Win Arrival: To Beguile A Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

To Beguile a Beast (Book 3 in The Legend of Four Soldiers series) by Elizabeth Hoyt

I won this from Meghan at her Medieval Bookworm Blog, go and check it out. Thank you so much Meghan for hosting this giveaway - I am really looking forward to reading this.

From the back cover:

CAN A WOUNDED BEAST . . .

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he's kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST . . .

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle . . . and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and she won't let dust-or a beast of a man-scare her away.

TO TAME HIS MOST SECRET DESIRES?

Beneath Helen's beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn't back away from his surliness-or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen's secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find-a happy ever after.

Review Copy Arrival: Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel

Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel

I received this from Miriam Parker at Hachette Books.

Publisher: 5 Spot
Publish Date: August 13, 2009
Pages: 400

From Amazon.com:

Thirty-four-year-old Manhattan accountant Cat Connelly has always lived life on the safe side. But after her little sister gets married, Cat wonders if she has condemned herself to a life of boredom by playing by the rules. She decides to take a chance for once, accepting an invitation to spend a month with an old flame in Italy. But her reunion with the slick and gorgeous Francesco is short-lived, and she finds herself suddenly alone in Rome. Now, she must see if she has the courage to live outside the lines for the first time - and to face a past she never understood. It will take an unexpected friendship with a fiery Italian waitress, a whirlwind Vespa tour of the Eternal City with a handsome stranger, and a surprise encounter with an old acquaintance to show Cat that life doesn't always work out the way you expect, but sometimes you have to have fall in order to fly.

I have been enjoying the books I have been reading from the 5 Spot imprint and I am really looking forward to this one.

Book Review and Giveaway: Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust

Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust


rating: 4.0/5.0






From Amazon.com:

All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems.

A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos--and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home.

Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers.

I loved the first Daniel X book and I was eagerly awaiting the newest one. So I was thrilled to receive this as a review copy from Miriam Parker at Hachette books.

The second installment doesn't disappoint, it has Daniel back facing 2 new nemesis aliens from The List. I love his secondary characters who are from his imagination. His interaction with them is fascinating. This book also brings in interaction with a new real character and possible love interest. This added a new dimension to the book.

The background happenings and the reason Daniel is after 2 aliens on the list makes and interesting story line and it catches your attention and you don't want to put the book down.

It's a quick, fun read and I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. These books are rocket science, they really don't require much thought, just time to read for genuine enjoyment.

Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: July 27, 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 288

Miriam Parker at Hachette books has kindly offered to send one of my readers a copy of the newest Daniel X book. The contest will end on August 15, 2009. US and Canada Entrants only please. Please enter by:

1. Commenting on my blog, make sure I have a way to contact you. (+1)
   
2. Become a blog follower or let me know if you are already a follower (+1)
3. Tell me if you have read the first Daniel X book and whether you liked it or not (+1)
4. Tweet about this review and giveaway, use @cfulcher in the tweet so I can find it (+1)
5. Follow me on Twitter (or let me know if you are a current follower) (+1)
6. Blog about this contest and let me know the link (sidebar or post is fine) (+1)

So there you go - 6 ways to get an entry into this contest. You can leave them in separate posts or one post, it doesn't matter, I will make sure you get your entries, just make sure to let me know what you do.

Friday Finds - July 31

Friday Finds is hosted over on Should Be Reading. It's all about what great books you have heard about/discovered in the past week. Here is my entry, and head over to the Should Be Reading Blog to read others and find books to add to your TBR pile!



I've been catching up on blogs this week some and I found the first entry at The Misadventures of Super Librarian. I love Wendy's blog. The book I found she blogged about on July 8th, which is Shatter by Michael Robotham. This one looks really good.

In Michael Robotham’s latest thriller, psychologist Joe O’Loughlin—the appealing hero of Suspect—tries to prevent a suicide and finds himself locked in a deadly duel with a very clever killer.

Joe O'Loughlin is on familiar territory—standing on a bridge high above a flooded gorge, trying to stop a distraught woman from jumping. She is naked, wearing only high-heel shoes, sobbing into a cell phone. Suddenly, she turns to him and whispers, “You don’t understand,” and lets go. Joe is shattered by the suicide and haunted by his failure to save the woman, until her teenage daughter finds him and reveals that her mother would never have committed suicide—not like that. She was terrified of heights. Compelled to investigate, Joe is soon obsessed with discovering who was on the other end of the phone. What could have driven her to commit such a desperate act? Whose voice? What evil?

Having devoted his career to repairing damaged minds, Joe must now confront an adversary who tears them apart: a man who searches for the cracks in a person’s psyche and claws his fingers inside, destroying what makes them whole.

With pitch-perfect dialogue, believable characters, and intriguingly unpredictable plot twists, Shatter is guaranteed to keep even the most avid thriller readers riveted long into the night.

Another one I found at Wendy's blog and it's all over twitter too is Tessa Dare's Goddess of the Hunt.

In this lush and seductive novel, exciting new author Tessa Dare takes desire to brazen heights.

Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother’s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a smoldering passion–one that could send all her plans up in smoke.

Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets. He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming, he must give his passions free rein. Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control. When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin? Or will he risk his heart and claim her for his own?

That's it for this week. I need to do some more blog catch up. So what did you find this week?

ARC Arrival: hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I received this from Miriam Parker at Hachette Books.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Publish Date: October 13, 2009
Pages: 400

From the book cover:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I am loving young adult novels at the moment and this one sounds really good. I'll be giving my ARC away after I read it, so be on the lookout for that.

Review and Giveaway - Hollywood is Like High School with Money by Zoey Dean

Hollywood is Like High School With Money





rating: 4.5/5.0










From the back of the arc:

Twenty-four-year old Taylor Henning has just landed her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio. But when her catty coworkers trick her into almost getting fired, she realizes that the old saying "Hollywood is like school with money" just may be true. The thing is, Taylor wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school-how is she supposed to do any better the second time around?

That's when she meets her boss's popular sixteen-year-old daughter Quinn, and has an epiphany: maybe this teenager can teach her how to use her queen bee tactics to succeed in the Hollywood popularity contest. Quinn comes up with a plan to teach Taylor one lesson a week-everything from "Fake it 'til you make it" to "It's *never* your fault"--and soon Taylor finds herself winning the war against rival assistant Kylie. Until, that is, she's directed to steal Kylie's boyfriend, and something happens that's not in the game plan: Taylor falls for the guy. Now she must do the impossible-- harness her inner mean girl while staying true to herself.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was my first book by Zoey Dean and I will look to her backlist to read some more. She really seems to have her pulse on the younger female trying to make her way in the world (and this is not truly exclusive to the 20-something female - it's true for all females).

From the beginning I liked Taylor - I could identify with her. Wanting to succeed at what she was doing, yet she's not truly a backstabber or an extreme go-getter. However in Hollywood, she has to reinvent herself to get ahead unlike how she was in high school. Enter her boss' daughter who gives her lessons on how to get ahead. Also her co-worker becomes her nemesis and she tries to do all she can to sabotage her, even accidentally falling for her boyfriend.

Even though Taylor begins to change, her true self still shines through. It's a novel about growth and learning to be yourself and still get ahead. There are twists and turns, some laughs and some times I needed a tissue. It's a real story, yet it lets you getaway for awhile. You can be Taylor and feel all her emotions, and that is something that shows a great story.

Check it out - you won't be disappointed.


Binding: Paperback
On-sale Date: July 23, 2009
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 288

I have one copy of the book to giveaway thanks to Miriam Parker. I will open the contest today through August 15. Please enter by:

1. Commenting on my blog, make sure I have a way to contact you. (+1)
   
2. Become a blog follower or let me know if you are already a follower (+1)
3. Tell me any other Zoey Dean books you have read and enjoyed (+1)
4. Tweet about this review and giveaway, use @cfulcher in the tweet so I can find it (+1)
5. Follow me on Twitter (or let me know if you are a current follower) (+1)
6. Blog about this contest and let me know the link (sidebar or post is fine) (+1)

So there you go - 6 ways to get an entry into this contest. You can leave them in separate posts or one post, it doesn't matter, I will make sure you get your entries, just make sure to let me know what you do.''

Other reviews of Hollywood is Like High School With Money:

Kristi at Books and Needlepoint
Poplin's Lair
Bellas Novella
A Novel Menagerie
The Review Broads
Drey's Library
In Bed With Books
Reading is My Superpower
Merry Weather
Books, Movies and Chinese Food

ARC Arrival: I Can See You by Karen Rose

I Can See You by Karen Rose

I received this from Miriam Parker at Hachette Books.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: August 5, 2009
Pages: 496

From the ARC:

New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose delivers her latest pulse-pounding suspense novel, where the line between the virtual world and everyday reality blurs when it comes to murder.

Eve Wilson's face was once scarred by a vicious assault. Terrified and ashamed, she escaped to the online realm, where she could choose the face she allowed people to see. Years later, her outer scars faded and inner scars buried, Eve has fought her way back to the real world and is determined to help others do the same. Now a graduate student moonlighting as a bartender, Eve researches the addictive powers of online communities. When her test subjects begin turning up dead as a result of apparent suicides, she doesn't know where to turn.

Homicide detective Noah Webster is one of the few people who believe the victims are connected murders. Eve becomes Noah's online guide and realizes that the handsome detective may have secret scars as painful as her own. As Eve and Noah chase a killer who is always one step ahead of them, together they try to overcome the tragedies of their pasts and learn to trust again, but they soon discover that danger is much closer than they think.

I love Karen Rose so I am looking forward to reading this. Romantic Suspense is one of my absolute favorite things to read and Karen Rose is a master at it.