#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in September 4

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   I am back home and no have no more traveling planned for a while! I didn’t do anything the week I was at my mom’s and I was ok with that and this past week I decided I would just aim for getting in my 10k steps each day (M-F), which I did. It was…

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Review: If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins

Title: If You Only Knew    Author: Kristan Higgins         Published: August 2015, HQN Books   Format: ARC Paperback, 416 pages    Source: Publisher   Sisterhood in all its drama, hilarity and tears is at the heart of New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins’s thoroughly captivating new novel, featuring the wit and romance that readers have come to expect from the much-loved creator of the Blue Heron…

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Review: Wildest Dreams by Robyn Carr

Title: Wildest Dreams    Author: Robyn Carr     Series: Thunder Point, #9       Published: August 2015, MIRA   Format: ARC E-copy, 384 pages    Source: Netgalley via Publicist   Blake Smiley searched the country for just the right place to call home. The professional triathlete has traveled the world, but Thunder Point has what he needs to put down the roots he’s never had. In the quiet coastal…

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Review & Giveaway: The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young (Giveaway Closed)

Title: The Gates of Evangeline   Author: Hester Young     Series: Charlie Cates Trilogy, #1       Published: September 2015, G.P. Putnam’s Sons   Format: ARC Paperback, 416 pages     Source: Publisher   From a unique new talent comes a fast-paced debut, introducing a heroine whose dark visions bring to light secrets that will heal or destroy those around her . . . When New York journalist and recently…

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Review: The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

Title: The Sparrow Sisters     Author: Ellen Herrick      Published: September 2015, William Morrow Paperbacks   Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages    Source: Publisher   With echoes of the alchemy of Practical Magic, the lushness of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and the darkly joyful wickedness of the Witches of East End, Ellen Herrick’s debut novel spins an enchanting love story about a place where magic whispers just beneath the…

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Month in Review: August 2015

Here are my reading stats for August!  Books read:  14  Books I read: Alert — James Patterson Speaking in Bones — Kathy Reichs (audio book) In a Dark, Dark Wood — Ruth Ware Everything I Never Told You — Celeste Ng The Sparrow Sisters — Ellen Herrick The Girl Who Played With Fire — Stieg Larsson (audio book) The Gates of Evangeline — Hester Young A New Hope — Robyn…

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Discussion/Mini Reviews: The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

When I heard that there was going to be another “Girl” book, I was ecstatic!!! I loved Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy and was so bummed when he died before being able to write more. I had read that he planned to write 10 books in the series so I just knew we hadn’t seen enough of Lizbeth Salander. I wanted more of her!!! So now this other book is coming…

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The Sunday Post #82 (8.30.15)

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’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.          What a whirlwind this month turned out…

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Short & Sweet Review: The Reckoning by Jane Casey (audio)

Title: The Reckoning    Author: Jane Casey      Series: Maeve Kerrigan, #2      Narrator: Sarah Coomes   Published: May 2012, Brilliance Audio   Length: 15 hours 56 minutes    Source: Personal copy via Audible    To the public, he’s a hero: a brutal killer who targets sex offenders. To most of London’s police force, he’s the suspect in a gruesome, time-consuming case to be avoided. But to Detective…

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Review: Dancing Through Life by Candace Cameron Bure

Title: Dancing Through Life     Author: Candace Cameron Bure           Published: August 2015, B&H Books   Format: ARC Paperback, 208 pages    Source: Publisher   Candace Cameron Bure has grown up before our eyes and we’ve watched as she’s balanced life in Hollywood with her faith for many years. But that all reached new heights when she was given the opportunity to join the cast of Dancing…

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Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Title: In a Dark, Dark Wood    Author: Ruth Ware          Published: August 2015, Scout Press   Format: ARC Paperback, 320 pages     Source: Publisher    Someone’s getting married. Someone’s getting murdered. In a dark, dark wood Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back. There was a dark, dark house Until, out of the blue,…

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Short & Sweet Review: Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (audio)

Title: Bones to Ashes    Author: Kathy Reichs     Series: Temperance Brennan, #10      Narrator: Linda Emond   Published: August 2007, Recorded Books   Length: 10 hours 30 minutes   Source: Library    Temperance Brennan, like her creator Kathy Reichs, is a brilliant, sexy forensic anthropologist called on to solve the toughest cases. But for Tempe, the discovery of a young girl’s skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more…

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Review: Those Girls by Chevy Stevens (audio)

Title: Those Girls     Author: Chevy Stevens       Narrator: Jorjeana Marie, Emily Woo Zeller, Nicol Zanzarella Published: July 2015, Blackstone Audio   Length: 11 hours 29 minutes    Source: Personal copy via Audible  Chevy Stevens is back with her most powerful, emotional thriller yet— a story of survival…and revenge. Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters. Jess, Courtney, and Dani live on a remote ranch…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in August 21

  #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   It’s been a while since I last checked in – I was sick and then I was on vacation for two weeks, one week of which we spent at the beach!!! I haven’t really been working out regularly because I was sick and not eating properly, so I felt that my body didn’t have…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: No Virgin Island by C. Michele Dorsey (Giveaway Closed)

Title: No Virgin Island    Author: C. Michele Dorsey     Series: A Sabrina Salter Mystery, #1      Published: August 2015, Crooked Lane Books   Format: Hardcover, 272 pages      Sabrina Salter traded a high-pressure job as a Boston meteorologist for life as an innkeeper on sun-soaked St. John. But storm clouds roll in when Sabrina finds Carter Johnson, her most attractive guest, tucked up in a hammock way…

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Review: A New Hope by Robyn Carr

Title: A New Hope    Author: Robyn Carr     Series: Thunder Point, #8      Published: June 2015, MIRA   Format: ARC E-copy, 336 pages    Source: Netgalley    Starting over is never easy, but in Thunder Point, where newcomers are welcome and friends become family, it’s possible to find yourself again. In this brand-new story, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr takes us on a moving…

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Short & Sweet Review: Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (audio)

Title: Break No Bones     Author: Kathy Reichs     Series: Temperance Brennan, #9      Narrator: Barbara Rosenblatt   Published: July 2006, Recorded Books   Length: 10 hours 30 minutes   Source: Library   Following the tremendous success of “Cross Bones, “Kathy Reichs explores another high-profile topic in Break No Bones — a case that lands forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan in the middle of a gruesome international scheme.…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Red Line by Brian Thiem (Giveaway Closed)

Title: Red Line    Author: Brian Thiem      Series: A Matt Sinclair Mystery, #1       Published: August 2015, Crooked Lane Books   Format: Hardcover, 368 pages    When a teenager from a wealthy suburb outside of Oakland, CA is dumped at an inner city bus stop, homicide detective Matt Sinclair catches the case. It’s his first since being bumped to desk duty for a bust that went south…fast.…

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Review: Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner (audio)

Title: Crash & Burn   Author: Lisa Gardner    Series: Tessa Leoni, #3    Narrator: Christina Traister, Mikael Naramore    Published: February 2015, Brilliance Audio    Length: 13 hours 27 minutes   Source: Personal copy via Audible  The #1 New York Times bestselling author’s latest stand-alone thriller, with a cameo by her fan-favorite character, Boston Detective D.D. Warren My name is Nicky Frank. Except, most likely, it isn’t. Nicole Frank…

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Short & Sweet Review: Bones on Ice by Kathy Reichs

Title: Bones on Ice Author: Kathy Reichs Series: Temperance Brennan, #17.5    Published: June 2015, Bantam   Format: E-book, 104 pages    Source: Personal copy    Featuring a preview of the highly anticipated new thriller Speaking in Bones, this eBook original novella showcases #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs at the peak of her powers. In Bones on Ice, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan gets wrapped up in the…

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Blog Tour & Review: Thrill Me by Susan Mallery (audio)

Title: Thrill Me    Author: Susan Mallery    Series: Fool’s Gold, #18    Narrator: Tanya Eby    Published: July 2015, Brilliance Audio / HQN Books  Length: 8 hours, 32 minutes / 368 pages  Source: Personal copy via Audible / Netgalley via publisher  Meet the Mitchell brothers of Fool’s Gold, California—five gorgeous men who’ve left a trail of broken hearts in their wake… Maya Farlow learned the hard way to depend…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron (Giveaway Closed)

Title: Plantation Shudders    Author: Ellen Byron      Series: A Cajun Country Mystery, #1      Published: August 2015, Crooked Lane Books     Format: Hardcover, 288 pages   Check in for some Southern hospitality in Plantation Shudders, the Cajun Country series debut from Ellen Byron. It’s the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned home to her family’s plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The Crozats have an…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Twenty-Eight & a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank (Giveaway Closed)

Title: Twenty-Eight & a Half Wishes     Author: Denise Grover Swank     Series: Rose Gardner Mysteries, #1       Published: August 2015, Crooked Lane Books    Format: Hardcover, 288 pages   The first in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series. For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV is bad even before she has a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, but this one…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Rainy Day Sisters by Kate Hewitt (Giveaway Closed)

Title: Rainy Day Sisters    Author: Kate Hewitt  Series: The Hartley-by-the-Sea, #1   Published: August 2015, NAL    Format: Paperback, 368 pages    The USA Today bestselling author presents a heartfelt novel about two sisters struggling toward new lives and loves. Welcome to Hartley-by-the-Sea in England’s beautiful Lake District, where two sisters who meet as strangers find small miracles tucked into the corners of every day…. When Lucy Bagshaw’s life in Boston…

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Review: Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs (audio)

Title: Speaking in Bones     Author: Kathy Reichs      Series: Temperance Brennan, #18      Narrator: Katherine Borowitz Published: July 2015, Random House Audio    Length: 10 hours Source: Library The latest blockbuster suspense novel in the pulse-pounding Temperance Brennan series, from #1 New York Times bestselling author and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. For every case Temperence Brennance has solved, there remain innumerable unidentified bodies in her lab.…

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Review: Alert by James Patterson

Title: Alert     Author: James Patterson     Series: Michael Bennett, #8       Published: August 2015, Little, Brown & Company    Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages     Source: Publisher   “This is not a test”—every New Yorker’s worst nightmare is about to become a reality. New Yorkers aren’t easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city…

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The Sunday Post #81 (8.2.15) – A Day Late

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’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.          Why is the week before vacation so…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in July 31

  #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   So, this week got off to a great start with 2 good training walks, but then between the heat and a crazy work schedule it all came apart. Work has been incredibly busy and with me going on vacation next week I feel more under the gun to get a lot done before I…

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Month in Review: July 2015

Here are my reading stats for July!  Books read:  15  Books I read:  The Liar — Nora Roberts (audio book) Hold Me — Susan Mallery (e-book) Summer Secrets — Jane Green Beautiful Ruins — Jess Walter (audio book) Those Girls — Chevy Stevens (audio book) The Far End of Happy — Kathryn Craft Kiss Me — Susan Mallery (audio book) Devil Bones — Kathy Reichs (audio book) Name of the…

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Review: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff

Title: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach    Author: Pam Jenoff      Published: July 2015, MIRA   Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages     Source: Publisher   Summer 1941   Young Adelia Monteforte flees fascist Italy for America, where she is whisked away to the shore by her well-meaning aunt and uncle. Here, she meets and falls for Charlie Connally, the eldest of the four Irish-Catholic boys next door. But…

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Book Spotlight: The Ones We Trust by Kimberly Belle (Plus Giveaway!!!) – Giveaway Closed

There are so many good books out there and just not enough time to read them all!!! Kimberly Belle first came on my radar with her debut novel, The Last Breath, which came out last year. That’s been on my list of books to read for a while now, but I just haven’t gotten to it yet, so of course, I was thrilled when Kimberly reached out to me about…

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Review: Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Title: Pretty Baby     Author: Mary Kubica      Published: July 2015, MIRA   Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages     Source: Publisher    A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from national bestselling author Mary Kubica She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and…

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The Sunday Post #80 (7.26.15)

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’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.          It’s hard to believe this is the…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in July 24

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   Another good week. 3 really good training walks – 1 indoors at the mall due to the heat and 2 outdoors. My time has been pretty consistent, which is good. I’m aiming for about 4 miles an hour, with an overall goal of completing the full marathon in under 8 hours (just to clarify –…

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Book Spotlight: The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff (Plus Giveaway!!!) – GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Next week, Pam Jenoff’s latest book, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach, comes out (July 28th!) and this was one of my must-gets at BEA this year. I’ve been looking forward to reading this since I first heard about it and you can look for my review here next Tuesday on release day! I had the please of meeting Pam twice this year – at BEA and a few weeks…

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Review: Your Next Breath by Iris Johansen (audio)

Title: Your Next Breath    Author: Iris Johansen    Series: Catherine Ling, #4    Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers   Published: April 2015, Brilliance Audio    Length: 10 hours 53 minutes   Source: Publisher  From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an explosive new thriller Catherine Ling is one of the CIA’s most prized operatives. Raised on the streets of Hong Kong, she was pulled into the agency at the…

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Review: Kiss Me by Susan Mallery (audio)

Title: Kiss Me     Author: Susan Mallery     Series: Fool’s Gold, #17     Narrator: Tanya Eby   Published: June 2015, Brilliance Audio /HQN Books  Length: 9 hours / 384 pages  Source: Publisher / Netgalley New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery creates the small-town destination for romance in charming Fool’s Gold, California—where a loner cowboy finds the one woman who can capture his heart… After Phoebe Kitzke’s…

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Blog Tour & Review: Name of the Devil by Andrew Mayne

Title: Name of the Devil    Author: Andrew Mayne     Series: Jessica Blackwood, #2      Published: July 2015, Bourbon Street Books   Format: ARC Paperback, 432 pages    Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours   In this electrifying sequel to the crowd-pleasing thriller Angel Killer, magician-turned-FBI agent Jessica Blackwood must once again draw on her past to go up against a brutal murderer desperate for revenge at any…

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Author Meet & Greet: Jenny Milchman (Plus Giveaway!!!) – GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing author Jenny Milchman. She’s now on tour for her latest book, As Night Falls. I’ve already read this book and loved it…you can read my review here.  The event was a little different than most of the usual author events I’ve been to as this one was a luncheon and wasn’t so much a book talk as it was a discussion on…

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The Sunday Post #79 (7.19.15)

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’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.        It was a nice quiet weekend – at…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in July 17

  #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   This was a good week. I got in 2 good training walks and made it to 2 yoga classes!!! I’m feeling pretty motivated right now about my training plan for this marathon, so hopefully I can keep it going. This week was also the first week of Ophra & Deepak’s latest 21-Day Meditation Challenge…

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Blog Tour & Book Excerpt: Thrill Me by Susan Mallery (Plus Giveaway!!!) GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Today, I’m excited to share with you an excerpt from Susan Mallery’s upcoming book, Thrill Me, the latest book in her Fool’s Gold series. There is also a fun prize pack up for grabs so be check out the giveaway at the bottom of this post.  I am stop #8 on the excerpt tour, so if you haven’t been following along, be sure to go back to the beginning as…

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Review: The Guest Cottage by Nancy Thayer (audio)

Title: The Guest Cottage    Author: Nancy Thayer        Narrator: Janet Metzger   Published: May 2015, Brilliance Audio   Length: 10 hours 50 minutes   Source: Publicist  Sensible thirty-six-year-old Sophie Anderson has always known what to do. She knows her role in life: supportive wife of a successful architect and calm, capable mother of two. But on a warm summer night, as the house grows quiet around her and…

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Review: Hold Me by Susan Mallery

Title: Hold Me    Author: Susan Mallery     Series: Fool’s Gold, #16      Published: April 2015, HQN Books    Format: ARC e-book, 384 pages    Source: Netgalley   New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s classic blend of lighthearted humor and intense emotional conflict works its magic on two newcomers to the California town of Fool’s Gold, which Library Journal calls “a setting so real and appealing readers…

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Book Spotlight: Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs (Plus Giveaway!!!) – GIVEAWAY CLOSED

I am a huge fan of Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series, which I am slowly making my way through – I’m up to book 11.  I was fortunate to have been able to see her again at BEA this  year where I was able to get an advanced copy of her latest book, Speaking in Bones, which comes out July 21. Because I prefer listening to this series on audio,…

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The Sunday Post #78 (7.12.15)

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’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.       This is a busy weekend with events on…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in July 10

#FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   With the summer heat making it’s presence known, plus it being so rainy lately, I’ve had to adjust my training schedule a bit. I’ve already resorted to walking in the mall because of the rain – which I don’t actually mind because it’s quite and cool – I don’t have to worry about the heat…

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Author Meet & Greet: Dorothea Benton Frank (Plus Giveaway!!!) – GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Dorothea Benton Frank again. I first met Dotty last year at BEA at the Harper Collins Blogger Party and I loved chatting with her. Last night was the last stop on her book tour for her latest book, All the Single Ladies. I had already listened to the book – you can find my review here – so it was fun to…

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Review: Summer Secrets by Jane Green

Title: Summer Secrets    Author: Jane Green          Published: June 2015, St. Martin’s Press   Format: Hardcover, 308 pages    Source: Publisher   Jane Green delivers her second blockbuster novel of 2015, a story of one woman struggling to right the wrongs of her past, with even more complications in the present. June, 1998: At twenty seven, Catherine Coombs, also known as Cat, is struggling. She lives in…

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Review: Cat & Jemima J by Jane Green

Title: Cat & Jemima J    Author: Jane Green           Published: May 2015, St. Martin’s Press    Format: E-book, 31 pages    Source: Personal copy   From New York Times bestselling author Jane Green comes an original short story featuring Jemima, the main character from Green’s beloved novel Jemima J, and Cat, the main character from her upcoming novel Summer Secrets. My thoughts: When I saw that this…

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