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Saturday, February 9, 2013

Winners of The Perfect Match, The Officer Breaks the Rule and Immortal Craving

CONGRATULATIONS 
TO WINNERS OF  

Giveaway Ended January 25, 2013. 
(I almost missed this one but was reminded by the books in the giveaway book box!)
Giveaway: The Perfect Match
2 Winners
#47 pc and #24 NA



Giveaways Ended February 8, 2013. 

ARC Giveaway: The Officer Breaks the Rule.
#90 Darlene Y


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway! Immortal Craving. 
2 Copies US Only.

#29 Mark A and #80 Lisa V

pc, NA, Darlene, Mark and Lisa Please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me at mesreads AT gmail.com to confirm the win and I will arrange the mailing, and advise the publisher.  Please reply within 72 hours!
Thank you to all who entered these giveaways. 

Book Review and Giveaway Link: Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries) by Helen Smith

Another quick and fun mystery.
Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries)
by Helen Smith


  • File Size: 182 KB
  • Print Length: 48 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Tyger Books (December 5, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B006ITK0AW
Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: December 5, 2011
"Helen Smith is a master story-teller." Socrates Book Reviews
When twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles helps out at a local stage school in London, she's soon mixed up in murder. She teams up with eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel to solve the case.
Showstoppers is a fast-paced 75-page novella. Readers of M C Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new author in this entertaining British mystery series.
"Suspensefully created and plotted." Vine Reviewer


Review:
We met Emily and some of her neighbors in the first book, Three Sisters. Now one of the neighbors, Victoria, seeks Emily’s help to uncover a blackmailer. Victoria operates Showstoppers, a dance studio for children. Victoria was an actress in her youth and there is apparently a bit of a scandalous video  with a former beau from her college days. The man, a now famous and handsome actor, has appeared recently to enroll his daughter in the dance studio.

Victoria’s husband is some type of civil servant and there could be embarrassment from revealing the video. The VHS tape isn’t quite what you might expect and soon most of the employee’s at Showstoppers know about the tape. Emily notes a little tension between Victoria and her manager and there is a lot of crazy busyness as the year-end program takes place.

Emily is very likeable and her relationship with Dr. Muriel is developed more in this second story as they look at the clues together. Again, there are initially several suspects before the truth is, rather shockingly, revealed.  This is a fast, fun read with an extra touch of irony at the ending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoy the lovely descriptions that put me in the setting:
Emily followed Victoria into the lovely kitchen where the family ate most of their meals. Everything was just so, in a country-living kind of a way; there was an Aga and a conventional oven; cupboards and units painted in forget-me-not blue; French windows opening onto the garden at the back; big wooden storage boxes for the boys’ wellington boots and trainers; and something deliciously Italian-smelling (herbs and tomatoes and cheese in it or on it for sure, Emily thought) cooling in the oven.  Location 31.
Dr. Muriel makes a distinction on how to approach the suspect:
A denouncement is public and upsetting. A confrontation is by invitation only and most satisfying. Location 818.
I received this ebook for an honest review during Bookblast tour.

Tour Schedule
Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

Purchase

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog

Tour Giveaway
10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers & Three Sisters

Ends 2/28/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Review: Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries) by Helen Smith

Great, quick mystery with irony and humor.
Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries)
by Helen Smith


  • File Size: 142 KB
  • Print Length: 44 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Tyger Books (February 5, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004M5HK0M
Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: February 5, 2011
"Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious." Socrates' Book Reviews
Three Sisters introduces twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles in this popular new British mystery series.
Emily has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street in London. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?
Readers of M C Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new mystery author in this entertaining 70-page novella.
"Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one." Eva's Sanctuary
"It grips you from the very beginning." Books Bistro


Review:
Emily has recently gotten over the death of her elderly dog. She was there when he drew his last breath and the life went out of his eyes. Emily needs to break out of her sadness and agrees to attend a neighborhood party to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve and Guy’s Fawkes Bonfire night.

There is a troupe of entertainers who have set up in an old house down the street. Emily is intrigued by some of the ‘play acting’ that is going on. She wanders along to a room where twins are dressing while a pile of knives lays on the bed.  They are angry when they realize that a young woman, Midori, who is to be the DJ, has exited their bathroom and when they see Emily at the door.

Later in the evening Midori gets sick and has to go home. Emily is concerned about several of the ‘performers’ and feels an unease. Then she witnesses the twins in their knife throwing act when a knife ends in the chest of one of the girls. A little while later the girl appears alive but Emily is sure that she saw the life go out of her eyes just like her beloved dog. Emily seeks help from her friend Dr. Muriel and they try to puzzle out the situation as others around them claim that it was all an act. But to Emily it seemed all too real and there are certain guests she doesn't trust.

I really enjoyed the quirky and unusual characters. The mystery is different with some twists woven in a fun story. This is skillfully written with evocative descriptions. If you like cozy mysteries I think you would enjoy these quick, fun stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily walking in the dark:
She wanted to say to Joe that being in the dark was like being deep underwater, not being able to hear or turn round quickly enough to see the predator behind you.  Location 465.
I received this ebook for an honest review during Bookblast tour. 
PLEASE SEE THE NEXT POST FOR REVIEW OF SHOWSTOPPERS AND A GIVEAWAY LINK. Also there is a BookBlast Giveaway if you haven't already entered that. 

Tour Schedule

Friday, February 8, 2013

Saturday Snapshot (February 9, 2013) Hawaii Volcanoes

This continues the tour on our third day as we visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on The Big Island of Hawaii. We did several stops on the Crater Rim Drive and then visited the volcano  views.

 The steam vents across the field are sulphurus so you only look from a distance.


This vent is safe to look at and feel the heat!
It was actually windy and cool so the lady in her short dress probably was glad for the heat.


The final stop was the Jaggar Museum with 
lots of informative displays inside and great vista views.


This is a view (KÄ«lauea caldera) from the back deck of the museum.


And a final view of Mauna Loa in the distance.
Both KÄ«lauea and Mauna Loa are active volcanoes.


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.

Audible A Perfect Blood (Hallows #10) by Kim Harrison

I really enjoy the wonderful characters and action in this series.
A Perfect Blood (Hallows #10)
by Kim Harrison
 Narrated by Marguerite Gavin
LENGTH 
16 hrs and 48 mins
RELEASE DATE 
02-21-12
Program Type  Audiobook
PUBLISHER  Harper Audio


Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


New York Times best-selling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She's faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.


Review:
Rachel Morgan was often in trouble as a witch but the Inderland Security, her former employer, is even more reluctant to trust her now that she is a day-walking demon. Rachel works as a private investigator enforcer with her good friends, cool and sexy vampire, Ivy, and mini-sized with the heart of a giant pixie, Jenks. She also gets help from wealthy business man and Elf, Trent and Rachel’s demon teacher, Algaliarept.

Rachel and her team have often been engaged by the human-run FIB (Federal Inderland Bureau) to assist in their cases with non humans, including vampires, witches, werewolves, demons and others. This time they are brought in to help capture a human hate group, HAPA, who wants to wipe out the Inderlanders. The group is injecting witches with rosewood blood in an effort to turn them into demons. Unfortunately the experiments have left behind hideously mutated, dead bodies.

As she often does, Rachel, rushes in without a good plan and backup. This is particularly dangerous as she is wearing a bracelet that protects her from being pulled into the Ever After but also prevents her from accessing many of her magic powers through ley line use. She eventually gets caught and caged with the latest experiment candidate.  Capturing Rachel gives the group a bonus of true demon blood and they are able to successfully turn Winona into a demon who looks like she will survive the mutations.

Rachel and Winona must escape to save themselves and to keep the group from using more of her blood. Every time it looks like the HAPA criminals are caught they slip through the net. Soon Rachel suspects that they are getting inside information.

Ms. Harrison does a good job covering the backstory and characters so someone new to the series could jump in, although they would miss all the good action and Rachel mishaps from prior books. Not to mention a new reader would miss her failed romances and the nuances of her relationship with Trent and several of the other characters.  I enjoy the action in this series even with Rachel’s misadventures and tendency to rush into trouble. I like the friendship with David, her werepack 'leader', and I love Jenks and his vibrant vitality and love. I am very curious to see what's in store for Rachel as she faces the dangers in the next book and as she continues to try to resist her feelings for Trent.

Audio Notes: Ms. Gavin does a fabulous job distinguishing the characters. She is able to get a snarky, Pixie voice for Jenks and a deep, slow voice for the gargoyle, Biz. She inflects the nervousness of Nina the new vampire as well as the arrogance when she is possessed by Felix, the old vampire. Ms. Gavin adds intensity and mood, fear and weariness, with her excellent reading. I have listened to all the books in this series and I do enjoy the voices!

This title was in my Audible Library and I pulled it to read as a TBR.

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