Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway!! Capturing You, by Katana Collins

Welcome to this stop in the Capturing You Blog Tour, sponsored by

Bewitching Book Tours!!

Capturing You

(A Maple Grove Romance, #1)

Katana Collins

Digital Edition, 258 pages

Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

December 16, 2014

Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

Contemporary Romance

After discovering she can't have children, Lydia Ryder has all but convinced herself that she doesn't need a family to be happy. All she needs is her camera, her passport, and a damn good manicure. And maybe, maybe a sexy male travel companion. But when her job as a magazine photographer lands her in the small town of Maple Grove, NH, a precocious ten-year old and her single father barge into Lydia's life, turning what she thinks she wants onto its head. In this town full of happily-ever-afters, Lydia finds herself wishing for things she had sworn off long ago...

When Cameron Tripp's wife passed away from heart disease, he thought he'd never find love again. He certainly never would have expected a woman like Lydia Ryder to waltz into his life and awaken his dormant heart and libido. But despite his better judgment, Cam finds himself drawn to the vivacious and argumentative outsider. He quickly learns that, like him, she knows all about misplaced trust, heartbreak, and how quickly a family can fall apart if you let it.

As impassioned arguments morph into frenzied kisses, the two wonder if one week can ever be enough. Despite lacking a maternal side, can Lydia connect with his ten-year-old daughter? And when Cameron finally learns the truth behind Lydia's past career, the trust he worked so hard to build crumbles once again. With such doubts filling their minds, is there any hope that Lydia and Cameron will be able to start a new life together?

Prequel available for FREE @ Smashwords!!!

 

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble 

Note to Readers
This book includes content suitable for 
adults only (18+).

Chapter Eleven

            It didn't take long before Cam was lying on the floor, face up, a half-empty bottle of wine clutched in a hand. His ceiling fan was so dirty. He'd have to make a mental note to dust up there next time. If he'd even remember in this inebriated state. Do drunk people use words like inebriated? Apparently this one did.   

            He looked to his left, swiveling his head without lifting it off the floor. Callie was lying face down on his couch. One leg dangled off the edge and knuckles that grasped her bottle of vino scraped the floor. Her cheek was squished, making her loose lips pucker. Sensing his stare, she opened her eyes; they were red and bloodshot. “You're so drunk,” she slurred.

            “You're an enabebler,” Cam attempted to speak. Clearly it wasn't going well. He could tell in his own head it was wrong and his sister broke out in a fit of giggles.

            “This is fun,” she said, “Why didn't we ever do this before?”

            “Because you weren't twenty-one before,” he grunted and bringing the bottle to his lips, took another swig. The sweetness wasn't so much of an issue after your sixth glass. And after almost a whole bottle? You didn't even taste it anymore.

            Callie sat up on an arm, propping her body in some sort of yoga-like pose that made Cam's back hurt just looking at it. Shit, he was getting old. “Listen, mister. I've been twenty-one for...” she counted on a few fingers, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as though the extra thinking hurt, “many months now. There's no excuse!” Her elbow gave out and she fell back down onto the couch with an "Oomph".

            “Yeah, well, I've got reponsibilities,” he said. “Responsilibilities,” he tried again. “Re-spons-ib-ilities.” There. He got it, finally.

            Callie broke out into another fit of girlie giggles and rolled off the couch onto her back next to Cam. He couldn't help but laugh too. And damn it felt good to laugh. It was creaky; unused. But nice, nonetheless. “So seriously,” Callie's eyes were only half open, “who's the city chick?”

            Cam groaned. Lydia. Everything came back to Lydia lately. “I need to be drunker if we're going to talk about this,” he lifted the bottle again, the halogen lamp reflecting off the tinted glass. It was noticeably lighter than before.

            “C'mon,” she propped herself up on an elbow. “Tell me about her.”

            He sighed. “She's...beautiful. Like a sunset on...uh, a summer's eve.”

            Callie burst out laughing again. “Okay, I think you've had enough,” she reached across him and took the bottle from his hands. “You just compared a woman to a feminine cleansing product.”

            He closed his eyes, picturing her face. That sleek chestnut hair; grey eyes with little specks of gold like his granite counter tops; high cheekbones and large, plump lips. When he opened his eyes, Callie was looming over him smiling. “You're thinking about her, aren't you?”

            He groaned. “She has a boyfriend. It's a moot point.”

            “Did she say it was a moot point?”

            “She doesn't have to. She has a boyfriend and she lied about it.”

            Callie arched an eyebrow. “Which only proves that she's into you, too.”

Shelf Candy Saturday # 139: Between Two Thorns, by Emma Newman

 

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful book covers!

It also provides information,

if available, on their very talented creators!

For more information

about Shelf Candy Saturday,

simply go HERE.

Here's my choice for this week!

Between Two Thorns

(The Split Worlds, #1)

Emma Newman

Trade Paperback, 400 pages

Angry Robot

February 26, 2013

Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy,

Paranormal Fiction, Science Fiction,

Urban Fantasy,  Young Adult Fiction

My Thoughts About This Cover

The beauty of this cover lies in the exquisitely done calligraphy, with all of its slashing flourishes. The title and series title actually take center stage, which is something cover artists/designers focus on, at times.

This ornate font -- which I'm sure has been further embellished -- has a certain Arabic flair to it, as well as a medieval one, too. It is just simply gorgeous in the extreme!

Echoing the letters of the title and series title are the gracefully curving vines along each side of the cover. These vines have little eyes located around the middle of the way up, which gives them an obvious touch of fantasy. At the bottom of the left-hand corner (as the viewer looks at this cover), there's a red poppy, which makes a stark contrast with this predominantly dark-toned violet background, which is lovely as well.

Last but not least, I also like the bridge that spans the trailing thorn vines on each side of the cover.

I wish I knew who designed this delightful cover, but alas, I have no idea.....The Amazon reader has been of help whatsoever.... So I will not have this information until I actually own this book, which I most assuredly plan on doing!

 

 

  

What do you think of my 

choice this week?

Please leave a comment

and let me know!

The Book Lover's Den #14: On Scaling Mount TBR (Part I)

Welcome to my Friday feature!

In each weekly post, I explore 

my thoughts on several 

book-related topics.

As we begin a new year, every bookworm on the planet is once again faced with that most formidable of delightful obstacles, Mount TBR! Every single one of us looks  forward to scaling this mountain, but not every dedicated bookworm can be assured of reaching the top....or is it the bottom? Alas, I am one of those who looks upon this project with quite a bit of trepidation, as I am a slow reader.... When I visit other blogs, and notice their "Books Reviewed" section for each month (or week), my jaw drops, and the green-eyed monster rears its ugly little head...... Some book bloggers can read THREE books a week, or more! How is this possible? If I were to really push myself, I might (MIGHT, mind you!) be able to finish ONE book a week, and it could not be a very long one. It would have to be no more than 300 pages or so. Therefore, the highest number of books I would be able to read in  one month would be four. Tops. Of course, this means I would not be reading more than 48 books a year......and that mountain looms ever higher!

I can only conclude that those fortunate souls who read so many books have all taken speed reading courses. How else are they able to get so many books under their collective belts in such a short period of time? How else can they attempt to conquer the top of that daunting mountain? But then, no one ever really does reach the summit of Mount TBR. There are far too many great books being published just about every second, so books are constantly being added to the pile.... In my case, I've been adding books for YEARS now! And they're not any closer to being read, either, because I have kept on adding and adding books.... It seems that I have the problem of falling head over heels with every fascinating book I come across, which, of course, I HAVE to own! Of course. No telling when I'll be able to get to it. I tell myself that I will -- someday.

I can hear the collective groans of commiseration all across The Realm of Bookworms. Loud and clear!

So now I'm telling myself that I MUST, definitely MUST, start scaling that mountain, or else start digging at the roots. This is the time for New Year's resolutions, isn't it? Well, I can certainly make my most valiant attempt. Then again, there's a bridge for sale in Brooklyn..... Let me take a sip of my steaming espresso while I chortle, oh, so quietly....

But then again, I have the blood of Don Quijote in my veins! I WILL tilt at this, my own personal windmill! And who knows, I might actually make some headway!

With these courageous and optimistic thoughts in mind, I have hereby come to a momentous decision, a New Year's resolution that I will make every effort to uphold. Well, actually, there are two of these resolutions: 1.) Stop buying, or attempting to win in giveaways, or receiving for review, any more books. 2.) Start reading the books I already own, which, after all, I coveted with all my heart, mind, and soul when I saw them sitting on a bookstore shelf, beckoning to me with their shiny, beautiful new covers, or grinning shamelessly at me from an Amazon or eBay page. There. That should be simple. Nothing to it! Right? Sure, sure, as Jacob Black, from The Twilight Saga, is so fond of saying....

For what it's worth, I hereby present my list (tentatively, timidly, optimistically) of books I MUST read this year! The first three are, I must admit, review commitments I haven't gotten to yet. The others are books that have been languishing on my shelves..... NONE of these are sitting on a Kindle, by the way. I don't own one. I do have a few e-books on my cell phone (oh, bibliophilic heresy!!), but those definitely do NOT count. No, all of the books on this list are REAL, LIVE books, the kind that speak to you when you ruffle the pages, the kind that beckon to you, attempting to drown you in their very depths. These are books that you can hold close to your heart, because they don't inhabit a COLD, lifeless machine.

And here they are! (Except for the first three, I won't necessarily be reading these books in the order listed here.) Since this is an eclectic blog, I have books from several different genres. They all have something in common, though -- I own every single  one of them. If you'd like further information on them, simply click on each book's title, and you will be gently and lovingly taken to that book's Goodreads page.

And oh, by the way....this is to be continued! (I have many more books to add to this list....)
 

1.   A Thousand Pieces of You - Claudia Gray

2.   The Wanderer's Children - L.G. O'Connor

3.   The Deadly Sisterhood - Leonie Frieda

4.   Forecast - Elise Stephens

5.   The Creation of Eve - Lynn Cullen

6.   Concerning the Spiritual in Art - Wassily Kandinsky

7.   Awaken (Abandon Trilogy, #3) - Meg Cabot

8.   Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2) - Leigh Bardugo

9.   Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3) - Leigh Bardugo

10. The Second Sex - Simone de Beauvoir

11. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh - Joyce A. Tyldesley

12. My Name Is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok 

13. Pro-Life Feminism - Gail Grenier-Sweet

14. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

15. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

16. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin

17. A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr. 

18. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

19. Lord of Light - Roger Zelazny

20. 2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson 

            

What do you think of my list?

Have you read any of these books?

If so, what did you think of them?

Blog Tour Review: Moriarty, by Anthony Horowitz

Moriarty
(Sherlock Holmes #2)
Anthony Horowitz
Trade Paperback, 320 pages
Orion Publishing Group, April 23, 2015
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Book Synopsis: Days after Holmes and his arch-enemy Moriarty fall to their doom at the Reichenbach Falls, Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. The death of Moriarty has created a poisonous vacuum that has been swiftly filled by a fiendish new criminal mastermind who has risen to take Moriarty's place.

Ably assisted by Inspector Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard, a devoted student of Holmes’s methods of investigation and deduction, Frederick Chase must forge a path through the darkest corners of the capital to shine light on this shadowy figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, a man determined to engulf London in a tide of murder and menace.

Author of the global bestseller The House of Silk, Anthony Horowitz once more breathes life into the world created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. With pitch-perfect characterization and breathtaking pace, Horowitz weaves a relentlessly thrilling tale that teases and delights by the turn of each page.

The game is afoot . . .

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository

Note to the Reader
I was provided with a review copy by 
TLC Book Tours, in exchange 
for an honest review.

The world of Sherlock Holmes is a truly fascinating one! I firmly believe that there's simply no  detective in mystery fiction that can compare with Holmes! I was therefore very interested in reviewing Moriarty, especially since Horowitz had already written The House of Silk, which was endorsed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate, and has garnered many rave reviews.

This second novel started out very well. The writing style is excellent, although perhaps a bit too modern-sounding for the time period of the story. There was the proper Sherlockian dark and foggy London setting, the feeling that a very puzzling web of crime had to be unraveled. The characters were well-developed, in a way Doyle himself might have done. 

In spite of these positive statements, I have to honestly say that this book did not pull me in as thoroughly as I expected it to, given that it 's supposed to be part of that very fascinating Holmes world. 

First of all, that immortal detective is not present at all in this novel, nor is his faithful companion, Dr. Watson. At the beginning of the novel, I kept hoping that Holmes would appear, to delight me with his brilliant deductions and observations. Instead, I was introduced to Athelney Jones, who was an avid Holmes admirer and obsessed student of the methods of the great man. Although Jones did emulate Holmes quite thoroughly, he lacked that certain something that made his hero such a wonderful, well-rounded character. Still, he was fairly likeable, and his sincerity was very apparent.

Frederick Chase, the American from the Pinkerton Agency, ended up becoming Jones's partner. It seems he was supposed to be the replacement for Dr. Watson, as Jones was for Holmes.I liked him much more than I did Jones; he was very much intent on doing his best, with his own knowledge and experience, to capture Clarence Devereux, an American criminal attempting to replace Moriarty as leader of the London crime world. At the same time, I liked how he looked out for Jones.

The action was a bit slow in places, but I didn't find that to be as much of a problem, because, where detective work is concerned, one can't expect every single moment to be full of action. This novel did have several unexpected twists and turns, though, so the suspense was there.

There were two things that really bothered me about this novel, however.

The first was the very detailed way some of the murders were described. The narrator of these was obviously a very sadistic person, but I really thought it unnecessary for Horowitz to delve so deeply into the mind of this criminal. At that point, the novel truly bordered on the horror genre for me.

The second one is more important, and it concerns the ending. I honestly found it very shocking, although Horowitz set everything up so skillfully, as the plot developed, that the reader was not aware of what was coming up. At least, this reader wasn't. Perhaps such an ending can be seen as very close to the type of thing that would happen in real life, where things don't always get resolved as we would want them to be. For this Holmes fan, it was still very disappointing.

If I were to judge this book as a mystery novel written outside of the realm of Sherlock Holmes, I would definitely say that it's an interesting one. I would even recommend it pretty highly. After all, it did hold my interest, for the most part. Horowitz has indeed written a novel that I know I would have really enjoyed, had it not referenced Holmes's world while so radically departing from it. 

In conclusion, I have very mixed feelings about this book. While it did provide me with some reading pleasure, I was not entirely pleased with it. I'm now very curious to read the first one in the series, which I'm sure will give me much more of a Sherlockian thrill.



MY RATING:                                         

Anthony Horowitz is the author of the international bestseller The House of Silk and the New York Times number one bestselling Alex Rider series for Young Adults. As a television screenwriter he created both "Midsomer Murders" and the BAFTA-winning "Foyle’s War", both of which were featured on PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. He regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and magazines, and in January 2014 was awarded an OBE for his services to literature. He lives in London.

Website/Twitter/Goodreads

To access the complete tour
schedule, simply click on
the button below!

 

Waiting On Wednesday #122: A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas

This is a weekly event hosted by

Jill @ Breaking the Spine!!

It showcases future releases which

we book bloggers

are eagerly anticipating!!

Here's my choice for this week!

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

May 5, 2015

Fairytale Retellings, Fantasy, Romance, 

Young Adult Fiction

Amazon US/Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Barnes & Noble

The Book Depository 

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Why I'm waiting on this one!!

It's very obvious by now that one of my 
favorite genres is epic fantasy,
and besides, the synopsis of this book
mentions George R.R. Martin,so
that's already got me sold!
I also love fairytale retellings, and the
one I never get tired of is
Beauty and the Beast!
Therefore, I definitely want this book!

What do you think of my choice?

What fascinating book(s) are 
you longing for this week?