Friday, May 20, 2011

Giveaway: Ripe For Pleasure by Isobel Carr

Thanks to Brianne Beers of  Hachette Book Group, I am giving away up to 3 copies of Ripe for Pleasure by Isobel Carr.

Book Description:

Second in line, first in love
A secret society of younger sons, sworn to aid and abet each other, no matter the scandal or cost.... Their fathers and brothers may rule the world, but they run it . . . and when it comes to passion, they refuse to accept second best.

Searching for hidden treasure,finding forbidden fantasy.
London's most sensual former courtesan, Viola Whedon, is incapable of being seduced-she does the seducing. Until she meets Leonidas Vaughn. Her salacious memoirs have made her the target of half the lords in England, and Vaughn is the only man she can turn to. When he promises to protect her-and to make her beg for his touch-the alluring beauty finds both offers impossible to refuse.

Leonidas Vaughn secretly believes Viola possesses a fortune given to his family by the King of France. So the strong and sexy Vaughn charms his way into Viola's life . . . and her bed. But when their arrangement is consummated, he'll experience pleasure far beyond his wildest fantasies-and realize his heart may need the most protection of all.

About the Author: 

ISOBEL CARR is single, child-free, and a committed "dog person" (the bigger the dog the better). She has taught creative writing, horseback riding, and seminars on historical costuming. She can start a fire without matches and hitch a team of horses to a wagon. She can also spend nine hours in a Victorian corset without a problem but can't wear heels for more than four hours. She laughed all the way through every episode of Colonial House, and if she could only watch one movie for the rest of her life, it would be Impromptu.
The number of entrants to this giveaway will determine how many copies of this book I will giveaway:
1-10 entrants= 1
11-20 entrants = 2
21-or more entrants = 3

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries:  (please leave a separate comment for each, for instance you you are a follower, leave 3 comments that you are a follower).

+3 Old or new follower of this blog.
+3 Old or new follower on Twitter ().
+2 Tweet about this Giveaway (Up to 1 time per day) 
+3 Be my friend on Facebook (Teddy Rose).
+3 "Like" the post about this giveaway on Facebook
+3 Be my friend on Goodreads (Teddy).
+3 for Joining my Books Won Reading Challenge (be sure to follow the rules and then let me know you joined here.)
+ 3 for following my Premier Virtual Author Book Tours
+4 for filling out the  Tour Host Interest Form (please do this if you have a book blog and you are serious about wanting to be a tour host)
+2 for each comment on a book review I have done. (Be sure to tell me which ones).
+1 for clicking to give free food at The Animal Rescue Site (tell me you did it).( Up to 1 time per day)
+1 for clicking to give free books at The Literacy Site (tell me you did it). ( Up to 1 time per day)

That's 31 or more possible entries! Sorry, this giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada.
The winner's mailing address: No P.O. Boxes
Only one entry per household/IP address


Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.

This giveaway will end on Saturday June 4th, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:01 AM 50 comments  

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Monday, May 16, 2011

BEA or Bust

Who's going to the BEA?  Please comment, so I can look for you there!

Last year I attended the first ArmChair BEA.  We had a lot of fun and this year it is suppose to bigger and better.  If you can't go to the BEA I highly recomend The ArmChair BEA.

I put away money all year so that I can attend this years BEA in New York City.  I is amazing how it came together for me.  My brother found out that I wanted to go and called his best friend who lives in NYC and he offered his keys to his apartment as he will be out of town.  Accommodations was going to be my biggest expense, so I then had no excuses not to go.

Not only will this be my first time at the BEA and Book Blogger's Convention but it will be my first time at NYC.  I am excited and overwhelmed all at the same time.

I am going to NYC early, May 19th so I can get my bearing and get some sightseeing in.  My 19 year old niece, Rachel is going with me, although she won't be attending the BEA.  I'm looking forward to doing some sightseeing with her and taking in a show.

There have been some tips for the BEA from bloggers that have been there before.  I have been reading them over and thought it would be nice to post links here, for everyone who is going this year:

Post BEA: What I Learned by Caribousmom

Beyond “Wear Comfortable Shoes!”—Tips You May Not Have Thought of for Book Expo America by Book Blogger's Convention

20 Tips to Survive BookExpo America & the Book Blogger Convention by The Girl From the Ghetto

Do you have any tips for the BEA?   If you are attending and want to make sure we meet up at some point, email me at teddyr66 at yahoo dot com.  

 

Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:10 PM 6 comments  

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To All My Dear Readers

As many of you know, Blogger had some pretty extreme technical difficulties this past weekend.  Although all my posts are back up where they belong, I am missing some comments.

If you notice your comments missing from any of my posts, please comment again.  I love comments!

Thanks!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:11 PM 2 comments  

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday now has it's very own blog, Mailbox Monday.  It is also on tour and is being hosted by Mari Reads in May.

I reviewed the following books last week:

 I saw this book on Shelf Awareness and requested an eBook arc.  Isn't the cover gorgeous?  It is a book of short stories and I just reviewed the first story, Havana, here.
 I am very selective on accepting self published books but since I am hopeless with cars (I can't even change a flat tire) I thought this would be a good book for me.
Sourcebooks offered the eBook version of this book for free this last weekend so I pounced on it.  There have been some very positive reviews of it.












What books did you receive?

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:59 PM 4 comments  

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Havana by Suzanne Kamata

 
Recently a book of short stories was advertised an Shelf Awareness, The Beautiful One Has Come by Suzanne Kamata.  I read about it and became intrigued, so requested the eBook ARC.

This past weekend, I read the first story, Havana.

Alica hadn't seen her old Japanning friend and college roommate, Nagisa  in years.  After graduating Nagisa married a Jiro for his "good salary and mild disposition.  They moved to Havana, Cuba for Jiro's work and had two children.

Alicia and Nagisa kept in touch and Nagisa invited Alica to come to Havana.  Nagisa arranged for her driver, Javier to take Alicia anywhere she wanted to go ti sight see.  He took her to Ernest Hemingway's' house.
"Alicia has never been a big Hemingway fan—all those macho stories about hunting and bullfighting and war! She has never even read The Old Man and the Sea, but his house was one of the few places on the tourist map that she could think of."
After, Alicia wanted to get something to eat so Javier took her to a restaurant that Hemingway used to eat at,  La Terraza.  She asks him to come in to eat with her, her treat.  Javier, knows his place and that he could be fired but Alicia insisted.  Javier gets nasty looks from people in the restaurant who also know his place but Alicia was oblivious to it.
When Javier brought Alicia back to the house, she tried to give him $100, the same amount he was paid for his monthly salary.  He politely refused but again, Alicia insisted and put it in his pocket. Later Alicaia thinks to herself:
"Is Javier attracted to me? In her mind, she picks through every moment of the day, trying to come up with a significant look or gesture. The way he had opened the car door for her, the way he had bumped his knees against hers under the restaurant table."
Alicia noticed right away when she arrived to Havana that Nagisa had changed.  While roommates they did all kinds of fun things together, dancing meeting boys, drinking, and smoking pot, just to name a few.  Now Nagisa hardly leaved her house.  Alicia suggested that they go out to Salsa together while she's there but Nagisa says that she has too look after the children.  Instead she said that she would pay Javier to work late the next day and he would take her.
You will have to read the story to find out what happens next.  The writing is bright and poetic and the character development was excellent for such a short story.  I can tell already, that Suzanne Kamata is a true artist of the short story.  I am looking forward to reading more stories in the book.  Highly recommended.
If you would like to participate in Short Story Mondays, go to John of The Book Mine Set. He has a short story review every Monday and a place for you to link your short story review. Come join in the fun and add to my short story TBR!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:42 PM 3 comments  

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Friday, May 13, 2011

Blog Tour Giveaway: Going Cowboy Trouble and Make Mine a Bad Boy by Katie Lane

Thanks to Brianne Beers of Hachette Book Group, I am giving away one copy of each book to one lucky winner.

Description for Going Cowboy Trouble:

Faith Aldridge wants answers. Bramble, Texas is the only place she can find them . . . as well as Hope, the identical twin sister she never knew she had. But the townsfolk reckon that shy city-girl Faith is really her long-lost sister Hope, back in Bramble at last. And they're fixin' to do whatever it takes to heat things up between her and Hope's long-time flame, Slate Calhoun. If that means rustling her car, spreading rumors like wildfire, and reining in some explosive secrets, well, there's no way like the Lone Star way . . .

But Slate's no fool. The woman in his truck may look like Hope, yet the way she feels in his arms is altogether new. He's determined to keep this twin in his bed and out of his heart. Trouble is, the real Hope is headed home, and she's got her own designs on Slate. If Faith wants to avoid heartbreak, she'll have to show a certain ruggedly handsome cowboy that this crazy-impossible love is worth fighting for.

Description for Make Mine a Bad Boy:

Hope Scroggs is finally ready to get hitched. After years of sowing her wild oats, the former head cheerleader and homecoming queen has returned to Bramble, Texas, to marry her high school flame. But her perfect wedding plans are stomped to smithereens when her adoring cowboy two-steps down the aisle with someone else. Now Hope is stuck with the one man from her past she can't shake: Colt Lomax, an irresistible bad boy whose sultry kisses are hotter than the Panhandle in August . . .

Colt lives for freedom and the open road; he never gets attached, never looks back. Still, he can't forget the night of passion he once shared with Bramble's sweetheart--a night he wouldn't mind repeating. So, he piles on the Texas charm to tease the feisty beauty back into his bed, while she tries her darnedest to resist. But something unexpected is about to tie their fates together . . . and oh, baby, will it ever!

Katie's Website:  www.katielanebooks.com

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win.

Extra Entries:  (please leave a separate comment for each, for instance you you are a follower, leave 3 comments that you are a follower).

+3 Old or new follower of this blog.
+3 Old or new follower on Twitter (@teddyrose1).
+2 Tweet about this Giveaway (Up to 1 time per day) 
+3 Be my friend on Facebook (Teddy Rose).
+3 "Like" the post about this giveaway on Facebook
+3 Be my friend on Goodreads (Teddy).
+3 for Joining my Books Won Reading Challenge (be sure to follow the rules and then let me know you joined here.)
+ 3 for following my Premier Virtual Author Book Tours
+4 for filling out the  Tour Host Interest Form (please do this if you have a book blog and you are serious about wanting to be a tour host)
+1 for each comment on a book review I have done. (Be sure to tell me which ones).
+1 for clicking to give free food at The Animal Rescue Site (tell me you did it).( Up to 1 time per day)
+1 for clicking to give free books at The Literacy Site (tell me you did it). ( Up to 1 time per day)

That's 31 or more possible entries!
Sorry, the giveaway is only open US and Canadian residents only.
The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O.Boxes.
Only one entry per household/IP address
 
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.

This giveaway will end on Monday, May 30th,11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified. 

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:01 AM 92 comments  

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

House Arrest by Ellen Meeropol

Emily Klein is a home care nurse.  For the most part, she really likes her job, going to visit people in their homes to care for them.  However, her new assignment is different.  She wants to get out of it but her boss won't budge.  So now she has a new patient, Pippa Glenning, she is a pregnant cult member under house arrest for the death of her daughter during a Solstice Ceremony. 
 
"The morning after last year's solstice, the family had searched for the toddlers in the blowing, drifting snow.  All day they hunted and the next and the next, taking turns staying with the twins." Pippa- Page 27
There are two cult members in jail for the death, awaiting trail and Pippa is left with trying to keep the household going without them. She was a 16 years old runaway when one of the cult members, Francie,  found her and brought her home to the cult.  It was the first time she ever felt acceptance.

Pippa and Emily grow to trust each other and even have a kind of friendship.  However, what Pippa asks her to do to cause her to lose her job.  As the pregnant woman of the cult this year, she is expected to dance for Isis at the Solstice Ceremony.  She needs to find a way to leave home to do this and want Emily to help her.

Emily has other issues going on in her life as well.  Her father was arrested and put in prison while she was a child.  Her mother eventually commits suicide and leaves Emily with her aunt.  She has been running away from this her entire adult life.  It all comes to a head when her grandfather dies and she is expected to go home to face her extended family including her aunt. 

She also lives with her cousin with a daughter with Spina Bifida, Zoe.  Emily is always home by the time Zoe gets home from school to care for her.  She loves Zoe like she's her own daughter.

Will Emily risk her career and even face possible arrest to help Pippa beat the house arrest to attend the Solstice Ceremony?  I highly recommend you read this book to find out.

This is a book chalk full of well developed and quirky characters.  The plot and subplot are well thought out and richly developed.  House Arrest is a compelling book that kept me reading until the last page. I truly did not want this book to end.  This is Ms Meeropol's first novel, I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!


4.5/5


I won a advance readers copy of this book from Rose City Reader.

Did you review House Arrest?  I would love to read your thoughts on it!  Please leave a link in the comments and I will post it here.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:50 PM 3 comments  

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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Deadly: How to Catch an Invisible Killer by Julie Chibbaro

It is 1906, New York City and 16 year old Prudence Galewski takes a job as an assistant to the Head Epidemiologist, Mr. Soper.  Prudence has always been interested in science and feels very fortunate to land a job in the field.   It is practically unheard of for a woman to get such a job.  In fact, some of the men in the lab give her a hard time.

Soon after starting her and Mr. Soper start investigating a new outbreak of Typhoid.  They visit the different families who have the dreaded disease and write down all of the different foods they have eaten and take samples from their septic systems.  Soon Prudence finds a food that links all of the families, peach ice cream.  It turns out that they all have a cook who has worked for all of them, who made the peach ice cream for them.

It was recently discovered by a scientist that disease could be carried by a healthy person.  The person doesn't get sick but can pass the illness on to others. 
"The challenge ahead of us is to find this elusive cook and test her for the typhoid germ by examining her body fluids."
The cook, Mary Mallon has moved around a lot but Prudence and Mr. Soper finally tracks her down.  She refuses to get tested, she can't understand how she could make people sick when she, herself is not sick. 
Mary Mallon was a real person who was to become known as Typhoid Mary. Julie Chibbaro takes a piece of history and runs with it.  She developed her main character Prudence well and we see her learn and grow.  As I read the story I kept thinking to myself, "you go girl, show people that not all women should be chained to a house with no other aspirations."

Deadly is geared for young adults.  It deals with issues of disease, feminism, and family.  It also explores ethical issues.  I think it would make for  great discussion for a young adult book club.  Though there is science in the book, it is well explained in fairly simple terms.  I highly recommend it!

5/5

Julie Chibbaro held a giveaway of this book herself and I was fortunate enough to be one of the winners.

Did you review this book?  Please leave a link in the comments so I can post it here.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:18 PM 3 comments  

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Monday, May 9, 2011

Stolpestad by William Lychack

I received an eBook of a short story collection from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, called The Architect of Flowers by William Lychack.  I've had it for quite awhile now and thought I would give it a try.  I read the first story, Stolpestad.

Told in second person, present tense, Stolpestad is an over worked cop who is finally at the end of his shift when he gets a call asking him to go see a 9 year old child and his mother. 
"End of your shift—or nearly so—and in comes the call over the radio. It’s Phyllis, dispatcher for the weekend, and she’s sorry for doing this to you, but a boy’s just phoned for help with a dog. And what’s she think you look like now, you ask, town dogcatcher? Oh, you should be so lucky, she says and gives the address and away we go."
When he arrives the boy brings him to see his dying dog.  His mother asks Stolpestad to put the dog down and out of his misery.  He agrees.

Later, while off duty, a now drunk Stolpestad is confronted by the boy and his father, in front of his own home.
"And before you even open your mouth, he’s stepping forward and thanking you for your help—the man shaking your hand, saying how pleased, how grateful, how proud, how difficult it must have been—but his tone’s all wrong, all snaky, a salesman nudging his boy ahead to give you—and what’s this?"
At first, I had a hard time getting into this story.  I don't like second person narration, to be honest.  I find it clumsy, using you instead of I or the person's name.  I have a feeling many writers agree with me because I have rarely come across it in all my years of reading.  However, the story itself was a good one with excellent character development.   You can read it here.  I look forward to read more of the stories in this book.

If you would like to participate in Short Story Mondays, go to John of The Book Mine Set. He has a short story review every Monday and a place for you to link your short story review. Come join in the fun and add to my short story TBR!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:23 PM 10 comments  

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Sunday, May 8, 2011

May Reviews for 2011 ARC Reading Challenge

The standings so far:
Working Towards Bronze Level:
Amused-11
 Beth-10


Bronze Achieved:
Heather-12
Yvonne-12

Working on Silver: 
Donna-14


Level Gold:
Andrea-25
Sarah- 25

Level Platinum:
Julie-48

Please post the books you read in May for the challenge in Mr. Linky, below:

*Note: if you missed posting your links last month, please always post "late" links in the current month's Mr. Linky.  For example, if you forgot to post a link in February, please post it on this Mr. Linky in this post.

Please enter your name and the name of the book in this format: Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader).



Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:18 PM 3 comments  

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