Review: The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen (audio)

Title: The Wishing Thread    Author: Lisa Van Allen     Narrator: Amy Rubinate    Published:  April 2014, Tantor Media  Length: 11 hours, 3 minutes   Source: Personal copy via audible  The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper…

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: When the Cypress Whispers by Yvette Manessis Corporon (CLOSED)

Title: When the Cypress Whispers    Author: Yvette Manessis Corporon      Published: April 2014, Harper   Format: ARC Paperback, 356 pages    Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours   On a beautiful Greek island, myths, magic, and a colorful cast of characters come together in a lushly atmospheric story about past and present, family and fate, love and dreams that poignantly captures the deep bond between an American woman…

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The Sunday Post #20 (4.20.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Short & Sweet Review: Deadly Patterns by Melissa Bourbon

Title: Deadly Patterns    Author: Melissa Bourbon      Series: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery, #3 Published: October 2012, Signet    Format: Paperback, 297 pages     Source: Library   Bliss, Texas, is gearing up for its annual Winter Wonderland festival, but when a mysterious Scrooge ends the merriment with murder, it’ll take more than a ghost from Christmas past to set things right. Designing a holiday fashion show set in the…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in April 18, 2014

  #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog I’m back home after a week up at my dad’s and the weather was all over the place…it was warm, rainy and we even had a little snow! We’ve had frost warnings the last two mornings…I thought it was Spring but I think Mother Nature is a bit confused!  Anyway, the dogs and I have been enjoying taking lots of…

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Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry     Author: Gabrielle Zevin     Published: April 2014, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill Format: ARC Paperback, 230 pages Source: Publisher/She Reads In the spirit of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Gabrielle Zevin’s enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books-and booksellers-that changes our lives by giving us the…

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Review: Queen Elizabeth I: A Very Brief History by Mark Black

Title: Queen Elizabeth I: A Very Brief History    Author: Mark Black      Published: November 2012; Amazon Digital Services   Format: E-book, 35 pages    Source: Personal copy   Want to learn more about history, but don’t think you have the time? Think again. ‘Queen Elizabeth I: A Very Brief History’ details the life of one England’s most successful monarchs, Elizabeth I. The last Tudor Queen of England and…

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank (audio) (CLOSED)

Title: The Last Original Wife    Author: Dorothea Benton Frank    Narrator: Robin Miles    Published: Paperback: April 2014, William Morrow & Company / Audio: June 2013, Harper Audio Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages / Audio CD, 11.75 hours  Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours / Library  Leslie Anne Greene Carter is the last original wife among her husband’s group of cronies. They’ve all traded in their first wives-the middle-aged…

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The Sunday Post #19 (4.13.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in April 11, 2014

#BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog This week I’m up in NH at my dad’s and the weather’s been pretty nice – a bit chilly in the morning, but then it warms up a bit during the day. I got in quite a few outdoor walks and loved every minute of it!!!  Here’s how my week went:  Apr  5:  rest Apr  6:  rest Apr  7:  30 minutes Apr  8: …

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Dash of Peril by Lori Foster (CLOSED)

Title: Dash of Peril     Author: Lori Foster      Series: Love Undercover, #4      Published: March 2014, HQN    Format: ARC e-book, 384 pages     Source: Netgalley  / Publisher via Meryl Moss Media Relations/BookTrib  A no-nonsense female cop reluctantly teams up with the one man who makes her lose control in a deliciously sensual new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster… To bring down a sleazy abduction ring, Lieutenant…

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson (CLOSED)

Title: The Idea of Him    Author: Holly Peterson      Published: April 2014, William Morrow & Company   Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages    Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours   A fabulous and compelling story from Holly Peterson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Manny Mary Crawford is a once aspiring screenwriter turned successful public relations executive, mother of two young children, and wife of a…

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Review: Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs

Title: Steeped in Evil    Author: Laura Childs     Series: A Tea Shop Mystery #15     Published: March 2014, Berkley Hardcover   Format: ARC Paperback    Source: Author   In the newest mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Sweet Tea Revenge, Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is about to learn the true meaning of terroir…… Theodosia Browning has never considered herself a wine connoisseur—tea has…

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Book Spotlight: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Yesterday, the April selection was announced for the She Reads book club and it is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I just finished reading this book, so look for my review of it in the next week or so. In the meantime, enjoy this book spotlight and be sure to read all the way to the bottom where you can find out where you can go…

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The Sunday Post #18 (4.6.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in April 4, 2014

   #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog I’m back to a regular walking scheduling – YAY!!! I’ve decided that I’ll be happy with walking 5 days a week and so my goal is to walk Monday – Friday and then rest on the weekends. I did a mix of inside and outside walking this week – we finally had some good weather and the dogs…

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Blog Tour, Review & Guest Post: The Golden Apple by Faerl Marie

Title: The Golden Apple    Author: Faerl Marie          Published: October 2013, Createspace   Format: E-book, 165 pages    Source: CLP Blog Tours   MEET POPPY PARKER, a recent widow who knows she must move forward but has no idea which direction to take. To start fresh, Poppy moves from her idyllic home in Georgia to the grimy glamour of New York City to open up her own…

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Review: All the Difference by Kaira Rouda (audio)

Title: All the Difference    Author: Kaira Rouda    Narrator: Leslie Ellis   Published: March 2012, Real You Publishing Group   Length: 8 hours, 43 minutes   Source: Personal copy via Audible   From the acclaimed author of HERE, HOME, HOPE comes a novel of suspense and choices, with a nod to the best of Susan Isaacs’s tales of suburban murder. Once again, everything isn’t what it seems in the…

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Month in Review: March 2014

Can’t believe it’s already April 1st! Just wish Mother Nature would get the memo that Spring is here – bring on the warmer temps!!! At least our snow is all gone and the little buds are starting to sprout. Time to get my spring-scented candles out – my all-time fav is Lilac Blossoms by Yankee Candle! Here are my reading stats for March! Books read:  13 Books I read: Cider…

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The Sunday Post #17 (3.30.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in March 28, 2014

   #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog Because I was feeling a bit run-down this week, I decided to take another recovery week. I did move around, did take some walks, but nothing crazy. My goal was to get at least 30 minutes of walking in – some days that was one bout of 30 minute walking and some days that was 3-10 minutes walks,…

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Review & Giveaway: Four Friends by Robyn Carr (CLOSED)

Title: Four Friends    Author: Robyn Carr          Published: March 2014, Harlequin MIRA    Format: ARC, e-book, 384 pages     Source: Netgalley via Little Bird Publicity    Gerri can’t decide what’s more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair the damage. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it’s time to look carefully at…

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Bellagrand by Paullina Simons (CLOSED)

Title: Bellagrand    Author: Paullina Simons       Published: March 2014, William Morrow & Company   Format: ARC Paperback, 560 pages    Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours   They gave up everything to be together, but love was just the beginning of their journey… Italian immigrant Gina, independent, compassionate and strong, desperately wants a family. Boston blue-blood Harry, idealistic and fiercely political, wants to create a better world, a…

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Review: Evening Stars by Susan Mallery

Title: Evening Stars     Author: Susan Mallery      Series: Blackberry Island, #3       Published: February 2014, Harlequin MIRA   Format: ARC e-copy, 368 pages    Source: Netgalley   New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns to Blackberry Island with the poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams. Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More…

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Review: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Lost Lake     Author: Sarah Addison Allen        Published: January 2014; St. Martin’s Press   Format: Hardcover / e-book; 296 pages   Source: Publisher / Netgalley /She Reads     From the author of New York Times bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever… The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a…

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The Sunday Post #16 (3.23.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: March Weekly Check-in Mar 21, 2014

 #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog I did it!!! I walked my 1st marathon AND beat my goal time – I finished in 3 hours 3 minutes! My mom also did the marathon with me and she finished in 3 hours 12 minutes – I’m so proud of her!!! We had a great time and even managed to do a bit of sight-seeing in Washington…

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Review: Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: Waking Kate Author: Sarah Addison Allen Published: December 2013; St. Martin’s Press  Format: E-book; 38 pages Source: Personal copy   From the beloved author of Garden Spells, comes Waking Kate, a story about a woman who soon will face an unforseen change in her life. One sticky summer day  as Kate is waiting for her husband to come home from his bicycle shop, she spots her distinguished neighbor returning from…

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Review: The Chance by Robyn Carr

Title: The Chance    Author: Robyn Carr     Series: Thunder Point, #4       Published: February 2014, Harlequin MIRA   Format: ARC E-book, 368 pages    Source: Netgalley   With its breathtaking vistas and down-to-earth people, Thunder Point is the perfect place for FBI agent Laine Carrington to recuperate from a gunshot wound and contemplate her future. The locals embraced Laine as one of their own after she risked…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau (CLOSED)

Last April, I read The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau for a blog tour when it was first released in hard cover, and I really enjoyed it! You can find my thoughts on the book here. Today the book is being released in paperback with a new cover. In THE CHALICE, Bilyeau returns to the story of Joanna Stafford, a young aristocratic nun whose cloistered way of life came crashing down…

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The Sunday Post #15 (3.16.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: March Weekly Check-in Mar 14, 2014

 #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog Well, it’s here…tomorrow is the big day! Today I’m driving down to Washington DC and tomorrow I will be walking my first 1/2 marathon. I’m very excited and hope it goes well. I’m meeting my mom at the hotel and then we’ll head over to the big expo to pick up our registration packets and then just relax for…

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Review: Saved by the Belles by Beth Albright

Title: Saved by the Belles    Author: Beth Albright      Series: A Sassy Belles novella  Published: January 2014, Magnolia Press    Format: E-book, 137 pages    Source: Personal copy   Life is finally wonderful for Tuscaloosa’s Blake O’Hara Heart: a rekindled love affair with her high school sweetheart and a precious new baby on the way. But when she gets an unexpected call from Harry Heart, her soon to…

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Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Brim Reaper by Diane Vallere (CLOSED)

Title: The Brim Reaper    Author: Diane Vallere     Series: Style & Error Mystery, #3      Published: December 2013, Polyester Press   Format: Paperback or e-book; 263 pages    Source: CLP Blog Tours When an over the top collection of vintage Hollywood costumes comes to Samantha Kidd’s hometown, it brings a hat box full of hype. Close friend Eddie is in charge of the exhibit, but when hype…

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Cover Reveal: The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson

Title: The Idea of Him Author: Holly Peterson  Publisher: William Morrow  (April 1, 2014) Category: Contemporary Fiction/ Women’s Fiction ISBN: 978-0062283108 Tour Date: April/May, 2014 Available in: Print & ebook, 384 Pages   In the fabulous and intrigue-packed new novel from Holly Peterson, the New York Times bestselling author of THE MANNY, THE IDEA OF HIM explores the dangers of falling for the idea of a person, and why facing…

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The Sunday Post #14 (3.9.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: March Weekly Check-in Mar 7, 2014

#BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog   One more week until the 1/2 marathon…I’m super excited!!! I think I’m ready – just hoping the weather cooperates! I did a “practice” walk last Saturday – did all 13.1 miles at the mall and managed to complete that in 3 hours and 7 minutes. My goal for the event is to complete it in 3 hours 15…

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Book Spotlight: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Yesterday, the March selection was announced for the She Reads book club and it is Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen, one of my favorite authors!!! I can’t wait to start reading this book – look for my review of this book in the next week or so. In the meantime, enjoy this book spotlight and be sure to read all the way to the bottom where you can find…

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Review: The Other Side by Chevy Stevens

Title: The Other Side    Author: Chevy Stevens     Published: April 2013, St. Martin’s Griffin    Format: E-book, 44 pages     Source: Personal copy   An original ebook short story from New York Times bestselling author Chevy Stevens featuring Psychiatrist Nadine Lavoie and Staff Sergeant Sandy McBride, from Never Knowing. Sandy is working the biggest case of her life—the Campsite Killer, who has been hunting women for almost forty years.…

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Review: Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens (audio)

Title: Never Knowing    Author: Chevy Stevens    Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie   Published:  July 2011, Brilliance Audio  Length: 12 hours, 14 min   Source: Personal copy via Audible From the acclaimed author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers. All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters…

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Blog Tour & Review: Cider Brook by Carla Neggers

Title: Cider Brook    Author: Carla Neggers     Series: Swift River Valley, #3       Published: January 2014, Harlequin MIRA    Format: Paperback, 378 pages    Source: Publisher via Book Trib Unlikely partners bound by circumstance…or by fate? Being rescued by a good-looking, bad-boy firefighter isn’t how Samantha Bennett expected to start her stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Now she has everyone’s attention—especially that of Justin Sloan, her rescuer,…

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The Sunday Post #13 (3.2.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Month in Review: February 2014

Another month here and gone…time sure is flying by! And while I wish it would slow down, I do wish spring would hurry up and get here! I’m done with the snow and cold weather…but as luck would have it, we are due to get yet another snowstorm this Sunday night into Monday. At the rate we’re going, I may never see my grass until the summer! Here are my…

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Book Blog Walkers: February Weekly Check-in Feb 28, 2014

#BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog   Another month come and gone in 2014…this year is flying by and my 1/2 marathon is now 2 weeks away!!! While I’m very excited about it, I’m also a bit nervous! This weekend last year, I was down in Charleston, SC participating in the MS 50 mile, 3-day walk – what a great experience that was and as…

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Review: Honeymoon in Paris by Jojo Moyes

Title: Honeymoon in Paris: A Novella    Author: Jojo Moyes  Published: June 2013; Viking Adult Format: E-book; 75 pages     Source: Personal copy   At the heart of Jojo Moyes’ heartbreaking new novel, The Girl You Left Behind, are two haunting love stories—that of Sophie and Édouard Lefèvre in France during the First World War, and, nearly a century later, Liv Halston and her husband David. Honeymoon in Paris takes…

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Blog Tour & Review: Tea & Primroses by Tess Thompson

  Title: Tea & Primroses     Author: Tess Thompson     Series: Legley Bay, #2      Published: February 2014, Booktrope Format: ARC e-book, 250 pages    Source: CLP Blog Tours   Nothing is as it seemed in calm, quaint Legley Bay. Famous novelist Constance Mansfield lived a seemingly straightforward – if private – and somewhat predictable life. Friends, beloved daughter Sutton, a beautiful home, and all the success…

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Blog Tour & Review: Hearts at Play by Melissa Foster

Title: Hearts at Play    Author: Melissa Foster  Series: Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters & The Bradens #9; Love in Bloom: The Bradens #6    Published: January 2014, World Literary Press    Format: E-copy, 300 pages  Source: Publicist     Brianna Heart has a six-year old daughter and a twelve-year plan to keep her life as simple as possible until Layla turns eighteen. That means swearing off relationships and the drama…

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The Sunday Post #12 (2.23.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.    I’ve decided to try a new weekly meme – a place where I can do both a weekly wrap up and share what…

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Book Blog Walkers: February Weekly Check-in Feb 21, 2014

#BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  So, with the 1/2 marathon now only 3 weeks away, I’ve started to panic a bit due to the fact that I haven’t really been able to get in many distance walks. With all the snow on the ground, it’s a bit hard to do any walks outdoors, so I’ve resorted to walking at the mall. And you know…

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Blog Tour & Review: Bursting With Love by Melissa Foster

Title: Bursting With Love    Author: Melissa Foster  Series: Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters & The Bradens #8; Love in Bloom: The Bradens #5    Published: December 2013, World Literary Press    Format: E-copy, 300 pages  Source: Publicist   After having her heart broken by a country music star, Savannah Braden has sworn off men. She takes a break from her fast-paced Manhattan lifestyle for a weekend at a survivor…

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