2017 Literary Escapes Challenges--January Update

Challenge – Try to read 1 book set in each of the 50 states + the District of Columbia. (51 Points). If you complete the challenge you earn 50 Bonus Points. You also can earn Bonus Points for books set in Countries around the world. 1 Bonus Point for each country. (No repeats – only 1 point can be earned for each country.) Your books can be fiction or non-fiction and can be in any format, print, digital, audio. 

See my Google Map here

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California--Scheduled To Death by Mary Feliz

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia--Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich

Florida--Child's Play by Merry Jones

Georgia--15 Minutes by Larissa Reinhart

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas--Brake Failure by Alison Brodie

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine--Telling Tails by Sofie Ryan

Maryland

Massachusetts--The Witch And The Dead by Heather Blake

Michigan--My Perfect Imperfections by Jalpa Williby

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas--Say Goodbye For Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming


Canada--Holiday Hangover by Kathi Daley

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: 15 Minutes by Larissa Reinhart

15 Minutes: A Maizie Albright Star Detective Humorous Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Past Perfect Press (January 24, 2017)
Paperback: 341 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0997885323
E-Book ASIN: B01N77ZK94

Synopsis: #10days #findthewoman #getthejob #doNOTfallinlove

When ex-teen star Maizie Albright returns to her Southern hometown of Black Pine, Georgia, she hoped to rid herself of Hollywood tabloid and reality show hell for a new career as a private investigator. Instead, Hollyweird follows her home. Maizie’s costar crushing, but now for her gumshoe boss. Her stage-monster mother still demands screen time. Her latest rival wants her kicked off the set, preferably back to a California prison.

By entangling herself in a missing person's case, she must reprise her most famous role. The job will demand a performance of a lifetime. But this time, the stakes are real and may prove deadly.

Review: This new series is a great mix of Hollywood with Southern charm. Maizie is constantly getting herself into one predicament after another. She has to deal with people from her Hollywood life intruding on what she had hoped would be a quiet life in Georgia. And she has a HUGE addiction to donuts!

This story is totally unpredictable with lots of twists and turns. The big reveal of the killer was a major surprise that I never saw coming. Can't wait to see what the future holds for Maizie!

Rating: Four stars

About the author

A 2015 Georgia Author of the Year Best Mystery finalist, Larissa writes the Cherry Tucker Mystery and Maizie Albright Star Detective series. The first book in the Cherry Tucker series, Portrait of a Dead Guy, is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, 2012 The Emily finalist, and 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. Her books have also been nominated for Georgia Author of the Year and the Silver Falchion Award. She loves books, food, and travel. 

Her family and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit, live in Nagoya, Japan, but they still call Georgia home. You can see them on HGTV’s House Hunters International “Living for the Weekend in Nagoya” episode. Visit her website, find her chatting on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads, and sign up for her newsletter at http://smarturl.it/larissanewsletter.

If you enjoy her books, please leave a review. She sends you virtual hugs and undying gratitude for your support!

Social Media Links:

Webpage – http://larissareinhart.com/

Newsletter signup: http://smarturl.it/larissanewsletter

Official: http://www.facebook.com/RisWrites

Friend me: https://www.facebook.com/larissareinhartwriter

Watch me: http://instagram.com/larissareinhart

Follow me: https://twitter.com/LarissaReinhart

Pin me: http://pinterest.com/LarissaReinhart/

Read with me: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5806614.Larissa_Reinhart

Chat with me: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysteryminions/

Link to our House Hunters International episode: http://www.hgtv.com/shows/house-hunters-international/episodes/living-for-the-weekend-in-nagoya-japan#episode-tunein

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NEW YEAR--NEW NOVELS Book Blast

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links!

Novels Available for Pre-Order!

WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR - NEW NOVELS BLAST! 

      

Novels Currently Available!

    

      

Enter the Giveaway

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Want to learn more about RABT Book Tours? 

www.readingaddictionvbt.com

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
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 

Sunday

Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Deal Sharing Aunt

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

SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW by Catherine Ryan Hyde

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (December 13, 2016)
• ISBN-10: 1503939448
• ISBN-13: 978-1503939448
• 
  

Synopsis: On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African American father and son.

When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts soon find refuge in one another. Lucy never thought she’d make connections again, never mind fall in love. Pete never imagined he’d find friends as loyal as Justin and the dog. But these four people aren’t allowed to be friends, much less a family, when the whole town turns violently against them.

With heavy hearts, Dr. Lucy and Pete say goodbye to Calvin and Justin. But through the years they keep hope alive…waiting for the world to catch up with them.

Review: This is a very emotional story, on so many levels. Each of the major characters has something in their life that makes you hurt for them, and makes you hope they will find their happy ending.

The setting and culture of 1959 Texas are so well described by the author that you feel you are right there with the characters in every situation. I truly enjoyed watching Pete grow and mature throughout the book--even though the book synopsis focuses on Lucy and Calvin, I saw Pete as the main character and his story as the one that brought all the others together.  His relationship with Prince, the wolf-dog, held a few surprises which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love reading everything from this author!  I received a copy of this book from Booksparks, with no obligation to post a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer. She is the author of Pay It Forward, which was adapted into a major motion picture. She is also the founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation. As a professional public speaker she has addressed the National Conference on Education, spoken at Cornell University, met with Americorps members at the White House and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. For more information on Catherine visit catherineryanhyde.com

BLOG TOUR: The Three Kitties That Saved My Life by Michael Meyer

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Memoir

• Print Length: 137 pages
• Publisher: Pacific Books (January 10, 2014)
• Publication Date: January 10, 2014
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 148408344X
• ISBN-13: 978-1484083444

Synopsis: "This is like drinking tea and honey on a cold day."

FINALIST for the 2014 RONE AWARD

A True Romance Memoir

Love was then.

Love is now.

Love is forever.

When tragedy struck, I thought for sure that my own life was at an end. I was wrong. This is the true story of how love once again brought romance and laughter back into my life.

If you love reading feel-good memoirs, then don't miss THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE, where "Mike Meyer pens a tender tale of love, loss, and renewal. The depth of emotion is palpable...The Three Kitties will tug at readers' heartstrings, as they ride through the emotional highs and lows of Mike Meyer's remarkable story." - InD'tale Magazine

Review: This is an extraordinary memoir that touches a variety of emotions in the reader. The author loses his wife to a rare form of cancer and feels lost without her. He becomes something of a hermit until one day a little kitten named Coco enters his life and his compassionate nature requires him to keep him. This kitten helps him work through his grief and be able to move on with his life.

The next Kitty who comes into his life is human, and she eventually becomes his wife. Then they decide to get a companion for Coco, who is named PomPom, completing their family.

This book starts as a story of loss and hopelessness and ends as a story of love and hope. I highly recommend it as a quick feel good read.

Rating: Four stars

About the author

As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, Michael Meyer now lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.

Contact Information

Website: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005E7M8CW

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMeyersWritingLife?ref=stream

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/temmike/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/674626.Mike_Meyer

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Kitties-That-Saved-Life-ebook/dp/B00CGND93E/ref=la_B005E7M8CW_1_1_twi_kin_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480307548&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-three-kitties-that-saved-my-life-michael-meyer/1115440516?ean=9781501446306

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-three-kitties-that-saved-my-life-true-inspirational-romance

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id899587594

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
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry
Saturday
3 Partners in Shopping | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings 

Sunday

Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Deal Sharing Aunt

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

Holiday Hangover (Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery #23) by Kathi Daley

BOOK INFORMATION

• Series: Zoe Donovan Mystery
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 6, 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1540302253
• ISBN-13: 978-1540302250

Synopsis: In this snowy cozy mystery, Zak's is asked to track down the source of the breach for the surveillance system at a remote ski resort in the Canadian Rockies. Scooter is away with his dad leaving Zoe feeling depressed and deflated so Zak asks Zoe to go along on the trip. With Levi and Ellie away as well, Zoe decides to join Zak only to find that the sleuthing couple has really been invited to the resort to solve a murder. Join Zak, Zoe, Alex, and Charlie as they juggle fun-filled days on the slopes with theory building sessions as they attempt to track down a killer.

Review: Another great adventure for Zoe, Zak and Alex--along with Charlie. They travel to the Canadian Rockies for a ski holiday before Christmas, and to help solve a murder. 

I love the detail Kathi goes into about the resort and its decorations for the holiday.  The village sounds like a great place to visit, for sure. 

Once again, Kathi keeps us guessing with the murder mystery until the very end, and then wraps it all up in a very believable manner. Looking forward to finding out how Levi and Ellie's relationship grows and evolves, especially after the baby arrives. Also hoping that Zoe and Zak's family will be growing soon!!

Rating: Five stars

About the author

Author of the Zoe Donovan cozy Mystery Series, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery series, Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Series, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Cozy Mystery Series. 

Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

Kathi lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken and dog Echo. When she's not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.

Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with. 

Visit Kathi Daley:

Blog - http://kathidaleyblog.com 

Facebook at Kathi Daley Books, www.facebook.com/kathidaleybooks 

Kathi Daley Teen - www.facebook.com/kathidaleyteen 

Kathi Daley Books Group Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/569578823146850/

Kathi Daley Books Birthday Club- get a book on your birthday - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1040638412628912/ 

Kathi Daley Recipe Exchange - https://www.facebook.com/groups/752806778126428/ 

Webpage - www.kathidaley.com 

E-mail - kathidaley@kathidaley.com 

Recipe Submission E-mail - kathidaleyrecipes@kathidaley.com 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278377.Kathi_Daley

Twitter at Kathi Daley@kathidaley - https://twitter.com/kathidaley 

Tumblr - http://kathidaleybooks.tumblr.com/

Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/kathidaley/ 

For weekly updates and contests sign up for her newsletter The Daley Weekly at (http://eepurl.com/NRPDf)or by accessing the link on her Facebook page or website.

BLOG TOUR:Camp 80 by Lee DuCote

BOOK INFORMATION

Fiction Humor

Date Published: 8/22/2016

Publisher: Grave Distractions Publication  

Synopsis: What do you get when six retirees attend an orientation trip before moving into Cedar Branch Retirement Community?  A week of outlandish fiasco’s, hilarious revenge, memorable tears, and most important . . . laughter.  Derrick St. Clair, a social worker for CBC, has led many trips for the eccentric community but never experienced a trip like this.  One thing, of many, that Derrick didn’t expect was to fall in love with co-worker Katlyn Rose and while his mind is occupied the six seniors plan their own trip from stealing the van to seeking revenge on three disrespectful young men.  

With a lady’s man from Manhattan, two kooky sisters from Arkansas, a grumpy husband from Alabama, and a quiet little man from Atlanta this week is one for the books.  So take a trip with Cedar Branch and fall in love with the characters that now reside in the number one retirement community in the south.  Who knows, you just might make plans to move in.   

Review: This is a super fun book. I look forward to future stories in this series and getting to know more about this group. I really enjoyed a group of characters who are mostly older folks in a retirement community (although the employees are, naturally, younger). I'm not quite of that age yet, but I'm getting there.  :)

Rating: Four stars

About the author

After graduating from high school in 1989 and attending one year at NLU I decided (actually my parents did) I wasn’t ready for college, so I did what every 19-year-old kid does….I moved to the Marshall Islands in the mid pacific.  After a few years, I came home, met my wife and settled down for a short bit.  I worked construction, opening my own sporting goods store, became a full-time fireman, opened a candle manufacturing company, and even rodeo for a short term.  Just not at the same time.  In 2003 we moved to Franklin TN where I sold fire trucks until 2010 and moved to Arkansas.  Since here in the Ozark Mountains, I have written eight novels and am currently working on my ninth, a new adult novel.  So that’s me in a quick whirlwind.  And yes, if you check out my website or social media you will see me with our pet raccoons, Tucker and Otter.  

Contact Information

Website: www.leeducote.com            

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorleeducote

Twitter: @leeducote

Goodreads: Lee DuCote

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Camp-80-Lee-DuCote/dp/1944066128/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479239852&sr=8-1&keywords=camp+80

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/camp-80-lee-ducote/1124466666?ean=9781944066123

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/camp-80

Reading Habits Survey

1. Do you have a certain place in your home for reading?  I usually read either on the sofa or in bed.
2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?  Bookmark--I have a HUGE selection of them.
3. Can you  just stop reading or do you have to stop read after a chapter / certain number of pages? I generally need to read to the end of a chapter before I finish.
4. Do you eat or drink while reading? Yes, all the time.
5. Multitasking: music or TV while reading?  Yes
6. One book at a time or several at once? Generally more than one....one on the Kindle, one library book, one hardcover, and one audiobook.
7. Reading at home or everywhere? Everywhere--the Kindle goes wherever I go.
8. Reading out loud or silently in your head? Silently, unless I'm reading to a grandchild.
9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages? If there is a lot of descriptive material, I'll skip pages.
10. Barking the spine or keeping it like new? Generally try to keep them like new, but it doesn't always work out.
11. Do you write in your books? Some nonfiction ones, if something resonates or makes me think of something specific.

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Scheduled To Death (Maggie McDonald Mystery #2) by Mary Feliz

BOOK INFORMATION

Scheduled to Death (A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Lyrical Underground (January 17, 2017)
Paperback: 236 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1601836663
Digital Ebook – ASIN: B01EQ2N1QM

Synopsis: Professional organizer Maggie McDonald has a knack for cleaning up other people’s messes. So when the fiancée of her latest client turns up dead, it’s up to her to sort through the untidy list of suspects and identify the real killer.
 
Maggie McDonald is hoping to raise the profile of her new Orchard View organizing business via her first high-profile client. Professor Lincoln Sinclair may be up for a Nobel Prize, but he’s hopeless when it comes to organizing anything other than his thoughts. For an academic, he’s also amassed more than his share of enemies. When Sinclair’s fiancée is found dead on the floor of his home laboratory — electrocuted in a puddle of water—Maggie takes on the added task of finding the woman’s murderer. To do so, she’ll have to outmaneuver the suspicious, obnoxious police investigator she’s nicknamed “Detective Awful” before a shadowy figure can check off the first item on their personal to-do list — Kill Maggie McDonald.

Review: Maggie is a fascinating, enjoyable character who would make a great friend to have if she were a real person. She likes to keep things organized and ordered and could teach me a lot.  :)

All of the characters are well-developed, and you can see growth in the core group from the first book. I look forward to seeing the friendships grow and evolve in future stories. The various settings are described so vividly that you feel as if you are right there with the characters.

The mystery kept me guessing through the entire book...I was blaming the wrong person for about 80% of the story!

**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

About the author

Mary Feliz has lived in five states and two countries but calls Silicon Valley home. Traveling to other areas of the United States, she’s frequently reminded that what seems normal in the high-tech heartland can seem decidedly odd to the rest of the country. A big fan of irony, serendipity, diversity, and quirky intelligence tempered with gentle humor, Mary strives to bring these elements into her writing, although her characters tend to take these elements to a whole new level. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and National Association of Professional Organizers. Mary is a Smith College graduate with a degree in Sociology. She lives in Northern California with her husband, near the homes of their two adult offspring. Visit Mary online at MaryFeliz.com, or follow her on Twitter @MaryFelizAuthor.

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

Giveaway

On February 10, the author will be giving away five ebook editions of both books in this series to randomly selected names on her newsletter list. Here is the link where you can sign up for the newsletter - http://www.maryfeliz.com/newsletter/

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
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley Books | Cinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance | Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle | I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings | The Brown Bibliophile

Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMiei | Ali - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom Wannabe | Deal Sharing Aunt

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