Tuesday, November 11, 2014

New Releases: Novemeber

Here are some new releases for cozy lovers everywhere.  Don't forget to check out these great books you never know what kind of mystery you'll find:

Snow White Red-Handed by: Maia Chance

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Miss Ophelia Flax is a Victorian actress who knows all about making quick changes and even quicker exits. But to solve a fairy-tale crime in the haunted Black Forest, she’ll need more than a bit of charm…

1867: After being fired from her latest variety hall engagement, Ophelia acts her way into a lady’s maid position for a crass American millionaire. But when her new job whisks her off to a foreboding castle straight out of a Grimm tale, she begins to wonder if her fast-talking ways might have been too hasty. The vast grounds contain the suspected remains of Snow White’s cottage, along with a disturbing dwarf skeleton. And when her millionaire boss turns up dead—poisoned by an apple—the fantastic setting turns into a once upon a crime scene.

To keep from rising to the top of the suspect list, Ophelia fights through a bramble of elegant lies, sinister folklore, and priceless treasure, with only a dashing but mysterious scholar as her ally. And as the clock ticks towards midnight, she’ll have to break a cunning killer’s spell before her own time runs out…

Suede To Rest by: Diane Vallerie

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Unraveling family secrets can be murder in Suede to Rest...
THE FIRST BOOK IN THE ALL-NEW “MATERIAL WITNESS” MYSTERY SERIES


With her career as a dress designer in shreds, Polyester Monroe is looking forward to a fresh start. But as it all unfolds, the pattern to a new beginning looks a lot like murder.

When Poly Monroe was little, she loved playing in her family’s textile store. But after a fatal family tragedy, Land of A Thousand Fabrics was boarded up and Poly never expected to see the inside again. Now, as inheritor of the long-shuttered shop, she’s ready to restore the family business. However her two new kittens, Pins and Needles, aren’t the ones causing a snag in her plans…

Not everyone wants Poly back in San LadrĂ³n, especially a powerful local developer pressuring her to sell—and leave town fast. But even when the threats turn deadly, she’s not ready to bolt. Because Poly is beginning to suspect that the murder behind the shop is tied to a mystery in her family’s unsettled past that she’s determined to solve…before her own life is left hanging by a thread.

On Borrowed Time by: Jenn McKinlay

Purchase Links: 

Synopsis:

Loving a good cup of coffee runs in the family for Briar Creek library director Lindsey Norris. But when her brother, Jack, a consultant for a coffee company, goes missing, her favorite beverage becomes a key clue in a dangerous mystery.

Between preparing the library for the holidays and juggling the affections of ex-boyfriend, Captain Mike Sullivan, and her new crush, actor Robbie Vine, Lindsey has her hands full. But the mysterious disappearance of her world-traveling playboy brother takes precedence over all.

Afraid that involving the police could brew trouble for Jack, Lindsey takes matters into her own hands. But as her quest for her brother embroils her in a strange case involving South American business dealings and an enigmatic and exotic woman, it’ll take the help of both her library book club—the crafternooners—and her eager-to-please suitors to keep Jack from ending up in hot water…
  

A High-End Finish by: Kate Carlisle

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!

In the seaside town of Lighthouse Cove in northern California, everyone knows the best man for the job is actually a woman—contractor Shannon Hammer. But while Shannon can do wonders with a power drill and a little elbow grease, she’s about to discover that some problems aren’t so easily fixed....

Shannon’s home-renovation and repair business is booming, but her love life needs work. On a blind date with real estate agent Jerry Saxton, she has to whip out a pair of pliers to keep Jerry from getting too hands on. Shannon is happy to put her rotten date behind her, but when Jerry’s found dead in a run-down Victorian home that she’s been hired to restore, the town’s attractive new police chief suspects that her threats may have laid the foundation for murder.

Determined to clear her name, Shannon conducts her own investigation—with the help of her four best friends, her eccentric father, a nosy neighbor or two, and a handsome crime writer who’s just moved to town. But as they get closer to prying out the murderer’s identity, Shannon is viciously attacked. Now she’ll have to nail down the truth—or end up in permanent foreclosure.…

The Chocolate Book Bandit by: JoAnna Carl

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Synopsis:

When it turns out a member of Warner Pier’s library board has been living on borrowed time, Lee is determined to discover who wrote the victim’s final chapter…

Lee McKinney Woodyard, manager of TenHuis Chocolade, has been offered a position on the local library board. Before she accepts, she decides to check out their monthly meeting at the town’s historic library.

Rumors are flying about the rugged new board director, Henry “Butch” Cassidy, and the changes he allegedly plans to make. Butch is indeed attractive—but Lee doesn’t get a chance to find out about his proposals. The meeting is interrupted by the terrified screams of the library clerk.

The clerk has discovered the lifeless body of prim and proper Abigail Montgomery, a retiring member of the board. Suddenly everyone in attendance—including Lee—is a suspect. And, as Lee finds out, they’ve all got something to hide...

No Mallets Intended by: Victoria Hamilton

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Synopsis:

TO THE MANOR DEAD

The Queensville Heritage Society is restoring the once-grand Dumpe Manor. While Dumpe relatives and society members use the occasion to dust off old grudges, Jaymie Leighton prefers to adorn the kitchen with authentic Depression Era furnishings. A collection of vintage wooden mallets found in the house is a perfect addition to her display, but one also offers a late-night intruder the perfect weapon to knock Jaymie unconscious before escaping.

Though the attack has everyone on edge, nothing is missing from the house. Perhaps it was merely a vagrant who thought the place was still abandoned. But when Dumpe Manor’s resident historian is murdered with a mallet from the same collection, it’s time for Jaymie to turn up the heat on the investigation before someone else becomes history.

Mrs. Jeffries and The Merry Gentlemen by: Emily Brightwell

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

The holiday season brings a mix of merriment, mayhem, and murder. And it falls to Inspector Witherspoon—with a significant portion of help from the ever-watchful Mrs. Jeffries—to find the culprit…

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH

Orlando Edison is a stockbroker using London’s infatuation with foreign mining ventures to make a fortune. He has curried favor with the nation’s most respected aristocrats, even inviting three of the most influential investors in England—known as the Merry Gentlemen—to be part of his latest enterprise.

Despite his mysterious past, Edison is now welcomed in the highest circles and moves with ease among the rich and powerful. Yet a few days before Christmas, he is found sprawled across his doorstep, murdered. Charismatic and charming, Edison was kind to his servants and generous with his friends. Why would someone want him dead?

Inspector Witherspoon and his household are all looking forward to the festive season. Witherspoon is eager to spend time with his godchild. Wiggins, the footman, is infatuated with football and would rather cheer goals than chase down clues. And Mrs. Goodge longs to bake recipes from the latest cookbooks. But they all know their duty, and led by the intrepid Mrs. Jeffries, they plan to see justice served for the holidays….

Knot Guilty by: Betty Hechtman

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Molly Pink and her pals, the Tarzana Hookers, are ready to bring the craft of crochet to the masses. But when one of their members finds herself the prime suspect in a murder, the Hookers are going to have to switch their focus to fighting her bad rap…

Molly and her friends can’t wait to get more people hooked on crochet at the annual SoCal Knit Style Show, where Shedd & Royal has been granted a vendor booth. In the past, the show has always been about knitting, and this is the first year there’ll be crochet classes and a crochet competition.

The show’s organizer is K. D. Kirby, publisher of several knitting magazines and owner of a yarn store that caters to an elite Beverly Hills crowd. Everyone is shocked when K.D. doesn’t show up for the opening reception, but that’s nothing compared to how they feel when she’s finally found—dead in her hotel suite.

Suspicion immediately falls on Adele, one of the Tarzana Hookers, who locked horns with K.D., and whose handmade crochet hook is found at the murder scene. Certain that Adele’s been framed, Molly starts her own investigation, hoping to get their pal off the hook and find a killer before another guest checks out…

The Chocolate Clown Corpse by: JoAnna Carl

Purchase Links:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Synopsis:

Revenge is sweet for a killer on the loose—and it all started with the murder of Warner Pier’s most hated clown....

Everyone who knew the bozo wanted him dead. Odd, then, that a complete stranger was accused of bursting Moe Davidson’s balloons. But it’s been a month since the miserable shop owner of Clowning Around was killed, and everybody’s moving on, including Lee Woodyard. Her chocolate shop, TenHuis Chocolade, is next door to Moe’s shuttered tourist trap, and it’s giving her delicious ideas to expand. But over whose dead body?

Moe’s widow, Emma, and her two stepchildren list the property for sale, but when Lee tours the building, she finds Emma unconscious. Now Lee wonders whether Moe’s real killer is still at large and is taking care of unfinished business. Unfortunately, since the town is celebrating Clown Week, there are so many potential suspects in grease paint and floppy shoes it’s not even funny.

For Lee, protecting Emma, freeing an innocent man, and rolling out hundreds of her clown-themed chocolates is a pretty tall order. But so is staying alive long enough to find out which one of her neighbors is a killer in disguise.

A Dog Gone Murder by: Elaine Viets

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

New in the national bestselling Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series, from the Agatha and Anthony Award-winning author of the Dead End Job Mystery series.

Mystery shopper Josie Marcus is getting the dirt on doggy day-care centers, and discovers that one dog-loving local celebrity is really bad to the bone.

Josie has been asked to investigate Uncle Bob’s Doggy Day Camp, known for its commercials featuring Uncle Bob liking dogs so much that he acts like one. But Josie soon learns how Uncle Bob acts when the cameras are off. Her mother’s new tenant, Franklin, who works for Uncle Bob, plans to quit after seeing the man’s true nature. But before he gets the chance, Bob is murdered, and Franklin goes from the doghouse to the big house.

Now it’s up to Josie to clear Franklin’s name. Her investigation reveals that Bob was more of a dog than anyone knew—and had been kicked out of his house for bad behavior. As she digs up new clues, Josie will have to catch the killer quickly, before any more trouble is unleashed.

Lethal Letters by: Ellery Adams

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Restaurant owner and aspiring novelist Olivia Limoges is busy planning a delicious menu for Oyster Bay’s biggest soiree of the spring. But she’ll need to serve some justice as well after one resident gets eighty-sixed…

Everyone’s got their hands full in Oyster Bay, North Carolina. Aside from two upcoming weddings, there’s also the historical society’s annual fund-raiser: the Secret Garden Party and Candlelit Ball. Adding to the excitement, Olivia witnesses the discovery of a time capsule in the foundation of a local church. The historical society president hopes to display its contents at their party, but when the items are finally revealed to the public, Olivia notices one of them has vanished.

After a frightening find beneath the pier—the body of Ruthie Holcomb—Olivia is certain there’s a connection between the young woman’s death and the missing piece from the time capsule. With the help of her fellow Bayside Book Writers, Olivia sets out to uncover some clues and ensure a killer has no reason to celebrate…

Mulled Murder by: Kate Kingsbury

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

This holiday season at the Pennyfoot, the head count is down—but the body count is up…

With one of her housemaids leaving to get married, Cecily Sinclair Baxter wants nothing more for Christmas than some good help. Instead of visions of sugar plums, she’s calling the plumber to deal with flooded bathrooms. Then there’s the surly new janitor, who acts like he got coal in his stocking.

But as Cecily scrambles to hire and train new staff in time for the holidays, one of her guests is beyond help. Gerald Evans is found stabbed to death on the beach, and Cecily soon discovers he was a private investigator from London looking into dark doings involving the Pennyfoot. Who among the staff or guests was being pursued, and what secret drove that person to cold-blooded murder?

For Better or Worsted by: Betty Hechtman

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Molly Pink and her crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, are always game for a new adventure. But when their newest member is accused of turning her wedding into happily-never-after for the groom, Molly’s chance to find the truth is hanging by a thread ...

When Molly is invited to a major society wedding, she expects some wedding drama. Though she never anticipated this much trouble. The bride is the daughter of Molly’s close friend Mason—and has been planning this wedding for a long time.  But at the reception, things go amiss when the wealthy groom ends up dancing with the grim reaper.

To make matters worse, the bride’s mother is found holding the murder weapon—and, as the newest addition to a reality show, she’s happy to fuel the media frenzy. Molly agrees to open her home to Thursday, the distraught bride, who needs a little peace from the paparazzi. But when it turns out that Thursday and her groom were on shaky ground, the blushing bride takes the spotlight as the prime suspect.

Now Molly and the Hookers must quickly stitch together seemingly unrelated clues and high-profile suspects—before a killer strikes again…

Plagued by Quilt by: Molly MacRae

Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

The latest novel in the national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery series

Yarn shop owner Kath Rutledge is at a historic farm in Blue Plum, Tennessee, volunteering for the high school program Hands on History. But when a long-buried murder is uncovered on the property, Kath needs help from Geneva the ghost to solve a crime that time forgot....


Kath and her needlework group TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Fiber) are preparing to teach a workshop at the Holston Homeplace Living History Farm, but their lesson in crazy quilts is no match for the crazy antics of the assistant director, Phillip Bell. Hamming it up with equal parts history and histrionics, Phillip leads an archaeological dig of the farm’s original dump site—until one student stops the show by uncovering some human bones.

When a full skeleton is later excavated, Kath can’t help but wonder if it’s somehow connected to Geneva, the ghost who haunts her shop, and whom she met at this very site. After Phillip is found dead, it’s up to Kath to thread the clues together before someone else becomes history.
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Review: Dae's Christmas Past by: Joyce & Jim Lavene


Title: Dae's Christmas Past
Author: Joyce & Jim Lavene
Series: Missing Pieces Mystery #6
Pages: 279
Format: e-book
Source: Great Escapes Book Tour

Description:

Book #6 in the Missing Pieces Mysteries set in Duck, NC with protagonist Mayor Dae O'Donnell who is able to tell where people have lost items by touching them and able to find lost people by touching their things. 
Dae's good friend, Jake Burleson, is accused of killing the director of the wild horse rescue group in Corolla. She believes there is more to the story and investigates with the help of pet psychic Mary Catherine Roberts.

My Thoughts:

This book follows the newly re-elected Mayor Dae O'Donnell who is being visited by Mary Catherine Roberts who use to have a magical shop in Duck, NC.  Now she is back to warn Dae that evil is in Duck and that Dae will have to do something about it.  Jake a friend of Dae's is also trying to get her to give a reading so to speak on a miniature horse, that Dae doesn't want to touch due to the vibes she gets from it.   What is going on in Duck?  How can Dae fix her community?

This book had so much going on with excavating a huge horse statue on Jake's property and the vibes Dae gets from it.  Also there is Mary Catherine being in town, is she going to start a relationship with Dae's grandfather or are they just friends?  Then of course there is the relationship between Kevin and Dae which seems to be moving forward.  Also the politics with the election over two seats need to be filled with the council will Dae allow Mad Dog back in his old spot or is time for some young blood to spruce up the town?

I loved this book it dragged you in and really had you wondering what was going on in Duck.  I also was interested in who was committing murder twice.  It made me want to read just to solve the mystery!  I love Joyce and Jim Lavene and what they dish up they are fabulous with their story telling ability!
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Monday, November 10, 2014

Book Spotlight: Unscripted by: Jayne Denker

Title: Unscripted
Author: Jayne Denker
Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 270

Purchase Links: 
* right now at this moment it is 3.03 that is a steal for such a great story take advantage and check it out now!  What have you got to loose it's less than a gallon of milk!*


Synopsis:

One of Hollywood's hardest working women is about to discover there's a lot more drama behind the camera than in front of it. . . Faith "Freakin'" Sinclair probably shouldn't have called her boss a perv. . .or grabbed his "privates." But as creator of the hit dramedy Modern Women, she'd had enough of his sexist insults. Now she's untouchable in the industry--not in a good way. The only way to redeem herself is to convince Alex, the wildly popular, wildly demanding former star of her show, to come back. But there's one obstacle in her way--one very handsome, broad-shouldered obstacle. . .

Professor Mason Mitchell is head of the theater department where Alex is studying "real" acting. The only way he'll let Faith anywhere near Alex is if she agrees to co-teach a class. It's an offer she can't refuse--and as it turns out, the professor just might end up teaching Faith that there's more to life than work--and that real-life love scenes are way more fun than fake ones.

Book Spotlight: Living Separate Lives by: Paulette Harper

Living Separate Lives 
with Paulette Harper
Genre: Christian Fiction, Novella
ASIN: B00GLF5BW0 
ISBN: 978-0989969109
Publisher: Thy Word Publishing (November 10, 2013)





Four Friends, One Secret and The Weekend That Changed Their Destiny 
Candace Walker, Kaylan Smith, Jordan Tate, and Tiffany Thomas have their share of sorrows, but neither of them realizes how deep the sorrow goes.  What happens when they agree to meet for a weekend of relaxation in beautiful Napa County? Which one will leave the same or worse?
For Candace Walker, life has left her battered and bruised.  Kaylan Smith has struggled with prejudice from her in-laws. After fifteen years of marriage, bitterness is trying to raise its ugly head for Jordan Tate, whose husband wants to call it quits. And for Tiffany Thomas, dealing with rejection has never been one of her greatest feats. 
Although they have been friends for years, they thought they knew each other well. But will a secret destroy their relationship and bring the sisterhood to a complete halt? Will they be able to forgive and allow God to mend that which might be torn? 



About The Author 


Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008.  Paulette is the author of That Was Then, This is Now, Completely Whole and The Sanctuary. Her articles have appeared on-line and in print. 
Buy Links
Amazon paperback: http://amzn.com/098996910X
Social Links
Amazon author page: http://amzn.com/e/B004FEJKCQ



Sunday, November 9, 2014

It's Monday What Are You Reading? #26



It’s Monday What are you Reading? Is a weekly bookish meme where we get together to share what books we’ve read in the past week, what books we’re currently reading and what new books we’re planning on reading in the coming week along with any reviews or interesting posts. It’s hosted by Sheila @One Person’s Journey through a World of Books

Finished Reading: 
Dae's Christmas Past by:  Joyce and Jim Lavene

Currently Reading: 
Through The Grinder by: Cleo Coyle
Iced Chiffon by: Duffy Brown 
Death with All The Trimmings by: Lucy Burdette

About to Read: 
Check back next week to see what I am about to read

Other Things of Interest: 

Book Spotlights:

Interviews:

Giveaways:

Book Trailers:


 
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Saturday, November 8, 2014

Interview with Lynn Cahoon Author of If The Shoe Kills


I would like to take the time to thank Lynn for stopping by Community Bookstop today to be interviewed by Paula.  

What genre do you write?
 Is small town a genre? It should be… seriously, my mysteries fall under the cozy label and my romances are contemporary (modern western) and light paranormal. 

Can you tell us what brought you to writing mystery?
 I see dead people… actually, burial sites. I’m always thinking about setting and where the best (or worse) place to hide a body would be.  After I sat on a jury for a murder trial, I was hooked on the genre. 

Who influences your writing?  Do you have favorite authors?
 I try not to read cozy while I’m writing cozy. So a lot of my influences have been from older books I’ve read (Laura Bradford, Susan McBride, Kate Carlisle, Jenna Bennett) I adore smart funny heroines and hope I showcase my own characters in that positive light.  So other than those cozy girls, I love reading Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, Lisa Jackson, Deborah Harkness, and JD Robb. Tell me a good story and I’m yours. 

What type of books do you like to read?
I commute to the day job, so a lot of my ‘reading’ is through audio books. Which means, my reading habits depends on what’s available in the library when I stop in. I love trying a new to me author and falling in love with the story.  I picked up my first Lee Child book this month and am enjoying the male dominate point of view.

What do you do when you’re not writing?
Besides the day job? Actually, my husband and I bought ATV’s this year so I’ve been learning my way around a 4-wheeler.  We bought a lot and a trailer to weekend with and I’ve been enjoying a lot of campfires with adult beverages and fun company. 
Or I like to visit the art museum and wander around, feeding my muse. 

If you were stranded on an island only allowed to bring three things what would they be?
I’m assuming the island has no electricity, so here goes. I’d bring a copy of The Stand by Stephen King as I could read that over and over. I’d bring a notebook and pen that never ran out of paper or ink (yes, I know that’s two, but give me some room here…) And the last thing would be a box of Skittles – berry flavored.  

If the Shoe Kills:

Synopsis:
The tourist town of South Cove, California, is a lovely place to spend the holidays. But this year, shop owner Jill Gardner discovers there’s no place like home for homicide. . .
As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor ropes her into being liaison for a new work program, 'tis the season to be wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or worse. For Jill, nothing’s worse than Ted Hendricks--the jerk who runs the program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car--dead as a doornail. Officer Greg assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess--before the other shoe drops. . .

"Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true." --Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries

Thanks for having me over! 


Links – 
Goodreads -http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon
Twitter - https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon
Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor
Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Bio
USA Today and New York Times, best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.



Friday, November 7, 2014

Giveaway: Geared For The Grave Tote Bags

Giveaway Time:

I have something super awesome to offer my followers in order to win one of these great tote bags: 
  • you will have to follow me either through friend connect, rss feeds, or google +, or Networked Blogs.  
  • Leave a comment in the comment area with how you are following me, also include your email address and you can have a chance to win one of these great tote bags.  
  • This giveaway is open to USA residents only.  
  • This contest will end November 14th so take advantage of this great contest!!


I mean isn't this a great tote bag to use for storing books or a day at the beach or park.  Also don't forget to check out Duffy Brown's latest book Geared For The Grave.
Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Where biking takes a deadly turn

Shakedowns cover-ups and big fat lies keep bodies hidden on Mackinac Island and bike-riding tourist oblivious to it all.

Geared for the Grave
To boost her chances for a promotion, Evie Bloomfield helps her boss’ dad with his cycle shop. The good idea turns bad when dad winds up prime suspect in a murder. To save her job Evie takes over the failing shop though she’s never ridden a bike, finding a killer though she can’t find her keys in her purse and discovering why someone is out to frame Dad. Can Chicago Evie survive life on Mackinac Island without her Honda, being on an eight-mile chunk of land with horses, carriages, bikes, fudge-eating tourists, the resident sage writing her eulogy and a killer who wants her dead?

Book Spotlight: A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom by: June McCrary Jacobs


Book Spotlight:


June McCrary Jacobs releases 'A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom' novel

10/1/13—Springville, Utah—California-based author June McCrary Jacobs has released her debut novel, “A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom.”

Book Synopsis:

When her student, six-year-old Mary Noel, survives a car accident over Thanksgiving break, Amber and her new friend, Paul, are determined to cheer her up during the holidays. But Mary Noel’s most painful injury is the loss of her dog. The more withdrawn Mary Noel becomes, the more Amber and Paul need a miracle—a miracle that requires the entire community’s help.

"I wanted to portray a wholesome relationship between a man and woman with similar values where their friendship and common goals were the basis for developing a love relationship,” said McCrary Jacobs. “The community of Apple Blossom pulls together to help a family in need and is very successful in their efforts.”

“A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom” is available in bookstores and on  Amazon | Barnes & Noble.




About the Author:

June McCrary Jacobs spent twenty years as a primary grade educator after graduating from California State University, Hayward, with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a multiple-subject teaching credential. Along with writing fiction, June is a freelance designer of sewing, quilting and crafting projects. “A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom” is June's debut novel, though not her first published work. 

Since 2007 June's original sewing, quilting and stitchery projects and articles have been published in national and international magazines including Stitch, Sew News, Sewing World, Simply Handmade, Sew Hip, Sewing Savvy, Crafts 'n Things and Create & Decorate. Two of her sewing designs for children will appear in the upcoming “101 One-Yard Little Wonders” book published by Storey Publishing. A Californian since age six, June currently resides in the San Joaquin Valley. Learn more about June's writing endeavors and view some of her original sewing projects by visiting her website at  www.junemccraryjacobs.com.






Book Spotlight: The Rogue Fairy: Curse of the Queen of Spades by: T.H. Waters

Title: The Rogue Fairy: Curse of The Queen of Spades
Author: T. H. Waters
Publisher: Verefor Publishing Company
Pages: 259
Authors Website: http://www.verefor.com/

Book Synopsis:


This is the tale of a 23-year-old fairy who’s gone Rogue. After graduating from Prince Town University with honors, she sacks her tame life in Fern Grottoe to live among the glumegs, or humans as they like to call themselves. Ari abhors the color pink, enjoys her liquor, breathes fire on occasion (even when she doesn’t intend to!), and isn’t afraid to take chances. 

Her world is a bag full of unexpected tricks where fairy jewelry, kaleidoscopes, tribal ponies and one ordinary piece of cake aren’t what they first appear to be. Join her on her cobble-stoned journey of magic as she chases her dream of one day owning the neglected Mermaid Lagoon Lodge; enlists the wisdom of the castle-dwelling Dame Willowglow; fends off an evil, riddle-loving pirate bent on destroying her; and enchants the handsome, young glumeg, Sebastian, who just might be the destiny that she never knew existed… until now. 

Purchase Links: 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Giveaway: Dark Sun, Bright Moon by: Oliver Sparrow Giveaway

GIVEAWAY TIME:

It's that time of year again when I have a book to giveaway! Today I have an e-book to giveaway by: Oliver Sparrow.

Book Synopsis:

Human sacrifice, communities eaten from within, a vast mind blazing under the mud of Lake Titicaca; the rise and fall of empires cruel and kind.

In the Andes of a thousand years ago, the Huari empire is sick. Its communities are being eaten from within by a plague, a contagion that is not of the body but of something far deeper, a plague that has taken their collective spirit. Rooting out this parasite is a task that is laid upon Q'ilyasisa, a young woman from an obscure little village on the forgotten borders of the Huari empire. This impossible mission is imposed on her by a vast mind, a sentience that has ambitions to shape all human life. Her response to this entails confrontations on sacrificial pyramids, long journeys through the Amazonian jungle and the establishment of not just one but two new empires. Her legacy shapes future Andean civilisation until the arrival of the Spanish.

"Dark Sun, Bright Moon" explores the unique Andean metaphysic: not one of gods and heavens, but a cosmology developed over millennia of isolation, developed over generations by its practitioners but at constant war with the various state religions. It has been systematised from current beliefs, but is essentially authentic to them. As described in the book, therefore, this cosmology is a concrete thing, neither magic nor religion but a technology with a logic of its own that drives the story line. However, this is above all an adventure story in which credible people undertake rational if desperate acts in the face of extreme threat.



Biography of Oliver Sparrow via Goodreads:

Oliver Sparrow was born in the Bahamas, raised in Africa and educated at Oxford to post-doctorate level, as a biologist with a strong line in computer science. He spent the majority of his working life with Shell, the oil company, which took him into the Peruvian jungle for the first time. He was a director at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House for five years. He has started numerous companies, one of them in Peru, which mines for gold. This organisation funded a program of photographing the more accessible parts of Peru, and the results can be seen at http://www.all-peru.info. Oliver is the author of Dark Sun, Bright Moon. He knows modern Peru very well, and has visited all of the physical sites that are described in the book. 

**To Enter This Contest please leave a comment with your email address and also add this site through google friend connect or google plus.  Include that in your comment..   This contest is open to USA residents only.  This contest will end next Thursday Nov. 13th.  Good Luck to all who enter the contest!**

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Review: A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham

Title: A Home at the End of the World
Author: Michael Cunningham
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 343
Format: Turkish edition in paperback
Source: Received from Turkish publisher for review upon my own request

Description:

'It was the start of my second new life, in a city that had a spin of its own - a wilder orbit inside the earth's calm blue-green whirl. New York wasn't open to the hopelessness and lost purpose that drifted around lesser places . . . '

Meet Bobby, Jonathan and Clare. Three friends, three lovers, three ordinary people trying to make a place for themselves in the harsh and uncompromising world of the Seventies and Eighties.

And as our threesome form a new kind of relationship, a new approach to family and love, questioning so much about the world around them, so they hope to create a space, a home, in which to live.

My thoughts:

I wrote the original review right after I finished the book, and it's what you'll be reading here:

I'm writing this review as soon as I've finished the book. I feel like I'm on the verge of crying, but no tears seem to appear in my eyes. I think about the people I've known in my 30 years on this planet, those whom I couldn't say goodbye to yet haven't seen since, those whom I DID say goodbye to and met again years after... I think about how I would describe whom if I sat down to write it all down; about how much we've cried together and laughed. How we found peace in silence. How we couldn't get rid of the people we hated. How those I've judged in the beginning ended up being my must-haves...

You will find all these and more in A Home at the End of the World. Cunningham has written this book eight years before he wrote The Hours, and it was this book which lay the foundation of The Hours: the environment, the feelings are all so similar. In A Home at the End of the World, we as readers are witness to how childhood friends Bobby and Jonathan spend their time together, how they end up running away from home, from certain things and certain people and how they get back together in New York. We feel their sorrow, disappointments, joy, everything... Cunningham tells the story from different characters' points of view; while we listen to their stories from themselves, we also get to see how others around them view them.

Someone who reviewed this book on GoodReads wrote that if you're the kind of readers who underlines while they read, you should buy new pens, a whole box of new pens. This is a very accurate observation. I too underline while I read and I dogear pages if I don't have a pen, and you can see how my copy ended up in the photo on the left. And this is apart from what I jotted down in my notebook while I read. I think this is proof of how masterfully Cunningham uses words.

SPOILER!
In all of my writing classes, professors kept telling us to show; not to tell. Sometimes consciously, and at times unconsciously I rate authors by how well they master this. The ones I don't like are the kind of ones that say "marble lips" instead of "cold lips" ever single time. Cunningham, on the other hand, show us what kind of a mental state Bobby is in after his brother's death with a jacket: "His hair was an electrified nest. He wore boots, and a leather jacket decorated with a human eye worked in faded cobalt thread." If you've read this spoiler, so make sure you keep the jacket in mind while reading. END OF SPOILER.

Lastly, I want to add that this book is full of music and takes you through different musical trends as you read. The book was also made into a movie starring Colin Farrell, Dallas Roberts, Robin Wright and Sissy Spacek. Apparently, Michael Cunningham himself wrote the screenplay for the movie, and it definitely shows.
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Review: Kicked To The Curb by: Joanna Campbell Slan


Title: Kicked To The Curb
Author: Joanna Campbell Slan
Series: Book #2 in the Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery Series
Pages: 200
Format: ebook
Source: Great Escapes Book Tour

Description:

Cara Mia Delgatto’s cup runneth over with worries. Her ex-husband is refusing to pay their son’s college tuition, her evil sister is pulling mean pranks, and her old boyfriend has broken her heart. And that’s just the personal stuff. She’s also concerned about keeping the cash register ringing at The Treasure Chest, her retail store specializing in upcycled, recycled, and repurposed dĂ©cor items with a coastal theme. The media event that Cara plans turns nasty when reporter Kathy Simmons threatens to share unsavory details from the shopkeeper’s past. Things get really dicey when Kathy mysteriously disappears. Cara’s other problems seem trivial in comparison to…a murder investigation!

My Thoughts: 

This book follows Cara Mia Delgatto who is working on getting people interested in The Treasure Chest her store of using recycled things to make new things.  When a media event winds up with the death the following morning of a newspaper reporterit's up to Cara to figure out who wanted to kill the reporter Kathy Simmons.  Was there someone else having issues with the reporter besides Cara?

With all this going someone has decided that The Treasure Chest has something they want and they break in to try to find something!  Add this to the fact a senator in town has died and his wife is screaming murder, there is no shortage of things going on in this book.

As you dig deeper into this book you see how the two deaths are interconnected and it really draws you in wanting to know more about the Senator and Kathy.  What I found there was mind blowing.  What a great cozy mystery!

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Review: Christmas in Snow Valley by: Taylor Hart, Jeanette Lewis, Lucy McConnell, Cami Checketts, Cindy Roland Anderson, Kimberly Montpetit



Title: Christmas in Snow Valley
Author: Taylor Hart, Jeanette Lewis, Lucy McConnell, Cami Checketts, Cindy Roland Anderson, Kimberly Montpetit
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Pages: 580
Format: e-book
Source: Cedar Fort Book Tour

Description:

Christmas in Snow Valley is packed with six wonderful Christmas novellas sure to bring romance into your holiday season.

Snow Valley, Montana, is a small community with the tradition of doing Christmas big. Festivities begin with tree lighting in the town square the day after Thanksgiving and continue until the culminating romantic Christmas Ball. From the Polar Express to a Winter Carnival, there’s something for every wonder-filled child—and every couple who’s in love—or about to be.

An Unexpected Kiss by Cindy Roland Anderson
Lucy Phillips doesn’t want to spend her Christmas vacation dodging her ex-boyfriend, so when he turns up at the airport to give her a ride home, Lucy panics and asks a complete stranger to kiss her. Although the kiss is incredible, Lucy never expects to see the guy again. Is it bad luck or destiny when Lucy comes down with a sore throat and the new doctor in Snow Valley is none other than the guy she kissed at the airport?

Feels Like Love by Jeanette Lewis
Christmas in Snow Valley is the perfect way for April Winston to introduce her city slicker fiancĂ©, Scott Mecham, to life on a farm. If only Wade Hadley, hometown boy and high school sweetheart, will cooperate! But Wade has no intention of letting April go without a fight. This Christmas, Wade is determined to overcome their painful past and show April that she already has what she’s been seeking all along.

Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts
Kazlyn is too busy with her schooling and future plans to enjoy life, let alone fall in love with a man who has heartbreak written all over him. Tyrese Hamilton, a college basketball star and major heartthrob, is intrigued when Kazlyn doesn’t pursue him or even seem interested. Ty’s career is in jeopardy, and he needs a miracle and Kazlyn to save him.

​The Christmas Eve Kiss by Taylor Hart
When Molly O’Hare gets a prediction that she will kiss her true love on Christmas Eve, she thinks it’s utterly ridiculous. But when she gets teamed up with Kevin Snow, aka her ex-boyfriend, to decorate a Christmas tree, things start to change. Too bad getting over the past is hard and seeing him kiss another girl is even harder. Now Molly is left with a choice—run away from home and heartbreak or let Christmas work out a miracle all of its own.

Risking it all for Love by Kimberley Montpetit
Succumbing to family pressure, Jessica Mason reluctantly comes home for Christmas. Ever since her high school boyfriend’s death from a car accident three years earlier, Jessica and religion have not been compatible. So, when she visits Michael’s grave, she’s surprised to meet the handsome James Douglas, Pastor John’s nephew, who’s studying for the ministry. James can not only dish back Jessica’s finely-tuned sarcasm but understands grief all too well, turning Jessica’s world upside down. Is she ready to take another risk on love?

Blue Christmas by Lucy McConnell (Christina Dymock)​
As head of Snow Valley hospital’s fundraising effort, Paisley Hackett barely has time to organize the craft show, cookie decorating party, and the annual Christmas Ball. What she doesn’t have time for is falling in love with Clay Jett, the incredibly handsome bass player who sweeps into town. She’s been burned by a tourist romance before and, with everything going on, Paisley will have to work overtime to protect her heart from Clay and his swoon-worthy ballads.

My Thoughts:

These books are great they each having something to offer with their storytelling at Christmas time.  They all have a romance built around something going on, whether it be returning home for the holidays or getting back with an ex-boyfriend or finding a guy at the airport to kiss you, they all offer something special.

I really enjoyed this anthology and was pulled in to each story seeing how the characters would get what they wanted for Christmas.  Definitely a great set of stories that many women who love chic lit will enjoy without offensive sexual scenes or language which is great for many who don't need that to have a great read!

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Monday, November 3, 2014

Review: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

Title: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Author: Maggie O'Farrell
Publisher: Mariner Books
Pages: 256
Format: e-book
Source: Personal purchase

Description:

In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend's attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital--where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years. 

Iris's grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme's papers prove she is Kitty's sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme's face. 

Esme has been labeled harmless--sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit? 

A gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth, "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox" will haunt you long past its final page.

My thoughts:

My first meeting with Maggie O'Farrell was with Instructions for a Heatwave. Afterwards, I went into a "I must read everything she writes" mode. This mode is still dragging on even though it's taking a bit of time, obviously, for me to go through all her books. In addition to Instructions for a Heatwave, The Vanishing of Esme Lennox, as well, has left me in awe of O'Farrell. She writes about such tragic situations so beautifully that your body and brain can't decide whether you should cry for the characters' sadness or for the way the words come together so beautifully.

Here's how the story goes: Iris, who lives in Edinburgh, gets a phone call from a mental hospital that's on verge of being shut down. She's told that she needs to go pick up her aunt Esme Lennox, a woman whom she's never even heard of. At first, she doesn't want to bring her into her on home but then she has to. The story of Iris goes back and forth between Esme Lennox and her sister (therefore, Iris's mother) Kitty as we find out the secrets the family holds and how Esme ended up in a mental hospital. 

The story is told from different characters' points of view. Especially when Esme Lennox is telling the story, we see clearly how her mind just comes and goes. O'Farrell tells stories with beautiful words, alright, but she also makes her readers live every single moment as if they're own. I am indeed even more excited to read more of her work. 
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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Book Spotlight: Christmas in Snow Valley




Christmas in Snow Valley is only $.99 until November 8th.


Snow Valley, Montana, is a small community with the tradition of doing Christmas big. Festivities begin with tree lighting in the town square the day after Thanksgiving and continue until the culminating romantic Christmas Ball. From the Polar Express to a Winter Carnival, there’s something for every wonder-filled  child—and every couple who’s in love—or about to be.

An Unexpected Kiss by Cindy Roland Anderson
Lucy Phillips doesn’t want to spend her Christmas vacation dodging her ex-boyfriend, so when he turns up at the airport to give her a ride home, Lucy panics and asks a complete stranger to kiss her. Although the kiss is incredible, Lucy never expects to see the guy again. Is it bad luck or destiny when Lucy comes down with a sore throat and the new doctor in Snow Valley is none other than the guy she kissed at the airport?

Feels Like Love by Jeanette Lewis
Christmas in Snow Valley is the perfect way for April Winston to introduce her city slicker fiancĂ©, Scott Mecham, to life on a farm. If only Wade Hadley, hometown boy and high school sweetheart, will cooperate! But Wade has no intention of letting April go without a fight. This Christmas, Wade is determined to overcome their painful past and show April that she already has what she’s been seeking all along.

Full Court Devotion by Cami Checketts
Kazlyn is too busy with her schooling and future plans to enjoy life, let alone fall in love with a man who has heartbreak written all over him. Tyrese Hamilton, a college basketball star and major heartthrob, is intrigued when Kazlyn doesn't pursue him or even seem interested. Ty's career is in jeopardy, and he needs a miracle and Kazlyn to save him.

The Christmas Eve Kiss by Taylor Hart
When Molly O’Hare gets a prediction that she will kiss her true love on Christmas Eve, she thinks it’s utterly ridiculous. But when she gets teamed up with Kevin Snow, aka her ex-boyfriend, to decorate a Christmas tree, things start to change. Too bad getting over the past is hard and seeing him kiss another girl is even harder. Now Molly is left with a choice—run away from home and heartbreak or let Christmas work out a miracle all of its own.

Risking it all for Love by Award-Winning author, Kimberley Montpetit
Ever since her high school boyfriend's death from a car accident three years earlier, Jessica Mason and her hometown of Snow Valley, Montana with all its awful memories have NOT been compatible. Running away to New Orleans on a ballet scholarship, Jessica cringes when she thinks about confronting Pastor John and the community church--she doesn't want to talk about God, not after He took Michael, the boy she was going to marry ever since third grade.
In the local scene of funky New Orleans, Jessica seeks out Madame LaBlanc, hoping Michael will absolve her of her guilt the night of the car accident in a seance, but the spirit world is silent and she fears the grief will drown her.
Finally succumbing to family pressure, Jessica reluctantly returns for Christmas - and the little town of Snow Valley does Christmas BIG. When she visits Michael’s grave in the church yard, Jessica is shocked to meet handsome James Douglas, Pastor John’s nephew, who’s studying for the ministry. No, she is NOT going to be attracted to someone who wants to be a preacher! Definitely not compatible! But James Douglas is unlike any minister-in-training she's ever met. James can not only dish back Jessica’s finely-tuned sarcasm but understands grief all too well, turning Jessica’s world upside down.
Can Jessica forgive herself for that terrible, fateful night? Can she take another risk on love?

Blue Christmas by Lucy McConnell
As head of Snow Valley hospital's fundraising effort, Paisley Hackett barely has time to organize the craft show, cookie decorating party, and the annual Christmas Ball. What she doesn't have time for is falling in love with Clay Jett, the incredibly handsome bass player who sweeps into town. She's been burned by a tourist romance before and, with everything going on, Paisley will have to work overtime to protect her heart from Clay and his swoon-worthy ballads.

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