Sharing Beyond Books #369 Comment Giveaway May 18, 2019

Hello again and Welcome back to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB.

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
Three of the commenters don't really have favorite heroine/hero types and another says it varies based on genre. Three mentioned intelligence (smart), two mentioned confident and witty and two mentioned animal lovers. Other characteristics ranged from demure to not crying for females and strong & silent to strong personalities for the men. Also sassy, good-natured and bad boy types.


The Winner from SBB #368 comments is: #11 KIMBERLY who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated (**Finally!) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love and Christmas titles - all linked near the end of the post. -- [12/15/18 I am pulling out some new Christmas and Love titles to add to the Win box choices. I had to move the books due to the water threat in office. I will dig them out again soon.]

**NOTE: I did post an Updated ARC and Other books for Giveaways. I have to go back and list the titles -- someday.
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #369

(Two Question.)

Elizabeth asks: Who is your favorite Games of Thrones character (from the TV show and/or the book series)?? I'll add a question: If you haven't read or watched Game of Thrones do you think you will??

There are definitely some intriguing characters. I do like Arya, especially as the "No One" assassin. I do think my favorite character, even if not the most interesting, is Jon Snow. And the best villain, at least until last week, was Cersie. Although if I think back there actually were some horrendous, evil, characters like Ramsey Bolten.

Image found at Fansided.

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! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.
May comments were shared by Emily and Elizabeth. They both get the first 1/2 credit towards a book pick.

Your turn to share. Elizabeth asks: Who is your favorite Games of Thrones character (from the TV show and/or the book series)?? I'll add a question: If you haven't read or watched Game of Thrones do you think you will??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Updated ARC and Other books, including the "Love" and Christmas titles all in one post.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question 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 June 1, 2019 at 5 PM central.

Audible Book Review: Storm Cursed, Mercy Thompson Novel Series, Book 11 by Patricia Briggs

This continues the fun Mercy Thompson entertainment with werewolves, vampires and witches…Oh My!

Storm Cursed
Mercy Thompson Novel Series, Book 11
By: Patricia Briggs
Narrated by: Lorelei King

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-07-19
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Werewolves
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.75.

Publisher's Summary
In this powerful entry in the number-one New York Times best-selling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves....
My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.
And a coyote shape-shifter.
And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.
Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who live in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and interact with the fae.
The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming, and her name is Death.
But we are pack, and we have given our word.
We will die to keep it.
©2019 Patricia Briggs (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Review:
Mercy has declared the Tri-City area as a safe place for the fae. The government and the Grey Lords, fae leadership, are seeking to meet to work out some guidelines for normal humans and the fae creatures to live safely beside each other. The meeting is to take place in Mercy’s hometown with Mercy’s mate, Adam, and the werewolf pack members providing security. Considering her unique relationship with the fae, Mercy has been recruited (directed) to participate by arranging a safe location.

While the joint meeting is barely being discussed, Mercy is called upon to help deal with some strange community incidents. Mercy faces a rogue, killer goblin and next she has to deal with zombie miniature goats. Mercy gets help from appropriate allies, like Larry the Goblin King and a new pack member, Sherwood, who brings some surprising skills to bare when faced with black magic. The zombie goats are determined to be the work of an invading witch group.

Mercy and Sherwood go to check on the local witches and discover tragedy and horror. They find one survivor, a nearly dead kitten. Mercy and Ben save Adam and a small group of government officials from a bomb. When a curse attack against Mercy is accidentally discovered at her garage, it becomes clear that the enemy witches, including one called “death”, are not only trying to take control in the community, but they want to block Mercy and the joint meeting. Dangers escalate and Mercy seeks the aid of her fae friends, Zee and Tad, and even the wildly instable vampire, Wolfe, to take on the black witches and the minion zombie army they have created.

This is a series that keeps on providing strong entertainment through strong characters and engaging plots. The relationship between Mercy and the werewolf pack is always interesting. Of course, her bond with her mate Adam is particularly well done. The black magic in this story creates a dark tone with evil and death putting a bit of a damper on Mercy’s usual snappy humor. I enjoyed the cameo touch with Mercy’s family, Coyote and Mercy’s brother. I also liked the unique zombie creatures and the surprise connection that appears during the battle. I wasn’t overwhelmed with this episode, but it maintains the entertainment level of the series for me. I recommend the whole series and suggest starting at the beginning for full enjoyment.

Audio Notes: I’ve probably said it before, but Lorelei King is the gifted narrator for this series. She has unique voices for the characters and brings the right emotion and energy to the story. She even captures the darker mood of this story. It is a pleasure to listen to this series on audio.

Source: March 2019 Audible credit (pre-order). This qualifies for 2019Audiobook goal.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 17, 2019

Happy Friday!
I hope to pull together a new group of books soon, as well as getting GCs sent out in the next two weeks. Thanks for being patient. :-)

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.

INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the May 10, 2019 Pick. There were no automatic wins this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. No title was blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from May 10, 2019 Pick:
NATALIJA gets a GC.
and
BECKY gets a Linda Goodnight

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

This image seemed appropriate for National Endangered Species Day!
Image found at Literaryhoots.com.

New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves

PAIRS:
Roxanne Becknel: When Lightning Strikes and The Knight of Rosecliffe
Stella Cameron: Target and Now You See Him

SINGLES:
Golden Goddess by Stephanie James
Summer Skies by Judith Christenberry
The Gamble by LaVerle Spencer
Two Brothers by Linda Lael Miller
Windfall (two stories) by JoAnn Ross
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
Almost Forever by Linda Howard
Bold Conquest by Virginia Henley
Fire and Ice by Anne Stuart
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
Forbidden Pleasures (hardback) by Bertrice Small
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.

One PAIR:
Susan Wiggs: Snowfall and Fireside
SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
On this Holy Night
A Rancher for Christmas
Christmas Haven
Christmas Brides Anthology
Holiday in Death
Christmas Homecoming
Together by Christmas Anthology
The Christmas Date
The Christmas Promise (hardback)
A Blue and Grey Christmas (hardback)
The Snow Angel (CD Audiobook)
King Harold's Snow Job


New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018

(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
PAIRS:
Kat Martin: Bold Angel and Devil's Prize
Elizabeth Lowell: Death Is Forever and Running Scared
SINGLE
It Takes a Hero by Elizabeth Boyle
Two Alone by Sandra Brown
'Tween a Devil and his hard Place by Sam Cheever
Seductive Secrets by Lynne Connolly
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue
Hot Pursuit by Christinea Skye
Sisters & Secrets Anthology
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:

Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
The Things We Do for Love, Three Weeks With My Brother, The Murder Artist and Night Train to Lisbon
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

Pairs:
Stella Cameron: French Quarter and Key West
Jude Deveraux: Mulberry Tree and Wild Orchids
SINGLES:
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Unmasked Anthology - Jennifer Blake, Janet Dailey and Elizabeth Gage
Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Finer Things by Brenda Joyce
Wicked Promise by Kat Martin
Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee
The Leopard's Woman by Linda Lael Miller and White Wolf by Lindsay McKenna
Eagle and the Dove by Victoria Morrow
To Love Again by Bertrice Small
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith
Primal Obsession by Susan Vaughn

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018

There are three audios at the top:
Kisscut is Cassettes
SINGLES

Best Laid Plans
Darkness Tell Us
Cooking More Deadly


New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
PAIRS
Fern Michaels and James Patterson
SINGLES:
Summer’s Moon
The Green Trap
End Game
Night School
The Red Tent
The Final Judgment Audio Cassettes
Secrets of Paris
Linda Goodnight
Irish Charmers, the Mighty Quinns
Firebird
No Getting Over a Cowboy
The Book of Fate Audio Cassettes


New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lenox by Maggie O’Farrell
P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
The Maverick Preacher by Victoria Bylin (personally autographed)
The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
The Doctor’s Forever Family by Marie Ferrarella
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Branded by the Sheriff by Delores Fossen
The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
Rhapsody in Time by Judith O’Brien
A Daughter’s Legacy by Virginia Smith
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham
The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle by RaeAnne Thayne


New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

PAIRS
Johanna Lindsey Pair
Judith Krentz Pair
SINGLES
Midnight Rainbow
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
To Wicked to Love
Betrayed
My Dark Prince
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes
Brothers of Gwynedd
Fatal Defect
Bones of the Sea and Other Stories
By a Spider's Thread



New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018- All gone

New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
13 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
Echo Burning by Lee Child
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Tempted All Night by Liz Carlyle
Day of the Dead by J.A. Jance
White Night by Jim Butcher
Five Gold Rings Anthology Constance O’Banyon and three others
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Wizard’s Daughter by Catherine Coulter
Pearl Beyond Price by Claire Delacroix
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice
Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker
Night Whispers by Judith McNaught
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 14 titles.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
Named of the Dragon
Daring
Aunt Erma's Cope Book
JoAnn Ross: Confessions
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The New Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman
A Kiss Before Dawn by Kimberly Logan
The Fireman’s Fair by Josephine Humphreys (Hardcover)
Bound by Destiny by Rayka Mennen
Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven
There Was A Little Girl by Ed McBain (Audio Cassettes)
Love's Brazen Fire by Betina Krahn 

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost EIGHT years I have posted 82 groups of 16 plus an additional 21 totaling 1,333 books to find new homes! (as of November 9, 2018).

I am happy to say that so far about 1,247+ books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to far away places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

#NetGalley: Deadly Vows by Jody Holford

I really enjoyed this clean, cozy mystery.
Deadly Vows
by Jody Holford

File Size: 2248 KB
Print Length: 220 pages
Publisher: Lyrical Underground (April 9, 2019)
ASIN: B07FLP2PKJ
Genre: Amateur Sleuth, Cozy Mystery
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Former Army brat Molly Owens is happily settling into her new life in the seaside town of Britton Bay—and into new her job as editor-in-chief of the local paper. But as tourists discover the desirable spot, the tide along the Oregon Coast is turning . . .
Britton Bay is buzzing with preparations for a wedding at the bed and breakfast where Molly rents a small carriage home. Molly is even helping out and plans to interview the rising star caterer—until the woman is found dead. And then the bride-to-be goes missing. To make matters worse, the venue is owned by Molly’s new boyfriend’s mother—and Molly was among the last people to see the victim alive. All of which makes solving the crime her top priority . . .
With the nuptials indefinitely on hold, Molly will have to sift through a sticky mix of suspects, including a rival caterer with a short fuse, a groom with an illicit secret, and a wedding party riddled with personal drama. And if she doesn’t discover the truth soon, Molly might be her own front-page news . . .

Review:
Molly Owens has been settling into her new life in Britton Bay. She is editor-in-chief of the local paper and has gotten a bit of a rep as an amateur sleuth after recently helping to solve a murder (book one Deadly News). During the first investigation Molly found a cute dog abandoned in an alley. Now she travels through the day, to work and about, with Tigger either at her feet or getting sitting and walking help from her new boyfriend, Sam.

Molly lives at a carriage house on the grounds of the local B&B which happens to be owned by Sam’s mother. Things are buzzing as the B&B prepares for an upcoming wedding. The wedding set up comes with tension as the Mother of the Bride, who is at odds with the groom, is dictating and controlling all aspects of the wedding, including hiring a celebrity chef rather than using local catering.

Molly and her news team are doing interviews of the wedding members and Molly manages to set up an interview with the rather solitary chef. When Molly arrives in the morning for the interview, she finds a crime scene set up around the dead body of the chef. It just so happens that Molly observed some bickering involving the lady and also overheard her in a heated argument the night before. Molly doesn’t really set out to investigate the crime but she walks a fine line seeking news and uncovering clues. The sheriff investigator gets pretty frustrated as Molly finds people keep talking to her and she comes up with clues which she gets around to sharing with him when she can/chooses.

I like how Ms. Holford has provided plenty of suspects with a variety of motives. The method of death is interesting too…a good choice rather than a usual weapon. The pacing makes for an easy and quick read.

Molly’s relationship with Sam is a strong element developing along with the sleuthing. They have a lovely friendship of respect and caring that is warming up in a nice way. This adds a fun romantic element to the mystery. I like Tigger too even if he isn’t a big part of solving the crime. I want to read more in this series and I recommend this to readers who enjoy a clean romance with a good cozy mystery.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

Audio Book Review: Still Life by Dani Pettrey

This is a strong, engaging Christian romantic suspense..

Still Life
by Dani Pettrey
Narrated by Therese Plummer

Runtime 8.75 Hrs. - Unabridged
Publisher christianaudio
Gerne: Christian, Religious Romance, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.5.

Romantic Suspense's Rising Star Continues to Win Fans
Blacklisted in the photography business over a controversial shot, Avery Tate answered an ad for a crime scene photographer. She expected to be laughed at, but crime scene analyst Parker Mitchell hired her outright--and changed her life. But six months ago, when her feelings for Parker became too strong, she left his employ to sort out her heart.
Now, for the first time, Avery is facing the world that rejected her to attend the gallery opening of a photography exhibit and support her best friend, who modeled for the show. But the only image of her friend is a chilling photo of her posing as if dead--and the photographer insists he didn't take the shot. Worse, her friend can't be found. She immediately calls Parker for help. As Avery, Parker, and his friends in law enforcement dig into the mystery, they find themselves face-to-face with a relentless and deadly threat.

Review:
Avery was blacklisted from her former photography business which had her accepting work as a crime scene photographer. She found she had a good working relationship with crime scene analyst, Parker Mitchell. But she stepped away when she realized that she was losing her heart and he was still tied up with his deceased wife.

Six months later Avery is returning to the art world to attend a gallery to support a childhood friend, Skylar, who modeled for the show. Instead of finding Skylar she finds a chilling image which has been substituted into the show to the great anger of the featured photographer. Avery goes to her old neighborhood to locate Skylar but finds her missing and is bowled over by someone racing out of Skylar’s trailer. Avery quickly seeks the help of the best crime analyst she knows, Parker.

Parker is thrilled to be working with Avery again even though he continues to struggle with his feelings that his interest in Avery betrays his first wife. But Parker is ready to help and is glad to find that his law enforcement friends are present to help investigate the sabotaged art show and the missing friend. They also get caught up in investigating death of crew on a ship that apparently smuggled in illegal immigrants.

The return to her home community is difficult since Avery had a rough time growing up with situations she has kept secret from those around her. It is good to watch how Avery and Parker work through their feelings even as they race to locate Skylar. Parker provides forensic clues and Avery provides informed photography expertise that is effective helping in both cases.

I was pulled right into this when I started listening. I really enjoyed the characters with their strong faith foundations. They are not perfect and in fact have to work through very normal emotions of doubt and self-recrimination. The emotional conflict did seem to be drawn out just a little bit more than necessary.

The plot involves two good mysteries that kept my interest especially with forensic details. There are mentions of characters who were lost or missing from the first book, but I was able to read this book fine as a standalone. I would be interested in picking up the other books in the series and by this author. I recommend this to readers who enjoy Christian based romantic suspense.

Audio Notes: Therese Plummer is an excellent narrator. She provides good voices for each of the characters and I will admit that Parker’s Irish accent is rather yummy. The pacing and presentation through audio enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

Source: ChristianAudio Sale July 2017. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.