Sunday, May 27, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (3)


Stacking the Shelves is a great new weekly meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.


Bought:


Synopsis:

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

(Free on Smashwords:)



Synopsis:

This free short story download from Libby Mercer hits the spot like a triple shot of espresso. It's a whimsical tale of potential romance brewing in a cozy corner coffeehouse.




Received for Review:


Synopsis:

If thirty-year-old Megan were any more of a doormat, she'd have footprints on her back. She helps anyone and everyone, no matter the cost to herself, and she's always been that way. Even the thought of withholding her assistance makes her feel sick. Worse, it makes her feel like she's a bad person, selfish and unkind.

She takes up running purely to avoid gaining weight, but as she trains with her cute but heartbroken coach Andrew she becomes more able to do things she'd never thought she could, both physically and emotionally.

The day before she runs her first marathon, though, her best friend's demands result in the biggest challenge yet to her developing assertiveness and Megan must decide: cave in as she always has before or stick to her new-found 'happy pace' in running and life.


Synopsis:

Small towns, long memories. Everyone in the exclusive summer resort of James Bay, Michigan remembers FATTY PATTY, the chubby little girl with the round face and wild red curls. All grown up now, Patty Perreault teaches at the same elementary school where the painful playground memories still taunt her. She hasn’t forgotten the cruel nickname—plus she still hasn’t lost those extra pounds. Convinced her weight is the biggest reason why she’s a four time loser in the semi-finals for Teacher of the Year, Patty resolves to make some changes in her body and her life.

Sam Curtis, an overweight accountant she meets at the community pool, swims into Patty’s life with romance on his mind. But as their friendship grows, Patty finds it hard to see beyond his extra pounds. She’s torn as Sam refuses to deal with his own overweight issues. Her heart tells her one thing, but her eyes see another. She’s not interested in an overweight boyfriend. When it comes to winning the Grand Prize in life and love, Patty has some hard lessons to learn. Will she be able to confront her fears about the kind of woman she yearns to be? Will she be able to put down the fork and give her heart a try?


Won:

(Thank you Emily from Mrs. Mommy Booknerd for the wonderful book!)




Synopsis:


Lesley Kagen returns with the sequel to her national bestselling debut, "Whistling in the Dark."

"Whistling in the Dark" captivated readers with the story of ten-year-old Sally O'Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee's summer of 1959. The novel became a "New York Times" bestseller and was named a Midwest Honor Award winner.

In "Good Graces," it's one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than Sally O'Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer. Although outwardly she and her sister, Troo, are more secure, Sally's confidence in her own judgment and much of her faith have been whittled away. When a series of disquieting events unfold in the neighborhood-a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan, crimes that may involve the increasingly rebellious Troo-Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons. She made a deathbed promise to her daddy to keep Troo safe, a promise she can't break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage and discernment to make the right choices? Or will her false assumptions lead her and those she loves into danger once again?

(Thanks Jennifer Daiker!)



Synopsis:

What do you do when you match the love of your life to someone else? Time is running out for this Goddess of Love to set things right and win her soul mate’s heart…without magic. Matchmaking just got a lot more interesting.

Drew just made the worst mistake the Goddess of Love could ever make. Accidentally matching her soul mate to another woman! What was she thinking?
Match making has always been Drew’s destiny – it’s the only things she’s good at. But time is of the essence, and the last thing she needs is for the Gods to discover her glitch. Her Goddess of Love status would be severed permanently. Now Drew has to convince Jack that she’s his one true love…without the use of her magic! Will she succeed before it’s too late?

(Thanks Lacy Camey!)


Synopsis:

Chloe Banks has always been known for her political, powerful billionaire last name and of course, naturally, for her money. Now she’s ready to show to the world there is more to her than what meets the eye. She’s more than the prim debutante from a privileged background. Yes, her father may be running for President and her mother may be the socialite of the year, never lifting a finger unless it’s to sip a flute of champagne, but Chloe is just like any other normal twenty-three year old, wanting to love and be loved, wanting to make her own mark in this world.

So Chloe moves temporarily with her two friends to Venezuela to serve in an orphanage as a nurse. But it is there she faces the same prejudices she is running away from, including the judgment from the incredibly good-looking orphanage facilitator and a few grumpy doctors. Chloe has to learn to let go of others’ assumptions of who she is so she can finally live her life free. But will she?


What books did you receive this week?  Leave me your link below and I'll be sure to check it out! :)

Review: A Contented Mind by Samantha Hoffman

Title: A Contented Mind
Author: Samantha Hoffman
Format: eBook
Published: November 21, 2011
Read for: CLP Blog Tours, Chick Lit Reading Challenge

* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. *
Synopsis (Goodreads):

Sometimes it takes seeing the dream before we find the courage to face the nightmare.

Without realizing it, bestselling author Meg Scott, stepped into the life of her dreams. A new beachfront home on the West Coast; a far cry from her secluded home shared only with her faithful Irish setter on Martha’s Vineyard. A gig playing violin with a world renowned rock band about to depart on a European acoustic tour; friends that easily became the family she lost when young. And upon shaking hands with the band’s drummer, Jadon Hastings, she found love and desire never known beyond the stories she wrote.

Under a hazy California sun, Meg’s dream sits in clear view. To make it her own, she’ll have to confront not only her past, but her future. In doing so, she discovers - those you trust - can’t always be trusted.

My Thoughts:

 A Contented Mind was much deeper than I thought it would be at first glance.  As Samantha says in her bio, "Life can get rough at times, loving oneself shouldn't be." and I think this message was loud and clear in this story.

Meg is consumed with issues from her past which are holding her back in her life, and she finds that she must deal with those issues before she will move on to a full and happy life she so deserves.  Jadon is suffering from similar problems and finding it equally difficult to put them behind him.

The characters are easily relatable and likable from the beginning.  I really enjoyed the band members individually, as well as as a group... but my favorite character was definitely Equinox Bob! :)
 
My husband is a drummer in a band, so I was very interested in reading this story.  There were times while reading where I chuckled as I could totally relate to the situation.  I think Samantha did her research into the band life because several times she was spot-on.

The story started off a bit slow, and I was anxious to see it pick up... which it finally did.  I had a bit of a problem keeping up with who's perspective the story was being told from as it flip-flopped between people often without a chapter change or page break.  I did find myself uninterested in the story a few times where I felt it dragged a bit.  

For the most part, I did enjoy the story overall and would recommend it to others.  I look forward to reading more from Samantha in the future.

My Rating:
3 Stars!



About the Author

Samantha started writing books as a child. Although those roughly hewed works are kept under lock and key, they possess the same need to understand life as her current novels. In the past, Samantha has written numerous columns on health and spirituality for a local newspaper. Currently, she writes the popular blog: Insanity - A Writer’s Commentary On All Things, as well as two novels: A Contented Mind, it’s sequel, Chasing Nirvana, and the children’s chapter book series: Dainty Delaney. Currently she is at work on her third novel. On May 18th, 2012 Samantha will be featured in Art & Entertainment section of The Traverse City Record Eagle newspaper.
Life can get rough at times, loving oneself shouldn’t be. That, in a nutshell, is the message that is imbued within the books Samantha writes.



Connect with Samantha!





Friday, May 25, 2012

Follow Friday & TGIF (14)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.

This week's question:

Q: Activity! Dreamcast your current read.


A. Right now I'm reading A Contented Mind.  So far it's pretty good.  There are several main characters, but here is who I would cast for the top two:


Meg:

Jessica from True Blood... before she was a vampire, of course.  :)


Jadon:


I don't know who this is.  He's a model... but he looks EXACTLY like I picture Jadon.



TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by GReads!
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.


This week's question:

Q: Show Me Your Cover: What are some of the worst book covers, but hold some of the best stories inside? Don't be embarrassed, show us your cover!

A.  I am a major Cover Girl, so I tend to judge a book by its cover at first glance.  I often become hesitant to read a book if I don't care for the cover... but with some I've been presently surprised! 

Here are two covers that I didn't much care for, but the story turned out to be great!


Kiss Me, Dancer
by Alicia & Roy Street

(Read review HERE)

It turned out to be a very cute chick lit love story book, but I just wasn't too fond of the cover.  They have since changed it.







Just One Click
by Amanda Strong

(Reading review HERE)
This was the same.  The cover at first was a little weird to me... but I really enjoyed this story!







I always feel bad commenting on someone's choice of cover. I know authors spend a lot of time picking their perfect cover, so I hope I'm not offending anyone by this post. I can only imagine what a hard job it is to pick the right cover for your story. Good job to all you wonderful authors out there!! :)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Review: Interview with a Jewish Vampire by Erica Manfred

Title: Interview with a Jewish Vampire
Author: Erica Manfred
Format: eBook
Published: December 18, 2011
Read for: CLP Blog Tours, eBook Challenge 2012

* A review copy was provided by the author for an honest review. *
Synopsis: 

The last thing zaftig middle-aged journalist, Rhoda Ginsburg, expects when she signs up for JDate is to fall for a vampire. But when she meets drop-dead gorgeous Sheldon, a Hasidic vampire, she falls hard. She rationalizes that he may not be alive, but at least he’s Jewish. Desperate to save the life of her terminally ill mother, Rhoda comes up with the crackpot idea of getting Sheldon to turn her and her little old Jewish lady friends into vampires. Who knew that they would “go rogue” and start preying on the young?

My Thoughts:

Really... just by the title I could tell this was going to be a funny book.  And funny it was!  Yes, many books nowadays involve vampires... but a Jewish vampire from NYC whose love interest is an overweight, divorced, sex-craved 41 year old that wanted him to turn her elderly mother into a vampire too?  Seriously, where did Erica come up with this idea?  :)

Erica did a great job of developing the characters sufficiently while bringing in humor whenever possible.  The story was quick, light, and extremely humorous.

I do have to say there were a lot of Jewish words used that I had to look up while reading.  It did slow down the reading time a bit, but it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the story at all.

I would definitely recommend Interview with a Jewish Vampire to anyone looking for a silly twist on vampire books, with a little bit of romance thrown in too.

My Rating:

4 Stars!


Visit Erica's blog tour page for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Interview witha  Jewish Vampire before June 4th and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!









About the Author:

Erica Manfred is a freelance journalist, humorous essayist, and author.   Her most recent book is the novel,  Interview with a Jewish Vampire.  She’s also authored two non-fiction self-help books, including most recently He’s History You’re Not; Surviving Divorce After Forty.     Her articles and essays have appeared in Cosmopolitan, The New York Times Magazine, Ms., New Age Journal, Village Voice, Woman’s Day, SELF, Ladies Home Journal, and many other publications.  Erica lives in Woodstock, New York with her Chihuahua, Shadow, and her daughter, Freda. Brought up by Jewish parents who spoke Yiddish but avoided religion, she got her Jewish education at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation which welcomes Jews from all backgrounds, from atheist to Orthodox, to vampire.    Her website is www.ericamanfred.com, or visit www.jewishvampire.com






Friday, May 18, 2012

Follow Friday & TGIF (13)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.

This week's question:
Q: Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?
A: Whenever I think of reading and relaxing, my first thought is a beach.  That's my very favorite setting.  Of course I really can't stand the heat once it's hotter than 90 degrees... so I guess I would hope for a beach setting, temperature around 82 degrees with a light breeze, and, of course, sunshine.  :)



TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by GReads!
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.


This week's question:
Q: A Book Blogger is Born: What made you decide to start your very own book blog?
A:  I've always loved to read.  I honestly didn't know anything about blogs until a childhood friend of mine, Jessica at Brief Book Reviews, started a book review blog herself and I started checking in and reading her reviews of books.  I quickly began to really admire her ability to read and review so wonderfully, and started considering the option of starting my own book blog.

My blog is mostly just for my own pleasure.  I don't have as many followers as most, and I'm unable to put as much time and attention into it as I wish I could.  I have a full-time job (where my computer access is VERY limited) and an infant at home, so my blogging time is hard to come by.  I do really enjoy having my book blog and I work on it as much as I can.  I do wish I had more time to read so I could post more reviews and be involved in the blogosphere more thoroughly... but at this time in my life, it's just not possible.  So I do what I can... and honestly, I love every second of it! :) 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My WoW this week:

Title: Crazy
Author: Amy Reed
Expected Release Date: June 12, 2012
Synopsis: 

He’s falling in love—and she’s falling over the edge of sanity. From the author of Beautiful and Clean, a heartwrenching exploration of a romance marred by mental illness.

Connor knows that Izzy will never fall in love with him the way he’s fallen for her. But somehow he’s been let into her crazy, exhilarating world and become her closest confidante. But the closer they get, the more Connor realizes that Izzy’s highs are too high and her lows are too low. And the frenetic energy that makes her shine is starting to push her into a much darker place.

As Izzy’s behavior gets increasingly erratic and self-destructive, Connor gets increasingly desperate to stop her from plummeting. He knows he can’t save her from her pain...but what if no one else can?


Title: Lucid
Author: Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass
Expected Release Date: October 2, 2012
Synopsis:

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

 
I absolutely love this cover!!

What books are you waiting on?  I LOVE to hear from others... leave your link below and I'll be sure to check yours out too! :)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Teaser Tuesday (8)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!  

My Teaser:



"She's fine... she's very happy... she's madly in love."  Long Pause.  "With a vampire," Mom said with an embarrassing laugh.



From Chapter 5 of Interview with a Jewish Vampire
by Erica Manfred



Sunday, May 13, 2012

Review: Vivid by Andrea Murray

Title: Vivid
Series: The Vivid Trilogy #1
Author: Andrea Murray
Format: eBook
Published: December 13, 2011
Read for: CLP Blog Tours, eBook Challenge 2012

* A review copy was provided by the author for an honest review.  Thanks to Andrea and Samantha at CLP for the chance to participate! :)
Synopsis: 

When Vivian Cartwright was five years old, she witnessed her mother’s death.

Now, sixteen-year-old Vivian only wants a normal life—hard to accomplish when you possess the power to control energy. Her entire life she has feared her power and its connection to her mother’s murder. She has kept her ability a secret from everyone except her guardian, Charlotte, who has hidden Vivian from the man responsible for her mother’s murder.

Her secret is safe until Vivian subconsciously defends herself at school using her power. After this first use of her gift in many years, Vivian’s power seems to take on a mind of its own, increasing in strength and demanding to be used. This increase in power also brings dreams of her mother’s death and the mysterious man connected with it. When she is assigned to tutor the would-be boyfriend of Trista Parmer (a.k.a. the biggest diva in school), Vivian cannot deny the electrifying connection that she feels for the boy, Easton Garrett. In her desire to get Easton away from Vivian, Trista doubles her efforts to humiliate Vivian, forcing Vivian to use her supernatural gift over and over. With each use, Vivian fears she is losing control and discovers her powers are growing—maybe too much—bringing her unknowingly closer to the man who murdered her mother.

My Thoughts:

Vivid takes you on a fast-paced journey through the troubles of 16-year-old Vivian, who recently discovered  (by accident, I might add) that she has a special power.  She suddenly finds herself using this power by accident, having difficulty controlling it.

Poor Vivian.  From the first page I really felt for her.  She's a good kid, gets good grades in school, and has to deal with being bullied on a regular basis.  To make it worse, her only friend, Abby, is bullied as well and she constantly finds herself having to come to her rescue (as Abby does for her as well.)

The storyline was quick, smooth, and quite enjoyable.  I really loved the connection between Vivian and Easton.  And to think... her having to tutor him started out as a punishment.  What a great punishment, huh?  ;)

And I have to comment on the ending.  I loved the way Andrea ended Vivid... making you beg for more!  I'm so delighted to hear that there is a second book in this series, Vicious, that was published last month, so I'm anxious to see if it picks up where this one leaves off.

I would definitely recommend this book to YA lovers.  It has a sweet romantic storyline to go along with the fantasy aspect that I think many will enjoy as much as I did.


My Rating:

4 Stars!

Visit Andrea's blog tour page for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of Vivid before May 28 and send your receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, you will get five bonus entries!



Author Bio:
Andrea Murray has been teaching English for longer than most of her students have been alive.  She has taught everything from junior high language arts to concurrent credit freshman composition. She lives in a very small town in Arkansas with her precocious daughter, energetic son, and racecar-driving husband.  When she isn't writing or reading novels for her students, she's probably watching reality television or cheesy science fiction movies.  In addition to Vivid, Andrea has also written Vicious, the sequel to her first novel.   

Buy the Book:



Friday, May 11, 2012

Excerpt: Lucky Charm by Marie Astor

Lucky Charm
by Marie Astor

Published: July 9, 2011
On Tour with CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: 

Twenty-eight-year old Annabel Green is about to tie the knot with her college love, an aspiring author Jeremy Blake, but her plans for an ideal wedding are rudely interrupted when she catches Jeremy kissing his gorgeous book agent.

Shell-shocked by Jeremy’s betrayal, Annabel retreats into the quiet routine of TV dinners and solitary evenings. It is then that Annabel’s best friend, fashion designer Lilly Clayton, sets herself on a mission to draw Annabel out of her shell. In an attempt to persuade Annabel to keep an open mind on dating, Lilly takes Annabel for a stunning makeover, but after Annabel passes on a date with a dashing entrepreneur, Lilly decides that more drastic measures are needed. Lilly invites Annabel to see a palm reader who gives Annabel a lucky charm that is supposed to help her find true love.

A few weeks later, during her trip to Paris, Annabel meets a handsome Parisian, and as the two embark on a whirlwind romance, she starts to believe in the power of the talisman the palm reader has given her. But what Annabel doesn’t know is that Lilly is hiding a secret that could unravel her faith in her newly found luck in love.



About the Author:

Marie Astor is the author of contemporary romance novels Dance Me to the Stars, On the Rim of Love, and Lucky Charm, and a collection of short stories A Chance Encounter and Other Stories.



Marie’s latest contemporary romance novel, Dance Me to the Stars, has been selected in the first round of entries in the General Fiction category in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest this year.

Currently, Marie is working on her next novel – a first installment in her romantic suspense series.



I'm so pleased to welcome Marie Astor to Lost in Literature today!  She's currently on tour with CLP Blog Tours.  Today I'm featuring an excerpt from her book, Lucky Charm.  Seriously... what an adorable cover!  I love it!

Now for an excerpt from Lucky Charm:



Upon opening the menu, Annabel was mortified to see that it was entirely in French and now she wished that, like Lilly, she had paid more attention to those French classes so many years ago – the knowledge would surely come in handy now. As she circumspectly glanced at Etienne who was engrossed in discussing an entry on the wine list with Simon, Annabel attempted to dig up long-forgotten words that floated in her mind like vague ghosts: the only word that she managed to recognize on the menu was fromage, which she was fairly certain meant cheese, and she could not remember a word more to save her life. Annabel was about to ask for help when Simon came to the rescue.


“Now I know I should have paid more attention to French in school.” Annabel smiled guiltily as she began to examine the menu.


“You studied French?” Etienne’s eyebrows arched as he looked at her from across the table.


“Yes.” Annabel nodded, bidding herself not to blush. “But only the required curriculum in school, and it seems that I’ve forgotten most of it,” she confessed.


“Ah.” Etienne bowed his head slightly as he returned to the examination of the wine list.


If it were possible to fall through the floor this very minute, Annabel would have done so gladly. It was painfully clear that Etienne’s impression of her was that of a complete, blundering idiot, and for the life of her, she could not think of anything to say to change his mind.

If you're interested in reading more excerpts from her book, Lucky Charm, then head on over to her CLP blog tour page. 

There are several wonderful prizes up for grabs also in her giveaway.  Prizes include:
  1. A handmade lapis sterling silver necklace
  2. A handmade coral and turquoise necklace
  3. A $10 Amazon gift card




Contact Marie Astor:

Twitter: @marieastor


Books by Marie Astor:

Dance Me to the Stars – a contemporary romance about finding one’s perfect match.
On the Rim of Love – a contemporary romance about the unexpected power of love.
Lucky Charm – a humorous contemporary romance about love, luck and friendship.
A Chance Encounter and Other Stories – a short story collection about love and everyday life.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Follow Friday & TGIF (12)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.

This week's question:
Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?


A: The first book that comes to mind is a book that I read earlier this year, Chasing China by Kay Bratt.  It's the story of an adopted Chinese girl who, at the age of 18, decides to go to China in search of answers she so desperately longs for.

I don't want to give anything away, but along the road she searches for her birth parents, as well as visits the orphanage where she spent the first part of her life.  She meets her Foster Mother from when she was extremely young.  

I'd hate to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that and say you should definitely read this book.  It's a beautiful, touching story.

Side note: Happy Mother's Day to all those mommies out there!!  :)


TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by GReads!
For details on how this meme works, please click on the image above.


This week's question:
Q: Supporting Characters: We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?

A:  Hmmm... the first one that pops into my head is a quirky neighbor in a book I read by Kathleen Kole called Dollars to Donuts.  His name was Thomas... and boy, he was a real "character"!  Now that I think about it, I enjoyed quite a few of those neighbors that drove poor April completely nuts.  It definitely kept me giggling throughout the book.  Though April, as the main character, was likeable and such, I really believe that the supporting roles in this book are the ones that held the story together.  Great job, Kathleen! :)