Monday, November 28, 2016

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Link-up


Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Life as Leels | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksCinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Mother Distracted | Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings
Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeDeal Sharing Aunt | Rambling Reviews 


For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x



ABIGAIL: THE BELLE OF BRAVERY by Erin Weidemann

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Book Information
  • Series: The Adventures of Rooney Cruz
  • Hardcover: 49 pages
  • Publisher: Bible Belles (November 10, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0996168931
  • ISBN-13: 978-0996168939

Synopsis: The adventure continues in Book Three of the Bible Belles series, as Rooney faces her biggest challenge yet. With the help of her angel Mari, Rooney has learned that she has two real superpowers: prayer and patience. After a tough afternoon with her brother and some neighborhood kids, Rooney is faced with a difficult choice: can she be brave enough to do the right thing? Through the story of Abigail, Rooney learns that she can call upon the courage of God to boldly face any problem with the confidence that He will see her through it. Join Rooney and Mari on another exciting adventure to becoming the best kind of superhero—a Bible Belle!




Review:  This is the third book in this series, following up Hannah and Estther--and it will be followed by books about Ruth and Deborah. The books not only tell the story of the Biblical woman, they also show how their particular quality applies in the life of a modern young girl, Rooney Cruz. I enjoyed the fact Rooney has her guardian angel, Mari, to teach her about the Biblical heroines.

 The illustrations are beautiful, the story is perfectly written for an elementary school girl, and it is just the right length to keep from losing a child's interest.  If you have a young girl in your life, I highly recommend introducing her to The Bible Belles!

 **I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book with no expectation of a positive review . All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Five stars

Q&A with Erin Weidemann

Why did you create Bible Belles? 
As a teacher and sports coach for the past several years, I’ve watched many girls struggle with insecurity, comparison, and trying to measure up to the world’s standard of beauty. Girls are bombarded by media, by each other, by negative influences telling them what they need to be to be beautiful. It’s time to do something about it. Our girls need real heroes, and parents need a weapon to battle back against all the noise. We created Bible Belles to help the next generation of girls connect to the female heroes of the Bible, to celebrate women whose inner beauty God used for a mighty purpose. The word “belle” means “beautiful”, and our mission is to highlight women who exhibited qualities like prayer, patience, bravery, loyalty, and leadership so that our girls can grow their character and become the beautiful heroes that God created them to be. 

The first series is called The Adventures of Rooney Cruz. Tell us about the main character. Rooney Cruz is a regular, nine­year­old girl who is struggling through the problems that girls face today: friendships, intimidation, lack of confidence, misunderstanding her own worth, comparing herself to other girls and more. She is the link between the biblical story and the modern application. In each book, she faces a modern day problem, and she gets the opportunity to look in on the story of a Belle who is experiencing a similar problem. She sees that each Belle has been gifted with a superpower: a special ability that allows her to positively approach the problem she faces. As she journeys through the series, Rooney comes to realize that, just like the Bible Belles, she is a true hero who possesses each of the spiritual “superpowers” that these women possessed. She will use them in her own life as she accepts and begins to serve the unique purpose that God laid out for her. 

Tell us about Abigail and why you chose her for the series? 
In the first book, Hannah, our focus was on prayer and how real and honest communication is the first step in developing a meaningful relationship with God. Esther is the second Belle in the series and she represents taking the next step: properly preparing for God to speak into our lives and then taking action according to His timing, not our own. It’s inevitable that once a relationship is established, it will face conflict. After Hannah and Esther comes Abigail. After her husband is rude and disrespectful to David and his soldiers, Abigail faces a dangerous and difficult choice. It would have been very easy for her to ignore the problem or be too scared to do anything about it. Instead, Abigail remembers that God was with her. She thinks about how to protect her family and show David and his men love and kindness at the same time. She considers everyone involved in the problem, and she chooses to solve it with a warm heart and solid thinking. Our hope is that, through the story of Abigail, our girls would feel confident and excited to make good choices, no matter what challenges they face. 

Why is bravery such an important quality? 
We want our girls to feel strong and excited to make good choices. We want them to boldly confront the challenges they face, and trusting God is the key. When they find themselves in scary or uncomfortable situations, or when they feel like they're alone in the dark, they need to hold onto the truth: God is with them, and He can make them brave. The world will tell them they don’t have to stand up, that it’s okay to give in, to do what’s easy, to let fear stop their action. The right choice is often the most difficult one, and it’s time to raise up a generation of girls who are not afraid to do what’s right (or who are afraid and will do it anyway!). They will make A Different Kind Of Noise because they know and trust the Lord. Bravery isn't about overcoming our fears alone. It's about remembering how strong and powerful God is. When we remember that, we realize that there is absolutely nothing to fear. 

About the author
 photo 14054269_zps3jhkij1k.jpg Erin Weidemann is a teacher turned professional author. A former college athlete, Erin is also a five­time cancer survivor. She lives in Encinitas, California with her husband Brent and their daughter Rooney. Alongside her husband, she is the co­founder of Bible Belles, an organization committed to inspiring girls to discover real beauty through the female heroes of the Bible. Erin is also the host of the award­winning Heroes For Her podcast, available on iTunes.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Cat Got Your Diamonds (A Kitty Couture Mystery) by Julie Chase

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Cat Got Your Diamonds: A Kitty Couture Mystery

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (November 15, 2016)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1629538426
E-Book ASIN: B01H082DOU

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Synopsis: Grandeur and opulence are everything in the famed New Orleans Garden District where pets are family and no bling is too big. Opening Furry Godmother, pet boutique and organic treat bakery, is Lacy Marie Crocker’s dream come true–until the glitter gun used to make her Shih Tzu tutus becomes a murder weapon. And Lacy becomes public enemy #1.

Now Detective Jack Oliver is hounding Lacy, and her Furry Godmother investor wants out before his name is tarnished by association. To make matters worse, a string of jewel heists with suspicious ties to the murder case has New Orleans residents on edge. To save her dream, Lacy must take a stand, put her keen eyes to work, and unravel what really happened at her shop that night. But can Lacy sniff out the killer cat burglar in time to get her tail-raising designs on the catwalk?

Review: What's not to love about this story? You get the fabulous setting of New Orleans, with all its culture and history, plus a main character who runs a pet boutique and bakery. Then you get a murder mystery on top of that. 

I knew just from the title and the cover that I had to read this book, and once I read the synopsis I could hardly wait to dive into the story. I was most definitely not disappointed by what I found.  Lacy is a great character, and someone I'd enjoy having as a friend in real life. Several of the supporting characters are also fun and charming. 

The plot is very well developed and keeps you guessing.  Even though we know Lacy couldn't possibly be the killer, figuring out who is will be no easy task for readers.  I for one am looking forward to another visit to New Orleans and Furry Godmother very soon.

**I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Five stars


Early Praise:
“In all that New Orleans heat and glitter, there’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A fun read.”
Rita Mae Brown, New York Times bestselling author of the Sneaky Pie mystery series

“Everyone needs a Furry Godmother! A delightful new series steeped in the flavor of New Orleans and its old families. Julie Chase’s clever characters are guaranteed to make you smile.”
Krista Davis, New York Times bestselling author of the Paws & Claws mysteries

“A stunning debut… Julie Chase’s new series is a cross between Laura Childs’ Scrapbooking series and Ali Brandon’s Black Cat Bookshop. A fantastic start to what looks like a promising cozy series. Even if you are not a cat/dog lover, you will love this one!”
T. C. LoTempio, author of the national bestselling Nick and Nora mystery series.

About The Author

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Julie Chase is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). She is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyons Literary Agency. Julie also writes as Julie Anne Lindsey.

Purchase Links:

Amazon     BAM!       IndieBound
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 21, 2016

BLOG TOUR: The Time Traveller's Resort And Museum by David McLain


New Release by David McLain!

Title: The Time Traveller's Resort and Museum

Author Name: David McLain

Illustrator: Felix Eddy

Genre(s): Time Travel, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Romance, Comedy, Steampunk

Release Date: November 17, 2016

Publisher:  Mirror World Publishing 

Follow the Tour:

Review: This is a fascinating read. I felt for poor Alice at the beginning, as she had no idea she was a time traveller and had to adapt to that information as well as deal with the death of her friend Malcolm.  I love her pet, Grendel, and his little "Nark!" noises. 

Alice is on the run from the police as the prime suspect in Malcolm's murder, which makes being able to time travel a blessing in disguise, as well as a necessity in attempting to find the actual murderer.

There is a lot of humor in this story, as well as mystery and adventure.  You will find a lot of historical periods throughout the story, as well as a cute romance. It is a little lengthy, but it is well worth the read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this novel, with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. 

Rating: Five stars

About The Time Traveller's Resort and Museum:

“If you need to know men's secrets
Or if there's something you need to find 
If you want to see the dinosaurs 
Or the insides of your mind.
If you want to watch the earth begin,
Or see what the apocalypse will leave behind,
You need to thank Alice Anderson,
For Alice is the mother of time.”

That was how the rhyme went. Every time traveler knew it. Everyone that is, except of course, for Alice herself, since she hadn’t invented time travel yet. Since returning to London, Alice’s life has been turned upside down. She’s been accused of murder and lost her position in the scientific community. Her only ally in this journey is a strange man who seems to think that Alice may be about to open up a strange new world of possibilities, but is probably not telling her everything he knows.

Read an Excerpt:

“Hello,” Alice said, with a certain degree of reluctant enthusiasm.

“You sound American,” an annoyed voice on the other end of the line said.

Alice dropped her bag. “I've been in New York for three years,” Alice said. “You're lucky I don't sound like I'm from the Bronx.”

It was Alice's sister, Wendy, giving what by her standards was a remarkably warm and friendly greeting. “You're lucky I don't steal your passport while you’re here and force you to teach Electrical Engineering at the University of the Orkneys. Electrical Engineering, that's what you do, isn't it?”

“You do realize that I just spent an entire evening in a metal tube, sitting on a very small seat that appeared to have been made from rocks confiscated from terrorists at security?”

“Terrorists use rocks these days?”

“Well, they're harder to spot going through metal detectors, aren't they?”

Ending a sentence with a question apparently sounded appropriately British and Wendy seemed to ease up a little.

“How was the flight, then?” she asked.

“I believe I aged three years,” Alice answered, looking for the way to the exit. “Do you want to have a drink?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“In America, it's considered polite to ask.”

“I believe that the University of the Orkneys has early tenure.”

Wendy took pride in her absolute loathing of all things American. She saw Alice's decampment to New York as nothing less than a complete betrayal.

“Would you mind if we met in at my hotel?” Alice asked, trying to sound as if this were a polite request and not a desperate plea.

“I don't know,” Wendy said. “There aren't going to be a lot of randy outer-space types there, are there?”

“It's an astronomy conference,” Alice insisted. “Not a Sci-Fi convention.”

There was the unmistakable sound of pursing lips on the other end of the phone. “What hotel are you staying at?” Wendy asked.

“The Kensington.”

Wendy thought about it. “I'll meet you, but let's meet somewhere else. There's a pub down that way that I've had my eye on.”

“Wendy–”

“I have to drive in all the way from Brixton. You can walk a hundred metres out of the hotel lobby.”

Alice sighed. She decided not to point out that in fact she had come quite a bit farther than hundred meters. “What's the name of the place?” she asked.

“The Gristle and Thorn,” Wendy said.

Alice spotted the word “EXIT” on the far side of the hall. “Couldn't find any place with a ghastlier name? Was the ‘Skull and Crossbones’ already booked?”

“Just meet me,” Wendy insisted, and for a moment, she did her best to sound kind. “I've missed you.”

It has been said that all journeys begin with a single step, and while it might seem that Alice's journey began all the way back at JFK, in actuality the first step of Alice's journey began with a decision. It was not a big decision, not the kind of thing that would strike a historian as a significant chapter in the decline and fall of the Western Empire, but for Alice Anderson, it was the equivalent of crossing the Rubicon. It was the simplest thing really – a choice of restaurants.

“The Gristle and Thorn it is,” Alice said, picking up her bag again and shuffling through the crowd.


Meet the Author:

David McLain is the author of the two novels: Dragonbait, and The Life of a Thief. His stories have been published in the anthologies Metastasis, Penny Dread II, and the Doctor Who Anthology Time Shadows, as well as over two dozen magazines. He has been featured on NPR's Off the Page and the History of England podcast. He lives in New York.

Connect with David McLain: 






Meet the Illustrator: 

Felix Eddy graduated Magnum Cum Laude from Alfred University. She is the author and illustrator of A Bestiary Alphabet, and has illustrated several book covers and children's books. You can find out more about her at www.felixeddy.com


Purchase Links:

MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING: 




AMAZON.COM: 

AMAZON.CA: 

KOBO: 

BARNES & NOBLE: 

Chapters.Indigo: 

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Link Up


Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Life as Leels | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksCinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Mother Distracted | Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings
Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeDeal Sharing Aunt | Rambling Reviews 


For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x



Saturday, November 19, 2016

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

The Other Einstein
By Marie Benedict
October 18, 2016; 
Hardcover, 
ISBN 9781492637257

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Book Info:
Title: The Other Einstein
Author: Marie Benedict
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark


Praise for The Other Einstein
October 2016 Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick!
PopSugar’s “25 Books You’re Going to Curl Up with this Fall”
“The Other Einstein takes you into Mileva’s heart, mind, and study as she tries to forge a place for herself in a scientific world dominated by men.”– Bustle
“…an ENGAGING and THOUGHT PROVOKING fictional telling of the poignant story of an overshadowed woman scientist.”– Booklist
“...INTIMATE and IMMERSIVE historical novel....
Prepare to be moved by this provocative history of a woman whose experiences will resonate with today’s readers.”– Library Journal, Editors' Fall Picks
“Many will enjoy Benedict’s feminist views and be fascinated by the life of an almost unknown woman.”– RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
“Benedict's debut novel carefully traces Mileva's life—from studious schoolgirl to bereaved mother—with attention paid to the conflicts between personal goals and social conventions. An intriguing… reimagining of one of the strongest intellectual partnerships of the 19th century.” Kirkus
“In her compelling novel… Benedict makes a strong case that the brilliant woman behind [Albert Einstein] was integral to his success, and creates a rich historical portrait in the process.” Publishers Weekly
Summary:
A vivid and mesmerizing novel about the extraordinary woman who married and worked with one of the greatest scientists in history.

What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? His first wife, Mileva “Mitza” Maric, was more than the devoted mother of their three children—she was also a brilliant physicist in her own right, and her contributions to the special theory of relativity have been hotly debated for more than a century.

But as Albert’s fame grows, so too does Mileva’s worry that her light will be lost in her husband’s shadow forever. A literary historical in the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. PoeThe Other Einstein reveals a complicated partnership that is as fascinating as it is troubling.
Review: ATTENTION: Although the characters in this story are real historical figures, the story itself is a work of fiction. This is not a factual biography. 

This book imagines the relationship between Albert Einstein and his first wife Mileva Maric. Mileva was a brilliant physicist, and many people feel she made significant contributions to Albert's research into the theory of relativity. This story explores that possibility.

While I enjoyed the author's writing, I had to keep reminding myself that the entire story is a work of fiction, based on presumption, what ifs and maybes.  That, for me, at least, made it difficult to immerse myself in the story. 

If you can get past the idea that this story has little to no basis in fact, then you will find it a very enjoyable read.

**I received a copy of this book with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating:  Four stars

Goodreads Link:  http://ow.ly/y83l305MKdq
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble: http://ow.ly/Ya8l305MKC6

About the Author:
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Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in history and art history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Social Media Links:

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         THE OTHER EINSTEIN
a novel
MARIE BENEDICT
PROLOGUE
August 4, 1948
62 Huttenstrasse
ZĂĽrich, Switzerland
The end is near. I feel it approaching like a dark, seductive shadow that will extinguish my remaining light. In these last minutes, I look back.
How did I lose my way? How did I lose Lieserl?
The darkness quickens. In the few moments I have left, like a meticulous archaeologist, I excavate the past for answers. I hope to learn, as I suggested long ago, if time is truly relative.
Mileva “Mitza” Marić Einstein
PART I
Every body perseveres in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a right line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed thereon.
Sir Isaac Newton
CHAPTER 1
Morning
October 20, 1896
ZĂĽrich, Switzerland
smoothed the wrinkles on my freshly pressed white blouse, flattened the bow encircling my collar, and tucked back a stray hair into my tightly wound chignon. The humid walk through the foggy ZĂĽrich streets to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic campus played with my careful grooming. The stubborn refusal of my heavy, dark hair to stay fixed in place frustrated me. I wanted every detail of the day to be perfect.
Squaring my shoulders and willing myself to be just a little taller than my regrettably tiny frame, I placed my hand on the heavy brass handle to the classroom. Etched with a Greek key design worn down from the grip of generations of students, the knob dwarfed my small, almost childlike hand. I paused. Turn the knob and push the door open, I told myself. You can do this. Crossing this threshold is nothing new. You have passed over the supposedly insurmountable divide between male and female in countless classrooms before. And always succeeded.
Still, I hesitated. I knew all too well that, while the first step is the hardest, the second isn’t much easier. In that moment, little more than a breath, I could almost hear Papa urging me on. “Be bold,” Papa would whisper in our native, little-used Serbian tongue. “You are a mudra glava. A wise one. In your heart beats the blood of bandits, our brigand Slavic ancestors who used any means to get their due. Go get your due, Mitza. Go get your due.”
I could never disappoint him.
I twisted the knob and swung the door wide open. Six faces stared back at me: five dark-suited students and one black-robed professor. Shock and some disdain registered on their pale faces. Nothing—not even rumors—had prepared these men for actually seeing a woman in their ranks. They almost looked silly with their eyes bulging and their jaws dropping, but I knew better than to laugh. I willed myself to pay their expressions no heed, to ignore the doughy faces of my fellow students, who were desperately trying to appear older than their eighteen years with their heavily waxed mustaches.
A determination to master physics and mathematics brought me to the Polytechnic, not a desire to make friends or please others. I reminded myself of this simple fact as I steeled myself to face my instructor.
Professor Heinrich Martin Weber and I looked at each other. Long-nosed, heavily browed, and meticulously bearded, the renowned physics professor’s intimidating appearance matched his reputation.
I waited for him to speak. To do anything else would have been perceived as utter impertinence. I could not afford another such mark against my character, since my mere presence at the Polytechnic was considered impertinent by many. I walked a fine line between my insistence on this untrodden path and the conformity still demanded of me.
“You are?” he asked as if he weren’t expecting me, as if he’d never heard of me.
“Miss Mileva Marić, sir.” I prayed my voice didn’t quaver.
Very slowly, Weber consulted his class list. Of course, he knew precisely who I was. Since he served as head of the physics and mathematics program, and given that only four women had ever been admitted before me, I had to petition him directly to enter the first year of the four-year program, known as Section Six. He had approved my entrance himself! The consultation of the class list was a blatant and calculating move, telegraphing his opinion of me to the rest of the class. It gave them license to follow suit.
“The Miss Marić from Serbia or some Austro-Hungarian country of that sort?” he asked without glancing up, as if there could possibly be another Miss Marić in Section Six, one who hailed from a more respectable location. By his query, Weber made his views on Slavic eastern European peoples perfectly clear—that we, as dark foreigners, were somehow inferior to the Germanic peoples of defiantly neutral Switzerland. It was yet another preconception I would have to disprove in order to succeed. As if being the only woman in Section Six—only the fifth to ever be admitted into the physics and mathematics program—wasn’t enough.
“Yes, sir.”
“You may take your seat,” he finally said and gestured toward the empty chair. It was my luck that the only remaining seat was the farthest away from his podium. “We have already begun.”
Begun? The class was not designated to start for another fifteen minutes. Were my classmates told something I wasn’t? Had they conspired to meet early? I wanted to ask but didn’t. Argument would only fuel the fires against me. Anyway, it didn’t matter. I would simply arrive fifteen minutes earlier tomorrow. And earlier and earlier every morning if I needed to. I would not miss a single word of Weber’s lectures. He was wrong if he thought an early start would deter me. I was my father’s daughter.
Nodding at Weber, I stared at the long walk from the door to my chair and, out of habit, calculated the number of steps it would take me to cross the room. How best to manage the distance? With my first step, I tried to keep my gait steady and hide my limp, but the drag of my lame foot echoed through the classroom. On impulse, I decided not to mask it at all. I displayed plainly for all my colleagues to see the deformity that marked me since birth.
Clomp and drag. Over and over. Eighteen times until I reached my chair. Here I am, gentlemen, I felt like I was saying with each lug of my lame foot. Take a gander; get it over with.
Perspiring from the effort, I realized the classroom was completely silent. They were waiting for me to settle, and perhaps embarrassed by my limp or my sex or both, they kept their eyes averted.
All except one.
To my right, a young man with an unruly mop of dark brown curls stared at me. Uncharacteristically, I met his gaze. But even when I looked at him head-on, challenging him to mock me and my efforts, his half-lidded eyes did not look away. Instead, they crinkled at the corners as he smiled through the dark shadow cast by his mustache. A grin of great bemusement, even admiration.
Who did he think he was? What did he mean by that look?
I had no time to make sense of him as I sat down in my seat. Reaching into my bag, I withdrew paper, ink, and pen and readied for Weber’s lecture. I would not let the bold, insouciant glance of a privileged classmate rattle me. I looked straight ahead at the instructor, still aware of my classmate’s gaze upon me, but acted oblivious.
Weber, however, was not so single-minded. Or so forgiving. Staring at the young man, the professor cleared his throat, and when the young man still did not redirect his eyes toward the podium, he said, “I will have the attention of the entire classroom. This is your first and final warning, Mr. Einstein.”

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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Where Jesus Slept by Norma Lewis (author) and Katy Hudson (illustrator) #WhereJesusSlept #flyby

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About the book:
“This is the bed where Jesus slept. This is the straw that lined the bed where Jesus slept.” From here, the story builds with each spread, adding a new element and explaining the relationships among the participants and witnesses to the first Christmas. From Jesus sleeping sweetly to the wise men bringing gifts, this charming book reminds readers young and not-so-young of the joyous event we celebrate at Christmastime. Children will love the delightful illustrations and the engaging repetition in this cumulative tale.

Format: jacketed hardcover
Trim size: 10x10
Page count: 32
Retail price: $16.99
Reading age: 4-7

My Review: This is a sweet Christmas story, written in the same form as The House That Jack Built. The continued repetition of the text makes it easy for small children to catch on and perhaps repeat some of it with the adult reader each time it repeats. 


The illustrations are marvelous. They are very eye-catching, and perfectly illustrate the text on each page without appearing too busy.

My only complaint with the story is that Joseph is never mentioned, and isn't even pictured until the next to the last page of the book. Other than that, it is a book that could easily become part of the family tradition of Christmas.

**I accepted a copy of this book from Flyby Promotions with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

My Rating: Five stars

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About the author Norma Lewis is the author of ten books. She lives in Grand Haven, MI, with a marmalade cat named Scalawag. They both love spending time with her six grandchildren, ranging in age from three to twenty.

About the illustrator
Katy was raised in Middlesbrough and started her Illustration career as a small child drawing on freshly emulsioned walls around the house! Her parents quickly dissuaded this medium and encouraged drawing with pencil and paper instead.

The idea stuck (the pencil was updated to an ink pot and pen in some cases) and after some lovely time at Art College and a degree in Illustration Katy is now a freelance Illustrator working at a desk in an old London library.


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Deadly Dog Days (Dog Days Mystery #1) by Jamie Blair

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Deadly Dog Days (A Dog Days Mystery)
by Jamie M. Blair

Series: A Dog Days Mystery (Book 1)
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (November 8, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-0738750187
E-Book ASIN: B01APSYPTS


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Synopsis: New to the historic town of Metamora, Indiana, Cameron Cripps-Hayman is looking to make friends with her neighbors. What she isn’t looking for is one of their bodies floating in the canal. 
When she and her estranged husband, the town sheriff, are both named suspects for the murder, Cameron takes solving the crime into her own hands, teaming up with her eccentric co-workers who dub themselves The Metamora Action Agency. 
As if hunting for a murderer with two high school geniuses, the town drunk, and an elderly kleptomaniac isn’t hard enough, Cameron adopts the five mangy guard dogs of her deceased neighbor. But maybe a stint at playing gatekeeper is just what she needs to come face-to-face with the killer and save another neighbor from being the next victim.
Review: I fell in love with this book almost from the first sentence. The author has a writing style which drew me in, made the characters all seem real, and had me turning pages quickly to find out what was going to happen next.

Cameron definitely has a lot going on in her life. She is trying to figure out whether or not she wants to save her marriage, she is running a phone bank to sell tickets to a musical the town hopes will boost their tourism, and she is battling with her mother-in-law over the family home. Then she finds a body in the canal and adds more to her to-do list, especially when she adopts the victims five dogs--and discovers she and her husband are both on the suspect list. And let's not forget her stepdaughter, who is full of attitude, is staying with her, as is Cameron's sister.

All of the characters are very realistically written....some of them remind me a great deal of people I know. I look forward to getting to know these folks better as the series continues, and to see how the relationships change and grow. 

The mystery is also very well-developed and kept me guessing up until the final reveal, which is just the way I like my mysteries.

Highly recommend this book to all cozy lovers!!
Rating: Four stars
 photo UXZAiB88_400x400_zpsl1rh40ya.jpgAbout the author
Jamie Blair (Ohio) is the award-winning author of young adult and romance books, including Leap of Faith (Simon & Schuster, 2013) and Lost to Me. Visit her online at www.JamieBlairAuthor.com and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamieMBlair

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