Cover Reveal: His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey

Today's Cover Reveal is from Entangled Publishing's Brazen Everafter line and oh boy is it hot!  I know I want this book just from cover alone. But first check out the synopsis, because it will tease you and make you want the book even more.  And then if all of that isn't enough to wet your appetite for this book, make sure you enter the cover reveal giveaway for a $50 Amazon GC at the bottom of the post!  Thanks Entangled for the great giveaway!


Synopsis:
The greater the risk, the hotter the reward?

Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control?until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he?ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.

Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy?s avoiding, but when she walks into O?Hanlon?s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her?risks be damned. But there?s a connection between Ruby?s shadowed past and a case Troy?s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs?

And now for the cover . . .

Preorder Links (available May 13, 2013):

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Book Review: And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

And Then I Found You: A Novel by Patti Callahan Henry
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: April 9, 2013
Hardcover, 261 pages
ISBN: 9780312610760


My Review
I really enjoyed And The I Found You. I loved that it had a back story that was real, yet the story was fiction. That's the first thing that stood out for me and intrigued me and made me say I wanted to review this book and I am so glad I did.

I have to say normally a character like Kate would irritate me. Waffling back and forth, so emotional, yet not emotional. She is definitely not a character I normally can connect with. Yet in And Then I Found You I did connect with her completely. I think Patti Callahan Henry did a magnificent job fleshing out the character of Kate slowly so the reader understands her and empathizes with her and her situation of being stuck and unable to move forward until she closes the chapter of her life that she has left open. And at that point I was so engrossed in the novel I could not put it down. I also enjoyed Kate's family and their love and total support yet they acted like a normal family. And Rowan and Jack are very interesting men to add to Kate's life. At times I wasn't sure who to pull for, but then the pull became obvious at least for me (and I'm not telling).

The plot moves quickly, first moving back and forth from present and past to tell Kate's story so we understand what happened and why she did what she did and how she has gotten to where she is. Flashbacks continue to share more insight and I really like that. But the real story is in the present and the decisions that Kate, Rowan and Jack have to make now. It's a fascinating character study rolled into a fast-paced novel.

I honestly never thought I could read this emotional of a novel that quickly (pretty much in one afternoon) but I did. The pacing of the author was such that I could not put the book down and while it was extremely emotional, I never felt overwrought by the emotions which was good for me, I don't really like to get bogged down with emotions with every book, though I had prepared myself with this one. And Then I Found You is a wonderful book and will make a wonderful beach read or a great spring/summer read. It's fast-paced, character-centered and wonderfully emotional. I am now anxious to read more of Patti's books.

My rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book
Kate Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices.

She’s made them before. Now it’s time to do it again.

Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And she’s getting on with her life.  Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. But she wants more than the perfect on paper relationship; she wants a real and imperfect love. That's why, when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowan's drawer, she panics.

It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, she’s filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how?

When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, it’s time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she won’t fully love until she confronts those from her past. It’s time to act.

Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found?

And Then I Found You gives new life to the phrase “inspired by a true story.” By travelling back to a painful time in her own family’s history, the author explores the limits of courage, and the price of a selfless act.

About the Author (from Goodreads)
Patti Callahan Henry is the National Bestselling author of six novels with Penguin/NAL (Losing the Moon, Where the River Runs, When Light Breaks, Betweeen the Tides, The Art of Keeping Secrets, and Driftwood Summer).

Patti is hailed as a fresh new voice in southern fiction. She has been short-listed for the Townsend Prize for Fiction and has been nominated for the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Fiction Novel of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs and women’s groups where she discusses the importance of storytelling and anything else they want to talk about.

Patti grew up as a Minister’s daughter, learning early how storytelling effects our lives. She grew up spending her summers on Cape Cod where she began her love affair with the beach, ocean, tides and nature of the coast. Moving south at the tender age of twelve, she found solace in books and stories. While attending Auburn University, she met a southern boy who later proposed on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, next to a historic lighthouse overlooking the Sound. After earning her Master’s degree in Child Health, Patti worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist until her first child was born.

Patti is a full time writer, wife and mother living with her husband and three children outside Atlanta on the Chattahoochee River where she is working on her next novel.

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

Join Lori Foster 4/30 at 3:30pm ET for Live Chat at BookTrib! #BTlivechat, #BareItAll, @LoriLFoster

Book Review: Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel

Until the End of Time: A Novel by Danielle Steel
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2013
Hardcover, 336 pages
ISBN: 9780345530882




My Review:
It's been at least a few years since I've picked up a Danielle Steel though I use to read her voraciously when I was a teenager. Somehow Until the End of Time's blurb appealed to me and I reserved it from the library.

Again I will remind my readers I read for pure pleasure, not to deconstruct sentence structure or how the writer writes. All I really want is a good story, however if a writer can't hold my interest I can't read the story. So with that in mind I will move forward with my review. I know a lot of people don't like Danielle Steel, but she holds a special place in my heart as one of the first novelists I read. No her newer stories aren't quite like the sweeping stories of old, but I still see some of the old Danielle Steel in her books.

Until the End of Time took a little to get into. The reading was just a little stilted at the beginning of each story in the book (it is divided into two separate yet connected love stories). But I felt like once she got into her rhythm, Ms. Steel really began to shine and I fell into the stories then. This is not a complex book, but after reading a few more complex young adult novels I think this is just what I needed. An easy breezy adult pleasure novel. Love stories pure and simple. And while they are very emotional and deal with sensitive subjects, I never felt too bogged down. I kept flipping the pages to find out what would happen next. I connected with the characters, I felt their joy and their pain. And I enjoyed the plot. I read most of the book in one sitting as well. Yes, that is the Danielle Steel I remember. Getting swept away into the story, losing track of time and just enjoying the read. I did that last night and enjoyed it. I won't apologize for my guilty pleasure. Was it the best book ever? No. Was it enjoyable for the moment? Yes. Simple enough. Go forth and read it if you want, feel free to ignore me to on this one if you want as well. We all have our guilty pleasures and we all should enjoy them :)

Have a great day! And Mitchell Fulcher, I will love you until the end of time . . .

My rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
Two couples, four decades apart. One believes that if lovers die, they find each other again in another life. Or perhaps they wind up as stars side by side in the sky, together forever. Who knows how it really ends? Danielle Steel breaks new ground in her career as a perennial New York Times bestseller with the poignant story of two parallel destinies, and the kind of love we all hope will be everlasting.

UNTIL THE END OF TIME

Bill, a dedicated young lawyer working at his family’s prestigious New York firm, leaves everything he trained for to follow his dream and become a minister in rural Wyoming. Jenny, his wife, is a stylist whose heart and soul are invested in fashion. She leaves the milieu and life she loves to join him. The certainty they share is that their destinies are linked forever.

Fast forward thirty-eight years. Robert is a hardworking independent book publisher in Manhattan who has given up all personal life to build his struggling business. He is looking for one big hit novel to publish. Lillibet is a young Amish woman, living as though in the seventeenth century, caring for her widowed father and three young brothers on their family farm. In secret at night, by candlelight, she has written the novel that burns within her, and gets it into Robert’s hands, wrapped in her hand-stitched apron. He falls in love first with the book, and then with the woman he has never met, living in the sequestered world of the Amish—a world without telephones, computers, electricity, modern conveniences, or cars. Although Lillibet faces banishment from her family and community, she embraces the opportunity to publish her novel, and is irresistibly drawn to the man who has heard her voice. Destiny is at work here. Fate draws her from her horse-and-buggy life toward his, and the publication of her novel.

In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, these two remarkable relationships come together in unexpected and surprising ways, as lovers are lost, and find each other again. If it is true that real love lasts forever and lovers cannot lose each other, then Until the End of Time will not only comfort and fascinate us, as destiny does her dance, but it will give us hope as well. Love and fate are powerful, irresistible forces, as Steel proves to us here, in a book about courage, change, risk, and hope . . . and love that never dies.

About the Author (from Goodreads):
Since 1981, Ms. Steel has been a permanent fixture on the New York Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. In 1989, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having at least one of her books on the Times bestseller list for 381 consecutive weeks. But Guinness was premature. The fact is that one or more of Ms. Steel's novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks.

From an education in New York and Europe to a professional background in public relations and advertising, and teaching, Ms. Steel moved on quickly to her literary career and has been hard at work writing ever since. She wrote her first book at nineteen. Often, she works on five books at a time — researching one storyline, writing another, and editing the third. Still, she often spends two to three years researching and developing a single project. In the heat of a first draft, it is not uncommon for her to spend eighteen to twenty hours a day glued to her 1946 Olympia manual typewriter.

Family, children, and young people are the central focus of her life, and her passion, which frequently shows in her writing. She deals with the themes that touch on the most pressing issues of real life, which makes her books universal, and touch so many people. She is fascinated by the pressing life situations that affect us all, how people handle them and are often transformed as a result. And her novels have explored subjects such as kidnapping, incest, mental illness, suicide, death, divorce, adoption, marriage, loss, cancer, war, among others. She also frequently writes about historical themes, shedding new light on familiar historical events with meticulously accurate research.

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***I received this book from my wonderful library for my own personal reading. ***

Book Review: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publish Date: March 26, 2013
Trade Paperback, 377 pages
ISBN: 9780373210664
Soul Screamers #7


My Review:
***No spoilers will be included in this review that wouldn't be on the back of the book***

As everyone knows this is the final book in the series and I am sad to see it come to an end because I have truly loved the Soul Screamers series since I started reading it. The characters, especially Kaylee have really struck a chord with me and I was so eager to read this book, yet so sad to say goodbye to the characters, yet a series usually has to come to an end and I guess it was time.

So without giving spoilers, I'll just say that With All My Soul does not disappoint as the final book. Lots to tie up and it all gets tied up without it happening too conveniently. Ms. Vincent does everything masterfully in this book. The characters continue to develop and change in ways you expect and ways you don't. The plot continued to throw curve balls my way. It was excitement and an emotional roller coaster throughout. I even cried (not telling why, but if you read it you will know when I did). This book was amazing! Looking back through the series I'm not sure which book was my favorite, but this one may be it. It's really hard to do that in the last book too but Ms. Vincent did a wonderful job with this final chapter of the Soul Screamers.

Thank you Ms. Vincent for introducing me to this world, it's been a wonderful ride, Kaylee, Tod, Nash, Emma, Sabine, Sophie and the others will stay with me for awhile. I will think about With All My Soul for awhile as well and to me that is the mark of an excellent book. So thank you Ms. Vincent!

My rating: 5.0/5.0

About the Book:
What does it mean when your school is voted the most dangerous in America? It's time to kick some hellion butt...

After not really surviving her junior year (does "undead" count as survival?), Kaylee Cavanaugh has vowed to take back her school from the hellions causing all the trouble. She's going to find a way to turn the incarnations of Avarice, Envy and Vanity against one another in order to protect her friends and finish this war, once and forever.

But then she meets Wrath and understands that she's closer to the edge than she's ever been. And when one more person close to her is taken, Kaylee realizes she can't save everyone she loves without risking everything she has...

Soul Screamers Series
My Soul to Lose (prequel novella)
My Soul to Take
My Soul to Save
My Soul to Keep
Reaper (Book IV prequel)
My Soul to Steal

If I Die

Never to Sleep (novella)
Before I Wake
With All My Soul

About the Author:
A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

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***I received this book from the Amazon Vine program for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Author Interview & Giveaway: Candace Havens (A Riveting Affair tour)

  
Today I welcome Candace Havens, one of the authors in the A Riveting Affair anthology from Entangled Publishing.  I don't know what the weather is like where you are today but it's warm and sunny for the moment here.  If you are in Boston, know you are in our prayers, please stay safe!  So for now, please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Candace Haven and then enter the tour-wide giveaway for 3 giftcards.  


What 3 things do you need in order to write? 
Time. Caffeine. Music.

What's your favorite season? 
Winter. I love cold weather. I like fall for the clothes. J

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? 
Anywhere that has a beach. I want to sit under an umbrella and listen to the waves while some nice person brings me drinks.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer? 
I’ve been a journalist for more years than I would admit, but I decided to write fiction about nine years ago.

Tell us what is Demon Express about. 
Professor Maisy Clark is a scientist and detective, who works to solve crimes involving paranormal beings. She had a trust sidekick, Barnes, and there is a handsome U.S. Marshal causing
trouble. This case is in Texas, and she’s worried her past may be coming back to haunt her. It’s kind of Sherlock Holmes meets Buffy meets Wild Wild West.

Dish, who’s your favorite character? 
No. I can’t say (Barnes. Shhh. Don’t say anything.)

How did you feel when you finished Demon Express? 
Excited. I realized I wanted to write many more stories for Maisy.

Do you find writing novellas harder than writing a full novel? 
I love writing novellas. I write very tight, and I love telling the shorter stories.

What is your take on the current steampunk craze? 
I love it. I think there are many contributing factors, not the least of which were the Sherlock Holmes films that Robert Downey Jr. did. The fashion and gadgets are just so much fun.

For all of us impatient readers, what is up next for you? 
I have more Maisy stories ahead, but I’m also in the Date By Mistake anthology, and coming up I have Seducing the Ice Princess, Mission: Seduction and Her Last Best Fling.

Thanks Candace! 
Thank you!

To follow the tour, click on the banner at the top of the post or go here.

About the book:

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

Rose Verney wants to fulfill her father’s dying request: to complete construction of the teleportation device he designed. Knowing just who can help her succeed, she seeks out Sebastian Cavendish, her father’s brilliant former student.Sebastian hasn’t left his home since he returned from the Civil War. He’s a broken man, his prosthetics a reminder of the terrible destruction his inventions brought to the battlefield. He wants nothing to do with Rose and her father’s masterpiece, but when she barges into his abandoned lab and begins construction, it’s everything he can do to resist getting involved. Especially when she charms her way into his monstrous heart.

Demon Express

Professor Maisy Clark, professional demon hunter, is on the trail of an evil scientist responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Julian is worse than the monsters he creates, but he’s also obsessed with Maisy and willing to kill anyone who gets too close to her. Just when she thinks she has Julian cornered, the sexy marshall Jake Calloway insists the investigation is his, and everything goes to hell. Maisy came to Texas to corner the scientist whose macabre experiments have taken so many lives, and Calloway is just another distraction she doesn’t need. Julian is her responsibility, one she’s not about to share. Even if Calloway can help, Julian will know Maisy is falling for the marshall, and she’s not willing to risk his life.

The Clockwork Bride

When engineer Aida Mulvaney attends a masquerade ball at the home of a staunch Luddite earl with a personal vendetta against her father’s company, she doesn’t expect to end the night married to the earl’s son Julian Capshaw, a brilliant engineer in his own right. The marriage will allow both of them to pursue their love of science, without interfering parents and ridiculous social stigmas. Though they escape to the Continent to start new lives, Julian’s father will have none of his heir’s disobedience. Before long, a marriage begun for the sake of convenience becomes a union of passion, but will it survive the machinations of an earl determined to destroy everything they love?

Genre: Steampunk Romance
Length: 339 pages
ISBN: 978-1-62266-064-3
Release Date: March 2013
Imprint: Ever After

About the Author:
CandaceHavens’s website
Candace's Twitter 
Candace Havens on Facebook 

Giveaway:

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Book Review: Abby Road by Ophelia London

Abby Road by Ophelia London
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
eBook, 400 pages
Published: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 9781620612446



My Review:
Abby Road was a fun read for me. Well mostly fun, Abby's "road" to her HEA was rather rocky, but it was interesting to watch. I like books like this where the main character has to learn something. I don't mind that most of the romance is off-screen and the focus is on the one character. I think Abby Road is a very good book if you don't put labels on it like romance or chicklit and just read it to enjoy a great book.

First there is Abby. She's a pop star who's having trouble since her brother's death. She's not dealing with things and her shrink has decided it would be best if she took the summer off, so she heads off to Florida to spend the summer with her sister. Of course while there, she meets the handsome and wonderful Todd. They fall for each other and not much is written about this, but I don't have a problem with it. Todd is a great character himself, he seems to have secrets and character flaws as well, but together they seem to work at least as much as we see them and I believed they were falling for each other.

Then the story moves back to Abby in her life in pop and things go down hill for Abby and Todd and you get to the real meat of the story. This is where I really got into the story. Secondary characters came to life, Abby really started to shine and move forward. I'm not spoiling anything, but let's just say that things start to move fast and the book really comes together as Abby herself does.

I loved the look into her life as a pop star. I loved the secondary characters of the band. I really liked how Abby cared about other people sometimes to the detriment of herself. And I like how she grows and changes. I feel that Abby Road is an empowering book, as Abby learns to stand on her own two feet again. Yes things seem to jump forward at times, but I understood why and the fact that they did and the story didn't get bogged down in details made me enjoy it all the more.

There is a romance, there is a happy ending, there is character growth, there is a bad guy and there is a great plot. Abby Road had everything to keep me enthralled while reading for a few days and even while reading while waiting for ball practice to end. It's a fun heartfelt and interesting novel. A great springtime or beach read. So grab it and fall in love with Abby and her love of the Beatles just like I did.

My rating: 5.0/5.0

Be sure and check out my author interview and giveaway here.

About the Book:
Touted by the tabloids as the biggest rock star of our generation, Abigail Kelly is used to being in the spotlight. But beyond the glam of Hollywood, her world is falling apart. Still reeling from the death of her brother and wilting under the iron fist of Max, her manager, Abby banishes herself to the secluded beaches of Florida for the summer, thinking some anonymity and sunshine are just what she needs. What she finds, instead, is Todd, an ex-marine eager to embrace life after war. Together, Abby and Todd find the balance Abby’s life has been missing.

That is, until Max resurfaces, demanding Abby return to Los Angeles to record her band’s newest album. As the pressures of public appearances, paparazzi, and late-night recordings start to mount, Abby will have to risk everything or lose the life she always dreamed of.

Ophelia London’s Abby Road is a love letter to music—both the kind you cherish and the kind you create—as well as a beautiful love story that proves even when everyone in the world can recognize your face, the only people who matter are those who can see inside your heart.

About the Author (from Goodreads):
Ophelia London was born and raised among the redwood trees in beautiful northern California. Once she was fully educated, she decided to settle in Florida, but her car broke down in Texas and she's lived in Dallas ever since. A cupcake and treadmill aficionado (obviously those things are connected), she spends her time watching arthouse movies and impossibly trashy TV, while living vicariously through the characters in the books she writes. Ophelia is the author of PLAYING AT LOVE, SPEAKING OF LOVE... and ABBY ROAD. Visit her at http://ophelia-london.blogspot.com. But don't call when The Vampire Diaries is on.

 

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

Bestselling Reads iPad Mini Giveaway (+ 2 $25 Amazon Gift Cards)

The best authors in New Fiction at Bestsellingreads.com are celebrating with an April promotion:
 

Win An iPad Mini valued at $320 or
one of 2 $25 Amazon gift cards

Enter at http://bestsellingreads.com or using the Rafflecopter below.

Winners will be chosen April 28th by Rafflecopter.

No purchase necessary but always welcome.

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Author Interview & Giveaway: Ophelia London (Abby Road)

  
Today I welcome Ophelia London, author of Abby Road, which I am currently reading and being delighted by with each page. Abby is adorable and her and Todd sizzle.  This is just the book I needed at the moment.  I will be posting my review either later tonight or tomorrow, but for now please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Ophelia London and Abby Road. Then make sure you enter the tour giveaway!


What 3 things do you need in order to write?
My laptop. I gave up writing longhand ages ago. I’m all for modern technology.
Quiet. I don’t mind normal sounds of the world going on around me, but I can’t have the TV on
or music with lyrics. I do love having classical music playing, even the Gregorian Chants. (Cool
inspiration for writing romance, right?)
Order. I like to have the dishes put away and my inbox cleaned out. Sometimes that takes too
long and I write anyway. I’m a real rebel!

What's your favorite season?
Short answer: Spring. Long answer: It used to be summer, but since I’ve lived in Texas, and the
summers here are like living on the freaking sun, I’ve moved it up to spring. The springs here
are like the summers where I grew up in California. But in Texas we have blue bonnets. They’re
stunning.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Oh, wow. There are so many places I’d like to travel. I’m all about the beach these days. Florida
is my favorite—Seaside specifically, where Abby Road takes place. But soon I’ll be knocking a
new place off my list and hitting Hawaii for my birthday. Next stop, hopefully, will be Santorini.
Who’s with me?

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always been a storyteller, but I started taking writing classes in college, and then later in
grad school I had a really supportive professor. He wrote me my first “official” review…typed
and everything. I have it saved in a scrapbook. J

What's the first sentence of Abby Road?
How could there be no valet parking?
(Typing that still gives me chills!)

Tell us what is Abby Road about.
Abby Road is about a famous singer named Abigail Kelly. When the story opens, she’s been
working, touring and recording non-stop for five years. When there’s a break in her schedule, she
hops on a plane and runs away to the beach to lie around, decompress and basically hide from
the world. But her plans of solitude are blown to bits when she meets Todd, the hunky owner of
a surf shop.

Dish, who’s your favorite character?
I love Abby. I got really close to her while I was writing. She had to go through some pretty
heavy trials, and I learned to admire her strength. Todd is rather awesome, too. I’ve never met
anyone quite like him. Still searching….

How did you feel when you finished Abby Road?
I worked on Abby Road for a really long time, so the term “finish” didn’t cross my lips until the
final galley was sent to my editor. I have a little ritual I do whenever I accomplish something
writerly. I always play this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w38zN_J8pNQ
I did that right after I sent in the final draft. After that, I think I slept for about a week, and I’m
sure cupcakes involved.

What made you choose to write about music and Hollywood?
They’re my two favorite things! I always knew I would tell a story about a singer. When I was
getting serious about writing, American Idol was huge and Taylor Swift had just exploded. Those
helped me frame the character of Abigail Kelly. On Idol, we get to know the contestants more
and more every week, and—from her songs—we all know what’s going on in Taylor’s life.
Even though Abby’s character is a famous rockstar, I worked really hard at making her relatable,
someone you would want in your living room every week.

For all of us impatient readers, what is up next for you?
I’ve got two books in the works. One is my first stab at the New Adult genera. The characters are
all at Stanford. I had to brush up on my proper grammar to write their dialogue, but I’m really in
love with the characters. I’m also working on book three in my Perfect Kisses series. It’s about a
military man. I mean, who doesn’t love a sexy soldier?

Thanks Ophelia!
Thank you! It was a pleasure being here today.

To follow the tour, click on the banner at the top of the post or go here.

About the book:

Touted by the tabloids as the biggest rock star of our generation, Abigail Kelly is used to being in the spotlight. But beyond the glam of Hollywood, her world is falling apart. Still reeling from the death of her brother and wilting under the iron fist of Max, her manager, Abby banishes herself to the secluded beaches of Florida for the summer, thinking some anonymity and sunshine are just what she needs. What she finds, instead, is Todd, an ex-marine eager to embrace life after war. Together, Abby and Todd find the balance Abby’s life has been missing.

That is, until Max resurfaces, demanding Abby return to Los Angeles to record her band’s newest album. As the pressures of public appearances, paparazzi, and late-night recordings start to mount, Abby will have to risk everything or lose the life she always dreamed of.

Ophelia London’s ABBY ROAD is a love letter to music—both the kind you cherish and the kind you create—as well as a beautiful love story that proves even when everyone in the world can recognize your face, the only people who matter are those who can see inside your heart.

About the Author (from Goodreads):
Ophelia London was born and raised among the redwood trees in beautiful northern California. Once she was fully educated, she decided to settle in Florida, but her car broke down in Texas and she's lived in Dallas ever since. A cupcake and treadmill aficionado (obviously those things are connected), she spends her time watching arthouse movies and impossibly trashy TV, while living vicariously through the characters in the books she writes. Ophelia is the author of PLAYING AT LOVE, SPEAKING OF LOVE... and ABBY ROAD. Visit her at http://ophelia-london.blogspot.com. But don't call when The Vampire Diaries is on.
Giveaway:



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Book Review & Giveaway: Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I by Sandra Byrd #RosesHaveThornsVirtualTour

 Roses Have Thorns: A Novel of Elizabeth I by Sandra Byrd

Publisher: Howard Books (a division of Simon & Schuster)

Publish Date: April 9, 2013

Paperback, 353 pages
Fiction, Historical, Romantic Elements
 ISBN: 9781439183168
Ladies in Waiting #3

My Review:
Sandra Byrd has done it again. She has thoroughly engaged me in a historical novel with intrigue romance and characters I truly care about. Roses Have Thorns is a wonderful installment in the Ladies in Waiting series.

Elin in a wonderful Lady in Waiting to watch move through the ranks of Queen Elizabeth's court.  As she comes to England as a foriegner from Sweden and decides to stay when a mutual interest develops between her and a man of high ranking in the court.  But as she stays all is not as it seems and Elin who becomes Helena in her desire to become more English has to carve her place in the court.  I love the strong will of Elin but the need for love both from a man and from her Queen.  The need for friends and a husband as well as a sister-figure made her all the more real.  I loved watching her growth in the court and as her strength and position grew I loved her even more.  It was also interesting to see Elizabeth through her eyes.  Elizabeth's strengths and weaknesses were envisioned through a lady of the court.  It's a very interesting way to tell a historical and I loved this series because of it.  The intimate look at the Queens has been fascinating.

So not only are the characters fascinating but the plot is amazing as well.  The intrigues.  It seems just when one plot against the Queen is figured out another is being hashed and I never knew who in the court could be trusted.  And then the romances as well.  The Queens' never realized romance and Elin's two different romances were beautiful and very realistic and really added to the plot.

Roses Have Thorns is an amazing historical depicting the life of Elizabeth I and her court.  I felt like I intimately got to know Elin and Elizabeth both along with others in the court.  I also felt like I got a great glimpse of court life and intrigue during this period.  Ms. Byrd works wonders with both characters and plot to keep the reader engaged from the first page to the last.  I always close her books eager for the next and Roses Have Thorns is no exception.  I was sad to see it end and cannot wait to see what she offers us next!

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

All the tour stops can be found here or click on the banner at the top of the post.

About the Book:
From the acclaimed author of To Die For comes a stirring novel told that sheds new light on Elizabeth I and her court.Like Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, Sandra Byrd has attracted countless fans for evoking the complexity, grandeur, and brutality of the Tudor period. In her latest tour de force, she poses the question: What happens when serving a queen may cost you your marriage--or your life?

In 1565, seventeen-year-old Elin von Snakenborg leaves Sweden on a treacherous journey to England. Her fiance has fallen in love with her sister and her dowry money has been gambled away, but ahead of her lies an adventure that will take her to the dizzying heights of Tudor power. Transformed through marriage into Helena, the Marchioness of Northampton, she becomes the highest-ranking woman in Elizabeth's circle. But in a court that is surrounded by Catholic enemies who plot the queen's downfall, Helena is forced to choose between her unyielding monarch and the husband she's not sure she can trust--a choice that will provoke catastrophic consequences.

Vividly conjuring the years leading up to the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, Roses Have Thorns is a brilliant exploration of treason, both to the realm and to the heart.

About the Author: 

Sandra Byrd has published more than three dozen books in the fiction and nonfiction markets, including the first book in her Tudor series, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn.  Her second book, The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr, illuminates the mysteries in the life of Henry's last wife.

For more than a decade Sandra has shared her secrets with the many new writers she edits, mentors, and coaches. She lives in the Seattle, Washington, area with her husband and two children. For more Tudor tidbits, please visit www.sandrabyrd.com. 




Praise for Roses Have Thorns
"In Roses Have Thorns Sandra Byrd has given the reader another amazing heroine to tell the intimate story of England's greatest queen, Elizabeth I. What a unique point of view and deeply moving story Helena von Snakenborg provides. Byrd is especially adept at blending political and private lives. This is a timeless women's friendship novel as well as a poignant love story to cherish--both the roses and the thorns." (Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of Mourning )

"There is something golden about this tale of Elin, an eager young woman in a strange land, diligent in her duty but alive to love. A tale gracefully told, even as it renders the terrors of treachery that form the crucible of Elin's hard-won wisdom. A heartfelt story of loyalty, longing, life-long friendship, and the many seasons of the heart." (Barbara Kyle, author of The Queen's Gamble and Blood Between Queens)

"Beautiful prose and masterful research combine to bring this fascinating tale to life, treating the reader to fully realized characters and providing an original window through which we can view Elizabeth's court. Ms. Byrd's work will stand as an unforgettable contribution to Tudor fiction." (D.L. Bogdan, author of The Forgotten Queen) 


Giveaway:

Thanks to the tour I have one copy of Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd and a Elizabeth I necklace  to giveaway. The book will be mailed from the tour/author/publisher, not me.  Open US only.  Ends 4/17.  Enter through the Rafflecopter below.


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***I received this book from the publisher through Historical Fiction Book Tours for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  ***

Book Blast: Pheme the Gossip (Goddess Girls #10) by Suzanne Williams

Goddess Girls #10 - Pheme the Gossip

Get to know Goddess Girl Pheme…the original “gossip girl”!
As the goddess girl of rumor and gossip, Pheme prides herself on being “in the know” and having the most up-to-date info on anyone and everyone at Mount Olympus Academy. To make sure that people really get her VIP messages, her words tend to linger in cloud letters above her head—just in case people don’t catch what she says!

But not everyone is thrilled with Pheme’s insider knowledge on everything MOA—including the Goddess Girls. Can Pheme ever be trusted? Or will this “gossip girl” find herself on the other end of the rumors?

Purchase

Barnes & Noble * Amazon

Praise for The Goddess Girls

“…a clever take on Greek deities…”
~ Booklist

"Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging."
~Publisher's Weekly

 “…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…”
~ School Library Journal

The Goddess Girls Series

The Goddess Girls series, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

• Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa! 
• Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld. 
• Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love. 
• Artemis the Brave She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave. 
• Athena the Wise Zeus says Heracles has to do twelve tasks or he'll get kicked out of MOA! Although she's not sure it's wise, Athena agrees to help out. 
• Aphrodite the Diva Isis claims she's the goddess of love? Ha! But to keep the title all to herself, Aphrodite has to find the perfect match for Pygmalion, the most annoying boy ever. 
• Artemis the Loyal It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and Artemis and her friends are not happy. It’s boys only. Not fair! 
• Medusa the Mean Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy -- immortal. Is that too much to ask? 
• The Girl Games (Goddess Girls Super Special) Listen in on what all four goddess girls are thinking as Mount Olympus Academy hosts visitors from many lands--including an adorable kitten!The first-ever standalone superspecial in the Goddess Girls series! 
• Pandora the Curious</ a> Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school.

The Goddess Girls

Author Suzanne Williams

Suzanne Williams is the award-winning author of nearly 40 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives near Seattle. Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children's choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. She is co-author (with Joan Holub) of the popular Goddess Girls series(for ages 8 - 12) and Heroes in Training (ages 6 - 11). Other series include Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power.

Website * Blog

Author Joan Holub

I graduated from college in Texas with a fine arts degree, and then freelanced as an art director at a graphic design firm for eight years. I dreamed of working in children's books, so I moved to New York City and became associate art director in Scholastic trade books, where I designed books for children and worked with editors and illustrators. It was a great job.

I illustrated my first published children's book in 1992 and soon began illustrating full time. I began completing manuscripts and mailing them out to publishers in the early 1990s. In 1996, I sold my first two manuscripts -- Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book (Scholastic) and Pen Pals (Grosset & Dunlap). Yippee!

Now I write full time and have written and/or illustrated over 130 children's books. Creating books that entertain, inform, and interest children (and me) is a fabulous job that I truly love.

Twitter *  Website * Blog

Book Blast Giveaway
$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 4/21/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http:// iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Author Interview & Giveaway: Tracy March (The Practice Proposal)

  
Today I welcome Tracy March, author of The Practice Proposal, which is a delightful romance I am reading while on vacaction on the wonderful island of Ocracoke at the moment. If I don't post my review later in the day I will post later in the week, but it is a wonderful book so far.  For today, please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Tracy March and then enter the giveaway to win Kindle Paperwhite and a beautiful silver bracelet..  

What three things do you need in order to write?
Silence, Diet Coke, and Reduced Fat Cheez-Its! J

What's your favorite season?
Autumn. I just love the beautiful foliage that we get in Virginia, the crisp air, and the relief from the summer heat.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
I’ve been fortunate enough to do quite a bit of traveling, so I’ve already seen many beautiful places. Some of my favorites are Bariloche, Argentina; Lucerne Switzerland; Santiago, Chile; and St. Lucia. In the U.S., I love Big Sur, California; Asheville, North Carolina; Estes Park, Colorado; and Charleston, South Carolina. It’s difficult to pick just one place I want to visit, but I’d love to tour Europe, do a cross-country trip in the U.S., and spend at least a month in New Zealand. That’s not too much to ask, is it? ;)

What's the first sentence of The Practice Proposal?
Liza Sutherland would much rather be in a ballpark than a ballroom, and tonight’s black-tie charity gala had gone on way too long.

Tell us what The Practice Proposal about.
The story is a sweet and sassy romance about a sexy pro baseball player and the daughter of the owner of a rival team. I could aimlessly riff about it for paragraphs, but here’s the official version! ;)

Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.

Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.

When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Where did the idea for The Practice Proposal come from?
I’m a big baseball fan, and I started thinking about how challenging it must be for players who are rich and hot and famous to find genuine love. What would it take for them to be certain that a woman they fell for was sincere and not after them for theirmoney and fame? That was the seed of the idea, and the story grew from there.

Dish, who’s your favorite character in The Practice Proposal?
Definitely the hero, Cole Collins. He’s an All-American blonde-haired, blue-eyed athlete who might seem too perfect at first. Readers quickly learn he isn’t, but he’s even more attractive with all of his flaws. He’s become misguided and made some questionable decisions. Yet deep down, he’s just looking for a place to belong, and someone to belong to, so he quickly stole my heart.

What was your inspiration for The Practice Proposal?
It was more like who was my inspiration?! I have a favorite baseball player—Michael Morse—who used to play for my favorite team, the Washington Nationals. Sadly for me, he was recently traded to the Seattle Mariners. Cole doesn’t look like Michael, but he does have some of Michael’s best  ersonality traits like his sportsmanship, his love of the fans, his team spirit and his quirky sense of humor.

If you could cast anyone as Liza and Cole who would you choose to play them?
I could easily see Minka Kelly as Liza. For Cole, I would cast the super-hot Jessie Pavelka. I think the two of them would make a beautiful pair!

What can we expect next from you?
I write contemporary romance and romantic thrillers. My debut romantic thriller, Girl Three, releases in print and e-book on April 30th. Here’s the set-up for the story:

Bioethicist Jessica Croft, estranged daughter of a federal judge, has avoided the players, power, and passions of Washington, DC. But when her sister’s suspicious death is classified as natural, Jessie resolves to expose the murderer. Pursuing elite suspects on both sides of the stem-cell-research debate leads her to security consultant Michael Gillette, who knows more about her sister than he’ll admit.

Michael has a vested interest in Jessie’s plight. Her sister died on his watch—while he wasn’t watching. His plan to find her murderer becomes complicated when Jessie’s father hires him to protect Jessie, and his interest turns from professional…to romantic.

Jessie and Michael must unravel a mystery rife with political agendas and deceit. When confidential papers reveal a fertility scandal surrounding the enigmatic Girl Three, the two realize the danger of exposing the truth. Who is Girl Three? And will the murderer kill again to keep a secret?

Thanks so much for hosting me here today, Crystal. It’s fun hanging out with you and your readers!


To follow the tour, click on the banner at the top of the post or go here.

About the book:
Liza Sutherland isn’t looking for love. Not from a charity-auction date she didn’t even bid on and especially not with Nationals first baseman Cole Collins, the guy she obsessed over as an awkward teenager. She won’t get involved with a notorious player, no matter how attractive Cole is.

Cole Collins is up for contract renegotiation, but after too
many late-night parties, he’ll need some positive publicity
before he can make the roster. His agent, Frank, pitches Liza as the perfect prop…only Cole didn’t account for Liza no longer
being just a teenager with a crush. She’s gorgeous and smart and he’s instantly hooked.

When Frank makes Liza a deal she can’t refuse—a bet she will fall in love with Cole or a cool half mil goes to charity—the game is on. But neither bet on the real feelings that surface. Could a fake fling turn into an official forever?

Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble


About the Author:
Award-winning author Tracy March writes romantic thrillers influenced by her career in the pharmaceutical field, and her interest in science and politics. She also writes lighthearted romances inspired by her real-life happily ever after.

Always up for travel and adventure, Tracy has flown in a stunt plane, snowmobiled on the  Continental Divide, ziplined in the Swiss Alps, and been chased by a bull in the mountains of St. Lucia. She loves Nationals baseball, Saturday date nights, and Dairy Queen Blizzards—and rarely goes a day without Diet Coke and Cheez-Its.



Find Tracy March at:
Website
Goodreads
Twitter
Facebook

Giveaway:
First there is a tour-wide giveaway of a Kindle Paperwhite! My sister-in-law has one of these and she says you want one even if you have a Kindle Fire!


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Second each tour stop has the option of hosting a giveaway for this beautiful silver bracelet.  Simply enter by using the Rafflecopter below!  This is for US/Canada only.
 

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Guest Blog: Tanya Anne Crosby (Speak No Evil)

  
Today I welcome Tanya Ann Crosby, author of See No Evil, an e-original from Kensington, which I'm currently reading and enjoying while on vacation with my family.  I will be posting my review hopefully later this week, but for today, please grab your favorite cuppa and sit and learn a little more about Tanya Ann Crosby and See No Evil.  

For me, the seeds of a story come from anything and everything—a newspaper headline,
a dream, something my husband said. For Speak No Evil, it began with the concept that
every event in a person’s life is connected. Every small decision we make leads to a cascade
of events we can’t predict: A moment of indiscretion may plant the seed for villainy; an
inattentive moment on the beach may lead to a never-ending search along the shore for a
missing child. The state of our lives, at any given time, is the sum total of everything we have
done and everywhere we have been ... and our next decision determines, not merely where
our lives end, but who we become along the way.

But there’s a certain “woo woo” factor that goes into the creation of a story as well. For
Speak No Evil, some of that “woo woo” has to do with the setting itself. Although I grew
up in Charleston, S.C., I had never been to the Secessionville Creek area on James Island—
a historic location that saw one of Charleston’s—and in fact the entire Civil War’s—most
pivotal battles. If the Secessionville Creek Battle had been lost by the South it might have
meant an end to the war nearly two years sooner. But I first stumbled upon that pinpoint
on the map after a game of eeny meeny miny mo . . . or just maybe, if you believe in
providence . . . it chose me.

My first look at the area was through Google Earth—just to be sure the layout of the land
was close to what I had in mind. But I was shocked to find there was already a historic
plantation sitting right where I planned to place the fictional Oyster Point Plantation. The
Stiles-Hinson house dates back to 1741 and was a vital working plantation through the 18th
and 19th Centuries. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

SPEAK NO EVIL is just the second of my books to be set in Charleston, S.C. where I grew
up. I very much love the city and still have family there and visit often, and I felt Charleston
was the perfect place to set this story of a perfect family (at least on the surface) living in an
idyllic setting. But Charleston also has its super creepy factor. It’s full of alleys, old buildings,
ruins, swamps and old cemeteries. It has a very genteel image that serves as a wonderful
juxtaposition for a darker story—and lots of woo woo for a great story! As for the setting—
Charleston, with all its secrets—is a character in itself.

To see some of the places that inspired SPEAK NO EVIL, visit my Facebook at http://on.fb.me/164M9sg


About the book:

Lifting the veil of secrecy on a grand Southern family in decline, author Tanya Anne Crosby explores the lives of Caroline, Augusta, and Savannah Aldridge, three sisters who share a dark past and an uncertain future...Caroline Aldridge was surprised by the number of mourners at her mother's funeral. Evidently the newspaper heiress who had caused her children so much pain was well-loved by everyone else in Charleston. Now she was gone, leaving behind countless secrets--and a few demands: Caroline and her sisters must live together for one year or lose their inheritance. And Caroline must take over "The Tribune." But a killer is making headlines, and Caroline may have unwittingly stepped into the crosshairs...

A series of kidnappings and murders resurrect the sisters' memories of their brother's disappearance as a child--and Caroline fears she may be next. Yet in the midst of her turmoil, she may be rekindling a romance she'd extinguished long ago. With Jack back in her life and the tattered bonds of sisterhood slowly mending, Caroline hopes the family can restore its position in Charleston society--unless a sinister force beyond their control tears them apart forever. . .


About the Author:

Put a menu in front of me and I immediately don't know what I want. Fried green tomatoes with grits? Yep, OK. Fish? Sounds good, too. OK, so what are you having? I'll do that too. When it comes to shoes--forget it. I end up buying nothing because I can't make up my mind. Thank God I have a husband who has great tastes, or my closet might be empty. I'm one of those people who suffers from acute ambivalence given too many choices, but when it comes to what I wanted to do with my life, I've known that decidedly since the age of 12--and probably long before that. It all began once upon a time after a tonsillectomy, when the doc advised mom and dad they should reward me with anything I wanted (the key word here being anything). All I wanted was dad's typewriter. I got it, of course--a black, sporty Olympia I immediately set out to wearing the letters off the keys. So here I am all these years later, with sixteen books under my belt and a new one on the way ... still wearing the letters off keyboards ... and loving every minute



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