Book Review and Giveaways: Sugar's Twice as Sweet: Sugar, Georgia: Book 1 by Marina Adair

This is a sexy romance with a fun story in small town setting.
Sugar's Twice as Sweet: Sugar, Georgia: Book 1
by Marina Adair 

• File Size: 811 KB
• Print Length: 385 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1455528668
• Publisher: Forever (November 25, 2014)
• ASIN: B00IRISIF6

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
"Marina Adair writes with heart and sizzling heat. SUGAR'S TWICE AS SWEET will charm you!"  --Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author
"A can't miss read with small town sweetness, endearing characters and a unique quirky flair."  --Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author on SUGAR'S TWICE AS SWEET
He's trouble she doesn't need . . .
Thanks to a cheating fiancé, Josephina Harrington's perfect life just crashed and burned. Moving in with her overbearing parents is definitely not an option. No, she needs to prove she can make it on her own. And she will-by turning her great-aunt's old plantation house into a destination getaway. She's just not expecting her contractor to be so hands-on-and so totally irresistible.
. . . but everything she wants
Bad-boy golf champion Brett McGraw figured his hometown of Sugar, Georgia was the perfect place to lay low and get his life back up to par. The leggy blonde with a pint-sized pup is the kind of sweet 'n sassy trouble he never saw coming. She doesn't know a nut from a bolt and before long, he's renovating her house . . . as she steals his heart. Can he convince Josephina that his womanizing ways are in the past and he's ready for forever?

Review:
Josephina had lost herself trying to be the perfect socialite girlfriend and fiance for four years. When she learns he has been cheating on her she takes off rather than face her family with her latest failure. She arrives in Sugar, Georgia determined to remodel the old house she inherited from her spirited, southern great-aunt. Josephina remembers the Fairchild House had a magical quality because that is where her great-aunt encouraged Josephina to find her wings amid the fairy dust.  Unfortunately Josephina doesn’t receive a warm welcome as a group of elderly ladies resent ‘that Yankee’ strutting in and making changes to their friend’s house.

Handsome, bad-boy, golf champion Brett McGraw has come home to Sugar to hide out from his latest scandalous escapade. He is intrigued when he sees Josephina walking down the road, especially since he remembers her as a child with pig tails who had to be rescued from his oak tree when she couldn’t "fly" down. Brett is well known for his one night stands but he realizes that Jolie is vulnerable and she isn’t a one night kind of girl. His attraction to her has him thinking maybe he could risk his heart.

When Brett’s grandmother and her gang cause more trouble for Jolie, Brett has to find a way to help her move forward with her dreams. Brett believes that Jolie can accomplish what she wants but she won’t accept help from family or friends. He steps in to help as her contractor but also helps in other ways that may end up backfiring in their relationship.

Jolie and Brett are two lively and likeable characters. The chemistry between them sizzles and the first half of the book seemed like a long seduction. I was a little distracted early in the book because it seemed that every new character was a “looker” - well at least the young ones. The elderly ladies are distinct characters who were frustrating and sometimes a hoot. The story moves along at a good pace with writing that is crisp and flows easily. The small town setting makes for plenty of fun to add to the warm story and the sexy romance. There are several brothers and friends who I imagine would make good material for more books in this series. I recommend this book to those who like a fun, sexy romance.

I received this for Forever Romance tour and an honest review.

SUGAR'S TWICE AS SWEET by Marina Adair (November 25, 2014; Forever Mass Market; $6.00)

Buy Links:

B&N

Amazon

iTunes

Kobo

GooglePlay

About the author:

Marina Adair is a lifelong fan of romance novels. Along with the Sugar series, she is also the author of the St. Helena Vineyard series. She currently lives in a hundred-year-old log cabin, nestled in the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with her husband and daughter.

As a writer, Marina is devoted to giving her readers contemporary romance where the towns are small, the personalities large, and the romance explosive. She also loves to interact with readers and you can catch her on Twitter at @MarinaEAdair or visit her at www.MarinaAdair.com.

Social Media Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Marina is hosting this fabulous Rafflecopter giveaway featuring Amazon & B&N gift cards:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

EXTRA: 

Autographed PRINT BOOK GIVEAWAY

ENTRY FORM HERE

(Don't forget to fill in the form for entry!

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.)

For 3 Extra Bonus entries comment on the review, OR
visit THE AUTHOR'S Website and tell me something you like/learned there.

* This contest is open US/Canada Only for Print Book.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) December 6, 2014.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after December 6, 2014.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 24, 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.

This was a pretty good week but I had some tension getting ready for a trial this week and beginning to prepare for holidays.  The weather was cold for us and the usual spread of 30-35 degrees - ie. 32 in the mornings and 65 in the afternoon.
We had fun with the kids on Saturday making Christmas cookies.

I had a good week of reading although I am pressed now to finish two titles for tour reviews this week. I finished three books and posted four reviews, one with giveaway.  I did get all the usual memes posted this week. 

I only visited a couple of sites last week. :-( I sure hope to do better this week, starting with a few tonight.
Thanks as always to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday November 17, 2014.

• Audio Book Review: Ravenhill Court by David R. Beshears; Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.

• Audio Book Review: Falling Up: Hours; Sci Fi; my rating 4.0.

• Book Review: The Red Book of Primrose House by Marty Wingate; Cozy Mystery; my rating 4.25. 

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway November 21, 2014.  Open Worldwide. Ends 11/27/14.

• Sharing Beyond Books #178 Comment Giveaway 11/22/14; Open Worldwide. Ends 11/29/14.

• Book Review and Giveaway: The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn; Christian prophesy; my rating 4.5. 

• Sunday Words of Encouragement November 23, 2014.
  

Finished Reading:

1. Audio/MP3

WARP Book 1: The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P.)
by Eoin Colfer
This is a fun time travel sci fi.
I will post the review this week.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle

The Red Book of Primrose House
by Marty Wingate
I enjoyed the characters and plot of this cozy mystery.
The review is linked above. 
Click on book title for full description.

4. Audio/MP3

Divided We Fall
Written by: Trent Reedy
Narrated by: Andrew Eiden
This is a very realistic story.
I will review this title this week too.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:
1. eBook/Kindle

Sugar's Twice as Sweet: Sugar, Georgia: Book 1
by Marina Adair 
I had to pull this one up to get read for this week.
It is very sassy and fun.
It is for Forever Romance tour and review on November 26.
Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
"Marina Adair writes with heart and sizzling heat. SUGAR'S TWICE AS SWEET will charm you!"  --Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author
"A can't miss read with small town sweetness, endearing characters and a unique quirky flair."  --Carly Phillips, New York Times bestselling author on SUGAR'S TWICE AS SWEET
He's trouble she doesn't need . . .
Thanks to a cheating fiancé, Josephina Harrington's perfect life just crashed and burned. Moving in with her overbearing parents is definitely not an option. No, she needs to prove she can make it on her own. And she will-by turning her great-aunt's old plantation house into a destination getaway. She's just not expecting her contractor to be so hands-on-and so totally irresistible.
. . . but everything she wants
Bad-boy golf champion Brett McGraw figured his hometown of Sugar, Georgia was the perfect place to lay low and get his life back up to par. The leggy blonde with a pint-sized pup is the kind of sweet 'n sassy trouble he never saw coming. She doesn't know a nut from a bolt and before long, he's renovating her house . . . as she steals his heart. Can he convince Josephina that his womanizing ways are in the past and he's ready for forever?

2. eBook/Kindle

Last Chance Family
by Hope Ramsay
Forever Romance
This is another last minute slip in for tour, author Top 5 and review on November 29.
Book Description
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
Mike Taggart has always been willing to take a gamble. But these stakes are just way too high - there's no way he's prepared to become a legal guardian to his five-year-old niece. His only option is to head from Las Vegas to Last Chance to sort things out as quickly as possible. Problem is, he arrives to find an inconsolable little girl, her sick cat, and a gorgeous veterinarian he can't get out of his mind.

Charlene Polk has two talents: healing sick critters and falling in love with the wrong men. Mike has trouble written all over him, but she can't leave him in the lurch. And the more time she spends with the sexy high roller, the more she sees that this ready-made family is the best stroke of luck they've ever had . . .

3. Audible (and Kindle)

Free: I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas
Written by: Molly Harper
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
I figured I would have time to slip this short (under 4 hours) audio in.
Publisher's Summary
It's Christmas in Half-Moon Hollow and newly turned vampire Iris Scanlon-Calix wants to make Gigi's first visit home from college as normal and special as possible. It's taken months for Iris to work up the nerve to spend time around her baby sister after her vampire transition, so she enlists help from Jane Jameson and Company to keep her blood-thirst under control and assure Gigi's safety. Gigi, on the other hand, has problems of her own, including the demise of her relationship with high school sweetheart, Ben, and a looming job interview with Ophelia Lambert, the scariest potential employer in the Hollow. And then there's the small matter of the handsome, frustrating vampire who keeps appearing in Gigi's peripheral vision, then disappearing before she can talk to him. Can the Scanlon sisters negotiate romantic problems, vampire politics, and Christmas cookie disasters and enjoy a relatively normal holiday?
©2013 Molly Harper (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

4. Print

We Are The Destroyers (We Are***Are We Book 1) 
by D. K. Lindler
I am a third into this and enjoying the story.
I had to set it aside to get to two review titles for this week.
Click on book title for full description.

I am half a day ahead 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.

November I am participating in Sci Fi Month but I haven't done as well as I hoped since I kept accepting last minute tour assignments. I still get in maybe one more Sci Fi before the end or the month. I have two sci fi title reviews that I will post this coming week (as well as two tour titles I need to finish reading). 

Novenber Scheduled -
11/26 Sugar's Twice as Sweet: Sugar, Georgia: Book 1,by Marina Adair  w/ ebook GW (reading)
11/29 Last Chance Family by Hope Ramsey tour review and GW (reading)
12/3 Home for the Holidays by Rochelle Alers tour review and GW.

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.

This covers two weeks as I didn't post last week.
I received/selected four review titles.
I purchased four $.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 selected these titles for last minute tours and review from Hachette/Grand Central Forever Yours Romance line (through NetGalley).

1>Last Chance Family -linked in current reading above.

2>Seducing the Ruthless Rogue (The Rogue Agents Trilogy Book 2)
by Tammy Jo Burns
This Regency mystery/romance involving government secrets sounded fun.

Won

None

Purchased

I purchased two Audible titles with my October subscription:

Skinwalker: Jane Yellowrock, Book 1
by Faith Hunter
This series has some good ratings and looked like action I would like.

Just One Damned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1

by Jodi Taylor

Inspite of the swearword in the title this sounded good when I was looking at titles.

I purchased two $.99 Kindle titles this week.

Merkiaari Wars Series: Books 1-3
Mark E. Cooper

Wild Irish Heart (The Mystic Cove Series Book 2)
Tricia O'Malley

Free

Over the past two weeks I downloaded another 47 free Kindle titles. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement November 23, 2014

This morning we talked about giving thanks in Sunday School and it was also the subject of Pastor's sermon.
Our SS teacher shared some verses, poems and quotes he had found including: "The art of Thanksgiving is  Thanks-living", "When life is not good, God still is" and 'we should have an attitude of gratitude and realize that gratitude changes attitude.'
He then asked each member of the class to share something specific we were thankful for during the last 12 months, acknowledging first that we would be thankful for spouses, children and parents. These are summarized descriptions of  our answers:

Bible reading that brings us closer to God.
God nuggets - when perhaps even a child speaks something of God that is delightfully awesome.
Relationships with others and that God designed us to need each other.
Church family. Family members finding/listening to God for themselves.
Youth ministry.
Being able to rely on God in times of darkness.
God's continual provision.
Assurance of God's control in our lives.
God's unfailing love.
Staying home with kids.
Being here (alive) even when we might also be homesick for heaven.
Growth even through divorce.
Church family having "our six".
God revealing Himself to us.
Health.
God being always faithful.
Fellowship and family.
Incredible relationship with God who is just waiting to share with us whenever we turn to Him.
Epiphany moments.

Pastor told us briefly about the life of Martin Rinkhart a Lutheran minister in Germany who led his congregation and community during the Thirty Year War that started in 1617, and included years of plague. He wrote many hymns and this is a favorite at Thanksgiving time:

Now Thank We All Our God

Verses for Today:
Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV)
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

I give thanks today and everyday for all that God has given me and all that the Lord has done for me. I came into this world with nothing and I will go out with nothing. However, I pray that I will be faithful to share and use for God's glory any blessings that I have been given during my life.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn

This is a thought provoking study that is also a call to action.

The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future!
by Jonathan Cahn

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Frontline; First Paperback Edition edition (September 2, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-1629981932

Genre: Non-Fiction, Christian Prophesy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
The book you can't afford NOT to read.
It is already affecting your life…
And it WILL affect your future!
Is it possible that there exists a three-thousand-year-old mystery that…
· Has been determining the course of your life without your knowing it?
· Foretells current events before they happen?
· Revealed the dates and the hours of the greatest crashes in Wall Street history before they happened?
· Determined the timing of 9/11?
· Lies behind the rise of America to global superpower… and its fall?
· Has forecast the rising and falling of the world’s stock market throughout modern times?
· Lies behind world wars and the collapse of nations, world powers, and empires?
· Holds key to what lies ahead for the world and for your life?
· And much more….

Review:
The Mystery of the Shemitah is full of detailed information explaining certain Jewish words and traditions as they related to God’s people and His beloved nation, Israel. Mr. Cahn then shows how those words and the impact, or consequences, of the conditions also fit America as a country that was founded on faith in God and profoundly blessed by God.

Mr. Cahn discusses the harbinger warnings (see The Harbinger) that have been issued to an American society that has drastically turned away from God especially during the past 50 years. Then the author explains the history and purpose of the Shemitah which was to be a ‘Sabbath’ every seven years. This was a time when the people would trust God for provision and allow the land to rest. But when the people failed to honor and celebrate the cycle of the Shemitah voluntarily, it became a judgment forced upon the people and the land by God. (Leviticus 26:31-35 and 2 Chronicles 36:15-19.)

The book tracks the greatest economic and financial crisis of the past 100 years showing charts for stock market crashes. These reflect that 85 percent of the crashes occurred during the Shemitah years. The details regarding the financial turnarounds is even more astounding as 100 percent of the crucial financial events occur during the Shemitah periods.

Mr. Cahn also makes a connection to the falling of the “towers” that might not be as clear without the Jewish understanding of the meanings and importance of the tower walls. Even Christians know the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, but many are not as familiar, or do not realize the full significance of the destruction of the towers and walls of Jerusalem.

I was struck by the detailed analysis and comparisons that this book presents. The message in the pattern is clear: if America does not cease to worship idols and does not turn back to God then America will suffer consequences of economic and financial destruction. This will also have a global impact around the world and is likely to result in shift of power.

Mr. Cahn is careful to note that he is not stating any specific date for calamity but he is pointing out the signs and pattern of the Shemitah and Tishri connections that are greater than “mere coincidence”. He is saying that the warnings have been given and the people need to take heed and act.

We read this for ladies book club and we were all excited to discuss it. One woman said she had to pause often to contemplate the hardships that her parents and grandparents experienced which most of our generation has not. Another one of our more mature members noted that in her day they did not have insurance and did not rush to the doctor for coughs and cuts. They experienced God’s provision on many occasions such as receiving gifts from others that met the needs of maternity dresses and money just in time for birthing expenses.

We all agreed that this is an important book to read, recommend and share with others. We also agreed that, although the message of the book speaks calamity that we will face, we are all secure in the hope we have in salvation and in God's control of events. We all felt called to pray and spread the message of God's saving grace through Christ Jesus.

A section of the book that particularly struck me states at page 234:

    Without God, there is no true security or safety for America. Without His hand of protection, no matter how many systems of defense the nation employs, they will fail just as they did on 9/11. America cannot defy the God of its keeping and expect that protection to continue. “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Ps 127:1). America, without God, is not safe. America, in defiance of God, is even less safe.

This was our Ladies Book Club reading for discussion in November.

Giveaway:

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for a print copy

ENTRY FORM HERE

(Don't forget to fill in the form for entry!

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.)

For 3 Extra Bonus entries comment on the review, OR
visit THE AUTHOR'S Hope of the World Website and tell me something you like/learned there.

* This contest is open US Only for Print Book.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) December 1, 2014.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after December 1, 2014.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Sharing Beyond Books #178 Comment Giveaway 11/22/14

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

We had fun today making Christmas cookies with my daughter and her three children plus another friend with her four children. I survived for three and one half hours before I went to my room to read in quiet!
Happy Thanksgiving a bit early since it will be celebrated for many of us this coming week.

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Not one of twenty of us have taken a book binding class. Many didn't know such a class existed but most of us thought it would be interesting.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #177 comments is: #17 Elizabeth 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 #178 (One Question.)

Q1. This week Jess1 asks: 1. Have you ever not purchased a book because you disliked the cover??

A: Yes, I guess I would have to admit to being a cover snob and/or I am guilty of judging a book by its cover. There are bland covers that I tend to pass or, worse, amateurish covers that make me think the book would also be of lesser quality. And lately I have been turned off by too much skin on a book cover.
BTW - If you want a good laugh, and shake of the head, do a google search for bad book covers! Oh My - some are unspeakable!

We know that The Wheel of Time is a very successful series

but I don't think I would have been interested from this old cover.

Image found at The Faster Times.

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. Jessl asks: 1. Have you ever not purchased a book because you disliked the cover??

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 29, 2014 at 5 PM  central.