ARC Arrival: Wanderlust by Lucy Silag

Wanderlust by Lucy Silag (A Beautiful Americans Novel)

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: 24 December 2009
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Young Adult


I received this from Gillian Levinson from Penguin's Young Readers Group.






About the Book:

Will they save their lost friend before it’s too late?

Angst and betrayal abound as teens search the French countryside for their missing classmate in this exciting sequel to Beautiful Americans.

The book opens with PJ on a train, racing toward Rouen to meet her sister, Annabel. But Annabel’s life may be fraught with troubles far worse than her own.

Alex persuades Jay and Zack to hunt for PJ at one of her absentee father’s ritzy estates in the country. But a painful encounter with her dad leaves Alex weeping—on Jay’s shoulder. Three’s a crowd for Zack; he heads to Amsterdam seeking an old friend, and a place to belong.

Back in Paris, Olivia’s escapades with Thomas are interrupted when they discover reason to believe PJ is in more peril than she knows. Will the crew find PJ in time? Have they lost themselves along the way?

ARC Arrival: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: 12 November 2009
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 248
Young Adult


I received this from Gillian Levinson from Penguin's Young Readers Group.








About the Book:

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

Cruel Intentions meets Macbeth in this seductive, riveting tale of conscience and consequence.

ARC Arrival: The Merchant Kings by Stephen R. Bown

The Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World 1600-1900 by Stephen R. Bown

Publisher: D&M Adult
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 336

I received this from Raz Godelnik of Eco-Libris for their new green lit campaign: "It's Time for a Green Book": 1 Day, 100 bloggers, 100 green books, 100 reviews coming up on November 10th.

About the Book:

An engaging blend of biography and economic/colonial history, "Merchant Kings" tells the story of the trading companies that monopolised vast territories all over the world during the first great period of globalisation. The leaders of these trading companies exercised dictatorial power over millions of people, and devoted their time and resources to the accumulation of wealth through hunting, trapping, trade and exploration. It was a harsh existence on the frontiers of the civilised world, and these kings of commerce were larger-than-life characters; adventurers as well as merchants. They included men like Peter Stuyvesant, the one-legged governor of the Dutch West India Company; Cecil Rhodes, founder of the De Beers company (and after whom Rhodesia was named); and George Simpson, the infamous 'Little Emperor' of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was chauffeured around his vast fur domain in a giant canoe, exhorting his oarsmen to paddle harder in order to set canoeing speed records. "Merchant Kings" examines their rise and fall in the centuries before colonialism and empire, analysing the political, social and cultural legacies of this fascinating, cut-throat age.

About the Author
Stephen R. Bown is the author of Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver (2008); Scurvy (2003), published in six territories, and A Most Damnable invention: Dynamite, Nitrates and the Making of the Modern World (2005). He lives in Canmore, Alberta.

ARC Arrival: Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton

Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton

Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 336

I received this from Priya Srinivasan at Random House Books and I will be holding a giveaway to go along with the review of the book the second week in November.

About the Book:

If there’s one point that Jamie McClintock and Nate Goddard can agree upon, it’s that love is overrated. Jamie doesn’t have time for it. Nate doesn’t need it. And they certainly don’t want it from each other.

Jamie, a struggling free-spirited artist, is a devoted single mother who hasn’t been in a serious relationship since her boyfriend abandoned her after their son was born. Nate, a charismatic jet-setting salesman, is widowed and estranged from his father and five-year-old son, Christopher. Jamie would rather glue glitter to pinecones than go out on a date. Nate spends most of his nights wooing his clients. Then one afternoon Nate’s father drops dead of a heart attack. In that moment, their highly guarded worlds collide.

When Nate shows up at his childhood home to settle the estate and reclaim his son, he discovers that Jamie has been living in the Connecticut farmhouse as his father’s roommate. Mistrustful of each other’s motives, Nate and Jamie bicker about everything from children’s nicknames to Jamie’s fashion choices to Nate’s home renovation methods. It doesn’t help that Christopher prefers Jamie to his absentee father.

But after the funeral, Nate and Jamie begin to see each other in a more forgiving light. Nate, traveling to sales conferences all over the country with a sullen Christopher in tow, learns he can’t breeze his way through single parenthood. Jamie, who has moved back in with her sister, wonders at the wisdom of her unconventional choices as a woman with a child to support. And both begin to realize they don’t know as much about love as they thought. Still wounded by past heartbreak and sorrow, can they learn to trust each other and open their hearts?

ARC Arrival: Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro

Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro

Publisher: Forever
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 336

I received this through Pump Up Your Book Promotions for a tour date next month.

About the Book:
Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she's a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.

ARC Arrival: Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 480

I received this from Danielle L. Jackson at Sourcebooks, Inc. for review.

Quick Summary:

Lessons in French is a sweet tale of a reconnected childhood love, separated for years because of society and family expectations. Everyone loves a sweeping love story—complete with a shy wallflower learning what’s she capable of because of the devilishly dashing and fiendishly French Duc de Monceaux, still pining away for her after all those years apart…

Praise for Laura Kinsale and Lesson in French

“Kinsale’s delightful characters and delicious wit enliven this poignant tale of childhood loves reunited. It will charm your heart!” —Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author of Wed Him Before You Bed Him

“As great as ever, Laura Kinsale captures our hearts all over again with her newest, sure to be best seller, Lessons in French.” —Sue Grimshaw, bookseller

“Laura Kinsale creates magic. Her characters live, breathe, charm, and seduce, and her writing is as delicious and perfectly served as wine in a crystal glass. When you’re reading Kinsale, as with all great indulgences, it feels too good to stop. If there is one thing I wish for every romance reader, it is to experience the singular and extraordinary pleasures of a Laura Kinsale novel.” —Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author of Seduce Me at Sunrise

“Kinsale is a master storyteller. The sheer beauty of her writing never fails to inspire me. —Laura Lee Guhrke, New York Times bestselling author of With Seduction In Mind

“Lessons in French will be welcomed by anyone who knows the subtle humor, powerful emotions, and witty charm of Laura Kinsale’s work. If you’re new to Kinsale’s writing, this is a perfect book to start with. Regardless, if you pick up this book, be sure to reserve several hours for complete indulgence.” —Smart Bitches Trashy Books

“A truly gifted writer, Laura Kinsale is one of the romance genre’s brightest stars.” —Loretta Chase, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Tempt Me

“Laura Kinsale is the gold standard in historical romance! Funny, sad, witty, and deeply sensual, Lessons in French is an exquisite romance and an instant classic. Laura Kinsale’s writing is such a pleasure I know that I’ll be rereading Lessons in French for years to come.” —Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author of To Beguile a Beast

“Laura Kinsale has had a tremendous influence on my writing. If we're talking about stars in the firmament of the Romance world, she's Ursa Minor—the one you use for finding your way.” —Joanna Bourne, national bestselling author of My Lord and Spymaster

“Lessons in French is très magnifique! A passionate and enchanting story of a second chance at first love.” —Dear Author.com

“Lessons in French is wonderful romp, presented with wit, style, and Laura Kinsale's trademark heart-stealing characters. I smiled my way through it, loving every word.”
—Jennifer Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Gallant Match

ARC Arrival: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Received from: Publisher
Release Date: 12/8/2009
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 464

About the book:

Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even evil—history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again . . . and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years . . . and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.

ARC Arrival: The Last Word by Kathy Herman

The Last Word by Kathy Herman

Received from Audra Jennings at The B&B Media Group.
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release: October 1, 2009

Police Chief Brill Jessup is being stalked by an ex-con she helped convict fifteen years earlier for second degree murder. Since being released from prison, he’s attacked four people. Two are dead, including her former partner and one of her detectives. Law enforcement agencies in the region have joined forces to find him before he can make good on his courtroom threat to get even with everyone involved. Meanwhile, Brill’s 20-year-old daughter Vanessa comes home from college for the summer and reveals a shocking secret that turns her family’s life upside down. Brill and her husband Kurt struggle to deal with the shattered hopes and dreams they had for their daughter, and things get worse when Vanessa's psychology professor disappears without a trace and Brill finds out he's deceived Vanessa—and she could be in danger. An FBI friend uses his vacation time to watch Brill’s back, but the ex-con determined to kill her has been unstoppable each time he has gone after a target. Brill must face her own mortality and trust that God’s plan for her life will unfold exactly as He has ordained. Based on Romans 1:16. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…"

ARC Arrival: The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason

Received from Audra Jennings at The B&B Media Group.
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release: October 1, 2009

An orphan faces an evil magician in this literary fantasy for readers of all ages that probes the depths of good and evil.

The life of ten-year-old Zac Sparks changes overnight when his mother is killed by lightning. He's sent to live in Five Corners with his Aunties, two cruel old hags who obviously don't like him. It isn't long before Zac knows something really strange is going on. Five Corners is populated with weird characters--a midget butler, a girl who doesn't speak, a blind balloon seller, and a mysterious singer who is heard but not seen. Then there's the Aunties' father, Dada. Zac's first encounter with Dada is so terrifying he faints dead away.

The one bright spot is Sky Porter, the proprietor of the general store across the street, a friendly soul who encourages Zac--when the Aunties aren't looking--and shows him a kindness that is sadly lacking from his dismal life. But Sky isn't what he seems either, and when Zac learns Sky's amazing secret he realizes, to his dismay, that this wonderful man may have a very dark side as well.

Discovering that Dada is an evil magician who has found a way to live forever, Zac knows many lives are at stake, including his own. With time running out, he must turn to the one person who might be able to help: Sky Porter. Can Zac trust him?

ARC Arrival: Nibble & Kuhn by David Schmahmann

Nibble and Kuhn by David Schmahmann

Publisher: Academy of Chicago Publishers
Release Date: November 1, 2009

Two likeable newcomers learn the ropes of corporate law at Nibble & Kuhn - and fall in love - just as that most proper of Boston's venerable firms comically tries to 'rebrand' itself for the Google era. Pompous and arbitrary, the ruling junta of partners at N&K saddles Derek Dover with a high visibility lawsuit just weeks before trial. The diligent young attorney arranges things so that Maria Parma, his sassy aristocratic girl friend, also gets named to the case. Maria can't keep her hands off Derek...but it's complicated because she's engaged - and has been engaged - to another pedigreed European; it's painful because she will not consummate the relationship yet does nothing to discourage Derek's powerful attraction. As Derek prepares his arguments on behalf of seven young victims of industrial polluters, his anxieties about his career and his torments over Maria's mixed messages only increase. Have his eccentric WASP superiors handed Derek a 'toxic' case to ruin any shot at becoming a partner? How can he get his opponents to settle - the outcome the presiding judge all but demands - unless his unorthodox 'expert witnesses' perform with enough gravitas to match that of the other side with its Harvard Medical School scientist? Ultimately, Derek sets in motion a line of inquiry that spins events entirely out of the control of judge, jury, and any and all attorneys. "Nibble & Kuhn" presents a clever, eviscerating critique of lawyering and corporate politics at a self-important 'white shoe' firm, with its two appealing main characters trading repartee as they negotiate law and love.

ARC Arrival: Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

I received this through 1-ARC-Tours and I can't wait to read it.

Cass McKenna much prefers the company of ghosts over "breathers." Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody... and Cass loves dirt. She's on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass's whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim's life, she's surprised to realize he's not so bad--and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it's time to give the living another chance...

ARC Arrivals: Avalon December Romances

I received four December romances from Avalon books in the mail yesterday. So here's a sneak peak at the upcoming lineup.

Everything But a Christmas Eve by Holly Jacobs

For years, Nana Vancy Bashalde Salo believed that she’d cursed her own family to bad weddings. Now that the curse is broken, she’s bored. Her best friends, the ‘Silver Bells,’ convince her to try her hand at matchmaking. And Nana has just the person in mind, Salo Construction’s new office manager, Eve Allen.

Eve is coming out of a bad relationship and longs for a little quiet and order. That’s definitely not in the cards with Nana Vancy around. And it’s even less possible when Nana tries to hook her up with TC Potter, a boy who broke her heart in kindergarten when he told her there was no Santa, and then broke it again in 9th grade when he stood her up for a dance. Eve’s heart still healing from her last bad relationship, she doesn’t need it broken by TC for a third time.

Freelance writer, TC Potter makes his living by writing articles about Every American Man. His life was pretty much perfect until he was named one of America’s most eligible bachelors last year. He’s spent the last twelve month hiding out from women who’d like to de-bachelor him. Now he’s finally met someone he’d really like to date, but Eve’s not interested. But maybe with a Hungarian grandmother’s help, and a little Christmas magic, he can convince her that they have something too special to ignore?

Rejoin the Salo family in Everything But a Christmas Eve and discover if Nana Vancy really does have some Hungarian magic!

Outback Hero by Elisabeth Rose

Jonathan Knight can't believe his eyes when singer Stella Starr appears in tiny outback town Koologong. Stranded when her car breaks down, she is the answer to his prayers. If he can convince Stella to model the cotton clothing his company Koolwear produces, the struggling local industry will be saved. One problem. Stella is in disguise, calling herself Sue Starkey.

After a humiliating divorce, Stella flees the media spotlight. A celebrity since fifteen, she is desperate to be liked for who she is not what she is. Convinced no-one in Koologong recognises her, she enjoys the attention of local hero, Jonathan. What could he want from ordinary Sue? Nothing.

Lady Eugenia's Holiday by Shirley Marks

Even though she missed her London Season debut, Lady Eugenia Abbott's dreams of attending exciting parties and meeting dashing young gentlemen comes true as she travels with her aunt to the seaside city of Brighton for some post-Season gaiety.

Lady Eugenia becomes a social success, making the acquaintance of a handful of new close friends and befriending an eccentric Austrian musician. She even catches the attention of an elusive duke, whose curious behavior causes her to question his intentions.

In her pursuit of the duke, Lady Eugenia stumbles upon a deadly plot that places her life and that of the man she loves in danger. Given time, Eugenia can forgive the duplicity, but it's quite another thing to forget the betrayal of her heart.

The Madcap by Nikki Poppen (could not find a picture, sorry)

As unconventional as she is rich, American heiress Marianne Addison isn't exactly the kind of girl an Englishman takes home to his mother. no wonder Alasdair Braden is smitten.

By age nineteen, Marianne has conquered the nouveau riche circles of San Francisco, surveyed the males on offer, and decided to look elsewhere. Armed with her daddy's millions, a dazzling smile and western fortitude, she sets out to take England by storm.

Alasdair Braden has seen Marianne Addison's brand of mischief before. She waltzes too fast, rides too recklessly, and eats too much at dinner (sometimes with the wrong fork). Worst of all, she speaks her mind freely and without restraint, perhaps the quality that persuades Alasdair to take a rowdy wager after Marianne's latest social oversight. Could he turn her into a genteel lady ready to be accepted by English Society?

Alasdair's wild bet to tame the Season's madcap takes on far more personal importance than he'd intended. What started out as a lark to divert attention from his financial situation now turns dire. He needs to marry well and quickly to sustain his family's influence and finances. His mother has had the neighboring earl's perfect English daughter picked out for him since he was twelve. She has the breeding and fortune necessary to sustain the family's needs . . . unless Alasdair can come up with an alternative. Marianne is his last best hope of escaping this marriage of convenience. But it just may be that Marianne is also his only hope for love.

ARC Arrival: Sex, Drugs and Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection

Sex, Drugs and Gefilte Fish: The Heebe Storytelling Collection

I received this Brianne Beers at Hachette Books and will also be hosting a giveaway for this book closer to it's release date.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: October 26, 2009

Scoring weed for your uncle...Hanging out with porn stars on Christmas Eve...Eating nachos with the Mossad...Observing the Dyke Days of Awe...Getting held up at a Weight Watcher's meeting...Spying on your naked Hebrew School teacher.

From Heeb magazine--the definitive voice of a proud, searching, and irreverent new generation of American Jews--this first-of-a-kind fast and fun showcase spotlights the hilarious and heartful raconteurial gifts of many of today's leading writers, comedians, actors, artists, and musicians. Laura Silverman, Michael Showalter, Andy Borowitz, Joel Stein, Ben Greenman, Darrin Strauss, and others navigate sex, drugs, work, youth, family, and, on the lighter side, body and soul. You'll never bleach your arm hair again.

ARC Arrival: Ring of Fire by Pierdomenico Baccalari

Ring of Fire - Century Book 1 by Pierdomenico Baccalari

I received this from Random House.

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: September 8, 2009

Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world.

Rome, December 29.

A mix-up with their reservations forces Harvey from New York, Mistral from Paris, and Sheng from Shanghai to share a room with the hotel owner’s daughter, Elettra. The four kids discover an amazing coincidence—they all have birthdays on February 29, Leap Day. That night, a strange man gives them a briefcase and asks them to take care of it until he returns. Soon afterward, the man is murdered.

The kids open the briefcase. In it they find a series of clues that take them all over Rome, through dusty libraries and dark catacombs, in search of the elusive Ring of Fire, an ancient object so powerful that legend says even a Roman emperor couldn’t control it.

In the first book of the Century quartet, Italian author P. D. Baccalario begins a mystery that will take four cities and four extraordinary kids to solve.

ARC Arrival: A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

I received this from Miriam Parker at Hachette Books. I have been reading Anita Shreve since A Wedding in December came out and have read all of her new books and am in process of working my way through her backlist so I was excited to receive this new one by her.

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publish Date: September 22, 2009

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.

A CHANGE IN ALTITUDE illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

ARC Arrival: The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel by Maureen Lindley

I received this from Bloomsbury Marketing through Shelf Awareness.

Publisher: Bloomsbury, USA
Publish Date: September 1, 2009

Peking, 1914. When the eight-year-old princess Eastern Jewel is caught spying on her father’s liaison with a servant girl, she is banished from the palace, sent to live with a powerful family in Japan. Renamed Yoshiko Kawashima, she quickly falls in love with her adoptive country, where she earns a scandalous reputation, taking fencing lessons, smoking opium, and entertaining numerous lovers. Sent to Mongolia to become an obedient wife, Yoshiko mounts a daring escape and eventually finds her way back to Peking high society—this time with orders from the Japanese secret service. Based on the true story of a rebellious woman who earned a controversial place in history, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel is a vibrant reimagining of a thrilling life—a rich historical epic of palace intrigue, sexual manipulation, and international espionage.

ARC Arrival: The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin

The Christmas Clock By Kat Martin

I received this from Kim Miller at Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc.

Vanguard
October 2009
$14.95 U.S. / $18.95 CAN.
ISBN:978-1-59315-547-6
www.katbooks.com

Bestselling author Kat Martin creates an inspiring holiday story of vows broken and love redeemed, of courage and strength, and a memorable tale that will resonate long after the book is over.

Teddy Winters was eight years old that Christmas, too young to understand all the undercurrents swirling around him in the tiny Michigan town of Dreyerville.

He wasn’t able to value that Christmas for the miracle it truly was.

Teddy only knew he wanted to buy the beautiful Victorian clock in the window of Tremont’s Antiques as a gift for his grandmother, Lottie Sparks, a woman desperate to find him a home before her rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s left him an orphan.

Teddy didn’t know that in trying to buy the clock he would meet Sylvia Winters and Joe Dixon, a couple, once in love, desperate to overcome the past. He didn’t know he would form a friendship with his neighbors, Floyd and Doris Culver, two young people struggling to revive their long-dead marriage.

He didn’t know that these people would fill his Christmas with magic and hope; that the love of his friends would change his world, and he would forever change theirs.

ARC Arrival: Spinning Forward: A Novel (Cedar Key Series, book 1) by Terri DuLong

Spinning Forward: A Novel, Cedar Key Series, Book 1 by Terri DuLong

I received this from Kim Miller at Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc.

Kensington Trade Paperback
November 2009
$15 U.S
ISBN-10: 0-758-23204-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-3204-5
www.TerriDulong.com

In a debut novel brimming with warmth and wit, Terri DuLong spins a tale of new beginnings, old friends and lives forever bound . . .

A New Englander born and bred, the last place Sydney Webster expects to find herself starting over is on an island off the coast of Florida. Yet here she is in Cedar Key, trying to pull herself together after her husband's untimely death—and the even more untimely revelation of his gambling addiction. Bereft of her comfortable suburban life, Syd takes shelter at a college pal’s bed and breakfast, where amidst the bougainvillea blossoms and the island's gentle rhythms, a plan begins to form . . .

Syd never considered the possibility of turning her passion for spinning and knitting into something more than a hobby, but when the unique composition of her wool draws attention, a door is opened—the first among many. Yet even as she ventures out of her comfort zone, Syd finds herself stepping into the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship . . . and secrets. And as long-hidden truths are revealed, Syd faces a choice: spin a safety net—or spin decidedly forward and never look back . . .

This looks so good - I can't wait to read it.

ARC Arrival: The Bride Backfire by Kelly Eileen Hake

The Bride Backfire by Kelly Eileen Hake (Prairie Promises #2)

I received this from Barbour Publishing.

Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Publish Date: October 1, 2009

Come on down for a real family feud in this witty romance, the second novel in Kelly Eileen Hake's Prairie Promises series. In the Nebraskan Territory of 1857, the longstanding feud between their two families makes Opal Speck desperate to save the life of the Grogan who once pulled her from a burning building. Will her big white lie-that Adam is the father of her unborn child-land in enemy territory for the rest of her life? Find out how Adam and Opal deal with the repercussions of their shotgun wedding in The Bride Backfire!

ARC Arrival: After by Amy Efaw

After by Amy Efaw

I received this through 1 ARC Tour.

Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publish Date: August 11,2009
Pages: 350
Reading Level: Young Adult

Book Description:

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

I have heard really great things about this book and I'm looking forward to reading it.