In My Mailbox - September 10, 2011

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.

My in-the-mail books seem to be slowing down - I've been moderating myself and choosing fewer books, planning on playing catchup on the books I have.  But the ones I have gotten are great.  I'm also choosing more from netgalley and accepting more from indie authors that query me when their stories intrigue me - I love reading on my Kindle and the books don't clutter my house.  Now I still love to hold a book in my hand and love to get a coveted ARC as well, but it's nice to read on the Kindle now and then too.

Lethal by Sandra Brown

Grand Central Publishing, Hardcover

Expected Pub Date: September 20, 2011

I think I probably squeeled when I opened this one - I had seen it on Amazon and really wanted it and then it came in the mail - I may have requested it, can't remember, but I was thrilled to get it.  Received it Friday the 2nd, cracked it open Sunday night the 4th, finished it Monday evening the 5th and it's good!

When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society.

 Hades by Alexandra Adornetto (Halo #2)

Feiwel and Friends, Hardcover

Pub Date: August 30, 2011

Another one I squeeled over, I loved Halo so I was excited to get this one!

Heaven Help Her.
Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.
The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

The Hard-to-Get Cowboy by Crystal Green

Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2011

received from the author

What Seriously Single Cowboy Is Getting Serious About Thunder Canyon's Most Eligible Bachelorette?

The marriage proposals are flying -- and Laila Cates is saying "I won't" to every eligible cowboy from Montana to Texas! The independent beauty has sworn off romance. But we hear she's been changing her tune ever since the new man in town set his sights on her....

Settling down is the last thing on Jackson Traub's mind. The oilman-turned-rancher is here to take care of family business, but the minute he sees Laila, he knows she's got to be his. And soon, the sparks between them have the whole town ablaze! Maybe the good-time cowboy and Thunder Canyon's most eligible bachelorette are having second thoughts about this whole happily-ever-after business. Stay tuned, devoted readers, to see if love can change these two willful hearts!

 The Poison Diaries: Nightshade by Maryrose Wood

Pub Date: October 25

Received through Once Upon a Twilight Tours

A dark, gothic tale of romance… and murder.
The latest book in the grippingly dark series, The Poison Diaries.

Our heroine, Jessamine, has lost her faith in the men she loved, and her innocence as well. She turns to the dark side and plots to kill her father, using his own poisons, before becoming an assassin, a poisoner for hire. Can she recover from her heartache and reunite with her true love, Weed? Find out in this thrilling story where poisons, darkness and horror are a part of everyday life, and love is the only cure.

Some ebooks I have received from authors this week are:

An Uncommon Family by Christa Polkinhorn

Bookworm Press, May 27, 2011

I reviewed and loved Love of a Stonemason so I can't wait to read this prequel to Love of a Stonemason.

A chance meeting between a middle-aged woman, a widower, and a semi-orphaned child in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, brings together three people who grapple with a past of loss and betrayal. Six-year-old Karla, whose mother died in a car crash, has a hard time accepting the loss. Anna, her aunt and guardian, struggles with her former husband’s deception and her shattered confidence in men, and Jonas, artist and teacher, mourns the death of his wife.

While trying to help Karla, a talented but troubled child, Anna and Jonas develop feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. The budding romance, however, hits a snag when Anna discovers a sinister secret in Jonas’s past. While the two adults have come to an impasse, young Karla takes matters into her own hands. Together with a friend, she develops a plan to bring the two uncooperative adults back together. The plan, however, creates havoc and as it begins to unravel, Karla is forced to learn some difficult lessons.

An Uncommon Family is a story about loss, lies, and betrayal but also about the healing power of love and forgiveness. It takes places in Switzerland, New York City, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

Corvallis Press, January 15, 2011

This one is for this month's Bestseller for a day on September 29.

The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass.--Violet Parker

Irony is having a big ol' fiesta and Violet Parker is the piñata.  Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Violet's daughter could be next.  Short on time and long on worry, she's desperate to find the monster behind the abductions.  But with her jerkoff co-worker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending creepy love poems, and a sexy-as-hell stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, Violet just might end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed.

Skulls by Armand Rosamilia

Rymfire ebooks, September 5, 2011

Six tales from author Armand Rosamilia, including "Memorial Site", "Vacation's End", "1920 Gallery Card #4", "Stairs To The Ocean", "Beastie", "Crow Mill Bridge" plus a preview of the urban horror novella "Death Metal"

 Aefle & Gisela by Libby Malin

Istoria Books, July 19, 2011

STOPPING A WEDDING: WHAT COULD GO WRONG? 

Medieval History Professor Thomas Charlemagne thinks he's finally slaying the dragon of his "Timid Tommy" reputation when he responds to an outlandish dare at a bachelor party and stops a wedding the very next morning. The only problem? He wanders into the wrong church. That doesn't matter to bride DeeDee McGowan, however, who was having second, third, and fourth thoughts about saying "I do" anyway. She grabs the chance to leave her groom at the altar, dragging Tom with her. DeeDee and Tom share a history, a fling more than ten years ago, before he went off to graduate school and started ascending the career ladder of academe and she took over her father's car dealership in sleepy Oyster Point, Maryland, building it into a coveted business treasure. Their reconnection sets sparks flying between them -- from the original passion that bonded them and the class differences that parted them. 

Meanwhile, what started as a prank leads to serious legal issues for both Tom and DeeDee as the groom sues them, DeeDee countersues, and Tom is caught in the middle. Concerned that this distraction will affect his quest for tenure, Tom encounters an unsympathetic department chair eager to replace him with a renaissance expert from the UK and a women's studies professor committed to challenging the "validity" of Thomas's signature research into an obscure poetry-writing medieval monk, Aefle, and his lady-love, Gisela. 

A comic romp blended with sharp satire, AEFLE AND GISELA delivers laughs and love as Thomas learns, along with his "little monk," that life outside the “scriptorium” requires him to find real courage at last

 The Dome by Nova Sparks

April 11, 2011

What if you knew the exact date and time the world will end, what would you do? Sam Tucker was faced with that dilemma when he began getting visions of the Earth's demise. Luckily for him, he was able to save his family and as many people as he could before the tragic event occurred, and he did so with the help of unknown visitors. With Earth now destroyed, Sam, his family and thousands of other lucky survivors must live the rest of their lives on a faraway planet in a Dome that simulates life on Earth. But Sam's mind can't seem to rest as a few questions arise. Why did the aliens save them? How did they know about Earth's sure fate? And exactly what are they hiding?

Emma Tucker begged for an escape from her boring life but never in a million years did she think it would come at the destruction of Earth. Living on a new planet and finding it difficult to get rid of her rebellious habits, Emma finds herself making friends with a member of the alien race and it soon develops into an unexplainable love; a love that is more dangerous than she could ever imagine. While her father is searching for his own truths, she has no idea that she is stumbling on a truth of her own.

Told from the point of view of both Sam and Emma, author Nova Sparks takes readers on a journey to discover love, fate, faith, truth and the mystery of the DOME!

Airel by Aaron Patterson
StoneHouse Ink, August 31, 2011


All Airel ever wanted to be was normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like sudden mysterious illness. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything she hopes for even now. Airel knew change would be inevitable as life went on. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

 The Concert Killer by RJ McDonnell
Killeena Publishing, August 30, 2011

A religious fanatic serial killer, who hates rock music, tries to shut down the concert industry. A group of independent concert promoters hire private investigator Jason Duffy and his staff of former outpatient mental health clients to catch him. The killer believes that God rewards His favorites with the most money, and keeps score of his victims on the back of a dollar bill. Jason uses his background as a counselor and club musician to battle his cleverest and most twisted adversary ever.

The author of the 2010 Mystery/Thriller of the Year, Rock & Roll Rip-Off, once again adds LOL humor in between compelling action scenes. Besides offering readers a backstage pass to the music industry, The Concert Killer brings to light a potentially catastrophic danger that few have ever considered. 

Book Blogger Hop - 9/9 - 9/12

I haven't joined in on the Blog Hop in awhile, but it's time to join in again.  To join, hop on over to Crazy-for-Books, make your post and sign up.  Then hop around and get to know your fellow bloggers over the weekend.  It's a lot of fun and I have missed it.  This week's question is:

“Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?”

 

I read pretty much anything but I guess my primary genre would be suspense.  If suspense did not exist anymore, I would probably move onto romance and young adult with a sprinkling of historical fiction as well.  There is so much out there that I definitely would never give up reading.

 

How about you?

 

And if you are hopping  by - please check out my sidebar - I have two giveaways going on, one for the choice of 5 books that I have reviewed and one for a copy of County Line by Bill Cameron, both are easy to enter. 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

***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.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

Box of Books Giveaway!

It's been awhile since I've done a giveaway and I really need to get rid of some of the books I have read - they have been piling up.  And what better way to do that than to pass them on to you!  So up for grabs is 5 books from my Giveaway Page (which I will still be adding books to over the week).  Open to the US/Canada only, and ends next Friday.  Fill out the Rafflecopter below.  All that is mandatory is your name and email, but there are several other easy options for extra points, some of them you probably have already done.  So help me get rid of some books and add some great books to your TBR pile :)  Good Luck!

Excerpt and Giveaway: County Line by Bill Cameron

Excerpt - No One Home
By Bill Cameron,
Author of County Line

To my credit, the first thing I don't do is go stand in the street outside her bedroom window, iPod in my pocket and portable speakers raised above my head. Not that she has a bedroom window -- nothing so prosaic for Ruby Jane Whittaker. The point is I show uncharacteristic restraint and so -- lucky me -- miss out on the chance to watch a man die.

I've been away a month. Ruby Jane called it a retreat, a chance to get my head screwed on at last after a long winter brooding and recovering from a bloody confrontation which left three dead and me with a near-fatal gunshot wound. She's the one who found The Last Homely House, an out-of-the-way bed-and-breakfast at the coast esteemed for a breathtaking ocean view and the curative powers of its hot springs. When I asked if she'd chosen the spot because it sat in a cellular dead zone in a dale on a precipitous headland, she laughed and told me I'd have to hike into town if I wanted to call her. Doctor's orders were for lots of walking, but despite repeated marches down the mountain, I managed to reach her only a couple of times during my sojourn, the last a couple of weeks earlier. She hasn't picked up since.

Too long for me, maybe not long enough for Ruby Jane. She dropped me off, and had planned to pick me up again. But as radio silence lengthened, I arranged for an overpriced rental car instead.

I dial her cell before getting on the highway. She doesn't pick up. During the drive to Portland -- ninety-three-point-nine miles according to Google Maps -- I keep my hand on my phone as though I can pull a signal from the air through the power of touch. By the time I'm negotiating the vehicular chop on Route 26 through Hillsboro and Beaverton, I've succumbed to the urge to redial at least twice as often as I've resisted. Doesn't matter anyway. Every attempt goes straight to voicemail.

Self-delusion was easier in the days before Caller ID and 24-hour digital accessibility.

I pull up in front of Uncommon Cup at Twelfth and Ash shortly before seven. Her apartment is a few blocks away, but I'm more likely to find her at one of her shops. Through the window I can see a guy mopping. He's mid-twenties, with dark flyaway hair and a five-day beard. As I watch, he spins and kicks one leg to the side. Fred Astaire with a mop handle. I don't recognize him -- no surprise. Ruby Jane employs a couple dozen people now. A lone customer sits at a table next to the window, a fellow thick with layers. Thermal shirt under flannel under a half-zipped hoodie under a denim jacket. He holds a ceramic cup under his nose. There's no sign of Ruby Jane.

As I get out of the car, the guy in all the layers looks up, then checks his watch. He unwinds from his chair and is coming out as I reach the door. Tall and lean, baby-faced, with blue eyes peeking out from inside his hood. "Quitting time, man."

"I won't be settling in."

He slides past me out the door. Inside, I breathe warm air laced with the scents of coffee and bleach. The space is cast in dark wood, and sandblasted brick with mix-n-match tables and chairs from a half-dozen different diners. Barbra Streisand caterwauls from hidden speakers. The guy with the mop pauses mid-pirouette when he sees me.

"Sorry, man. We're closed."

"I'm looking for Ruby Jane."

He props himself up on the upright mop handle. His eyes gaze two different directions, neither at me. "Who?"

"Ruby Jane Whittaker? The owner?"

He sniffs. "Oh. Sure, Whittaker. I didn't make the connection." He looks around the shop as if he expects to catch her hiding under a table. "She's not here."

"So I see. Is she at one of the other shops?"

"How would I even know that, man?"

I don't like his tone, or maybe I don't like feeling so out of touch. "Who's the manager today?"

He turns his back. "Marcy's the only manager I know."

"Do you know where she is?"

"She took off at five. Something about seeing a band."

I take a breath and finger my cell phone. Ruby Jane's newest location, I haven't been to this shop more than a couple of times.

"Pal?" I look up. "I've got to finish up here, man."

Streisand gives way to Sinatra and I wonder what possessed this jackhole to tune in the Starbucks channel on the satellite radio. "Do you have Marcy's number?"

"Her phone number?"

"No, her social security number."

"I don't know you. I don't think she'd appreciate me giving out her number to a stranger."

"I'm Skin Kadash."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

My cheek twitches. "Who I am is a guy who has enough sway with the woman who signs your checks that you don't want to keep fucking with me." My fingertips run across a patch of red skin on my throat the color and texture of raw hamburger.

His eyes come into sudden alignment and he ducks his head. "It's just, well, I'm new here and I don't know you."

Now I'm the jackhole. I lower my chin and turn my hands over, conciliatory. "How about you call Marcy? Tell her Skin needs to talk to her. I'll be quick."

He considers that for a moment, eyes fixed on my hands. "Okay. Hang on a second." He props the mop handle against a table and goes back behind the counter. I wonder if I can convince him to sell me a bagel, closing time or not. I haven't eaten since morning. He checks a notebook from under the counter, dials a number.

"Hi, Marcy. It's Alvin . . . yeah, sorry, listen there's some guy here -- " He looks up at me. "What did you say your name was?"

"Tell her it's Skin."

His face blanches a shade or two. "He calls himself, uh, Skin -- "

He thrusts the phone my way. "Marcy, hey."

"Damn, Skin, where the hell you been? Been like a month since my last dose of bloodcurdling ugly."

"I was off scaring starfish and sandpipers."

"A month at the beach. Did you meet any nice lady sea monsters?"

"The surf was crawling." I clear my throat and change the subject. "Hey, you know what's up with RJ? I've been trying to get hold of her, no answer."

"Shit, man. You didn't know? She's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

"I'd have thought if anyone knew, it would be you."

"I don't understand."

"A couple of weeks ago, she asked me to manage the shops while she took care of personal business out of town."

"Did she say when she'd be back?"

"About two weeks, so she's due anytime." There's a slight pause, half a beat. "She didn't call you?"

I take a moment to respond. "Cell service was spotty where I was staying."

"She must not have been able to get through."

She could have left a voicemail, if nothing else. "You've no idea what's going on?"

"She said there was nothing to worry about, if that's what you're thinking."

"What do you think?"

"This is RJ we're talking about. I'm sure she's fine." I can almost hear her shrug through the phone. "Listen, I'm supposed to meet some people, but tell you what. I'll be working at Hollywood tomorrow. Why don't you come by? We'll catch up."

"Okay. Thanks, Marcy."

"Good to have you back, Skin."

Then she's gone. Alvin takes the phone, places it back on the charger behind the counter. "Find out what you need?"

"Uh, yeah." Ruby Jane, gone and out of touch, without explanation. Doesn't make sense. In all the time I've known her, she's taken only one vacation -- a trip to Victoria with her one-time beau Peter and me. She fretted about the shop the whole time we were gone.

"You need anything else, man? Call you a cab maybe?"

Alvin's color is coming back, his expression growing impatient. I don't know if he senses my dismay or has recovered from the sight of my neck, but sudden heat rises in my chest. "Marcy told me to tell you to crack the register and sell me a bagel."

His lips form a line and a crease appears between his eyebrows. "Yeah. Sure. Fine."

"Sesame seed, with cream cheese. Toasted."

But when I reach for my wallet, my pocket is empty. Back straight, Alvin slices the bagel and drops it in the toaster.

"Hang on a second, I need my wallet." As I head for my car, I think about the guy in layers who brushed past me as I came in. I look up and down Twelfth. There's no sign of him. My wallet is in the gutter beside the rental car.

I sigh and head back inside.

Alvin is waiting for me. "Everything all right?"

"The guy who left as I came in, do you know who it was?"

He ponders. "Like I said, I'm -- "

"New. Right. I got it."

"What's wrong?"

"Bastard picked my pocket. Took my cash and tossed my wallet in the gutter."

Alvin thinks for a moment, glances at my neck as he wraps the bagel. "I hope he left you your debit card."
The above is an excerpt from the book County Line by Bill Cameron. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2011 Bill Cameron, author of County Line




Author Bio
Bill Cameron, is the author of dark, Portland-based mysteries featuring Skin Kadash: Lost Dog, Chasing Smoke, Day One, and County Line. His stories have appeared in Killer Year, Portland Noir, West Coast Crime Wave, and the 2010 ITW anthology First Thrills. His books have been finalists for multiple awards, including three times for the Spotted Owl Award for Best Northwest Mystery. Cameron lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is at work on his next novel.

For more information please visit http://www.billcameronmysteries.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter

Giveaway
The publicist has generously offered two copies of County Line by Bill Cameron as a giveaway.  The giveaway is open to US/Canada only and will be open through 9/15/2011.  I'll announce the winners next Friday, 9/16.  To enter, fill in the info asked for in Rafflecopter below, all that is needed to enter is your email address and your name but there are extra entries available.  

I'm giving Rafflecopter a try for this one, let me know how you like it.

Book Review: The Ambition by Lee Strobel

The Ambition by Lee Strobel

Publisher: Zondervan

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Hardcover, 288 pages 
Fiction, Suspense, Christian
 ISBN: 978-0310292678

My Review:
My thoughts:  The Ambition brings forth a very interesting premise, what if a very prominent preacher did step into a political office.  But that is not the only thing going on in this novel.  No, for a short novel, there is a lot going on.  There is a romance between an atheist and a budding Christian that goes to the church of the prominent pastor.  The atheist is a reporter who is trying to get a major story to save his job and thinks this prominent pastor might be that story.  There is also a crooked judge, a crooked politician, the mob, some really good people, some innocent bystanders and some in-between.  The book is filled with characters, but they all stand out and I never really found them confusing.

However there is a lot going on in the book.  It made for a very exciting read and I couldn't help turning from page to page.  I came to really care for some of the characters like the newspaper reporter Strider.  I want him to come to terms with his life and find his faith.  I also wanted the best for Pastor Snow who I felt really lost himself in the chase for political power (and that was the point).  I liked the characters and I felt for them and that made the book for me along with the fast-paced plot.

I think the only thing that I didn't like was how quickly things were tied up - I really think the book needed about 100 more pages and I am hoping this is the beginning of a series (please, please, please).  It was left finished at the end, but a little open so I can hope.  I would love to see more of these characters and see where life after this book takes them.  However it is tied up enough that you feel like the book is over.

Great characters that you come to feel like are your friends and a fast-paced plot make The Ambition a very-worthwhile first venture into fiction for Mr. Strobel.  I look forward to his next book as well.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:
A corrupt judge in a mob murder case. A disillusioned pastor, hungry for power. A cynical reporter, sniffing for a scandal. A gambling addict whose secret tape threatens the lives of everyone who hears it. New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel weaves these edgy characters into an intricate thriller set in a gleaming, suburban megachurch, a big-city newspaper struggling for survival, and the shadowy corridors of political intrigue. The unexpected climax is as gripping as the contract killing that punctuates the opening scene.

About the Author: 
Lee Strobel is an award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune and a New York Times bestselling author. After years of nonfiction bestsellers, he is publishing his debut fiction novel, a legal thriller. Lee is a Yale Law School graduate, accomplished journalist, and world-renowned speaker.

Website

FTC Information: I received this book from Anne Staszalek, Marketing Associate with AuthorsOntheWeb for an honest review. 

Book Review: The Full Moon Bride by Shobhan Bantwal

 
The Full Moon Bride by Shobhan Bantwal

Publisher: Kensington

Publish Date: August 1, 2011

Paperback, 352 pages 
Fiction, Women's Fiction, Multi-cutural, some romance
 ISBN: 978-0758258847

My Review:
The Full Moon Bride is a highly entertaining look at life for a woman straddling the line between trying to be American and sticking to her Indian roots.  Since Soorya has pursued her career as an environmental lawyer it has left little time to pursue romance and men so as she has approached thirty she has decided to go the old-fashioned Indian route of bridal viewings to find her a husband.  It's not quite the same as arranged marriage, at least the parties involved get a chance to know each other, but it's still not the same as meeting a random man in a bar.  But it's hard to meet random Indian men of her culture in a bar.  After the first few are pretty bad, Soorya meets Roger who she finds an instant attraction to.  However Roger has other things in mind and thus begins a back and forth play between the two that mirrors what often goes on between two people dating even though Roger and Soorya aren't really dating.  Add in another interesting man and The Full Moon Bride is even more interesting.

While I couldn't relate on a cultural level to Soorya, I could relate as a woman and I found her culture fascinating to read about.  I loved that she took her culture seriously as she grew older.  I also enjoyed the things she learned about herself during the book.  I liked that she was confident, but still a little self-conscious.  I liked the look into her work life as well as her personal life, it really rounded her out as a person and helped the reader get to know her better. 


At times I liked Roger and at times I didn't.  I saw what was going on better than Soorya, but then again isn't it easier to see things from the outside looking in?  I loved how they interacted together.  You could really tell they could have good chemistry.  I also liked Lou.  Lou is handsome, he is suave, the older man, the kind man.  There is no distrust there and there is chemistry there is well.  So I liked the possible love triangle.


I was captivated by The Full Moon Bride.  It was entertaining and enlightening.  I loved Soorya's insights into her life.  From the food, to her parents and grandmother, Soorya shares all of her life with the reader during the book and I think you will be as enchanted as I was.  To me it was not only a tale of who she will ultimately fall for in the end, but a tale of her life and I found her life fascinating to read about and hard to put down.  The Full Moon Bride is a great read for the end of summer, beginning of fall, for those coming cool nights or those last warm days, or really for any day you just want to be taken away to someone else's life for a little while.  Come, enjoy, The Full Moon Bride.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About Shobhan Bantwal

Shobhan Bantwal calls her writing Bollywood in a Book, romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of her own Indian culture, stories that entertain and educate.
Shobhan writes for a variety of publications including The Writer magazine, India Abroad, Little India, U.S. 1, Desi Journal, India Currents, Overseas Indian, and New Woman India. Her short stories have won honors/awards in contests sponsored by Writer’s Digest, New York Stories and New Woman magazines.
Visit her website at www.shobhanbantwal.com

 

About The Full Moon Bride

What makes a marriage-love or compatibility? Passion or pragmatism? Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel explores the fascinating subject of arranged marriage, as a young Indian-American woman navigates the gulf between desire and tradition…

To Soorya Giri, arranged marriages have always seemed absurd. But while her career as an environmental lawyer has flourished, Soorya is still a virgin, living with her parents in suburban New Jersey. She wants to be married. And she is finally ready to do the unthinkable…

Soorya’s first bridal viewings are as awkward as she anticipated. But then she’s introduced to Roger Vadepalli. Self-possessed, intelligent, and charming, Roger is clearly interested in marriage and seems eager to clinch the deal. Attracted to him in spite of her mistrust, Soorya is also drawn into a flirtation with Lou, a widowed colleague who is far from her family’s idea of an acceptable husband.

In choosing between two very different men, Soorya must reconcile her burgeoning independence and her conservative background. And she must decide what matters most to her-not just in a husband, but in a family, a culture, and a life…

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1 Like most second-generation Indian-Americans, I’d dismissed arranged marriage as a ridiculous and antiquated custom. Tying oneself to a man one hardly knew, and pledging life-long love and fidelity on top of that?
“For a modern woman it’s nothing short of insanity,” I’d mocked many a time.
But after reaching adulthood and realizing that everybody in my big South Indian Telugu family was married in that fashion and looked utterly content, except for my uncle Srinath, whose wife was suspected of being a hermaphrodite, the concept didn’t seem so absurd. I figured I’d even give arranged marriage a try. That is, if I could find a man to marry me—and it was a huge if.
So far, I’d acquired an Ivy League education and moderate success as a big-city attorney, but I’d come up empty in the marriage department, perhaps because I’d distanced myself from the madness of the dating scene.
If it weren’t for the fact that I really and truly wanted to get married, I wouldn’t have ventured into the old-fashioned Indian form of torment called bride viewing. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as it was in India, where girls were often put on display and expected to tolerate their potential in-laws’ scrutiny like cows at a cattle auction.
Here in the U.S. it was just a matter of boy meeting girl and family meeting family in an informal setting. There was generally no undue pressure exerted on either party to marry. But convention required them to be polite and respectful of each other. However, the system was biased in our male-worshipping culture. The respect shown by the girl and her parents to the boy and his family often bordered on sycophantic.
At the moment, standing before the oval mirror in my elegant bedroom with its honey oak and pastel furnishings, I gave myself a once over. In spite of the clever use of cosmetics, the face staring back at me seemed rather plain—ordinary nose, full mouth, curious eyes fringed by dark lashes, tweezed eyebrows. Nothing beyond plain Miss Soorya Giri.
Being the potential bride in yet another bride viewing was hardly pleasant. The mild fluttering in my tummy was gradually escalating into an anxiety attack at the thought of meeting one more eligible man.
With a damp palm pressed against my belly, I waited for my bachelor and his family to arrive. I stood in my bride viewing finery—the whole nine yards—or in this case, six. The sari happened to be six diaphanous yards of silk—soft, glossy, South Indian silk.
My suitor and his family were coming all the way from Kansas City, making the occasion all the more unnerving. Looking outside the picture window, I contemplated if I should make a quick and silent escape into the backyard.

The Full Moon Bride Tour Schedule

Monday, September 5
Guest Post at The Hot Author Report
Tuesday, September 6
Guest Post at The Hot Author Report
Wednesday, September 7
Review at My Reading Room
Thursday, September 8
Guest Post at The Book Connection
Friday, September 9
Review at 2 Kids and Tired Books
Monday, September 12
Guest Post at One Day at a Time
Tuesday, September 13
Review at One Day at a Time
Wednesday, September 14
Interview and Review at The Cottage Bookshelf
Thursday, September 15
Interview at Literarily Speaking
Friday, September 16
Review at Just Another Book Addict
Monday, September 19
Review at Day by Day in Our World
Spotlight at The Plot
Tuesday, September 20
Character Interview at The Plot
Wednesday, September 21
Guest Post at Life in Review
Thursday, September 22
Review at Life in Review
Friday, September 23
Interview at Pump Up Your Book
Monday, September 26
Spotlight at Books, Products and More
Guest Post and Review at The Bookish Dame
Tuesday, September 27
Guest Post at The Story Behind the Book
Wednesday, September 28
Review at My Random Acts of Reading
Thursday, September 29
Guest Post at A Journey Into Reading
Friday, September 30
Review at A Journey Into Reading
Review at Library of Clean Reads

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through Pump Up Your Book tours for an honest review.