So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Giveaway: Changing Lanes by Kathleen Long

Thanks to Brianne Beers of Media Connect, I am giving away 3 copies of Changing Lanes.

Book Description:

Abby Halladay has the perfect life. Or, rather, she will…as long as everything goes exactly according to plan. Abby never leaves anything to chance—not her job as a syndicated columnist, not her engagement to her fiancé, Fred, and certainly not her impending wedding in Paris (New Jersey, that is).

Unfortunately for Abby, even the best-laid plans often go awry—like when Fred runs away to Paris (France, that is), her column is canned, and her dream home is diagnosed with termites. Forced to move back in with her parents and drive her dad’s cab, Abby’s perfect life has now officially become the perfect disaster.

Then a funny thing happens. Slowly but surely, Abby begins letting go of her dreams of perfection. As she does, the messy, imperfect life she thought she never wanted starts to feel exactly like the one she needs.

Poignant and heartfelt, Changing Lanes celebrates the unexpected joys of everyday life—and the enduring promise of second chances.

About Kathleen Long:

Kathleen Long is a RITA®-nominated, RIO Award and two-time Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence winning author. She's penned fourteen novels of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction. Her additional honors include National Readers Choice, Holt Medallion, Booksellers Best, and Book Buyers Best award nominations, as well as appearances on the USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. After a career in PR spent spinning words for clients ranging from corporate CEOs to talking fruits and vegetables, she finds great joy spinning words for fictional characters, places and plots. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Kathleen now divides her time between suburban Philadelphia and the Jersey shore.

Sorry, this giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on May 28, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 13 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Monday, May 13, 2013

Review & Giveaway: Blood Drama By Christopher Meeks

Book Description:

Publisher: White Whiskers Press (June 15, 2013)
Category: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense, Crime Thriller
Tour Date: Mid May- Mid June, 2013
Available in: Print & eBook, 242 pages

Everyone has a bad day. Graduate student Ian Nash has lost his girlfriend in addition to being dropped from a Ph.D. program in theater at a Southern California university. When he stops at a local coffee shop in the lobby of a bank to apply for a job, the proverbial organic matter hits the fan. A gang of four robs the bank, and things get bloody. Ian is taken hostage by the robbers when the police show up. Now he has to save his life.

FBI Special Agent Aleece Medina’s analysis of the bloody bank heist drives her into the pursuit of a robbery gang headed by two women. She doesn't anticipate how this robbery will pit her against both the bandits and the male higher-ups in the FBI while the media heats up during a giant manhunt.

The robbers are about to kill Ian, and all he has at hand is his knowledge of the stage.

My Thoughts:

This is the third book I have read of Christopher Meeks and consider myself a big fan of his work. The first two books of his that I read were, The Brightest Moon of the Century and Love At Absolute Zero. Both are literary fiction with some smart romance and biting humor. The characters in both are quirky. I love quirky characters and biting humor.

When Christopher told me about his new book, Blood Drama, I wasn't sure what to expect. It a crime mystery thriller, not a genre I typically read. However, as a fan, I wanted to give it a try.

Blood Drama delivered! It is full of the quirky characters, I've come to expect from Meeks, especially the lead character, Ian Nash. It is fresh and has the biting humor I also expect from him. The book is well written and researched and flows well. It takes place in California, Minnesota, and Winnipeg. Since I grew up in Minnesota, I am familiar with all of the cities and some of the landmarks mentioned. I always find that a fun aspect of a book when I am so familiar with the location. I can certainly vouch for the authenticity of Meeks representation of Minnesota.

The crime/mystery is easy going and not heavy handed. IMO, the ending is pretty predictable but I enjoyed it despite that. With Blood Drama, Christopher Meeks has proved to me that he can successfully cross genres and still entertain. Highly recommended!

4.5/5

I received this book for my honest opinion.

About Christopher Meeks:

Christopher Meeks first published short fiction in a number of literary journals, and the stories are available in two collections, The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea and Months and Seasons. Recently, he’s focused on novels. The Brightest Moon of the Century is a story of a man who yearns for love and success, covering over thirty years—a tale that Marc Schuster of Small Press Reviews describes as “a great and truly humane novel in the tradition of Charles Dickens and John Irving.” His last novel, Love At Absolute Zero, is about a physicist who uses the tools of science to find his soul mate–and he has just three days. Critic Grady Harp calls the book “a gift.” The new novel, Blood Drama, has him edge into a thriller. Meeks also runs White Whisker Books and publishes four authors.

Christopher at the Red Room: http://redroom.com/member/christopher-meeks
Christopher’s Website www.chrismeeks.com

Christopher on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/christopher.meeks1?fref=ts
Christopher on Twitter https://twitter.com/MeeksChris

Thanks to Christopher Meeks, one winner will receive a copy of Blood Drama. This giveaway is open internationally. If the winner live in Canada or the U.S. there is a choice of print or ebook. If the winner is international, s/he will receive an ebook. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books May 13 Review & Giveaway
Books, Books & More Books May 14 Review
Books, Books & More Books May 15 Interview
Alive on the Shelves May 16 Review
Ordinary Girls May 17 Review
DWED Blog May 20 Review
DWED Blog May 21 Interview
She Treads Softly May 22 Review
Darlene’s Book Nook May 24th Interview &Giveaway
OmniMyMystery June 6 Interview
Green Mountain May 27 Review
Book Lover’s Library May 28 Review
Book Lover’s Library May 29 Interview & Giveaway
Hezzi D’s Books & Cooks June 3 Review
Celtic Lady June 4 Interview
Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews June 10 Review
Laurie’s Thoughts & Reviews June 11 Interview
I’d Rather be at the Beach June 12 Review & Giveaway
Self Taught Cook June 14 Review
Wormhole June 17 Review
Raging Bibliomania June 18 Review
Wormhole June 18 Interview & Giveaway

Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 10 comments

Labels: Books Read in 2013, My Past Giveaways

Friday, May 10, 2013

Giveaway: The Family Mansion by Anthony C. Winkler

Thanks to Danielle Caravella of Wunderkind PR, I am giving away one copy of The Family Mansion.

Book Description:

After a botched attempt to have his elder brother assassinated in order to inherit the title of Duke, Hartley Fudges finds himself exiled to Jamaica to make his own fortune. In his new home, Fudges speaks with Received Pronunciation, stands erect, and muses about philosophy like a proper English gentleman only to be rendered useless in the face of yellow fever and rebel slaves.

In THE FAMILY MANSION, as Hartley painfully adjusts to life on a plantation manned by slaves, he begins to question all that he thought he knew. He has a passionate affair with a woman who, to his own great surprise, he loves madly despite her ability to write only one English word. But just when it seems that he might find happiness and humility, he runs into his former slave who, having learned from Hartley, is hell bent on becoming an English gentleman himself in the worst way.

About Anthony C. Winkler:

ANTHONY C. WINKLER was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1942 and is widely recognized as one of the island’s finest exports. After being expelled from Cornwall College for refusing to submit to corporal punishment (which entailed being beaten with a cane), he eventually made his way to California where he attended Citrus College and California State University, earning a BA and MA in English.

His first published novel, The Painted Canoe (1984), received critical acclaim and was followed by The Lunatic (1987), The Great Yacht Race (1992), The Duppy (1997), Crocodile (2009), Dog War (2007), and God Carlos (2012). Trust the Darkness: My Life as a Writer, his autobiography, was published in 2008. His writing credits also include film scripts and plays. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Cathy.

This giveaway is open to the U. S. only and ends on May 24, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 5 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Giveaway: ROYAL MISTRESS by Anne Easter Smith

Thanks to Courtney Brach of Touchstone Publicity/Simon & Schuster, Inc., I am giving away one copy of Royal Mistress.

Book Description:

As the Wars of the Roses near an end and King Edward leads England toward a period of long-awaited peace and prosperity, Jane, the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant, cherishes hopes of true romance and the chivalric love found in her favorite books. Beautiful and spirited, Jane easily attracts men with her sensuality and quick wit, yet at twenty-two she remains unmarried and her parents despair of finding a suitable husband who can tame their willful daughter.

Jane's father finally finds her a match, and she is married off to the much older and very dull merchant William Shore—yet her heart belongs to another. Her passionless marriage doesn't stop Jane Shore from flirtation, and when she unwittingly comes to the notice of the king's chamberlain and friend, Will Hastings, she is plucked from obscurity and thrust into a life of notoriety.

Edward IV has everything: power, majestic bearing, and charisma to spare. And with Jane as his mistress of seven years, he also finds true happiness in loving and being loved. But when his ceaseless pursuit of pleasure gets in the way of being the strong leader England needs, the fates of all those dear to him hang in the balance.

The dramatic tale of Edward IV's final and favorite mistress, who survived court intrigue, the end of one king's reign, and the turbulent start of another, has been an inspiration to poets and playwrights for 500 years.

Since the discovery of Richard III’s remains in Leicester, fans can’t get enough of anything having to do with Edward IV's younger brother, uncle to the ill-fated princes in the Tower. Smith's rendering of Jane's interactions with her lover's more serious, principled sibling and her vision of the drama-packed four months between Edward's death and Richard's coronation will be especially engrossing to those interested in the legacy of Richard III.

About Anne Easter Smith:

A native of England, Anne Easter Smith has lived in the United States for more than thirty-five years. She is a member of the Richard III Society and lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts, with her husband, Scott.

You can visit her website at www .AnneEasterSmith .com.

This giveaway is open to the U. S. and Canada and ends on May 23, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 15 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Giveaway: THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF ROAM by Daniel Wallace

Thanks to Courtney Brach of Touchstone Publicity/Simon & Schuster, Inc., I am giving away on copy of The Kings and Queens of Roam.

Book Description:

Helen and Rachel McCallister, who live in faraway Roam, are as different as sisters can be. Helen is bitter and conniving, while Rachel, seven years younger, is naïve, trusting—and blind. But Rachel is beautiful, and Helen—Helen is not.

After their parents’ untimely deaths, Rachel comes to rely on her older sister for everything, and Helen embraces her role in all the wrong ways, casually and cruelly convincing Rachel that SHE is the ugly sister, and that the world is a dark and dangerous place she couldn't possibly survive on her own. Through ever-more elaborate stories, Helen creates an isolated, foreboding world full of boneyards, malevolent trees, flesh-eating bids, and worse—and so it remains until Rachel grows older and makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

BOOKLIST *STARRED* REVIEW: “Wallace’s eerie fairy tale for grown-ups is a melancholy yet enchanting pastiche of love, loss, redemption, and revenge.”

About Daniel Wallace:

Daniel Wallace is the author of five novels. His first, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture of the same name by Tim Burton in 2003, and a musical version is coming to Broadway in 2013. Wallace's work has been translated into more than 25 languages and is studied in high schools and universities across the country. He is a contributing editor to Garden & Gun magazine and is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he teaches and directs the Creative Writing Program. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Laura Kellison Wallace. Visit his website at danielwallace.org.

This Giveaway is open to the U. S. and Canada and ends on May 22, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 10 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Giveaway: Just Little Things by Nancy Vu

Thanks to Jessica Butler of IBerkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, I am giving away on copy of Just The Little Things by Nancy Vu.

Book Description:

Everyday life can be hard. Stress, uncertainty, and other pressures affect us all. Sometimes it’s all too easy to get caught up in day-to-day worries and miss out on the beauty and fun that’s all around us. Happily, teenager and popular blogger Nancy Vu has a fresh perspective—one that brings joy and a smile to fans around the world. Creator of the popular blog JustLittleThings.net, which receives thousands of daily page views from all over the world, Vu has attracted a loyal readership of half a million people in just two years—a notable achievement for someone twice her age. Just Little Things: A Celebration of Life's Simple Pleasures, Nancy ’s first book, is the perfect colorful and quirky collection of everyday things to be happy about.

Some of the book’s delightful “little things” include:

*Seeing a baby yawn

*Drawing on a foggy window

*Finding a curly fry mixed in with your regular fries

*Seeing your parents smile at each other

*Silence that isn’t awkward

*Getting lost in a book

These and 245 other little things that make everyday life a joy are collected in this upbeat, surprising, and heartfelt book that will strike a chord in anyone who is open to celebrating the little moments of greatness all around us.

About Nancy Vu:

Nancy Vu was born and raised in San Jose , California . Her blog, Just Little Things, reflects her love of paying it forward and her aspirations to make a positive difference in the world.

This Giveaway is open to the U. S. only and ends on May 21, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 7 comments

Labels: My Past Giveaways

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Giveaway Winners Galore!

Thanks to everyone who entered the following giveaways! Winners, please reply to the email I sent you today within 48 hours to claim your books. After 2 days you will be disqualified and a new winner will be picked. Rafflecopter picks all winners using Random.org.