Shine On Award

I was nominated for the Shine On Award!

A big thank you to Barbara Ann at Sun Mountain Reviews who nominated me for this new blogger award! I'm so excited to have the opportunity to blog and begin to get to know the wonderful bloggers that I have been exposed to over the last few months. I am so flattered that other bloggers are enjoying my site. This blog has been and continues to be one huge learning experience and I am so enjoying the ride.  When I got 50 views I though I was hot stuff because it meant that 50 people actually read something that I wrote! I know that seems small, but every view on my site makes me almost giddy! I hope to continue to grow this blog and that these same ladies that I am getting to know through this great medium of blogging will be here with me all along the way! Thanks Barbara Ann and continued success on your own adventure!

Now here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.

2. Acknowledge that blogger on your blog, and link back.

3. Share seven, random interesting things about yourself.

4. Nominate up to 15 bloggers for the Shine On Award, provide a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs. 

7 Random Facts About Me:

1. I am a nationally certified Pharmacy Tech. but I am not using that skill at the moment!

2. In the last 14 years I have moved  7 times.

(Arkansas-Oklahoma-Japan-Texas-England-Ohio-& now back to Arkansas)

3. I am married to my high school sweetheart.

4. I'm very impatient, I like everything done like yesterday.

5. It drives me crazy to see the toilet paper put on the roll where the sheets do not fall over the front but hangs to the back-that's just wrong! (Hey, they did say random facts!)

6. I carry my Kindle with me everywhere with me, yes everywhere, you never know when you can sneak in 5 minutes of extra reading time.

7.  I may have a legitimate addiction to YouTube videos.  

I'm passing this award on to these great bloggers:

Mina over at Mina's Bookshelf

Argyle Doll

Jazmine at This Girl Reads A Lot

Cover Reveal: Just Once by Juliana Keyes

by Julianna Keyes and Omnific Publishing

Adult Contemporary Romance

Releasing October 29, 2013

Kate Burke is done making bad decisions. Thirty years old and belatedly determined to grow up, the successful travel writer and one-time party girl returns to work at the remote Ponderosa Pines Ranch to reassess her life.

Although her kitchen/cabin staff is lacking and the workload never relents, Kate’s main challenge is Shane Maddox, the ruggedly handsome and doggedly stubborn ranch foreman. Instantly at odds, they battle over everything from ceiling fans to bothersome bats—studiously ignoring the sparks they generate with each confrontation.

They can’t explain their explosive physical chemistry, but after a few frustrated weeks they can’t deny it either. Their solution? Just once. They’ll get past their inconvenient lust and move on.

Kate’s been trying to think with her head instead of her hormones, but is this just another bad decision in a lifetime of careless choices? Has she really changed at all?

Set in the striking and serene hills of southern Colorado, Julianna Keyes’ debut novel offers a sizzling and satisfying tale of unexpected chemistry and the power of second chances. Her characters will get under your skin and into your heart. Just once may not be enough for you either. 

About the Author

Julianna Keyes is a Canadian writer who has lived on both coasts and several places in between. She’s been skydiving, bungee jumping, and white water rafting, but nothing thrills—or terrifies—her as much as the blank page. She has volunteered in Zambia, taught English in China, and dreams of seeing pink dolphins in the Amazon. This is her first book.

Julianna Keyes' Website

Julianna Keyes on Twitter 

Liebster Award

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Mina over at Mina's Bookshelf ! She is so sweet and has been very supportive of me as I have added on to my blog. She always has something nice and encouraging to say and I am so grateful to her. I have been blogging such a short time and it has been a steep learning curve let me tell you, but I have loved every minute of it! This award is given to bloggers by fellow bloggers who have less than 200 followers to help get a boost in exposure and hopefully give readers a chance to see some of the smaller blogs that are out there doing great things around the web. Hop on over to Mina's Bookshelf and show her some love to. Thanks Mina, you rock girlie!

Now here are the answers to Mina's questions:

1.  Best book(s) you've read this year?

One of the best books I read this year is Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles. Her book had me in stitches as well as on the edge of my seat. I also really, really like the Beauty of Man and Woman (BOMAW) series by Mercedes Keyes, this series made me break all of my general rules for buying eBooks and I don't regret it at all!

2.  Upcoming release(s) you anticipate the most? 

This is a hard one, there are a few coming up that I am anxiously awaiting. Book 13 of BOMAW by Mercedes Keyes, Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost, The King by J.R. Ward, and of course the latest in my hero Diana Gabaldon's series Written in My Own Heart's Blood.

3.  Favorite author(s)?

Diana Gabaldon,  J.R. Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Mercedes Keyes, Terry Goodkind, and George R.R. Martin.

4.  Is fan-fiction something you would consider as a reader or a writer?

I would read fan-fiction, I enjoy seeing others creativity especially when it's done from the love of a character or world created by a favored author.

5.  Would you like to write a sequel for a book you loved? 

I am not a gifted writer, but if boy do I have ideas about what I would like to see continued in several different series.

6.  Is there any author you would like to meet?

Oh yeah, I could throw one heck of a dinner party with all of the writers that I would love to meet.

7.  What would you ask him/her?

I would mostly want to know how they came up with their individual worlds. I am constantly amazed by what I read and experience in a really good story.

8.  Your favorite reading nook? Bed, sofa, a bench at the park?

Bed and sofa. Sofa so that I can at least seem to be in the same room as my family and in bed when I really need to get away and escape into another world.

9.  Book or e-reader?

Definitely e-reader! I fought getting one for so long and my husband just bought me one one year for my birthday and I have been hooked every since. I never thought that I could love it as much as the wonderful smell of a "real" book. I have always loved the smell of libraries, bookstores, and the wonderful scent you get when you quickly flip the pages of an old well read book. (Yeah, I've had it bad) But now I have my "Precious", my Kindle Fire. I take it everywhere with me just like a toddler with their favorite blanket. You will seriously never catch me without it. You never know when you may have a minute to sneak in a little reading. I've gone off without it a couple of times and I almost got the shakes! Thank goodness for the handy dandy app on my phone!

10. Which novel would you like to see on the big screen and who would you cast for the lead roles? 

My dreams are coming true! True Blood, 50 Shades of Grey, Game of Thromes, and now Outlander being done by Starz, I'm a happy girl... 

The Ladies that I would like to nominate:

The ladies at Sweet Spot Book Blog-Thessamar, Holly, and Grace

Jazmen at This Girl Reads A Lot

Nicole at Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Chrissy at A Novel Idea

Emily at Mrs B's Books
Argyle Doll
Amanda at Go Book Yourself
Barbara Ann at Sun Mountain Reviews

I only have 8 blogs to nominate, but they are ones that I really do enjoy, so please stop by their blogs and show them some love.

There are a few rules:

1. Link back the blogger that tagged you
2. Nominate 10 others and answer the questions of the one who tagged you
3. Ask 10 questions for the bloggers you nominate
4. Let your nominees know of their award.


Here are the questions for my nominees:

1. What is your all time favorite book?
2. Is there a book that you thought that you would not like that you ended up really enjoying?
3. What is the best comment that you have received by an author, other blogger, or blog reader?
4. What is the best thing about blogging for you?
5. What is the most frustrating thing about blogging for you?
6. If you could live the life of any of the characters that you have read about who would it be?
7. Is there a character that you love to hate? You can't say J.R. Ewing! (oops my age is showing)
8. Are you a re-reader?
9. If you could change the ending of any book or series which would it be and why?
10. What is your ultimate goal for your blog?

Thanks again to Mina, I am really honored to be a recipient of this award and am happy to pass it on!

Her Russian Billionaire by Theodora Taylor Review

Deceitfully Yours by Bethany Bazile Review

 

Aiden's Game (Tale of Three Hearts Trilogy) by Sienna Mynx Review

Kade's Dark Embrace by Kym Grosso Review

Desire (The Dining Club Part One) by Marina Anderson

Written in My Own Heart's Blood Excerpts (#2) by Diana Gabaldon

As always you can visit Gabaldon's Facebook page by clicking here to see all of her postings.

Posted September 12th

William passed the end of the company, circled to the rear and rode up the other side of the column, looking back over his shoulder at the rank of puzzled faces staring at him, some affronted, some amused. No…no…no…maybe? Would he even recognize the fellow? he wondered. He’d been very drunk. Still, he thought Harkness would recognize _him_…

They were all staring at him by this time, but none with an aspect either of alarm or violence. Their captain reined up a little and called to him.

“Ho, Ellesmere! Lost something, have you?”

He squinted against the sun, and made out the vivid face of Ban Tarleton, red-cheeked and grinning under his flamboyant plumed helmet. He jerked his chin up in invitation, and William wheeled his horse and fell in beside him.

“Not lost, exactly,” he said. “Just looking for a dragoon I met in Philadelphia—named Harkness; you know him?”

Ban pulled a face. 

“Yes. He’s with the 16th. Randy bugger, always after women,”

“And you aren’t?” Ban wasn’t a close friend, but William had been out on the ran-dan with him once or twice in London. He didn’t drink much, but he didn’t need to; he was the sort of man who always seemed a little intoxicated.

Tarleton laughed, face flushed with the heat and red-lipped as a girl.

“Yes. But Harkness doesn’t care about anything _but_ women. Known him have three at once, in a brothel.”

William considered that one for a moment.

“All right. I can see a use for two, maybe…but what’s the third one for?”

Ban, who was maybe four years older than William, gave him the sort of pitying look reserved for virgins and confirmed bachelors, then ducked back, laughing, when William punched him in the arm.

Cover Reveal for In The Beginning by London Miller

Twenty-year-old Lauren Thompson escaped her small hometown in Michigan for the Big Apple, where no one knew her name. Starting over is easier than she imagined with cool friends and the mysterious boy from the coffee shop.

But Mishca Volkov has secrets, secrets that makes him deadly for someone like Lauren. When explosive truths threaten to tear them apart, can they fight through it...or were they cursed by fate before they ever met. This is the first in a two book series.

Excerpt From In the Beginning:

Lauren snapped out of her thoughts, blinking rapidly as she realized she had just been standing there, staring at him. Clearing her throat, she tried for a smile, extending her hand. “I’m Lauren.”
A corner of his mouth tipped up as he pocketed his phone. He took her hand in his much larger one, his hold gentle as he swept his thumb across the back of her knuckles.
For a moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the cafe as she stared up at him, captivated by the sheer curiosity she saw in his eyes. Was this what it was like? That instant attraction? She had never felt breathless before, had never felt more than a casual interest in a boy, but right now, standing in front of him, blood rushing to her face, this was definitely more than a casual interest.
“Mishca Volkov,” he answered softly, like it was only meant for her to know.

Author Bio:
    London Miller lives in Atlanta, Georgia with a degree in Creative Writing and has an unhealthy interest in the mafia lifestyle. Her debut novel, In the Beginning, is due to be released November 4, 2013 followed by the sequel, Until the End in early 2014.


Head over to London Miller's Facebook page by clicking here and enter to win goodies from the author. Here's what you could win:

Grand Prize - One signed paperback (when ARCs are given out) and a swag pack.

10 Bookmarks - Ten separate winners

5 ebook copies - Five winners

To Wed a Wicked Highlander (Bad Boys of the Highlands #3) by Victoria Roberts

Shadow Fall (Shadow Series) by Erin Kellison Review

 

Alexandra's Legacy (Legacy Series Book 1) by N.J. Walters

The truth will set her free…or get her killed.

Legacy, Book 1

Alexandra Riley’s day starts out like any other in her normal, predictable world. Then a tall, dark stranger bursts into her father’s garage and shatters the illusion. In one shocking moment, she discovers why she’s been feeling hot, restless—she’s the half-breed daughter of a legendary werewolf and is a much-sought-after prize.

Joshua Striker, enforcer in charge of protecting the alphas of the Wolf Creek pack, has come to take Alex home. Nothing more, nothing less. From the first moment he sees her, she becomes the one thing he can’t afford—a distraction from his duty. A weakness he doesn’t want—but can’t resist needing.

If only keeping her safe was as simple as fending off males on the hunt for a mate. Through city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, Alex and Joshua have to evade those who don’t want their pure bloodlines tainted with human DNA, as well as bounty hunters who think the only good werewolf is a dead one.

What Joshua and Alex can’t outrun is the passion that flares between them—or the choice Alex must eventually face. Whether to claim her inner wolf, or forfeit her chance to claim Joshua as her own.

Amazon

The Owner of His Heart by Theodora Taylor

Amazon

Synopsis:

 The First Smoking Hot Interracial Romance from the 50 Loving States series.

An accident left Layla Matthews with no memory of her freshman year of college in Pittsburgh, and almost ten years later she returns to the city to solve the mystery of her own past. One clue leads her to Nathan Sinclair, the handsome, rude, and arrogant CEO of Sinclair Industries.

She doesn't remember him, but oh, does he remember her. Apparently something went down between them her freshman year that made him harden his heart against her and all other women. Something he refuses to talk about, even after their unexpected reunion explodes into a passionate love affair. Can Layla solve the mystery of her past and become the owner of his heart?

WARNING: This book features hot sex scenes, a steamy romance, and a mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mi Carino - Risky Love (Mi Carino/Carina #1) by Sienna Mynx Review

Toxic (Truckee Wolves) by Belinda McBride Review

Written in My Own Heart's Blood Excerpts (#1) from Diana Gabaldon

You can click here to pre-order from Amazon.

Diana Gabaldon has a fantastic Facebook page and if you are a fan and haven't been to it you can click here to see it for yourself. It's a great page because she actually interacts on it often. If you are a fan like I am it's great to be able to see what's going on in her world and get all of the glorious updates for the upcoming series that will air on Starz in 2014. Gabaldon has also been posting snippets from the upcoming book so I have collected them for you here to peruse at your leisure! Visit her page it's definitely worth it!

Posted September 4th:

“You said you were afraid,” I said quietly, eyes on the spools of coarse thread and twists of silk floss I was stowing in a wooden box. “But that won’t stop you doing what you think you have to do, will it? _I’m_ afraid _for_ you—and that certainly won’t stop you, either.” I was careful to speak without bitterness, but he was as sensitive to tones of voice this morning as I was.

He paused for a moment, looking down at his shining shoe-buckles, then lifted his head and looked at me straight.

“Do ye think that because ye've told me the rebels will win, that I am free to walk away?”

“I—no.” I slid the box-lid shut with a snick, not looking at it. I couldn’t look away from him. His face was still, but his eyes held mine, intent. “I know you have to. I know it’s part of what you are. You can’t stand aside and still be what you are. That was more or less my point, when I--.”

He interrupted me, stepping forward and seizing me by the wrist.

“And what is it that ye think I am, Sassenach?”

“A bloody _man_, that’s what!” I pulled loose and turned away, but he put a hand on my shoulder and turned me back to face him.

“Aye, I _am_ a bloody man,” he said, and the faintest trace of rue touched his mouth, but his eyes were blue and steady.

"Ye've made your peace with what I am, ye think--but I think ye dinna ken what that means. To be what I am doesna mean only that I'll spill my own blood when I must. It means I must sacrifice other men to the ends of my own cause--not only those I kill as enemies, but those I hold as friends...or as kin.”

His hand dropped away, and the tension left his shoulders. He turned toward the door, saying, “Come when ye’re ready, Sassenach.”

Into the Dreaming Giveaway

Into the Dreaming

Head over tho Moning's Facebook page by clicking here to enter to win a signed copy of Into the Dreaming! Super easy contest all you have to do is leave a comment on the post. Hurry-the winner will be chosen on Monday, September 16th. You can only enter once and I've already done mine! I love KMM!

Here's the book description from Amazon:

Free him from his ice-borne hell . . .

Stolen from his beloved home in the Highlands of Scotland, imprisoned in the Unseelie king’s dark, frosty kingdom, Aedan MacKinnon endured centuries of torture before becoming the icy, emotionless Vengeance, the dark king’s dispatcher of death and destruction in the mortal realm.

And in his century you both may dwell . . .

Aspiring romance novelist Jane Sillee has always believed that she was born in the wrong century, but she’s managed to make a decent enough life for herself—if only she could stop having those recurring dreams about a man too perfect to exist.

In the Dreaming you have loved him . . .

Haunted every night of her life by a devastatingly sexy Highlander who comes to her while she sleeps, Jane tries to write him out of her head and heart. As a child he protected her, as a woman he loves her.

Now in the Waking you must save him . . .

When an ancient tapestry bearing the likeness of her beloved Highlander arrives on her doorstep, Jane is whisked back in time to fifteenth-century Scotland, to the castle of Dun Haakon on the isle of Skye, where she is given one chance to save her dream lover . . . or lose him forever to the Unseelie king.

Caught in a deadly game between the light and dark courts of the Fae, Jane must find a way through the ice to the heart of her Highander. But will the love of one mortal woman be enough to defeat such ancient and ruthless immortal enemies?

Happy Reading!

Shine: The Knowing Ones by Amy Freeman

Letting Go (The Surrender Series) by Maya Banks

Up From the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Up From the Grave

This will be the last book in one of my all time favorite series and it is due out January 2014. If you want to know why Frost is ending the series at this point you can click here to visit her site to see her very good reason for the concluding the adventures of Cat and Bones. I suppose that I have to accept what I can't change... I will just have to be thankful for all of the joy that I've gotten from this series and not be a whiny baby. Nothing good ever comes from a series that's dragged out way past its prime. If you haven't read this series yet and you like vampires, a strong female protagonist , good dialogue and captivating plots please treat yourself to the first book in the series Halfway to the Grave it's truly a good read. You can see my review of book one here as well as a list of the whole series. 

The King by J.R. Ward

The King

I debated over whether or not to put this one on my page yet as it won't be released until March 2014! But I decided what they heck-it's already listed everywhere and every body and their mamma has it on their blogs already. So what kind of Wrath groupie would I be if I too didn't have it up right here on my very special blog place? Sorry that it took me so long Wrath-I love you baby...

One Lucky Vampire (Argeneau Vampire Book 19) by Lynsay Sands

The Submissive (The Submissive Series) by Tara Sue Me

Dark Witch (The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, Book 1) by Nora Roberts

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles Review

Worth the Price by Delilah Hunt Review

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton Review

Blight by A.C. Warneke

Blight

Alright, so here's my first world problem of the day- I want to read this book but I have too many other books that I want to read too. Yes this is my whiny complaint of the day, I have an over abundance of choices and it's making me cranky... It's ridiculous I know but I just can't help myself. I just discovered this book through an email blast that discussed the second book that will be coming out sometime this month. I haven't even read he first one so that just puts me further behind. Why oh why do I have other responsibilities other than sitting around all day reading? Life is so unfair! (insert stomped foot here) It's a good deal at $2.99 and 324 pages. Here's the book description from Amazon:

Rebecca “Beck” Lewis has always known she was destined for an early grave. Ever since her parents became monsters and tore her perfect world apart she has been shattered, unable to put the pieces together again. But she doesn’t care because her goal in what is left of her life is to take out as many Blights as possible before they take her out or she finally gives in to madness. She likes being able to kill the monsters without mercy, without doubts, and she is very good at what she does. 

It doesn’t matter that the amethyst-eyed demon who haunts her dreams is slipping into her reality and is stealing pieces of her soul. It doesn’t matter that he is destroying whatever remnants of humanity she has left and fashioning her into something new. It doesn’t matter that he is taking everything she loves away from her. 

She never had much use for her soul anyway. 

Sounds good right? I hope this will help someone who's looking to add to their reading list or looking for something to read right now since all I've done is made myself sad since I can't read everything "like yesterday".

Nearly Departed in Deadwood (Deadwood Humorous Mystery Series) by Ann Charles

Nearly Departed in Deadwood

As I've said before, I love to find a good series and this one looks like a winner. It is the first in a series of 4 books and a short story. It seems to have a nice following so I am sure that there will be more adventures for  Violet down the line. I am so excited about getting into this series that I have  moved it to the front of the list. I have one book that I need to finish first and then I am all over this one. Right now the eBook is only $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble so it's a steal, especially since it is a full length book at 376 pages.

Description:

Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota. Fearing her daughter might be next, single mom, Violet Parker, is desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. With her savings dwindling and just three weeks left to sell her first house or lose her Realtor job, Violet is ecstatic when a handsome jeweler hires her to sell his century-old, Victorian masterpiece, until she sees the dilapidated dwelling. Now, if she could just convince her only buyer to stop rejecting vintage homes as if they're haunted. Short on time and long on worry, she refuses to give up her dream of a fresh start in Deadwood. But with a malicious coworker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending her creepy messages, and a sexy stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, will Violet end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed?

You can go to Goodreads here and add it to your want to read list. If you don't have a Goodreads account I highly recommend signing up for one. It's free to sign up and it's a great place to find new and new to you books, other bookish people, and there are many authors who have profiles listed as well. There's a lot of options at Goodreads including groups that you can join for just about any book subject you can think of. Trust me it's a good place to go but you can get sucked in and lose track of time pretty easily over there. 

Series in reading order:

Nearly Departed in Deadwood

Optical Delusions in Deadwood

Dead Case in Deadwood

Better off Dead in Deadwood (This is $0.99 too!)

Seeing Trouble-this is the short story

Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander Series) by Dianna Gabaldon

This is the next installment in what I think is one of the best series ever! It is due to be released March 25, 2014 and you can pre-order through Amazon here . Just say the names Jamie and Claire to me and I smile. Tell me that the newest in the series is coming out even if it's 6 months away and I bounce in my seat,clap my hands, and squeal like a little girl . Now tell me that there's going to be a television adaptation slated for 2014 airing on Starz and the casting is being released-well I need to just lie on the couch for a moment...If you haven't been to Gabaldon's site to see it for yourself I give you permission to leave my site immediately by clicking  here and read for yourself all of the wonderfulness that is happening. If you like you can click here and you can see the Facebook page dedicated to the upcoming series and see all of the casting so far. I totally approve of all of the choices thus far. I'm just waiting with baited breath to see who will play Claire. I don't know who this Sam Heughan is but he totally looks the part, all he needs is a little hair dye and we're set.I have never had Starz as part of my cable but you better believe that I will be signing up. All I can say is bless you Starz and you better not screw this up! 

Warrior's Woman (Ly-san-ter Series) by Johanna Lindsey

 

 

The Warlord Wants Forever Immortals After Dark Series) by Kresley Cole Review

Tall, Dark, and Vampire (Dead in the City Book 1) by Sara Humphries

She always knew Fate was cruel...

The last person Olivia expected to turn up at her club was her one true love. It would normally be great to see him, except he's been dead for centuries. Olivia really thought she had moved on with her immortal life, but as soon as she sees Doug Paxton, she knows she'd rather die than lose him again. And that's a real problem...

But this is beyond the pale...

Doug is a no-nonsense cop by day, but his nights are tormented by dreams of a gorgeous redhead who's so much a part of him, she seems to be in his blood. When he meets Olivia face-to-face, long-buried memories begin to surface. She might be the answer to his prayers...or she might be the dead of him.

Amazon

The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind Review