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Monday, January 14, 2013

Mailbox Monday January 14, 2013

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
FOR JANUARY: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Lori's Reading Corner!

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs.  This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) but is now hosted at Mailbox Monday and through various blog hosts.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 


Again I added more books to my ever expanding garden!
How are your mailbox and TBR piles doing?

Review Titles
I received one print, seven ebooks and three Audio titles for review. 
I am excited about them all. :-)
Print: 
Sourcebooks - an ARC for April/May Review:


Jack Absolute 
by C.C. Humphreys





Three eBooks for BookBlasts:
(I received these the first week of the year but forgot to list here.)

Jack Templar: Monster Hunter
by Jeff Gunhus
2/4 Review
Blog Tour



daynight by Megan Thomason
1/23 Review
Blog Tour


Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries)
and Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries)
by Helen Smith
3/9 Review 
Blog Tour




Three eBooks for Partner's In Crime


by Jon Land
2/12 Review (& Giveaway The Omega Command)




by Stacy Green
Review 2/20




Cross the Line
by Jack Patterson
3/27 Review, Interview and Giveaway
Blog Tour



eBook from Netgalley:
by Phyllis Pellman Good


Audio Books through AudioBook Jukebox:



"Natalie's Journey Back to Love"
by E. Jean Beres
From MindWings Audio



Ashes Of Twilight
by Kassy Tayler
From AudioGO




The Lost Flower Children
by Janet Taylor Lisle
From AudioGO



Wins

None



Purchased
The Adventures of Steampunk Annie by Heather Graham



Free
From Free Book Partay:
Rec’d JAN 9

Featured Mystery/Thriller
One Angry Julius and Other Stories, by Dave Zeltserman
Covert, by Carolyn McCray
Honor Code, by Cathy Perkins

Featured Romantic Suspense
The Volkov Affair, by Taylor Lee

More Featured Romance
Tennessee Touch, by Nancy Radke
Blood and Snow, by RaShelle Workman

Featured Fantasy
Blood Awakening, by Wenona Hulsey

Rec’d JAN 10
Featured Romantic Suspense

The Mistress of Trevelyan, by Jennifer St. Giles
Merkaba, by Lorhainne Eckhart

Featured Mystery/Thriller/Sci-Fi
Liquid Lies, by Lois Lavrisa

Featured Paranormal Romance
Mimi's Mix, by Mimi Barbour
The Girl and the Genie, by E.M. Lilly

More Featured Romance
Defiant Passion, by Anna Markland

I did download about five free Kindle Titles linked through Inspired Reads.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 14, 2013

This meme starts at Book Journey!

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I had a good reading and working week. Like December, January is turning our busier at the office than we expected. That is always a mixed blessing.

I had 15 posts this week... more than I really like because it gets busy. :-)  I finished four good books and posted four reviews with two guest posts and an author interview. It was a busy giveaway week too with three giveaways and two with BookBast giveaway links. I posted the regular Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.
Once again I didn't get as much visiting last week and I hope to do better this week.
Thanks again to all the nice people who visit me too.

These were last week's posts:
  • Book Review and Print Giveaway: Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay; Contemporary, Holiday; my rating 4.5. Ends 1/25/13
Finished Reading:

1. Audio MP3
 

Cat Bearing Gifts: A Joe Grey Mystery, Book 18
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy (Author), 
Susan Boyce (Narrator)
I enjoyed this mystery story told from the view of the cats.
I will post a review this week.
I received this to review for AudioGo through AudioBook Jukebox.



2. ebook/Kindle
 

The Blessed and the Damned (Righteous Series #4)
by Michael Wallace
This book pulls you in.
It is rather alarming though but good entertainment.
Read for the author;
I'll post the review this week.




3. Audio/MP3


"Natalie's Journey Back to Love" 
by E. Jean Beres (MindWings Audio)
Read By: Laural Merlington
I enjoyed this very quick, sweet listen.
Reviewed for MindWings Audio through AudioBook Jukebox. Review linked above.
Book Description
Publication Date: November 18, 2011
When Natalie’s daughter and son-in-law were killed in a car accident, she inherited their house and the responsibility for their four children. She lost her husband two years earlier, and now feels overwhelmed. She’s bitter and feels forsaken. Pastor Richard Gill, helps her to cope. Through a growing closeness with Richard, Natalie discovers God’s love for her.



4. Print


The Perfect Match (Hometown Mysteries)
by Janice Hanna
This is a fun, easy read 
I will post a review and Giveaway this week.
I read it for Ladies Book Club meeting 1/19.



Line Edits: I will have several releases the next two weeks.


Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle 



Every Perfect Gift (A Hickory Ridge Romance)
by Dorothy Love
I am half way through and really enjoying this story!
I will be posting a review and Giveaway for Thomas Nelson.
Book Description
Publication Date: December 4, 2012
Series: A Hickory Ridge Romance (Book 3)
Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart.

Sophie Caldwell has returned to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, after years away. Despite the heartaches of her childhood, Sophie is determined to make a home, and a name, for herself in the growing town. A gifted writer, she plans to resurrect the local newspaper that so enchanted her as a girl.

Ethan Heyward’s idyllic childhood was shattered by a tragedy he has spent years trying to forget. An accomplished businessman and architect, he has built a majestic resort in the mountains above Hickory Ridge, drawing wealthy tourists from all over the country.

When Sophie interviews Ethan for the paper, he is impressed with her intelligence and astounded by her beauty. She’s equally intrigued but fears he will reject her if he learns about her shadowed past. Just as she summons the courage to tell him, Ethan’s own past unexpectedly and violently catches up with him, threatening not only his life but their budding romance.

“Pure Southern delight! Dorothy Love weaves a stirring romance . . . that uplifts and inspires the heart.” —Tamera Alexander, best-selling author of The Inheritance and A Lasting Impression



2. eBook/Kindle


Dead Running
by Cami Checketts
I am looking forward to reading this.
Review to post 1/19/13 as part of BookBlast Tour.
Book Description
Publication Date: March 27, 2012
Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.
With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she'll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

A light-hearted and clean romantic suspense, Dead Running will have you lacing up your running shoes and impatiently waiting for the sequel.
Don't miss the exciting sequel to Dead Running. Dying to Run is now available on Amazon for only $.99.



3. Print


The Officer Breaks the Rules (Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful)
by Jeanette Murray
I will start this on Monday.
Reviewing for Sourcebooks. 
Book Description
Release Date: January 8, 2013 | Series: Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful.
Some Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
He's Ruled by Loyalty...
Every man knows that you don't date your best friend's little sister, but Captain Jeremy Phillips can't seem to be convince Madison O'Shay to stay away. And he can't convince himself to stop thinking about her, either.
She's Ruled by Love...
Madison knows exactly what she wants...and whom. But she won't give up her career in the Navy for any man, not even Jeremy.
They're both about to learn that in the game of love, it's all about breaking the rules.



4. Audio/MP3



Ashes of Twilight
by Kassy Tayler (Author),
Nicola Barber (Narrator) 
I just started listening tonight.
I am reviewing for AudioGo 
through AudioBook Jukebox
Publisher's Summary
Wren MacAvoy works as a coal miner for a domed city that was constructed in the mid-19th century to protect the royal blood line of England when astronomers spotted a comet on a collision course with Earth. Humanity would be saved by the most groundbreaking technology of the time. But after nearly 200 years of life beneath the dome, society has become complacent and the coal is running out. Plus, there are those who wonder: Is there life outside the dome? Or is the world still consumed by fire?

When one of Wren's friends escapes the confines of the dome, he is burned alive and put on display as a warning to those seeking to disrupt the dome’s way of life. But Alex’s final words are haunting. "The sky is blue." What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure, romance, conspiracy, and the struggle to stay alive in a world where nothing is as it seems. Wren unwittingly becomes a catalyst for a revolution that destroys the dome and the only way to survive might be to embrace what the entire society has feared their entire existence.



I continue to listen to The Listener's Bible NIV read by Max McLean. [Reading and listening on my new MP3.]  I am studying with the Tyndall One Year Bible this year, hoping to read daily along with my DH.

Line Edits: I hope to get in at least two books this week for formats.


I have listed 16 books for January with Audios to be added. I have completed 9 and reading continues to move along well. 

Scheduled for January - NOTE TWO MORE GIVEAWAY HOPS THIS WEEK!:

1/15 No Strings Giveaway Hop
1/18 Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop
1/19 Review: Dead Running by Cami Checketts (BookBlast Tour)
1/21 Book Blast: DayNight by Megan Thomason
1/23 Review: DayNight by Megan Thomason (BookBlast Tour)
1/28 Book Blast: Jack Templar: Monster Hunter by Jeff Gunhus

Unscheduled
(dates after the author indicate the release date):
Sourcebooks
The Officer Breaks the Rules (Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful)
by Jeanette Murray (1/8/13) (Print giveaway)

Hachette
Immortal Craving by Kendra Leigh Castle (1/29/13)

NET GALLEY
      Random House:

           The Escape Diaries by Juliet Rosetti(12/10/12)

     Thomas Nelson (Hope to post with Giveaways)
          Every Perfect Gift (A Hickory Ridge Romance)
by Dorothy Love (12/4/12)
         An Amish Kitchen Anthology/Collection (12/18/12)
         Waiting for Morning (The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series) by Margaret Brownley (1/8/13)

Audiobook Jukebox (more to be received)
The Lost Flower Children by Janet Taylor Lisle (AudioGo)
Ashes of Twilight by Kassy Tayler (AudioGo)

Authors - Done

Ladies Book Club (Second to post with Giveaway this week)

(I'm thinking I'd like to do a title with January or Winter in it for one of these)
TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - TBD
(Broken Pieces)
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords - TBD

Audio Book Review: Natalie's Journey Back to Love by E. Jean Beres

I think this sweet story would be a good choice for anyone who has suffered a loss and is struggling to feel the emotions of love and joy again.
"Natalie's Journey Back to Love"
by E. Jean Beres (MindWings Audio)
Read By: Laural Merlington

    (This data refers to the Kindle version.}
  • File Size: 202 KB
  • Print Length: 37 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Mind Wings Audio (November 18, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Genre: Christian Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: November 18, 2011
When Natalie’s daughter and son-in-law were killed in a car accident, she inherited their house and the responsibility for their four children. She lost her husband two years earlier, and now feels overwhelmed. She’s bitter and feels forsaken. Pastor Richard Gill, helps her to cope. Through a growing closeness with Richard, Natalie discovers God’s love for her.


Review:
Natalie is bitter with God as she lost her husband two years before and now loses her daughter and son-in-law in a car accident. She has moved in with her four grandchildren and is struggling with her own grief as she tries to find energy and patience to deal with the children.  The oldest daughter, Angela, is 15 and wearing strange clothes as a means of establishing her independence through her pain.  Natalie learns she has a boy-friend pushing her for sex and other friends encouraging her to smoke.

Mark has a boa constrictor for a pet that escapes from his cage. Other than having to chase down the snake, Mark seems quiet, calm and responsible to do his homework, but he can still be a sullen young boy. Young five year old Lily is saddened by the loss of her parents but has the ability to say wise things that help to comfort Natalie. And three year old toddler Sam, sweet and warm, doesn’t fully understand what has happened but is the first to reach out and give hugs.

Natalie’s teenage sweetheart, Richard, has become the Pastor of the local church. He steadily encourages Natalie to re-connect with God and put her trust in him.  He asks Natalie, “What do you do with love? Give it away and God will pour more into you.”

This story is quite lovely. Natalie’s bitterness steams from her loss and stress at handling a whole new family. The children are appropriately portrayed for their ages. It is beautiful to see the growth in the whole family. Even Angela begins to change in attire and attitude. When Natalie notices Angela replies: “You’re showing me the way Grandma.”


Audio Notes: I really enjoyed the narration. Ms. Merlington does an excellent job of capturing the different voices, even those of the children. Her reading enhances the emotional sorrows and joys of the story. This Audio provides a full, beautiful story in under an hour listening enjoyment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily comforts Natalie (from the mouths of babes):
“But God is helping us. He knows what we are going through.”

I received this title for Review from MindWings Audio through AudioBook Jukebox.

Sunday Words of Encouragement January 13, 2013

We are still early in a new year so I am inclined to focus on new or renewed commitment.

This morning we shared communion and I am reminded that I am unworthy, undeserving of forgiveness - each week I do things I shouldn't and don't do things that I should. Pastor noted that it doesn't make much sense to come to the table to eat unless we are hungry. Are we hungry for God in our lives?

Our Pastor's message this morning went along well with the message from last week that we are here to be with God first and then to share His message. God desires that His people be Holy so that He will not be offended when He shares time with us. Deut 23:14. We can never be holy through our own actions or strengths. Holy living is from the inside out. We need not work at being holy but, rather, we need to learn to yield to the Spirit who will guide us in all ways to holiness.

We have to ask ourselves: "Would I want the Spirit to hear what I am saying, hearing, seeing, doing?"  God gives us freedom to act as we might but there will always be consequences. If we tell lies or do misdeeds, we will always be looking over our shoulder. At some point God will correct us...someone will discover that which we wish to hide.  We can do right or get left. We can live on the good side if we chose to YIELD.

I thought this was another good song for January as it starts:
"I have decided, I have resolved....
(I chose this video because it has the words on screen.)

Verses for Today:
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 (New Living Translation)
7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.


Once again I come, in humility Lord, to ask you to help me seek you first and help me each day to yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Winners Double Danger and The Great Christmas Bowl

CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNERS

Giveaway Ended January 11, 2013

Giveaway: The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren

WINNERS: ROBYN L and BECKYW



Giveaway Ended January 4, 2013 
(Sorry - I posted the winner in the Sidebar but never posted an announcement last week.)
ARC Giveaway: Double Danger by Dee Davis 


WINNER:  SHELLY


Shelly, Robyn L and BeckyW please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads AT gmail.com to confirm the win and I'll get the books mailed.  Please reply within 72 hours!  

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