Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’m sharing the love [Giveaway]

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One of the things I love about being a book blogger is that I get to read a lot of books. I get to read books I’ve been dying to read, and sometimes I get sent books I’ve never heard of before. Some bloggers may not care to get unsolicited books but I love it because I am introduced to new authors. Today I’m going to share the love and do a random giveaway for a book I recently received. Taking Fire is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. So, do not fear if you haven’t started the series yet. šŸ˜‰

 

 

about the book

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Taking Fire
by Cindy Gerard
Release Date: Feb. 23, 2016
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Goodreads

Betrayal. Retribution. Redemption?

Six years ago, tough-as-nails military contractor Bobby Taggart met the woman of his dreams in war-torn Kabul—a sexy, whip-smart war correspondent who approached him at a local bar, took him to bed, made him fall in love…and then mysteriously disappeared. In her wake, the terrorist leader he’d been mining for valuable intel was assassinated—then Bobby discovered his phone had been bugged. And he’s pretty damn sure he’s been played for a fool…

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Black Friday Book Bonanza Giveaway Hop

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While everyone is out shopping for good deals, stay inside and hop through the blogs participating in the Black Friday Book Bananza to win some awesome books and gift cards!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’ve been a bit stressed the last few days with prepping and cooking for two separate events this week. The mister had a last minute Thanksgiving feast for lunch that I needed to make a turkey and yam casserole for, and then I had our Thanksgiving meal. Needless to say, I’m all cooked out. You know what I’m thankful for this year? Leftovers! So, if the holidays have you a little stressed out, sit back, relax, and click your way through some awesome giveaways. šŸ˜‰

 

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Who is your holiday hero? (A Sourcebooks Casablanca Holiday Giveaway)

It’s almost time for Thanksgiving and after that it’s Christmas time! What better to celebrate the upcoming holidays than to share some great books and have an awesome giveaway for a chance to win them?! First up, let’s see which holiday hero is for you.

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*click on the picture to enlarge for easier reading*

 

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Sunday Wrap-Up #44

Sunday Wrap-Up is all about sharing the books and book related items that I’ve picked up recently. I also recap what went on last week and let you in on what’s coming up. I link up my post to Sunday Post, and Stacking the Shelves.

 

I know I’ve been pretty quiet lately. There’s a reason for that though. I actually flew to New York for a week for my uncle’s wedding aka the RedLuv Wedding. While I balled my eyes out during the gorgeous ceremony, I partied hard with my family during the reception. Which was more of a rock concert reception than a traditional reception. Hobo Graffiti, Ledyard, Brand New Sin, and Bobaflex were in attendance for the wedding and played some amazing sets once the night got underway. It was awesome.

I may have already been a lil drunk by the time the bands came on the stage to play

That would be me with her hands up in the background. LoL

I had planned to have posts go out while I was gone and a few did but I definitely dropped the ball on it. It didn’t help that when I got home from my week long trip, I had a day of rest before I had to attend a ball for my husband’s work. Which turned into more of a two day event since we went out to the venue early and pre-gamed in our hotel room, stayed the night, and wound up not getting home until much later than we’d planned. So, yeah… I’ve been a little busy the last week and a half. However, I am home and ready to play catch-up on all my reading and blogging. I want to say a big thank you to Penguin Random House for sending me all these amazing books for review. I arrived home after a horrible string of flights to find some awesome books waiting for me. So, thank you for cheering up my day.

 

 

Last week on BSA:
Overwhelm by LƔyla Messner (Guest post & Giveaway)

This week on BSA:
Casablanca Sourcebooks Holiday Tour Quiz & Giveaway
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel (Review)
The Striker by Monica McCarty (Review)

 

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May I Suggest… Giveaway Hop

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I don’t take part in hops often but when I saw this one, I knew I had to take part in it. There are so many books out there that I love. Some mainstream and popular and some are hidden gems. Today I would like to give away a book from one of my favorite series from a self published author. It’s not often that I find myself in love with every book from a series. I’m pretty stingy with my ratings but there’s just something about the raw grittiness of these books that has me coming back for more.
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Spring Cleaning

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It’s time to give away the old to make room for the new!

 

As I was unpacking the boxes upon boxes of books when we moved last summer I realized something, I have way too many books. I kid you not, the room was filled with boxes and they were all books. I didn’t think I had that many books but I guess I did. So I vowed then and there that I would slow down on the review books and start focusing on my neglected books. I’ve been able to get through quite a bit of my books and I know have a pile going for giveaways. Since I don’t plan on rereading them I figure I should re-home some of them so someone else can show them some love. I’ve also added an extra giveaway for any foodies out there. These are some awesome cookbooks that I’ve had for some years now.

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My first Bloggiesta

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I’m trying something new… I’m taking part in this year’s Bloggiesta. Which I suppose is what the whole event it about; getting out of your blogging norm and accomplishing your goals. I’ve seen the twitter chats going on and always wondered what it was. I randomly stumbled on a participating blog yesterday and finally figured out what this event is. Apparently, for those who are like me and don’t know what it is, Bloggiesta is a blogging marathon where we all get together and help each other out. There will be mini challenges throughout the event that will help push you to get your blog where you want it. We will set personal blogging tasks for ourselves, but it’s also a great way to try new things with the help of other bloggers. Ever wondered how that blog does that cool blockquote thing or how they get those related posts at the bottom of each post? Well, Bloggiesta is the time to ask around and get the help you need to get the look you want, as well as being a great way to meet and chat with other bloggers. I for one am really excited to take part in this event. Sure, I comment on blogs and may chat here and there on twitter, but I’m kind of a shy person. So, taking part in something this big will be a great way for me to get out of my comfort-zone of solitude and push me to be more outgoing in the blogging community.

 

My goals for Bloggiesta:

  • Clean up broken links from the blogger->wp switch… from 2 years ago
  • Clean out Bloglovin feed of inactive blogs
  • Check out past mini-challenges
  • Participate in at least 2 mini challenges during Bloggiesta
  • Participate in all #Bloggiesta Twitter chats
  • Organize Goodreads TBR list
  • Delete/Archive ebooks from my devices that I’ve already read or no longer plan to read

kRISTIN

Lucky Shamrock Giveaway Hop 2015

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I’m excited to be hosting the Lucky Shamrock Giveaway Hop. Not only because I love St. Patrick’s Day and everything shamrock related (I am Irish after all), but because it’s a fun way to have a giveaway as well. I don’t know about you guys but I get tired of jumping through hoops to enter a giveaway that’s part of a hop. So I decided to start my own hop where all you need is a little luck on your side to win. šŸ˜‰

There are a lot of interesting sounding books out there that either take place in Ireland, have Irish characters, are written by Irish authors, or simply have a beautiful green cover. So, I’ve decided I’m going to give the winner their choice from the books listed below.
 
 
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Lucky Shamrock Giveaway Hop Sign-Ups

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It’s almost time to break out the green and do a little jig.

St. Patrick’s Day is on it’s way!Ā 

 

Ā The hop will run from March 10 – 17th.

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READ PINK 2014

 

1FzEg_KkK24l3e13PUYkOau9-zWb-ZipNx9lBNBGehnUXAfb5_vCOy_AFxB8EW0BGxE0kfwbuNcpjr8PFQmoMrcz6_7AjYYa8nQ7QIA1S4heFqO6CZt-oKVyc73OobSItrpDBxm9zkPenguin announces READ PINKĀ® 2014 campaign in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I couldn’t be happier to share the participating authors and titles with you guys. But first, here’s a little bit about READ PINKĀ®.

 

Today the scientific community has left behind the ā€œone-size-fits-allā€ breast cancer treatment to emerge with targeted, more effective therapies. As a result, after remaining stagnant for more than 50 years, the death rate from breast cancer has decreased by 30 percent. The Read PinkĀ®initiative by Penguin Random House is proud to be part of this exciting new chapter in the fight against breast cancer, supporting the bold research of The Breast Cancer FoundationĀ®while leveraging its passionate readers to help increase awareness and education about the disease. This literary embrace of a life-saving cause has resulted in nearly 1.5 million best-selling novels shipped with Read Pink seals and information about BCRF across all five years of the promotion.

Penguin Random House is thrilled to partner once again this year with BCRF, as 91 cents of every dollar spent by BCRF is directed towards breast cancer research and awareness programs.

The $25,000 donation that Penguin Random House contributes, regardless of sales, provides vital funds to support the mission of BCRF.

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Penguin Random House’s Read PinkĀ® editions, we are featuring a few participating authors and what Read PinkĀ® means to them…

 

 

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Memorial Day, 1938

Lily Dane has returned to Seaview, Rhode Island, where her family has summered for generations. It’s an escape not only from New York’s social scene but from a heartbreak that still haunts her. Here, among the seaside community that has embraced her since childhood, she finds comfort in the familiar rituals of summer.

But this summer is different. Budgie and Nick Greenwald—Lily’s former best friend and former fiancé—have arrived, too, and Seaview’s elite are abuzz. Under Budgie’s glamorous influence, Lily is seduced into a complicated web of renewed friendship and dangerous longing.

As a cataclysmic hurricane churns north through the Atlantic, and uneasy secrets slowly reveal themselves, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional storm that will change their worlds forever…

ā€œEvery life lost to breast cancer leaves behind a hole that can never be filled again: a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend, an aunt, a grandmother. I’m so grateful for organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation for their efforts to find a cure for this devastating disease, and honored to support breast cancer awareness, detection, and research through Penguin’s READ PINK program in 2014. With your help, we can move closer to the day when breast cancer leaves behind only survivors.ā€ -Beatriz Williams

 
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Eleanor Murray will always remember her childhood on Edisto Island, where her late father, a local shrimper, shared her passion for music. Now her memories of him are all that tempers the guilt she feels over the accident that put her sister in a wheelchair—and the feelings she harbors for her sister’s husband.

To help support her sister, Eleanor works at a Charleston investment firm during the day, but she escapes into her music, playing piano at a neighborhood bar. Until the night her enigmatic boss walks in and offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, back on Edisto. For Eleanor, it’s a chance to revisit the place where she was her happiest—and to share her love of music with grieving Helena, whose sister recently died under mysterious circumstances.

An island lush with sweetgrass and salt marshes, Edisto has been a peaceful refuge for Helena, who escaped with her sister from war-torn Hungary in 1944. The sisters were well-known on the island, where they volunteered in their church and community. But now Eleanor will finally learn the truth about their past: secrets that will help heal her relationship with her own sister—and set Eleanor free….

ā€œSince 1989, death rates from breast cancer have been decreasing due to earlier detection and improved treatment because of the efforts of organizations like The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Books have always been an important part of my life, and I am honored that my book will be part of Penguin’s Read Pink program that supports breast cancer awareness and research through reading. It is my greatest hope that through efforts like this we might find a cure within my lifetime.ā€ – Karen White

 

 

 

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A champion boat racer, Cameron Quinn traveled the world spending his winnings on champagne and women. But when his dying father called him home to care for Seth, a troubled young boy not unlike Cameron once was, his life changed overnight…

After years of independence, Cameron had to learn to live with his brothers again, while he struggled with cooking, cleaning, and caring for a difficult boy. Old rivalries and new resentments flared between Cameron and his brothers, but they tried to put aside their differences for Seth’s sake. In the end, a social worker would decide Seth’s fate, and as tough as she was beautiful, she had the power to bring the Quinns together—or tear them apart…

ā€œTo all the moms and daughters, wives and sisters, lovers and friends, Read Pink is here for you and yours. Help support breast cancer awareness and the strong, brave women who fight or will fight this disease and Read Pink in October.ā€ – Nora Roberts

 

 

 

 

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Tragedy has struck the Harrigans—Quincy’s beloved sister-in-law Loni is gravely ill and nearing death. Quincy, like his brothers, feels helpless to save her, and the clock is ticking. Then, with perfect timing, a winsome red-haired woman named Ceara O’Ceallaigh mysteriously appears on Quincy’s property and insists that Loni can be cured. Only Quincy, she says, as the sole remaining Harrigan bachelor, can make it happen—by marrying Ceara.

To Quincy, Ceara is a charming and quite likely deranged spinner of dreams who can’t prove she’s telling the truth. But how can he pass up any attempt to restore Loni to health? Against all better judgment, he decides to marry Ceara. Maybe he’s making the worst mistake of his life. Or maybe he’s opening himself up to possibilities that defy explanation…and will send him on a miraculous journey toward enough love to last forever.

ā€œI am so delighted to be included in the Read Pink campaign again this year with Perfect Timing being featured, along with so many other great books, to raise funds for breast cancer research. I can remember when a diagnosis of breast cancer was often equivalent to a death sentence. Nowadays, the survival rates have increased greatly, and I personally know women who have prevailed over this terrible disease. Sadly, I’ve also known a few women who lost the battle. So I call upon all of you to join ranks with me and countless other women in a war to defeat breast cancer. ā€˜Read Pink! Buy books bearing the Read Pink logo as gifts for the women you love.’ By standing together as sisters, we have it within our power to make a huge difference!ā€ – Catherine Anderson

 

 

 

 

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The death of her friend and mentor, Evelyn Ballinger, brings psychic counselor Gwen Frazier back to the small town of Wilby, Oregon, and brings back memories she would rather forget. Two years ago, a killer stalked the members of one of Ballinger’s research studies—including Gwen, who survived while two others didn’t. Now, she’s sure that Ballinger’s death is related.

Sent by a friend to help Gwen, psychic investigator Judson Coppersmith arrives in Wilby barely in control of his own talent and his own life, and haunted by urgent dreams. His attraction to Gwen is primal, but there are secrets he must keep to protect himself from surrendering to her completely, even as their investigation draws them into dreamscapes, into decades of deception and into the paranormal fires of a desire too strong to resist…

ā€œThis is the time of year when we celebrate the progress that has been made in the battle against breast cancer and acknowledge the work that lies ahead. No, we aren’t there yet. There’s a long way to go. The greatest weapon we have to fight this disease is research and research costs money. That is why this breast cancer awareness campaign is so important and why I am proud to participate.ā€ – Jayne Ann Krentz

 

 

 

 

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Almost seven years after losing her husband in Iraq, Hannah Abbott Guthrie isn’t sure she’s ready—or able—to move on, but the attentions of a lifelong friend are making her think about it for the first time. The memory of the sweet kiss she shared with Nolan Roberts hasn’t strayed far from her thoughts, but she also fears that pursuing something with him would mean betraying her husband’s memory.

Nolan has loved Hannah for years, but he’d been giving her the space she needed to heal from her devastating loss. Now, when an opportunity arises to show her how he feels, Nolan can’t resist, but he knows earning her love will take more than a kiss. Somehow he has to prove to Hannah that finding love twice in a lifetime is possible—and well worth risking her heart.

ā€œI’m so thrilled to be part of the Read Pink effort to help raise awareness and funding for breast cancer research. I hear frequently from romance readers who tell me my books and those of other romance authors have helped them get through breast cancer treatment. I want to hear from fewer of them in the future. I want to hear they took our books on fabulous vacations rather than treatments. Please Read Pink in October to support all the courageous women fighting this disease and to fund critical research. Thank you for Reading Pink!ā€ – Marie Force

 

 

Full List of 2014 Participating Authors:

Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from your Lover

Karen White, The Time Between

Nora Roberts, Sea Swept and The Witness

Jennifer Chiaverini, Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker

Beatriz Williams, A Hundred Summers

Wendy Wax, While We Were Watching Downton Abbey

Catherine Anderson, Perfect Timing

Marie Force, I Want to Hold Your Hand

Janet Chapman, The Heart of a Hero

Lisa Gardner, MacNamara’s Woman

Jayne Ann Krentz, Dream Eyes

Mark your calendars and remember to join in the conversation with @BerkleyRomance and @PenguinGroupUSA on Twitter in October. Make sure to use the hashtag #ReadPink!

For more information about the Read Pink initiative and to view a complete list of the participating retail outlets, please visit penguin.com/readpink.