Saturday Giveaway: Win a Book I reviewed this week

Hello - it's been awhile since I've had a book giveaway, funds have been low, but the problem is the books are piling up on my dresser and I need to find homes for them.  So this is in theory a weekly giveaway I will be having.  It's simple, fill out the form and you are entered.  Open to US/Canada only due to lack of funds. Following is not required, nor is tweeting or anything like that but if you would like to, I would be thrilled.

So what is up for grabs this week, your choice of one of the following:

   

Please note that Mystify and Scones and Bones are ARCs.  Giveaway open through next Friday, March 11 at 11:00pm so I can draw the winner and announce with my new Saturday giveaway next week.  A little something for everyone.  If you win, I'll email and ask your choice.  It's simple.

If you can't see the form, you can find it here.

Book Review: Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba

Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba

Publisher: Mainly Murder Press

Publish Date: January 1, 2011

Paperback, 248 pages 
Suspense
ISBN: 978-0982795224

My Review:
Why I read this: I'm intrigued by reality shows, though I only watch one.  We have watched Survivor since it's second season so when the author offered between her books, I chose this one.

My thoughts: Sink or Swim is a very interesting book.  It seems like a pretty simple premise.  Cassidy, the main character, returns from being on a reality show and of course her life changes. Some changes are for the better but it seems she has picked up a stalker along the way.  But the book is not just the mystery of who the stalker is and what will happen. It's also about Cassidy and watching her grow and change during the course of the book. 

I really enjoyed the character development from Cassidy.  She's not one-dimensional, the author really brings her out through the book. As she is set against different characters that come into her life I learned more and more about her as she does so herself.  I think the characterization is very important to this book and made it even more enjoyable to me.

The mystery element is also well-done.  I kept trying to guess through the book who the stalker was, then I would change my mind.  I have to say I didn't see the end coming and I'm glad.  I like that enough options were presented that even when you thought you knew who it was suddenly you changed your mind.  Ms. Juba does an excellent job of plotting this book out.  It never lagged.  From the first page until the last I found it hard to put down.  It went at just the right speed, I never felt things were hurried or too slow.

If you enjoy a good mystery with great characters then Sink or Swim is the book for you.  The reality show element is really in the background so if you hate reality shows don't let this put you off of an excellent book.  If you love reality shows, this is a great book with the reality show in the background.  Either way - it's a good book and will entertain you for several hours.  I cannot find fault with this book at all, the writing is well-done, the characters interesting, and the mystery stimulating.  An excellent book for a weekend or weeknight read!
 
My Rating: 4.75/5.0


About the Book:

When reality TV turns to murder, it's sink, swim or die. Ambitious personal trainer Cassidy Novak has gained national fame for starring on Sink or Swim, nicknamed SOS, a hit reality game show set aboard a Tall Ship. She hopes the prize money will help to launch her dream of owning a chain of fitness centers. 

Not only does she lose the competition and have to walk the plank in the finale, after the game show ends, the terror begins. Upon returning to her small Massachusetts hometown, Cassidy discovers she has attracted a stalker masterminding his own twisted game. She struggles to focus on her health club job and celebrity endorsement opportunities, but her stalker has other plans. As her former competitors get knocked off one-by-one, Cassidy refuses to play by his bizarre rules.

She's also being shadowed by hunky photographer Zach Gallagher, who has been assigned to capture her personal moments for a spread in the local newspaper. She wants to trust Zach, but fears he may not be the nice guy that he seems. With or without Zach's help, when the stalker forces a showdown by threatening her family, Cassidy must once again walk the plank - this time for her life.

About the Author: 

Award-winning writer Stacy Juba is the author of arresting mysteries from light to literary, ideal for book clubs or the beach. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY is now available in paperback and in multiple ebook formats. Her brand new reality TV show-themed mystery SINK OR SWIM is also available. She is also the author of the new patriotic children's picture book THE FLAG KEEPER.

Her young adult novel FACE-OFF was published by Avon Books when she was 18 years old under her maiden name, Stacy Drumtra. Stacy welcomes Goodreads friend invitations from fellow book lovers.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the author for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

$0.99 e-book offer from Istoria Books

A few months ago I reviewed an amazing book by author Libby Sternberg (who also writes under Libby Malin), Sloane Hall.  I loved this book and if you haven't read it yet, here's your chance to get it for $0.99!  What a great deal.  Simply go to Istoria Books and it is right there on the front page - this is for a limited time only.

You can also sign up for their mailing list for more discount offers and promo deals in the future.  That is right there on their home page as well.

Book Review: Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Publish Date: February 22, 2011

Trade Paperback, 352 pages 

Fiction
ISBN: 978-1451609820

My Review:
Why I read this: The premise sounded very interesting and I have heard about this author before so I jumped at the chance to read and review this so I could try out a new author.

My thoughts: Wow, what a book.  Ms. Pekkanen really has an inside look on marriage and womanhood.  When Michael has a death experience one day during a meeting, he changes completely.  Without consulting his wife, Julia, he decides he will give away all he owns in order to make amends for things he has done.  He also wants to concentrate fully on his wife Julia who he has neglected since starting his own business on the way to becoming a multi-millionaire.  But it's not that simple.  Julia has gotten use to their life and she resents him for pulling the money out from under her and she's holding other resentments as well.

Honestly there were times I thought I would put the book down.  Julia would seem a little childish but then Ms. Pekkanen would delve into the whys of her actions and thoughts and then I understood Julia so much more.  I think every woman will find some of herself in Julia, whether it has to do with marriage or relationship with family members or just trying to get ahead.  Julia turns out to be a remarkable character who grows through the book and learns to let go.  I enjoyed watching her journey and really felt for her at times.  Anyone who is married knows there are always rocky times and you both have to work to make it last.  Ms. Pekkanen does a wonderful job of showing this yet showing that sometimes it's better not to give up.

Michael was fascinating and it's not until later in the book that you really get into his motivations as well and you begin to understand the whys of what he is doing.  I think the author did a magnificent job of layering the plot so we pulled away layer by layer to see how the characters would develop next.  At times I wanted to bop both of them on the head, but there was a purpose to those times and it made the other times in the novel all the more special.

I also enjoyed Julia's friend, Isabelle, she brought a nice sideline into the story and also some humor.  I think all women want a friend like Isabelle, one who will laugh with you, cry with you and set you straight when you need to be.  I enjoyed watching their friendship.

The book moves quickly.  It is like you open the book to the first page and the next thing  you know you have read 100 pages and if those first 100 pages went fast then the last half of the book moves even faster.  It kept me up past my bedtime because I just had to finish it to see what would happen.

And that is all I am going to give you - just know it is a special book.  If you enjoy stories by Emily Giffin and Elizabeth Berg then give Sarah Pekkanen a try.  I know I am going to go back and read Opposite of Me now that I have read Skipping a Beat.  These are the types of stories I really enjoy.  Give me women characters who are struggling and not perfect, ones I can relate to and you have me hooked.  Ms. Pekkanen has gained a new fan in me after reading Skipping a Beat.

 
My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:

Julia and Michael meet in high school in their small, poverty-stricken West Virginia hometown. Both products of difficult childhoods -- Julia’s father is a compulsive gambler and Michael’s mother abandoned his family when he was a young boy – they find a sense of safety and mutual understanding in each other. Shortly after graduation they flee West Virginia to start afresh. Now thirty-somethings, they are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar,Washington D.C. home. From the outside it all looks perfect – Julia has become a highly sought-after party planner, while Michael has launched a wildly successful flavored water company that he sold for $70 million. 

But one day Michael stands up at the head of the table in his company's boardroom -- then silently crashes to the floor. More than four minutes later, a portable defibrillator manages to jump-start his heart. Yet what happened to Michael during those lost minutes forever changes him. Money is meaningless to him now - and he wants to give it all away to charity. A prenuptial agreement that Julia insisted upon back when Michael's company was still struggling means she has no claim to his fortune, and now she must decide: should she walk away from the man she once adored, but who truthfully became a stranger to her long before his near-death experience - or should she give in to her husband's pleas for a second chance and a promise of a poorer but happier life?

About the Author: 

Sarah Pekkanen is the author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat. Her work has been published in People, The Washington Post, USA Today, The New Republic, The Baltimore Sun, Reader’s Digest, and Washingtonian, among others.  She writes a monthly Erma Bombeck type column for Bethesda Magazine, and has been an on-air contributor to NPR and E! Entertainment’s “Gossip Show.”  She is the winner of a Dateline award and the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship. Sarah lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and three young sons.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Crystal at BookSparks PR.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: Mystify by Artist Arthur

Mystify by Artist Arthur

Publisher: Kimani

Publish Date: January 18, 2011

Paperback, 256 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal
Mystyx series #2

My Review:
Why I read this: I read Manifest last year and really enjoyed it and wanted to read more of the series.


My thoughts: Manifest was told from Krystal's point-of-view.  Manifest comes to us from Sasha's point-of-view.  It was fascinating to meet the next member of the three Mystyx characters.  I really liked Sasha and how she saw things.  She was a fascinating character and I enjoyed reading a book from her perspective.

The mystery of strange weather patterns and the darkness that seems to be overcoming their small town continues for the 3 "Mystyx" from Manifest.  As they learn more in this book, the reader does as well and we are treated to new characters both good and bad.  The storyline expands more in Mystify and makes me ready to read the next book.  More romance follows as it did for Krystal in the first book, it does for Sasha in this book.  But Mystify is not all about the romance, it's more of a side storyline to help develop Sasha's character.  The real storyline is how the Mystyx are still trying to understand their powers and figure out what is happening in their home town and how they can prevent a horrible event from happening in the future.

It's a fascinating storyline and I was hooked through the whole book.  Some big things happen but I didn't feel there was a big thing overall.  This felt like more of a transitional book, though it can be read as a stand-alone.  I enjoyed the book and I am definitely intrigued to read the next book as well.  I really want to know what will happen to the characters and the epilogue has me scratching my head as well (in a good way).

If you enjoy a different type of paranormal from the typical (but fun) vampires and werewolves, then try out the Mystyx series.  You can start with Manifest or just pick of Mystify.  Both are entertaining books that have interesting characters and a plot that moves each book along at a great pace.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:

Sasha Carrington has grown up feeling like an outsider, and her parents are too concerned with scaling the Lincoln, Connecticut, social ladder to even notice her. They'd be really horrified to know about the supernatural abilities Sasha and her friends Krystal and Jake possess. But as part of the Mystyx, Sasha has found her place.

Now her parents have suddenly taken an interest in everything she does, and their timing couldn't be worse. Sasha's father wants her to become BFFs with snooty Alyssa Turner, who hates Krystal for stealing her boyfriend. Then there's Antoine Watson, the boy Sasha has liked forever, the boy her parents would never approve of. But with the dark side getting more dangerous by the day, and the Mystyx's own powers growing in unexpected ways, Sasha is facing choices that could affect her friends, her love life—and even her destiny….

FTC Information: I received this book from Lisa Roe at Online Publicist for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: Scones and Bones by Laura Childs

Scones and Bones by Laura Childs

Publisher:Berkley

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Hardcover, 320 pages 
A Tea Shop Mystery #12
Fiction, Mystery, Cozy
ISBN: 978-0425238967

My Review:
Why I read this:  I was contacted by the author last year to review Bedeviled Eggs which is one of Cackleberry Club Mysteries.  I loved it so much that I pretty much begged the author to review more of her books.  Okay, I didn't really beg, but I did ask nicely :)  She is wonderful too and sent me the ARC of Scones and Bones so I could try another one of her series.


My thoughts:  I am starting to realize that I really enjoy Cozy Mysteries.  They are a lot of fun with out all the sometimes gruesome details of other mystery and suspense novels and it's also fun to watch an amateur solve the case.  And Ms. Childs makes some very interesting characters in her books that I found endearing and I enjoyed watching through the book.

This is the first book I have read in The Tea Shop Mystery series, and it's the 12th book in the series.  But don't let that stop you if you haven't read any in the series.  I know I would know and understand the characters more if I had read the earlier books, but I never felt lost and I got to know the characters well and found that this book is a good stand-alone cozy mystery.  Will I go back and read the series now?  Sure I will and I will continue to read from this point.  The characters and the setting have really drawn me in and I look forward to having another series to read.

Let's talk a little about characters.  Theodosia, Drayton and Hayley seem to be the main characters.  They are the owners and workers at their tea shop in Charleston, South Carolina.  I loved getting to know them a little in this book and found I really liked all three of them and liked how the work together even though they are all three very different people.  Theodosia (Theo) takes the lead role in the book and she and Drayton work together to solve the mystery with help from some other friends, while running the tea shop and participating in the Food and Wine week that is going on in the city.  To go along with the mystery there may also be some romance brewing.

I also found the setting to be fascinating.  Charleston is a town I would like to visit and since I live just a few hours north on the North Carolina coast I loved the setting.  I also loved the pirate lore in this book.  Using Blackbeard is a great plot device.  Everyone knows about Blackbeard and I loved seeing our own beloved Beaufort Inlet mentioned in the book (I live and work just a few miles from there and that is where the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ship has been found).  Ms. Childs does a wonderful job with pirate lore and incorporating it into the story and into the Charleston area.

The mystery was fun.  I liked following Theo and Drayton around as they met other people and began to put the pieces together.  Though I did somewhat suspect who did it, it still came as a surprise once they figured it out.  It makes a great cozy mystery and I enjoyed reading every minute of it.

My only problem with the whole book was I felt the ending was a little rushed.  I understand that this happens sometimes.  Even though I was a bit disappointed with this, it did not take away from my overall love for the book.  And I will definitely be picking up the next one in this series to see where a storyline from this book goes and to see what kind of mystery Theo and Drayton get to solve next.

 
My Rating: 4.25/5.0


About the Book:

Savor the latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Teaberry Strangler. 
 
Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is lured into attending the Heritage Society's "Pirates and Plunder" soiree. But it's an antique diamond skull ring that gets plundered by someone who murders a history intern in the process. Theodosia knows she'll have to whet her investigative skills to find the killer among a raft of suspects.
About the Author: 

Laura Childs, is also the author of the Scrapbooking mystery series and the Cackleberry Club mystery series. In her past life she was a Clio Award-winning advertising writer and CEO of her own marketing firm. 

 

Website

FTC Information: I received this book from the author for a honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

February Summary

February Summary 

1. The Big Show Stopper by Ken Dalton - read 2/2/2011
2. Deadly Codes Screenplay by JP O'Donnell and  - read 2/5/2011
3. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver - read 2/5/2011
4. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich - read 2/8/2011
5. The Resurrection by Mike Duran - read 2/9/2011
6. The Werewolf Upstairs by Ashlyn Chase - read 2/10/2011
7. A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck - read 2/12/2011
8. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf - read 2/12/2011
9. The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner - read 2/16/2011
10. The Promises We Keep by Erin Healy - read 2/17/2011
11. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich - read 2/18/2011
12. Final Vector by Allen Leverone - read 2/19/2011 
13. How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf - read 2/22/2011
14. Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda - read 2/24/2011 
15. The Heart Doctor and the Baby by Lynne Marshall - read 2/25/2011
16.  Scones and Bones by Laura Childs - read 2/27/2011
17. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich - read 2/28/2011
18. Mystify by Artist Arthur - read 2/28/2011
    

Review books:14

Library Books:3
Books from my bookshelf:1

A much better month than January even though it was 3 days shorter.  I need to get busy reading to make my goal at the end of the year.  The good thing - I have really enjoyed all the books I have read this month!

Favorite of the month:This is really tough this month because there are lots of contenders.  I could go through and list by different genres but I think I am going to choose These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf - just an amazing book that you must check out if you haven't yet.

So how was your reading month?


Challenge Progress:

• YA Reading Challenge:  7/50
• Support Your Local Library Challenge:  8/51
• 100+ Reading Challenge:  31/217
• 2011 Audiobook Challenge:  4/20
• 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge:  0/15
• Cruizin' Through Cozies: 0/12
• 2011 A to Z Challenge (Titles): 13/26
• 2011 Reading From My Shelves Project:  0/24
• Edgar Awards Reading Challenge:  0/6
• 2011 Debut Author Challenge:  2/30
• 2011 Ebook Challenge:  3/20
• Book Bucket List:  0/12
• 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:  0/5
• The Alphabet in Crime Fiction:  2/26
• 2011 Show Me the Free Reading Challenge:  0/12