Showing posts with label Books Read in 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books Read in 2014. Show all posts

Friday, February 14, 2014

Review & Giveaway: Collision Course by Chuck Gleason

Today it is my extreme pleasure to kick off the Collision Course tour!

Book Description:
Publisher: Black Rose Writing (Oct. 24, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1612962085
Category: Romance, Love Story
Tour Dates: February, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 252 pages
Collision Course is a warm loving story about two college kids, Lincoln Comstock and Keli Holloway, who get off on a rocky road to romance.  In their creative writing course, Lincoln trashes Keli’s first offering before the entire class, just to get her attention.  Keli is very sensitive about her creative efforts.  As a consequence, Lincoln has started his romance by shooting himself in the foot.
Lincoln’s persistence pays off eventually as Keli agrees to be friends, just not romantic friends. In their junior year, the friendship endures the student body presidential election in which Keli and Lincoln are actually pitted against each other.  After the election Keli finally agrees to go to the Christmas formal as Lincoln’s date.
Just as the friendship is turning into love, obstacles get in the way. Can their love withstand a  last collision?
Filled with excitement and love, Collision Course is a happy story that will leave readers smiling.
My Thoughts:
I wan't exactly sure if this was going to be a book for me.  I haven't read a contemporary romance in years.  However, something told me that I should read this one.  Keli and Lincoln meet the first day of class in college.  He is smitten with her at first glance.  He wants to get her attention but he went about in the wrong way and it backfired.  Sure, he got her attention but it left a very bad impression.
Lincoln apologizes and they soon become friends.  It takes a long time until Keli finally agrees to go on a date with him.  However, during their four years of college they have many collisions and it starts to look like it may not work out.  
After college they go their separate ways and pursue their careers in literature.  I love how Gleason writes about her struggle to get her book published and all the rejections she gets. 
Since I don't want to risk spoilers, I can't tell you any more so you will have to read it for yourself.  I loved Chuck Gleason's writing style and character development.  I really felt like I was in the middle of the story, experiencing it.  There were a couple little things that seemed a bit dated to me but Gleason is an 85 year old man, I think that was to be expected and so minor.  More endearing.  I really loved Collision Course and highly recommend it!
5/5
I received this book for my honest opinion.
About Chuck Gleason:

Have we discovered a literary Grandpa Moses?
Author Chuck Gleason is eighty four years young and writing love stories at a prodigious rate.  He started dating Janet in 1945 when they were just fifteen.  They married in 1950 and are still in love sixty three years later!
Chuck achieved business success selling life insurance. With Janet’s help, they developed a two market selling life style.  They lived on a Michigan lake in the summer and a Florida island in the winter. Their commute to work was only two seconds. They enjoyed this enviable life style for over twenty five years!
Chuck’s speech, Are You Running Your Business or is Your Business Running You? has been delivered in twenty seven states and seven foreign countries.
They have two children, three grandchildren and one great grandchild.
“If you marry your best friend you’ll have a wonderful life.”
Buy Collision Course:
Thanks to Chuck Gleason, I am giving away one copy of Collision Course.  The winner will receive a print copy if residing in the U.S., an international winner will receive the ebook.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway



Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 5 comments  

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Review & Giveaway: Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

Today is my stop for the Under the Jeweled Sky tour.

Book Description:

 London 1957. In a bid to erase her past and build the family she yearns for, Sophie Schofield accepts a wedding proposal from ambitious British diplomat, Lucien Grainger. When he is posted to New Delhi, into the glittering circle of ex-pat high society, old wounds begin to break open as she is confronted with the memory of her first, forbidden love and its devastating consequences. 

The suffocating conformity of diplomatic life soon closes in on her. This is not the India she fell in love with ten years before when her father was a maharaja’s physician, the India of tigers and scorpions and palaces afloat on shimmering lakes; the India that ripped out her heart as Partition tore the country in two, separating her from her one true love. The past haunts her still, the guilt of her actions, the destruction it wreaked upon her fragile parents, and the boy with the tourmaline eyes. 

Sophie had never meant to come back, yet the moment she stepped onto India’s burning soil as a newlywed wife, she realised her return was inevitable. And so begins the unravelling of an ill-fated marriage, setting in motion a devastating chain of events that will bring her face to face with a past she tried so desperately to forget, and a future she must fight for. 

A story of love, loss of innocence, and the aftermath of a terrible decision no one knew how to avoid.

 My Thoughts:

 Under the Jeweled Sky opens in a terrible time in history for India, just before the Partition. Sophie is a teenager and her father moves her and her mother to India to work as a doctor at a palace.  Sophie doesn't have a lot to do there but she enjoys wondering around the palace looking at all it has to offer.  She is not really allowed into some of the places she goes and when she meets a teen Indian boy, Jag, he shows her all kinds of secret passages.

 Sophie and Jag become fast friends but when his father and her parents find out about it, they are forbidden to see each other.  Rumours start among the Indian workers about their relationship and Jag's father insist that he and Jag leave, despite how close his father is to retirement and a pension.

 They leave, right at the start of the Partition and end up making their way to a refuge camp.  They struggle from day to day, just to get their basic neccesities met and soon Jag's father gets sick.

 Fast forward almost ten years later and Sophie has been living back in London, working in the government typing pool.  She meets Lucien and he talks her into marrying him.  They are then posted to New Delhi, India.  They get wrapped up in the ex-pat high society and things start to happen.

 I can't tell you more without the risk of spoilers so you will have to read this book yourself.  The first part of the book is my favorite.    I like how the characters of teenage Sophie and Jag develop and interact.  After that the story flashes back and forth from present day to the past.  Perhaps just a little too much for my taste but this is really just a small complaint.  I still highly recommend Under the Jeweled Sky to historical fiction lovers!

 4/5

 I received the ebook version of this book for my honest review.

 About Alison McQuuen:
Born to an Indian mother and an English jazz musician father, Alison McQueen grew up in London. After a convent education, Alison worked in advertising for 25 years before retiring to write full time.

In 2006 she was selected from an impressive long list to join The Writer’s Circle, a group of 8 top writers to be groomed by the UK film industry as the new generation of British screenwriters. She has written seven novels, including Under the Jeweled Sky and The Secret Children, which was inspired by her life.  

Thanks to Liz Kelsch of Sourcebooks, I am giving away one print copy of Under the Jeweled Sky.  This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on February 27, 2014.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 5 comments  

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Review & Giveaway: Hidden In Plain Sight by Jane Allen Petrick

Today it is my immense pleasure to kick of the Hidden In Plain Sight tour! Wow, this book blew me away!

Book Description:
Publisher: Informed Decisions Publishing, October 8, 2013
Category: Nonfiction – multicultural; cultural/social issues; biography & memoirs; art criticism
Tour Dates: February, 2014
Available in: ebook, 143 pages
Norman Rockwell’s America was not all white. As early as 1936, Rockwell was portraying people of color with empathy and a dignity often denied them at the time. And he created these portraits from live models.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America unfolds, for the first time, the stories of the Asian, African, and Native Americans who modeled for Norman Rockwell. These people of color, though often hidden in plain sight, are present throughout Rockwell’s more than 4000 illustrations. People like the John Lane family, Navajos poignantly depicted in the virtually unknown Norman Rockwell painting, “Glen Canyon Dam.” People like Isaac Crawford, a ten year old African-American Boy Scout who helped Norman Rockwell finally integrate the Boy Scout calendar.
In this engrossing and often humorous narrative, Jane Allen Petrick explores what motivated Norman Rockwell to slip people of color “into the picture” in the first place. And in so doing, she persuasively documents the famous illustrator’s deep commitment to and pointed portrayals of ethnic tolerance, portrayals that up to now have been, as Norman Rockwell biographer Laura Claridge so clearly put it, “bizarrely neglected”.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America is an eye opener for everyone who loves Norman Rockwell, everyone who hates Norman Rockwell and for all those people in between who never thought much about Norman Rockwell because they believed Norman Rockwell never thought much about them. This book will expand the way you think about Norman Rockwell. And it will deepen the way you think about Norman Rockwell’s America.
My Thoughts:
When Jane Allen Petrick asked me if I wanted to read her book, Hidden In Plain Sight, I knew I had to, after reading the description.  You see, I always thought that the great American artist, Norman Rockwell was raciest.  I never read anything about him, so my perception came purely from the paintings of his that I saw.  The people were always white in them.  
It turns out, that I want in the minority with that perception however, in Hidden In Plain Sight, Jane Allen Petrick sets us straight. There are actually quite a few paintings where he address social and civil rights issues.  Petrick even writes about the real life African American, Chinese American, and Native American models he used in his paintings.  She has had the privilege of meeting some of the models and they shared their stories of meeting and modelling for Norman Rockwell.
So why haven't many of see this other side of Rockwell?  Those of you my age and older, may remember some on the Saturday Evening Post magazine's, Norman Rockwell covers.  He was under contract to create all those covers for them.  They would only allow paintings of wholesome looking white people.
This book is such a gem.  I felt like I got to know some of the models along with Petrick.  It read more like a memoir than a biography, one that I couldn't put down.  I read it in one sitting and was up until the wee hours of the morning.  I found it absolutely fascinating.  This a book I think all Americans should read.  I just hope that Jane allen Petrick writes a follow up.  I cannot recommend it highly enough!
5/5
I received an ebook copy for my honest opinion.
View the Trailer:


About Jane Allen Petrick:

Jane Allen Petrick is the author of several books on topics ranging from biography to workplace issues. She was a bi-weekly columnist for the Knight Ridder Newswire, and her articles have appeared in numerous publications including theNew York Times, the Denver Post and theWashington Post.  Kirkus Review describes her book, Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell’s America as “smart, nuanced” and written with “clarity and insight.”
Born and raised in Connecticut, Jane earned a BA in economics from Barnard College and received her Ph.D. in organizational psychology from Saybrook University. Retired as a vice-president of ATT Wireless, she is now an adjunct professor at Capella and American Sentinel Universities, and has provided consultation in organizational behavior and diversity competence to numerous corporate clients including IBM, Nextel and Xerox.
Jane Allen Petrick was chosen as one of the “100 Best and Brightest Business Women in America” by Ebony Magazine.
Long a passionate supporter of cultural and historic preservation, Jane has contributed to local preservation efforts in both Florida and New York State. A licensed tour director, Jane conducts cultural heritage tours on the East Coast, from the Everglades to the Maritimes.
Jane and her husband, Kalle, divide their time between New York’s Hudson Valley and Miami, Florida.
Buy Hidden in Plain Sight:
Thanks to Jane Allen Petick, we are giving away ebooks editions of Hidden In Plain Sight.  This giveaway is open internationally and ends on March 1, 2014.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour:

So Many Precious Books Feb 6 Review & Excerpt
Serendipity Feb 7 Review
Most Happy Reader Feb 13 Review
Book Lover’s Journal Feb 14 Review
Every Free Chance Feb 17 Review
Every Free Chance Feb 18 Interview
Dr. Bill’s Book Bazaar Feb 18 Review
I’d Rather Be At the Beach Feb 20 Review
From L.A. to LA Feb 21 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Feb 24 Interview
From Isi Feb  25 Review
My Devotional Thoughts Feb 26 Review
My Devotional Thoughts Feb 28 Interview
Mina’s Bookshelf Feb 28 Review
Indies Reviews Behind the Scenes Feb 28 Live Blog Talk Radio Excerpt 8 pm cst


Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 1 comments  

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Review & Giveaway: BECOMING JOSEPHINE by Heather Webb

One of my favorite book genres is historical fiction.  Find out what I thought of Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb and enter to win a copy for yourself!
Book Description:
Publication Date: December 31, 2013
Plume Books/Penguin
Paperback; 320p
ISBN-10: 0142180653

Rose Tascher sails from her Martinique plantation to Paris to trade her Creole black magic culture for love and adventure. She arrives exultant to follow her dreams of attending Court with Alexandre, her elegant aristocrat and soldier husband. But Alexandre dashes her hopes and abandons her amid the tumult of the French Revolution.

Through her savoir faire, Rose secures her footing in high society, reveling in handsome men and glitzy balls—until the heads of her friends begin to roll.

After narrowly escaping death in the blood-drenched cells of Les Carmes prison, she reinvents herself as Josephine, a socialite of status and power. Yet her youth is fading, and Josephine must choose between a precarious independence and the love of an awkward suitor. Little does she know, he would become the most powerful man of his century- Napoleon Bonaparte.


BECOMING JOSEPHINE is a novel of one woman’s journey to find eternal love and stability, and ultimately to find herself.

My Thoughts:

Rose Tascher goes through a lot before she come Josephine Bonaparte.  Her father arranges a marriage to a man she doesn't know and shows no affection for her.  Her husband, Alexandre, leaves her with his parents months and months at a time while he spends his time running around with other women.  It is common knowledge and is thrown in Rose's face repeatedly.  

Despite Alexandre, she does find her place in high society and attends many salons and hooks up with other men.  However, with the French Revolution,  no one is safe, including Rose.  Then, after the revolution, she meets her fate and becomes Josephine.

This book is a pulsating page turner, I just couldn't put it down.  I did not want it to end.  If you are a lover of historical fiction, don't miss Becoming Josephine!

5/5

I received the ebook version for my honest review.

About Heather Webb:


Heather Webb grew up a military brat and naturally became obsessed with travel, culture, and languages. She put her degrees to good use teaching high school French for nearly a decade before turning to full time novel writing and freelance editing.

When not writing, Heather flexes her foodie skills or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world.

For more information please visit Heather's website. You can also find her on Facebook,Pinterest and Twitter.

Thanks to Amy Bruno of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, I am giving away one print copy of Becoming Josephine.  This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. and ends on January 31, 2014.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway






Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 9 comments  

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Monday, January 20, 2014

Review & Giveaway: Where the Wild Flowers Grow by Vera Jane Cook

Today if is my pleasure to kick of the Where the Wild Flowers Grow tour!  Vera Jane Cook enthralled use with her book The Story of Sassy Sweetwater back in July.  You can read my 5 star review here.

 About Where the Wild Flowers Grow:

 Publisher: Musa Publishing (March 8, 2013)
Genres: Womens Fiction, Southern Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: ebook only 312 pages
Sexual confusion and dysfunction cause the unravelling of the perfect American family in small town Georgia in 1960.
Rose Cassidy’s fantasy life is a haunting reminder that she’s living a lie. So when she has the opportunity to act on those fantasies, she dives in without any thought to consequences.
Rose’s husband, Ryan, has fantasies of his own, and his actions cause unimaginable pain to the very children he tries so hard to protect.
When the happiness each member of the Cassidy family seeks so desperately to find is shattered by shame, guilt, and ultimately murder, they must each face the truth that lies deep within their souls.
My Thoughts:
 It's the 1960's south and the Cassidy family seems like the perfect southern family to all the town folks who live in the same town. They seem to have it all and are well respected. Ryan Cassidy is a doctor with two beautiful children and a wife.  He is considered to be a pillar of the community.  However, what may seem perfect on the outside, has many secrets on the inside and little by little this perfect family starts to unravel and their secrets seem to be coming to the surface.
Where the Wild Flowers Grows has it all.  An unravelling family, secrets, and even murder.  Or is it murder?  You will have to decide.  This book is for adults only and only for those who aren't bothers by sexual scenes, including a lesbian sex scene.  To me sex is natural so I think it is natural for it to be included in books and movies.

This book is well written and flows well.  The characters are well drawn out and the household in the south with the wild flowers are a big part of the story.  The only thing missing for me is that it seemed like it could have taken place anywhere in 1960's United States, not just the south.  The south played such a large role in The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, but it took a back seat to this book.  Other than the sense of place not being well drawn out, everything else was, including plot.  Vera Jane Cook wrote another hit.  I can hardly wait to read more!
4.5/5
I was sent this ebook for my honest opinion.
About Vera Jane Cook:
Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women’s Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem.
Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan.
An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She’s Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc.,
The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Vera’s second published southern novel, was a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Award for 2012! The novel also won the Eric Hoffer Award for 2012 – Honorable Mention Best ebook Fiction! Vera’s first published southern novel, Dancing Backward in Paradise, won the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction in 2007 and the Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence, also in 2007. Both books earned five star ForeWord Clarion reviews!
The author works by day for an education publishing company as an account manager and lives on the Upper West side of Manhattan with her long term partner, her Pomeranian, Daisy, her Basenji/Chihuahua mix, Roxie, her Chihuahua, Peanut and her two pussy cats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.
Vera Jane Cook’s Website: http://www.verajanecook.com/

Vera Jane Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/verajanecook
Vera Jane Cook on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vera.j.cook
Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow:
Thanks to Vera Jane Cook, I am giving away one ebook copy of Where the Wildflowers Grow.  Please use Rafflcopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow The Tour:
So Many Precious Books Jan 20 Review & Giveaway
Joy Story Jan 21 Review & Giveaway
From Isi Jan 22 Review & Giveaway
Carole Rae’s Ramblings Jan 23 Review
Romance & Inspiration Jan 24 Review
Romance & Inspiration Jan 27 Interview
Wall to Wall Books Jan 28 Review & Giveaway
Back Porch Reservations Feb 3
Clue Review Feb 5 Review
I Feel So Unnecessary Feb 10 Review
Indie Reviews Behind the Scenes Mar 29 12 pm cst Interview- Live on Blog Talk Radio

Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 3 comments  

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Monday, January 13, 2014

Review & Giveaway:The Vision of a Blind King by Ako Eyong

Today I am kicking off The Vision Of a Blind King by Ako Eyong.  Be sure to follow the tour for more chances to win a copy.

Book Description:
Publisher: Ako Eyong (March, 2013)
Genres: Historical Thriller, Time Travel, Supernatural Elements
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: Print & ebook ,353 pages, with illustrations
This is the story of Melenoc, a very power hungry man with a particularly uncommon fear of death; a toxic combination of emotions that ultimately drive him into an unending quest for immortality. As he digs deeper it becomes obvious that he will stop at nothing to achieve this goal, even to the point of crossing lines that may compromise the security and well being of a whole kingdom.
It is a tale that pits good against evil, taking us deep into an ancient African society where the survival of the same kingdom will come to rest on the shoulders of another individual; a General who must rise above personal trauma and self doubts, and find a way to pull a nation away from the edge.
As powerful forces collide and the struggle intensifies, unexpected turns and twists will catapult the plot into a four thousand year journey that spills over into the contemporary age; from the rugged camp of a bitter African rebel leader to the concrete jungles of Los Angeles, spawning characters who have no idea that their lives are being affected by a four thousand year old quest.
My Thoughts:


The Vision of a Blind King started out right away with action and took me in.  It's clearly a book with a clear message, first, know your history, second, do things differently so we don't keep repeating it!  However that message does not distract the reader from the heart pulsing story and plot!  

The book alternates chapters between the historical and modern day and spans continents.  Eventually some of the historical leaks into modern day.  It's a journey throughout the ages with an amulet that has superpowers.  

This is a book for adults, complete with illustrations. Like J.R.R.Tolkien's The Ring, The Vision Of a Blind King is bound to become a classic!  This book is a real page turner that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. I highly recommend it!
5/5
I received the ebook version for my honest opinion.
See a Interview With Ako Eyong:
About Ako Eyong:


 Ako Eyong is a Cameroonian national, whose critique of government policy (as a journalist) has led to an existence in America as a political exile. Presently, while working on the sequel to The vision of the blind king, he is taking the first steps into the world of public speaking. He has spoken at several locations in the country, including Oxnard College in California, Coconino community college in Arizona, Ventura college, Ventura Chapter of Amnesty international, Rotary club of Malibu at Pepperdine university, just to name a few. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a diploma in political science.
Ako Eyong  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ako.eyong.9
Ako Eyong  Twitter: https://twitter.com/akoeyong
Buy The Vision of the Blind King:
Amazon
Thanks to Ako Eyong, I am giving away one copy of The Vision of a Blind King.  This giveaway is open internationally.  Print copy is available to the U.S. and Canada.  Pdf for international.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books Jan 13 Review, Video,  & Giveaway
Deal Sharing Aunt Jan 14 Review
The News In Books Jan 15 Review
The News In Books  Jan 16 Guest Post
Cuzinlogic Jan 20 Review
Most Happy Reader Jan 21 Review
Most Happy Reader Jan 22 Interview
Sweeps 4 Bloggers Jan 23 Review & Giveaway
Mina’s Bookshelf Jan 24 Guest Post
Julie Clue Review Jan 30 Review



Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 4 comments  

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