Giveaway at Lady Katie

 ATTENTION FRIENDS,

Do you love to read? Lady Katie at www.katie-mccurdy.blogspot.com is having a giveaway. check it out!

August 21, 2011

Hi guys

it's been a long time since i blogged, but it's been a crazy summer. As i sit here in a motel room in Saskaotoon, Saskatchewan, i'm having a bit of down time. Mom and i just came back from an awesome reunion, a highlight of my LIFE.
About 13 years ago i left little town Linden, Alberta to see the bright lights of - little town Borden. (actually Borden is a lot smaller than Linden, but it has something Linden doesn't have - Living Books, Inc and employment for me). The five years i spent there were great years, and i learnt a lot about books (hahaha) and a lot of people.
Now that i have that background out of the way, Yesterday was awesome, wonderful, great and words i don't know. Living Books Inc has now been in business for 25 years, and they invited present and past workers, representatives, and distributors to a grand day of, reunion. Not only were there lots of people i had interacted closely with during the years i worked there, but they had invited a few authors to share in their day, who graceously accepted the invite. Lauraine Snelling (whom i had met at LBI while working there), Brock Thoene (Bodie was busy at Sarah's house with the new grandbaby who arrived a month early) and Davey and Marie Janke (they just have a new book out on OUR WITCHDOCTORS ARE TOO WEAK, from David C. Cook).
i could go on and on about the great day we had, the presentations the authors gave, the allocades the company gave and so on, but suffice it to say that i am grateful they invited me. Martin, Janice and Vangie Whitbread and all the current staff did a wonderful job. Thanks guys. again.

Workadayreads Celebration Giveaway

Sarah from Workaday Reads has a milestone to celebrate! Check it out !!  http://www.workadayreads.com

Well the badge says it all. It's time to celebrate double milestones: my 6 month anniversary of Workaday Reads, and reaching an amazing 500 followers!

I have been having so much fun with this blog. I love all the new authors and books I've discovered, not to mention the whole book blogging community, and all of you fabulous readers. To celebrate I have an awesome giveaway for you.

The Incovenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck - Kathleen Y'Barbo

Product Description

When a man whose price is his family name meets a woman who wishes to buy her freedom, their growing attraction causes their marriage of convenience to become quite inconvenient. Will the heiress intent on freedom succumb to the reluctant astronomer with stars in his eyes?

  MY REVIEW

Kathleen Y’Barbo does an incredible job of bringing high class of the era of 1887 – 1891 to life both in London, England and in the west America country of Colorado. Charlotte Beck is a joy to get to know as are the other characters in the novel.  Having Colonel Cody, also known as the Great Buffalo Bill, interact with the family both in the new country as well as in England ties the two continents together nicely. This delightfully humorous story also explores the relationships between fathers and daughters, step-mothers and step-daughters, grandfathers and granddaughters, and peers.  The reader learns a lot about life during the Victorian Years in a way that doesn’t seem like learning at all.

This is the third book in a series of three following – The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper (book #1) and Anna Finch and the Hired Gun (book #2) and though i read and enjoyed The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck, i think reading the first two books would give more background to this one.

I found it confusing that Charlotte’s step-mother was named Eugenia (most often Gennie) and her mother was named Georgiana, though both names would have been common during that time frame.

This book was a great one, and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance fiction.

I received this ebook free from WaterbrookMultnomah publishers through their Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated in this review are mine.

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer was everything and more than i expected from him. It has been quite some time since i delved into a Brower novel, and i was not sure just how this one would compare with some of his earlier ones. I found this one to be just as gripping or more so.

The characters are well rounded, and the scenery vivid, from the coast of California to Italy and the Vatican.

From the first sentence, where we read that a young boy is abused, to the last words of the catholic Father, i was riveted to the story. The twists and turns of the story kept me on the edge of my seat.  When reading this, i would have to leave the story frequently, just to distance myself a little from the intense action going on. But it wouldn’t be much later, and i would find myself back at the novel again, anxious to see what the next turn brought.  This novel also deals with the relationships between teacher and student, father and son, father and daughter, authorities and colleagues, as well as politics in religious circles.

I received this novel as a free ebook from  Waterbrook/Multnomah publishers through Blogging For Books for the purpose of reviewing it. I did not need to give a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Product Description

When false accusations rip apart the life of school teacher Crockett Gray, his only hope of redemption and of reclaiming his son is finding out who has targeted one of his elementary students, twelve-year-old Jaimie Gregg, for death. But the truth behind her gift and her abandonment as a baby is a secret that lies at the heart of centuries-old witchcraft conspiracy hidden within the Vatican - a secret on the verge of destroying Christianity for bleievers all across the world.

Charlie Bear at Taylor's Tips

Awhile ago i found an awesome blog at bjtaylorblog@wordpress.com and as i have been following the little rescue dog Charlie Bear from the time he was found until now, i have had many great insights to my life as well as a dog's life. It is written as if the puppy (for he is still a puppy) is talking with the humans in his life coming in as "female peep" and "male peep". Life is not at all good for a puppy on the run, and he has bad habits to over come. Will the puppy always want to run on his own and be his own boss, will he make canine friends as well as human friends or is the vagabond too deeply ingrained so that CB never settles down? i loved this story, and am sorry to see it come to an end. But Charlie Bear says his mom is going to write a book about his escapades, and so somethings must end so others can begin! i should have blogged about this site earlier, but the blog will still be up and running (i hope) with links to the archives! Check back with me or on her blog to find out when BJ will have the book available. i'll keep you posted!

The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir

Product Description

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth? Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator-but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That's something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray's options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that's about the best he can hope for.
As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who's taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray's world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.

MY REVIEW

This is the first of the Ray Quinn novels that i have read. Actually, it is also the first one of Mark Mynheirs that i have read.  Although this is not the first book in the series, i had no trouble following through. Enough is said about Ray Quinn’s history to bring the reader up to the present time. 

The pace was a little slower than i usually expect from a suspense novel, but since i have never read any of Mark’s novels before, i can’t say whether this is typical for a Ray Quinn novel or not. Also, i was reading it on my kindle for pc, which might have made a difference.

It is a well written crime novel with enough twists in the plot to keep me reading it and enough clues are given to make you think you know what is coming. Some of the things took me by complete surprise, which a good suspense novel should. The characters are well rounded, and believable and the story flows smoothly from one scene to the next.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys police crime fiction, and personally, i will be looking for more of Mark’s novels!

I received this book as an ebook free from Blogging For Books a division of WaterbrookMultnomah Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to make a positive review. The opinions stated are my own.