Saturday, June 29, 2019

Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Kings of Angkor by Mary Moriarty


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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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Kings of Angkor 

The Kings of Angkor : Army of a Thousand Elephants by Mary Moriarty  
Paperback, 249 pages
Published June 13th 2012 by Dorrance

Among the mystic plains and mountains of Cambodia, a dedicated archeologist, Anna Oldenburg suddenly finds herself inexplicably thrust amidst the life and times- ancient and modern of the nation that once had the vision to create the magnificent Angkor Wat.

In the royal courts of Suryavarman II Anna would come to know friendship,honor, courage and the one unimaginable love that seems as timeless and consuming as she could make it.

The corrupting influence of power, however, course in the veins of those who are madly after it, past and present and Anna finds herself at the center of intrigues, threatening to destroy those who have become dear to her-even her own life.

Along with the people who have become everything to her, Anna must deal with forces who mean to destroy her or confine her to eternal oblivion, if they could just have their way.


About the author

Image may contain: 1 person

I live on the coast of Maine with my sons and many pets, drinking way too much tea...  ~ Amazon

Connect with Mary


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Friday, June 28, 2019

A Season of Surprises at the Villa des Violettes by Patricia Sands ~ My Thoughts


A Season of Surprises at the Villa des Violettes by Patricia Sands
Series: Villa des Violettes Book #2
Print and e-book, 228 pages
Published June 19th 2019

The Love in Provence characters are celebrating a glorious spring on the Côte d’Azur. There are sweet-smelling blossoms, buds bursting into bloom, explosions of golden mimosa, dazzling sunshine, a shimmering sea … and a worrying disappearance!

A hidden past is uncovered and shocking truths are revealed. But life goes on. Kat and Philippe welcome their first B&B guests to the Villa and continue to be busy with other demands, all the while keeping hope alive as police search for their friend.

A special request from Simone and an unexpected appearance turn a planned motorcycle trip in Corsica into so much more. Springtime at the Villa des Violettes is filled with secrets and surprises.

     

My thoughts about A Season of Surprises at the Villa des Violettes ~~

(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—"Katherine wiped tears from her face with the back of her hand."

I loved Patricia Sand's Love in Provence series and I love that she has taken two of my favorite characters from that series and enriched their stories. This book takes us back to the Villa des Violettes for another beautiful season. Everything is starting to bloom and the Villa is welcoming their first guests.

With this book, we get to know the characters even better, as well getting to know more about the people they have come to care about and love. Kat and Philippe are such warm and loving people and have surrounded themselves with a wonderful community of friends. 

Patricia's books are written with such beautiful, descriptive passages that I feel like I am there, enjoying the sights and smells, and tasting the delectable dishes right along with Kat and Philippe. This series is the perfect escape read and I always feel like I am vacationing when I dive into one of the stories. It is so hard to come back home and I look forward to taking another trip back. 

I received A Season of Surprises at the Villa des Violettes from the author and this is my honest opinion of the book. 

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Read my thoughts about book #1 here.


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Bestselling author Patricia Sands lives in Toronto, Canada, when she isn't somewhere else, and calls the south of France her second home. An admitted travel fanatic, she can pack a bag in a flash and be ready to go anywhere … particularly the south of France. With a focus on travel, women’s issues and aging, her stories celebrate the feminine spirit and the power of friendship.

Her award-winning 2010 debut novel, The Bridge Club, is a book-group favorite, and The Promise of Provence, which launched her three-part Love in Provence series (followed by Promises to Keep and I Promise You This), was a finalist for a 2013 USA Best Book Award and a 2014 National Indie Excellence Award, an Amazon Hot New Release in April 2013, and a 2015 nominee for a #RBRT Golden Rose award in the category of romance. Sands also contributes to such Francophile websites as The Good Life France and Perfectly Provence and appears as a public speaker for women's groups.

Her fifth novel, Drawing Lessons, was released by Lake Union Publishing on October 1, 2017.

Find out more at Patricia’s Facebook Author Page, Amazon Author Page or her website. There are links to her books, social media, and a monthly newsletter that has special giveaways, photography from France, and sneak peeks at her next book. She loves hearing from readers. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Patricia


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Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Release Day! Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle #DearWife

Happy Release Day!!

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Congrats Kimberly
on the release today of
Dear Wife!

Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle
Print and e-book, 384 pages
Published June 25th 2019 by Park Row

From the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie and Three Days Missing comes a riveting new novel of suspense about a woman who, in a fight for survival, must decide just how far she'll go to escape the person she once loved

Beth Murphy is on the run...

For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning--one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.

Sabine Hardison is missing...

A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she's taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.

As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine's carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that's certain is that someone is lying and the truth won't stay buried for long.

    

I'm reading Dear Wife right now and let me tell you, it is sooooo good! I can't wait to dive back into it after work today. 

About the author

Kimberly Belle

Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of five novels, including the forthcoming domestic suspense, Dear Wife (June 2019). Her third novel, The Marriage Lie, was a semifinalist in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Mystery & Thriller, and her work has been translated into a dozen languages. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Belle divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Kimberly


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Monday, June 24, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? June 24, 2019


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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Another busy weekend full of kids and kiddos. I took two of the kiddos to see Toy Story 4 on Saturday. We loved it! And then I made tacos for the group. On Sunday, we went to our annual kite festival. Those huge kites are amazing. The downer was that they took the kites down about an hour after we got there, 3 hours early, because of the threat of rain. The kiddos had fun flying their little Dollar Tree kites though, so all was good. And I did get some reading in, even with all that. 

On Tuesday, I'm heading to Colorado with my daughter and DIL, coming back on Sunday. It will be nice to get away with the two of them. And I love Colorado! 

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

What I'm currently reading

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Dear Wife
by Kimberly Belle
Pub date 6/25


Before the Rain Falls
by Camille Di Maio
Narrated by Dara Rosenberg

What I recently finished

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Circle in the Sand
(Oceanic Dreams #3)
by Tracy Krimmer

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A Season of Surprises at the Villa des Violettes 
(Book 2)
by Patricia Sands

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Time of My Life: A Romantic Comedy
(Oceanic Dreams #2)
by Laura Heffernan

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Queen Bee
(Lowcountry Tales #12)
by Dorothea Benton Frank

What I am going to read next

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I Thought It Was You
(Oceanic Dreams #4)
by Kirsty McManus
Pub date 7/1

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, June 22, 2019

Book Spotlight Giveaway! In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson #InAnotherLife


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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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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In Another Life

In Another Life
by Julie Christine Johnson 

Paperback, 356 pages
Published February 2nd 2016 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Historian Lia Carrer has finally returned to southern France, determined to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. But instead of finding solace in the region's quiet hills and medieval ruins, she falls in love with Raoul, a man whose very existence challenges everything she knows about life--and about her husband's death. As Raoul reveals the story of his past to Lia, she becomes entangled in the echoes of an ancient murder, resulting in a haunting and suspenseful journey that reminds Lia that the dead may not be as far from us as we think.

Steeped in the rich history and romantic landscape of rural France, In Another Life is a story of love that conquers time and the lost loves that haunt us all.


About the author



Julie's short stories and essays have appeared in several journals, including Emerge Literary Journal; Mud Season Review; Cirque: A Literary Journal of the North Pacific Rim; Cobalt; River Poets Journal, in the print anthologies Stories for Sendai; Up, Do: Flash Fiction by Women Writers; and Three Minus One: Stories of Love and Loss; and featured on the flash fiction podcast No Extra Words.

She holds undergraduate degrees in French and Psychology and a Master’s in International Affairs. Julie leads writing workshops and seminars and offers story/developmental editing and writer coaching services.

Named a "standout debut" by the Library Journal, "Very highly recommended" by Historical Novels Review and declared "Delicate and haunting, romantic and mystical" by bestselling author Greer Macallister, Julie's debut novel In Another Life went into a second printing three days after its February 2, 2016 release.

A finalist for The Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature, judged by PEN/Faulkner author and Man Booker Award nominee Karen Joy Fowler, Julie's second novel The Crows of Beara was acquired by Ashland Creek Press and will take flight on September 15, 2017.

A hiker, yogi, and wine geek, Julie makes her home on the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington state.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Julie


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Friday, June 21, 2019

Oceanic Dreams Series! Wonderful, Fun Summer Reads


The Oceanic Dreams Series...

...eight romantic comedy novellas 
set on a Caribbean cruise.

I Saw Him Standing There   Time Of My Life   Circle in the Sand   I Thought It Was You   I Will Follow Him   Take A Chance On Me   Shut Up & Dance With Me   The Best Of You

This is an entertaining series, set on the Oceanic Aphrodite, a cruise ship full of entertainmentand maybe some love. Who knows? The eight books are scheduled to be released throughout the summer and will have you waiting with baited breath for the next one. Books 1-3 are already out but you can still catch up. 

I've already read books 1 and 2 and I loved them!! They were so much fun and perfect for summertime reading. They are light and quick reads—just what I look for in the summer. I can't wait to read the rest!

And all of the story titles are song titles. Isn't that fun? 

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The Authors

Holly Kerr 

Laura Heffernan 

Tracy Krimmer 

Kirsty McManus 

Holly Tierney-Bedord 

Delancey Stewart 

Monique McDonell 

Sophie-Leigh Robbins

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Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Release Day! The Body Lies by Jo Baker ~ My Thoughts #TheBodyLies

Happy Release Day!!

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Congrats Jo
on the release today of
The Body Lies!

The Body Lies: A novel by Jo Baker 
Print and e-book, 288 pages
Published June 18th 2019 by Knopf

A dark, thrilling new novel from the best-selling author of Longbourn, a work of riveting psychological suspense that grapples with how to live as a woman in the world--or in the pages of a book--when the stakes are dangerously high.

When a young writer accepts a job at a university in the remote English countryside, it's meant to be a fresh start, away from the bustle of London and the scene of a violent assault she is desperate to forget. But despite the distractions of her new life and the demands of single motherhood, her nerves continue to jangle.

To make matters worse, a vicious debate about violence against women inflames the tensions and mounting rivalries in her creative-writing class. When a troubled student starts turning in chapters that blur the lines between fiction and reality, the professor recognizes herself as the main character in his book--and he has written her a horrific fate. Will she be able to stop life imitating art before it's too late?

At once a breathless cat-and-mouse game and a layered interrogation of the fetishization of the female body, The Body Lies gives us an essential story for our time that will have you checking the locks on your doors. 

    

My thoughts about The Body Lies~~

(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 line.)

First lines—"The beck is frozen into silence. Snow falls. It muffles the roads, bundles up the houses, deepens the meadows, turns the river black by contrast." 

Jo Baker is a new-to-me author but this cover grabbed my attention. Then the synopsis just screamed 'Read me!!'. I'm so glad I did even though it sort of creeped me out. But since that was probably the author's purpose, she achieved her objective—mission accomplished.

I have to admit that the story seemed to start out a little slowly for me but I realize that that was just the author setting up the story. Once it got rolling, this story became a definite page-turner, clear up to the exciting end.

I received a copy of The Body Lies via First to Read and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author


Jo Baker is the author of six novels, most recently Longbourn and A Country Road, A Tree. She has also written for BBC Radio 4, and her short stories have been included in a number of anthologies. She lives in Lancaster, England, with her husband, the playwright and screenwriter Daragh Carville, and their two children.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Jo

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Monday, June 17, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? June


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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Well, we had a pretty exciting weekend. Our community had two tornado warnings on Saturday. Luckily, I don't think either time there was a touch down so there was little to no damage. As luck would have it, we were on the road both time, leaving and coming back from a short road trip. Hubby was really sorry to have missed it as he is a storm-chaser wanna-be. 

With it being Father's Day on Sunday, we also had a weekend full of kids and grandkiddos. This week is shaping up to being super busy too. I'm ready to have a do-nothing, relaxing weekend. 

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

What I'm currently reading

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Queen Bee
(Lowcountry Tales #12)
by Dorothea Benton Frank

Before the Rain Falls
by Camille Di Maio
Narrated by Dara Rosenberg

What I recently finished

The Body Lies: A novel
The Body Lies: A novel
by Jo Baker
Pub date 6/18
My thoughts will be posted tomorrow.

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Whisper Me This
by Kerry Anne King
Narrated by Teri Clark Linden

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I Saw Him Standing There
(Oceanic Dreams #1)
by Holly Kerr
This is book 1 in a fun new series. Check it out!

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The Two Lila Bennetts
by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Pub date 7/23

What I am going to read next

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The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
(The Art of Hearing Heartbeats #1)
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
This is our book club pick this month. Have you read it?

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, June 15, 2019

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O'Brien


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.

****************************

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Buffalo for the Broken Heart

Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch by Dan O'Brien
Paperback, 272 pages
Published October 8th 2002 by Random House Trade Paperbacks 

For twenty years Dan O’Brien struggled to make ends meet on his cattle ranch in South Dakota. But when a neighbor invited him to lend a hand at the annual buffalo roundup, O’Brien was inspired to convert his own ranch, the Broken Heart, to buffalo. Starting with thirteen calves, “short-necked, golden balls of wool,” O’Brien embarked on a journey that returned buffalo to his land for the first time in more than a century and a half.

Buffalo for the Broken Heart is at once a tender account of the buffaloes’ first seasons on the ranch and an engaging lesson in wildlife ecology. Whether he’s describing the grazing pattern of the buffalo, the thrill of watching a falcon home in on its prey, or the comical spectacle of a buffalo bull wallowing in the mud, O’Brien combines a novelist’s eye for detail with a naturalist’s understanding to create an enriching, entertaining narrative.


About the author

Dan O'Brien was born Daniel Hosler O'Brien in Findlay Ohio on November 23, 1947. He attended Findlay High School and graduated in 1966. He went to Michigan Technological University to play football and graduated with a BS degree in Math and Business from Findlay College in 1970 where he was the chairman of the first campus Earth Day. He earned an MA in English Literature from the University of South Dakota in 1973 where he studied under Frederick Manfred. He earned an MFA from Bowling Green University (of Ohio) in 1974, worked as a biologist and wrote for a few years before entering the PhD program at Denver University.

When he won the prestigious Iowa Short Fiction in 1986 he gave up academics except for occasional short term teaching jobs. O'Brien continued to write and work as an endangered species biologist for the South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks and later the Peregrine Fund. In the late 1990s he began to change his small cattle ranch in South Dakota to a buffalo ranch. In 2001 he founded Wild Idea Buffalo Company and Sustainable Harvest Alliance to produce large landscape, grass fed and field harvest buffalo to supply high quality and sustainable buffalo meat to people interested in human health and the health of the American Great Plains.

He now raises buffalo and lives on the Cheyenne River Ranch in western South Dakota with his wife Jill. Dan O'Brien is the winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, two National Endowment for the Arts Grants for fiction, A Bush Foundation Award for writing, a Spur Award, two Wrangler Awards from the National cowboy Hall of Fame, and an honorary PhD from the University of South Dakota. His books have been translated into seven foreign languages and his essays, reviews, and short stories have been published in many periodicals including, Redbook, New York Times Magazine, FYI. New York Times Book Review. ~ Goodreads

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