Review & Giveaway - A Love by Any Measure by Killian McRae

Title: A Love by any Measure
Author: Killian McRae
Publisher: Tulipe Noire Press
Publish Date: Nov 8, 2011
Paperback, 344 pages

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I do not remember what I read when reading the summary, but when I finally got my hands on this book and starting reading it I literally stopped and said, "What?" I have no idea what I was expecting when I wanted to read this, but boy oh boy was I pleasantly surprised. This book was fantastic. Reminisce of when I was growing up and obsessed with romance novels. There was some serious sex scenes in this book and boy are they HOT!

Maeve is a woman who is just trying to support her father and live in the home she has known her entire life, but her landlord is threatening to throw them out if she cannot come up with the rent. She would do anything to keep it. Or would she . . . Maeve ends up agreeing to be her lord's beck and call girl. He will get to spend double the amount of time with her, doing what he wishes of her and he will consider it payment. She is a respectable woman who is engaged, but they cannot wed til they have the money to survive with their homes. Problem is her lord is the boy she once fancied. The boy who taught her how to read and showed her his heart, then left with her heart.

A wonderful book of romance the old fashioned way. And I do not mean that literally, if you know what I mean. I loved this book. With the woman's petticoats and the lord's use of language. The proprietary way men and women interact. A lot of fun! OH and there is a HUGE TWIST towards the end! Will Maeve and August get swept up in lust or will Maeve settle with Owen, her fiancee?

GIVEAWAY

Mandatory Entry: Please comment here with WHY you want to read this book

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Deadline to enter is midnight on December 5th.

Winner will have one week to reply
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and
then I will choose another winner.

Summary -
An Irish lass. An English lord.
A love that overcomes all boundaries.

August Grayson has secretly dreamt of the girl living on his family’s Irish estate since childhoods spent together in Killarney. Now a proper Lord of the British Empire, he knows that Maeve could never be more than just a distant fantasy. Still, if only...

Maeve O’Connor owns nothing in this world but her good name, which proves just enough to win a proposal for a marriage of convenience to a good, Irish lad. Until the wedding, however, she’s in dire straits. Rent on the cottage she and her father share is due, but there simply isn’t the money to pay. Driven to desperation, Maeve hopes Lord Grayson, her childhood-chum-turned-dashing-English-rogue, will prove lenient when she comes seeking clemency.

The temptation presented proves too much, and August offers Maeve a compromise: should she permit him twice as long on each succeeding visit to do whatever he wishes in pursuit of his pleasure, he will consider her rent paid. Starting with a mere five seconds, pulses soon out race the ticking clock, as August’s desires become Maeve’s own. Passion blinds them to the challenges closing in on both the Irish and English fronts, threatening to destroy the love they’ve discovered.

Working to bridge that which divides them, tempting fate with each stolen kiss, and torn between desire and obligation, Maeve and August must strive to overcome all and find a love by any measure...

Review & Giveaway - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publish Date: November 15, 2011
Paperback, 342 pages

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This book is written with very little conversation. Much of the first half of the book is Juliette's inner dialog. As she hasn't seen or touched anyone in nearly 300 days, she is becoming very used to her own company. Juliette cannot touch anyone for fear of hurting them, as she has been put her for that reason alone. She recounts that day over and over again where her parents turned their back on her and society forgot about her. Then a man is thrown in to her cell to save space. He wants to know her, she wants to be left alone. Yet, living together in a small cell, neither one can ignore the other. He cannot understand why she won't talk or touch, yet he is fascinated by her. He reminds her of someone she once knew in school, but it must be a coincidence . . . or is it?

An incredible romance book that is linked with chaos, destruction and the struggle for power. This book will enchant anyone and thrill the reader into wanting more. I know I do. I cannot wait to see what turns up in the next book.

Juliette is so fragile, I want to protect her, but sadly she is so powerful she doesn't need protecting. She needs love and hungers for human connections. She is so sure of her worthlessness that she cannot stand even herself.

Adam is a strong man who is in this same hell as Juliette. He wants her. He knows her in ways she will never understand. Maybe just their situations are what makes him know her. Either way, he cannot keep is hands off her. But can he really touch her without dying?

Juliette falls in love with Adam, but how can this be if she cannot stand human contact?

GIVEAWAY
For one advanced readers copy of
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Paperback copy

TO ENTER:

Mandatory Entry: Please comment on this post with your e-mail address detailing

WHY YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS BOOK

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Details: This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Deadline to enter is midnight on November 14, 2011.

Winner will have one week to reply
to email with mailing address
and
then I will choose another winner.

Summary -
Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

In this electrifying debut, Tahereh Mafi presents a world as riveting as The Hunger Games and a superhero story as thrilling as The X-Men. Full of pulse-pounding romance, intoxicating villainy, and high-stakes choices, Shatter Me is a fresh and original dystopian novel—with a paranormal twist—that will leave readers anxiously awaiting its sequel.

Review & Giveaway - Thirst #1 by Christopher Pike

Title: Thirst #1
The Last Vampire, Black Blood and Red Dice
Author: Christopher Pike
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publish Date: Aug 7, 2009
Paperback, 624 pages

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Let me begin this review by pleading with the publishers to make this an ebook. It is big enough to be a door stop. If it wasn't such an awesome book.

Second, let me say that this was my first Christopher Pike book and after reading Until We Die, I am now officially a fan forever. I love his writing. It is so poetic and prolific. Even go so far as to say a fine line between emotionless and filled with emotion so deep it penetrates ever fiber. I was pulled in at the same time I was repulsed. Just amazing writing.

Alisa is the main character who doesn't have much human in her anymore. She has been a vampire for over 5000 years. She takes what she wants. She uses people. Surprisingly though, she doesn't kill and not just to maintain her secrecy. She has reasons that are revealed through the book at specific times. She tells of the beginning of the vampires, how they came to be, how she came to be one and how she left behind a life she actually loved. She has learned to not just survive, but to live, a little. Then her maker turns up and he is wanting to kill her. As any parent can attest to, parent's are generally smarter and stronger. This is a fight to survive and at the same time, she feels a bit of love for her creator. What a conundrum to be in. She also meets some really fun characters. Humans and other vampires she never knew existed.

One of my favorite characters throughout the book is the human she meets at school. He is nerdy and sadly, dying. She knows upon meeting him he is nearing death and yet she builds a bond with him. He almost becomes her confidante, but at the risk of him being killed before he dies as Alisa's life is filled with death. He is funny, smart and has dreams about her. They have such an incredible story together. I really enjoyed this part.

Cannot wait to pick up the next one in the series. I do have it on my shelf, as once again, it is not available in ebook format. Heaven forbid. More heavy lifting. (lol)

Summary -
As to blood --
ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty. And I am often thirsty....

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has every reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life....

GIVEAWAY
The giveaway is for BOTH
of my personal copies of
Thirst #1 and Thirst #2
by Christopher Pike
I will announce the winner when I post the
review for Thirst #2
Dec 1st.

TO ENTER:

Mandatory Entry: Please comment here with your e-mail address

Extra entries (please post each entry separately, i.e. 2 posts for subscribing):
- Subscribe via e-mail, follow or subscribe to the feed. You must verify the subscriptions. (1 entry each)

This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Deadline to enter is midnight on November 30, 2011.

Winner will have one week to reply
to email with mailing address
and
then I will choose another winner.

Review, Interview & Giveaway - The Insider by Reece Hirsch

Title: The Insider
Author: Reece Hirsch
Publisher:
Publish Date:
Paperback, 330 pages

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Like a good thriller? Like a book that keeps you guessing and supplies the reader with twists and turns??? This is definitely the book for you.

Will is a lawyer at a really nice firm on his way to becoming partner, when a fellow associate is tossed from his office window with Will's key card implicating him in his death. He is then introduced to some Russian Mafya contacts who are looking to extort some valuable insider trading information from him. The good thing is they must keep him alive to keep attaining information, the bad is they can hurt him repeatedly. I liked Will. He is smart, but not too smart. He shows his vulnerabilities well, which always makes the character more likable and easier to root for. He had a soft spot for women, Kafta, a Russian who finds him attractive and Claire, a paralegal in his office. I hate to admit it, but one of the Russian Mafya contacts was one of my favorite characters. I don't usually go for the bad guys, but Yuri was funny, stupid and so incredibly fun to read. Some of the most laugh out loud parts though simply involved Will's inner dialog. I had it all wrong too. I kept changing my guess of who was behind it all and then it wasn't until it was almost announced in the book that I caught on. Then again, I really enjoyed just sitting back and reading this book. It wouldn't be fair to say this is a summer read because that would make it seem like it was light and fluffy when in fact, this novel is full of action, lies and intellectual. Just when I thought things were winding down, something else popped up, but it was done in a way that really pulled the book together instead of making it jumbled. I really liked that it spoke up to the reader. For a first novel, I was very impressed. Can't wait to read what Reece Hirsch will write next.

About Reece Hirsch -

Reece Hirsch is a partner in the San Francisco office or Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP specializing in privacy, security and healthcare law. He is a nationally recognized privacy and security law expert and has been listed in Chambers USA: America's Best Lawyers for Business from 2005-2010. Reece was also selected as an "Outstanding Healthcare Information Technology Attorney" by Nightingale's for 2009. Reece is a member of the Board of Directors of 826 National and The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation.

Reece earned his law degree from the University of Southern California and a B.S. degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Prior to law school, Reece worked as a journalist in Atlanta for several years, including a stint as an assistant editor of a business magazine. For three years, he edited and published an arts and entertainment magazine in Atlanta.

Reece lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Kathy and their dog Simon. Reece's ramblings can be found every other Saturday at the 7 Criminal Minds blog.

Reece is a member of the Mystery Writers of America. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern California chapter of MWA. He is also a member of the International Association of Thriller Writers.

Interview -
First of all, I REALLY, REALLY want to thank you for allowing me to interview you on my blog and offer up a FREE COPY to giveaway to one lucky reader!! Also, some of the questions I wanted to ask Reece are already answered on his blog, so just in case there is a question you are dying to know the answer to, go visit there!

What would you like people to know about you?
I'd like people to know that I'm involved with a wonderful organization called 826 National, which conducts writing programs for young people in underserved communities. The organization started in San Francisco, but now has chapters in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Michigan, Washington, D.C., and Boston. They're always looking for volunteers for tutoring and other services, so if you live in one of those communities (or even if you don't), check them out at www.826national.org.

Do you have a favorite character in The Insider?
I'm closest to the character Will because I know people like that very well from practicing law for over 20 years. However, my favorite character would have to be Yuri, the would-be Russian gangster. He takes so much pleasure in wreaking havoc that I always enjoyed writing the chapters that he appears in. Yuri mirrors Will in some ways because they're both young men trying to get ahead in the world -- one in the legal world and one in the not-so-legal world.

What is your process for writing?
I think my writing process has become more streamlined over time. Because THE INSIDER was my first book, I made a lot of beginner's mistakes. I revised and revised THE INSIDER over a period of six years. I did more than one page-one rewrite of the manuscript. With the second book that I'm writing, I think that I'm able to get things right the first time in a way that I wasn't able to before.

What advice to you have for those of us (ahem) who would like to write and be published one day?
The best advice I can give is to keep writing and don't underestimate how polished your book needs to land an agent and then a publisher. When I sent my manuscript out to agents the first time, everyone passed on it and I had to recognize that it just wasn't ready yet. The writers who get published are the ones who don't get discouraged and keep working to write the best book that they can.

What is the best part of what you do? The toughest part?
The best part is hearing from a reader who's spent a few hours caught up in my book. The toughest part is slogging through revisions on a day when you're not feeling particularly inspired.

THANKS AGAIN REECE!!

Summary -
First corporate attorney Will Connelly's colleague hurtles to his death outside his office window. Within days, Will is a prime suspect in a murder, the target of an S.E.C. insider trading investigation, and a pawn in a complex criminal scheme involving the Russian mafia and a ruthless terrorist plot. Now, to top things off, he must ensure a deadly enemy doesn't gain access to the nation's most sensitive and confidential information-that has the power to do incalculable, irrevocable harm.

GIVEAWAY!!!!
One very lucky winner will receive
a paperback copy of
THE INSIDER by Reece Hirsch
(can we get a round of applause
for an awesomely, kind author??)

RULES:
You do not have to be a follower of mine
but you may do so if you like my blog
or please feel free to follow me on
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TWITTER
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FACEBOOK
(see links to right of blog post)
One entry per person.
Winner will be contacted by email.
Winner will have 3 days to contact me
with address for sending out copy of book.
US addresses only (sorry)
Contest ends on . . . . Aug 11, 2011!!!

How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post with
1. WHY you want to read this book
OR WHAT about this post interests you
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