Winner of The Sherlockian

Congratulations 

to the winner of my hardcover review copy of

The Sherlockian 

by Graham Moore

 

 

Cindi needs to send me her mailing information and choice of Bookmarks: sweet and sensual or erotic.

Thank you to everyone who entered. I enjoyed reading which mysteries you have read and liked.

What Dream Books Did the Winners Pick?

I have to say that it was fun to do the themed giveaway for Dreaming Giveaway Hop.  I wanted to share what books the winners selected.
GABY chose three Kindle books:
The Running Dream
by Wendelin Van Draanen

Suite Dreams

by Rachel Hawthorne

                              and

I Dream of Genies

by Judi Fennell

Throuthehaze choose two books:
I Dream of Genies  by Judi Fennell

 

and

to make up the difference for the $10.00

she is getting a book from the Friday Pick List:

Man of My Dreams

by Johanna Lindsey

So there you have it - lots of "dreams" instead of "dreaming"!

Audio Book Review and Giveaway - Two Copies: Hell's Corner by David Baldacci

There's lots of detail, many twists and fast paced action in this gripping mystery thriller.
Hell's Corner (The Camel Club) by David Baldacci
Read by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hachette Audio; Com/MP3 Un edition (November 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160788657X
• ISBN-13: 978-1607886570

Price: Audio $26.99; Mass Market $9.99; Kindle $12.99
Genre: Mystery Thriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Publisher’s Summary

John Carr, aka Oliver Stone—once the most skilled assassin his country ever had—stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House, perhaps for the last time. The President has personally requested that Stone serve his country again on a high-risk covert mission. Though he’s fought for decades to leave his past career behind, Stone has no choice but to say yes.

But Stone’s mission changes drastically before it even begins. It’s the night of a State Dinner honoring the British Prime Minister. As he watches the Prime Minister’s motorcade leave the White House that evening, a bomb is detonated in Lafayette Park, an apparent terrorist attack against both the President and the Prime Minister. It’s in this chaotic aftermath that Stone takes on a new, more urgent assignment: find those responsible for the bombing.

British MI-6 agent Mary Chapman becomes Stone’s partner in the search for the unknown attackers. But their shadowy opponents are elusive, capable, increasingly lethal, and worst of all, it seems that the park bombing may just have been the opening salvo to their plan. With nowhere else to turn, Stone enlists the help of the only people he knows he can trust: the Camel Club. But that may be a big mistake.

In the shadowy worlds of politics and intelligence, there is no one you can really trust. Nothing is what it seems to be. And Hell’s Corner truly lives up to its name. This may be Oliver Stone and the Camel Club’s last stand.

Review:   I hadn’t read any of the prior Camel Club books but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of this audio.

Former assassin, Oliver Stone, and MI-6 agent Mary Chapman are dissecting clues to try to find out why a bomb was detonated in Lafayette Park, also known as Hell’s Corner.  They begin to work with the FBI as they investigate the four people who were in the park at the same time as Oliver, when the bomb exploded.  The second and third discs are full of minutia on the bomb evidence, bomb sniffing dogs, and conjecture of why, what and how.  Those details are interesting even if it seems the story is going very slow. It is worth getting past those discs because the puzzle picks up with twists and action.

They follow lead after lead that run to dead ends or worse result in more deaths, but no answers.  As the search goes on they learn that evidence is being withheld by other security arms of the government. So they don’t know whom they can trust and they don’t know which evidence is real or has been set up as a red herring. It all shows a lot of detailed planning so they are sure they must figure out what is at stake before more deaths.  Initially Oliver rejects the help of his Camel Club friends but, when they persist, he realizes he can use their individual skills.

They finally figure out why the bomb occurred and who set it up.  Then the chase begins with the traitor using Stone’s own history and techniques to lead him on a merry chase.  Members of the Camel club are kidnapped and the whole crew is trapped with plans to entomb them and frame them as the terrorists. But the surprises aren’t finished until the very end! 

I like the added sound effects.  If you like Baldacci, you won't want to miss this twisting thriller. My DH listened to the whole book too.

THANK YOU TO HACHETTE FOR PROVIDING TWO AUDIO CD BOOKS FOR GIVEAWAY.
TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. Tell me if you like detailed evidence explanations (worth one entry) and/or let me know if you have a favorite Baldacci book (worth an additional entry).
Please leave your email!

2.  Two extra entries: Visit the Author Website and tell me something you found there of interest.

3.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

4. For three entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Eight total entries possible.) MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL!

THERE WILL BE TWO WINNERS!

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on February 4, 2011.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.

Winners of Dreaming Books Giveaway Hop!

CONGRATULATIONS 

TO THE WINNERS 

OF DREAMING BOOKS GIVEAWAY HOP!

Thank you to everyone who participated and to new followers.

I hope you enjoy the reviews and the few memes as well as all the giveaways.

And Thank you for the condolences on the loss of our sweet Bear.  He had the BEST disposition.

The winners need to select book choices from Amazon or Book Depository with the word "dreaming" or "dream" in the title!

First Winner $20.00 toward "dreaming" books

#191 GABY

Second Winner $10.00 toward "dreaming" books 

#31 Throuthehaze

Visit next month for the FOLLOWER LOVE HOP!

Book Review and Giveaway, Three Copies: Sins of a Highland Devil by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

I loved the characters with this interesting plot.
Sins of a Highland Devil (Highland Warriors) by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Forever; Original edition (January 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446561789
• ISBN-13: 978-0446561785

     Price: Print $7.99; Kindle $7.99
     Genre: Historical Romance
     My Rating:  3.75 of 5.0

Product Description
The first book in the Highland Warriors trilogy, in which three heroes make a pact to insure that a rival clan does not take over their Glen of Many Legends. At the same time, three women plot to marry these heroes to insure peace.

In SINS OF A HIGHLAND DEVIL, James Cameron is concerned when the King's decree states all three neighboring clans must have a battle to the death in order to lay official claim to the scared Glen of Many Legends. James attempts to make a pact with the heads of the other clans to fight this decree. But he ends up fighting his own fierce desire when coming head-to-head with Lady Catriona of the opposing MacDonald clan, who has her own plan for peace.

Review:   Since I particularly liked many of the characters in this book I thought it was a shame that two thirds of the book was sensual play instead of focusing on the interesting plot.

James Cameron is a sinfully sexy highlander chieftain, known as “The Devil”. Too bad for Catriona MacDonald that bonnie James is in the wrong highlander clan.

There is a long history of disagreements, often murderous, of the three clans who occupy the Glen of Many Legends.  The King has ordered the clans to submit 30 of their best warriors to battle to the death.  The clan with the most men standing after the battle will win the authority to reign the Glen.

Catriona is a flame haired beauty who is feisty, proud and bit reckless.  She met James Cameron when she was young and their encounters have gendered sparks ever since. No other man interests or excites her although she knows she shouldn’t have anything to do with a man from another clan.

James knows that he shouldn’t lust after the sister of an enemy chieftain. But he can’t help the consistent sizzling pull towards Catriona and what mere mortal man could resist her seductive provocations?

These characters are really wonderful as are their siblings who, I am sure, will offer their own headstrong battles in other books in the series. I also thought the challenge to find peace instead of slaughtering each other presented an interesting plot although it didn’t work out as I had hoped. I do not mind battle, blood and gore but this type of forced battle for spectacle wasn’t to my liking.  Although I prefer the battle results to the alternative they were not consistent with the King’s decree of “to the death.”

I did like the mystical aspects with ghosts, a great spirit stag and an ancient couple who add their riddled fortune telling wisdom and meddling spells to the story.  I also liked "the fate thread" pulling characters together. What annoyed me, although I am sure many romance readers would not be bothered by it, were the pages and pages of sensual imaginings with James fantasizing about Catriona and Catriona, not so innocently, imagining the things James might show or teach her.  A little sensual tension goes a long way for me and I thought that two thirds of the story devoted to that lustful chase was a bit much.  I was ready to get on with the mystery of the cloaked trouble maker stirring up each of the three clans and what tragedy or sacrifices would have to occur to achieve peace.

This is the first book I have read by this popular author and I have to wonder if other stories have the same ratio of sensual chase to interesting plot.  Yes the characters are grand and the plot is interesting but the book could easily have been seventy five pages shorter by cutting out the repetitive lustings. That would have made it more enjoyable for me.

THANK YOU TO HACHETTE FOR PROVIDING THE BOOK FOR MY REVIEW AND FOR PROVIDING THREE BOOKS FOR GIVEAWAY.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. Visit the Author's website or check out Five Fun Facts and tell me something you found interesting;
One of these is required for entry.  If you do both it will count as two entries.

Make sure you leave your e-mail address!

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

3. For three entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Six total entries possible.) MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL!

THERE WILL BE THREE WINNERS!

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.

* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

* Limit one win per household.

* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on February 2, 2011.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries.