Monday, February 6, 2012

Book Excerpt and Mini-Review: The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy


The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy
Publisher: MIRA Books
Publish Date: January 24, 2012
Paperback, 400 pages 
Fiction, Family Saga
 ISBN: 978-0778329558





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Today's Excerpt:
“I just finished a shift.”
“Are the girls around?”
“I’m alone, it’s okay.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed.
“Good, I—I need to talk to you. It’s—”
“Is this about Cal Jr.?” she asked abruptly.
My eyes flew open. I felt winded. My voice, when it came out, was harsh, animal.
“How?”
“The family lawyers called me.”
“When?”
“A few days ago.”
“Why?”
“Same reason I suppose that they contacted you.”
“They did not call me,” I said, looking down at the letter, which was crumpled in the fist of my hand. “They wrote instead.”
“I told them straight out I didn’t care. Not about him dying, not about the farm or how he had driven it so far into the ground it was halfway to hell. They talked about my ‘responsibility.’ I told them I had done above and beyond more than my duty by that place.”
I bit my lip so hard I thought I tasted blood.
“I suppose I was a bit harsh,” she said reflectively, “but I got the feeling that they would just keep calling if they thought they could get anywhere. 

Check out tomorrow's excerpt at:  http://theeclecticelement.blogspot.com/


My Partial Review:
I am in the middle of The Legacy of Eden right now and I am really enjoying.  I like that I am getting to know the Hathaway family little-by-little warts and all.  They are definitely interesting and Ms. Davy's storytelling is great.  She does a wonderful job luring you into the story and keeping you interested.  I plan on posting a final review in the next couple of days, but so far this book has been really good.  I was reading it in the middle of a busy doctor's office today and I can't usually concentrate in places like that, but I was drawn in and felt like I was at Aurelia as I read through the pages.

About the Book:
"To understand what it meant to be a Hathaway, you'd first have to see Aurelia."

For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name - no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways - and the once prosperous farm.

Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died - alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.

Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family... and her own part in their mottled history.

"Our farm was like the world when people still thought it was flat. And when you left it, it was as if you had simply sailed too far and fallen off the surface into the void."


About the Author (from her website): 
Nelle was originally born in St George’s Grenada under the name Janelle (which she always hated and immediately shortened when she went to University). She moved to London when she was nine months old because her grandfather was English and her parents supposedly wanted a better life. She got a scholarship to Sir William Perkins School for girls where she had a wonderful English teacher Mrs. Wells who encouraged her constantly in her love for books. She went to Warwick University to study English with Creative Writing where after swearing she would never marry, she met her future husband. She did a masters in Creative Writing at Trinity College Dublin and then moved back to London in 2007 where she almost immediately began working in publishing. After working at Pan Macmillan she moved to work at a literary agency while also writing and pursuing a career as a novelist on the side.

She is 27 years old and The Legacy of Eden is her first novel. She has finished writing a second novel based on the civil rights movement in Louisiana in 1963. She still lives in London with her husband and still works full time in publishing.

So far, she has not had a meltdown…

Website 

FTC Information: I received this book through Meryl L. Moss Media Relations for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.




Book Review: Alienation by Jon S. Lewis

Alienation by Jon S. Lewis
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: January 3, 2012
Paperback, 288 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal, Christian
 ISBN: 978-1595547545
C.H.A.O.S. #2



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My Review:
I found Alienation to be a fascination young adult novel.  It was fresh and interesting to read.  I will definitely be passing it on to my son to read as well.

I really enjoyed Alienation.  It's fast-paced, easy-to-get-into and has interesting characters.  I liked the setup and liked the fact that event though this is the second book in the series I was able to jump right in and get into the story.  I will go back and read the first book in the series now, but I never felt lost not having read it.

Colt, Oz and Danielle are great characters.  There were things I really liked about all three and I think they are easy-to-relate to characters for teens.  Even though this is set in a different kind of world, I think it still works out great with similar lessons for teens in our normal world.  The alternate world just makes a more fun read.

I don't want to give anything away so go, poick this one up if you want something a little different and a quick enjoyable read.  Teen boys and girls both will enjoy this and I think even tweens will love it.  In fact I will be handing it to my very own tween next.  Probably after I find a copy of Invasion for him to read first (after I read it of course!)

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:
After his parents were killed in a car accident, Colt McAllister was drawn into a world he thought only existed in comic books-one where mind control, jet packs, and flying motorcycles don't even scratch the surface.

Along with his best friends Oz and Danielle, Colt is now training at the secret Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural academy. But strange accidents seem to follow him. . . even with the security of the school grounds. What first seems random soon turns deadly. But who is targeting Colt?

As the alien invasions increase in frequency and force, C.H.A.O.S resources are taxed to the limit and they're forced to utilize the new recruits. In the midst of battle, Colt will discover some startling revelations . . . about himself, his friendship with Oz, and why he has been chosen to defeat this alien attack against earth.


About the Author:


Jon S. Lewis is the coauthor of the Grey Griffins trilogy (over 500,000 books in print) and the upcoming Grey Griffins Clockwork Chronicles. He also writes for the DC COMICS family of publishers. He resides with his family in Arizona.

For more about Jon and the series, visit www.chaosnovels.com.

About the Alienation iPad2 Giveaway:

The invasion was only the beginning! Jon is celebrating the next adventure in his fast-paced series with an explosive giveaway!



One thrill-seeker will receive:
  • iPad2 with Wi-Fi
  • Copies of the C.H.A.O.S. novels, Invasion and Alienation
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 7th. Winner will be announced at the Alienation Facebook Party on 2/7. Jon will be hosting an Author Chat, giving away copies of the books and gift certificates to iTunes and Amazon.com! Don't miss a second of the intrigue!
Grab your copy of Alienation and join Jon on the evening of February 7th for an author chat, spy training (How much do you know about alien invaders?) and lots of giveaways.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 7th!





***I received this book through Litfuse Publicity for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.***

Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Hop






Welcome to the Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Hop, hosted by Reading Romances.  For this hop, I have seven wonderful romances to giveaway to one lucky winner.  These are a variety of ARCs and gently read copies from my collection, but all are wonderful books by great authors.







  •  Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
  • The Werewolf Upstairs by Ashlyn Chase
  • How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
  • The Lost by Caridad Pineiro
  • Savor the Danger by Lori Foster
  • Trace of Fever by Lori Foster
  • Deep Disclosure by Dee Davis
Giveaway open to US/Canada, runs through 2/13.  Enter using the Rafflecopter below.  If you are logged in through Facebook you won't have to enter your name and email.  Thanks and Happy Valentine's Day!


a Rafflecopter giveaway