Teaser Tuesday (15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After we started hanging out last summer, James found out I'd never been on a date before and insisted on being my first. Gram's cancer made it so we couldn't actually go out, but that didn't stop him.  He spent all week convincing Uncle Jack that he was trustworthy enough and on the big night, he dressed up, got into his car, drove the short distance between our houses to pick me up, then zipped back down the drive and into his garage where he'd planned our "date" of watching a movie and cooking dinner together.

From Cobbogoth by Hannah L. Clark

Isn't that sweet?  I'm not too far into the book yet, but I'm enjoying what I have read so far.





About Cobbogoth

To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.

Book Review: Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas

Just Down the Road by Jodi Thomas

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: April 3, 2012

Paperback, 318 pages
Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
 ISBN: 978-0425246924
Harmony, Texas #4

My Review:
Four books in the series and not a one has disappointed yet.  I eagerly await each new installment, usually read the whole book within a day and then lament the fact that I have at least 6 months before the next one comes out and I get my copy a little early so I can participate in a promotional blog tour.  But I still like to whine because I love being a part of Harmony, Texas for a little over 300 pages every 6 months or so and I am so glad that Jodi includes me in her world.  You can be a part of that world too, on April 3rd and I encourage you to.  You don't have to start at the beginning.  Yes there is some history running through the books, especially with two of the ongoing stories in the book, but Ms. Thomas lays down enough backstory that if you pick up this book you will be fine.  Each book stands nicely on it's on, but the series is wonderful together giving a full picture of the town and it's inhabitants.

Tinch and Addison are the stars of Just Down the Road, but as with the other books, there are many stories to follow as there are in any town.  But the focus is on Tinch and Addison.  Tinch can't seem to get over the loss of his wife and Addison is on the run from something.  When little Jamie is thrust into Tinch and Addison's life he changes everything and makes both of them see that there is much more to life than they thought.  I loved Jamie, the little boy.  He is such a perfect little boy, so full of wonder and questions.  I love how he fits into their life as well.  I also liked how Ms. Thomas didn't sugarcoat how life with a child was like.  She shows that Tinch's life changed, he couldn't just go about things the way he did.  I really like that she keeps things real in her books.  The growth in Tinch and Addison's characters is a wonder to watch.  It's subtle but it's there and I enjoyed that.

The plot is great.  There is some mystery to it and that kept me turning the pages as well as the romance and character development did.  I also loved that Ms. Thomas kept going back and forth between the various characters' stories.  Focusing on Tinch and Addison, Reagan and Noah, Biggs and his brother and also the undertaker and his lady.  A lot was tied up in this one and I really hope it's not the end of the series.  I will honestly cry when I find out there are no more Harmony books.  I love this town and the characters and want more stories about more of them that I don't even know because I will learn more about the ones I do know as well.  I have a feeling there are more, but this one did tie up several story lines that have been going on for awhile.

A great Sunday afternoon read.  It's exciting and relaxing all at the same time.  It's like settling in at home with your favorite people, ones you know will do anything for you.  I can't quit gushing about how much I like these books and Just Down the Road may just be my favorite in the series so far.  Romance, friendship, mystery, guys acting crazy when a woman goes into labor, a great child, a rodeo champ, his best girl, and a town that will do anything to protect their own.  That's what Just Down the Road has, plus so much more. 

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Be sure to check out Jodi's Guest Blog and giveaway for Just Down the Road.

The Welcome to Harmony Series (with links to my reviews):
Welcome to Harmony
Somewhere Along the Way
The Comforts of Home
Just Down the Road

About the Book:
When Tinch Turner lost his wife, he gave up on living. Now he spends his nights brooding, boozing and brawling. When one of his escapades lands him in the ER, he finds himself staring up at the beautiful new doctor in town. For the first time in years, he feels a spark, but Addison Spencer wants nothing to do with the unruly rancher—or any man for that matter. She’s only in Harmony four months, long enough for the trouble she left behind to be over. But then a vulnerable little boy barrels into both of their lives, forcing them out of the past —and into a future where love is just down the road…

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 34 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Website
Twitter
Facebook

FTC Information: I received this book from the author 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.

Guest Blog: Jodi Thomas (Just Down the Road) + Giveaway

Today I welcome back one of my favorite authors, Jodi Thomas.  I have been a reviewer for her Harmony, Texas series since book #1 and Just Down the Road which releases April 3, is the fourth book.  I love the feeling of home I get from reading from these novels.  Jodi is a master story-teller and I love the chance to read her books and having her on my blog.  So please enjoy her guest blog and be sure and enter the giveaway for a copy of Just Down the Road as well and be sure and check back later today for my review.

The question I always fear the most when I’m traveling on book tour is , “Where do your ideas come from?”  

In truth, I often want to say, “Where did yours go?” because for the most part I don’t know where ideas some from.  For the most part it’s not an idea, but a person who jumps into my mind first.  He, or she, walks in, sits down and begins to tell me a story I have to follow.

When that happens, as it did in JUST DOWN THE ROAD I grab my computer and start hoping I can hang on to wherever the story takes me.

Tinch Turner was one of those rare characters who came to me fully developed.  When I met him he was sitting outside the emergency room in Harmony, Texas, counting the roughnecks piling out of a pick-up and heading in for treatment.  He was hurt and bleeding, but he’d wait until they were treated before he went in.  After all, it was the least he could do, he was the one who sent them to the hospital.

As soon as I had Tinch down on paper I knew he’d have to meet a woman who could be his match.  For a while I looked for another fighter, but the doctor who stepped in his path was a frightened woman who’d been broken once and only thought of running when trouble came.  She’d have to give him a reason to live and he’d have to show her how to be strong.

Tinch and Addison were born, then in my mind, they took the story and made it their own.

I’m never sure what to say when people ask me what I do for a living.  I daydream.  I play.  I imagine.  I create.  I scrub the rough worlds clean.  I’m not a writer for a living, I’m simply a writer.

In JUST DOWN THE ROAD all my work, and skill and that spark of talent seemed to come together.  The people I created breathed.  I’m very proud of this book and I hope it makes you laugh, and cry and fall in love with the people who live in Harmony.

Enjoy the story, 

Jodi Thomas

jodithomas.com

facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

twitter.com/jodithomas



NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas is pleased to present JUST DOWN THE ROAD, the fourth novel in her award-winning Harmony series.

When Tinch Turner lost his wife, he gave up on living. Now he spends his nights brooding, boozing and brawling. When one of his escapades lands him in the ER, he finds himself staring up at the beautiful new doctor in town. For the first time in years, he feels a spark, but Addison Spencer wants nothing to do with the unruly rancher—or any man for that matter. She’s only in Harmony four months, long enough for the trouble she left behind to be over. But then a vulnerable little boy barrels into both of their lives, forcing them out of the past —and into a future where love is just down the road…




JUST DOWN THE ROAD
Sell date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 978-0425246924
Retail price: USA $ 7.99

“Extremely powerful and gripping writing...full of passionate moments, hidden secrets, and likable characters.
~ Roundtable Reviews

“ Even for readers new to the series, the intricate relationships between these affable men and ec-centric women are easy to follow and even easier to love. “
~Publishers Weekly




Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 34 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.


Giveaway:
Thanks to Jodi and her publisher, I have one copy of Just Down the Road to giveaway to one lucky entrant in the US/Canada.  Simply enter using the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway