Monday, February 29, 2016

My March 2016 Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge

Take Control of Your TBR Pile

Click the button above to go visit Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, who is hosting the challenge.  The link goes to the sign-up page, where all the rules and ways to enter the drawing (for participants) are listed.

By the time I saw the sign-up post (in early January) I had already several tours set up for March.  I've been trying to read and get those out of the way, so I can concentrate on TBR books for the month.  I'm not sure if this 'disqualifies' me, but in either case, clearing out a little of my TBR shelf/list is a great idea!

Like Angela of Angel's Guilty Pleasures, I'm going to shoot for 10 books.  It seems like enough to be challenging without snowing me under.

Here (will be) my list:

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Friday, February 26, 2016

Friday Bookish Post - February 26, 2016

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-up!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.


Synopsis

Olivia Denis is a contented young wife with a carefree life in late 1930's London. Then her world is shattered with the violent death of her husband, Reggie. The police want to call it a suicide and close the case, but Olivia knows Reggie couldn't possibly have fired the fatal shot.

Further mysteries surface surrounding her husband's death. Did the trustworthy Foreign Office employee betray government secrets? Was his murder linked to the death of a German embassy clerk the same night? And who searched their flat?

Her desire for answers and her need to support herself cause her to break away from the pampered life she's known and take a job. But with the much-needed paycheck as a society reporter for a newspaper comes a secret secondary assignment - one that involves her in the increasingly dangerous world of European politics as the continent slides toward war.

~~~oOo~~~

Book Beginnings

What I saw was all wrong. 
I gasped as I looked down at Reggie's face and reached for him.  My hand jerked to a stop as reality hit me. 
Reggie wasn't sleeping on that cold metal table.

~~~oOo~~~

The Friday 56

(which is actually from page 55 this week)

"Why did he approach me?  And why was he hanging around my building when he watched this person that he wouldn't name break into my flat?" 
"I'd suspect the burglar was German." 
"I don't know any Germans." 
John shrugged and looked away.  "Reggie was in the Foreign Office...."

~~~oOo~~~


Book Blogger Hop   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Blogger" and Ramona at "Create With Joy" for hosting these link-ups!  Click on the buttons above to go to their blogs.

Book Blogger Hop

Do your children, siblings, or other family members enjoy reading as much as you do?

I don't think any of the family read quite as much as I do, but I know they enjoy reading.  Hubs especially likes science fiction, non-fiction and maybe westerns.  The boys (well, young men now, really) like gaming as well as history (especially military history).  My daughter will read a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. having to do with dinosaurs or clocks.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Taming the Twisted by Jodie Toohey - #review


Taming the Twisted is a story of destruction, romance, mystery, and deceit set against a back drop of an actual historical event.

In early June, 1860, Abigail enjoyed a peaceful home life with her parents, younger sister, and twin toddler brothers. Their home in Camanche, Iowa, where they’d emigrated from Pennsylvania, was almost complete and her beau, Joseph Sund, had recently proposed marriage.

That changes the evening of June 3rd when a tornado rips through town, killing her parents. At the mass funeral for the over two dozen people who perished in the storm, she learns Marty Cranson, with whom Abigail witnessed Joseph having a heated argument, died, but at the hands of a person rather than the tornado.

In addition to being faced with raising her young siblings, Joseph has disappeared without a trace and a stranger, Marshall Stevenson, appears, offering to help Abigail repair the families’ home and cultivate the newly planted farm crops.

Abigail, while developing romantic feelings for Marshall, tolerating the scorn of town woman Pamela Mackenrow, and working as a seamstress and storekeeper to support her siblings, becomes obsessed with finding out who killed Marty, hoping that and not that he no longer loved her, was the reason Joseph left without saying goodbye.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Letters From a Patchwork Quilt by Clare Flynn - #review


In 1875 England, a young man, Jack Brennan, from a large and impoverished Catholic family refuses to be pushed into the priesthood and runs away to fulfil his dream of becoming a teacher.

Jack falls in love with Eliza Hewlett, but his dreams and plans are thwarted when his landlord’s daughter, Mary Ellen MacBride, falsely accuses him of fathering the child she is expecting.

Rather than be forced to marry his accuser, Jack decides to run away to America with Eliza. Just as they are about to sail, Jack is arrested and dragged from the ship, leaving Eliza alone en route to New York with just a few shillings in her pocket.

The Shadow Ally by Dianne Ascroft - #review


America is not yet at war, but the country is preparing for it. And it is essential that this remain secret.

June 1941: Ruth Corey is puzzled by the attractive, enigmatic Italian-American civilian contractor, Frank Long, who is staying at her family’s hotel in Irvinestown, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Serious and reserved, he is nothing like the friendly, outgoing British and Canadian servicemen she knows. Nor, she discovers, does he even use his real surname.

War is a time of alliances and secrets. The biggest secret in the county is the construction of an American flying boat base outside Irvinestown. Since their country is not at war, the American contractors must conceal the building project. America’s neutrality will be destroyed if Germany discovers its existence.

Ambitious local reporter, and Ruth’s almost fiancĂ©, Harry Coalter is consumed with curiosity about the new American airbase. But why? When Ruth finds a letter Harry has written about the flying boat base she fears he is pursuing a path that will land him in serious trouble. She enlists Frank’s help to stop Harry from making a terrible mistake.

Can Ruth safeguard a military secret that will have a profound impact on the course of the war and protect her beau?

A tale for fans of Annie Murray, Ellie Dean and Margaret Dickinson.

The Yankee Years series: During the Second World War Northern Ireland hosted American, British and Canadian troops. County Fermanagh welcomed Air Force squadrons hunting U-boats and defending shipping convoys in the Atlantic Ocean and Army battalions training and preparing for deployment to Europe’s Western Front. After the Allied troops arrived, life would never be the same again. The Yankee Years novels and Short Reads weave thrilling and romantic tales of the people and the era.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Murder Most Finicky by Liz Mugavero - #review #giveaway


The dog days of summer have arrived in the small town of Frog Ledge, Connecticut, and business is booming for Kristan “Stan” Connor. Her Pawsitively Organic pet food has even caught the attention of celebrity pastry chef Sheldon Allyn, who helps Stan open a fancy pet pastry shop in Frog Ledge. A partnership is born, and Sheldon invites Stan to Newport, Rhode Island, for an appreciation weekend he’s hosting for all his independent chefs. But the gourmet getaway turns sour when one of the chefs turns up dead, and a second one goes missing…

As Stan tries to figure out who had a recipe for murder, the pool of suspects expands. And if she can’t sniff out the culprit soon, this killer may just serve up a second helping of murder…

Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Happy Homicides - Valentine's Edition - #review #giveaway



Love can be deadly. As proven by these traditional mysteries, cunningly crafted by thirteen bestselling and award-winning authors. Nearly 500-pages of heart-warming, brain puzzling, and character-driven reads. Your purchase includes a free gift, a file with recipes and craft ideas sure to put you in a romantic mood any time of the year!

Included are:

Cara Mia Delgatto and the Stupid Cupid– (Joanna Campbell Slan) Cara hopes to find the man of her dreams. Instead she gets caught up in a lover’s nightmare.

Bones and Arrows by Carolyn Haines—Sarah Delaney Booth and her partner Tinkie Armstrong tackle a thieving Cupid.

Missing Jacket by Randy Rawls—A two-timing husband hires a retired cop to retrieve a stolen gift. But nothing is as it seems!

Murder at Catmmando Mountain by Anna Celeste Burke—A murder at a theme park puts Georgina “Georgie” Shaw at risk, when the killer sets Georgie up to take the fall. Will the hunky detective assigned to the case believe her plea of innocence?

Find out about the authors on their webpages below. 














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MY REVIEW

I've never reviewed a collection of short stories before.  And what a wonderful way to break into that practice ... thirteen cozy mysteries with a Valentine's Day theme!  It's no trade secret that the cozy mystery genre is my favorite and this is like the mother of all chocolate boxes ... thirteen little tastes of cozy Valentine's heaven!

I sorted these authors into two categories:  those I have read before and those that are (were?) new to me.  Either category has its unique advantages.  For authors, series and characters with which I am familiar, I got a backstage pass into a couple of days in the MC's lives, a special/exclusive extra story.  For the new-to-me authors, I got a happy taste of stories to come, and a wonderful introduction to the next flash flood of new series to my TBR list (because you know I've got to read more by each and every one of these authors)!

Happy Homicides does present me with one impossible task...choosing a favorite?  Sorry.  Cannot be done.  Each tasty tidbit in this chocolate box is 'da bomb'.  And taken all together - cozy story nirvana will just about cover it.  So, the bad news is...I won't share my heart-shaped box of candy with you.  The good news is ... they made more than one and I'm more than happy to share where you can get your own!

So, if you like mysteries, run to your nearest bookstore (or surf to that e-book store) and nab this tasty treat.  If you like cozy mysteries, ditto but run faster.  And if you like holiday-themed cozy mysteries?  Ohmigoodness, readers ... FLY!
~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Click on the banner to go to the tour page, where you will find many more reviews for this title, as well as interviews and guest posts by the authors!  You can also find out how to sign up to be a blog host for future book tours!

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for my objective review.  Post contains affiliate links.)

Friday, February 19, 2016

The Ninth Life by Clea Simon - #review


Introducing Blackie, an unusual feline hero, and his companion Care in the first of this dark new mystery series.

Three figures, shadowy against the light. That’s all I remember from my past life, as I am dragged, dripping and half-drowned, from the flood. My saviour, a strange, pink-haired girl, is little help. She can barely care for herself, let alone the boy she loves. And although she has sworn to avenge the murder of her mentor, she must first escape the clutches of drug dealers, murderers and thieves. I would repay her kindness if I could. But we are alone in this blighted city – and I am a cat.
The past is an enigma to Blackie, the voice of Clea Simon’s dark new mystery. Combining elements of feline fantasy and cozy whodunit, The Ninth Life introduces this unusual hero and his companion, Care: two small creatures in a nightmarish urban landscape, fighting for their lives, and for the lives and memories of those they love.


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MY REVIEW

It's been my experience to date than when you have a book narrated by a cat, it is either a children's book...or some kind of sci-fi/fantasy set up.  The Ninth Life defies simple genre classification.  Clea Simon's book is a gritty tale of the street, and what it can do to those without a lot of their own power.  It just happens to be told from the point of view of a cat.

Now, my adult 'logical' mind wants to say that 'a book from a cat's point of view' ... eh ... how good can it be?  Pretty dang good resounds as the answer!  You can say a cat is a character in the same tone and having the same meaning as you can say a young girl is a character.  There is no 'animal as opposed to human'.

I did enjoy watching how Blackie and Care interacted.  If there wasn't that pesky language barrier, they would be in good communication with each other.  They are both characters that people who (at least think they) have power tend to ignore because, hey - what can a girl of the streets or a cat do?  Stupid, stupid people who think they have power.

I found it hard to turn off my human-centric tendencies about having a non-human main character for the first couple of chapters.  But I am a care-giver and will provide assistance to undercats of all species.  By the time this 'movie' was over, I wanted to reserve a seat for the sequel and maybe buy a 'Team Blackie & Care' t-shirt in the lobby!

My sister and brother animal fans will definitely like this series.  We know that our furry family members do communicate with us, albeit in a different language - except for maybe the parrots and their ilk.

~~~oOo~~~

MEET THE AUTHOR (AND HER CAT)



Clea Simon is the author of 19 cozies in the Theda Krakow, Dulcie Schwartz, and Pru Marlowe pet noir series. The latter two are ongoing and include her most recent books, Code Grey (Severn House) and When Bunnies Go Bad (Poisoned Pen Press). The Ninth Life, the first book in her Blackie & Care mysteries, a darker series, will be published by Severn House on March 1. A former journalist and nonfiction author, she lives in Somerville, Mass., with her husband, the writer Jon Garelick, and their cat Musetta.

~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~oOo~~~


Click on the banner to go to the tour page, where you will find more reviews, as well as interviews with the author and guest posts.  You can also find out how to become a blog host for future book tours!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.  Post contains affiliate links.)

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Drawing Blood by Deirdre Verne - #review #giveaway


CeCe Prentice returns with her band of Dumpster-diving pals in this fast-paced mystery that puts the eco-friendly heroine back on top—of a pile of trash.

When Big Bob, manager of the town dump, goes missing, CeCe is worried about more than where she’ll score her next salvaged car. First at the scene when Bob’s body is recovered from under the weekly recycling haul, CeCe is quick to identify potential witnesses and provide crucial scene sketches. But when CeCe is uncharacteristically startled by an unidentified woman at Bob’s abandoned house, her artistic talents are challenged, and her drawings, much to her frustration, come up short.

With CeCe’s observational talents on the fritz, Detective Frank DeRosa, CeCe, and her network of Freegans are forced to recreate Big Bob’s life from the garbage up. The team is soon thrust into the underworld of recycling where what appears to be junk could actually be the clue that saves a life.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Death of an Alchemist by Mary Lawrence - #review #giveaway


In the mid sixteenth century, Henry VIII sits on the throne, and Bianca Goddard tends to the sick and suffering in London’s slums, where disease can take a life as quickly as murder. . .

For years, alchemist Ferris Stannum has devoted himself to developing the Elixir of Life, the reputed serum of immortality. Having tested his remedy successfully on an animal, Stannum intends to send his alchemy journal to a colleague in Cairo for confirmation. Instead he is strangled in his bed and his journal is stolen.

As the daughter of an alchemist herself, Bianca is well acquainted with the mystical healing arts. As her husband, John, falls ill with the sweating sickness, she dares to hope Stannum’s journal could contain the secret to his recovery. But first she must solve the alchemist’s murder. As she ventures into a world of treachery and deceit, Stannum’s death proves to be only the first in a series of murders–and Bianca’s quest becomes a matter of life and death, not only for her husband, but for herself. . .

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Sinful Science by Frankie Bow - #review #giveaway


A graduate student from Hawaii visits the tiny bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana to investigate the effects of the oil spill on the local wildlife. Sinful resident Fortune Redding, who happens to be a CIA operative hiding out from a ruthless arms dealer, worries that the nosy newcomer might blow her cover. But he discovers something that even Fortune couldn’t have predicted, unleashing forces that will go to any lengths to protect Sinful’s darkest secret.

Monday, February 15, 2016

In the Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman - #review


A radiant debut collection of linked stories from a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, set in a German-occupied town in Poland, where tales of myth and folklore meet the real-life monsters of the Nazi invasion.

1942. With the Nazi Party at the height of its power, the occupying army empties Poland’s towns and cities of their Jewish populations. As neighbor turns on neighbor and survival often demands unthinkable choices, Poland has become a moral quagmire—a place of shifting truths and blinding ambiguities.

Blending folklore and fact, Helen Maryles Shankman shows us the people of Wlodawa, a remote Polish town: we meet a cold-blooded SS officer dedicated to rescuing the creator of his son’s favorite picture book, even as he helps exterminate the artist’s friends and family; a Messiah who appears in a little boy’s bedroom to announce that he is quitting; a young Jewish girl who is hidden by the town’s most outspoken anti-Semite—and his talking dog. And walking among these tales are two unforgettable figures: the enigmatic and silver-tongued Willy Reinhart, Commandant of the forced labor camp who has grand schemes to protect “his” Jews, and Soroka, the Jewish saddlemaker and his family, struggling to survive.

Channeling the mythic magic of classic storytellers like Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer and the psychological acuity of modern-day masters like Nicole Krauss and Nathan Englander, In the Land of Armadillos is a testament to the persistence of humanity in the most inhuman conditions.

Friday, February 12, 2016

On the Edge of Sunrise by Cynthia Ripley Miller - #review


When love commands, destiny must obey.

The year is AD 450. The Roman Empire wanes as the Medieval Age awakens. Attila the Hun and his horde conquer their way across Europe into Gaul. Caught between Rome’s tottering empire and Attila’s threat are the Frankish tribes and their ‘Long-Hair’ chiefs, northern pagans in a Roman Christian world, and a people history will call the Merovingians.

A young widow, Arria longs for a purpose and a challenge. She is as well versed in politics and diplomacy as any man … but with special skills of her own. The Emperor Valentinian, determined to gain allies to help stop the Huns, sends a remarkable envoy, a woman, to the Assembly of Warriors in Gaul. Arria will persuade the Franks to stand with Rome against Attila.

When barbarian raiders abduct Arria, the Frank blue-eyed warrior, Garic, rescues her. Alarmed by the instant and passionate attraction she feels, Arria is torn between duty and desire. Her arranged betrothal to the ambitious tribune, Drusus, her secret enlistment by Valentinian as a courier to Attila the Hun, and a mysterious riddle—threaten their love and propel them into adventure, intrigue, and Attila’s camp. Rebels in a falling empire, Arria and Garic must find the strength to defy tradition and possess the love prophesied as their destiny.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Murder in White Sands by Marla Bradeen - #review


One dead body, one interrupted marriage proposal, and too many suspects to count.

On the night of her engagement, Rae Lynn Dobbs stumbles across a dead body on the beach of White Sands, Florida. Not only does she recognize the murder victim as one of the retirement-home residents where she serves dinner, but it looks increasingly likely that someone there also killed him.

To her fiancĂ©’s dismay, Rae Lynn launches her own investigation. Between the gossipy widows, the home’s last surviving bachelor, and her coworkers, Rae Lynn doesn’t have any shortage of suspects. But the more she learns, the more it seems anyone could be guilty. And if she doesn’t find out “whodunit” quickly, her fiancĂ© might just become fed up enough to leave.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Burning Heat by David Burnsworth - #review #giveaway


As darkness blankets the holy city of Charleston, South Carolina, Brack Pelton, an Afghanistan War veteran, steps out of a rundown bar after a long night. Before he gets to his truck, he finds himself in the middle of a domestic dispute between a man and a woman on the sidewalk. When a little girl joins the couple and gets hit by the man, Brack intervenes and takes him down. But the abuser isn’t finished. He pulls a gun and shoots the woman. Brack saves the little girl, but his world has just been rocked. Again.

The next day, while sitting on a barstool in the Pirate’s Cove on the Isle of Palms, his own bar, Brack scans the local paper. The news headline reads: Burned Body of Unidentified Hispanic Man Found at Construction Site. Nothing about a dead woman in the poor section of town. Brack feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to see an eight-year-old girl standing behind him. She’s the little girl he rescued the night before, and she wants him to look into her sister’s shooting.

Violence and danger make up Brack’s not-too-distant past. Part of him craves it–needs it. And that part has just been fed. Things are about to heat up again in the low country. May God have mercy on the souls who get in the way.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

A Bead in the Hand by Janice Peacock - #review #giveaway


A bead bazaar turns bizarre when jewelry designer and glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell discovers a dead body beneath her sales table. Suspected of murder, Jax and her friend Tessa scramble to find the killer among the fanatic shoppers and eccentric vendors. They have their hands full dealing with a scumbag show promoter, hipsters in love, and a security guard who wants to do more than protect Jax from harm. Adding to the chaos, Jax’s quirky neighbor Val arrives unexpectedly with trouble in tow. Can Jax untangle the clues before she’s arrested for murder?


~~~oOo~~~

MY REVIEW

You'd think that moving from Florida to the Pacific NorthWest would be relaxing (well, ok, except for the cold).  When I think of Florida, I think of cities, Disney, huge crowds and the Caribbean Ocean.  When I think of Washington and Oregon, I think tall pine trees and the Space Needle.  (And y'all, I KNOW there's more to those wonderful states than that!)  But Jax's life has sure spiced up since moving north.

In the first of the "Glass Bead Mysteries", High Strung, Jax finds the body of a local bead artist.  Her friend Tessa is accused of the crime, and Jax has to help her out.  In this second installment, Jax travels to a bead show in Oregon, finds a body and is the lead suspect...so she has to help herself out!

You see, the police decide Jax is the best suspect because she had means (heavy objects and electricity), motive (the victim was the kind of person you love to hate - she thought she was better than everyone else) and opportunity (her booth was next to Jax's).  And it's probably a function of the 'newness' of the detective, but she practically blackmails Jax into helping her out (unofficially, of course).  Being carted off in handcuffs in front of one's peers is humiliating and damaging to one's reputation.

And let's face it, we may read cozy and act cozy, but when our favorite heros and heroines get in trouble, we get all riled up!

I did like getting other facets of the friendship between Jax, Tessa and Val.  Val is Jax's serial bad-boy-dating duplex-mate.  Tessa is Jax's best friend and sister bead maker.  Tessa spends a great deal of the weekend minding Jax's booth at the bead bazaar when she would rather be out shopping for beads for herself and her shop.  And Val ... well, she just has to be experienced.  She'd like a force of nature - bigger than life.

Jax, Tessa or Val on their own are quite capable women.  Together ... let's just say, murderers beware!  This trio is a force to be reckoned with.  But they are also real women, with good qualities as well as flaws - and therefore female characters to which we can relate.  I'd go beading or sleuthing with any one (or all) of these ladies anytime!  Bring on more adventures!

~~~oOo~~~

MEET THE AUTHOR



Janice Peacock decided to write her first mystery novel after working in a glass studio full of colorful artists who didn’t always get along. They reminded her of the odd, and often humorous, characters in the murder mystery books she loved to read. Inspired by that experience, she combined her two passions and wrote High Strung: A Glass Bead Mystery, the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring glass beadmaker Jax O’Connell.

When Janice Peacock isn’t writing about glass artists who are amateur detectives, she makes glass beads using a torch, designs one-of-a-kind jewelry, and makes sculptures using hot glass. An award-winning artist, her work has been exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of several museums. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three cats, and seven chickens. She has a studio full of beads…lots and lots of beads.

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GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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We are smack dab in the middle of the tour, so click the banner to go to the tour site where you will find more reviews, as well as guest posts and author interviews!  You can also sign up to be a blog host for future book tours!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for my objective review.  This post contains affiliate links.)

~~~oOo~~~

This book helps me complete the following 2016 Reading Challenges:


Monday, February 8, 2016

My 3rd Annual Love For Books Read-a-thon Sign-up!


Thanks to Jessi at Novel Heartbeat for hosting this read-a-thon.  Click the banner above to go to the sign-up page.  Below is the deets direct from her site!


  • The Love for Books Readathon runs from Monday, February 8th at 12:01 am through Sunday, February 14th at 11:59 pm.
  • I don’t have the time to host mini challenges this year, but I’d love to take some volunteers for challenge hosts if anyone is interested! (See form below)
  • There will be a small giveaway at the end of the readathon for all participants.
  • You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for the grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by February 9th.
  • To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post and add your post URL to the linky below! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! (Even if you don’t have a blog, you’re welcome to join!)
  • In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we I see that you participated.
  • Books do not have to be of the romance genre. You can read anything you like!
  • Follow along on Twitter and tweet your progress with the #LfBReadathon hashtag!





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Monday, February 8
Currently reading:  Letters from a Patchwork Quilt
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Tuesday, February 9

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Wednesday, February 10

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Thursday, February 11

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Friday, February 12

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Sunday, February 14

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Death and the Brewmaster's Widow by Loretta Ross - #review


They call it “the Brewmaster’s Widow”; the abandoned brewery where Death Bogart’s brother died in an arson fire.

With his girlfriend, Wren Morgan, Death goes home to St. Louis to take on a deeply personal mystery. When Randy Bogart went into the Einstadt Brewery, he left his broken badge behind at the firehouse. So why did the coroner find one on his body? Every answer leads to more questions. Why did the phony badge have the wrong number? Who set the brewery fire? What is the connection between Randy’s death and the mysterious Cherokee Caves, where the opulent playground of 19th century beer barons falls into slow decay?

Not understanding how and why he lost his brother is breaking the ex-Marine’s heart. But the Brewmaster’s Widow is jealous of her secrets. Prising them loose could cost Death and Wren both their lives.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Friday Bookish Post (February 5)

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-up!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.


Next Monday I will be reviewing:

(liked to GoodReads)

I had a hard time choosing a Friday 56 because there were so many great sentences in that area of the book!

Talia pushed Death's shoulder, signaling him to lean forward on the couch, and pulled up his T-shirt so she could position her stethoscope against his bare back.
Wren was torn.  On the one hand, she was relieved that an actual medical professional was taking an interest in Death's health.  On the other hand, the pretty, blonde paramedic was climbing all over her boyfriend.  "Wren, could I get you to help me bring another round of beer and junk food?"
With a reluctant glance at Death, now with his shirt completely off, Wren followed Annie Tanner into her bright, airy kitchen.
~~~oOo~~~

Here's the first paragraph of the book for Book Beginnings on Fridays:

Death and the fire captain came in through the front door.  Wren Morgan came out of the kitchen with a coffee pot and three cups on a tray.  The lean black man in the St. Louis Fire Department dress uniform was a stranger to her, but she'd been watching through the blinds as the two men talked on the sidewalk and she knew who he was now.  She'd seen pictures of him in happier times, posing with Death's younger brother. Randy.
~~~oOo~~~

Book Blogger Hop   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Blogger" and Ramona at "Create With Joy" for hosting these link-ups!  Click on the buttons above to go to their blogs.

~~~oOo~~~

The question for this weeks Book Blogger Hop comes from Elizabeth at "Silver's Reviews":

Does your significant other share your reading passion? 

DH can flat out tear up some science fiction, but I would hazard a guess that if he is a reading fan, I am a reading zealot. ;)

~~~oOo~~~

So the question is:

Does "Death and the Brewmaster's Widow" sound like a book that would interest you?  Be sure to check out my review on Monday!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, Y'ALL!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

City of Gold by Carolyn Arnold - #review #interview


Action-adventure books for the mystery lover. In this series, modern-day archaeologist and adventurer Matthew Connor travels the globe with his two closest friends to unearth treasure and discover legends the world has all but forgotten. Indiana Jones meets the twenty-first century.

Finding the Inca’s lost City of Gold would be the discovery of a lifetime. But failing could mean her death…

Archaeologist Matthew Connor and his friends Cal and Robyn are finally home after a dangerous retrieval expedition in India. While they succeeded in obtaining the priceless Pandu artifact they sought, it almost cost them their lives. Still, Matthew is ready for the next adventure. Yet when new intel surfaces indicating the possible location of the legendary City of Gold, Matthew is hesitant to embark on the quest.

Not only is the evidence questionable but it means looking for the lost city of Paititi far away from where other explorers have concentrated their efforts. As appealing as making the discovery would be, it’s just too risky. But when Cal’s girlfriend, Sophie, is abducted by Matthew’s old nemesis who is dead-set on acquiring the Pandu statue, Matthew may be forced into action. Saving Sophie’s life means either breaking into the Royal Ontario Museum to steal the relic or offering up something no one in his or her right mind can refuse–the City of Gold.

Now Matthew and his two closest friends have to find a city and a treasure that have been lost for centuries. And they only have seven days to do it. As they race against the clock, they quickly discover that the streets they seek aren’t actually paved with gold, but with blood.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Sixth Domicile by Courtney Ruggles - #review


Genre: New Adult Dystopian

In a future ravaged by greed and war, The Domicile has emerged. A new civilization governed by clandestine Elders where citizens are united by white masks and uniform identities. To remove one’s mask, to go outside the Domicile, to show defiance, means being sent to the Meurtre, a horrifying death sentence.

Q437B doesn’t follow the rules. She craves sunlight, dares to love her childhood friend B116A, and – the most forbidden of all – has seen the true face of her beloved beneath the mask.

But when Q becomes an Adulte, The Domicile threatens to take away everything that makes her happy. She is forced to marry an abusive soldier who demands she conform. Whispers spread about the unconventional lessons she teaches her new students. And when Q openly disobeys the Elders, the people become restless, questioning the truth of the world in the wake of such defiance.

Rumblings of discontent stir as others begin to follow the path toward their freedom. The Revolution has begun, and Q is the spark that ignited the flames.