Winners of Angel's Landing and Sultry with a Twist

CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS
Giveaways Ended October 26, 2012


Giveaway Three Copies of Angel's Landing 

Na, pc and Natasha

Giveaway ARC Sultry with a Twist

Alicia

Na, pc, Natasha and Alicia Please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads AT gmail.com to confirm the win and I will notify the publisher and or send the books.  Please reply within 72 hours!
Thank you to all who entered these giveaways.. 

Guest Post and Giveaway by Suzanne Barrett

I have read eight titles by Suzanne and I have been impressed by the unique plots in each. I asked her to share how she comes up with such different ideas.

 Coming Up With New Romance Plots: What Moves Me
by Suzanne Barrett

Why do I write the stories I do?  Each of my books is set in a different location with a protagonist engaged in an unusual activity.  My interest in England and Ireland fueled several stories:  TAMING ROWAN is set in England’s Cumbria; IN LOVE AND WAR is set in County Waterford.  SIERRA BRIDE is a historical with an Irish immigrant heroine, set in Eastern California near where I lived as a girl.

AN IRISH ROGUE is set in my home town of Santa Cruz, California.  LATE HARVEST explores the Mendocino wine country.  I’m currently working on another wine country story, INDECENT PROPOSAL, again set in my home town.  (Wine country, wine-making, and the Santa Cruz Mountains are of particular interest to me.)
 

I love the tortured hero.  It is satisfying to watch him stumble and pick himself up again and again until he finally has his light-bulb moment and realizes that what holds him back from achieving his goal is … himself.  I empathize with a heroine who also has baggage but is, underneath it all, an honorable person.
 
For me, reading fiction is an escape.  I want my protagonists to struggle to achieve their happy ending.  I want to see character growth that makes them worthy of their goals.
 
A character may have a less-than-honorable beginning, but to satisfy the romantic in me, he or she must have a moment of truth that changes everything once thought correct and sets him/her on a new path.  One of the ways I work to achieve reader empathy with a less-than-wholesome character is to show the mental push-pull going on.  If my heroine acts like a twit, she’d better have an inner voice questioning her behavior.  I think this helps a reader relate to someone who behaves badly because she then knows that character is acting “out of character.”

Settings and character traits do not make a story new, but if an author can fully engage her reader with likable protagonists and also create a unique setting, that story can be a classic and still feel fresh and exciting.
 
I used this technique in TAMING ROWAN, a story about a project engineer, an alpha male who lays down a “no women on site” rule, and a youthful, talented heroine who fights for acceptance.  Pretty standard fare?   However, I made it unique by making the heroine a structural engineer with just the right qualifications for the project.  Then I set the story at a remote antenna installation in northern England.  The dishy but rude British project officer is then forced by circumstances beyond his control to accept the young American.  Add the remote beauty of the Fells, cozy English pubs, wild storms, and an unwanted but undeniable attraction between the hero and heroine and you have the recipe for a romance that isn’t the norm.
 
In LOVING LUKE I have created a wounded warrior, a reclusive photographer who was badly burned in a car crash and now struggles to revive his career and heal emotionally, and a social worker with a tender heart.  Add a high-achieving family to whom she’s the square peg, a quirky gal pal, and a torrential storm that strands the heroine overnight at the hero’s cabin and… well, I’ll let you be the judge.
 
One reviewer said:  “This book hits all my love buttons!  I love the characters, from Jo, the conflicted heroine with the ritzy family, to the even more conflicted hero, Luke Falconer, who’s got demons and guilt and tremendous talent for photography and great heart, which he keeps hidden until it comes to Jo.”
 
I’d like to read your comments on what type of stories hit your love buttons.


About the Author:

Suzanne Barrett
Following a career in engineering, Suzanne has returned to her first love of writing and literature. Born in Southern California, Suzanne, along with her husband and an elderly cat make their home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Suzanne is also a jewelry designer, and her wirework is shown at various arts and wine events throughout the county. (Visit her jewelry website at www.bellerustique.com.) In addition, she has an Irish travel website with articles, recipes and an extensive photo gallery. When she's not writing or designing jewelry, Suzanne loves to garden.

First published by Kensington Books, Suzanne's first novel for Turquoise Morning Press was Late Harvest a Mendocino California wine country story, followed by her two-time Golden Heart finalist book In Love and War a story set in County Waterford, Ireland.  Taming Rowan is set in England's Cumbria district and one borne of her work in aerospace. She has also released over the past year or so: Gift of the Heart, Sierra Bride, An Irish Rogue, Risking it All, Loving Luke and her most recent release, The Prodigal Lover

Visit Suzanne at:
www.irelandforvisitors.com
www.bellerustique.com
www.suzannebarrett.com
Twitter @suzanneb1441

Giveaway 

of Herringbone Green Jasper Earrings hand made by Suzanne 

and a digital copy of Loving Luke

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for earrings and digital copy:

1. MANDATORY FOR ENTRY: Leave a comment here for Suzanne answering "What type of stories hit your love buttons?"
2. For two additional entries visit the author's website or blog and tell me something you find of interest.
3. For an additional entry comment on my review of Loving Luke or one of my reviews of Suzanne's other titles found through this link. 

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL OR WAY TO CONTACT YOU.
Four total entries possible; separate comments not required.

* This contest is open Worldwide.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on November 2, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED on November 3, 2012.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.  

Book Review: Loving Luke by Suzanne Barrett

 A solid, entertaining romance with a tortured hero.

Loving Luke
by Suzanne Barrett

• File Size: 726 KB
• Print Length: 250 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1622370112
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press (July 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: July 1, 2012
Jo McGuigan’s job is on the line. She needs a photographer to teach her rehab class, but the only one available is an angry recluse who wants nothing to do with the hospital or its outreach program.
Luke Falconer’s photo career ends in a fiery auto crash that leaves him badly burned and crippled. Hating the world, he retreats to his cabin. But when an encounter with the intriguing social worker ends in a night of passion, their lives are changed forever. Jo is a spark to Luke’s flame, and where there’s smoke, there is often a raging inferno.

Review:
Jo is a maverick in her family. Her socially minded mother and sister frown on Jo’s choice of career as a social worker. They frown on her disregard for fashion and her lack of a suitable mate.  But Jo sticks with her independent nature and loves her job.

Jo’s soft heart has gotten her transferred to a trial position as director of a rehab class for the disabled patients.  Jo decides that a photography program would be something worthwhile for these rehab students struggling to find new meaning in their lives. The problem is the local photography expert, Luke Falconer, has retreated from the world.

Luke was a renowned mountain climbing photojournalist until a fiery car accident took the life of his pregnant wife and left him with more than just severe skin scars.  Luke blames himself for the accident and questions whether he can find a suitable replacement for his athletic career.  He has retreated to his secluded cabin.  He has also retreated emotionally to protect himself because he feels he failed in his marriage. Although he is beginning to find enthusiasm for his wild bird photography he has little interest in engaging with humans.

Jo and Luke meet when stuck in an elevator at the burn center. He is standoffish and rude even as he feels a pull toward the feisty young woman.  After Luke fails to return several phone calls Jo seeks out the lion in his den to ask him to work with her program.  He is still hostile but when a storm strands Jo at the cabin passion flairs between them.  The heat of their night together turns into a cold morning when Luke rejects his feelings and pushes Jo away.

Jo continues to struggle trying to teach the photography class herself. When Luke runs into her a few months later he realizes that other problems have developed from their reckless encounter.  Luke proposes a solution but can Jo trust Luke to provide all the support a family will need or is she facing the risk of greater heartache?  The passion between them is combustible but the communication is a bust. Can Luke rise above his past pain to create a life with Jo before he loses the opportunity?

Once again Suzanne Barrett has created a romance with real, vibrant characters and realistic conflict. Luke is a wonderfully tortured soul who needs a lot of patience. His gentle caring is beautiful even as his silence is frustrating. Jo is a nurturer with her own vulnerabilities.  The chemistry between the two sizzles as they try to come to terms with their preconceptions and misunderstandings. The story includes beautiful scenery and a few surprises.

I love that each of Suzanne’s books have unique characters and plots. They are reliably engaging with conflict and sensual romance. If you love sensual romance you need to try one of Suzanne's lovely stories.

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

Luke feels but doesn't express his loneliness:

Lonely? She didn't know the meaning of the word. His loneliness wasn't something you talked about. It was a gut-wrenching emptiness that ate at him like a cancer. Location 680.

And Luke fears his emotions:

But they'd argued, and he'd retreated. It was what he always did when he felt control of a situation slipping away from him.  Location 3956.

I received this ebook from the Author for an honest review.  See Author Guest Post for Giveaway of earrings and ebook.

This story is set in Muir Woods, California for my Where Are You Reading Challenge.

Saturday Snapshot 10/27/12 - Our Visit to Skagway, AK

I need to reply to last week's nice comments individually but I did want to make a global comment about my experiences with cruising.
My dad always had boats and we spent many summer adventures on the intracoastal, the Florida Keys and the Bimini Islands. I had an inner ear infection when I was in college which affected my equilibrium. Boating became most unpleasant for me. I tried the ear patches and they worked okay but more often then not I would just sleep on the trips. When my DH and I started cruising years ago I bought the cloth bands with the bubble pressure knobs to wear on your wrists. I have not had a single problem since! Even on the rough sea days I can go to the dining room while others cower in their rooms. :-)

We had no rough weather on our Alaskan cruise. The weather continued to be beautiful as we visited Skagway on day four of our trip.

As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 920. However, the population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with more than 900,000 visitors.

We took the three and a half hour train excursion to the White Pass Summit -- the train travels 20 miles from tidewater to the Summit of the White Pass – a 2,865 foot elevation.
The history is fascinating! Here are just a handful of the many pictures I took. 

And  of course I had to have a picture of the Bookstore. :-)

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Audio Book Review: The Magician's Apprentice by Kate Banks

WOW - this little story is remarkable - truly more than I expected!
The Magician's Apprentice
Author: Kate Banks; Narrator: Charlie Thurston

• Type: Unabridged
•  ISBN-13: 978-0-7927-8948-2 
• Package: 3 CD Audiobook 
• Length:  3 Hr 33 Min
• Publisher: AudioGO (December 11, 2012)

Genre: Fiction, Middle Grader Fiction (?)
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: August 7, 2012 | Age Level: 10 and up
Baz has always dreamed about leaving his dusty little town, so when a stranger comes to his family's home and asks him to be a weaver's apprentice, Baz is eager to start his journey. He and the stranger travel for several sunrises and sunsets until they reach the land of Kallah, where Baz starts his apprenticeship—and soon learns that his master is very cruel. Baz is disheartened, and when the master trades Baz for a sword to a magician, Baz expects no better from his new owner. But as Baz travels further into the depths of the desert with this kind-hearted and wise magician, he learns to re-examine his beliefs about people, the world, and himself, discovering that everything is connected in a continuous journey toward destiny and that no person or thing can ever really be owned.

•  Amazon link
• Listen to Sample at Audible

Reviews:
Baz is a young man ready to journey from home to be apprenticed for a new career.  He has no idea what the career will be but he anticipates the adventure. When the day finally arrives a stranger takes him away to deliver him to be a weaver’s apprentice. Baz is willing to do the job but his master is cruel; he takes the possessions of the students and practically starves them to death. After losing a friend and his small dog to the brutality of the master Baz plans an escape. Baz takes with him a small key he has treasured and hidden since he found it, but before he can succeed in his plans Baz is traded to another stranger.

Although Baz expects cruelty from his new master he soon learns that the old man is a gentle-hearted, philosophizing, wise magician.  They travel together through villages, across the desert and into the mountains where it is rumored no one ever returns. Along the way the magician shares and explains riddles of life and wisdom with Baz.

Ms. Bates is apparently an author of many children's books but I really hesitate to classify this as a Middle Grader genre.  The tale may appeal to a younger audience but it is much more than an interesting adventure. I found this story to be profound and wonderfully expressed. The writing is lyrical and the views on the meaning of life are thought provoking. The view encompasses a oneness of all beings and creation. Although that is not necessarily consistent with my Christian beliefs there is a part of me that can see all souls and physical elements of the world as being connected parts of God’s creation. There are many tidbits of wisdom that I found marvelous. These include recognition of the illusions of life, the idea of change being continuous and truth usually being broader than what a person first sees through their limited perception. These insights on the meaning of life are beautifully woven and shared through the journey and the friendship of Baz and his mentor.

AUDIO Observations:  The narration is exquisite. Absolutely perfect for the rhythm, mystery and unique synchronicity of the story. I am likely to look for more books narrated by Mr. Thurston as he did such a masterful job on this one.

This is a story I may want to get in print and it apparently has some simple drawings that add to the text. But, whether in print or audio, this is a keeper that I plan to enjoy again. I highly recommend this story and audio.

Words I noted while listening:
      Lyrical, riddles, profound, change, truth.

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

Quotes I noted:
(From Track 27)

“No,” said Todas. “Intention does not come from the mind, although the mind thinks it does. Intention comes from here.” Todas pointed to his heart again then closed his hands in prayer.

Baz asks

“Where do you come from?”
“Where we come from is not important,” said Todas. “It is where we are going that matters.

(From Chapter 7 Track 29)
Baz questions if magic is deception and dishonest; Todas replies:

“That's not how I see it. I am simply showing my audience that not all is as it seems.  The world is bigger, its secrets  greater. True magic is not just to amuse it's to bring people closer to the truth, to reality. The magician’s task is not to show power, but to dispel illusion. Power is nothing but an illusion. Magic represents the capacity for transformation and change inside all of us.  Is that lesson not worth something?"

I am thankful I had the opportunity to review this for AudioGo through AudioBook Jukebox.

I will add this to my New Author and Audio Challenge lists.