Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Month in Review ~ March 2015


Hey Everyone! Welcome to Month in Review hosted by Bookdate


Books Read

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
The Houseguest: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary by Elizabeth Adams
Swept Away (Trouble in Texas, #1) by Mary Connealy

I did not get a lot of reading done in March. I had some personal stuff happen that kept me from reading.


Reviews

The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady
Green Card by Elizabeth Adams



Newly Acquired Books

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey ~ purchased
Aerendgast: The Lost History of Jane Austen ~ purchased 
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo ~ purchased
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo ~ purchased

plus, countless e-books! 


Noteworthy Movies and Shows Watched

Insurgent 
The Gilmore Girls ~ Seasons 1 thru 3 (currently on 4)


Blog

Last week I participated in Bloggiesta! I accomplished most of my goals! Yay! I also decided to join this monthly meme! 

So, that's a wrap up on my month. How was your month?



Monday, March 30, 2015

Green Card by Elizabeth Adams ~ My Review

Green Card by Elizabeth Adams 

Publication Date: December 13th, 2014 
Publisher: self published 
Pages: 566 
Received: E-copy from the author 
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars







I loved this story! Green Card is a fun romance that captured my attention so much so that I didn’t want to put it down! It's a low angst story. Yes, there are small disagreements, but not the gut wrenching moment that sometimes I can’t bear to go through before the happily-ever-after. Instead, it seems to come smoothly to the HEA and finishes up with an excellent epilogue!

William Harper is in a bit of a bind. He is working on a huge merger and due to a problem with his visa may have to leave the country, which could potentially kill the deal. He needs to find a way to stay in the country…fast! His lawyer and best friend, Andrew, comes up with the idea of William getting married to obtain a Green Card. Andrew just happens to be dating a girl whose sister would fit the bill perfectly!

Katherine Bishop is smart and witty and a struggling-to-make-ends-meet grad student. When presented with the plan that would alleviate her financial problems and allow her to focus on school, she is intrigued! And after meeting William she agrees to the plan.

To make this work, they agree to live together and tell no one that their marriage isn’t a real one, except those involved in the plan. I loved how up front Kate is, even considering that being in close quarters for a couple of years could lead to sex. She wants any complications that might arise from that to be included in the settlement. Smart girl, that Katy! 

I also saw many parallels to Pride and Prejudice here. Not with the storyline, but mainly in the characters. For example, Katherine is the second of four sisters, born into a dysfunctional family. She is best friends with her older sister, Jenny, who is happily dating William’s best friend, Andrew. William is wealthy, handsome and thinks he should marry someone from the right circles. His parents died when he was in his twenties, leaving him to run the family business and take care of his much younger sister, Jacqueline. The difference here is that William and Jacqueline are not as close as Darcy and Georgiana. There are more, and I won’t name everyone, but I had fun picking out the characters that I found similar to those in Pride and Prejudice

Another fun thing, Kate loves to cook, and she is cooking all the time for her and William. Which he comes to love! You know what they say…a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! At the back of the book, Elizabeth Adams includes some of Kate’s favorite recipes. The day after I finished the book, I made some Oatmeal Spice Cookies! They were delicious!   

I would high recommend reading Green Card! Shortly after reading Green Card, I read Elizabeth Adams first book, The Houseguest: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary which I love too! I hope Ms. Adams has more books for me to read in the near future!


FTC Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of the book from the author for my honest review.

Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads


FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


Connect with Elizabeth Adams



Any thoughts? Have you ever recipe out of a story you've read?

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

What are you Reading? ~ Mar. 25, 2015


"What are you Reading?" is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you'll be reading next?


What am I currently reading? I'm currently reading The Houseguest: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary by Elizabeth Adams. I'm loving this! I really like the way Ms. Adams writes! This is the second book I've read of hers, and she knows how to engage me! 







What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. I really liked it. There is a lot going on in this first book. The story is told from the POV of four different people, each with a back story, leading to an explosive ending. I'm looking forward to the next in the series! 





What do I think I'll be reading next? I think I'll read All the Rage by Courtney Summers. But you never know, sometimes I change my mind! ;)





FTC Disclaimer:
Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!




So, what are you reading? 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bloggiesta! ~ March 23 - 29, 2015

Hey! It's Bloggiesta time again! Woot! **throws confetti**

Bloggiesta is one of my favorite events to participate in. It motivates me to clean up my blog, get caught up, and learn new blogging techniques! 

I've been in such a reading/blogging slump the past couple of months I was really thinking about skipping the Bloggiesta this time. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought this could help pull me through and get me going again! My list is going to be on the lighter side, because my Spring Break doesn't start until next week, so I'm not going to have a lot of time to work on it.



Here's what I hope to get done:


  • Write 2 reviews. ~ One down!
  • Re-post reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. ~ Complete!
  • Update my List of Reviews. ~ Complete!
  • Organize my TBR list - I may not follow it, but I feel like I need a direction! :) ~ Complete! I have a direction now! =)
  • Work on some new Mini-Challenges. - These new challenges look great! ~ I read through a few of these challenges, and I'm going to brainstorm, and try to create a list of blog post ideas with MsBookish. Simplify my blogging process with On a Book Bender.
  • Comment on Bloggiesta posts. ~ I've commented on quite a few! 
  • Hit a twitter chat if I can. ~ so far I've hit two twitter chats! 
  • Change blog template. ~ Complete!
  • Make new Blog Header. ~ Complete!


I will update this list as I complete it, and I will let you know what challenges I decide to do.

Wow! I feel great about all that I got accomplished this Bloggiesta! I did more than I thought I would, and I LOVE my new blog design! Happy Day! 

If you'd like to join the Bloggiesta, there's still time! Here's the link to the Bloggiesta Sign Ups!

Are you doing the Bloggiesta? What's on your list? If you're not doing Bloggiesta, is there anything you need to get organized?

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Giveaway Winners!






Hey Everyone! Rafflecopter has picked the winner of the Aergendgast giveaway! 



Congratulations to:

Anji Dale!


I have emailed the winner. (Winners have 72 hours to respond to this post or an email, or a new winner will be picked. Thank you.)

Many thanks to Rachel Berman, Meryton Press and Jakki from Leatherbound Reviews!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Winners have been picked for The Secret of Pembrooke Park Blog Tour giveaways! There was one winner picked from the comments from this blog, So little time... 

Sydney Anderson!!
(Sydney, you only have until March 22, 2015 to claim your prize.)

You can see all the winners here. Winners of the Pembrooke Park giveaways have to contacted Julie Klassen to collect your prize. 

Many thanks to Julie Klassen and to Laurel Ann Nattress at Austenprose!


Thanks to all who entered and took the time to comment! I appreciate all of you!



Comments are always welcome!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

What are you Reading? ~ Mar. 11, 2015


"What are you Reading?" is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading? I haven't been reading as much this week...my daughter came for a visit, and we were busy doing fun stuff like spending the day at Disneyland and going to an Anaheim Ducks ice hockey game!! Fun! Plus, I've been watching The Gilmore Girls on Netflix! I'm addicted! I just finished season one. :)  

So, I'm still reading Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. It's good, but it hasn't hooked me yet. To be fair, I'm only about a third of the way through it. 




What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading Green Card by Elizabeth Adams. I loved this book! I enjoyed reading it; it kept me engaged. I was caught up in their daily lives and the progression of their relationship. I would say that it's a low angst story. ~My review is coming soon! 





What do I think I'll be reading next? Up next is All the Rage by Courtney Summers. It looks good!


FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


So, what are you reading? Are you a Gilmore Girls fan, too? 

Monday, March 9, 2015

Aerendgast Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Hey Everyone! I'm so excited to be part of the Aerendgast Blog Tour! My stop brings you a very intriguing excerpt and a giveaway of a paperback copy of Aerendgast: The Lost History of Jane Austen!! Woot! 

Many thanks to Jakki at Leatherbound Reviews for organizing this blog tour! 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Book Blurb:

Violet Desmond has just learned from her dying grandmother that the life she’s been living is a lie.

Left with only a locket, a newspaper clipping, and a name–Atherton–Violet sets off to discover her hidden personal history.  Simultaneously, the London academic begins to have vivid dreams in which a woman from the past narrates her life story involving the same locket, a secret marriage, and a child. A story intimately connected to Jane Austen.

Violet reluctantly agrees to receive help from cavalier treasure hunter, Peter Knighton. Blacklisted from his profession, Knighton can almost taste the money and accolades he’d receive for digging up something good on Austen; the locket alone is unique enough to be worth plenty to the right collector. It would be enough to get his foot back in the door.

The unlikely pair begins a quest for answers that leads them to Aerendgast Hallows. Knee-deep in hidden crypts, perilous pursuits, and centuries-old riddles, Violet must put her literary expertise to the test as she battles to uncover the secret that her loved ones died trying to reveal, before an unknown enemy silences her as well.

Excerpt:

Prologue

24 June 1802 Chawton, Hampshire

The rain pounds the roof above my head with a violent melody. Its sound, which I have always loved, now seems to taunt me. The pain increases with every breath. My heaving ribs feel as though they will break and rip apart my fiery skin at any moment, leaving me more bare and exposed than I already am. Like a dam full to bursting, I can no longer hold the sobs inside. I well up and rupture. Tears run down my cheeks, dripping off my chin, one after another, endlessly, like the rain.

“For heaven’s sake, you have to push!” My sister Cassie’s voice seems far away. I can barely make out my mother’s figure sitting silently by the fire, watching the embers crackle and singe. My head, however affected, knows they are in the room with me, but in my heart I feel as alone as Sisyphus—and with a task just as monumental to perform.

Where is my husband? I torture myself with the question over and over. Then, as suddenly as it has begun, with one monumental effort, it is over. I hear the cry of a new born child. The room goes hazy. My mother and sister are whispering, but I cannot make out what they say. Why is my baby not placed in my arms? Where is my baby?

I scream, but no one else seems to hear me. My mother leaves the room with a handful of rags. I feel that something is wrong, yet my limbs remain inert. I can do nothing. Try as I might to move out of bed, my body seems paralyzed, and my mind is shutting down. Feverish and near delirium, I can only lie here listening to the pounding rain and waiting for my child to be laid in my arms. Instead, I can just make out the muffled voices of my sister and mother. ”The baby is dead,” they say. And the world goes black.


Author Bio:

Rachel was born and raised in Los Angeles, which naturally resulted in a deep love of the UK from an early age. Reading and writing have been favorite pastimes for as long as she can remember. Rachel has a BA in English Literature from Scripps College and an MA in London Studies from Queen Mary, University of London. Her focus is 19th century British Literature. She enjoys hiking, musical theatre, fancy water, pilates, vegan baking, good tv and movies, and researching new book ideas!
Jane Austen has always been an author near and dear to Rachel's heart for her ability to tell a story so compelling, it remains relevant hundreds of years later. And for creating Henry Tilney.


Connect with Rachel Berman




Buy: Amazon • B&N
Add to Goodreads


FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks! 


Blog Tour Schedule

3/2: Guest Post at Austenprose 
3/3: Excerpt & Giveaway at My Jane Austen Book Club 
3/4: Author Interview at The Little Munchkin Reader
3/5: Excerpt & Giveaway at BestSellers & BestStellars
3/6: Review at Babblings of a Bookworm 
3/7: Guest Post & Giveaway at My Love for Jane Austen 
3/8: Review at The Delighted Reader
3/9: Excerpt & Giveaway at So Little Time… 
3/10: Guest Post & Giveaway at More Agreeably Engaged 
3/11: Review at Austenprose 
3/12: Excerpt & Giveaway at My Kids Led Me Back to Pride and Prejudice 
3/13: Review at Diary of an Eccentric
3/14: Review at Margie's Must Reads
3/15: Review at Warmisunqu’s Austen
3/16: Guest Post & Giveaway at Austenesque Reviews
3:17: Guest Post & Giveaway at Babblings of a Bookworm
3/18: Guest Post at Laughing with Lizzie

* * *Giveaway!* * *

It's giveaway time!! Meryton Press is giving away ONE paperback of 
Aerendgast: The Lost History of Jane Austen 
to ONE lucky winner! This giveaway is open Internationally! To enter fill out the Rafflecopter and leave a comment!

Thank you, Rachel Berman and Meryton Press!



  • One person will win a paperback of Aerendgast.
  • Open Internationally.
  • Last day to enter: March 16, 2015 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Please, leave a comment! We'd love to hear from you! Remember, to enter the giveaway you MUST fill out the Rafflecopter (shown above). If you need help entering, email me by clicking on the email icon at the top of the sidebar. Thanks!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

What are you Reading? ~ Mar. 4, 2015


"What are you Reading?" is my weekly Wednesday meme! You are welcome to join me, just answer the following questions:


  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you'll be reading next?

What am I currently reading?  I'm currently reading Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. At this point, I'm not very far into it, but it seems pretty good. 









What did I recently finish reading? I finished reading Green Card by Elizabeth Adams. I loved it! I'll have a review up soon for this one! 







What do I think I'll be reading next? I'm not sure... I have All the Rage by Courtney Summers to read, but I might grab something from my TBR pile! :)








FTC Disclaimer: Links to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provided, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


What are you reading? I'd love to hear!

Monday, March 2, 2015

The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady ~ My Review

The Twelve-Step Plan by Erin Brady

Publication Date: February 3, 2015 
Publisher: Price Publishing 
Pages: 259 
Received: E-copy from the author 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars






 
So, what’s the best way to get over an obsession? Face it head-on! Sadie has tried everything to get over her “crush” on Latin music star Xavier, X for short. Now she figures the only way around it is to meet him and make him fall in love with her! To make that happen, Sadie comes up with The Twelve-Step Plan!

College Professor Dr. Sadie Rollins is a smart woman. She’s always been so focused on school, always played it safe, never breaking the rules, and she's on the fast lane to get tenure at Preps College. After all that success, her dating life has been a failure. Now it seems she is done playing it safe and ready for a little "crazy!" 

As Sadie puts her twelve-step plan into action, the fun begins! Even after all of Sadie’s well-laid plans, meeting X isn’t as easy as she had hoped, and Sadie finds herself in more than a few sticky (and humorous) situations.

Sadie’s obsession with X and the lengths she is willing to go to meet him seemed a little out there for me. For her to risk losing her job was a little hard for me to accept. 

The Twelve-Step Plan is a fun, romantic comedy! I enjoy Ms. Brady’s sense of humor, and would recommend her stories to anyone who likes a clean, feel-good romance! 

FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC e-copy of the story from the author for my honest review. I also purchased a copy for myself.

Buy: Amazon
Add to Goodreads


FTC Disclaimer: Link to Amazon. I am an Amazon Associate. Should you purchase a copy of the book through the link provide, I will receive a small commission. Thanks!


Connect with Erin Brady


My reviews for other books by Erin Brady


Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you! 
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