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Monday, November 3, 2014

Book Review and Tour Giveaway: Unleashed (Love to the Rescue) by Rachel Lacey

This is a solidly cute romance with lots of animal interest.
by Rachel Lacey
  • File Size: 1224 KB
  • Print Length: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Forever (October 28, 2014)
  • Sold by: Hachette Book Group
  • ASIN: B00I829RT2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


What happens when you find the right one at the wrong time?
Cara Medlen has a serious case of animal attraction. And it's not because of all the foster dogs she's rescued. She's got it bad for her incredibly sexy neighbor. Her one rule: Don't get attached. It's served her well with the dogs she's given to good homes and the children she's nannied. Yet the temptation of Matt's sexy smile might just convince her that some rules are made to be broken.

Matt Dumont doesn't need his skills as a private investigator to detect disaster on the horizon. Cara is everything he thought he'd never find-gorgeous, funny, and caring. But there's no way he can start a relationship just as he's about to move to another state. Talk about bad timing. As their attraction sizzles too hot to deny, they'll have to make a decision: forget the consequences and let loose, or forget each other and let go...


Review:
Cara works as a nanny and is fortunate that her job allows time to volunteer at the local pet shelter. She loves dogs and is a foster home for rescued dogs. Unfortunately some of her neighbors have objected to the dogs which growl when they first come home with Cara. Now the homeowners association is asking her to give up the dogs or move.

Cara has noticed the hot looking guy next door but she has remained aloof from all her neighbors due to her policy of holding herself apart because of past illness. She figures there is no reason to get involved with others until she gets a 10 year clearance on her own health situation. That is the same reason she has held off starting her dream career, photography.

Matt has been busy building his PI business but he has noticed his pretty neighbor. Now he is preoccupied with wrapping up his jobs so he can move back to Boston to take care of his sick mother. This is no time to get involved with a woman, no matter how attracted he is.

These are two fun, warm characters and their distinct reasons to avoid relationship make for interesting conflict when it is clear they have wonderful chemistry. The dogs and Cara’s dilemmas are a great element, providing lots of adorable animal interest. I enjoyed the encouraging message of the book and I  liked the clean interactions (although there is plenty of sizzle and some bad words). The dialogue is easy going and the story reads quickly. I recommend this to readers who love animals and a warm romance.

I received this from Forever Romance through NetGalley for tour participation.

Buy Links
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1xxKB94 
Books A Million: http://bit.ly/1v74Mbo 
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1v74QIg 
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1tB2Wmz 



About Rachel Lacey
Rachel Lacey lives in North Carolina, with her husband, son, and their own rescued pup. She volunteers her spare time with Carolina Boxer Rescue and truly has a passion for helping our furry friends. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America as well as her local Heart of Carolina RWA chapter.

Social Media
@RachelsLacey




EXCERPT:
    The temperature had indeed begun to fall as they drove home. Matt was glad for the jacket he kept tucked behind the back seat. He shrugged into it, then walked Cara to her front door.
    “Thanks for dinner, and for helping us out. Really, if you get us the evidence to get those dogs seized, I won’t even know how to thank you.” Her warm eyes shone up at him as they stood on her front porch.
    Matt gave her a devilish grin. Seriously, did she say these things just to drive him crazy?
    Cara licked her lips and took a step back toward her front door.
    “No problem.” His gaze slid to her neck, soft skin gleaming white as marble in the silvery light of the moon.
    He saw her pulse pounding there. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. Her eyes met his and held on like a magnet drawing him in.
    Matt tried to resist. He really did.
    And then her lips parted, and his blood turned to steam, and the only thing he could hear was his own pulse hammering away in his ears.
    He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Cara let out a whimper that caught in his chest and tugged at his restraint. Her lips were soft and warm, tentative as they pressed against his. Her eyes slid shut.
    Matt gave her one more gentle kiss. Just a little goodnight kiss, nothing either of them would regret in the morning. He ran his fingers through her curls, and they were as soft as he’d imagined. Softer.
    She was kissing him back now, her lips pushing against his, asking for more.
    His tongue swept into her mouth. She tasted spicy, like wing sauce and the promise of hot, sweaty sex. The next thing he knew, she was pressed against her front door, Matt’s body crushed against hers. Cara’s arms were around his neck, her tongue tangling with his, her soft moans driving him right out of his mind.
    After a minute, she ripped her mouth from his, gasping for breath. “Damn, what did they put in those wings?”
    All he could do was smile.
    Cara leaned in and brushed her lips against his. Then she winked. “Goodnight, Matt.”
    She slipped inside and shut the door in his face.
    Matt swore under his breath. He was really starting to develop a love-hate relationship with Cara Medlen’s front door.
    ***
    Oh. My. God.
    Cara leaned against the wall, heart flipping in her chest, silly grin on her face. She couldn’t quite believe she’d just been wedged up against her own front door with Matt’s big, hard body pressed against hers while he kissed her like she was a friggin’ Playboy model.
    Okay, now she got the fuss about kissing. With other guys, she’d enjoyed it, but it was nothing she couldn’t live without. She was always worried about where she should put her hands and how quickly he was going to start unbuttoning her blouse.
    She’d have unbuttoned her own blouse if Matt had asked. Good lord. His kiss had heated her blood and curled her toes, all those clichés she’d heard but not experienced. Phew.

GIVEAWAY
(ends 11/3/14 at midnight so Hurry!)
Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Mailbox Monday November 3, 2014

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.
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) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday.
Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


I have three review titles listed today.
I purchased five $.99 kindle titles this week as well as getting many free kindle titles.

(Although I have gotten to a couple, I still have many author requests to consider and reply to.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I got this title a week or so ago but failed to list it:

Hilltop Sunset: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery
by Joyce T. Strand
Review and giveaways to post on 11/7.
This book was received from Book Marketing Services
A mystery set in wine country pitting financial exec Brynn Bancroft against a determined stalker, a troubled love interest, and career clashes.





Both of these were received from Hachette/Grand Central Forever Romance line:


Sealing the Deal
by Sandy James
I picked this title for blog tour because I enjoy the author's real to life stories. 
My review will post with giveaway on November 6, 2014.
Can an orphaned child, an insecure Aunt, and a man ready to settle down find a HEA?





Pushing the Limit (Alpha Ops)
by Emmy Curtis 
I picked this sizzling military romance
 up last minute for a launch blitz on November 4. 

They're tough. They're brave. And they'll do anything for the women they love. They're the Alpha Ops. In the tradition of Suzanne Brockmann and Julie Ann Walker comes a sizzling new high-octane romantic suspense novel from rising star Emmy Curtis.





Won

None

Purchased
I did purchase five $.99 Kindle titles this week.


The Briton and the Dane Second Edition
Mary Ann Bernal, WeiEn Chen, Steven Novak


Shifters After Dark Box Set: (6-Book Bundle)
SM Reine, Dannika Dark, Marie Hall, Melissa F. Olson, Kate Danley, Phoenix Sullivan


Tall, Dark and Deadly Books 1 - 4
Lisa Renee Jones



The Sasha McCandless Series: Volume 2 (Books 4-5.5)
Melissa F. Miller


Just Once: Three Complete Historical Romances 
(Crimson Romance)
Elizabeth Boyce




Free

I downloaded another 68 free Kindle titles this week plus several pdf and mobi titles through NoiseTrade. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

It's Monday! What are You Reading? November 3, 2014

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.

We enjoyed our relaxing visit with our son and his family. Today we went back on the road to arrive in Williamsburg, VA.

I enjoyed my reading last week and somehow got myself caught in four tour books for this week.  I finished three books and am well into another.  I did post three reviews and I also posted the usual memes. :-)

I did some visiting early in the week but didn't get back later when I hoped to.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:
Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle


What a Lady Needs for Christmas (MacGregor Series)
by Grace Burrowes
I really enjoyed this. I hope to get the review posted sometime this week.
Click on book title for full description.




2. eBook/Kindle


Unleashed (Love to the Rescue)
by Rachel Lacey
I liked these characters. 
Review and Giveaway to post on 11/3.
Click on book title for full description.





3. Ebook/Kindle


Pushing the Limit (Alpha Ops)
by Emmy Curtis 
I picked this up last minute for a launch blitz. 
Sounded pretty good and it was a fast read. :-)
Launch Blitz, my review and giveaway will post on November 4.
They're tough. They're brave. And they'll do anything for the women they love. They're the Alpha Ops. In the tradition of Suzanne Brockmann and Julie Ann Walker comes a sizzling new high-octane romantic suspense novel from rising star Emmy Curtis.

PUSHING THE LIMIT

After their one-night fling at a wedding, archaeologist Henrietta "Harry" Markowitz thought she'd never see war hero Matt Stanning again. So when they're paired up to investigate a military plane crash in Iraq, she's not sure if the three-month reunion is serendipitous or cursed. What she does know is this gorgeous man lights her body on fire-and incredible sex is always a welcome distraction.

Air Force Sergeant Matt Stanning has been called a hero, but he feels nothing like one when he realizes the sexy blonde in his bed is the widow of his fallen brother-in-arms. Even worse, he actually has to work with her, and she's unearthed evidence that points to a military conspiracy. If they dig deeper, they'll put their lives in danger. If they don't, they'll never know the truth-not only about the mysterious plane crash, but about each other.


eTreasures Publishing:
Two more ebooks still out for updating; to be released soon.


Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle


Sealing the Deal
by Sandy James
I picked this title for blog tour too.
I like the author and am enjoying the story.
My review will post 
with giveaway on November 6, 2014.
After losing her sister, Bethany Rogers needs a shoulder to lean on more than ever-though she never expects that shoulder to belong to her new boss . . .

Bethany has been in love with Robert Ashford since they were teachers at the same high school. After Robert leaves to start his own construction company, Beth puts her feelings aside to focus on her goals. When she finally lands a gig as a part-time designer, she is shocked to find her new boss is none other than Robert . . . and he's hotter than ever. But Bethany's happiness is short-lived when she receives word that her sister has been killed in combat.

With the success of building homes for one happy family after another, Robert is finally ready to settle down. When Beth is left to care for her nine-month-old niece, Robert can't help but step in. And before long, the trio are inseparable. Yet convincing the cautious, bereaved Beth of letting him in proves difficult-but Robert will give everything he's got for the chance at his own happily ever after.



2. eBook/Kindle


Hilltop Sunset: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery
by Joyce T. Strand
I am looking forward to reading this.
Review and giveaways to post on 11/7.
This eBook was received from Book Marketing Services
A mystery set in wine country pitting financial exec Brynn Bancroft against a determined stalker, a troubled love interest, and career clashes. Brynn Bancroft learns that a former employee who beat her nearly to death has returned to stalk her and her friend, Jillian Hillcrest, also a former victim. Recently divorced, Brynn turns to a new love interest only to encounter additional unwelcome issues. Meanwhile, short-timer Brynn, who has resigned from her Silicon Valley company, becomes bored fulfilling her remaining responsibilities there. She begins to prefer supporting the launch of her ex-husband's new hilltop winery while waiting to move to her next position. Between her stalker and her new love interest, Brynn faces a series of life-threatening events.



3. Audio/MP3


Ravenhill Court
Written by: David R. Beshears
Narrated by: Karen Krause
I selected this from AudioBook Jukebox 
to listen to for November Sci Fi Month.
Publisher's Summary
Present day... A man returns to a long-abandoned neighborhood. Doors stand ajar, shutters hang open, lawns and landscaping are unkempt. The man sits on the curb and opens a leather-bound journal. Through the journal, he recalls the events that took place in Ravenhill decades earlier.
Journey back to 1964... The man is just a boy. He and his friends find that their neighborhood, a cul-de-sac set into the foothills along the California coast, is not all that it appears. There are strange happenings - some amazing, some terrifying, and all pointing to the fact that this little community of families might just be something other than what the rest of the world perceives it to be.
Thirteen year-old Ben Foster, along with his friends Peter and Louis, and his older sister, Julie, set out to find the secret behind the peculiar events that the outside world doesn't see and that those living in the neighborhood either choose to ignore or are conspiring to keep hidden.
Young Peter will set the tales down in his journal, which years later a grown Ben Foster will clasp as the last surviving corroboration of their adventures and of their astonishing discovery.
©2010, 2014 David R. Beshears (P)2014 David R. Beshears


I am caught up on my daily Bible reading.
I have disciplined myself each morning to read my Bible passage before I pick up print, Kindle or mp3. I am really enjoying the reading.

Line Edits:
We are still finalizing formatting for two educational, non-fiction ebook releases which we sent back for a bit more polishing. We are also working on releasing several additional novels in print -- also polishing.

November I am participating in Sci Fi Month. The first week is full of tour books then I will switch to Sci Fi.
I have four tour reviews to post this week plus one NetGalley title to stay up to date.

Novenber Scheduled -
11/3 Unleashed w/ ebook GW (read)
11/4 Pushing the Limit w/ ebook GW (read)
11/6 Sealing the Deal w/ ebook GW (reading)
11/7 Hilltop Sunset: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery by Joyce Strand w/ Print GW (reading)
11/12 Peace & Goodwill a Christmas Novella (The Minstrel Series Book 4) by Lee Strauss
11/15 Ladies Book Club - Mystery of the Shemitah w/ Print GW
11/26 Sugar’s Twice as Nice w/ ebook GW


November Sci Fi Month: Some books I will read (*) and others are choices if I get to them.
*Audio: Ravenhill Court by David R. Beshears, Narrated by Karen Krause (listening)
Audio: I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas
Audio: Hours by Falling Up
Audio: The Maze Runner: Maze Runner, Book 1, Written by: James Dashner
*(NG) Exodus 2022, Kenneth G. Bennett
*(NG) The Genome, Sergei Lukyanenko
*(Tour) We Are the Destroyers by D.K. Lindler
(Won Sept?) The Terminals: Spark by Michael F. Stewart
Cinder: Book One of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
The Tube Riders (The Tube Riders Trilogy #1) (free Kindle)
(eTP)The Wonk Decelerator by John Joseph Doody
(eTP)Valstain by R. J. Jerome


From TBR Collection - TBD
Won Book - The Terminals: Spark by Michael F. Stewart
Free Kindle/Nook or Smashwords - TBD

Sunday Words of Encouragement November 2, 2014

This morning we are ready to leave Maryland and travel south to our next stop, Williamsburg, Virginia.  I miss my church family, Sunday school and church time.

Today we read Ezekiel 3-6, Hebrews 4, Psalm 104:24-35 and Proverbs 26:27.  The Lord is directing Ezekiel to deliver a message of judgment against Israel because of her rebellion. It is a message of awful destruction but I find hope for those who recognize God and turn from their wicked ways.
.
As I looked for a song I found this passage reading which I enjoyed with its wonderful images.
Psalm 104
(On YouTube from finalwarningcry)
Verse for Today:
Psalm 104:24 NIV
How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

My heart is sweetly calm and content because I know who orders my path.
I enter another month of November which is always a special extra reminder to give thanks to my creator, healer, comforter and redeemer.
Praise the Lord!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Sharing Beyond Books #175 Comment Giveaway November 1, 2014

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

We are sad to be finishing up our visiting with our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. On the other hand we are ready to be moving south toward home and warmer weather. :-)

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Ten commenters indicate they don't like to guess endings because they enjoy the twists and surprise endings. Nine readers admitted that they do try to guess or predict endings.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #174 comments is: #10 Sarah who can make a GC choice if international or 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 (new) WINNER FORM.

WEEK #175 (One Question.)

Q1. This week Marjorie asks: 1. Do you get a lot of pharmacy, lottery or money request spam mail? How do you handle it?
A: I get plenty of spam mail but thankfully gmail has a pretty good spam filter. I still have to delete the spam folder at the end of each week or so or it is too much. 
Image found at Mosaic Technology.

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 still have a supply of questions but from the same people so hopefully others will send more in -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify to use.

Your turn to share:

Q1. Marjorie asks: 1. Do you get a lot of pharmacy, lottery or money request spam mail? How do you handle it??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Valentine and "Love" books, the Christmas Giveaway Books (this is the new link), or the June 2013 Newly Updated ARC/Review List.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on either of the two 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 through Saturday November 8, 2014 at 5 PM  central.

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