Summer Reads Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Summer Reads Giveaway Hop!

Enter to win $10 Amazon gift card

This hop is hosted by:
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Rex Robot Reviews

There are almost TWO hundred blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one. This hop starts July 6th and runs through July 12th, midnight.

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Visit these blogs for more chances to win!

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

Welcome to Hope Beach

Where the sea breeze is fresh, sun sparkles on sand . . . and trouble appears with the force of a hurricane.

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the seaward shore of Hope Island could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brothers and sisters are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, Libby’s under suspicion for the crime, and her handsome lieutenant clearly doubts her innocence.

Libby’s dream-come-true is becoming a nightmare. Can she find her friend and establish her innocence? Must she sell Tidewater Inn and lose her family again? Or can she find a home for her heart on the beautiful shores of Hope Island?

My thoughts...

Partners Libby and Nicole come to Hope Island to restore several historical building. While there Libby inherits Tidewater Inn from her biological father that had abandoned her. She also learns she has siblings!

Nicole is abducted by two men and the sheriff believes Libby has murdered her, a hurricane hits the island, finances may cause Libby to sell the Inn, and of course a romance, lots of twists and turns in the book that will hold your attention.

Coble writes a good book with strong characters, mystery, adventure, and faith. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Next Best Thing

At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to be hired as a television writer. Four years later, she’s hit the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the show-runner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on a boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear and eye for writer’s rooms, bad behavior backstage and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood rollercoaster and a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

My thoughts...

Ruth Sanders wants to be a television writer so she sets off to Hollywood with her grandmother beside her hoping to make it big. It takes a few years but she does get the green light on a sitcom she has written and she is in charge. What she finds on the set is that it's so hard to remain professional while dealing with executives and irate actors. Ruth gets very frustrated with the actors and has a crush on her boss.

This book has steamy love scenes, there's some comedy thrown in. Weiner's characters are a bit on the odd side, not very enjoyable. I wasn't impressed with the plot, the characters, or the steam. I thought it could've been so much better. I give it 2 out of 5 stars.

I received a ecopy of this book free from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing To Hide

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Nothing to Hide Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)

by J. Mark Bertrand



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he left for South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an
honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A grisly homicide. An international threat.
The stakes have never been higher for
Detective Roland March.

The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March
is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue--but to what? According
to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of
illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want
March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging, though, he
discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.

In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself
dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into his own hands, his twisting investigation leads him into the very heart of darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose--and nothing to hide.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Nothing to Hide, go HERE.


My thoughts...

Roland March is investigating a murder, the book opens at the scene where the decapitated body was dumped. No skin on the hands and no marks on the body leave identifying the corpse impossible. His partner is a former nemesis. The two set out to find the missing head. They begin in the direction one of the victim's hands was pointing.

The investigation leads to more questions than answers. Eventually an FBI agent informs March that she knows who the victim is but cannot release his identity as it could lead to the murder of another agent. The rest of the story is for the readers to discover.

With a complicated plot I found the book to be a bit confusing with all the details and police procedures going on way too long, still it was full of secret agents and double agents, action, and adventure with a shocking end.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Veil of Pearls by MaryLu Tyndall

Be swept away to Charleston of 1811, a city bustling with immigrants like Adalia, who is a runaway slave so light-skinned that no one guesses her past.

Terrified her secret will be discovered, she settles into a quiet life making herbal remedies for a local doctor. But when Morgan, the handsome son of a prominent family, sweeps her into his glamorous world—a world in which the truth about Adalia’s heritage would ruin them both—suspicions and petty jealousies are aroused.

What will Morgan do when he discovers that the woman he has fallen in love with a runaway slave?

My thoughts...

Another great book I've read this week! I loved the characters, especially Adalia. She has such spunk and says what she feels which sometimes brought a chuckle.

I wanted things to work out between her and Morgan so badly, there were many things that kept them apart but he never stopped pursueing Adelia. Many people tried to end their relationship, some in ways that were totally humiliating and degrading to Adalia, but love prevailed!

Tyndall's strong characters came alive, her writing style let me feel the emotions of each. I recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received an ecopy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Leibster Award!

I've won the Leibster award! Thank you Samaine!

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have 200 followers or less. The word Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, dearest, beloved, lovely, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.


Here's the Rules:
1. Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the people you tagged.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Tell them you've tagged them.
5. Remember, no tag backs.


My 11 random facts:

1. Enjoy art journaling.
2. I have cats.
3. Popcorn is my favorite snack.
4. I'm addicted to books.
5. I enjoy blog hopping.
6. Like to go hiking.
7. Enjoy long lunches with friends.
8. Criminal Minds is my favorite tv show.
9. Would like to live at the beach.
10. Like the color orange.
11. Love to travel.


Questions from BookWormsAvenue...

1. So far, what's your best read this year? Words by Ginny Yttrup, I hated to see it end.

2. If you were given a chance to meet a character from a book, who will it be? The sisters in Five Miles South of Peculiar, they are a lively bunch.

3. Besides reading, what other habits do you do? Chunky Book Pages and Art journaling.

4. What are you're top 5 books? Words by Ginny Yttrup, The Guest Book by MaryBeth Whalen, Julia's Hope by Leisha Kelly, The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury, and The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate.

5. A book you recommend to readers out there: Shelter by Frances Greenslade. A great story of two sisters who lost their father in an accident and their mother dropped them off with strangers and doesn't come back.

6. What genres do you prefer reading? general fiction, romance, and mysteries mostly.

7. A book that made you cry: Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury.

8. Authors you're dying to meet: Would like to meet MaryBeth Whalen and Lynn Austin.

9. How did you come up with your blog name or title? I used to post pictures of my art decos and journal pages.

10. Tell us something about you that you kept as a secret from others: Gee, I can't think of any secrets.

11. What book made a great impact in your life? One Second After, it's about how electro magnetic pulses can effect the world. Kinda scary!


Blogs I'm tagging:

Hosanna's Journey
My Reading Life
Novel Reviews
Book Reviews From A Book Lover
The Overweight Bookshelf
Refuge in Books
The Literary Forest
Moments
Insomnia of Books
Fiction Addiction Fix
Crystal's Book Blog

Questions for the blogs I tagged:

1. What is one of your favorite reads this year?
2. When did you first discover your love of books?
3. Do you take a book with you wherever you go?
4. What is your favorite day of the week?
5. If you could get on a plane and go anywhere, where would you go?
6. What's your favorite color?
7. Do you keep all the books you've read?
8. Do you like background noise while you're reading?
9. List one of your top ten books.
10. A snack you can't do without:
11. How many books are on your nightstand?

The Guest Book by MaryBeth Whalen

When Macy Dillon was five years old her father encouraged her to draw a picture in the guestbook of a Carolina beach house. The next year, Macy returned to discover a drawing by an unidentified little boy on the facing page. Over the next eleven years the children continue to exchange drawings ... until tragedy ends visits to the beach house altogether.

During her final trip to Sunset, Macy asks her anonymous friend to draw her one last picture and tells him where to hide the guest book in hopes that one day she will return to find it-and him.

Twenty-five years after that first picture, Macy is back at Sunset Beach-this time toting a broken family and a hurting heart. One night, alone by the ocean, Macy asks God to help her find the boy she never forgot, the one whose beautiful pictures touched something deep inside of her. Will she ever find him? And if she does, will the guestbook unite them or merely be the relic of a lost childhood?

My thoughts...

There have been so many books that I've enjoyed reading over the years but every once in a while there is one that just stands out and this is that book! What a fabulous story! I read it in one day. Yes, I spent hours reading and couldn't put it down! It's not your typical romance and that's what I loved about it.

Not only is there romance but mystery as well, I couldn't figure out who the anonymous artist was. There were times when I thought I knew but then something would happen that changed my mind.

Macy and her family have returned to the beach house after ten years, it's a healing trip, one of leaving the past and moving forward. You won't be disappointed! This one gets 5 out of 5 stars!

I received an ecopy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.