Contact email: mesreads AT gmail.com
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GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THEIR OWN PAGE - CLICK ON TAB ABOVE; Giveaways also linked on right sidebar.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Book Bloggers Appreciation Week September 14-18, 2009

If you know me you know I love books and am happy to celebrate books! I am joining an exciting event this month - the Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation week taking place September 14-18!



This looks like it will be great fun and a great opportunity to meet fellow bloggers and win some great prizes. Speaking of prizes, I will be having four gift certificate drawings during the week as well as several book giveaways!

Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week!
Here's the scoop from the official Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog:

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN September 14-18, 2009
WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!
WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, stumbling this post, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers!
Please register by filling out the registration form! Registering ensures your inclusion in the BBAW 09 Database of Book Bloggers and enters you into the drawing for the BBAW 09 Grand Prize!
Come back often as there will be many updates! And follow us on Twitter!

Review and Giveaway for Can't Stand the Heat!




Title: Can’t Stand the Heat “A Recipe for Love Novel”
Author: Louisa Edwards
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4.75 of 5
Reviewed by: MarthaE







Buy Link: http://search.barnesandnob/hich/af0/dbch/af31505/loch/f0%20le.com/Cant-Stand-the-Heat/Louisa-Edwards/e/9780312356491
ISBN-13: 9780312356491
Pub. Date: September 01, 2009
368pp

Synopsis:
SHE'S HUNGRY FOR EXPERIENCE.
For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an expose' is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

AND HE KNOWS JUST HOW TO SATISFY HER CRAVINGS...
Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.

Author's Biography
Louisa Edwards grew up in Virginia before moving to Manhattan to work with some of the biggest names in book publishing. She later moved to Ohio, where she worked as a restaurant reviewer. She decided to bring her love of romance and cooking together by writing the Recipe for Love series. http://louisa-edwards.blogspot.com/


Review: This is a very sassy and fun read! I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down!
Miranda Wake is a great character as the bright, sharp-tongued food critic. Having lost her parents when she was just entering young woman hood, she is protective of herself and the younger brother she has had to raise and help put through college. She has never been able to really let go and open up to anyone else because of her self-imposed responsibilities.

Adam is another great character as a temperamental “artist” chef. He is very passionate about cooking and life! He surprises himself when he discovers he wants to share that passion with the feisty Miranda.

Miranda is determined to raise money for her brother’s tuition by doing an expose' book on Adam’s restaurant kitchen. Considering all the unique and crazy characters in the kitchen this seems easy at first. However, as Miranda works in the kitchen she gets closer to Adam and those other characters and the expose' becomes less attractive. Unfortunately someone else leaks her draft causing immediate betrayal and heartache.

It was clear that the author knows cooking (which I do not!) and I loved her use of cooking analogies which fit so perfectly with the storyline! Here is an example where Adam is describing Miranda's shoes to himself: "Bright, shiny with a glossy patina like you get on a good creme Anglaise, the color of pinot noir help up to the light. Heels like ice picks, and then above them, her legs stretched for miles, slender, perfect. Those shoes sparked his interest." Another describing Miranda's feeling happy: “Happiness bubbled through her veins, popping and fizzing like sparkling wine.”
I also loved the snappy repartee between not only Miranda and Adam but also among the other chefs in the kitchen. I liked the style of writing which has a nature feel – the way my own brain might think.

The plot moves consistently to keep the reader moving towards the train wreck you know is coming. When the betrayal occurs you get the full emotional, breath clinching punch of the heartache for both characters. Then you don’t want to put the book down or be distracted until you find out how the split is resolved!

The book includes some gay relationships, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that when I recognized it. The author’s handling of the issues is done in a way that is tolerant, not offensive, and adds an extra facet to Miranda’s story. One additional warning: In the first 30 pages the “f” word was used 4 or 5 times. This was SO unnecessary in my opinion. And I do not recall seeing or noticing it after that! I read a spiral bound manuscript arc so I do not know if those made it to the final print. Although the word isn’t pleasant, try to get past that because the book is worth the fun reading.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
A Spiral Bound ARC copy of Can't Stand the Heat will be awarded!
1. Comment here including a brief description involving food or drink- just something you like if you can't think of an analogy! Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win.
2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.
3. For another entry, share this giveaway on your blog, my space, facebook or Twitter and tell me where you shared it.
4. For another entry, go to the author's website [link above] and tell me something of interest you found there.
5. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once. (This method is used to make it easier to put the entries into the random generator!)
(Four total entries possible.)
  • This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
  • No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

This contest will close Midnight (Central) on September 25, 2009. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

A Big Thank You to Jeanne at Nancy J. Berland Publicist for sending this book to me and providing the ARC for the giveaway!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

My August 2009 Reading List

August 2009 Books Read 109 – 126
Ratings 1-5

WR = Will be reviewed for MBS

MBS (Martha’s Bookshelf) reviews posted at:
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

YGR (You Gotta Read Reviews) reviews posted at: YGR Reviews - MarthaE.

BTL (Between the Lines Reviews - WRDF) reviews posted at:
Between The Lines. (Put title in quick search)

CR (Catareviews) reviews posted at:
* CataRomance.com – for category romance novels (cCR)
* Ecataromance.com – ebook romances (eCR)
* Sensual.Ecataromance.com – erotic romance ebooks (seCR)
* SingleTitles.com – single title romances in print (stCR)
For the Catareview links click on the Catareview tag in the right column of the blog!

109. Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory (Hachette) Historical Romance 4.0 MBS
110. Looking Through The Mist by Rebecca Vickery (eBook) Paranormal – Psychic 5.0 BTL
111. Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell (Hachette) True Memoir 3.5 MBS (Giveaway open until 9/18)
112. Chasing Shadows by Laura Hope (eBook) Romantic Suspense 3.0 YGR
113. White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison (The Hallows #7) (Audible) Paranormal 4.5
114. Dogspell by Lizzie T. Leaf (eBook) Paranormal 4.0 YGR
115. Beauty Tempts the Beast by Leslie Dicken (eBook) Historical Romance 4.5 seCR
116. Dove Island by Miss Mae (eBook) Historical Short 4.0
117. Lab Partners by Larry Hammersley (eBook) Contemporary Miniature 4.0 (WR)
118. Dreams Do Come True by E. A. West (eBook) Contemporary 4.0 (WR)
119. Awakening Allaire by Margie Church (eBook) Contemporary Thriller 4.75 MBS
120. Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards (Spiral Manuscript) Contemporary 4.5 to be posted this week with Giveaway at MBS
121. Maxwell’s Mansion by Donna McClaire (eBook) Contemporary 4.25 YGR
122. Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen (Audible) Suspense 3.75
123. Renegade by Sarah Parr (eBook) Historical Romance 4.5 stCR
124. Once A Dreamer by Rebecca Goings (eBook) Historical Romance 4.25 (WR)
125. On Fire by Stef Ann Holmes (eBook) Contemporary (fireman) 4.25
126. Every Skull Tells a Story by Anne Patrick Contemporary Suspense (forensic artist) 4.5 (WR)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Cruise Towel Animals

We had been to the Cozumel and Playa Del Maya ports before so
I didn't take pictures this time. BUT I always love the towel
animals left in our cabin each evening.
Here are photos of the cruise towel animals!!

First night - a Walrus









Second night - a frog.
Third night - the monkey!
(My favorite!)
Fourth night - an Eskimo.
(I had never seen this one before).









Fifth night - a bunny!

Review of Blue Heart Blessed

[I posted this at the SaSR Tuesday Review & Recipe Event but since not everyone belongs to the Group I thought I would start posting my Tuesday reviews here at the blog too!]


Title: BLUE HEAT BLESSED
Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Christian Romance
Publisher: Harvest House
My Rating: 5 of 5
Reviewed by: MarthaE


Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Heart-Blessed-Susan-Meissner/dp/0736919171


Author's website: http://www.susanmeissner.com/


Blurb: Left standing at the altar, Daisy Murien, a wounded but hopeful romantic, opens a secondhand wedding dress boutique, hoping to soothe her broken heart while giving doomed wedding dresses a second chance at love. Her predictable days take a sharp turn, though, when the retired Episcopal priest who blesses the tiny, blue satin heart she sews into each dress falls ill.
When the priest's brooding and recently divorced son arrives with plans to take his ailing father away, a contest of wills begins between two stubborn—and hurting—souls. While fighting to keep Father Laurent close by, Daisy finally begins to understand why she has routinely convinced potential buyers not to buy the one gown that started her business—her own: She doesn't want to give up on the dream of a fairytale romance. This compelling story is about the magnificence of unconditional love and God's impeccable timing in bringing it about.


REVIEW:
This is an absolutely lovely Christian romance. From begriming to end it is a sweet mix of sadness, laughter and hope conveyed through wonderful, quirky personalities.

Daisy Murien is a young woman struggling to deal with the rejection and bitterness left from being dumped ten days before her wedding. She bravely opens a secondhand wedding dress boutique called "Something Blue", and takes on the management of an apartment building as a way to keep herself busy while trying to heal. She engages a retired Episcopal priest, who is her first tenant, to bless the tiny, blue satin hearts that are sewn into each wedding dress for her store. Daisy gets wonderful advise and encouragement from the priest, while trying to dodge being set-up for dates by her mother and Aunt who also live in the building.

Daisy, the sad and struggling character, writes in her diary to her alter ego, Harriet, the logical and sensible part of her character, who writes back sound advice! Her normal and planned days become quickly confused when Father Laurent suffers a heart attack and his son, recently divorced, hurt and withdrawn, threatens to move his ailing father away. The ensuing battle and interaction between these two hurt souls is wonderful.

Any of us who have faced and overcome rejection at one time or another can relate to the pain and process of finding hope and learning to risk again. This is a lovely, smooth read, even if it has some heartache! I am not one prone to tears when reading (though I've been known to laugh out loud and argue with characters!) but I suggest that tissues be nearby for the ending of this book.

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