Always With a Book

k2reader April 3, 2013

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau (CLOSED)

The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau Touchstone March 2013 Format: Hardcover, 512 pages Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours First line: When preparing for martyrdom on the night of December 28, 1538, I did not think of those I love. About the book: In the next novel from Nancy Bilyeau after her acclaimed debut The Crown, novice Joanna Stafford plunges into an even more dangerous conspiracy as she comes…

View Post

k2reader April 2, 2013

Blog Tour, Review, Author Q&A & Giveaway: The Wanderer by Robyn Carr (CLOSED)

The Wanderer by Robyn Carr Harlequin MIRA April 2013 Format: ARC e-book, 384 pages Source: Netgalley via Little Bird Publicity First line: It took Hank Cooper almost eight hours to get from Virgin River to Thunder Point, Oregon, because he was towing his fifth wheel, a toy hauler. Summary: Nobody is as surprised as Hank Cooper when he receives a phone call informing him that his old army buddy, Ben,…

View Post

k2reader April 1, 2013

Month in Review: March 2013

I can’t believe it is April already. The countdown is on to my vacation to Aruba – two weeks from tomorrow I will be sitting on the sunny beach with a pile of books with me (both print and e-copy). Oh how I can’t wait for so much uninterrupted reading time!!! My crocheting is keeping me busy – I finished the blanket for my newest niece, Keagan, and finally had…

View Post

k2reader April 1, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (4.1.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. It was another busy week and I feel that once again, I’ve neglected my blog.…

View Post

k2reader March 31, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (38) 3.31.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: For Review: Roses Have Thorns: A Novel About Elizabeth I by Sandra Byrd This is for an upcoming blog tour and I am looking forward to reading it – I love reading books about Queen Elizabeth I!!! Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline This showed up in my…

View Post

k2reader March 28, 2013

Review: Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler

Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler Harper Press October 2011 Format: Kindle e-book Source: Personal copy First line: The reign of Henry VIII was one of the most revolutionary periods in English history. Summary from Goodreads: Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. In his ambition to provide a male heir to the throne, Henry VIII married six times. Divorce from his first…

View Post

k2reader March 27, 2013

Review: The Good Daughter by Jane Porter

The Good Daughter by Jane Porter Berkley Trade February 2013 Format: Paperback, 384 pages Source: Personal copy First line: Make a wish. From the back cover: Love was given to all, except herself . . . Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around…

View Post

k2reader March 26, 2013

Blog Tour, Review & Guest Post: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins Harlequin HQN February 2013 Format: Paperback, 432 pages Source: Meryl Moss Media Relations First line: On a beautiful day in June, in front of literally half the town, wearing a wedding dress that made her look like Cinderella and holding a bouquet of perfect pink roses, Faith Elizabeth Holland was left at the alter. From the back cover: Sometimes the best man is the…

View Post

k2reader March 25, 2013

Review & Giveaway: Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods (CLOSED)

Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods Harlequin MIRA March 2013 Format: ARC e-book, 400 pages Source: Netgalley First line: The television in Emily Castle’s Aspen, Colorado, hotel room was tuned to the Weather Channel, where there was minute-by-minute coverage of the hurricane aiming directly at North Carolina’s coast, the place that had been like a second home to her. About the book: In a trade-off she’s lived to regret, Emily…

View Post

k2reader March 25, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (3.25.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. This past weekend I participated in another Bloggiesta and I got a ton done!!!…

View Post

k2reader March 24, 2013

Bloggiesta…Finish Line

Another Bloggiesta has come to an end! This event couldn’t be more timely as I been neglecting my blog lately due to life getting in the way. Now if only I can figure out a way to stay caught up on some of the more mundane housekeeping things on a regular basis, some of these tasks won’t need to keep showing up on my to-do list! I ended up accomplishing…

View Post

k2reader March 24, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (37) 3.24.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: For Review: The Queen’s Rivals: A Novel of the Grey Sisters by Brandy Purdy This is for an upcoming blog tour and I am looking forward to reading it!!! Pictures at an Exhibition by Camilla MacPherson I was approached by the author to read and review her book.…

View Post

k2reader March 23, 2013

Review Summer in a Small Town: Welcome to Icicle Falls/Treasure Beach by Sheila Roberts & Emilie Richards

Summer in a Small Town: Welcome to Icicle Falls/Treasure Beach by Sheila Roberts & Emilie Richards MIRA books 2012 Format: Kindle e-book Source: Personal copy First line of Welcome to Icicle Falls: Hello, and welcome to Icicle Falls. First line of Treasure Beach: “There she goes wandering down the road again.” About the book: Two unforgettable towns, two touching stories… Welcome to Icicle Falls by Sheila Roberts It’s the 1960s…

View Post

k2reader March 22, 2013

Review: The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker (audio)

The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker Read by Angela Brazil Hachette Audio 2012 Length: 14 hours, 13 minutes Source: Library From the back of the audio case: In the isolated Cape Cod village of Prospect, the Gilly sisters are as different as can be. Jo, a fierce and quiet loner, is devoted to the mysteries of her family’s salt farm, while Claire is popular, pretty, and yearns to flee…

View Post

k2reader March 22, 2013

Bloggiesta…My To-Do List and Updates

This weekend I will be participating in Bloggiesta! This event couldn’t be more timely as I been neglecting my blog lately due to life getting in the way. This is a great weekend blogging marathon being hosted by Suey at It’s All About Books and Danielle at There’s a Book. The premise of the bloggiesta, for those that haven’t participated before, is to spend the entire weekend working, updating,…

View Post

k2reader March 19, 2013

Blog Tour, Review & Guest Post: Three Sisters by Susan Mallery

Three Sisters by Susan Mallery Harlequin MIRA March 2013 Format: ARC, Paperback, 352 pages First line: Being left at the alter is not for sissies. From the back cover: After Andi Gordon is jilted at the altar, she makes the most impetuous decision of her life – buying one of the famed Three Sisters Queen Anne houses on Blackberry Island. Now the proud-ish owner of the ugly duckling of the…

View Post

k2reader March 18, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (3.18.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. Last week was crazy busy between work and then getting ready for our annual…

View Post

k2reader March 15, 2013

Book Beginnings Friday: Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author. I’m reading Henry VIII’s Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler: The reign of Henry VIII was one of…

View Post

k2reader March 15, 2013

Review: The Search by Nora Roberts (audio)

The Search by Nora Roberts Read by Tanya Eby Brilliance Audio 2010 Length: 14 hours, 54 minutes Summary: To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life — a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescue. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a…

View Post

k2reader March 14, 2013

Blog Tour & Review: Children of Liberty by Paullina Simons

Children of Liberty by Paullina Simons William Morrow Paperbacks February 2013 Format: ARC paperback, 432 pages First line: There had been a fire at Ellis Island the year before Gina came to America with her mother and brother in 1899, and so instead of arriving at the Port of New York, they had set sail into the Port of Boston. Synopsis: Before Tatiana and Alexander . . . before Leningrad…

View Post

k2reader March 12, 2013

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent (CLOSED)

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent Kensington February 2013 Format: ARC Paperback, 404 pages First line: Violet Morgan often wondered why she was so skilled at dressing a corpse, yet was embarrassingly incompetent in the simplest household task, such as selecting draperies or hiring housemaids. Synopsis: In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned.…

View Post

k2reader March 11, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (3.11.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. Last week I participated in Challenge Walk MS – a 3-day, 50 mile walk…

View Post

k2reader March 10, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (36) 3.10.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: ***This is the for the last two weeks! For Review: Blood Between Queens by Barbara Kyle I’m participating in a book tour for this and am looking forward to reading it. It’s the fifth book in Barbara Kyle’s Thornleigh series. …

View Post

k2reader March 9, 2013

Review: The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen Ballentine Books August 2004 Format: Paperback, 384 pages First line: The driver refused to take him any further. From the back cover: Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the cloistered convent lie two nuns–one dead, one critically injured–victims of an unspeakably savage…

View Post

k2reader March 8, 2013

Book Beginnings Friday: Lady of Ashes

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author. I’m reading Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent: Violet Morgan often wondered why she was so skilled at dressing a…

View Post

k2reader March 8, 2013

Review: Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich Narrated by CJ Critt Recorded Books 2004 Length: 9.75 hours From the back of the audio case: Best-selling author Janet Evanovich is the recipient of the Crime Writers Association’s John Creasy Memorial, the Last Laugh, and Silver Dagger awards. Her Stephanie Plum series, starring New Jersey’s most colorful bounty hunter, is delightfully unique. Join Stephanie on an adventure that is sure to keep you…

View Post

k2reader March 1, 2013

Month in Review: February 2013

Another month has come and gone…and as this is posted, I will be well into the first day of the MS Challenge Walk – a 50 mile walk to support those living with MS. Once the walk is over, I am hoping to resume my regular workout routine – walking everyday (just not crazy distances!) and yoga 2-3 times a week. I’m hopeful that the warm weather will be here…

View Post

k2reader February 28, 2013

Review & Giveaway: The House Girl by Tara Conklin (CLOSED)

The House Girl by Tara Conklin William Morrow February 2013 Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages First line: Mister hit Josephine with the palm of his hand across her left cheek and it was then she knew she would run. From the back cover: Two remarkable women, separated by more than a century, whose lives unexpectedly intertwine… 2004: Lina Sparrow, the daughter of an artist, is an ambitious young lawyer working…

View Post

k2reader February 25, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (2.25.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. Well, it’s finally here…this coming weekend I will be participating in my first MS…

View Post

k2reader February 24, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (35) 2.24.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: For Review: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau I’m participating in a book tour for this and am looking forward to reading it. Purchased: Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson Another new Alex Cross book – so excited to not have to wait a year from the last…

View Post

k2reader February 23, 2013

Review: Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini Dutton Adult January 2013 Format: Hardcover, 352 pages First line: On Election Day, Elizabeth Keckley hurried home from a midafternoon dress fitting to the redbrick boardinghouse on Twelfth Street where she rented two small rooms in the back. From the inside cover: In a life that spanned nearly a century and witnessed some of the most momentous events in American history, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley…

View Post

k2reader February 21, 2013

Review: The Truth About Love & Lightning by Susan McBride

The Truth About Love & Lightning by Susan McBride William Morrow Paperbacks February 2012 Format: Paperback, 320 pages First line: Annika Brink could not tell a lie. From the back cover: Susan McBride, author of Little Black Dress and The Cougar Club, gives us her most unforgettable novel to date with this deliciously emotional story of family, forgiveness, love, and magic. As far as Gretchen Brink is concerned, the tornado…

View Post

k2reader February 18, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (2.18.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. With all the snow and cold weather we’ve had lately, it was such a…

View Post

k2reader February 17, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (34) 2.17.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: Purchased: From Nothing Hill with Love…Actually (e-b00k) byAli McNamara I saw this on someone else’s blog and thought it looked cute! Whole Latte Life (e-book) by Joanne DeMaio This has been on my tbr list for a while and it was on sale on amazon this week so…

View Post

k2reader February 15, 2013

Review: To the Nines by Janet Evanovich (audio)

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich Read by CJ Critt Recorded Books, LLC 2003 Length: 10 hours From the back of the audio case: Stephanie Plum’s got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli…oh, the list goes on).…

View Post

k2reader February 14, 2013

Review: Bella Summer Takes a Chance by Michele Gorman

Bella Summer Takes a Chance by Michele Gorman Notting Hill Press February 2013 Format: ARC e-copy, 283 pages First line: “Are you in love with me?” I ask again as the appetising comfort of our usual Friday night takeaway turned sour in my mouth. Book description: Bella’s career and relationship are her life’s foundationwear: not glamorous and perhaps a bit binding, but supportive enough… until she realizes that they are…

View Post

k2reader February 13, 2013

Book Spotlight: Beautiful Bastard (and giveaway, too!) [GIVEAWAY CLOSED]

Now available in print: Originally only available online as The Office by tby789 – and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites – BEAUTIFUL BASTARD (Gallery Books; On-sale: February 12, 2013; Trade Paperback; $15.00) has been extensively updated for its first appearance in print. Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible.…

View Post

k2reader February 12, 2013

Blog Tour, Review, Scavenger Hunt & Giveaway: The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff [GIVEAWAY CLOSED]

The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff Harlequin MIRA January 2013 Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages First line: The sun has dropped low beneath the crumbling arches of Lehrter Bahnhof as I make my way across the station. From the back cover: Paris, 1919.The world’s leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbors dark secrets and dangerous liaisons,…

View Post

k2reader February 11, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (2.11.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. We were in the path of Nemo this past weekend and ended up with…

View Post

k2reader February 10, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (33) 2.10.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: For Review: Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown This is the first in Duffy Brown’s Consignment Shop Mystery series and I am looking forward to reading this. Beautiful Bastard by Christine Lauren This looks like an interesting read…I guess we will see! Purchased: The Good Daughter…

View Post

k2reader February 9, 2013

February Monthly Giveaway (CLOSED)

Here are this month’s giveaway selections: Vets in Love By: Cathy Woodman Format: Paperback My review Fools Rush In By: Kristan Higgins Format: Paperback My review A Stitch in Crime By: Betty Hechtman Format: Paperback My review Hidden Summit By: Robyn Carr Format: Paperback My review How to enter: This contest is open to entries from the U.S. only. The deadline for entry is midnight, February 25th.…

View Post

k2reader February 8, 2013

Book Beginnings Friday: The Ambassador’s Daughter

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author. I’m reading The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff: The sun has dropped low beneath the crumbling arches of Lehrter Bahnhof…

View Post

k2reader February 8, 2013

Review: Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich Read by Lorelei King Audio Renaissance 2002 Length: 3 hours From the back of the audio case: It’s five days before Christmas and things are not looking merry for fugitive apprehension agent Stephanie Plum. She hasn’t got a tree. She hasn’t bought any presents. There’s not a twinkle light to be seen anywhere in her apartment. And there’s a strange man named Diesel…

View Post

k2reader February 7, 2013

Review: The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb Hyperion Books February 2013 Format: ARC paperback, 352 pages First line: People were gathering at Alban House for the family’s annual summer solstice party – a happy occasion. From the back cover: Grace Alban has spent more than twenty years avoiding her childhood home, the stately mansion situated on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior. Alban House is enchanting, certainly; it is…

View Post

k2reader February 6, 2013

Review: I Only Have Eyes For You by Bella Andre

I Only Have Eyes For You by Bella Andre Oak Press LLC February 2012 Format: e-book, 261 pages First line: Sophie Sullivan surveyed the final wedding preparations with satisfaction. Book description: Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin.…

View Post

k2reader February 5, 2013

Review: Can’t Help Falling In Love by Bella Andre

Can’t Help Falling In Love by Bella Andre Bella Andre December 2011 Format: e-book, 200 pages First line: Gabe Sullivan was helping an elderly couple down the stairs of an old San Francisco apartment building and out onto the sidewalk when the air was rocked with an explosion of flames and smoke out a second-story window. Book description: Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San…

View Post

k2reader February 4, 2013

January Giveaway Winners

Here are the January winners: Love Anthony By: Lisa Genova Winner: Margie Better Than Chocolate By: Sheila Roberts Winner: Mary The Diva Digs Up the Dirt By: Krista Davis Winner: Paula First Lady By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Winner: Renee Grandinetti Thanks to all who entered and don’t forget to stop by later this week to see a new set of books up for grabs!

View Post

k2reader February 4, 2013

It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (2.4.13)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. Yeah for the mini-Bloggiesta this past weekend!!! I got a ton done, but because it…

View Post

k2reader February 3, 2013

Mini-Bloggiesta: Wrap Up

This weekend I participated in the first mini-Bloggiesta! I got a ton done and felt that it was very low-key and relaxed. I didn’t even keep track of how much time I spent on my to-do list as I usually do, but still managed to get it all done! I want to say a big THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Suey at It’s All About Books and Danielle…

View Post

k2reader February 3, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (32) 2.3.13

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week. Here’s what I got: For Review: The Best Man by Kristan Higgins This is Kristan Higgins’ newest book and I just love her stories. I was lucky to get an early copy of this one and can’t wait to start reading it! Purchased: Henry VIII Wives: History in an Hour by…

View Post