Contact email: mesreads AT gmail.com
###Winner Announcement Posts are linked here.###

GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THEIR OWN PAGE - CLICK ON TAB ABOVE; Giveaways also linked on right sidebar.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop June 1-6 Open Worldwide

WELCOME TO MY FAVORITE READS GIVEAWAY HOP!
I love my followers and wish you could all win. :-) 

Thank you to the hosts: the fabulous Kathy at I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Rachelle Writes.


The hop runs from June 1st through midnight Wednesday, June 6th.

I ran out of time to set up a fancy sort of post. I want to encourage YOU to read some of my favorite books and authors, my giveaway will be for two winners who will get to pick any book(s), up to $15.00 total value, from the following group of TWELVE AUTHORS who are among my favorites although not my only favorites. The winners are not limited to the books listed here as 1-8. These are just links to my 4.75 and 5.0 reviews so far this year (out of 77 completed books):
  1. Book Review: Deeper Water by Robert Whitlow; Christian Mystery; my rating 4.75.
  2. Book Review: The Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan; Fantasy Adventure; my rating 4.75. 
  3. Silver Borne: Mercy Thompson, Book 5 by Patricia Briggs; Paranormal Romance; my rating: 4.75.
  4. Book Review: The Night is Mine by M.L. Buchman; Military, Romantic Suspense; my rating 4.75. 
  5. Book Review: Kicking Ashe by Pauline Baird Jones; Sci Fi Romance;  my rating 5.0.
  6. Book Review: Love to Water My Soul by Jane Kirkpatrick; Historical Fiction, Inspirational;  my rating 5.0.
  7.  Book Review: Rise of Empire (Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan; Fantasy; my rating 5.0.
  8. Book Review: Dangerous Favors by Joyce DiPastina; Historical Romance; my rating 4.75.
OR these additional authors: 

OPEN WORLDWIDE: My Giveaway is for ANYONE who can get books from Amazon, Indie Presses, OR Book Depository. OR if Book Depository doesn't ship to you then I will do a PayPal or other gift card for that winner.  So hopefully this really does include EVERYONE.

There will be two winners; book value(s) up to $15.00 each winner.

The book(s) can be any format: ebook, hardback, paperback or even audio for a total value of $15.00.

Rule #1 - You must be a follower of my blog in some form.
Rule #2 - ENTER USING THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM!
Giveaway closes 12:01 AM Eastern on June 7.  Winners to be chosen through the Rafflecopter system.
a Rafflecopter giveaway GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN HOPPING! 

Announcement: Sourcebooks Wants to Visit All Around the World with Austen

It's not too late to vacation with "Jane" and enter to win prizes sponsored by Sourcebooks.
Hi there!

In the June memoir, All Roads Lead to Austen the author Amy Elizabeth Smith took Jane Austen’s works along with her as she traveled to foreign countries. Her goal was to see if the magic of Jane Austen could hold its power across borders, languages and cultures.

Amy took Jane to far off countries – and we need your help to take her even further! We are holding a contest called All Around the World with Jane! Join us on our Austen love fest by printing out our Jane Austen “flat Stanley.” Take pictures of yourself with Jane in your hometown or on your vacation, and submit it from April 30th – June 30th!

We will award the following prizes to the individuals with the most creative picture:

1 Grand Prize Winner will receive:
  • An E-reader with all of our available Austen sequels/continuations downloaded on to it
  • A signed copy of All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
  • A Skype session with Amy Elizabeth Smith
3 Second Place Winner will receive:
  • A signed copy of All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
  • A choice of 5 Jane Austen sequels/continuations from Sourcebooks
5 Third Place Winners will receive:
  • A signed copy of All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith

You can then submit your pictures on the All Around the World with Jane Facebook page or email your submission to landmark@sourcebookspr.com.

Below are some examples of where Jane has been already (Times Square, The Jane Austen Centre in Bath, and the Sourcebooks offices!) along with the flat Stanley that you can print off (also available on the Facebook page). 

Please share this with your followers and friends! Sourcebooks want to see Jane go as many places as possible!

Thank you!




Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Audio Book Review: Phantom Universe (Summer Chronicles #1) by Laura Kreitzer

This is a really engaging story and good audio. I'm ready for the next one!
Although I loved this on audio, if you hurry you may be able to pick it up for free on Kindle!
Genre: YA, Sci Fi, Dystopia
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Blurb from Audible.com:
Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she's lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?


Review:
This story is told through bounces in time through Summer’s memories from age 4 to the current at age 16. This technique is fitting since the story centers around a time displacement. Even though this was on audio I didn’t have trouble following the time flashes once I knew that was how the past was being revealed.

When Summer was four she was stolen from her mother by human traffickers. Before being sold into slavery to pirates Summer was beaten into silence, learning that she was less likely to be beaten if she never spoke. She has not touched land nor spoken since.  Although she has struggled with the chores on deck and as the cook, at age twelve she found a protector and best friend in Landon. He has helped her in the ship's galley while guarding her from the worst of the leering crew. 

Now Summer is sixteen and a childhood friend, Jaden, arrives on board with a team that is seeking to retrieve Summer because she has a power that they need to control. Jaden helps Summer and Landon to escape from the ship but when they awaken on shore they learn that they are 200 years in the future. 

The world they find themselves in considers them "outlanders". The League of Canadian Federation, under its dictatorial president, is putting the outlanders in camps and it looks like they may starve (or worse) those who can’t be trained and assimilated into the current culture. Summer and her friends are the outcasts even among the outlanders. The outlanders in the camp where Summer is sent seem to be mostly teens and are part of 200 million people who have been transported from 2010 to 2210.  Somehow Summer is the catalyst that unknowingly impacted the timeline.  One of the League authority “cops”, Gage, who found Jaden and Summer, has taken an instant liking to the nearly starved waif. He determines to find a way to protect her not only from the dangers of the camp but from the Clock Society who wants to capture her to either use her or destroy her.

Ms. Kreitzer has combined a wonderfully imaginative future world with some hard issues such as muteness, human trafficking and societal oppression. All of that is woven into a page-turning plot. The characters are nicely developed, especially Summer’s strength, bravery, fears and vulnerabilities. Through the story it is interesting to see the ways Summer learns to communicate. There is a strong, platonic relationship with her protector, Landon, and a new, powerful but frightening romance connection with Gage. The action moves along at a good positive pace. Near the end of this book certain secrets are revealed and a new character, Julian, is introduced. I am ready to follow the characters and their struggles in the next book in the series.  

The story flows easily and the narration is distinct and crisp. The narrator, Karen Savage, has a wonderful accent and uses different voices to distinguish the characters. I particularly liked her expressive reading that portrays the emotions and excitement of the action. It was hard for me to pause the MP3 as I wanted to keep listening. I am sure the story would be good reading but I really liked listening to it.

I will seek out more by this author and narrator. If you liked the Hunger Game series, Divergent and/or Inside Out I think this fits with that category of engaging read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer gets a small revenge through cooking with hot peppers when a crew member destroys her treasured journal.
There is something about being insanely infuriated that makes one forget the consequences of their actions, luring them to commit to and conquer in blinding rage.

Audiobook Jukebox

Thank you to Revolution Publishing and Audiobook Jukebox for the opportunity to review this Audiobook.
The setting is primarily Canada with some mention and visits to New York. I will add this to my ARC, New Author, Audio and Dystopia challenges.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Under Fire by Catherine Mann

Ms. Mann writes an adrenaline punched, action packed, romantic suspense.


  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (May 1, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402245017
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402245015
Available in ebook formats as well as print.
Genre: Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: May 1, 2012 | Series: Elite Force: That Others May Live

"Riveting action, to–die–for heroes!"—Suzanne Brockman, New York Times Bestselling Author of Night Watch

No Holds Barred, In Love or War...

A decorated hero, pararescueman Liam McCabe lives to serve. Six months ago, her and Rachel Flores met in the horrific aftermath of an earthquake in the Bahamas. They were tempted by an explosive attraction, but then they parted ways. Still, Liam has thought about Rachel every day—and night—since.

Now, after ignoring all his phone calls for six month, Rachel has turned up on base with a wild story about a high–ranking military traitor. She claims no one but Liam can help her—and she won't trust anyone else.

With nothing but her word and the testimony of a discharged military cop to go on, Liam would be insane to risk his career—even his life— to help a woman who left him in the dust.

"Catherine Mann is one of the hottest rising stars around!"—Lori Foster, New York Times Bestselling Author of Savor the Danger

Review:
We met Rachel and Liam in Hot Zone where they worked together during an Earthquake rescue operation in the Bahamas. The attraction and pull between them was instant but they resisted the urge to act on it. Rachel didn’t return any of Liam’s calls or emails for six months but suddenly she shows up hidden in his car and the action heats up.

Rachel is a compassionate and dedicated search and rescue worker with her trained dog.  She has taken time off from the stress of field work to train therapy dogs for service men who are suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). While Rachel works with Lieutenant Brandon Harris he tells her about a traitorous conspiracy to sell military secrets that would endanger many operatives.  Brandon has tried to report the threat to various police and military authorities but everyone has brushed him off as crazy because of his illness.

Rachel believes Brandon and seeks help from the only military officer she is willing to trust - the sexy and attractive Liam McCabe. Liam is thrilled to see her but not even he fully believes her until someone tries to ram them off the road using Rachel’s own car which they had left on base.

Someone is blocking the investigation and out to silence Brandon and Rachel. Liam and Rachel slip away from the safe house to seek protection on their own and to retrieve Brandon and the information he has.

Liam is an intense Pararescueman leader. He loves women and marries them. With three divorces behind him he knows his record for a successful relationship doesn’t look good. But the chemistry with Rachel is sizzling and this is the only woman he has wanted for six months since he met her. Can he overcome his fear of failure to seek a relationship with her? Rachel has her own fears, having lost her first young love in the service. She walked away from Liam before but she can’t resist the desire this time. Can she take a risk to be with Liam for more than a one night adrenaline release?

Both the action and the chemistry zings in this story.  Liam is intent on keeping Rachel safe even as she is determined to show him that she can hold her own. There is steamy and intense passion intertwined with the emotional personal conflicts. There is also some heavy romance for Brandon as the story progresses.

I loved the fast paced action scenes and was concerned that the action was almost overwhelmed by the romance.  By the end of the book I felt that the action and romance had balanced out all right. Ms. Mann seems to have a wonderful grasp of the military terms and hierarchy to support her story. Her characters are intense and likeable.  There were some elements that I questioned for realism but still it is a very entertaining read. It is not necessary to have read the prior book as the back-story is filled in nicely. However the prior stories (click here for prior series reviews) are wonderfully suspenseful too.  If you like a steamy romantic suspense, this book and author are a grand choice.

Their thoughts towards each other:
Liam:
She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman. He may have fallen in love easily in the past, but d... if he could remember ever falling this hard.  Page 178.
Rachel:
She refused to cave. She had to fight to get her life back.
She had to be strong enough to be Liam's wingman. Page 182-183.

The ARC copy was provided by Sourcebooks for an honest review.
This story is set for a good part in the Florida Everglades for my Where are you Reading Challenge. I will also add it to my ARC list.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for the ARC Copy:
1. Share a favorite feature of romantic suspense, OR why you like to read romantic suspense.  This is required for entry.

2.  For an extra entry, become a follower on any media (GFC, Twitter @MSEREADS, Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/ReviewsByMarthasBookshelf , Goodreads or Linky - links on right sidebar) or tell me if you are already a follower.

It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Two total entries possible.)

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on June 8, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
The WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on June 9. 
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Three Kindle Giveaways Ending this week and June Upcoming Hops

You only have a few more days to enter these three giveaways that include Kindles!

May 1 - Pump Up Your Books Tour for Unconquered - Month long giveaway for a Kindle!



May 8 - Pump Up Your Books Tour for Amazing Allergist - Month long giveaway for a Kindle!





These Giveaway Hops are coming up in June; both will have US/Can and International prizes:

June 1-June 6 My Favorite Reads




June 15 - June 20 Clean Your Shelf

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