Summer Reading so far

I have actually read a suprising amount so far this summer. I thought it might be harder with a 6 month old baby. While I have to read around her schedule I am getting a good amount of reading done so far. To start the summer off I read The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill. It was on the current Sunshine State reading list. I loved everything about this book. I am not a hige fan of fantasy books but this one was very engaging and the worl building was great. I enjoyed the characters and the journey this novel takes you on. This is a great middle grades book. The next book I finished was When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James. I enjoyed this historical romance a lot. What I like about Beauty and the Beast retellings in historical fiction is it tends to add more demention to the characters, especially the male characters. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The next book I finshed Beowulf: The Original Graphic Novel.I am a huge fan of Beowulf and was very excited to start this graphic novel. In truth it felt like a watered down version of the tale. The illastrations also left much to be desired. This book fell far from my expectations and was a disappointment. The 4th book I read was To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt. This historical romance was amazing. I loved the characters and the plot. The characters have depth and their interactions are very enjoyable. So that is my summer reading so far. My goal is to finish more of teh Sunshine State books, a few romances I took out of the library, and a couple of teaching books I plan to read this summer.

Snow Prints by May Williams

Snow Prints This book book deals with issues of abandonment and mistakes from the past. I really enjoyed this romance novel. It is a contemporary romance about Adrien who wants to woo Gracie. The two of them had been best friends in high school and had a falling out. Adrien has been in love with Gracie since high school and now that he is living down the hall from her he is determined to win her heart. Gracie is an ER nurse raising her 7 year old son, Brett. I love the relationships that are built between the different characters very entertaining. You believe the relationships and even the minor characters are very entertaining. I can not wait to see what else this author writes. I am very interested in reading the rest of this series. *I received an e-ARC of Snow Prints from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Nellie by Cynthia Woolf

Hello! I am very glad to be apart of Black Lion's blog tour! Below is all the information on the book including a synopsis. I really enjoyed this book. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I have not read many books set in the this time period so I was excited to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. I loved the characters and you could really feel for their struggles and see them grow through the story. I actually wished the book was a bit longer so I could read more about these charming characters. She creates a fantastic world for her characters. I am hoping to get more of a feel for the setting of San Francisco and the atmosphere these characters reside in in the next installments of this series. This is the first in a series of books, which I love when I can look forward to more books in a series. I enjoyed this author's way of story telling and writing. It was very easy to picture the events and feel for the characters. I thought this was a wonderfully romantic story and had a good plot. The plot moved quickly and was interesting from the very beginning. I can't wait for the next book in this series to see if we get glimpses of Nellie and her family and had to the rich world she is creating.

Book information:

Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco I)

by Cynthia Woolf

Quick Facts                                        

Release Date:  November, 2014                

Genre: Historical Romance. Western                                              

Formats to buy: Paperbacks and all ebook formats

Book Synopsis

 

Nellie Wallace is a young widow with two children. In post civil-war New York, the men are scarce and none want the burden of a wife with children. Her dead husband's family is wealthy, and cruel. Desperate to escape their influence, and eager for a home, a husband, and a stable life for her children, Nellie decides to make a new life in San Francisco as a mail order bride.

Saloon owner Blake Malone is a bachelor and likes it that way. He worked hard for everything he has, but the San Francisco City Council won’t approve his plans to build a family emporium unless he is a family man himself. The solution? A mail order bride from New York who will bring him a ready-made family, stability, and the council's approval.

Blake expects his future wife to care for his home and, other than helping him impress the city council, to stay out of his business. He expects life as usual. What he gets is an unexpected desire to win Nellie's heart, a dangerous threat to his new bride, and a rich benefactor determined to steal his new family out from under him.  Blake believed his battle for success a hard one. But he will discover that the battle to win Nellie's heart and keep his family safe is going to take everything he's got.

KOBO

Excerpt:

PROLOGUE

April 28, 1865
RAP! RAP! RAP!If only she could fix her problems with a needle and thread she’d be set. Nellie looked up from the socks she was darning toward the knocking on the front door.Who could that be? She set aside the socks, straightened her dress, checked her reflection in the mirror on the wall in the hall, patted her blond hair back into place and then answered the door.“Mrs. Robert Wallace?” asked the soldier in dress uniform who stood at attention on her front porch.Oh, God. No. Please. No. “Yes,” she said, trying to keep the tremor from her voice. “I…I’m Mrs. Wallace.”The young soldier handed her an envelope. “I regret to have to inform you that Lieutenant Robert Wallace was killed at the Battle of Appomattox on April 8, 1865. I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Wallace.”Nellie didn’t know what to say over the lump in her throat. She always knew this could happen—from the first moment Robert joined, to his last farewell eight months before Violet was born.“I, uh, thank you, Officer…”“Black, ma’am. Sergeant Black.”“Thank you for letting me know, Sergeant.” Her grip tightened on the door knob. “I…I have to sit down now.”“Of course, ma’am. Do you need help?”Nellie shook her head. “No. Thank you. I’ll be alright.”The man saluted her, turned and walked down the sidewalk to the waiting carriage.How many of these calls did he have to make today? Was I the only one? I doubt it. Not in a city the size of New York.She closed the door and leaned against the wall next to it, her legs no longer able to support her, she slid to the floor. Tears left salty trails on her face, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember crying. Screaming, cursing God, yes, but crying, no. Even though our marriage wasn’t what I’d dreamed it could have been when I was a child, I shall miss him. He had his good side, he was funny and could make her laugh. He was gentle every where except…no I will not think about that now. I endured and have two beautiful children.How am I to tell Henry his father is dead? Violet was just a baby and didn’t know her daddy but Henry… Her son missed his father something fierce. Robert had doted on Henry. They spent so much time together that Henry cried for days when his father left the last time. And now I have to tell him his father is never coming home. How do I do that?She wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands, took the hanky from her apron pocket and blew her nose.  No need to put it off. The task would be difficult enough, without waiting and making it harder. Perhaps she and Henry could grieve together. In any case, she needed to be strong for her son and daughter. She was all they had now.Taking a deep breath, she mounted the stairs to the play room and her children.

Get to know the author:

Cynthia Woolf is the award winning and best-selling author of ten historical western romance books, one short story, and one novella in the anthology Lost in a Kiss, with more books on the way. She was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006.

Cynthia was and is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia’s father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now) not the ranch owner.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at CRW for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.

WEBSITE – www.cynthiawoolf.com

NEWSLETTER - http://bit.ly/1qBWhFQ

Other Titles by Cynthia Woolf:

REDEEMED BY A REBEL (Book 1, Destiny in Deadwood series)
HEALED BY A HEART (Book 2, Destiny in Deadwood series)
SEDUCED BY A SINNER (Book 3, Destinyin Deadwood series) 

CAPITAL BRIDE (Book 1, Matchmaker & Co. series)

HEIRESS BRIDE (Book 2, Matchmaker & Co. series)

FIERY BRIDE (Book 3, Matchmaker & Co. series)

TAME A WILD HEART (Book 1, Tame series)

TAME A WILD WIND (Book 2, Tame series)

TAME A WILD BRIDE (Book 3, Tame series)

TAME A SUMMER HEART (short story, Tame series)

GIVEAWAY:

Win a $50 Visa Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Trail of Kisses by Merry Farmer

Trail of Kisses by Merry Farmer I received a free copy of this book to judge for RomCon. I liked this book. I thought it was interesting to set it on The Oregon Trail. I liked the hero of the story. I wish he had been a little more developed, I thought he was a bit flat. I also did not really care for the heroine of the story. I liked her more around the last 50 pages of the book. I actually wish the book had been a bit longer and the the author taken more time to develop some of the characters and the relationship between Lynne and Cade. I wanted to see a bit more interaction between then that would have made their relationship just a bit more believable. Like I said in the beginning I thought the setting was interesting and brought back all the games of The Oregon Trail I played as a kid. I am interested in reading the next installment of the series because I was very interested in the couple the next book is going to focus on.

Seducing the Ruthless Rogue by Tammy Jo Burns

I received a free copy of this to judge for Rom Con. I love historical fiction, so I was very excited to receive this book. This is the first book I have read by Tammy Jo Burns. I really enjoyed this book. I think thing the setting was done well. I liked the characters and I loved how they interacted with each other. I did feel some of the characters where mildly inconsistent and it was hard to understand some of their motivations. I would have liked to see more development to some of portions of the story line. I was concerned with how quickly some of the conflicts were solved and the last third of the book I was not sure where the author was going with the story. I liked the ending and want to read more books by this author.

Review: Not Quite a Wife by Mary Jo Putney

Laurel and her husband have been separated for ten years out of their eleven year marriage. The story is about the reconciliation for the couple and how they and the people around them deal with it. While this is an over simplification of the story, I do not want to give anything away. I enjoyed this book but it was not one of Mary Jo Puntey's best. I liked the concept of the book, but I think some parts of the relationship for this couple were too easy. I would have liked to see more emotion on both sides. The plot was very enjoyable. This one is hard for me to review. I enjoyed it, but it was not very strong. This is a very fun series. I would have also liked to see some more complex scenes between Kirkland and his wife. It is worth reading especially if you want a fun summer read.

A Rogue by Any Other Name and Oyster

I have finish quite a few book since my last post, so I will be posting reviews and pictures over the next couple weeks. I am going to start back by telling you about the last book I finished. I read A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. This is actually the first book I have read by this author and was absolutely delighted. I loved how she created characters I cared about very quickly. It was a fast paced read and I was so hooked I finished it in two days. The story is believable and you can't help but fall in love with all the characters. This is the first book in a series of four books. What first grabbed my attention was the loevly cover of this book.

The story revolves around a Lord who has lost everything. He earns his riches back by being one of the owners of gaming hell. But he still wants the land he lost to a trusted guardian in a card game. When a childhood friend has the land added to her dowry he decides to take action. I highly recommend this book.

I also just subscribed to Oyster Books. It is fantastic. I had been hearing about it on the Book Riot podcast for a few months and last week finally decided to check it out. It is amazing. There are a lot of different types of books. It has award winners and past New York Times Bestsellers. I was very excited about all the different romance novels and fiction that was available. It is only $9.95 a month and you can read as many books as you want.

Coozies

In 2009 I went to a romance convention in Orlando, Florida. It was the best book convention I had ever gone to. Ever since then I have been on the look out for other book conventions. I got to meet author and get signed books, I was in heaven. During that I picked up some really cool stuff. One of the free promotional items was a bright pink coozie the one one side said "The Club" and the other said "The Last Seduction." I love this coozie. I used it all the time. Well that was four years ago or so. So my coozie has seen better days. It is dirty and well loved. I didn't want to get rid of my coozie. This coozie was given out by the author Sharon Page.

A couple months ago I emailed the author Sharon Page to see if she happened to have any extra I could get. I had looked on her website to see if she had any for sale. She asked me for my info and that she had some extra ones! I was ecstatic!! With holidays and life in general it took a bit to get them. Which I was fine with waiting as long as it took. I was in no rush. I was so impressed when I got her package. In it she sent me two coozies and a Christmas card. Let me tell you I went a little fan girl about it. I was very excited about it and can not wait to use my new coozies!