Waiting On Wednesday: THE VIEW FROM HERE

Kensington; November 27, 2012 

Synopsis:

In this heartfelt, beautifully written novel, a woman with nothing left to lose finds the courage to start over in the last place she ever expected...

Newly divorced Maggie Carter has little to show for her marriage except a pile of boxes and regrets. So when she learns she’s inherited an old house and an abandoned gold mine in Eureka, Colorado, she doesn’t hesitate to leave Houston behind. In Colorado, she can learn about her estranged father and take stock of her life. After all, where better to decide what your next move should be than in a cabin 10,000 feet above sea level?

Eureka is a tiny hamlet with a café, a library, and plenty of intriguing locals. There’s the colorful town mayor, Lucille, and her prodigal daughter Olivia, bitter librarian Cassie, and handsome, enigmatic Jameso Clark, who had a fascinating love-hate relationship with Maggie’s father. Then there are the soaring views of distant mountains and clear blue sky, of aspen trees and endless stars. Piece by piece, Maggie is uncovering her father’s past—and reconciling with her own. And in this small mountain town, she just might find a place where she truly belongs.

I'm intrigued! I *love* starting over/second chances stories, plus the setting sounds perfect. I'm bummed that the release date is 5 months away! 

Author's Website: http://www.cindimyers.com/

Hosted By:

Breaking the Spine

Looking ahead to July...

Hello, everyone!  I just know that you're dying to find out what my upcoming reading/blogging plans are. (LOL) Okay, I'll tell you! ;-)

During the month of July, I will be playing catch-up with all of my cozy mysteries. Take a look at my TBR stack:

  

I have to tell you that I am very excited!  I got behind on them because I've been splitting my time between too many blogs, but that's about to change.  Tanya and I are semi-retiring The Forbidden Bookshelf (at least for a few months), so I'll have more time for this blog and Novel Reflections.  Yay!

There are also a couple of NetGalley titles I'd like to squeeze in next month, including The River Witch by Kimberly Brock and The Darkest Day by Britt Bury.

At the end of July, I should do a cozy mystery giveaway of some sort to celebrate getting caught up!  Hmm...details to come.

What are your plans for July, reading or otherwise?

Review: BENEATH THE SHADOWS by Sara Foster

BENEATH THE SHADOWS 

By Sara Foster
Genre: Gothic/Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

oOoOoOo

Adam and Grace Lockwood and their infant daughter, Millie, relocate to the tiny village of Roseby, located in the wild moors of North Yorkshire. Hawthorn Cottage, once owned by Adam’s grandparents, seems like the perfect place to start a new, peaceful life away from the hectic pace of London. Just days after arriving, the unthinkable happens – Adam goes missing while out walking Millie, and Grace finds Millie by their front door in her stroller all alone. Grace is confused and distraught. They were happy together, and Adam loved Millie, so why would he just abandon them as the police suggest? When the search party finds no clues after weeks of looking, Grace and Millie head back to London to wait.

A year passes with no word from Adam, so Grace decides to return to Hawthorne Cottage to try and solve the mystery herself. The not knowing is slowly eating away at her sanity, and besides, if Adam doesn’t come back, she needs to go through the decades of memories stored in the cottage so the place can be sold. As she searches for clues, she discovers old letters and family secrets meant to stay buried. The more clues she uncovers, the more she’s certain that something sinister happened to Adam rather than him simply running away.

BENEATH THE SHADOWS was an intriguing blend of mystery and eerie modern gothic, and I was entranced from the beginning to end. I enjoyed Ms. Foster’s engaging writing style. The story flowed smoothly, and she definitely kept me hanging on to every word. There couldn’t have been a more perfect setting than wintertime in the moors of Yorkshire. The stark landscape and heavy snow cutting them off from the rest of the world added to the eerie tone of the story, as well as the local legends of ghosts and unexplained occurrences. I easily connected with Grace’s character. She was brave, strong and determined to find closure for herself and her young daughter. I loved how the mystery of Adam’s disappearance played out to a surprising and emotional ending. BENEATH THE SHADOWS is sure to be an enjoyable read for fans of suspenseful mysteries with a touch of the paranormal.

Source: NetGalley

At Novel Reflections: Remembering Anastasia Romanov and a Book Giveaway

Today marks what would have been the 111th birthday of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov.  In honor of her birthday, we're hosting a Sourcebooks giveaway of THE LAST ROMANOV by Dora Levy Mossanen at Novel Reflections! 

"In a time of Rasputin's magic and Romanov mystery, a young girl finds herself at the heart of the Royal Family..."

To find out more about the book and to enter the giveaway, visit Novel Reflections by clicking HERE! (US/Canada; Ends 6/23/2012 @ 12:01 am EST)

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop (US Shipping) Two Romance Prize Packs!

Welcome to my stop on the "Clear Your Shelf" Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer!  This blog hop gives us the opportunity to free up space on our own bookshelves by passing books to someone else. :-)

I'm giving away the two prize packs pictured below!  The easiest way to do this was to set up two different Rafflecopter widgets so I'll know who's interested in which prize pack.  And, yes, you may enter to win both!  (Just remember to enter each one separately.)  Due to shipping costs, this contest is open to US mailing addresses only.  You must be 18+ to enter.  Here are the prizes:

Paranormal Romance Prize Pack:

Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione

Kiss of the Vampire by Cynthia Garner

Darkness Bound by Stella Cameron

Midnight Reckoning by Kendra Leigh Castle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Historical Romance Prize Pack:

Highland Hero by Amanda Scott

Secrets of an Accidental Duchess by Jennifer Haymore

Temptation of a Highland Scoundrel by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Treasure Me by Robyn DeHart

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please follow this LINK for a list of all the blogs participating in this event.  Good luck!

Review: THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT (An Embroidery Mystery, #4) by Amanda Lee

 

THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT

By Amanda Lee
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Signet

oOoOoOo

Marcy Singer, owner of the Seven-Year Stitch embroidery shop, finds herself wrapped up in another murder mystery when two of her closest friends are accused of killing their fellow fraternity brother. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and the green beer is flowing at Todd Calloway’s pub, the Brew Crew. Alpha Sigma Phi’s reunion turns deadly when Graham Stott is shot to death in the pub’s back room, and Todd and friend Blake MacKenzie are found with the victim AND a gun. Well, neither man can tell the police exactly what happened, and with the evidence against them, they are placed at the top of the suspects list. Marcy isn’t going to sit by and let a man she’s sort of dating (Todd) and her best friend’s husband (Blake) go to jail for murder when she simply KNOWS they’re innocent…aren’t they?

THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT is an enjoyable continuation of the An Embroidery Mystery series. While this book could probably be read stand-alone, I’m glad I had read the previous book, THREAD RECKONING, so I knew some of the backstory. I would describe THE LONG STITCH GOOD NIGHT as more focused on the relationships between the characters than the mystery itself, but for me, that worked in this book. The love triangle continues between Marcy and her two men, Detective Ted Nash and Todd Calloway. Marcy also uncovers a very tangled web between the victim, other members of the fraternity, and a mystery woman from their past who may hold clues to uncovering the murderer.

Marcy sewing “shoptalk” was a fun addition to the story, and I was intrigued by her Saint Patrick’s Day themed project of Mountmellick embroidery. I’d recommend this one to mystery readers who enjoy craft cozies and don’t mind them being heavy on the romance. I’m looking forward to finding out what comes next for Marcy.

Source: Free copy from the publisher

Waiting On Wednesday: THE ISLAND HOUSE

Atria Books; June 26, 2012

In 2011 Freya Dane, a Ph.D. candidate in archaeology, arrives on the ancient Scottish island of Findnar. After years of estrangement from her father, himself an archaeologist who recently died, Freya has come to find out what she can about his work. As she reads through his research notes, she sees he learned a great deal about the Viking and Christian history of the island. But what he found only scratches the surface of the discoveries Freya is about to make.

In 800 A.D. a Pictish girl named Signy loses her entire family during a Viking raid. She is taken in by the surviving members of the Christian community on Findnar, but when she falls deeply in love with a Viking boy, she is cast out. She eventually becomes a nun and finds herself at the center of the clash between the island’s three religious cultures. The tragedy of her story is that, in the end, she must choose among her adopted faith, her native religion, and the man she loves.

Centuries apart, Freya and Signy are each on the verge of life-changing events that will bring present-day and Viking-era Scotland together. The Island House plunges the reader into a past that never dies and a love that reaches out across a thousand years.

Hosted By: 

Breaking the Spine

Top Off Tuesday: BREATHLESS ON THE BEACH {a.k.a. Yay for summer!}

© Msphotographic | Dreamstime.com

What better way to top off a good book than with a GREAT Cover!  Amanda from On a Book Bender, Christi from Smitten with Reading, and Felicia from Geeky Blogger's Book Blog want to see the covers that made you swoon!

oOoOoOo

Would you like me to put sunscreen on your back?  Or front?

PR executive Victoria Holmes prefers to play it cool. So when a weekend schmooze with a potential new client finds her face-to-face with her grating office rival, Victoria is livid.

And the topping on her peeved pie? Outdoor adventure company mogul Jared McKenna - who's irritating, hot, laid-back and sexy enough to blow Victoria's composure right out the window…along with her inhibitions!

She's not his type. And he's definitely not hers. But when the weekend slips completely out of her control thanks to a surprise jewel heist, Victoria will have to choose between keeping her cool or letting the heat - and Jared - take her breath away.

Review: THE UNDERSTORY by Elizabeth Leiknes

THE UNDERSTORY

By Elizabeth Leiknes
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Bancroft Press

oOoOoOo

THE UNDERSTORY is one of those books that will stay in my thoughts for a long time. It’s an enchanting modern fairy tale full of silliness and sadness, humor, heartbreak and hope. The story is about, well, a young woman named “Story” whose odd quirk brings together a group of people all suffering from the loss of a loved one.

Story Easton is so strange that I couldn’t help but like her. She feels like such a failure in her own life that at night, she breaks into other people’s houses to sleep in their beds (or guest beds). But, why? It’s Story’s way of escaping her own dismal existence to become someone else for the night.

It’s on two of her uninvited sleepovers that she meets a small group of people whose lives and pain are interconnected, though they have no idea. One of them is Cooper Payne. His father promised to take him to the rainforest to find the magical box written about in his favorite book on his ninth birthday. Cooper’s dad was killed before he could fulfill his promise. When Story hears about this, she takes it upon herself to see that Cooper’s wish is granted. This is her chance to finally succeed at something, and she’s determined not to let the boy’s belief in magic die.

This was such a sweet and touching story. There were many funny moments and a few very sad ones, too. The author did a flawless job weaving together the lives of her complicated characters; just when you think a group of strangers can’t get any closer, they do! Now, there were one or two instances in the book that were not realistic at all, but if readers can suspend disbelief just for a bit, they’ll really enjoy Elizabeth Leiknes’ quirky and uplifting story.

Source: NetGalley

Mailbox Monday (16)

© Artboxcn | Dreamstime.com

Today's Host: Marcia

Here are the books I added to my TBR pile this week:

For Review:

SUMMER NIGHTS by Susan Mallery

Purchased: (Susanna Kearsley collection; UK editions)

MARIANA

SEASON OF STORMS

THE SHADOWY HORSES

SOPHIA'S SECRET (a.k.a THE WINTER SEA) 

oOoOoOo

I also checked out OVERSEAS by Beatriz Williams from the library this week.  Unfortunately, the story just didn't grab my attention, and I stopped at Chapter 10.  I seem to be in the minority though, because this book has gotten very high praise from many readers.  Have you read it?  What did you think?