Thursday, August 31, 2017

Magnolia Nights by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts

35992068

Magnolia Nights

Magnolia Nights by Ashley Farley
Kindle Edition
Expected publication: September 12th 2017

From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sister Series and Sweet Tea Tuesdays comes a new novel of passion, intrigue, and redemption. 

Ellie Pringle has spent endless hours and countless dollars working with a therapist to remember the lost years of her childhood. She’s baffled and more than a little intrigued when the grandmother she hasn’t seen in thirty-four years dies and leaves her a fortune. The time has come to face her past in person. Still reeling from a recent breakup of a long-term relationship, and with nothing to keep her in San Francisco, Ellie packs her meager belongings and boards a plane for the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Standing in the entryway of her grandmother’s antebellum home on South Battery Street in Charleston, Ellie faces the first of many ghosts who will soon haunt her. On her first night in the creepy, creaking mansion, as she’s perusing the titles in a dusty bookcase, she comes across her deceased mother’s leather-bound journal. Her mother’s words create more unanswered questions and send her on a quest to find more journals. As Hurricane Irma bears down on the South Carolina coast, Ellie encounters Julian Hagood, a handsome architect who has the talent to restore her dilapidated mansion and the charm to mend her broken heart. But as Ellie reads her mother’s diaries, they dislodge a stone in the wall that safeguards her memories, causing her world to come crumbling down. Revelations about her childhood lead Ellie on a harrowing journey of discovery that will hold readers spellbound until the dramatic conclusion.


My thoughts about Magnolia Nights ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Ellie approached the antebellum mansion with caution. Thirty-four years has passed since she'd last been here. Time had not been kind to the house, as evidenced by the paint peeling in sheets off the wood siding and rotten newel posts on the first- and second-floor porches."

Ashley Farley is one of my must-read authors and I have been reading her books since her very first one came out. I know when I start one of her books, that I am going to be lost in the world she has created. Magnolia Nights is her newest book and I just devoured it, but then I didn't want it to end.

When Ellie learns that her estranged grandmother has left her her estate in her will, Ellie goes back to the town and that house, a place that she has little memories of and a place full of secrets. What could've happened in that house all those years ago to make her forget that time in her life? The truth starts to come out after she finds her mother's old journals and and she remembers the horrible situation that she and her mother found themselves in.

This story is an intense tale of discovery, love, evil, and being able to get over the past to find happiness. And it's a story of secrets, lots of secrets. Ellie is an amazingly strong woman who had my admiration and support from the very first page. I loved how she just took on that house, and those memories and secrets, and turned her bad situation into a good one.  

I received a copy of Magnolia Nights from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

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About the author

Ashley Farley

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you've read the last word, then she's done her job.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote Saving Ben in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she’s able to experience the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kind-hearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique.

Connect with Ashley


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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Book Blast: The Pursuit of Lady Harriett by Rachael Anderson, an Excerpt and a Giveaway!


The Pursuit of Lady Harriett 
by Rachael Anderson

When wills clash and hearts collide, who will reign victorious?

Termed an Incomparable during her first London season, Lady Harriett Cavendish is beautiful, spirited, and confident, capturing the attention of a great many suitors. Unfortunately, they all failed to capture her attention, and she concluded the season as unattached as she’d begun it.

Only weeks prior to her second season, Harriett encounters Lieutenant Christopher Jamison while visiting Tanglewood Manor. Recently returned from war, the lieutenant is everything that Harriett's previous suitors were not. He’s arrogant, ungentlemanly, irritating, and challenges her at every opportunity. When he goes too far, Harriett decides that it’s time to turn the tables on him. But as she sets out to put the lieutenant in his place once and for all, she discovers there is more to him than meets the eye, and when it comes to matters of the heart, she has no control whatsoever.


Excerpt

The corners of the man’s eyes crinkled in a mild show of amusement. “Lady Harriett, I presume?” Rather than look at her with appreciation as most men did, he appeared amused.

At her nod, he tucked his hands behind his back, remaining a few steps above her. “I am Lieutenant Christopher Jamison, an old friend of Jonathan’s.”

“I was expecting you days ago,” she answered. “Lord Jonathan charged me with the unhappy task of informing you he and his new bride are currently away on their wedding trip. He is sorry he cannot be here to meet with you and has asked that I relay his apologies.”

“May I inquire as to how long they will be away?” he asked.

No, you may not, she wanted to say. Her neck was beginning to ache from looking up at him, but she forced her gaze to remain steady. “They expected to be gone a fortnight, sir.”

“And they have been gone how long, exactly?”

She felt an unaccountable hesitancy to tell him. “A week.”

“Ah.” He sounded disappointed but seemed to take the news in stride, glancing at Charlie as though wondering whether he ought to retrieve his horse or not. Harriett prayed that he would.

When his gaze strayed back to her, he took the unwelcome, and ungentlemanly, liberty of perusing her figure. When his eyes met hers again, his lips twitched into a slight smile. “Forgive me, my lady, but you appear to have had a run-in with a mud puddle and lost.”

How kind of him to point that out. Harriett kept her hands at her side rather than attempt to brush the dirt from her face and pelisse yet again. The damage was done, and no amount of brushing or shaking would remove the muck. What she needed was a hot bath and a change of clothes.

“Actually, sir, I was merely an innocent bystander.”

“Indeed?”

She picked up her skirts and ascended the steps, stopping on the stair above him so that she was eye level with him. “Are you always such a reckless rider, sir? Do you not pay heed to your surroundings?”

“Of course I do.”

“If you had, you would have seen me standing at the side of the road and, I would hope, thought to slow your animal down so as to not splash mud all over my pelisse.”

Her chilly set down did not have the desired effect. He did not appear the least bit repentant. Rather, he looked ready to burst into laughter. “And your face, apparently.” He leaned forward and squinted. “If I’m not mistaken, there is a splash or two of mud on your bonnet as well.”

Harriett glared at him. “How observant you are, Lieutenant Jamison. One can only wonder why you didn’t put that skill to good use earlier. If you had, perhaps my pelisse, face, and bonnet would still be clean.”

“I am always observant, my lady,” he said. “But might I suggest that if you would like to be noticed at the side of the road, you should wear a color that does not blend so perfectly with your surroundings. That particular shade of green looks quite lovely on you, but only someone with the eyes of an eagle would have spotted you in front of a landscape of evergreens.”

Harriett opened her mouth to respond, but no words were forthcoming. The man did not even attempt to behave like a gentleman. How could he be so . . . so . . .

“Have you no apology to offer, sir?” she finally spluttered.

“Oh, did I not apologize? Forgive me.”

“For what? Forgetting to apologize or for not doing so in the first place?”



Rachael

Author Rachael Anderson

A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.




amazon or paypal

$75 Amazon Gift Card 
or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 9/22/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



Monday, August 28, 2017

Sweet Romance Giveaway! Free Books and Win $300!!


Here is an exciting opportunity I was asked to share for Cami Checketts. You could win $300, just for sharing and following. You will also receive the six books above for free! 

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I teamed up with a few of my favorite authors to bring you a chance to win $300 ... Just in time for back to school! Plus, you'll receive these six books free when you sign up for our newsletters! You can sign up for the newsletters through the rafflecopter.

There are lots of ways to enter (no purchase necessary). The more things you do, the more chances you'll have to win! Enter by clicking on the rafflecopter link below.

You can get points by sharing the giveaway on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or following your favorite sweet romance authors on social media. Below are sample posts to share on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also use the graphic above or post yourself reading one of our books.

Thanks and happy reading! 

Instagram: $300 giveaway just in time for #backtoschool from your favorite #mysweetromance writers @taylorfaithhart @authorjennniferyoungblood @jeanettelewis @camicheckettsbooks #giveaway #romancenovels http://www.camichecketts.com/2017/08/300-giveaway.html

Facebook: Win $300 just in time for back to school with your favorite sweet romance writers - Taylor Hart, Lucy McConnell, Jeanette Lewis, Jennifer Youngblood, and Cami Checketts. Post a picture of yourself or share this one and enter to win on the rafflecopter here.

Twitter: $300 cash #mysweetromance @camichecketts @taylorfaithhart @authorjennniferyoungblood @jeanettelewis www.camichecketts.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 28, 2017


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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School started last week, both at the university and the public schools. You can just feel the busyness in everyone, things have definitely ramped up. I hope all who were in the path of Harvey are safe and can return home soon. Take care everyone. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading/listening to

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Whiskey & Charlie
by Annabel Smith
This week's book club read.

25496757
The Word Game
by Steena Holmes
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

35097334
Seeds of Intention (Hesse Creek #2)
by Andrea Thome 
My thoughts will be posted soon.

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The Other Girl
by Erica Spindler
Read my thoughts here.

What I am going to read next

35706356
A Little Bit of Grace
by Phoebe Fox
Love this author and I'm excited to read this early copy.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Thompson Sisters Anthology by Charles Sheehan-Miles ~ On Sale!


Thompson Sisters Anthology: The Complete Series by Charles Sheehan-Miles
Kindle Edition: Six Novels and Two Novellas 
Published October 25th 2015 by Cincinnatus Press 

The tragic and heartwarming saga of the Thompson Sisters has endeared readers worldwide, with more than a quarter million copies sold in six languages.

For the first time, the entire saga -- six full length novels plus two bonus novellas -- are under one cover.

Adelina Thompson, the hated matriarch and diplomatic wife who has her own tragic secrets.

Julia Thompson and Crank Wilson -- the star crossed couple who meet at a anti-war protest in Washington, DC. 

Alexandra Thompson and Dylan Paris -- can Alex restore love and help heal her war-wounded love?

Carrie Thompson and Ray Sherman -- a senseless accident reveals dangerous secrets no one ever expected. 

The Rachel's Peril trilogy: will Andrea Thompson's secrets destroy her entire family?

The Thompson Sisters

A Song for Julia
Just Remember to Breath
The Last Hour

Rachel's Peril

Girl of Lies
Girl of Rage
Girl of Vengeance

Bonus novellas:

Falling Stars
A View From Forever 

Purchase The Thompson Sisters Anthology 
for only $2.99 for a limited time! 



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Book Spotlight Giveaway! We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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The book I am offering this week was a book club read in the past. I got this copy from a friend and am passing it on to one of you. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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We Were the Mulvaneys

We Were the Mulvaneys
by Joyce Carol Oates

Paperback, Oprah's Book Club edition, 454 pages
Published September 1st 1997 by Plume 

The Mulvaneys of High Point Farm in Mt. Ephraim, New York, are a large and fortunate clan, blessed with good looks, abundant charisma, and boundless promise. But over the twenty-five year span of this ambitious novel, the Mulvaneys will slide, almost imperceptibly at first, from the pinnacle of happiness, transformed by the vagaries of fate into a scattered collection of lost and lonely souls.

It is the youngest son, Judd, now an adult, who attempts to piece together the fragments of the Mulvaneys' former glory, seeking to uncover and understand the secret violation that occasioned the family's tragic downfall. Each of the Mulvaneys endures some form of exile- physical or spiritual - but in the end they find a way to bridge the chasms that have opened up among them, reuniting in the spirit of love and healing. 

  

About the author

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is a recipient of the National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction. She is also the recipient of the 2005 Prix Femina for The Falls. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Princeton University, and she has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 1978. Pseudonyms ... Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.

Connect with Joyce





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Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Release Day Blitz: Love Unlimited Anthology #FREE ~ 11 Authors, 11 Stories

Happy Release Day!!


Love Unlimited Anthology


Love Unlimited Anthology
Stories by: Bryana Beecham, Geralyn Corcillo, Laura Chapman, Katie Leonard, Kelly Cain, Anne Hamilton, Zainab Muhammad Shahid, Samantha Bryant, Lizbeth Durano, Therese Gilardi, Amy Gettinger
Release Date: August 23, 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction

Explore the unlimited nature of love and its many incarnations in the Love Unlimited Anthology, featuring eleven stories that cross generations, cultural backgrounds, and borders. Love Unlimited will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and envelop you in the wonderful and complex human emotion the world calls “Love.”

Bryana Beecham—Love Letters to the Universe
Geralyn Corcillo—In Her Space
Laura Chapman—Smyth Saves the Date
Katie Leonard—SuperMom and the Theory of Mind
Kelly Cain—Summer Healing
Anne Hamilton—The Shining Girl
Zainab Muhammad Shahid—Kaneez's Bulbul
Samantha Bryant—Flygirl's Second Chance
Therese Gilardi—Paris in April
Lizbeth Durano—Starting Over
Amy Gettinger—Kiss My Sweet Skull



Where to Find Love Unlimited ~

Get it FREE right now! 



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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Release Day: The Other Girl by Erica Spindler ~ My Thoughts

Happy Release Day!

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The Other Girl

The Other Girl by Erica Spindler
Print and e-book, 256 pages
Published August 22nd 2017 by St. Martin's Press

From the New York Times bestselling author of Justice for Sara and The First Wife Erica Spindler comes The Other Girl, a chilling new thriller about a ritualistic murder of a college professor that sends a small town cop back into the trauma she thought she’d put behind her.

A horrific crime. One witness—a fifteen year old girl from the wrong side of the tracks, one known for lying and her own brushes with the law.
Is it any surprise no one believed her?

Officer Miranda Rader of the Harmony, Louisiana PD is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from the town of Jasper, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to earn the respect of her coworkers and the community.

When Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the brutality of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about that terrible night fifteen years ago. The night she’d buried, along with her past and the girl she’d been back then. Until now that grave had stayed sealed…except for those times, in the deepest part of the night, when the nightmares came: of a crime no one believed happened and the screams of the girl they believed didn’t exist.

Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop. Not just any cop—the one who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda.


My thoughts about The Other Girl ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Jasper, Louisiana, in July was as hot as hell and as close as a tick on a retriever. But school was out for the summer, and as far as Randi Rader was concerned, that made up for it—and pretty much everything else, too. As far as she was concerned, school was a total waste of time."

The Other Girl starts off with Randi, a fifteen year old girl from a dysfunctional family, taking off to have some fun. That fun time turns into a nightmare, one that she relives over and over. Fast forward a number of years, and she finally turns her life around and makes something of herself. This time she ends up on the right side of the law. But then things start to go bad and she finds herself reliving those days from her past that she just wants to forget. And no one believes her....again.

Randi, or Miranda, as she prefers to be called now, is a cop who, while investigating a murder, finds all sorts of connections to her past. As more and more connections are uncovered and weave themselves around her, she finds that she no longer knows who or what to trust.

The Other Girl is the first book of Erica's that I have read and I am not sure why I haven't discovered her stories before now. I like her writing style and the way she makes me want to like her characters. This thriller kept me guessing with all the twists and turns and it was a hard book to put down. I am excited to read more of her stories.

I received a copy of The Other Girl from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

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About the author

Erica Spindler


A New York Times and International bestselling author, Erica Spindler's skill for crafting engrossing plots and compelling characters has earned both critical praise and legions of fans. Her stories have been lauded as “thrill-packed page turners, white- knuckle rides and edge-of-your-seat whodunits.”

Erica loves meeting and interacting with her fans, both in person and online. She has a wicked sense of humor, an optimistic spirit and loves coffee, chocolate and red wine, not necessarily in that order.

In 2002 her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member, she received a Kiss of Death Award for her novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run and was a four-time RITA® Award finalist. In 1999 Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel Shocking Pink a Listen Up Award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998.

Erica lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Erica


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Monday, August 21, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? August 21, 2017


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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I seem to be back in the reading groove, at least for this past week. It was a pretty quiet week with not too many commitments over the weekend and on weeknights. I am loving the cooler weather but I'm not really ready for summer to be over.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading/listening to

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The Other Girl
by Erica Spindler

25496757
The Word Game
by Steena Holmes
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

35992068
Magnolia Nights
by Ashley Farley

34858960
Cracked Open (Mindjack #5)
by Susan Kaye Quinn

16693701
Possession in Death (In Death #31.5)
by J.D. Robb
(audio-book)

What I am going to read next

34111673
The Art of Hiding
by Amanda Prowse

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

The Dream Keeper's Daughter: A Novel by Emily Colin ~ My Thoughts

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The Dream Keeper's Daughter

The Dream Keeper's Daughter by Emily Colin
Print and e-book, 482 pages
Published July 25th 2017 by Ballantine Books

An archaeologist discovers her presumed-missing boyfriend is trapped more than a hundred years in the past—a love story that transcends time and place, from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Memory Thief.

Eight years after the unsolved disappearance of her boyfriend Max Adair, archaeologist Isabel Griffin has managed to move on and rebuild her life with her young daughter, Finn, her last tie to Max. But after a series of strange incidents, Isabel begins to wonder if Max might still be alive somewhere, trying to communicate with her.

She has no idea that the where isn’t the problem—it’s the when. Max has slipped through time and place, landing on his ancestral family plantation in 1816 Barbados, on the eve of a historic slave uprising. As Isabel searches for answers, Max must figure out not only how to survive the violence to come, but how to get back to his own century, the woman he loves, and the daughter he has only ever met in his dreams.


My thoughts about The Dream Keeper's Daughter ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"I am on my knees, the sun beating on my back and dirt from long-dead bones sifting through my gloved fingers, when my cellphone rings. Focused as I am on the dig, the phone's shrill summons startles me."

The Dream Keeper's Daughter is a captivating story that crosses so many different genres types. There is something for everyone here: time travel, historical fiction, women's fiction, and a bit of romance. I have to admit that I felt a little daunted by this book after seeing the number of pages. It is usually more than I tackle but once I read the first few pages, I was totally hooked.

I have always been intrigued by the idea of time travel and this author does a wonderful job making it work. I was kept guessing as to how it would all come together. Would Max be able to get back to his loved ones? And how would what he did in the past, affect those in the future.

Max lands in an extremely tough time, when men and women are being slaved and beaten. It was so hard for him to witness the pain and suffering that humans caused other humans. It really is hard for me to comprehend too.

I am always amazed at the amount of research that an author does when writing their books. For one, they have to get the history part right. And then, especially in the case of time traveling, they have to make sure all the pieces end up fitting together.

The Dream Keeper's Daughter really is an amazing story. I was totally engrossed in both the past and the present storylines. It was wonderful to see how the stories came together in the end.

I received a copy of The Dream Keeper's Daughter from JKS Communications in exchange for my honest opinion.

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About the author

Emily Colin

Emily Colin’s debut novel, The Memory Thief, has been a New York Times bestseller and a Target Emerging Authors Pick. Her diverse life experience includes organizing a Coney Island tattoo and piercing show, hauling fish at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys, roaming New York City as an itinerant teenage violinist, helping launch two small publishing companies, and serving as the associate director of DREAMS of Wilmington, a nonprofit dedicated to immersing youth in need in the arts. Originally from Brooklyn, she lives in Wilmington, NC with her family.

Emily is excited to share that she has a second novel, The Dream Keeper’s Daughter, upcoming from Ballantine Books in July 2017. She loves chocolate, is addicted to tiramisu, and dislikes anything containing beans.

Connect with Emily


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Saturday, August 19, 2017

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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I've got a another great book for you today! Somehow I ended up with two copies of this book. I have not read it yet (darn that ever growing TBR pile) but I have read this author before and I know his stories are wonderful. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

18666006

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands
by Chris Bohjalian

Hardcover, 288 pages
Published July 8th 2014 by Doubleday

A heartbreaking, wildly inventive, and moving novel narrated by a teenage runaway, from the best-selling author of Midwives and The Sandcastle Girls.

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is the story of Emily Shepard, a homeless teen living in an igloo made of ice and trash bags filled with frozen leaves. Half a year earlier, a nuclear plant in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom had experienced a cataclysmic meltdown, and both of Emily's parents were killed. Devastatingly, her father was in charge of the plant, and the meltdown may have been his fault. Was he drunk when it happened?

Thousands of people are forced to flee their homes in the Kingdom; rivers and forests are destroyed; and Emily feels certain that, as the daughter of the most hated man in America, she is in danger. So instead of following the social workers and her classmates after the meltdown, Emily takes off on her own for Burlington, where she survives by stealing, sleeping on the floor of a drug dealer's apartment, and inventing a new identity for herself - an identity inspired by her favorite poet, Emily Dickinson.

When Emily befriends a young homeless boy named Cameron, she protects him with a ferocity she didn't know she had. But she still can't outrun her past, can't escape her grief, can't hide forever - and so she comes up with the only plan that she can.

A story of loss, adventure, and the search for friendship in the wake of catastrophe, Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is one of Chris Bohjalian's finest novels to date - breathtaking, wise, and utterly transporting.

  

About the author

Chris Bohjalian

Chris is the New York Times bestselling author of 20 books. Chris's work has been translated into over 30 languages and three times become movies (Midwives, Secrets of Eden, and Past the Bleachers.) The paperback of The Sleepwalker arrives this autumn. The Flight Attendant lands March 13, 2018. 

Chris's books have been chosen as Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Hartford Courant, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Bookpage, and Salon.

Awards include the ANCA Freedom Award for educating Americans about the Armenian Genocide; the ANCA Arts and Letters Award for The Sandcastle Girls, as well as the Saint Mesrob Mashdots Medal; the New England Society Book Award for The Night Strangers; the New England Book Award; Russia's Soglasie (Concord) Award for The Sandcastle Girls; a Boston Public Library Literary Light; a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Trans-Sister Radio; and the Anahid Literary Award. Midwives was a number one New York Times bestseller, a selection of Oprah's Book Club, and a New England Booksellers Association Discovery pick. 

Chris graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Amherst College, and lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer. Their daughter, Grace Experience, is a young actor in New York City. Among the audiobooks she has narrated are Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands and The Guest Room.

Connect with Chris





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