Author: Cindy

Review/ Greater Than Angels

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ Greater Than AngelsGreater Than Angels by Carol Matas
Published by Scholastic Canada on 2013-10-01
Pages: 160
Goodreads

An unforgettable reminder of the resilience of human compassion, even in the face of the worst horrors of our history.

In the autumn of 1940, Anna Hirsch and her friends and family are rounded up by Nazis and deported to Gurs, a refugee camp in the south of France. Food is scarce, and the living conditions inhumane. Even worse is the ever-present fear that they will be relocated once again -- this time to one of the death camps.

But when word comes that Anna and the other children are to be moved, their destination is not Auschwitz or Buchenwald, but Le Chambon-sur-Lignon: a tiny village whose citizens have agreed to care for deported Jewish children.

Based on the true story of a French village that banded together to protect the Jews during WWII, this unforgettable tale honours the contagious goodness that permeated one corner of a region otherwise enveloped in evil, and celebrates the courage of all those who put their lives at risk to save others.

Shortly after going back to school from March break (in March) Michael came home to tell me that he (being in a grade 5/6 split class) was going to have to a Holocaust project  with the grade 6ers and that he would have to do this project again in grade 6.

I honestly have to say that I am not very pleased with the teachers he has and the school for not giving the parents a heads up that this was going to happen with the grade 5s. That Monday back she started to read this book and honestly Michael was a little upset about the whole thing.

If you know Michael in real life you will know that he is a sensitive child as he takes things to heart. For him to discover this in the way she was teaching it, it was a shock. She did not sugar coat anything and she provided all kinds of information to the kids. Needless to say I wasn’t happy about it.

He then proceeded to tell me that on top of this book being read in class that they were going to have to read a book on their own and if he didn’t have one by the middle of the week she was going to assign one. Which I have to say really upset me because we had no list of suggested books and the ones she was suggesting in class Michael got confused because she was saying this one was good for grade 5 and this was good for grade 6 etc.

I sent a note telling her I needed the age appropriate and school board approved list and no book was to be assigned. Needless to say we were able to pick one and that review will be coming up later on the blog.

Enough of my rambling here is my review of Greater Than Angels.

mythoughts1bannerMichael told me that the teacher was reading this in class and when I looked it up online its listed for grades 6 to 8 so I quickly bought it for my ereader because if there was going to be any issues I wanted to confront the teacher with it because she seems to forget that there is 9/10 years old in that class. I have to say I worried when I saw that grade level because thats an age group of 11 to 14 years old.

Greater Than Angels is a fiction book but its based on a true story of a little French village named Le Chambon that took it upon themselves to help, protect and hide Jewish children from the Nazi’s.

The main character, Anna is fifteen years old when the Nazi’s come to round up the Jewish people. She is taken with her mother and grandmother. The males and females have been separated and they all presume the worst.

They are taken to Vichy, France to a concentration camp. Anna is shocked at what she sees, there is no food, no running water, no bathrooms, no beds just a limited amount of straw and due to the rain its cold. muddy and damp. Everyone is hungary and cold. Sadly its in this camp that Anna’s grandmother dies.

A year of living like this the Swiss Red Cross has offered all the children an opportunity to live in a home by them. The mothers quickly give their children over because they hope they will have a better life then what they have now.  This is where the generousity of Le Chambon sur Lignon comes into the story.

Things at Le Chambon are looking up for the kids. They are all healthy, happy and warm. They are allowed to attend school and live a pretty normal life or one that can be expected considering the circumstances.

The war is still continuing and its not looking good. Anna receives news that the camp her mother is at is being sent East so Anna is given permission to go and see her mother and its at this point you know this will be the last time Anna gets to see her.

Eventually things become to dangerous in Le Chambon and the child are forced to run and hide. Will Anna be able to make it or will she get caught?

Review/ Seduced By The Game

Review/ Seduced By The Game

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ Seduced By The GameSeduced By The Game Format: eBook
on April 4, 2014
Pages: 460
Goodreads

It’s time to drop the gloves and fight! Support the Fight against cancer that is. This anthology of 8 novellas is hot enough to melt the ice these players skate on. Featuring spell-binding novels from popular New York Times & USA Today, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble bestselling authors, including Toni Aleo, Cassandra Carr with Cindy Carr, Jami Davenport, Catherine Gayle, Jaymee Jacobs, V.L. Locey, Bianca Sommerland, & Nikki Worrell.

Bianca Sommerland BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5)
Nothing could stop Tim Rowe, the assistant coach of the Dartmouth Cobras, from falling in love with Madeline, but love alone can’t satisfy every need. Sometimes, to reach the goal, you have to take the chance with a . . . Blind Pass.

Jami Davenport CRASHING THE BOARDS (Seattle Sockeyes 1.5)
Professional party crasher, Izzy Maxwell, needs the cooperation of reluctant party guest Cooper Black, the team captain of Seattle’s new hockey team, but Cooper can’t get past his anger over the team’s relocation to Seattle. Can Izzy melt Cooper’s frozen heart or will this party crash along with her fledgling business?

Cassandra Carr and Cindy Carr HOOKING HANNAH
When Hannah attends the NHL All-Star game, she doesn't expect a hockey player of all people to turn her world upside down. Her sister is married to a player and Hannah never wanted that life. But Scott could change everything. For Scott's part, he has to know the woman who stirred his blood with just a look, and once he does, he realizes he wants Hannah to be his forever. Now to convince her...

Catherine Gayle TAKING A SHOT (Portland Storm 2.5)
Katie Weber has had a crush on Jamie Babcock for almost two years, since he joined her father’s NHL team, the Portland Storm as an eighteen-year-old rookie. When cancer takes her health, her hair, and even her friends, she can’t bear to go to senior prom…until Jamie intervenes.

Toni Aleo - Tangled in the Laces (The Assassins series: Prequel to Laces and Lace)
In Tangled in the Laces, Karson King is on the fast track to the NHL. Lacey Martin is coming back from a hard fight against cancer and is terrified of him but the attraction is too much to ignore. Soon their love is so intense, neither of them see the rest of their lives without the other. Will Karson prove that he will protect her heart at all costs, or will he leave Laceyto pick up the pieces of her life once again?

V.L. Locey - Heir Apparent
Superstar Cam Evans is fighting to climb out of a slump that`s growing worse with each day of living in denial. Fresh from the minors, Jacobi Neal is hungry for this chance to play back-up for the legendary goalie. Can two men battle each other, their inner demons, and the sizzling attraction building between them?

Jaymee Jacobs, A VALUABLE TRADE
Bryan's life gets turned upside when he gets traded to the Dallas Comets, and things get even messier when he meets Georgiana, the Director of Team Services. He's got a lot of work to do to prove his worth to his new team, but Georgiana's sure he'll prove to be a valuable trade.

Nikki Worrell – Captain, My Captain (Prequel to the NHL Scorpions Series)
Keith Lambert is the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers—until he’s not. To everyone’s shock, he’s traded to the San Diego Scorpions. As if that’s not bad enough, Phoebe, his girlfriend of two years, decides she doesn’t love him enough to follow.

All alone in a new town, Keith is drawn to Kelly, his take out delivery girl. When she shows up at ice girl tryouts, he’s lost. She’s all he can see. Can he convince her to forget her past and take a chance on him or is he destined to be alone in a new town a little bit longer?

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.

Seduced By The Game is a collection of eight novellas written about one of my favorite things, HOCKEY. I should mention that proceeds from the sell of this book are going towards the fight of cancer.

Before getting this book to review I had no clue that their was actually anything written like this, hockey romances is a whole other genre of books. You are probably saying Cindy you are a hockey fan and you live in Canada how did you not know about this? Well I am actually saying this and I think my only defence would be that I don’t read alot of romance books so I am not normally in that section but let me tell you after reading this book I am making it a mission to go and and search for these books.

After reading the eight novellas I have to say that I think I might have a new interest. The authors in the book are all new to me and I have never read anything of theirs so that was something nice.

One thing I was worried about going into this was that each of these stories are either prequels to books, parts of a series etc  and I was worried that I would be lost in reading but I am happy to say that each story is written so that you can follow along like you are just reading a new story.

I’m not quite sure how I want to go about this review without making it super long and giving away the story so I think I will just briefly talk about each book.

The first story is Toni Aleo’s TANGLED IN THE LACES (The Assassins series: Prequel to Laces and Lace coming out in 2015). The book is about Lacey Martin and she has survived breast cancer and Karson King who just happens to be a  perspective first-round draft pick hockey player. This is the prequel to the novel Laces and Lace.

The next story is Cassandra Carr’s and Cindy Carr’s HOOKING HANNAH.  This is a mother and daughter duo writing this. Hannah doesn’t think very highly of hockey players. Her sister is married to a hockey player and she has sworn she doesn’t want to live that life. In walks Scott Richards and he makes it his mission to change her mind on them. Will Scott be able to change Hannah’s mind?

The third story is Jami Davenport CRASHING THE BOARDS (Seattle Sockeyes 1.5). This is about the hockey team The Giants. They have been sold and the team is being relocated to Seattle. The team captain, Cooper Black and his team mates aren’t very happy about this move and honestly who can blame them. Its probably not fun to pack and move to another place. The management behind The Giants take it upon themselves to hire a professional party crasher, Izzy to come in and crash the welcome party for the team. Did you know that there was such a thing as a professsional party crasher? I actually liked this story because this was one that I felt probably does happen in real life.

The fourth story by Catherine Gayle TAKING A SHOT (Portland Storm 2.5) is about Eighteen-year-old, Katie Weber. Katie is suffering from leukemia and she is sadly losing the battle. Katie’s dads team the Portland Storm has a player,  Jamie Babcock that Katie likes and little does she know he likes her to. Everyone knows that Katie, is losing the battle and thanks to Jamie’s team mates they talk him into asking Katie to her prom because they think that this will give her something to live for . This was one of the saddest stories in the book and yes I did cry. This was one of my favorites in the book.

The fifth story is by V.L. Locey  HEIR APPARENT. When Jacobi Neal, who is an up and coming goal has the chance to play with Cam Evans who is the teams goalie. Cam is Jacobi’s childhood idol. So being able to interact with him makes for a great story. I was curious about this one because I always wondered what it would be like to hang out with my childhood idol.

The sixth story is by  Jaymee Jacobs, A VALUABLE TRADE. When Bryan Comstock discovers he is being traded to the Dallas Comets, he is not very happy about this. I am sure hockey players are never happy when they get traded because they have built relationships with team mates and now they have to walk in as the new guy. Thankfully the  Director of Team Services for the Dallas Comets, Georgiana Pierson will do everything in her power to make the transition a smooth one for him.

The seventh story is by Bianca Sommerland called the BLIND PASS (The Dartmouth Cobras 0.5) The assistant coach Tim is falling in love with Madeline. What do you do when love is just not enough?

The final  story is by Nikki Worrell – CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN (Prequel to Scorpions Series). This is about team captain Keith Lambert of the Flyers. Everyone is shocked when they hear that he is being traded to the San Diego Scorpions. Adding to the shock of having to pack up and move, Keith’s girlfriend of two years, Phoebe lets him know that she doesn’t love him enough to make the move with him. Keith ends up alone in a new town and I honestly can say I know how that feels so I felt for him. Its not until Kelly walks into his life that he thinks things can turn around. He works hard on trying to change her mind, can he?

You can check out the rest of the tour stops by going here http://www.seducedbythegame.com/blog-tour.html

Review/ Found In You

Posted on by Cindy
Review/ Found In YouFound in You by K. L. Ruse
Format: eBook
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on 2014-01-05
Pages: 282
Goodreads

Twenty-three-year-old Camryn Singer never imagined that she would return to the place where she lost everything. To grant a dying wish, she moves back to the small Jersey beach town where she grew up, hoping to somehow find the missing pieces of her life. Determined to keep her wounds unopened and her heart guarded, she instead slams head-first into Cole Stevens. Sexy surfer Cole has always used the waves to numb the pain of his past. But when he runs into Camryn on the beach one day, he wants nothing more than for her to heal his scars and light the spark back in his life. Will Camryn and Cole be ripped apart when the ghosts from their pasts come back to life, or will they discover that it's not until you're lost, that you can be found?

mythoughts1banner

 

This is the first book in the Lost & Found Series and its a debut author.

When I got the email from Mark My Words looking for bloggers to participate on the tour for this book I quickly hopped on board because the book sounded really good.

One of the best things about reading a debut book is you have no idea how the author writes so you have no idea what to expect and I have to say that I really enjoyed the book and I will definetely look for future books from the author. Just a FYI if you plan on reading this you should make sure you have some tissue on hand because I was literally crying reading the book.

This book has everything you could want in a book, romance, anger, pain, heartbreak, and so much more. You will be on an emotional roller coaster for beginning to end.

One of the things I loved about the book is that it was very realistic and you could actually see this happening in real life and I am sure it has.

Five years ago Camryn left New Jersey with her son, Gavin in hopes of finding a better life for them in California. She has everything you could possibly want in life until Camryn’s mother dies. Camryn decides she should head back to NJ with her son. Back to the place and the people she left.

Out of the whole book apart from Gavin I have to say I fell in love with Cole. They went to high school together and he admits that he kind of liked her back then.  I like hearing stories about high school crushes and especially if for some reason they manage to work out, perhaps not at the time but many years later.

It was nice because Cole is still dealing with things from his past just like Camryn. It showed that he wasn’t perfect and no one really is.  I am a big believer of things happen for a reason and you could see that in this case. Perhaps it was meant to be or maybe it was with the little bit of guidance from Camryn’s mother, who had left little bits of tidbits for her daughter to find.

I was rooting for Camryn and Cole the whole time and I liked that the author didn’t give them a fairy tale life but put obstacles in their way and bringing people into their lives.  This is the true test of a relationship. Can Camryn and Cole make it?

 

Blog Tour/ Found In You

Blog Tour/ Found In You

Posted on by Cindy
Twenty-three-year-old Camryn Singer never imagined that she would return to the place where she lost everything. To grant a dying wish, she moves back to the small Jersey beach town where she grew up, hoping to somehow find the missing pieces of her life. Determined to keep her wounds unopened and her heart guarded, she instead slams head-first into Cole Stevens.
Sexy surfer Cole has always used the waves to numb the pain of his past. But when he runs into Camryn on the beach one day, he wants nothing more than for her to heal his scars and light the spark back in his life.
Will Camryn and Cole be ripped apart when the ghosts from their pasts come back to life, or will they discover that it’s not until you’re lost, that you can be found?
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Visit the other Blogs on the Tour

April 14th 

April 15th 

April 16th 

April 17th 
April 18th 

April 19th 
April 20th 

About The Author


I am a middle school teacher who recently traded in my chalk for a laptop to follow my dream of writing contemporary romance novels. I live with my husband and two daughters in the suburbs of Philadelphia.When I’m not writing, I spend my time reading and relaxing with my family at my home-away-from-home, the Jersey shore.

After I graduated from Villanova University in 2003, I never imagined my path would lead me in this direction. Writing was a hobby, an outlet for me to live in a world of happily ever after. Now as I watch my dream become a reality, I believe that happy endings do exist.

I waved from the porch, watching the U-Haul disappear down the dark beach road, knowing that my two greatest friends would never feel the same loss as me as long as they were together. I wasn’t envious of what they had; I was just grateful they made room for Gavin and me in their lives. But I knew I’d have to find my own satisfaction in life, and my mom seemed so sure that whatever it was that I needed could only be found here.

I closed my eyes tightly and whispered, “Mom, maybe you could give me some hints along the way. I need the strength to move on without you here and not feel so… alone.”

I sighed knowing that loneliness waited for me to walk back through my front door. Although grateful for the strong feeling of my mom’s presence with us, I still felt broken without her. The nightmares would return tonight, of that I was sure. But how intense would they be now that I was back to the origin of my fears?

Book Blitz/ Return to Newport

Book Blitz/ Return to Newport

Posted on by Cindy

returntonewportReturn to Newport
A.L. Parks
Genre: Contemporary / Adult / Romance

Synopsis

Eve is ready for a clean slate. She nearly lost the love of her life in The Return. Now Eve must confront the people refusing to let her go quietly into her happily ever after with Jake. Returning to Newport to tie up loose ends may be the biggest mistake of her life.

Jake wants one thing – and one thing only – Eve. He is ready to build a life with her, and spend the rest of his days loving only her. But his surprise visit to Newport makes him question everything he thought he knew about her, including her love.

At the center of the turmoil is Eve’s ex-husband. Intrigued by the changes he sees in her, Brad is determined to sabotage Jake and Eve’s relationship – and take Eve back.

Jake and Eve must face their demons, and battle the outside forces that seek to destroy their future. Can their love survive the Return to Newport?

Jake. It nagged at her that she had still not had a word from him. She walked into the kitchen to find some crackers to calm her now upset stomach. What the hell was going on? She heard the kitchen door open, but had already pressed the button for Jake’s phone, and she didn’t turn around. Clarissa’s voice filled the air around her.

“Hey, Mom, I have a surprise for you,” her voice sang.

“Hold on Clarissa, I’m on the phone. I haven’t heard from Jake all day,” she muttered more to herself than for Clarissa’s benefit. Jake’s voicemail picked up, and Eve shifted her weight as she heard the beep. “Jake, where the hell are you?”

“I’m right here, beautiful,” came the deep voice behind her.

Eve turned around, and her eyes met the most beautiful blue eyes that she had ever seen – the ones that held the deepest love – all for her.

“Jake,” she exhaled, and came towards him. Her arms went around his neck, and she launched herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against his body. She pressed her lips against his, tilting her head to the side, and slipping her tongue into his mouth. She was desperate for him, needed to feel him, make sure he was truly there.

“Geez, you two, get a room,” Clarissa’s voice giggled behind them. Eve placed her forehead against Jake’s, eyes closed, and breathed him in. All the worry, the fears – the demons – all of them melted away with the stroke of his hands across her back.

He exhaled, and pulled Eve tighter against his body, whispering in her ear, “Now everything feels right again.”

Author Bio
Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy – well a man in the Navy – Parks has lived in various places throughout the United States. Now she resides in the Washington D.C area, and loves every minute. She has four children, and one spoiled German Shepard. 

2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.

Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in the Return To Me series. Book two, Return To Newport, is set to release on April 29, 2014.

 

Armchair BEA is now open

Posted on by Cindy

ArmchairBEA LogoExample

 

If your like me you are probably experiencing some BEA funk about not being able to make the trek to New York City  (May 28th to 31st)  because about this time you can expect to see all kinds of BEA posts. I have already been seeing some posts going up.

I honestly thought at first I would be okay about not going but as the New Year crept in I began to get a little disappointed about not being able to attend. Thankfully Armchair BEA came to the rescue.

Armchair BEA is going into their 5th year and this is the next best thing to BEA. I have taken part in the past. I tried one year to do both (being at BEA and doing Armchair BEA) and I just couldn’t do it. Being in NYC you literally don’t get alot of down time to go online as I have found in the past. I have brought my netbook and I don’t think I ever really opened it up.

Armchair BEA is now open for registration. It will run from Monday, May 26-31, 2014 online. So what are you waiting for, go and sign up.

Thanks to Amber from Shelf Notes for making the new Armchair BEA button. Love it.

Welcome To The New Blog

Posted on by Cindy

Good Morning Readers,

I just want to take a quick moment to let you know about the big changes that are  happening on Cindy’s Love of Books.

The biggest change is Cindy’s Love of Books is now being self hosted. This is a huge step for me but one that I have thought  quite a bit about  this past year  and with a push from my friend Michael, I decided that now was the time to make this big move.

Michael actually got the ball rolling this past Christmas when he purchased my domain name for me. Thank you once again for this beautiful gift.

So I want to take a quick second to thank Michael once again for doing this and his company http://shoresidemedia.com for hosting my blog on their site. Countless hours have been put into getting this up and running. I would have been lost without you.

I also have to thank once again the awesome Lori from http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/ for switching over my theme for me. Thanks so much Lori for all your work. If your looking for an awesome designer I highly recommded Lori.

As you can see there are quite a few changes that were made in the look of the blog and ones that I really love. The header is still the same with some tweaking done to the lettering.  I have gone down to two columns instead of three and I find that its alot cleaner and crisper.

I have made changes to the fonts which I actually really like now.

I am also sharing with you the links to where you can find Cindy’s Love of Books online. I hope you will follow me. I can guarantee that if you follow me  I will follow you back.

So what do you think of the new look?

I know with this new look that I will get back into blogging more which I admit that I have been in a blogging funk. Hopefully with this new look I will get into a regular blogging schedule with a mix of tours, book promos, reviews etc.

Don’t forget to manually update your bookmarks to follow the new blog.

What would you like to see me cover on Cindy’s Love of Books?