Cindy

Book Spotlight/ The Forgotten Ones

Posted on June 5, 2014June 6, 2014 by Cindy

Title: The Forgotten Ones (book 1)
Series: The Danaan Trilogy
Author: Laura Howard
Pub Date: May 2013
Publisher: Finding Bliss Publishing
Pages: 197

Source: I received an ebook from My Family’s Heart Book Reviews & Tours to read and review as part of my tour stop for Laura Howard’s second book in The Danaan Trilogy, The Stone Destiny.

About The Book:

Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember. What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.

Scholastic Record Broken!

Posted on June 4, 2014June 15, 2014 by Cindy

One of the things Michael loves most about the summer is taking part in the summer reading program. We sign up every year through our local library and have been doing so for many years now because I have to admit that my local library has a kick ass summer reading program that involves the whole family logging hours read and numerous fun filled activities for the kids to do during the week over the course of the summer.

Once Michael had started school we heard about the Scholastic Summer reading program. The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge™ is a free online reading program for children.

Join today and let’s set a new reading world record for summer 2014! (May 5 – Sept 5, 2014)

Its not too late to sign your kids up just CLICK ON ME.

This reason for this post today is to let you know Scholastic hit and epic milestone and they recorded over 100 million minutes read since the starting of the event on May 5th. Can you believe that the kids have read over 100 million minutes? That is trule amazing.

This beats the world record from 2012 (95,859,491 minutes). The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge aims to prevent the “summer slide” – or the learning losses a child experiences when he or she does not read over the summer months.

Congrats to the kids who reading and logging their hours and to Scholastic for running this awesome program. We are a big supporter of Scholastic and their books.

The Book Blogger Test

Posted on June 3, 2014June 2, 2014 by Cindy

This morning as I was getting post ready for the week I stumbled upon this fun thing that indiereadergirl0329 shared on her blog and thought I would share it with you guys too.

I am not going to tag anyone but please feel free to share it with your readers and if you do please link back to me so that I can see your replies and comment. So the only rules are that you need to answer truthfully.

What are your three book pet peeves/hates?

Seeing people dog ear their books. This is like nails on a chalk board for me. With having so much around you, you can’t find something to make your page with? I have used a gum wrapper, receipt, bus ticket, straw wrapper and the list goes on and on.
When a new book/series comes out in paperback/trade and it does so well that publishers then puts the rest of the books in that series in hardcover.
Redesign of covers in the series. I love having all my books match and when they decide half way through they want to change it and do the whole series in that theme my books don’t match. I wish that they could envision that series from the get go and keep it the same. Don’t get me going on the movie tie in books.

Describe your perfect reading spot.

This is what my ideal reading spot would look like. I would want huge windows to allow in as much natural light as possible with a view of the beach or forest. I would need a super comfy chair or couch with tons of pillows/cushions and a super soft blanket to curl up in.

Tell us three book confusions.

I am always buying book marks and never use them. I have a little holder on my book case that I put them all in. I probably have close to 100 that are never used. If I see one that is pretty I will buy it.
During the day when I should be doing other things (house work etc) I will sit and read for hours. Shhh don’t tell anyone.
I have spent more money on books then my husband knows. Scholastic book club mostly.

When was the last time you cried during a book?

hmmm I think that would be when I read Undone by Cat Patrick. Jemm is in love with her best friend but he is gay. So this crushes her and then when he is outed online he can’t handle it so he commits suicide. Jemm is heart broken and is hell bent on finding out who did this. It was sound reading this.

How many books are on your night side table?

Right now I have my mini iPad that has books I am reading on it as well as three physical book that are part of a series that I am just about to start for an upcoming review.

What is your favorite snack that you like to eat while you read?

It varies and depends on what is in the house. It could be fruit, yogurt, chips, something sweet or something salty.

Name three books you would recommend.

Extracted by Sherry Ficklin and Tyler Jolley
Anne of Green Gables
Wuthering Heights

In three words write how much books mean to you.

escape
pleasure
fun

What is your biggest reading secret?

I sometimes take on more then I can handle so that will mean sometimes not getting to enjoy the book as much as I would like. As a book blogger sometimes I over book things which is common and don’t really realize it until its too late so I am rushing alot of the time.

So there you go. I hope you enjoyed reading my replies and I look forward to yours.

Review/ The Witch of Belladonna Bay

Posted on June 2, 2014June 3, 2014 by Cindy

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri
Format: eARC
Published by Macmillan on 2014-05-13
Pages: 368
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary Women, Family Life, Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers

It’s the trouble you aren’t expecting that gets you. And it’s all around you, Bronwyn, it’s all around you like the air.…

Bronwyn "BitsyWyn" Whalen hasn’t set eyes on the red dirt of Magnolia Creek, Alabama, for fourteen years—not since her mama died. But with her brother, Patrick, imprisoned for the murder of her childhood best friend, and her eccentric father, Jackson, at his wits’ end while her eleven-year-old niece, Byrd, runs wild, Bronwyn finds herself once again surrounded by ancient magnolia trees and the troubled family she left behind. She becomes immersed in a whirlwind of mystery and magic as she tries to figure out what really happened that fateful night her friend died. And as her bond with Byrd deepens, Bronwyn must face the demons of her past in order to unravel her family’s uncertain future.

In Suzanne Palmieri's thrilling new novel, The Witch of Belladonna Bay, readers will learn if love and magic are enough to bring a broken family back together.

One of the best things about taking part in the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge is getting the chance to read books you might not normally read and I have to say that this is the case for the third book I am reading for Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge.

When I went to check to see if the author has written any other books I discovered that she has another one called The Witch of Little Italy and it sounds like its another fun read. She also writes under the same Suzanne Hayes and those books sound just as good.

One of the things I really enjoy about this summer reading challenge is getting to read a variety of books and I think that this is going to be a really good summer with some really good books. Are you doing this challenge? Has any books interested you yet?

I really enjoyed reading The Witch of Belladonna Bay as it made for great reading while sitting outside this past weekend.

At the age of 16 Bronywn left behind life as she knew it in Alabama and has never looked back. Bronywn came from a family of wealth and privileged. Also within this family she had a father (Jackson) who was a alcoholic and a mother (Naomi) who was addicted to drugs. We discover that in the story that all the women born into the family are witches.
Fast forward 14 years later Bronywn is now living in New York State (another reason to love the book in my opinion). She is a successful photographer and in a loving relationship with Ben. She has basically tried to forget her past until she gets a call from her father, Jackson asking her to go back to Alabama because her brother, Patrick is being accused of killing her childhood best friend, Charlotte and he is at his wits end with taking care of his grand daughter Byrd who is 11 years old and is running wild.

Bronwyn knows her brother couldn’t have killed Charlotte and sets out to discover the truth of what really happened. Could Patrick really have killed Charlotte?

I really enjoyed reading The Witch of Belladonna Bay and I think if your looking for something to read this summer then I highly recommend this. There was enough going on that wasn’t over the top and it kept you wanting to read what was going to happen next.

Thanks Book Spark for allowing me to be a part of the Summer Reading Challenge and a big thanks to Macmillan for allowing me to read this book.

Release Day Blitz/ SEAL of My Destiny

Posted on June 1, 2014June 2, 2014 by Cindy

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – SEAL My Destiny

SERIES – SEAL Brotherhood #6

AUTHOR – Sharon Hamilton

GENRE – Romantic Suspense

PUBLICATION DATE – June, 1, 2014

LENTH (Pages/# Words) – Full Length Novel

PUBLISHER – Al Publishing

Navy SEAL Luke Paulsen, on the verge of PTSD stemming from the death of his fiancée and a brutal tour overseas, knows he is damaged goods and unsuitable for relationships. While paying respects to a fallen comrade, he is unprepared for the chemical attraction he feels for the carefree dark-haired beauty playing in the surf one evening.

Julie Christensen befriends the troubled SEAL, motivated by her yearning to soothe the young man’s troubled soul. Fueled by intense mutual desire, they succumb to one night of mind-numbing passion. Afterwards, he is unable to shed the memory of his lost love and disappears.

When they meet again at a wedding that will forever bring their two families together, their passion and longing for one another forces them to confront their pasts in order to find a future together.
But soon the trauma of his service separates them. Julie goes back to teaching and Luke deploys for North Africa with SEAL Team 3. Upon his return, he receives a frantic call that Julie’s life is in danger. Will he make it in time to save the woman he now knows he wants to marry and spend the rest of his life with?

AMAZON KINDLE US / AMAZON KINDLE CA / AMAZON KINDLE UK

He wanted to say something but suddenly became hesitant. Everything had gone so fast, he didn’t want to spook her. He was unafraid to show her how much he loved being with her, especially since she’d promised to visit him in Coronado and they’d see where things went from there. It would have been like the cart before the horse, but he wanted to ask her to marry him at that impulsive moment, but he held himself back. Being the wife of a SEAL was a special assignment and there was no training for that, except the school of hard knocks. There was a community of wives that looked out for each other. And not all the stories from overseas made it home to them. The smart wives knew this. He knew it was a lot to ask of someone. He didn’t want to fall for a lady who didn’t really understand what she’d be getting herself into. But that was a completely crazy thought, because he’d already fallen for her. He decided he’d just put it out of his mind, and not discuss anything future-related, to keep the pressure off them both. Nothing wrong with having a little bit of—well, a lot of—fun in the next few days before his deployment. He held her under the starlight. Feeling eyes on him, he saw Julie’s parents eyeing him from their kitchen window, smiling. He couldn’t keep up the eye contact because odds weren’t in his favor. He wasn’t prince charming, or Sir Galahad riding in on his white horse. He was just a guy other guys sent in to blow stuff up, grab people and hopefully get out before getting shot or caught. And his intentions, although he liked to think of them as honorable, were merely to do everything in his power to be as irresistible as possible to her so that when he left, he’d be the one hard to miss. And then maybe she’d wait for him. Maybe she’d wait until he got fully well. It was a lot of ifs. The music stopped while he was kissing her ear through her hair, while he was holding her tighter as she melted into him. He liked that they were dancing because their thighs made soft caresses and the dress, that yummy dress, made all that noise. He just knew every time he heard the sound of layers of chiffon, he’d get hard. It was going to be something he’d have for the rest of his life.

Sharon’s award-winning almost-erotic NavySEAL stories of the SEAL Brotherhood, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion and true love. She has been an Amazon top 100 author in Romantic Suspense since last fall.

Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read before, since they don’t have to go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun. Honeymoon Bite, Book 1 of the Golden Vampires of Tuscany Series was recently named the #1 Gothic Romance by Amazon. It is now available on Audible.

Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.

Sharon lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers.

Amazon Author Page / Website / Blog / Facebook /Twitter / Google+ / Goodreads / Shelfari

Tour Organized By:

Armchair BEA 2014/ Giveaway Time

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Cindy

Welcome to Day 4 everyone. Wow where did the week go? We are already Thursday.

How is everyone doing so far? Its been rough the past few days with reading about the bloggers hitting NYC and the events they have been to so far but I think honestly the next few days will be the worst for me. We can do this…

To help us get through this http://www.armchairbea.com/ is sharing all the links of the bloggers who are taking part in Armchair BEA that are hosting give aways. I will be adding my name to that list very shortly.

Good luck everyone

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review/ Cure For The Common Breakup

Posted on May 28, 2014May 30, 2014 by Cindy

Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
Format: Paperback
Published by Penguin on 2014-05-06
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction

Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitely shouldn’t be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything....

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Before I begin my review I just quickly want to thank Penguin USA for allowing me to be a part of the book tour for Cure For The Common Breakup. This is also going towards the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge as well.

I have to admit that I have never read anything by Beth Kendrick’s until now and I do know I have a few of her books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Why have I not read any of this author’s books? If her other books are anything like Cure For The Common Breakup then I really need to move them up way up on my tbr pile asap!

I really enjoyed Cure For The Common Breakup alot and I have to say that this is a perfect book to read this summer.

I read it pretty quickly over the span of a few days and when I read it I literally had a hard time to put it down.

I loved Summer. She is a take no crap kind of person and tells it like it is. I don’t think Summer ever had a filter on because she would say things without really thinking about it before hand. She is works hard and plays even harder. During the day she is a flight attendant dating the very hot pilot, Aaron. Things are going really good for both of them until a flight to Paris changes everything.

Just before take off Summer finds out that Aaron in planning on proposing. This changes everything because Summer never really thought about marriage but as she thinks things through she realizes that perhaps this is the time until tragedy strikes that makes her rethink who she is and everything again.

Summer is down and out and decides she needs to get away from everything and everyone and heads to a little town called Black Dog Bay in Delaware that is known to take in heartbroken women. This is just the place she needs to be to get back on track. This little down has the cutest names for its businesses such as Eat Your Heart Out Bakery, The Whinery and so many other names. There was even a bookstore in the book, how could you not love that?

This little town welcomes the heartbroken women in with open arms even though she enters the town with a bang so to speak. She drives into the yard and damages the roses of a handsome guy (Dutch) but he isn’t just any guy but the Mayor of Black Dog Bay. Will Summer be able to break down the major?

All the characters were very fitting for the book and I loved how Summer stood up to Hattie and deep down I really think Hattie wanted to be like Summer but didn’t know how to do it but she was just send hell bent on revenge that she has held on to over the years.

I loved how Summer ended up changing for the better and you can’t help but want to root for her throughout the book. She is the kind of friend I would want in my corner.

I loved how I had a hard time to put the book down because I just wanted to read what was going to happen, what kind of trouble would Summer get herself into and how would she get out of it.

I think if your looking for a fun read this summer then this is the book for you.

Buy the book
 Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/1hyNK4C
 Amazon for paperback: http://amzn.to/1hH0kZB

About the author:
Beth Kendrick is the author of The Week Before the Wedding, The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service, and Nearlyweds, which was turned into a Hallmark Channel original movie.

She lives in Arizona with her two rescue dogs, but she loves to vacation at the Delaware shore, where she goes to Funland, eats boardwalk fries, and wishes that the Whinery really existed.

Connect with the author:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1hyNbYy
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1gSjj3h
Website: http://bit.ly/1lQXUwF
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hyN7Ie