Mailbox Monday April 1, 2013

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
For APRIL: the Mailbox Monday Tour host is Mari at MariReads!
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. 

I received several review titles last week plus one win!
How are your mailbox and TBR piles doing?

Review Titles

I received this print title for review:

Haven Creek (A Cavanaugh Island Novel)

by Rochelle Alers

I received three Audio titles through Audiobook Jukebox:

CIVIL WAR (MARVEL)
Author: Mark Millar, Steve McNiven
from GraphicAudio

 

That Night on Thistle Lane

by Carla Neggers

from AudioGo 

 

 

Hunter: A Thriller 
by Robert Bidinotto
from Bidinotto

Wins
Won at CMash Reads

The Best Man
by Kristan Higgins

Thank you to CMash and Muscle Media!

Still waiting for one previous win that is still due.

Purchased

None this week.

Free

I did download a few free Kindle Titles linked through Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Review.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? April 1, 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 another busy week at work but good reading week. I finished five books. I posted four reviews, two with ARC Giveaways.  I also posted the Mailbox Monday meme, Friday Pick Giveaway, Saturday Snapshot, Sharing Beyond Books Comment Giveaway and Sunday Words.

I didn't get to visit last week. I will try harder this week.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday What are You Reading? March 25, 2013.

• Mailbox Monday March 25, 2013
  

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Free Fall by Catherine Mann; Military Romance; my rating 3.75. Ends 4/5/13.
  

• Book Review and Feature: Cross the Line by Jack Patterson; Thriller; my rating 4.0. 
  

• Book Review: Girl vs. Earl by Phillipa Ashley; Contemporary Romance; my rating 4.25. 
  

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway March 29, 2013. Open Worldwide. Ends 4/4/13.
  

• Saturday Snapshot (3/30/13) March Flowers
  

• Book Review and ARC Giveaway:  Last Chance Book Club by Hope Ramsay; Contemporary Romance (series); my rating 4.5.  Ends 4/5/13.
  

• Sharing Beyond Books #93 Comment Giveaway 3/30/13. Ends 4/5/13.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement March 31, 2013.
  

Finished Reading:

1. ebook/Kindle

Girl v. Earl
by Phillipa Ashley
Fun, British romance. 
Review linked above. 
US edition Published March 26th 2013.
Click on title for Book Description

2. Audio Book/MP3

Did You Miss Me [Audiobook, Unabridged]
Karen Rose (Author),
Marguerite Gavin (Reader)
I really enjoyed this. I will post the review this week; for Blackstone Audio, Inc. through Audiobook Jukebox.
Click on title for Book Description

3. eBook/Kindle

Sportsman’s Bet

by Judy Nichols

I enjoyed this mystery with its internet element
and different PI lead.
I will post a review this week.

Read for review at request of the Author.

Click on title for Book Description

4. Print

A Shot of Sultry
by Macy Beckett
Another fun romance series;
Read from Sourcebooks;
I will be post a review and ARC Giveaway this week.
Book Description
Release date: March 5, 2013 | Series: Sultry Springs
Click on title for Book Description

5. eBook/Kindle

In the Year 2889
by Jules Verne (Author), Michel Verne (Author)
I had this in my Kindle library since 2010.
I picked it as my Just For Fun read in March.
It is a short story showing what life might be like in 2889,
following a rich journalist through a day in his life.
Jules Verne has an absolutely wonderful imagination!
There is a tube transportation system,
telephoto connections (quite similar to Skype), animated housing features like the dining table and bathtub that appear in the bedroom.
This is a very quick read and I highly recommend it particularly to Vernes and Sci Fi buffs!

Line Edits/Releases:
We released another children's title last week:
Rudy Finds a Home by Lynne Bendoly

When Rudy decides to  leave the farm where he has lived all his life, to seek out a place to call his very own home, he encounters many disappointments and finally learns that the very best place to be was back on the farm with all his other cat friends.

Genre: Children's, 5-9 years

Pages: 36 with illustrations

Tomorrow we will release a Venetian Romance: Love is Not Proud by Monica Spense.

Currently reading:

1. Audio

CIVIL WAR (MARVEL)
Author: Mark Millar, Steve McNiven
I enjoy these Graphic Audios. 
I have just started this.
Reviewing for GraphicAudio
through Audiobook Jukebox.
The epic story that blows the Marvel Universe apart!
Iron Man and Captain America: two core members of the Avengers, the world's greatest super hero team.
After a tragic battle in Stamford Connecticut, the U.S. government demands that all super heroes unmask and register their powers.
To Tony Stark—Iron Man—it's a regrettable but necessary step.
To Captain America, it's an unbearable assault on civil liberties.
So begins the Civil War.

© Marvel

2. eBook/Kindle

Hammer of Angels: A Novel of Shadowstorm
by G. T. Almasi
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and am excited to read this.
I am reviewing this through NetGalley.

Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
In G. T. Almasi’s thrilling alternate reality, the United States, the USSR, and the Republic of China share a fragile balance of power with Greater Germany, which emerged from World War II in control of Europe and half of the Middle East. To avoid nuclear Armageddon, the four superpowers pursue their ambitions with elite spies known as Levels, who are modified with mechanical and chemical enhancements.

Nineteen-year-old Alix Nico, code-named Scarlet, is a kick-ass superheroine with killer Mods and an attitude to match. She’s considered one of America’s top Levels, even though her last mission nearly precipitated World War III. So now Scarlet and her new partner, Darwin, have been sent to Greater Germany to help sow the seeds of anarchy and prevent Germany’s defection to Russia and China.

But where Scarlet goes, chaos follows—and when her mission takes an unexpected turn, she and Darwin must go ever deeper into enemy territory. As Scarlet grapples with a troubling attraction to her new partner, explosive information comes to light about the German cloning program and one of its prisoners—a legendary American Level who just happens to be Scarlet’s father.

“First-rate . . . a hell-bent-for-leather mash-up of spy novel and SF.”—Eric Van Lustbader, on Blades of Winter.

3. Print

Jake (A Wyoming Sky Novel)
by R.C. Ryan
I just started a few pages and like the style so far.
Reviewing for Hachette.
Book Description
Release date: February 26, 2013 | Series: A Wyoming Sky Novel

Wild at Heart . . .
Jake Conway is good with his hands. A veterinarian known for his gentle touch, he's also the most eligible bachelor in Wyoming. But like any wild animal, Jake longs to roam free . . . until a sultry redhead with a smile from here to heaven turns up in town.
When her estranged father dies, Meg Stanford inherits his rustic ranch-and all the painful memories that come with it. She's determined to settle the estate and face down the ghosts of her past. But a series of midnight break-ins have Meg running from the ranch-and into the arms of the sexy cowboy next door. As their passion grows hotter, the attacks grow bolder. Can Jake keep her safe, or will he lose the only woman he's ever loved?

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

Line Edits: We are doing well with several more releases being prepared. I am also doing more Smashword conversions.

I completed 15 books in March and several have been moved to April.  Now I have only lined up 13 + two TBR for April so I can add others if I have time. There are five print books, three audios and five eBooks on the list.

Three Reviews carried over from March.

April Scheduled: 
4/1 No Joke April Fools Kindle Fire Giveaway
4/7 April Author/Blogger Kindle Fire Giveaway
4/16 Review: Scorned Justice: The Men of the Texas Rangers by Margaret Daley (PUYB)
4/22 Review: The Forever Knight by John Marco (TLC)

Sourcebooks
Jack Absolute by C.C. Humphreys

Hachette
Jake by R.C. Ryan
Cowboy Take Me Away by Jane Graves

Audios:
For Audiobook Jukebox
    Civil War - Graphic Audio
    That Night on Thistle Lane - AudioGo (now Blackstone)
    Hunter: A Thriller - Robert Bidinotto

NetGalley:
     Hammer of Angels by G.T. Almasi
     An Angel by Her Side by Ruth Reid 
     The Sword in the Stars (Book1) in The Dark Sea Annals Series by Wayne Thomas Batson
     The Wolf of Tebron by C. S. Lakin


From TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - Lady of Devices, a steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices) by Shelley Adina
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords: TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement March 31, 2013 - Happy Easter!

Pastor's message today fit with our songs of redemption and praise. He noted that the three crosses discussed at Calvary have a meaning. The Thief who taunted Jesus was the doubter, signifying Rejection.
The second thief believed Jesus to be good and righteous. Jesus said he would welcome him into Paradise. This cross represents Restoration. Jesus' life and suffering reveal His Love for all men. His death and rising to life represents the Hope He gives us through His Resurrection. He encourages men to live life fully and joyfully in that Hope!

I had a difficult choice of songs to share today.
We sang five for our Easter Service and they were all powerful.
I choose this song which I did not know before we began practicing.

The lyrics include:
"Grace signed my pardon when Christ took my blame.
When I'm called to answer for my history,
Calvary answers for me!"

A Verse for Today:
Romans 5:9-11 The Message (MSG)
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

Thank you Lord Jesus for your great sacrifice and for being worthy to open the scroll to redeem this world when the time comes. I rejoice in your resurrection and that I can live even more fully through your resurrected life. 

Sharing Beyond Books #93 Comment Giveaway March 30, 2013

Hello, Welcome to SBB.

I had a rather busy day with Skype meetings/training. Does anyone have special plans for Easter? I am looking forward to church worship service and a quiet day. I hope everyone gets to enjoy a beautiful day!


Thank you to all who shared last week.

By far the biggest factor mentioned in selecting  book to read was the blurb/summary/premise/plot which was mentioned in 12 comments. Author was mentioned by 9; Price was mentioned by 5 and Series was mentioned by 4. Other factors considered include: cover catches attention; review comment, genre and even size of print. Cindi and Mary ask whether it is a book they will read over and over while Ricki keeps her Q simple: "Do I want it?"

There are a variety of juices we like but the most favorite is orange with 9 mentions. Some of you drink fairly unique flavors like Linda's guava and Carol NW's healthy aloe vera! And while I was noted the choices I had to go get myself some juice! Grape 'cause we didn't have apple.:-)

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #92 comments is: #11 Jolene, who can make a book choice from the ARC/Review titles, Christmas titles or Love titles - all linked near the end of the post. Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #93 Questions

Q1. Emily asks: What book/series influenced you the most as a child??

A: We have previously answered our favorite childhood book but this Q is different. The Bible would be my first answer. The Encyclopedia my second - yes I really spent a year or so reading through it! But for fiction I would choose the Nancy Drew Mystery series -- they were fun to read and they gave a positive image/model for a young girl to follow.

Image found at Wikipedia.

Q2. My non-bookish Question this week: Did you buy anything special this week? For Easter or other celebration or spring break??

A: I didn't buy anything for me but I bought an Easter coloring book for my granddaughters and I helped my daughter buy a few items for their Easter baskets. This has been our Spring Break week so the family has been away enjoying the beach. 

I wish I had seen these adorable DIY gifts sooner!

I could have added it to some small items for my Secret Sister. 

Image found at Trendsetter.

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! We can always use fresh questions.

Your turn to share:

Q1. Emily asks: What book/series influenced you the most as a child??

Q2. My non-bookish Question this week: Did you buy anything special this week? For Easter or other celebration or spring break??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the new Valentine and "Love" books  or the new Christmas Giveaway Books. Also I have added the Updated ARC/Review List now.
 
SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on any (or all) of the two/three questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.

I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made by Friday, April 5, 2013 at 10 PM central.

Book Review and ARC #Giveaway: Last Chance Book Club by Hope Ramsay

This is another warm romance with saucy, Southern charm.

Last Chance Book Club
by Hope Ramsay

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forever (March 26, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1455522295
• ISBN-13: 978-1455522293

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2013

After a painful divorce, Savannah White wants nothing more than to find her happy place. So when she gets the chance to pack up her life -and her son - and move to the idyllic town where she spent childhood summers, she jumps at the opportunity. Last Chance is just as charming as she remembered. She's even invited to join the local book club, where talk soon turns to Savannah's plan to bring the ramshackle downtown movie theater back to life. A new challenge is just what Savannah needs to move forward.. . .

Dash Randall wants to put his fortune to good use, but he remembers Savannah as the bratty "princess" who descended upon him each June, causing no end of trouble. But the teenager he remembered has grown into a gorgeous and generous woman, and it isn't long before Dash finds himself wanting to make brand new memories with Savannah. But first, Dash and Savannah will need to make peace with their pasts to find a new chance for love.

Review:
Savannah inherited a run down movie theater in downtown Last Chance. She leaves behind her ex-husband and controlling, society conscious ex-mother-in-law, and returns, with her 12 year old son, Todd, to restore the theater.  Savannah spent her summers growing up in the small town and thinks to find a new chance there. She is surprised to find her girlhood nemesis, Dash, is living with her Aunt. Dash was another family ‘orphan’ vying for time with the grandparents and Aunt and Uncle, and she remembers him as the bully who put snakes in her bed.

Savannah has been belittled and challenged by her mother and mother-in-law and now she is determined to make it on her own.  The ladies' book club, which is also a knitting center and general support group, welcome Savannah with enthusiasm. The ladies think the theater renovation is a great project to encourage downtown redevelopment. They can get the funds for the renovation but they have to find a creative way to present it to Savannah who is reluctant to accept help.

Dash was a reckless youth and had a promising start and rising career in baseball. Unfortunately a wild evening ended his career and reputation. He returned to Last Chance to seek a quieter life where he could concentrate on his own recovery and help out his Aunt and Uncle. He remembers Savannah as a selfish ‘princess’ and a brat even if she has grown into a desirable woman.

Dash can relate to Todd and the young boy’s desire for a father who doesn’t care about him. Dash slowly begins to help Todd see his worth but to help Savannah he knows he has to turn her feelings around. Matters become more complicated as the theater restoration is sabotaged and threats of improper behavior are brought against Dash.

Savannah and Dash repel each other like magnets turned the wrong way until they are flipped and realize they can’t resist the draw. The romance is saucy, sizzling and warm. I was captivated by the conflict and tension between these characters and kept reading to see how it resolved.

I enjoy the warmth of the supportive people in Last Chance and enjoy the visits with characters from prior books. This is a sweet town with loyal friends and hot-blooded romances. This is a fun series and this is one more captivating installment.

I received this book from Forever/Hachette for an honest review.

Set in South Carolina for my 2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY FOR ARC COPY.

ENTRY FORM HERE

For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open US and Canada Only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on April 5, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on April 6, 2013.
Winners are asked to respond by email or the linked winners form within 72 hours of the announcement.