2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

This meme is being hosted by All About {n}

The rules are posted at her site but basically the challenge is to read 1 to 5 books which are holiday related - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.  The challenge starts November 20 and runs to December 31st, 2009.

I always LOVE to read Christmas books in late November and December so I am glad to do this!

Here are the books I plan to read for this challenge:
UPDATED 11/29

1. Christmas Sin by Ed Williams - 11/29 read; review to be posted at YGR.
   
2. Christmas for the Cowboy by Patricia Bates - I won this a month or so ago and realized I could add it!
   
3. Look What Santa Brought by Annmarie McKenna
4. The Christmas Lamp by Lori Copeland

A GREAT WONDERFUL GIVEAWAY! PLUS DONATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH!

Author Nancy O'Berry has a new release that is coming out November 26, 2009.  It is special because all of the proceeds are being donated to Cancer research!

Here is the donation information:

All the proceeds from this book are being donated to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Tidewater fund. If you would like to make a donation or get in contact with them, please use the following website and address:

http://www.komentidewater.org/

119 S. Witchduck Rd., Suite 85

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Komen’s National Breast Care Helpline:

To speak to someone about breast health and breast cancer concerns, please call 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636).

Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast tissue divide and grow without normal control. It is a widespread and random disease, striking women and men of all ages and races. It is the most prevalent cancer in the world today, with about 1.3 million people diagnosed annually. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and at this time, there is no cure.

But there is hope.

Thanks to heightened awareness, early detection through screening, improved treatment methods and increased access to breast health services, people have a greater chance of survival than ever before.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure national website, komen.org, offers comprehensive information about breast cancer risk factors, early detection and screening, diagnosis and treatment. Developed in conjunction with the Harvard School of Public Health, the site offers a one-stop resource for all the latest information on the disease.

I saw Nancy's announcement and told her this was wonderful as my own dear mom died of cancer when I was only 21.  She was a young 48.

Nancy offered to do a Giveaway to encourage others to buy the book! Let me give you some info on the book then make sure you check out everything in this GREAT PRIZE PACKAGE below the book blurb!!

STORMY WEATHER

Nancy O'Berry

Mainstream Romance: Contemporary

ISBN: TBA

Cover Artist: Nancy Donahue

Editor: TBA

Word Count: 17,460

Release Date: TBA

Nancy's Red Rose Publishing Link

As a woman, Lauren Phelps has suffered the worst life can throw at her. The loss of her breast, the rejection of her husband, a divorce can she pick up the shattered threads of her life and continue?

Cole McGuire met Lauren Phelps through a mutual friend, his mother. When Lauren took a medical leave of absence, he wondered if he would ever see her again. When she returned to Teague and Marshalls, he made sure she was transferred to his office. Now divorced, he wondered if he stood a chance to woo her.

Can Lauren learn to love again after the storm?

Sounds like an interesting story right? Now here is the prize package that Nancy has so graciously offered!

    *  A CD that contains pdf copies of not just Stormy Weather, but three more of Nancy's books: Holding on to Hope, Giving in to Charity and Destination Daytona!

    * A Print copy of Having Faith, the first book in the Sweetbrier Series.

AND

    * A Pink Canvas Book Tote with the Stormy Weather cover on it.

Isn't that a GREAT WONDERFUL Package!

Here are the lovely covers!

THANK YOU NANCY!




PLUS for every ten entrants I will pick a winner at the conclusion of the Giveaway to receive a download copy of Stormy Weather provided from me.  International entries will be accepted for these extra Giveaways so please let me know if you are overseas and entering for the extra Giveaway instead of main prize package!  International entrants will be counted toward the "ten" entries but eliminated for the main drawing. 

TO ENTER:

1. Comment here telling me your favorite charity. Please include your email address, so 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, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

4. 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!)

5. Visit Nancy's Blog and leave a comment there and come back and tell me you did.

(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 November 26, 2009. The winner will be randomly selected from all non international entries.

REVIEW- Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout

Title:  Queene of Light
Author:  Jennifer Armintrout

Publisher: Mira Books (September 29, 2009)
Genre:  Paranormal (but I would label it Fantasy)
Pages:  384 pages
ISBN-10: 0778326624
ISBN-13: 978-0778326625
Buy Link

Rating: 4.5 of 5




Blurb:  An unimagined destiny an undeniable passion.
In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder—creatures of myth and fairy tale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.

But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony, and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk

Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin…

Ayla, a half faery, half human assassin, is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.

 Review:  A unique fantasy setting and a very interesting plot make this an engaging read.

Ayla had a rough childhood growing up on the streets without the love of family or friends.  She is primarily a warrior, often sent on assignment into the Darkworld.  When she is not fighting Ayla is looking for a way to survive as best she can in a very harsh and difficult world.  Her mentor, who is the Queene’s brother, Garret, appears to cherish Ayla but as the story goes on you realize he has a nefarious reason to want her as his mate.

Malachi is a Death Angel who has lost his immortality as a result of his first encounter with Ayla.  Now he is abandoned and alone in Darkworld.  He sets out to kill the assassin who caused his fall.  Ayla and Malachi should want to kill each other on sight, but instead they are drawn by an attraction that neither understands!

I really got hooked into this story right away.  I enjoyed the unique world and the various characters described by the author.  I thought each of the primary characters in the story was defined with uniqueness and developed through his or her behavior.  There was action from the beginning that pulled me in and I felt the story moved along with a good tension. There were times when I just did not want to put the book down!  As the story approached the end I realized that this wasn’t going to finish and there must be a sequel.  I was a little disappointed because I was anxious to see what happened and the end of this book was weakened as the fate of the protagonists, and the world, was left up in the air.

I got the sense the author may have been trying to present a deeper message but I wasn’t in the mood to ponder it out!  Besides, I don’t always need a message to enjoy the read and I did enjoy this.  I will want to read the next book to uncover where the prophecy is headed! Maybe then I'll think on the message.

Interview with Author Cheryl Pierson - Part One: The Writing Process

M: Hello Cheryl, welcome!
Please share with us: What made you want to write in the first place?


Cheryl: Hi Martha. Thanks so much for putting together this wonderful series of reviews and interview questions! I appreciate this opportunity so much.

I think I have always wanted to write—my mom used to bring along a pad of paper and a pencil to keep me occupied in church. I didn’t draw much, but I did practice my letters A LOT. I used to write stories and poems in elementary school, and never did stop doing that. I wish I had kept everything I wrote, but a lot of it got thrown out when I was a teenager.

M: I don’t remember the pad and pencil in church but I can relate to the poems in school. I bet your work would be interesting for you to look back on.

Would you say you write from experiences or imagination?

Cheryl: I think my stories are purely from imagination, but my characters and settings are drawn on experience and upon people and places I’ve known in my life. (I should say, all except my truly “evil” characters, the villains, and those are mainly due to an overactive imagination.)

M: HA! I’m glad you only have to imagine those villains and that they are not anyone you have experienced.

Did you need any help staying motivated or getting any element of your stories to cooperate?

Cheryl: No, usually not. Although, as with most writers, some stories “write themselves” and others can be a bit more difficult to bring to fruition. I’m a “pantser” so I tend not to do much if any plotting at all, but my stories always take shape as I hoped they would and come about to a satisfactory ending.

M: It must be great when the story writes itself! I’m sure that sounds lots easier than it is!

With this new release how many books will you have out? What genres are they and do you have plans to write in any other genres?

Cheryl: Time Plains Drifter, to be released December 1 through Class Act Books, will be my second novel. It is my first time-travel/paranormal, and it takes place for the most part in 1895 in Indian Territory, although I truly wouldn’t classify it as a “western romance.”

My first book, Fire Eyes, was a western romance through and through. It was released in May through The Wild Rose Press.

I have a contemporary romantic suspense novel, Sweet Danger, coming out with The Wild Rose Press, but have no release date set as of yet. Hopefully sometime this next year.

And I’ve sold many short stories of all different genres to anthologies such as Chicken Soup and the Adams Media Rocking Chair Reader series.

M: I noticed those anthologies on your website and wondered about those. I’ll look forward to your suspense novel.

How about your Christmas short story? Is that contemporary?

Cheryl:  No, it’s another historical western, and one of the best things I’ve written, as far as I’m concerned. It’s got a touch of the paranormal in it—a miracle that happens on Christmas Eve—and that’s where the title came from, A NIGHT FOR MIRACLES. It will be available through The Wild Rose Press December 2, for $2.00. To read the blurb about the story and see if it might be something you’d like, go to:
A Night for Miracles

After December 2, you can link to my author page at The Wild Rose Press to purchase A NIGHT FOR MIRACLES, as well as my other stories and books that are already available with The Wild Rose Press. (Fire Eyes and my FREE READ, Until the Last Star Burns Out, are already available at my author page here.) UNTIL THE LAST STAR BURNS OUT is FREE and is also an historical holiday short story.

Please join us tomorrow November 19, 2009 with Sumana at I READ for Part Two – Questions about the Promoting Process.

Don't forget to comment here and on each event for extra entries but make sure that you enter the GIVEAWAY AT THIS LINK!

Review - FIRE EYES by Cheryl Pierson

Title:    Fire Eyes
Author:  Cheryl Pierson
Genre:  Historical Western
Publisher:  The Wild Rose Press
Buy Link
ISBN:  1-60154-470-7
Heat Rating: Hot (per TWRP)
Author Website:  Cheryl Pierson



Rating:  4.25 of 5.0


Blurb:  Beaten and wounded by a band of sadistic renegades that rules the borderlands of Indian Territory, U.S. Marshal Kaed Turner understands what the inevitable outcome will be for him: death. But Fate and a war party of Choctaw Indians intervene, delivering him instead to a beautiful angel with the skill to heal him. Jessica Monroe has already lost a husband and a brother to the outlaws who tortured Marshal Turner. As the rugged lawman lies bleeding on her bed, she faces a difficult decision. Can she afford to gamble with her heart one last time? For when Kaed recovers, he is sworn to join the other Territorial Peace Officers in their battle to wipe out the renegade gang once and for all. When vengeance is done, will Kaed keep riding? Or will he return to claim his future with the beautiful woman the Choctaw call "Fire Eyes?"

Review:  This story jumps into the heat of action and moves into a very strong romance!

Jessica is a really lovely character.  She has suffered but is brave, compassionate, patient and willing to help others.  The Choctaws call her “Fire Eyes” for the strength of determination and courage they see in her eyes!  She may be inwardly frightened of the Indians, but she is not going to show her fear but instead stands with her chin up and her eyes blazing.  Now they have brought this very handsome, independent and nearly dead Marshall Kaed to her, expecting her to keep him alive. She wants to heal him but doesn't want to lose her heart to a man she knows will leave.

Kaed is rugged, smart and determined to get the bad guys.  He was partially raised by the Choctaws so he knows them as family and friends.  But he doesn’t fit in their world any more than he fits in the world of the settled and refined Whiteman.  Kaed is an independent roamer, not the type to settle down.  Having to stay for some time to heal with a beautiful angel and a sweet baby girl puts some dangerous thoughts in his head.  He doesn’t want to commit to staying but he sure finds Jessica hard to resist and what will happen to her if he leaves?

I really like the background that the author blends into the story to show us the history and nature of the characters.  I had a good understanding of the actions of the characters because I learned a bit of what makes them tick.  This applies to the very nasty villain, Fallon, the other Marshals and even Standing Bear, the Choctaw chief who is Kaed’s Indian “father.”

The story jumps right into some strong action.  Then there is the touching development of the relationship between Jessi and Kaed that gives us a lot of the character background.  The story returns to the marshals trying to save two more young girls kidnapped by Fallon and his Brigade.  The plot is action filled with good guys chasing the bad guys and loved ones in danger!

There is some rough language which fits with the rough cowboys and some time period appropriate violence.  The love making is steamy but very loving.  The true story here for me is how the hero and heroine need each other and how Kaed, particularly, reaches his decision to commit!  A very enjoyable read.  (And a beautiful cover too!)

This is my Tuesday R&R review at SaSR.

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway for Ms. Pierson's books and comment here for an extra entry!