Book Review and Giveaway: The Publicist by Christina George

This is well written and engaging but more romance than I expected.
The Publicist
by Christina George

• File Size: 362 KB
• Print Length: 227 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1478247525
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: December 3, 2012
Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t sell, and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan.

Enter the star editor, MacDermott Ellis: Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author—now as forgotten as last year’s bestsellers and his nephew Nick: Tall, gorgeous, sweet, single, and ready to sweep Kate off her feet. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, over-the-top author expectations, and the careful dance of “I’m sorry, your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week,” she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal.

Welcome to the world of publishing. The ego has landed.

Review:
Kate Mitchell has the dubious pleasure of being a publicist with a respected New York publisher. This includes launching some marvelous books as well as promoting and boosting some authors who are riding on prior successes. Some clients are lovely but many are demanding and unreasonable. Her job has become more challenging as the print industry has to compete with the rise of electronic publishing.

Kate hasn’t had much time for dating especially since no one has really caught her interest. There is her work associate, Mark, who is handsome and charismatic but also married. His marriage has been estranged for many years but he has maintained the relationship and honors family time so he can be with his sons as they have matured. Mark is accustomed to being with attractive women who understand that his commitment is limited. He has been interested in Kate and is glad to step in to rescue her at a last minute book event emergency. Their time together increases until Kate succumbs and they begin an intense relationship. Kate is enthralled with Mark even though she realizes their being together limits her future.

Then Kate meets Nick, the nephew of one of her favorite authors, Allan. Allan had a spectacular debut novel but has never produced a second book to the frustration of the Publisher. Finally the publisher finds a way to cancel the contract they had signed years before. Nick is immediately taken with Kate and clearly wants to see more of her even though he will be returning to California.

Kate struggles to choose between two handsome men, one who is distant by geography and the other who is distant by his own rules. Her life becomes more interesting when she inherits an unpublished manuscript that will clearly be a best seller.

This story is well written and interesting with complex characters and conflicts.  I was caught up in the story even though it did not proceed as I expected. I was hoping, based on the blurb, for more detail on the struggles of the publicist but the plot is more the romance conflicts. I don't like adultery and wasn’t inclined to like Mark. Ms. George does a good job of making him more likeable than just a cheating womanizer.  It appears that he uses his marital situation to avoid emotional commitment in any relationship but Kate has touched his life unexpectedly.

The book ends with lots of open questions that can only be answered by reading the sequel. What will Kate do with the manuscript and which man will she choose?

This is a story for those who like conflicted romance plus it has the bonus interest of being set in the publishing industry. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Misconceptions on the job of a publicist:

Most people think that being a publicist means a series of exciting parties, rubbing elbows with celebrities, and trips to exotic places to promote whatever book they were working on. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Locations 126.

Kate asks Mac:

“I mean don’t you want ....A whole relationship instead of pieces of a life stolen here and there?” Location 1225.

Kate recognizes the limits of Mac’s love for her:

Only it wasn’t love. It was something else that masqueraded as love but came with an expiration date.  Location 1621.

I received this title from the Author for an honest review.

This book is set in New York for my 2013 Where Are You Reading list. This is also a New Author.

Thank you to Ms. George for offering books for Giveaway: 

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for PRINT COPY to US and eBook to Canada/International.

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries comment on the review or Visit the Author's website and leave a comment telling something you find of interest.

 * This contest is open US -Print OR INTERNATIONAL - eBook.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on January 25, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on January 26, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren

This is a quick read and a sweet, inspiring Christmas story based on a real life event.
The Great Christmas Bowl
by Susan May Warren

Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 184
Vendor: Tyndale House
Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 1414326785
ISBN-13: 9781414326788
Availability: Kindle Link
Genre: Contemporary, Holiday
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: December 7, 2012
Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot—the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas. As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays?

Review:
Marianne loves staging her traditional holidays with her family. She and her EMT husband, Mike, are soon to be empty-nesters as four of their children have moved away to college. The youngest son, Kevin, is in high school and has finally joined the school football team, the Big Lake Trouts.

Marianne is disappointed that only a couple of the kids are coming home for Thanksgiving but she is still excited. Meanwhile she has been cheering on the Trouts who look like they have a chance to go to the state championship! Then the team lucky cheering mascot, an older gentleman who wears a large trout costume, has a heart attack. Kevin begs his mom to step in as the replacement trout. As embarrassing as that might be, Marianne can’t refuse her son.

To add to Marianne’s harassed holiday season she has been ‘drafted’ to be the new Hospitality Chairwoman at her church. That makes her responsible to handle the annual Christmas Tea. The older ladies of the church want the usual Swedish Meetballs but some of the younger ladies want a change. Marianne suggests making her famous Clam Chowder but the idea isn’t warmly received. She keeps putting off how to handle the situation even as the day creeps closer. Kevin and Mike are busy so she ends up decorating the tree by herself and dealing with more disappointing news that her children aren’t going to make it home for Christmas.

Marianne slowly, and hilariously, wiggles into her role as the Big Lake Trout. As the team continues to win the press shows up and interviews the 'Big Trout'. Someone mentions the Christmas dinner but it comes out as a Christmas Soup, and is misinterpreted as a Soup Kitchen.  Marianne is ready to give up but surprising help turns the problem into a success.

I loved the easy flow of this story and the real-life feel. I could picture Marianne’s reluctance to be the team fish and to be the hospitality chairwoman. I could also feel her frustrations and disappointments. I loved how Kevin began to stretch and grow in a great way and how his actions shine with the good things he has been taught. The circumstances surrounding the Tea hit close to home for me as we are preparing for our annual church tea to be held in January. This one is a fun story that makes you think about the true meaning of hospitality; of serving and helping others. I recommend this as a fun read with a good message.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marianne's dilemma with the Church Tea:

"Did  you know that the real meaning of hospitality is 'giving comfort to strangers'?"... "If we want to have a party for ourselves, then let's just call it that."

This is a fun, quick read which I picked up as a Bargain sale at CBD for our  Ladies Book Club.

This is set in Big Lake, north of Twin Cities, Minnesota for My Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also add this to my New Author Challenge list.(I thought I read this author before but looking over her titles I do not recognize any.)
TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for PRINT COPY - Two Winners.

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open INTERNATIONALLY.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on January 11, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on January 12, 2013.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Book Review: The Second Sonata by Nathan Patrick Hardt

This is a very different story that left me pondering.

The Second Sonata

by Nathan Patrick Hardt

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 552 KB
• Print Length: 396 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004FEFB9W

     Genre: Contemporary Fiction
     My Rating:  4.25 of 5.0

Product Description

Awake? Asleep?

Living, breathing, dreaming?

After crawling miraculously unscathed from a pulverizing car accident, Nicholas returns to his life to find that little is as it had been and even less is what it seems. With a newfound appreciation for life and an insatiable thirst to discover all it has to offer, he wastes no time beginning to mend damaged relationships and reconcile so much time squandered and forfeit.

At the behest of a charismatic but cryptic stranger, Nicholas takes every opportunity to seize upon his borrowed time, reuniting with loves long since lost. But even as his life is shaping to become everything it always could and should have been, Nicholas is increasingly certain that something is dreadfully amiss, uncovering mysteries lurking within every shadow and secrets behind each blessing.

Unsure of whether his journey of sudden self-awareness is being aided or daunted by this enigmatic chaperone, Nicholas must face the raw and painful truths creeping just beyond his senses, make decisions of dire and mortal consequence, and confront his most haunting of judgments before at last discovering the horrifying fate buried deep within the gathering darkness that has always been awaiting his return.

Painted within these pages is a simple reflecting pool of each of our lives and loves, our most joyous celebrations and mournful regrets, and a journey upon which we must all one day embark.

Review:  
Nicholas is a bitter, resentful and defeated man who has allowed his life to spiral down into the bottle. He is a man ‘alone, desperate and drowning.’  Life has battered him down and finally his wife divorced him and moved away with their son, Ashton, his “blue and gold”, sky and sun.

The story begins one night as Nicholas is racing against closing time for one more drink. Instead of reaching the pub he slams into a tree. Thoughts of his son and a strange voice calling him “Jack” force him out of the wreckage to get away before the car explodes.  Suddenly things begin to change around him as he thinks he has gained a second chance to make something of his life.

Nicholas visits the pub a night or so later and is warmly welcomed by a friendly bartender and buddies whom he doesn’t remember but he is happy to be part of this group. Nicholas says goodbye to a lover as, even though they have good times when drinking, he knows they are not good for each other.  He realizes that he must ‘get his act together’ so he can begin a new relationship with his distant son.

Things are working out positively for Nicholas.  He has talked to his ex-wife and is excited about visiting with his son. A dog just like the one he had as a youngster has adopted him and he has renewed a friendship with his college sweetheart. Nicholas continues to have visits with a strange man/friend, Bradley, who seems almost like an angel. He also has strange dreams about destruction of his home and a rebirth. When Ashton comes to visit they plant a young tree but it just doesn’t seen to thrive in spite of all the care he gives it.

As a slow metamorphose takes place it is not altogether clear if this is real or a dream. The story is full of inner contemplation and ideas that provoke thought about alcoholism, creation, angels, purpose, free will, love, struggles and lives that are individual yet interconnected.

This did not read quickly although, or perhaps because, the writing is full of rich descriptions that had me making many notes. There is a fine mixture of “showing” and “telling” between the portrayal of Nicholas’ current doings and the narration of his past and his dreams and unconscious thoughts.

This is not a book for light reading or easy entertainment but when you want a change of pace to make you think a bit about our lives in this world this would be an interesting book to read. I think it was a suitable (ironically) book to start the new year with.

Two phrases I particularly liked and noted:

“Some people come into our lives, if only for fleeting moments, to make dramatic differences for the better.”
“...[T]he legacy left when you are gone is the only testimony to the life you led.”

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley

If you were single would you want to date a calendar guy?
Dating Mr. December  by Phillipa Ashley

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (November 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402241429
• ISBN-13: 978-1402241420

     Price:  Print $9.99; Kindle $7.19
     Genre:  Contemporary Romance, Comedy
     My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Product Description from Sourcebooks
She doesn’t need rescuing, she only needs a change of scenery...

After a disastrous discovery loses Emma Tremayne both her boyfriend and her high-profile PR job in London, she moves to the Lake District to recover her confidence and live a simpler life. She loves her new job with the tourist board, and she’s settling into small town life just fine—until she ends up responsible for a fundraising effort that calls for twelve naked mountain rescuers...

Review: This is a very cute, quick read.
Emma Tremayne, as the new tourist PR person in a small community, decides to help raise funds to get a new base for the mountain rescue team.  But her idea of a “beef cake” calendar isn’t immediately accepted by all of the rescuers.  Especially not by the taciturn and grim Will Tennant, who is also a ruggedly handsome male specimen.  Emma has already lost at love and isn’t interested in hunting out a new love interest. Especially not a guy who is rumored to notch the bedpost and jilted his ex fiancé the morning of their wedding. But it’s hard for her not to think a bit about Will’s sensual body.

Will is a man who keeps his secrets tight.  He may be fascinated by this sexy lady but that doesn’t mean he wants to get close. Besides, every time they run into each other she brings out the snarls in him as they are drawn to each other and then push away.  After several months he gives in and decides he at least wants a date with her to try to show her he can be civilized.  Although the date turns into a day of sharing, can Will set aside his pride and take the risk of letting Emma know how he feels? Or will Emma end up with broken heart again?

I enjoyed the snippy humor and snappy characters. The writing is light and the pace moves briskly.  If you are in the mood for a light, fun, “push and pull” romance you should check this one out.  I am interested to see how it will come out in the TV special.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the book to read and review.

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Interview - Sandy James author of Murphy's Law

Today we welcome author Sandy James to the Interview table!

Q1. What would you say makes a romance novel a great love story?

SANDY: The characters have to have chemistry. To me, that connection, that wonderful feeling that the heroine and hero belong together, makes the story work. If an author can make me believe the relationship is destiny, then I’ll suffer through anything she throws in their path to see them together. The more hurdles they have to jump to get to their happily ever after, the more interesting the story. I had a fan mail once where a reader told me she read All the Right Reasons and was mad at me up until the very last chapter because she was terrified Lucas and Joy would never find a way to get past all their problems and end up together. I was thrilled because that meant I did a good job on that book.

Martha: Ahh – now that may explain why I found Murphy’s Law so gripping… the chemistry and the conflict were such a good combination!

Q2. It appears that your books follow a rule many authors are told: “write what you know.” Please share briefly what special knowledge or experience you bring to your books.

SANDY: My husband and I own a small stable of harness-racing horses. When we first became owners, we had so much to learn! From the equipment to the handling of the animals to the strategy of the sport… It was almost overwhelming. I decided to try to share what I learned with my readers and hopefully introduce a few new fans to the sport by writing a romance based in the horseracing world. Murphy’s Law was born, and as Seth learns about racing, so do readers.

I’m a high school teacher and had resisted writing about being a teacher because I didn’t think of it as the type of profession that would interest romance readers. But when I sat down to write a first-person book simply to exorcise my middle-aged angst, of course the heroine had to be a teacher. It was also the first book I wrote around a title – Turning Thirty-Twelve.

I never intended to share that story, but when a friend encouraged me to submit it to Siren-BookStrand, I did. To have it be the first book I sold was bizarre to say the least. My little “kicks and giggles” book seems to have resonated with other readers of a certain age, which makes me very happy.

Martha: I found the harness-racing world very interesting and a great story setting. I look forward to reading the second book and more of your books too.

Q3. When you do a series do you have each book plotted out before you start the first one, or do the subsequent books flow from the first book?

SANDY: I never plan to write a series. I write the book that calls to me. You nailed it on the head when you asked whether “subsequent books flow from the first book,” because that’s exactly what happens. A secondary character from a completed story will start buzzing in my ear, telling me he deserves a story of his own. The world I created tells me it has more to offer.

Martha: That seems like a good sign. If the characters and world you create grab you they are likely to grab the reader as well.

Q4. I noted that you have a new series coming out, an Urban Fantasy series about “Amazon” women. These women sound pretty awesome. What inspired these books?

SANDY: Thanks! I love my girls. Those are the only books I designed as a series. They haven’t found a home yet, so I can’t give you a date for when you can buy them, but I promise to scream from the mountaintop when my agent sells that series.

I had written mostly contemporaries, but I love reading paranormals and urban fantasies. I simply couldn’t think of a really good and innovative idea for a paranormal of my own. My son is my biggest muse because he’s horribly creative. We love to go to movies together, and we talk a lot while we’re waiting for the previews. Sometimes we even go early simply to hash out book ideas. One time, I asked if he could help me with some world-building and he tossed out some ideas for having women be the warriors for once and being guided by goddesses. Things happened pretty quickly after that. By the time we got out of the movie, I let him drive home while I grabbed some paper – an old horseracing program I think – from the back seat and started jotting down ideas. The Reluctant Amazon, the first in the series, was written within three months because I couldn’t stop the story. It yelled at me day and night. Three more books followed, the titles based on that warrior’s weakness – The Impetuous Amazon, The Brazen Amazon, and The Timid Amazon. I’m dying for my girls to find a good home so I can share them!

Martha: They sound awesome (I even like the pictures at your blog) and I hope they find a home soon! Then perhaps I could review one?? (hint hint)

Q.5 Do you find that there is a big transition in writing style from your contemporary works to the new urban Fantasy series? Did you have to change or struggle with anything particular?

SANDY: I didn’t consider it a challenge to change my writing style because I simply didn’t. I wrote with the same romantic entanglements and character interactions. I made the hero and heroine just as in love and just as tortured. The gods and goddesses have all the emotions and foibles of the human characters. The only things I added were the action scenes. But to me, those fight scenes weren’t really different from describing the action of a horse race. It’s all about choreography – like a ballet. Having the right person in the right place at the right time.

I loved doing the research about the deities as well as the demons and cultures. The history teacher in me had a ball with my Amazons, so much fun I started a new sci-fi series!

Martha: The goddesses sound like added fun to those books. I’ll be watching for the sci-fi books too.

Q.6 In Murphy’s Law is there something your heroine would never be caught dead doing or saying?

SANDY: Katie would never compromise her principles. For example, some horse trainers look for ways to cheat faster than the sport can keep up with policing their activities. Katie would never, ever cheat to win a race. She’d rely on hard work and her love for the animals to be sure they were in their best condition so they had the best chance to win. And they probably would. J

Martha: Right – Katie was definitely a stand up character and a "winner."

Q.7  Is there an ancillary character In Murphy’s Law you had the most fun with?

SANDY: I fell in love with Ross Kennedy. He came about because I had a student who begged me to name a villain after him. Ross should have been a shyster lawyer who was trying to cheat Katie out of the money she was supposed to earn by taking on Seth. But every time I tried to write Ross that way, he rebelled. He just wouldn’t let me write him as a bad guy. So Ross became the third side of a Katie/Seth/Ross triangle and a potential hero. I loved him so much, I had to give him his own book when Katie chose Seth, the love of her life. Finding the right heroine for Ross was a true joy. Ross’s story became his struggle of a Type A personality to learn how to let go – Free Falling. The ultimate kicker is that my student, the real-life Ross, is going to school to become a lawyer now because of that character. How cool is that?

Martha: That is cool about your student studying law! Now I just have to find time to squeeze in Ross’s story. J

Q.8 Do you read new authors? If so, who's your new favorite find?

SANDY: Hands down, Paula Quinn. Her Laird in the Mist and the sequels are phenomenal. I’m in love with Graham from A Highlander Never Surrenders. Her books really deliver in emotion and action.

Martha: I love Paula Quinn too! I was fortunate to recently review two of her books.

Q. 9 If you could have readers finish a sentence what would it be?

SANDY: When I read a book by Sandy James, I come away feeling…

Martha: My answer: I come away feeling emotionally charged from an intense romance.
Q.10  Some quick reply sentences:

Why I write ... To express all the things I feel deep inside.
What I am reading/watching/listening to ... I’m a Broadway freak, so I’m usually listening to some Broadway musical score.
My inspiration ... My children and my students inspire me.

Sandy, thanks for a great read and for sharing in an Author Chat! Thank you too for offering an ebook of Murphy's Law as a giveaway. Some lucky winner will really get to enjoy a wonderful romance.

Review - Still the One by Robin Wells

"...read this story and allow the warmth to bloom in your own heart."
Still the One by Robin Wells

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Forever; 1 edition (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446555983
• ISBN-13: 978-0446555982

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.5 of 5

Product Description
Robin Wells takes us back to Chartreuse, Louisiana, for a deeply moving story of forgiveness and second chances. After Katie Charmaine's husband is killed in Iraq, all she has left is a closet full of his clothes, a few pictures, and fond memories. She not only lost her love, but her last chance to have the children she's always wanted. Until Zack Ferguson shows up in town . . . with the daughter Katie gave up for adoption nearly seventeen years ago.  Zack Ferguson has never forgotten Katie, or the one magical night they spent together. Seeing her again brings up a tidal wave of emotions: regret over the way he left her, anger at the secret she kept, and desire he hasn't felt in years. But he's in town for Gracie. Their daughter is sixteen, angry at the world, and-worst of all-pregnant. She needs the love of her two parents now more than ever. Can these three forgive the hurts of the past and open their hearts to each other?

Review: This may have started just a little bit slowly but once I got past that I was definitely enthralled.  Two words can describe this: Just lovely.

Katie fell in love with Zack at age 17.  She got pregnant during their first love encounter; then Zack disappeared.  Kate gave her baby girl up for adoption so Grace would have a better life. Although Kate's childhood was empty of love, she grew into a beautiful woman who is gracious and loving to others. She was blessed with a wonderful marriage that was full of love on both sides but her husband died in Iraq leaving Kate alone with nothing but memories.

Zack grew up in an abusive home and has no belief in love or commitment. Although he cared for Katie that summer of teenage love, he never intended anything permanent. He didn’t mean to abandon Katie but circumstances dragged him away and he thought it would be best for her if he stayed out of her life.

Imagine Kate’s feelings when Zack moves to town with 16 year old Gracie...who is pregnant. Grace is grieving the loss of her parents and is an extremely hurting, bitter and rebellious teenager.  Kate, with her fountain of love, is thrilled to meet her daughter even if Grace refuses to acknowledge her as mother. And Kate might want to resist Zack but that old chemistry never left them.  Can Kate risk being hurt again by a man who doesn’t believe in ever-afters? Even if Kate can move beyond mourning her husband, what can become of any relationship with Zack except heart ache? Is it possible for Zack to change how he feels about commitment especially when he sees the expanse of Katie’s love?

As these three struggle to find some even ground, there is a side story for Katie’s separated in-laws. The author does a beautiful job in showing the misery of anger, bitterness and loneliness and the opportunities for peace and happiness if we are willing to embrace love.The characters have a true sense of realism. It brought to mind several emotional memories from my own life.

I loved this expression: “Love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a choice.  You have to want to be in a relationship.” There are several other wonderful expressions that are worth remembering. I recommend you read this story and allow the warmth to bloom in your own heart. (And you might need a tissue or two.)

xxx

Check out the Giveaway - five copies to lucky winners.