedly haunted, and she hears this strange 'ghost' talking at her from the basement (ok probably a dungeon). After setting him free, she has to find out what the story is because, like most of us women, she's darn nosy.
There's a great abundance of emotion, excitement and the paranormal. Although I haven't read the previous books in this series, they're now on my wishlist. Dare fans will love the switch from lycans to vampyres while those who haven't tried out Dare will feast on this book. This is a must read for paranormal romance lovers.
Lydia Dare is the writing name for Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson. It was fascinating to me how they work. Every 1500 words they swap the manuscript, editing and adding as they go. In my opinion, it works great for them!
The witches! The vampyres! The lycans! With a magnificent writing team that tosses these back into the Scottish Highlands, this book is a winner.
Anyone who's read any of my reviews knows how I feel about sex scenes. Usually they're tossed in and annoy me rather than entice me. I'm a typical romantic girl. What good is a sex scene if I'm not feeling the romance? This book is a perfect example of where sex scene excel. Before everybody's getting nekked, we're filled with that hunger and passion that make your skin vibrate and your senses heighten. Few books have held me captive as a romance, but this one definitely succeeded.
My goodness! I completely forgot to tell you what the story is about! Basically, James is a vampyre that's been trapped by a coven of witches because one of the witches believes that in the future he'll harm her daughter (who's unborn at the time of entrapment). So, they put him in a sleep stasis and leave him in the middle of nowhere, locked in a castle. Twenty years later, he awakens. On the other side of the story we have Blaire, who's a warrior witch. Her brother just inherited the castle, supposedly haunted, and she hears this strange 'ghost' talking at her from the basement (ok probably a dungeon). After setting him free, she has to find out what the story is because, like most of us women, she's darn nosy.
There's a great abundance of emotion, excitement and the paranormal. Although I haven't read the previous books in this series, they're now on my wishlist. Dare fans will love the switch from lycans to vampyres while those who haven't tried out Dare will feast on this book. This is a must read for paranormal romance lovers.
Lydia Dare is the writing name for Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson. It was fascinating to me how they work. Every 1500 words they swap the manuscript, editing and adding as they go. In my opinion, it works great for them!
March Gift Card Winner
It's March! This hopefully means Spring is on it's way! It was 80 here yesterday and I definitely enjoyed the nicer weather. It's time to get out of that wintery blah feeling and move on to the blooming rain. What does this have to do with this month's gift card winner? Nothing! I just like to talk! On with the real post.....
Every month I fill out little pieces of paper with names of those who follow this blog on Google, Networked Blogs and Twitter. Every month I add those pieces of paper to a little bin that holds all the pieces of paper from previous months in there. I've been doing this for a few months now, so some of you have quite a few entries into the drawing. You get one entry for each place you follow me, and every month I add to that. This month, lovely March, the winner for the $5 Amazon card is Daena! I'll be contacting her shortly to let her know she's won. Congrats, honey!!!
If you didn't win this month, you're still entered in for every future drawing. Good luck!
Every month I fill out little pieces of paper with names of those who follow this blog on Google, Networked Blogs and Twitter. Every month I add those pieces of paper to a little bin that holds all the pieces of paper from previous months in there. I've been doing this for a few months now, so some of you have quite a few entries into the drawing. You get one entry for each place you follow me, and every month I add to that. This month, lovely March, the winner for the $5 Amazon card is Daena! I'll be contacting her shortly to let her know she's won. Congrats, honey!!!
If you didn't win this month, you're still entered in for every future drawing. Good luck!
To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick - Sale!
Sourcebooks has announced that until Monday, March 7th, To Defy a King will be available on e-book for just $2.99! Check out Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Books-A-Million or BooksOnBoard to order your copy!
Not an e-book fan? To Defy a King has just been released in paperback today!
Not an e-book fan? To Defy a King has just been released in paperback today!
Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower - Sale!
Sourcebooks has announced that until Monday, March 7th, you can order Sins of the House of Borgia in e-book format for only $2.99! This offer is good through Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Books-A-Million and BooksOnBoard. Get your copy while it's on sale!
Not an e-book fan? Sins of the House of Borgia has just been released today in paperback!
Not an e-book fan? Sins of the House of Borgia has just been released today in paperback!
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