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Showing posts from February, 2014

LIVE online event: @patbracewell & @HelenHollick commemorate the life of Queen Emma of Normandy 3/6

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You probably don’t know, but March 6th marks the 692nd anniversary of the death of Emma of Normandy, dowager queen of England. Live from their respective blogs and countries, Patricia Bracewell, American author of Shadow on the Crown, and Helen Hollick, British author of The Forever Queen, will be hosting an interactive interview to commemorate Queen Emma—the central figure in their novels. There are two chances to participate in this one-of-a-kind event: On March 6thyou can stream it live on Helen’s blog at 9am EST or on Patricia’s blog at 5pm EST. For complete information, please visit Patricia’s blog.


SHADOW ON THE CROWN
England, A.D. 1002 In a world lit by fire and ruled by the sword, a fifteen-year-old girl kneels to receive an English crown – an act that will echo down the ages. Within that circlet of gold the ambitions of four powerful men are about to collide, for this young queen is the key to all that they desire. To a calculating Norman duke she is a blood tie to the wealthies…
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Fallen Beauty Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway

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Erika Robuck, critically acclaimed author of Hemingway’s Girl and Call Me Zelda, returns with another fascinating novel featuring a literary figure… this time, charismatic 1930s poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay. 
In FALLEN BEAUTY (NAL Trade Paperback; 978-0-451-41890-6; March 4, 2014; $16), Robuck presents vivid new characters while portraying a beautifully eccentric Edna St. Vincent Millay, around whom an electrifying tale unfolds, where the fast pace of the jazz age collides with life in a small, judgmental town.   
In the tradition of The Paris Wife and The Aviator’s Wife, FALLEN BEAUTY is a poignant page-turner comprised of fascinating pieces of history immersed in a beautifully written narrative. Robuck captures the radiance and charisma of Edna St. Vincent Millay, the fragility and power of family loyalty, and the ultimate, all-encompassing passion of love in its many forms.
My thoughts: Erika Robuck has written several novels pairing famous authors, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and now…
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Divergent Read-A-Long: The End

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So sha-bam! That ending was NOT what I expected. What were your thoughts on the ending???The last ten chapters kept me on  the edge of my seat. There was so much nail-biting action, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The ending was sad. So much loss and destruction, It was just wow. Thoughts on the serum used to make the Divergent robotic. What were you thinking while reading that scene?This was an intense scene. I kept wondering if Tris was going to get caught. Is she the only Divergent or were there others . . .  My Favorite Quote. What's yours?There were so many quotes that I did like in this book. I've highlighted a bunch in my kindle, but I have to agree this is one of my favorites:  “I want to be brave, and selfless, and smart, and kind, and honest.” It reminds me of how people so often want to box something or someone in. You can be more than one thing at a time.
So, with that in mind, did you love the book?I did really like it. In fact once I started getting into t…
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Feature: Sparks by RS McCoy

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Sparks
by RS McCoy

New Adult Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Blurb:
"Everyone in the world has a spark, a light inside that guides them, keeps them alive.”

Myxini School for Children specializes in training young men and women who have powerful sparks. Strikers are taught to manipulate fire. Trackers learn to find animals in the most formidable terrains. Handlers are instructed in communication with large predators. But forty years have passed since the last time they had a Reader – a student with the ability to read minds.

When Lark Davies enrolls at Myxini, he knows there aren’t many like him, but he doesn’t realize just how rare his abilities really are. He thinks nothing of being asked to keep his spark a secret; after all, he can barely control it. Thoughts and emotions flood unbidden into his mind until he can scarcely walk or hold a
conversation. But just when he needs it most, his ability fails him. Larks meets Khea, a small frightened girl who mysteriously insights his protecti…
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Review: The Princess Diaries

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Title: The Princess Diaries #1
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: October 13, 2009
Ebook
ASIN: B000FC13EU
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Borrowed from library





Goodreads Summary:
What? A princess??

Me??? Yeah, right.

Mia Thermopolis is pretty sure there's nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who also happens to be flunking Algebra.

Is she ever in for a surprise.

First Mom announces that she's dating Mia's Algebra teacher. Then Dad has to go and reveal that he is the crown prince of Genovia. And guess who still doesn't have a date for the Cultural Diversity Dance?

My thoughts: I've watched The Princess Diaries movie more times than I can count. I think it's an adorable movie, and my daughter and I love it. My daughter wanted to read the books as well, but first I wanted to check it out to make sure if was suitable for a nine-year-old. Because we all know that books to movies are rarely the same.
I did like the book. True to it…
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Feature: A Gift from the Enemy by Enrico Lamet

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About the book: A compelling story of WWII as seen through the eyes of an adventurous young boy during a period when his mother fears the Nazi hunt and is concerned about putting food on the table for her and her son. Written from the perspective of a child of 7 to 11 years of age, this WWII memoir is unique in many ways. Growing up in Italy, away from his home in Vienna, the boy lives an adventurous life, unaware that the world is crumbling around him.
A Gift from the Enemy was published on October 13, 2013 and is available on Amazon.
About the author: Enrico Lamet was born Erich Lifschutz on May 27, 1930, into an upper-middle-class Jewish family. Both his parents, born in Poland, moved to Vienna before the first Great War.

On March 18, 1938, five days after the Anschluss, when German troops had marched into Vienna, Lamet's family fled to Italy, where he spent most of the next twelve years. After World War II ended, Lamet settled in Naples with his family. He finished high school in …
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Covet Release Day Blast and Giveaway

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Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, Like their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's February releases:




Hot Rock by Annie Seaton

Special $0.99 Introductory Price!




Megan Miller is on a dream trip to research her doctoral thesis at a rock festival in England. When she arrives in town she’s stunned that her temporary neighbor is the spitting image of her 70’s rock idol, too bad he’s also a world-class jerk. So why can't she stop thinking about him?


Seventies rock star Davy Morgan is a man with a secret: rockin’ in …
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Doctor Who Rewatch: And you think traffic is bad in your city!

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It's been a few weeks since my last Doctor Who post. It's been crazy-busy here the last few weeks and I haven't had a chance to post. Not to mention the crazy weather too. 

We're re-watching Doctor Who this fall to prepare for the big anniversary special. I know that Doctor Who has been around for 50 years, but for time sake we're going to start with series 1 of 2005. If you've not watched it, but have wanted to. Here's your chance. We're watching via Netflix, so join us if you can. This week we're watching Series 3, episode 3 and 4.




Title: Gridlock Written by Russell T. Davis Directed by: Richard Clark Original Air Date: April 14, 2007
This episode makes any traffic jam you've ever been in look like a joke. This episode takes place in New, New, New, New, New, New, etc, York. The same New York that the Doctor took Rose to where the cats were nuns and a bunch of crazy stuff happened. However this time instead of looking like this:

New York looks l…
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Excerpt: Ocean's Gift by Demelza Carlton

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Sirens don’t fall in love with humans. For centuries it has been so…

But Sirena is different. She lost her first love to sharks and a storm, cursing the islands that stole him from her.

Times have changed and she must swim ashore once more, to the islands she once cursed.

Gone are the boats powered by sail and steam – jet boats with GPS are now the order of the day.

Enter Joe, the deckhand on the Dolphin. A handy man to have around when the lights go out. He’ll fix your generator and have the lights back on in no time, no worries.

But can he seduce a siren?

Or will she swim away before he can uncover her secret?

A book about lobsters, beer and boobs, on some cursed islands off the coast of Western Australia.

At least, that’s how Joe tells it.

For Sirena, it’s a very different story.




Demelza Carlton has always loved the ocean, but on her first snorkelling trip she found she was afraid of fish.

She has since swum with sea lions, sharks and sea cucumbers and stood on spray-drenched cliffs…
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