Veteran's Day Blog Hop Giveaway

A Salute to Veterans

With this Veteran's Day Blog Hop, we are honoring the selfless service by veterans to our country.  In keeping with this, we'd like to introduce Jessica Scott ~ active duty Army Captain, full time Mom and Author!  We also salute her husband who is currently deployed on his final tour with the Army as a First Sergeant. Thank you both for all you do and thank you to ALL of the veterans ~ you are appreciated.
Jessica and Romance at Random's Loveswept line are promoting the first book in her new Coming Home series:

Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romance  
From the war-torn streets of Baghdad to the bittersweet comforts of the home front, two wounded hearts navigate the battlefield of coming home from war in this explosive eBook original from newcomer Jessica Scott.
Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care.
Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire..
Each of the following 25 blogs will be giving away a FREE ebook copy of Because of You.  Be one of the first readers to enjoy this powerful love story.  It is easy to enter ~ just comment below or on any of the participating blogs.  Stack your odds by visiting all of the sites and entering their drawings.  That's a total of 25 chances to WIN!  Drawing ends 11/13/11 at midnight PST.  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment.
If you don't want to wait (and why would you?) you can get your own copy:Amazon Barnes & Noble


~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Hot Sourcebook E-Book Deals

 

Sourcebooks is at it again with some fantastic new deals (some are even FREE) that start today 8/2 and run through 8/8/2011. 

 

I'm really looking forward to checking these out for myself..

 

AUGUST eBOOK DEALS FROM SOURCEBOOKS

 

In honor of The Vampire Next Door, book 3 in the sassy paranormal romance series by Ashlyn Chase, book 1, STRANGE NEIGHBORS will be available for FREE from 8/2/11-8/8/11! How can a witch who is afraid of the dark and a vampire who can’t survive in sunlight find a way to be together?

Jeanette Baker is a beloved romance author, and Sourcebooks Casablanca is proud to be bringing her books back in print! With Catriona, a captivating tale of love, danger, and a passion that endures across the boundaries of time, heading back into stores this month, LEGACY will be available for FREE from 8/2/11-8/8/11!!

Are you looking for an adventurous book full of goblins, pixies, fairies and more? Book 2 by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Elliot and the Pixie Plot, hits stores this month but you can start the series from the beginning for FREE this week only (8/2/11-8/8/11) by reading ELLIOT AND THE GOBLIN WAR.

 

Would you like to brush up on your vocab skills? Or perhaps you know a high school graduate or current student getting ready to head back to school… Download these two reference/study aids to have the best conversation skills in town—not to mention it helps out with testing and college admissions! Fiske 250 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know and Fiske 250 Words Every High School Freshman Needs to Know will both be available for $1.99 for two weeks, 8/2/11-8/15/11!

** I don't have the links up to the sale books as they weren't available at the time I wrote this post.  Go to Sourcebooks' website to obtain the discounted links.  To keep up to date on Sourcebooks' specials and to find out which online retailers have these specials up and running check out this link and sign up for the newsletter.

 

Review - Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

TITLE:    Ward Against Death
AUTHOR:    Melanie Card
INFO:    E-book, Fiction, 264 pages
PUBLISHED:   Entangled Publishing, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

FROM GOODREADS:    Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.


But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.

However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive.

MY TAKE:    What a fun story!  This was a quick read that I really enjoyed.  It's one of those books with a world that you become immersed in and don't want to surface from.  

Debut author Melanie Card has created an intriguing tale that draws the reader in immediately and doesn't let go.  Her characters are rich and engaging.  Ward is what most of us would want in our hero:  he's smart, sensitive, loyal and hard-working.  His values and sense of fairness really add to his appeal.  His interaction with Celia is priceless.

Celia is a real gem.  She is good and bad as well as hard and soft.  She is such a delightful mix that poor Ward doesn't know if he's coming or going.  I loved it!  Their chemistry is quite apparent from the start and just builds as the adventure progresses.  The author has done a lovely job of giving the reader glimpses of their sexual tension and attraction without delving too much into that aspect.  I do want to mention that I think this book is definitely more appropriate for older YA readers and adults as the characters are no longer kids themselves.  Some of the situations might be a little mature for the very youngest readers of the YA genre.

I had a hard time trying to classify this tale.  It's adventure, fantasy, paranormal, romance, thriller and so much more.  Most readers will find some element that appeals to them ~ no matter what genre they choose to label it as.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Be sure to check back later today as the fantastic Melanie Card will be stopping by One Book Shy to share some thoughts on her book and her hero Ward.

There is also some talk in the air about a Giveaway....

 

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Men in Kilts! Sourcebooks' HOT July Steal

I couldn't resist passing on this information I received from the fabulous Danielle at Sourcebooks.  It is in regard to one of my favorite things to look at, dream of and read about: 

Men In Kilts

 There’s just something about kilts…  Scottish Highlanders are among historical romance fans’ favorite heroes, and Sourcebooks has its own batch of tough warriors (with a soft side, of course) for readers to enjoy! This week we have a FABULOUS eBook deal: 5 of our readers’ favorite men in kilts, for ONLY $0.99!   Go to Sourcebooks to find out where to get your copies.  Offer ends July 18.   

Awaken the Highland Warrior

by

Anita Clenney

A man from another time…

Faelan is from an ancient clan of Scottish Highland warriors, charged with shielding humanity from demonic forces. Betrayed and locked in a time vault, he has been sleeping for nearly two centuries when spunky historian Bree Kirkland inadvertently wakes him.

She’s more fearsome than the demon trying to kill him, and if he’s not careful, she’ll uncover the secrets his clan has bled and died to protect…Could he be the treasure she’s been seeking all her life…

When Bree inherits an old treasure map, she discovers a warrior buried in her backyard. But the warrior isn’t dead. Bree shocks Faelan with her modern dress and her boldness, and he infuriates Bree every time he tries to protect her.

With demons suddenly on the move, Bree discovers that Faelan’s duty as protector is in his blood, and that her part in this fight was destined before she was born. But nothing is ever what it seems…

Highland Hellcat

 by

Mary Wine

He wants a wife he can control…

Connor Lindsey is a Highland laird, but his clan’s loyalty is hard won and he takes nothing for granted. He’ll do whatever it takes to find a virtuous wife, even if he has to kidnap her…

She has a spirit that can’t be tamed…

Brina Chattan has always defied convention. She sees no reason to be docile now that she’s been captured by a powerful laird and taken to his storm-tossed castle in the Highlands, far from her home.

When a rival laird’s interference nearly tears them apart, Connor discovers that a woman with a wild streak suits him much better than he’d ever imagined…

The Highlander’s Sword

by

Amanda Forester

A quiet, flame-haired beauty with secrets of her own…

Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent, until her brother’s death leaves her an heiress. Soon she is caught between hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot’s insistence that she take her vows, the Scottish Laird who kidnaps her, and the traitor from within who betrays them all.

She’s nothing he expected and everything he really needs…

Padyn MacLaren, a battled-hardened knight, returns home to the Highlands after years of fighting the English in France. MacLaren bears the physical scars of battle, but it is the deeper wounds of betrayal that have rocked his faith. Arriving with only a band of war-weary knights, MacLaren finds his land pillaged and his clan scattered. Determined to restore his clan, he sees Aila’s fortune as the answer to his problems…but maybe it’s the woman herself.

 

Wild Highland Magic

 by

Kendra Leigh Castle

She's a Scottish Highlands werewolf, but no one's ever shown her how to use her powers…

Growing up in America with a father who hates his own nature, Catrionna MacInnes has always tried desperately to control her powers and pretend to be normal. Now her father has brought her and her sisters to Scotland to reunite with the pack they fled years ago…

He's a wizard prince with a devastating secret…

Bastian an Morgaine has found sanctuary among the MacInnes werewolf clan but no relief from the soul-searing curse that haunts him. The minute Cat lays eyes on Bastian, she knows she's met her destiny. In their first encounter, she unwittingly binds him to her for life, and now they're both targets for the evil enemies that are out to destroy their very souls…

Highland Rebel

by

Judith James

Amidst the upheaval of Cromwell's Britain, Jamie Sinclair's wit and military prowess have served him well. Leading a troop in Scotland, he impetuously marries a captured maiden, saving her from a grim fate.

A Highlands heiress to title and fortune, Catherine Drummond is not the woman Jamie believes her to be. When her people effect her rescue, and he cannot annul the marriage, Jamie goes to recapture his hellcat of a new wife...

In world where family and creed cannot be trusted, where faith fuels intolerance and war, Catherine and Jamie test the bounds of loyalty, friendship, and trust...

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

Review - The Unfinished Song: Initiate by Tara Maya

TITLE:    Initiate: The Unfinished Song
AUTHOR:    Tara Maya
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 188 pages
PUBLISHED:   Misque, 2010
ISBN#:   978-0-9831-0731-6 HOW I GOT IT:   Received e-book from Author

FROM GOODREADS:    DEADLY INITIATION



A DETERMINED GIRL...


Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...


Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.

MY TAKE:    When the author gifted me with an e-book copy of this book, I wasn't really sure if I was going to read it right away or not.  But I had signed up for an e-book challenge (in anticipation of my Kindle :) so I took the plunge and read it on my laptop.  Let me say that I am sooo glad I did.

Tara Maya has created a fascinating original world full of fairies, magic and dancing.  I love that she based some of her descriptions and rituals on some Native American and other tribal practices.  It lends a lot of depth to the characters and their lives.

Dindi is an interesting, rather accident-prone young girl who only wants to dance.  She sees and feels things that others don't and is ridiculed by the other girls around her.  Kavio is a strong warrior who is exiled because of treachery from his aunt and cousin.  He and Dindi meet and their lives become intertwined.

The only thing I disliked was being left hanging at the end.  I am eagerly anticipating the next installment in this story, due out in March!  

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

WHERE TO BUY IT:    Amazon  ***The Kindle version is currently on sale for $2.99!  Great price for a great book! 

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.