Giveaway: A Safe Harbor by Moira Rogers

Win a copy of A Safe Harbor by Moira Rogers!
Find out how it all began...
During the bite of the Great Depression, sole female dominant Joan Fuller struggles against the rise of cruelty among her alpha counterparts. The men tolerate her interference--until she breaks from the pack and allies with a witch and a vampire. Now the Boston alpha intends to bring them all forcibly back into the fold--and teach her a lesson she may not survive.
Seamus Whelan and his werewolf bootleggers intend to retire from smuggling and savor their fortune, but first they must do a favor for an old friend: escort some female wolves to safety. An easy job, if their leader wasn't a prim ex-debutante with enough power to challenge Seamus himself. Chance makes them allies; powerful need makes them lovers.
Together, they have the opportunity to build a sanctuary for their kind, but first they must free themselves from Joan's past, and the powerful man who would see her destroyed.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of A Safe Harbor!
ENDS:  14 October 2010
EDIT:  This giveaway is now closed.
This contest is a part of Moira Rogers' & Vivian Arend's Fall Frenzy Event. For your chance to win books, gift certificates, ereaders and more, visit http://www.moirarogers.com/contests/

Book Review: I had the right to remain silent, but I didn’t have the ability by Ron White

 

 

Title:  I had the right to remain silent, but I didn’t have the ability
Author: Ron White
Genre: Stand up comedy
Publication date:  06 June 2006

 

 

 

Goodreads blurb:
Following Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour to the page, Ron White (affectionately known as “Tater Salad”) delivers the laughs in his distinctive and beloved down-home style.
Fans of Ron White's “perfectly-phrased everyman gripes and raunchy, grinning asides*” will find much to appreciate here. He riffs on everything from obnoxious designer sunglass salesmen to his wife's wealthy but stingy family, and he revisits some of his most famous characters, such as his troublesome dog Sluggo (“He ran away all day. He was gone for ten hours. So, to punish him, when he came home I took him for a walk.”).

Best of all, White's hilarious material is accompanied here by clever artistic interpretations, courtesy of illustrator Matthew Schulz. BACKCOVER: “Ron White's comedy is about as understated as a chainsaw, and twice as sharp.”

My thoughts:
I have listened to the Blue Collar Comedy Tour on audio and absolutely loved it, so I couldn’t wait to get this book by Ron White.  Unfortunately it is almost word-for-word his sketch from his stand up routine in that show.  If you haven’t seen (it is on DVD too) or heard it, it is a must – hilarious.  Get it now!  But if you have, this is not the book for you.

 

Follow my Book Blog Friday

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list (the Mr Linky is on Parajunkee's blog)
2. Follow the Featured Bloggers - seducedbybooks.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thingie (again on Parajunkee's blog).
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can.
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

Book Blogger Hop

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPIN.  (If you click on the logo, you will get to the site with the "Mr Linky")

This week's question comes from Suko who blogs at Suko's Notebook.
What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

I love coca cola and drink way too much of it with loads of ice and lemon.  There is usually a glass nearby whatever I am doing.  In the middle of winter when it is too cold, I might change to a steaming cup of coffee.  Caffeine is my friend :)

Review: Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pheffer

 

 

Title:  Life as we knew it
Series:  Last Suvivors#1
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Genre: Dystopian YA
Publication date:  01 October 2006

 

 

Goodreads blurb:
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbours stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

My thoughts:
I absolutely LOVED this book.  We read about the events in Miranda and her family’s life through her journal entries. In the beginning just after the meteor hits, Miranda acts like any normal teenager – off course her mom is just overreacting.  They are not really going to need all this food they are stockpiling.  And there is no way she is ever going to wear those long johns!!

But soon the electricity goes out, shops are empty and gas is almost unaffordable.  Natural disasters are happening all over the world and millions are dead.  Life as she knew it, is over for Miranda.

The atmosphere of the book was just so, so real.  It is a dark and brooding story but somehow it left me with a feeling of hope and family.  It also really hit home for me when I was scraping food into the trash in the evenings.  It felt like a sin wasting food . . .

I know there is a sequel already out and I am looking around trying to find it.  I highly recommend this book.

Author Interview and giveaway: HP Mallory

 
I recently had the opportunity to read FIRE BURN and CAULDRON BUBBLE, a book that has been burning a trail through book blogs all over the world.  The author, HP Mallory, has graciously agreed to part-take in my “author interview spot” (thank you, HP!) and she will be giving one lucky winner the chance to win a copy of her book.
Please tell us a little about yourself, when you started writing and how you got to this point in your writing career.  What was some of the big milestones?
I have always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was little. I took a ton of creative writing classes through high school and university and was even an English major. I went the traditional route of the big New York agent and when that went nowhere, I decided to take my career into my own hands. I published just about 2 months ago on Amazon and I haven’t looked back since. The biggest milestone so far has been surpassing my own goals in terms of my book sales and boy, does it feel good!
What was your inspiration for Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble?  How did it all start?
Well, I’ve always loved the paranormal as a genre. As a kid, I read every ghost book I could get my hands on. Then about two years ago while I was living in Cambridge, England, I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse and Anita Blake series and I was hooked. I thought to myself that maybe I should dust off the old writing habit and give it a shot and that’s how I ended up where I am today.
Are your characters based on people you know?
No, never. Little things that happen around me might infiltrate my stories but they are pretty much right out of my head.
Are you working on a new book?  Can you give us a little taste of what's to come?
Yes, I’m working on the follow up book to Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, titled Toil and Trouble. It will basically pick up where Fire Burn left off, answering some questions but leaving others still up in the air and there will be a big surprise. But, that’s all I’m going to say. LOL
What is your favourite part about being a published author?
Well, I’m not traditionally published so I don’t know! LOL As far as being an indie author and holding my own out there next to the traditionally published authors, it feels great!
Is writing your full time career?  I always find it interesting how writers work writing time into their schedules - please share a typical workday with us.
No, it’s not unfortunately. I work in online marketing during the day and with my 16 month old son, I find time is scarce! To get my writing time in, I wake up every morning at 5 am and write for 1.5 hours, then I go to work until 5 and then start working on my books at 9 pm, after my son is asleep. Phew!
What advice can you give other aspiring authors out there?
Never give up. If your career isn’t going the way you want it to, don’t be afraid to forge your own path. Self publishing is tricky because you really have to know how to market yourself (helps that I’m in online marketing for my day job) and you really have to make sure your books are ready to be released—that means free of grammar issues, that the story is well thought out, etc.
Most of all, just never give up!!!
Thank you so much for letting us pick your brain a bit, HP.  We wish you even greater success in your writing career!
Get to know HP Mallory and her books at her websites:
www.hpmallory.com
www.urbanfantasyauthor.blogspot.com
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble:
Goodreads Blurb:
 
A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin.
Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.
Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!
Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.
GIVEAWAY:
One lucky winner will win a e-copy of FIRE BURN AND CAULDRON BUBBLE by HP Mallory.  This giveaway is open worldwide.  I want to make this as easy as possible.  So here are the rules:
You must be a follower of my blog.
Then just leave a comment for HP in the comments box together with your email address.  That’s it!
The winner will be drawn by random.org on 10 October 2010.   Good luck!

Edit:  This giveaway is now closed.

Review: Passions of a Wicked Earl by Lorraine Heath

 

 

Title:  Passions of a Wicked Earl
Series:  London’s Greatest Lovers#1
Author: Lorraine Heath
Genre: Historical Romance
Publication date:  26 October 2010

 

 

Goodreads blurb:
Known throughout London for his prowess in the bedroom, Morgan Lyons, the 8th Earl of Westcliffe, cannot forgive an unpardonable affront to his honour. Discovering his young bride in the arms of his brother was a staggering blow–so he banished the beautiful deceiver to the country and devoted himself to the pursuit of carnal pleasure.
Claire Lyons was an innocent, frightened girl on her wedding day, seeking chaste comfort from a childhood friend. Now, years later, she has blossomed magnificently and has returned to London with one goal in mind: the seduction of her notorious husband. Unskilled in the sensual arts, she burns nonetheless for the kisses too long denied her. And she has but one Season to win back the heart of the rogue she betrayed.

My thoughts:

I really love historical romances – Victorian times were such a softer, gentler time.  But it was not necessarily easier for Claire.  I understand that she did a terrible (although innocent) thing to Westcliffe but I also felt that she was treated unfairly for quite a portion of the book.  She is a totally selfless character, putting aside her own feelings and fears so that her sister can have a “coming out season”.  I did not really enjoy her sister Beth’s character and felt that life was just too easy for her.

I absolutely love tortured heroes and Westcliffe fits this part perfectly.  From the first pages when he thinks that he is one of the few people that does not feel . . . no love, no passion, no anger, not anything.  That soon chances when Claire arrives on his doorstep and he is reminded of all the feelings he had for her since they were children.

I also enjoyed the interaction between the three brothers (the second book of the trilogy will star Stephen, the brother who betrayed Westcliffe). 

The climax at the end of the book was a little too much for my liking and everything was just too neatly sorted out in just a few minutes.

But this was an enjoyable read and lovers of Body Rippers will not be disappointed.

I received this book for review from the publisher.  The opinions expressed are my own and I wasn't influenced in any way.  This review was also added to GOODREADS, BOOK BLOGS and AMAZON.com.