Sunday, January 31, 2010
giveaway winners: the male factor and love in 90 days
The Queen of Free is the winner of The Male Factor. Jennifer L. and grumergirl each get a copy of Love in 90 Days. Congratulations!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
giveaway: lone star legend
In support of the Lone Star Legend tour, Hachette is providing three giveaway copies.
I absolutely loved the book (my review here), so I hope everyone else does too. Here's the opinion of Publishers Weekly:
"Private lives become fodder for public consumption in Zepeda's sendup of the blog/traditional media divide. Austin, Tex., investigative journalist Sandy Saavedra blogs for LatinoNow when Levy Media turns the hard news Web site into a cheezy entertainment Web site, Nacho Papi. Becoming a pun-writing gossipmonger is not one of her goals, but Sandy dives into her job with total OMG results: a post about the Chupacabra leads to a recurring advice column (Ask the Chupacabra) and a booming sideline in related merchandise. Problem is, the source of the Chupacabra craze is a little bit off, didn't sign a release form, and has a personal connection to Sandy's beloved late great aunt Linda. Then Sandy's outed as the author of her anonymous and very personal blog, My Modern TragiComedy, leading to outraged responses from those she's skewered. Internet celebrity follows, as do the inevitable office politics and romantic troubles, and though they get more stage time than warranted, Zepeda (Houston, We Have a Problema) gives readers a funny and smart heroine that readers will easily pull for, even in the dull bits."
The rules: Enter by leaving a comment to this post with your email (if I can't contact you, you can't win). You can gain additional entries by leaving separate comments letting me know that you're a follower or have posted a link to the giveaway on your site. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm Pacific on February 13. Winners will be selected at random. Since this is from Hachette the winners must have mailing addresses in the US or Canada; no PO Boxes.
I absolutely loved the book (my review here), so I hope everyone else does too. Here's the opinion of Publishers Weekly:
"Private lives become fodder for public consumption in Zepeda's sendup of the blog/traditional media divide. Austin, Tex., investigative journalist Sandy Saavedra blogs for LatinoNow when Levy Media turns the hard news Web site into a cheezy entertainment Web site, Nacho Papi. Becoming a pun-writing gossipmonger is not one of her goals, but Sandy dives into her job with total OMG results: a post about the Chupacabra leads to a recurring advice column (Ask the Chupacabra) and a booming sideline in related merchandise. Problem is, the source of the Chupacabra craze is a little bit off, didn't sign a release form, and has a personal connection to Sandy's beloved late great aunt Linda. Then Sandy's outed as the author of her anonymous and very personal blog, My Modern TragiComedy, leading to outraged responses from those she's skewered. Internet celebrity follows, as do the inevitable office politics and romantic troubles, and though they get more stage time than warranted, Zepeda (Houston, We Have a Problema) gives readers a funny and smart heroine that readers will easily pull for, even in the dull bits."
The rules: Enter by leaving a comment to this post with your email (if I can't contact you, you can't win). You can gain additional entries by leaving separate comments letting me know that you're a follower or have posted a link to the giveaway on your site. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm Pacific on February 13. Winners will be selected at random. Since this is from Hachette the winners must have mailing addresses in the US or Canada; no PO Boxes.
author guest post: gwendolyn zepeda
As part of her tour for the fantastic Lone Star Legend, Gwen Zepeda took the time to answer my query about her experience of going from blogger to published author and how that may have inspired her for Lone Star Legend.
Good question.
Like a lot of you guys online, I was a failed author before I became a blogger. I had plenty of rejection slips under my belt for short stories and magazine articles I’d written, and I only started blogging as a hobby and to get stuff off my chest – not because I thought it might one day lead to a real writing career.
I started my personal blog, Gwenworld.com, in 1997. Back then, like a lot of bloggers, I learned the hard way that nothing is really anonymous or private online and that I had to be careful about what I posted. I set a rule for myself: Never say anything online that I wouldn’t want the whole world to see. But at the same time, I saw a lot of other bloggers write really personal stuff that I’d rather die than put online, and I watched the consequences. Like a lot of writers, I’ve been tempted to start an “anonymous” blog and really let loose with my negative feelings, so I wanted to explore, through Sandy S’s character in Lone Star Legend, what it feels like to do that. Obviously, though, since I’m still blogging, I found some good things about it, too, and I let Sandy experience those aspects, too.
One of the earliest benefits of starting my blog was that I got invited to become one of the first staff writers for TelevisionWithoutPity.com. They paid me to write long recaps that made fun of various television shows. I liked writing for the site, but I always felt bad about making fun of the TV actors because I’d constantly imagine how they’d feel if they read our site. Well, Television Without Pity got really popular, and suddenly the site’s owners and staff writers became (kind of) famous. (This was back in the Internet Medieval Age, in the early 2000s.) And then the readers started talking about us the way we talked about the celebrities – as if we weren’t human beings and would never get our feelings hurt by their comments. And that shocked me and made me think about my career in new ways. So it was fun to put my main character, Sandy, through the same experience and see how she’d deal with it.
Good question.
Like a lot of you guys online, I was a failed author before I became a blogger. I had plenty of rejection slips under my belt for short stories and magazine articles I’d written, and I only started blogging as a hobby and to get stuff off my chest – not because I thought it might one day lead to a real writing career.
I started my personal blog, Gwenworld.com, in 1997. Back then, like a lot of bloggers, I learned the hard way that nothing is really anonymous or private online and that I had to be careful about what I posted. I set a rule for myself: Never say anything online that I wouldn’t want the whole world to see. But at the same time, I saw a lot of other bloggers write really personal stuff that I’d rather die than put online, and I watched the consequences. Like a lot of writers, I’ve been tempted to start an “anonymous” blog and really let loose with my negative feelings, so I wanted to explore, through Sandy S’s character in Lone Star Legend, what it feels like to do that. Obviously, though, since I’m still blogging, I found some good things about it, too, and I let Sandy experience those aspects, too.
One of the earliest benefits of starting my blog was that I got invited to become one of the first staff writers for TelevisionWithoutPity.com. They paid me to write long recaps that made fun of various television shows. I liked writing for the site, but I always felt bad about making fun of the TV actors because I’d constantly imagine how they’d feel if they read our site. Well, Television Without Pity got really popular, and suddenly the site’s owners and staff writers became (kind of) famous. (This was back in the Internet Medieval Age, in the early 2000s.) And then the readers started talking about us the way we talked about the celebrities – as if we weren’t human beings and would never get our feelings hurt by their comments. And that shocked me and made me think about my career in new ways. So it was fun to put my main character, Sandy, through the same experience and see how she’d deal with it.
review and tour: lone star legend by gwendolyn zepeda
Sandy writes for an online magazine that has just been bought out by a company that focuses more on trashy gossip. Sandy isn’t thrilled (and her boyfriend, a grad student, is appalled), but she needs to pay the rent on the garage apartment at her mom’s. Sandy vents her frustrations about her family, boyfriend, and the job that makes her compromise herself on an anonymous blog. Except it turns out to not be so anonymous as the articles she posts for her new employer gain in popularity. Sandy has to face all those she’s hurt, including a wonderful man named Jaime who never even realized how she had betrayed him until his nephew discovers what she’s done.
I loved Sandy even as she faltered; she was both flawed and wonderful—human. The format of Lone Star Legend added to my enjoyment as it combined traditional prose with Sandy’s blog posts and articles as well as reader comments.
5/5
ARC Review
Review copy provided by the publisher, Grand Central Publishing.
For this tour, I have a giveaway and guest post from the author. Some of the other participating sites do as well.
I loved Sandy even as she faltered; she was both flawed and wonderful—human. The format of Lone Star Legend added to my enjoyment as it combined traditional prose with Sandy’s blog posts and articles as well as reader comments.
5/5
ARC Review
Review copy provided by the publisher, Grand Central Publishing.
For this tour, I have a giveaway and guest post from the author. Some of the other participating sites do as well.
startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com
bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
justanothernewblog.blogspot.com
buuklvr81.blogspot.com
metroreader.blogspot.com
madeleineatbooksandphotos.com
bookconfessions.com
psychoticstate.blogspot.com
rundpinne.blogspot.com
myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
ilratb.blogspot.com
jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com
brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
haleymathiot.blogspot.com
geekgirlreviews.com
froggaritavillesbookcase.blogspot.com
bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
justanothernewblog.blogspot.com
buuklvr81.blogspot.com
metroreader.blogspot.com
madeleineatbooksandphotos.com
bookconfessions.com
psychoticstate.blogspot.com
rundpinne.blogspot.com
myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
ilratb.blogspot.com
jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com
brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
haleymathiot.blogspot.com
geekgirlreviews.com
froggaritavillesbookcase.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
review and tour: a highlander's destiny by melissa mayhue
A Highlander’s Destiny, the fifth in Melissa Mayhue’s Highlander series, begins slowly by introducing the three components of the story: Adira, who has kidnapped Leah in order to drink her blood, which will keep Adira young; Destiny, who wants desperately to find her sister Leah; and Jesse, who Destiny contacts to help locate her sister. The pace soon picks up so that the pursuit is quite intense by the end. Although the most basic element of the story is everyone’s connection to the Faerie world, the magical elements are rare; there’s a lot of focus on Destiny and Jesse’s budding relationship and why each is hesitant to pursue it.
Since this is a romance, I expected Jesse and Destiny to connect; but I was disappointed at how quickly Destiny fell into bed with Jesse. Thankfully Destiny redeemed herself by refusing to sit around helpless while the men tried to rescue her sister. In fact, Destiny does a better job at finding and rescuing Leah than the men. I wish Destiny and Leah would’ve had a little more time at the end to discuss the revelation about their family tree before A Highlander’s Destiny wrapped up.
3/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Pocket Books.
The other participating tour sites:
brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
rundpinne.blogspot.com
renees-reads.blogspot.com
seductivemusings.blogspot.com
bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com
mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com
frugalplus.com
bookbookseverywhere.blogspot.com
brokenteepee.blogspot.com
bridget3420.blogspot.com
juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com
mgpblog.com
justanothernewblog.blogspot.com
myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com
bibliophilicbookblog.com
molcotw.blogspot.com
abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com
booksoulmates.blogspot.com
thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com
mindingspot.blogspot.com
betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com
martasmeanderings.blogspot.com
chaoticbookobbsession.blogspot.com
saveyspender.com
booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com
Since this is a romance, I expected Jesse and Destiny to connect; but I was disappointed at how quickly Destiny fell into bed with Jesse. Thankfully Destiny redeemed herself by refusing to sit around helpless while the men tried to rescue her sister. In fact, Destiny does a better job at finding and rescuing Leah than the men. I wish Destiny and Leah would’ve had a little more time at the end to discuss the revelation about their family tree before A Highlander’s Destiny wrapped up.
3/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Pocket Books.
The other participating tour sites:
brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
rundpinne.blogspot.com
renees-reads.blogspot.com
seductivemusings.blogspot.com
bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com
mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com
frugalplus.com
bookbookseverywhere.blogspot.com
brokenteepee.blogspot.com
bridget3420.blogspot.com
juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com
mgpblog.com
justanothernewblog.blogspot.com
myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com
bibliophilicbookblog.com
molcotw.blogspot.com
abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com
booksoulmates.blogspot.com
thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com
mindingspot.blogspot.com
betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com
martasmeanderings.blogspot.com
chaoticbookobbsession.blogspot.com
saveyspender.com
booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
sharonsgardenofbookreviews.blogspot.com
Monday, January 25, 2010
review and tour: gentlemen prefer succubi by jill myles
This post contains affiliate links.
Jill Myles dives right into the action (and it is explicitly dirty action) with her debut, Gentlemen Prefer Succubi, the first in a series about Jackie Brighton, a frumpy museum docent recently turned sexy succubus. Myles puts a great twist on fallen angel and vampire lore, which all gets explained to Jackie (and the reader) as she comes to terms with her new immortality. Even though she has another succubus to guide her, Jackie makes some rookie mistakes which propel the exciting plot that includes a major showdown between the angel Uriel (who tricked Jackie) and Vampire Queen Nitocris with Jackie caught in the middle. Every chapter provides a thrill that makes it impossible to put the book down. I’m looking forward to the recently released sequel, Succubi Like It Hot.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Pocket Star Books.
Other sites participating in the tour:
bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com
redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com
thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com
bookseriesreviews.blogspot.com
dreyslibrary.blogspot.com
myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
mandyfish-reads.blogspot.com
hip2bhomeschooling.blogspot.com
bookbookseverywhere.blogspot.com
maryinhb.blogspot.com
cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com
bridget3420.blogspot.com
myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com
juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com
mgpblog.com
jensbooktalk.blogspot.com
brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com
fayeflamereviews.blogspot.com
booksoulmates.blogspot.com
suchalush.blogspot.com
mindingspot.blogspot.com
parajunkee.blogspot.com
kballard87.blogspot.com
readingwithtequila.blogspot.com
scifiguy.ca
templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com
bibliophilicbookblog.com
Friday, January 22, 2010
giveaway: a black tie affair
This post contains affiliate links.
As part of Sherrill Bodine's tour for A Black Tie Affair, Hachette has provided five copies to giveaway!
Please read my review and the below publisher description.
"Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family's couture collection for her exhibit. So she's thrilled when she's called in to authenticate the gowns...until she falls ill while examining them and wakes up face-to-face with notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.
Drew doesn't trust Athena one bit. He still believes she betrayed him years ago. So when his family's gowns go missing and Athena offers her help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. But they're both taken off guard by the barely restrained passion that's still between them...and the memories that are both bitter and sweet. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks between them?"
The rules: Enter by leaving a comment to this post with your email (if I can't contact you, you can't win). You can gain additional entries by leaving separate comments letting me know that you're a follower or have posted a link to the giveaway on your site. The deadline to enter is 11:59pm Pacific on February 6. Winners will be selected at random. Since this is from Hachette the winners must have mailing addresses in the US or Canada; no PO Boxes.
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