Tuesday, August 23, 2016

#StackingtheShelves #48! Plus blog updates and week's end for 8-27-16!


Thanks to our Sponsor, Tynga's Reviews!

First, let's find out HOW Stacking the Shelves works! 

Hello everyone! It's that time of week again, that time to do an awesome "SHOW AND TELL" of the books I have been given, from authors, from publishers, I bought, borrowed, or received somehow, the library, a yard sale, or some way this past week! I LOVE showing books off like this! This is one of MY favorite posts to write!!
I also use THIS POST EACH WEEK to do somewhat of a wrap-up AND to post my NEW REVIEWS, NEW GIVEAWAYS, and whatever else I should bring to your attention!
After you are done reading HERE, click on the Sponsor's name up above and see THEIR post for Stacking the Shelves, too! They have a link-up with OVER 100-200 other blogs that also participate!
I'm also finding OTHER PLACES TO LINK UP TO AS WELL! I'm finding these places from other blogs, and they are GREAT ideas! The following NEW one is Talk of the Town where we can add ALL THINGS BOOKISH! Check it out! I still plan on joining in on other link-ups, too, I just haven't had the chance to do it all yet! I'll get there!!
I will also be linking this post AND my reviews to Saturday Situation as well from now on, too! That is a place to link ALL THINGS BOOKISH! I'm anxious to start posting there!! Check it out, too!

Hello Everyone!!!
I hope you had a GREAT week this last one! I'm sorry this post is so late, and it will be vert short, but Friday night I had severe muscle spasms set in, they lasted ALL day Saturday and slightly into this morning, much more so in my legs with a small burn in my entire back but the back is not in 'full' spasms, thankfully! Since this is still ongoing for me, I can't write this post like I normally do, and it took 3 days to get it this far, so I am going to leave getting around here at the blog all up to you this week. Please see my ARCHIVES for the latest review I did. Also for Giveaways, look in the LEFT side column. I need to get some books from the publishers to off them up for Giveaway for you, and they will mail them to you!! I PROMISE to work on that!! They are usually more than willing to do that! I will work on this because it's been a LONG while since we've had some book giveaways! Okay! I'll work on that!
NO NEW BOOKS this week, at least not books you would like! LOL! I did find some older books, the free ones - see I can't "think" with these THINGS (spasms)! Ugh. This is NOT FUN!!! They have even got my upper arms - I'm having a hard time reaching the keys on this Sony computer they put the keyboard so far up on the computer. I don't like that about this.  The books were OLD books they put into ebook format - we'll talk about that next week. Yes, I am still struggling with these muscle spasms today, the more I am trying to type, the more I am having difficulty. I will talk to you on the next post! 
YES! The Jennifer Weiner book, "Who Do You Love" IS coming this week, I PROMISE!
This week I have one new release review off the top of my head, and I will have reviews for the 6th, too! 
Sorry this took SOOOOOOOO long to get this post done, and I'll see you soon!
XO
Laurie

#REVIEW - The One Man by Andrew Gross - NEW Release today, Aug 23, 2016!


Description:
1944. Physics professor Alfred Mendl is separated from his family and sent to the men’s camp, where all of his belongings are tossed on a roaring fire. His books, his papers, his life’s work. The Nazis have no idea what they have just destroyed. And without that physical record, Alfred is one of only two people in the world with his particular knowledge. Knowledge that could start a war, or end it.
Nathan Blum works behind a desk at an intelligence office in Washington, DC, but he longs to contribute to the war effort in a more meaningful way, and he has a particular skill set the U.S. suddenly needs. Nathan is fluent in German and Polish, he is Semitic looking, and he proved his scrappiness at a young age when he escaped from the Polish ghetto. Now, the government wants him to take on the most dangerous assignment of his life: Nathan must sneak into Auschwitz, on a mission to find and escape with one man.

This historical thriller from New York Times bestseller Andrew Gross is a deeply affecting, unputdownable series of twists and turns through a landscape at times horrifyingly familiar but still completely compelling.

MY TAKE:
5 STARS!!!
As the description about this book states, there are two men in this entire world we live in who have information that could ‘start or end’ a war. The US government wants these two men alive and safe, and that is what they were trying to do with one of them, Alfred Mendl, that is until the Nazi’s marched into Austria and forced him, his family, and all the people he lived around and with to board the trains to the Auschwitz Concentration Work Camp. Once at Auschwitz, there he and his family were separated by sex. The men went one way, and the women, another. The last we see of Alfred Mendl for the time is he and his son with a Nazi fighting with him to take away his briefcase which he did not want to let go of as it held all of his life’s work. He tried and tried to explain what was in that briefcase, but the Nazi was kind of sarcastically laughing under his breath telling him they would be very careful with it. Not so. This briefcase was thrown into a pile of belongings that were set on fire.
We, the United States, are very well aware of what happened, however, at the moment this is out of our hands, and something needs to be done to help save Alfred Mendl and get him out of the Auschwitz Work Camp. Doing so risks the lives of so many people it’s almost countless. It is not just one life, but many. Still, a mission needs to be carried out, and this is the mission where if one tiny thing goes astray, even so much as a dog barking, there will not be a way to know the sheer number of lives that will be lost, and especially the life of Alfred Mendl along with his knowledge this one man has.
The US decides to carry out a mission to extract Alfred Mendl out of this work camp before it’s too late as they figure there is only about 72 hours left, at the most, before something bad will happen, before the Nazi’s will put these prisoners into the gas chambers.
The United States government decides a desk agent, Nathan Blum, is the man to do the job. Nathan Blum will be the man who will sneak into this work/death camp, and will sneak out with Alfred Mendl. RISKY!!! Can this man do this job, and can he do it effectively and safely enough without risk to not only himself, but everyone else at the camp, too? Nathan Blum is from the area, and he did escape from this area once to save his own life, but can he do it a second time and help save Alfred Mendl, too? THIS is the most delicate of missions we watch work it’s way to a success or not.
Andrew Gross has penned this BRILLIANT, suspenseful, compassionate novel of epoch risk which takes place during World War II.  Both men and women, equally, will be drawn into this story of proportionate risk. Ladies, I promise you will enjoy this story just as much as the men do, as this author has taken everyone into consideration who may come across this book so they can enjoy reading it just as much! No, this book is not just another war story, it is so much more, I promise, and no one will be bored reading this one at all! Anyone who picks this book up and starts to read it will be sitting on the edge of their seats wondering how this mission is going to work, “if” at all. Gross is very successful in drawing us into this amazing story that you will be frantically reading through the pages to find out the answers about this unimaginable mission to see if it works or not. I highly recommend this book!
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, St Martin’s Press, and also from Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2016 Edition in which the publisher, St Martin’s Press, included this book inside of it making it available for reviewers to request this book in full for review from NetGalley, in exchange that I read then write a review about this book. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to just enjoy the sheer pleasure of reading this book and then to write an honest review about my opinion of what I thought about this book, regardless if my opinion is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.


ebook: $12.99
print:   $18.38

Saturday, August 20, 2016

#StackingtheShelves #47! Blog updates and week's end for 8-20-16!


Thanks to our Sponsor, Tynga's Reviews!

First, let's find out HOW Stacking the Shelves works! 

Hello everyone! It's that time of week again, that time to do an awesome "SHOW AND TELL" of the books I have been given, from authors, from publishers, I bought, borrowed, or received somehow, the library, a yard sale, or some way this past week! I LOVE showing books off like this! This is one of MY favorite posts to write!!
I also use THIS POST EACH WEEK to do somewhat of a wrap-up AND to post my NEW REVIEWS, NEW GIVEAWAYS, and whatever else I should bring to your attention!
After you are done reading HERE, click on the Sponsor's name up above and see THEIR post for Stacking the Shelves, too! They have a link-up with OVER 100-200 other blogs that also participate!
I'm also finding OTHER PLACES TO LINK UP TO AS WELL! I'm finding these places from other blogs, and they are GREAT ideas! The following NEW one is Talk of the Town where we can add ALL THINGS BOOKISH! Check it out! I still plan on joining in on other link-ups, too, I just haven't had the chance to do it all yet! I'll get there!!
I will also be linking this post AND my reviews to Saturday Situation as well from now on, too! That is a place to link ALL THINGS BOOKISH! I'm anxious to start posting there!! Check it out, too!

Hello Everyone!!!
WHEW! IT IS HOT, HOT, HOT OUTSIDE! I CANNOT STOP SWEATING INSIDE with the air and a fan on!! I am NOT a fan of the heat at ALL! I HATE the heat, to be honest! Although, maybe that is because I am in my home state of Michigan! Most of us do not like the HOT heat, and it's a good thing, too, because this is NOT the state to live in if you want HOT HEAT! We will have mild temperatures starting September 18th, and I cannot WAIT for those temps!! The low 60's are PERFECT for me!! I ONLY set my heat through the winter at 67! I know that sounds COLD, but it's NOT! Our house is on the small side, and that really makes it comfortable in here, unless you dress like my son does, in shorts! No, for 67 thru the three seasons, you must wear warmer clothing!
Let's hit the books! 
I hope you ALL had some WONDERFUL reading this week!!! I sure did! I even got to read a friend's NEW writing!!! I have a friend who likes to write, and they had me read some of their writing for them to get my opinion about it!! Oh, yeah! It was wonderful!!! I don't know if they are going to self publish it or not, but I LOVED it!! It's a secret under wraps, too, so I CAN'T say a word about it . . . or else!! My lips are SEALED!!! If they want to write more, I would LOVE it!!
I'm currently reading an "in-between" book for review, At the Water's Edge, a novel by Sara Gruen. She also wrote Water for Elephants. I wanted to read this when it first came out, and NOW, I finally get the chance in-between books for review! I do have to put this book down and finish up some other books, so this is why I call these kinds of books, "in-betweens"! 
I like this book, and am enjoying it very much. It's nice to have your own book you want to read for these very short times when we reviewers don't have to be reading a book for review! I like this and will do it again! 
So far, this book takes place during WWII with Maddie just having married Ellis, and her husband, Ellis, avoiding the draft for the war ON PURPOSE, along with his friend, Hank. I guess when money can't buy you away from the Government, you have to find health issues or injuries in some way to help keep you from NOT being drafted, however, they both have taken quite some heat and being accused of intentionally avoiding the draft. They do stand up for themselves and their health issues that have kept them out of the war, but you know since they are from money, they do NOT want or feel as if "they" should be going out into the front lines to fight! They'll do anything to avoid fighting! One of them is claiming color blindness (of which his wife who is the main character secretly tested him on this so SHE knew!) and his friend claims he has, along with the doctor, flat feet. From what I understand back in WWII they did so much MORE walking than in any other war that yes, flat feet would not make it. I found that interesting. Instead of staying in the states, Maddie did decide to ride along on a warship to go to Scotland and while her husband and his friend do search for the Loch Ness monster. The ride to Scotland was horrendous and she was so sick! The days are long for her as she stays back at the Bed and Breakfast (or what we would now call it) and her husband and his friend go out interviewing people about the monster and they go monster searching. They do quite a bit of drinking while looking for this monster, in addition to being quite upset now because they have completely failed with everything so far, but they still have a little time left there. They are also somewhat stuck there right now, too, as the air raids of the war have increased, too. Maddie, the wife, is the one who deals with the most of everything back where they are staying, involves herself in apologizing for her husband and his friend's behavior. She has also decided to help run this place by doing some housekeeping to help who have become her friends now. It's really good.   Currently I am into the book at 60% and once finished with this book, I will be writing a FULL review about this book, so you'll get to learn more about it and where this story goes!

What's going on at the blog?
A GIVEAWAY!!! "BACK TO THE BOOKS" $250 CASH GIVEAWAY! NOW to 9-7! Come on over and enter HERE!! OR You can click on the photo for this Giveaway in the LEFT SIDE COLUMN! Good luck!!

REVIEWS THIS PAST WEEK: 
I Will Send Rain, a novel by Rae Meadows - 5 Stars! You can read the review HERE!
The Regulars, a novel by Georgia Clark - 4 Stars! You can read that review HERE!
I MUST apologize!! I had "Who Do You Love" by Jennifer Weiner ALL READY to "write" the review, and it slipped my mind! I'm SO SORRY!!! I WILL have it written this week! PROMISE!!! 
I made a 2nd mistake, too! I'm BAD!!! The One Man by Andrew Gross releases on Tuesday, August 23rd, so my review WILL be POSTED ON that date which is 'THIS' Tuesday coming up! This is a book you would probably NEVER think "I" would read! It's not! However, it is SO GOOD! I would recommend this book to anyone, as long as you can handle ALL of the death and despair of World War II. I know for a LONG while I just could NOT read one more book about it, but this book is rather unique. They are looking for this one man. He and one other man are the ONLY two people on earth that have their life's work with them and are being protected. The work this one man has is with this man, and the best part is even the Nazi's/German's don't know this man! He should be safe, until the day the Nazi's raid their town! This man's work is strong enough that the PAPERWORK, if seen, could start more wars! He NEVER should have been taken by the Nazi's, but he was, and ALL of his belongings were burned. This man's work was information that someone wanted and knew about, and now with it burned and no longer existing, the hunt is on against time before the Nazi's gas this man and kill him just like they have done to so many other people. This man is in Auschwitz, the worst camp there is. Spies are sent in to find him. 
Okay! This is where the book gets SUPER good! This is why I like it! Again, catch this review THIS  More to follow!

REVIEWS THIS COMING WEEK:
The One Man by Andrew Gross TUESDAY, AUG 23rd!
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner THURSDAY, AUG 25th!

eBooks I still have to review (does not include print books):
(This is for my benefit, to be able to see the books I need to review and FAST!)
Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitt
Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda
Lost Among the Living Simone St James
The Loved Ones by Rachael Herron
Somewhere Out There Amy Hatvany
The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston
Tough Justice Exposed (1 of 8) by Carla Cassidy
The Witches of Cambridge by Menna Van Praag and
The Passenger by Lisa Lutz


NEW BOOKS I RECEIVED THIS WEEK!
Yes! I HAVE received a few NEW books this week! I am OVER THE MOON that I received Little Boy Blue by MJ Arlidge, an author from the UK who writes Thrillers that you CANNOT PUT DOWN!!! I had to sign up and WISH FOR IT!! (Wish for the book from the publisher!!) and I had about given up on being chosen to review it! I've read and reviewed all four previous books of his, and FINALLY I GOT WORD I WAS CHOSEN TO REVIEW IT!!!! I'M SOOO HAPPY!! EXCITED!!! And YES! I HAVE started it already!!! I HAD to read a few chapters of it to find out what this one is going to be about!! This one is going to be about . . . are you ready??? Okay! Sadomasochism! Wow! That's HARD to spell! You know, S&M. NO! I wasn't looking forward to reading ABOUT THAT! This author's writing is AMAZING!!!! THAT is what I'm looking forward to reading!! He can write about anything and I'll read it!! It's really not so bad, so calm down!! There has been NOTHING sexual about it yet, and probably won't be, just the serial killer (ALL of this author's books are about serial killers on the loose, and Detective Inspector Helen Grace in a city in England is out there to CATCH THESE PEOPLE!) is completely into it and it in full dress of a Dominate. They say this guy works with a second person, so I wonder if the second person is a submissive or if they consider the people they catch as the submissives? I'm not sure yet! We'll find out! This is Book 5 in this wonderful series! Remember this book started out with Eeny Meeny! That was the book that got me HOOKED! I LOVE this author!!! One more thing! The names of the books always stands for something, and I was figuring if someone turns blue, then they are being strangled, and YEP! I was right! This serial killer is into strangulation of it's victims. This book IS ALREADY AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AND TO READ RIGHT NOW!Here is the cover of the book! 


Little Boy Blue, A Detective Inspector Helen Grace novel by MJ Arlidge


Liar's Key, A Sharpe and Donovan novel #6 by Carla Neggers
Release Date: August 30th! I 'just' got this book yesterday, so I know I will not be able to get this book read as well in just a few more weeks! It WILL be read and reviewed IN September! It WILL BE AFTER September 7th and later. I'll need time to read it. Currently I have to finish I have 3 more books to read! promised three other publishers/authors that I WILL post my reviews on Sept 1st and the 6th, then I have one more book to review after that, Missing Pieces, THEN I WILL be able to get to this book STILL IN September! I have 2 more books for September and I still have my To Read list to attack!! In time!!
(From the Library Journal, they describe this book as if you like reading Lisa Jackson and Lisa Gardner, then you will LOVE reading this Author!) I have not heard about this author yet, so it will be FUN to try this book out!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you got some ideas for reading! I HOPE you remember to ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!! Also, come back by Tuesday and Thursday for the NEW REVIEWS!
LEAVE A COMMENT IF YOU WOULD LIKE! Tell us what YOU are reading!!
I'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
Laurie


Friday, August 19, 2016

#REVIEW The Regulars by Georgia Clark - #New #Release Aug 2nd!


Description

A fierce, feisty, and “wonderfully entertaining” (Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies) debut with a magical twist about three ordinary, regular girls who suddenly have their fantasies come true…or do they?


Best friends Evie, Krista, and Willow are just trying to make it through their mid-twenties in New York. They’re regular girls, with average looks and typical quarter-life crises: making it up the corporate ladder, making sense of online dating, and making rent.


Until they come across Pretty, a magic tincture that makes them, well...gorgeous. Like, supermodel gorgeous. And it’s certainly not their fault if the sudden gift of beauty causes unexpected doors to open for them.


But there’s a dark side to Pretty, too, and as the gloss fades for these modern-day Cinderellas, there’s just one question left:


What would you sacrifice to be Pretty?

Wildly irreverent, blatantly sexy, and observed with pitch-perfect wit, The Regulars is fresh “compulsive reading from a bright new voice” (Brenda Bowen, author of Enchanted August) in fiction, perfect for fans of Jennifer Close and Kevin Kwan.

MY TAKE:
4 STARS!
What truly FAST and FUN reading! I think the BEST part about this book is when each of these three women end up drinking a tincture they come across and end up on their own, individual journey! Every woman wants to turn out to be a beautiful, gorgeous woman who is successful, who have men who just drop at their feet for them, and have it ALL! When they find this tincture, this IS what they get! They are DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, and they each end up having some pretty wild things happen to each of them while they go on these journeys they end up on! There is one thing you will be surprised about, and that is they are not themselves at ALL when they are these other people. They look completely different, act different, everything is different. It’s a lot of fun to see how each of these women go through each change and how they act on the tincture and then off of it, back to themselves, again. After their journey is over, can they bring back some of what happened and live some of that life without that tincture? Did they grow from it? I did think it was odd these women did not discuss finding this tincture they were going to drink to talk more about it before drinking it, though. However, then I’m not letting go of reality when I think about that, and you really have to let it go to enjoy this book! Remember that as you are reading it! It’s worth the fun and just enjoy the ride! You could really enjoy this book! It is very humorous in places, and I’m glad I read it! Warning to those of you who are squeamish about sex in books, this one does contain it, but one of the scenes I thought was hilarious! I think you’ll enjoy this if you keep an open mind! I would like to thank the Publisher, Atria Books, and NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange to read and write a review of my own opinion about this book! Thanks!


ebook:        $13.99
Hardcover: $17.77

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Back to the Books $250 #CASH #GIVEAWAY! NOW to Sept 7th! #Enter here!

Back to Books




Back to the Books $250 Cash Giveaway

August 17th to 27th

An Awesome Group of Authors and Bloggers have joined with me to bring you 1 fabulous prize!!

We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com Gift Code!

Sponsor List
I Am A Reader
Here We Go Again...Ready?
Hall Ways Blog
Kindle and Me
Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Bound 4 Escape
Every Free Chance Books
Laurie Here - Cont Fiction and More
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Heather Boyd, Historical Romance Author
The Page Unbound
Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke
Rockin' Book Reviews
Lori's Reading Corner
Rice & Rocks, by Sandra L. Richards
Simple Wyrdings
D.S. Venetta
Author Dorothy Dreyer
Diana's Book Reviews
MK McClintock
Books & Benches
Kasey Cocoa
Heather @ Townsend House
Glistering Bs Blog
Paisley Piranha YA Book Blog
Cool Cat Mysteries
Bella Street Time Travel Romance
Bonnie Blythe Faith Based Romance
The Candid Cover
Talia Jager
Lise McClendon - Author
Laurie Here - Cont Fiction and More
FLYLēF

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash (alternately the winner can choose a $250 Amazon.com Gift Code)

Ends 9/7/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, August 14, 2016

#REVIEW #NEWRELEASE "I Will Send Rain, a novel" by Rae Meadows


Description:
A luminous, tenderly rendered novel of a woman fighting for her family's survival in the early years of the Dust Bowl; from the acclaimed and award-winning Rae Meadows.


Annie Bell can't escape the dust. It's in her hair, covering the windowsills, coating the animals in the barn, in the corners of her children's dry, cracked lips. It's 1934 and the Bell farm in Mulehead, Oklahoma is struggling as the earliest storms of The Dust Bowl descend. All around them the wheat harvests are drying out and people are packing up their belongings as storms lay waste to the Great Plains. As the Bells wait for the rains to come, Annie and each member of her family are pulled in different directions. Annie's fragile young son, Fred, suffers from dust pneumonia; her headstrong daughter, Birdie, flush with first love, is choosing a dangerous path out of Mulehead; and Samuel, her husband, is plagued by disturbing dreams of rain.
As Annie, desperate for an escape of her own, flirts with the affections of an unlikely admirer, she must choose who she is going to become. With her warm storytelling and beautiful prose, Rae Meadows brings to life an unforgettable family that faces hardship with rare grit and determination. Rich in detail and epic in scope, I Will Send Rain is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, filled with hope, morality, and love.


MY TAKE:
5 STARS!!!
When I saw this book was available for review at NetGalley, a fictional book based about a family and others and how they survived the dust storms in the great american dust bowl, I HAD to read this! I was really hoping to read this book because I really wanted to learn more about how people survived life through it all. I have always been intrigued how the people in the southern great plains ever survived living through the dust storms of the 1930’s. This was a time my history classes back in school greatly lacked covering. I only recall them teaching us that “one” terrible dust storm took over the southern great plains when in reality it was many. I was taught so wrong! Dust storms were so common for the people that they started getting a knack for surviving them, except at times when the children would be so busy playing, they would not always notice the dark clouds that slowly crept in and they would get hit the worst. I always wondered how could you breathe through all that grit and dirt? You could not, and neither could your farm animals. Farm animals? Whoa! I never gave ANY thought about them! This was getting worse and worse the more I read this book and learned. This book covered things that affected families, one in particular, and how they survived these storms that essentially were greatly helped along by our farming and changing the ways they farmed. This took time, too, so it was not an overnight cure. I did some looking up of images during these times, and it was not uncommon to see home buried half-way up with sand! Take a look! It’s amazing! Imagine trying to get back into that house again with ALL the dirt and sand around your home! Unbelievable! When I learn about things such as this, it made me want to dig further and learn even more about it! I wanted to know how did the people survive through the days, inhaling so much sand/dust? I wondered how people survived through the storms, how many storms were there, how it affected things that remained outside, things like cars which were still pretty new then. This was one great book to learn from, and this author’s writing was very enjoyable! She made the characters, even though they did live some same ‘ole, same ‘ole dreadful days, had full lives! I loved the characters!
Highly recommended!
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Henry Holt and Company, and NetGalley, in exchange that I read then write a review about this book/what I read. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to just enjoy the sheer pleasure of reading this book and then writing an honest review about what I thought about this book, regardless if my opinion is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.


ebook: $12.99
print:   $17.77


Saturday, August 13, 2016

#StackingtheShelves #46 blog updates and week's end for 8-13-16!


Thanks to our Sponsor, NO SPONSOR this week???

First, let's find out HOW Stacking the Shelves works! 

Hello everyone! It's that time of week again, that time to do an awesome "SHOW AND TELL" of the books I have been given, from authors, from publishers, I bought, borrowed, or received somehow, the library, a yard sale, or some way this past week! I LOVE showing books off like this! This is one of MY favorite posts to write!!
I also use THIS POST EACH WEEK to do somewhat of a wrap-up AND to post my NEW REVIEWS, NEW GIVEAWAYS, and whatever else I should bring to your attention!
After you are done reading HERE, click on the Sponsor's name up above and see THEIR post for Stacking the Shelves, too! They have a link-up with OVER 100-200 other blogs that also participate!
I'm also finding OTHER PLACES TO LINK UP TO AS WELL! I'm finding these places from other blogs, and they are GREAT ideas! The following NEW one is Talk of the Town where we can add ALL THINGS BOOKISH! Check it out! I still plan on joining in on other link-ups, too, I just haven't had the chance to do it all yet! I'll get there!!
I will also be linking this post AND my reviews to Saturday Situation - NO Saturday Situation SINCE JUNE 24TH! I'm about to give up! Perhaps it's for the summer, but nothing is mentioned about it, so . . . ??? as well from now on, too! That is a place to link ALL THINGS BOOKISH! I'm anxious to start posting there!! Check it out, too!

MY WEEK:
Well, this week did not turn out the way I had it planned for my blog! I was especially upset because I was almost done writing TWO reviews and getting ready to post them when it happened! What happened? Our power went out!!     Grrrrrrr!!! Equipment failure. UGH! I found out later it was two fuses that burned out, exploded inside a large transformer, whatever.  This was one of the HOTTEST AND MOST HUMID weeks our state has seen so far this summer, (thankfully because it could be worse!) but we lost our power on Thursday, 8-11, ALL day into the evening. It was AWFUL!!! There was NO BREEZE! NOTHING stirred all day! Nothing but myself! I was MISERABLE!

We are in DIRE NEED of having our trees cut back ALL AROUND OUR CITY again so if the branches are in the way, or if a branch breaks from it's own weight, or a storm, rain, or whatever it may be happens, IF they were cut back we would not lose power like we have been SO OFTEN! 

About 15 years ago Detroit Edison cut the trees back then, and this DID help to keep our electric ON! No more trees falling and killing our power OR hurting people! They cut the trees in ALL of lower Michigan! It was AMAZING how they went about it! Thank gosh they did it! Imagine how BAD the trees would be today! Well, the trees are out of control, again, and they NEED to cut them back again!

I did check to find a way to write to the company and complain about the trees, either. ALL we have is the Customer Service phone number and NO EMAIL! Probably on purpose! (Since they cut the trees back, the electric companies have been deregulated.) Essentially there are safety rules the electric company must abide by, but that's it. You know how keeping SOME things regulated is BETTER for the public? The electric company SHOULD have been kept regulated, in MY opinion. We sure would NOT have the problem with the trees we do now! Oh, well, what can we do but to call through the week and try to find an address that way!

Again, just like last week, I did NOT accept any NEW books for review this week, AGAIN! Why not? SAME REASON AS LAST WEEK! I am overflowing with books! I need time to be able to read them and write the reviews! With things like power outages and my muscle issues, things sometimes get in the way. I hope you understand!

REVIEWS:
Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris! You can read it HERE!

That's all because the electric went out. Ho, hum. 
This SUNDAY OR MONDAY I WILL have I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows and 
Monday or Tuesday I will be posting Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner!
Wednesday, The Regulars by Georgia Clark - in a Blog Tour for that book!
Thursday, The One Man by Andrew Gross

Books and Reviews I need to finish:
Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitta
Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
The Goodbye Year by Kaira Rouda
Lost Among the Living Simone St James
The Loved Ones by Rachael Herron
Somewhere Out There Amy Hatvany
The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston
Tough Justice Exposed (1 of 8) by Carla Cassidy
The Witches of Cambridge by Menna Van Praag and
The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Wow! Those last 10 books are a LOT to catch up on, but manageable! However, they would NOT be IF I were to take on any NEW books, so I'm sure you can understand why I am not taking on ANY new books, unless they are mailed to me by the publishers! I also have books that were mailed to me by the publishers that I have not YET gotten to because I was in demand! It's WONDERFUL to be wanted, but sometimes that can backfire if you are not able to post, such as the electric going out, being ill, especially for someone like myself who has this muscle disease! There are days I am not up to writing reviews. I honestly think if I had a different keyboard things might be different because this keyboard has the letters way UP at the TOP of the board! That makes it hard to type.
After I catch up on THESE, I will feel AWESOME!!! That will be an AMAZING feeling!
I STILL HAVE MORE books on my list at NetGalley, yet! Yes! However, those are to participate in Blog Tours with! I have shown those, but you'll still be surprised when you see the books! I AM anxious to read ALL of these books! Yes, I figure if I can clear out my NetGalley shelf, first, I will feel GREAT!!!!!

GIVEAWAY!!! "BACK TO THE BOOKS $250 #CASH #GIVEAWAY" starts Wednesday, August 17th!!! SAME day as I post my review for The One Man! This Giveaway will be in the LEFT side column when you come to the blog UNLESS you click through what you get in your feed! This Giveaway runs for 2 weeks!

I hope YOU can reach your goals, too! Do you have any goals you are trying to reach? Let me know below! I'd LOVE to share in you goals with you!!

Happy reading for the week ahead!
ALL the best!
Laurie


Tuesday, August 9, 2016

#REVIEW #NEWRELEASE TODAY, 8-9-16! #Blog Tour! - Behind Closed Doors by @BAParisAuthor !




The 2016 debut bloggers can't stop raving about. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Ice Twins


Description
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace: he has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You'd like to get to know Grace better. But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love.
Picture this: a dinner party at their perfect home, the conversation and wine flowing. They appear to be in their element while entertaining. And Grace's friends are eager to reciprocate with lunch the following week. Grace wants to go, but knows she never will. Her friends call—so why doesn't Grace ever answer the phone? And how can she cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim?
And why are there bars on one of the bedroom windows?
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie??

MY TAKE:
5 STARS!!!
You know how much I love books that are great Thrillers, right? Well . . .  this book is it! This book is “THE THRILLER FOR 2016!” termed this by debut bloggers! I do this book truly IS one of the BEST thrillers this year! As long as you like this genre of books, I believe you are going to LOVE this one!! I always LOVE IT when I come across a book as excellent as this book is, and even the way it is written, then it does turn out to be THE book of the year! The adrenaline rush from this thriller practically knocks you over the more we learn as we read along and as the story continues on.
This book had me in it’s grips from the very beginning. We learn that Grace takes care of her sister, Millie, and she has Downs Syndrome. In the nice weather there are musicians who come to their town to play music. Millie loves to dance, so Grace takes her to these concerts and Millie just loves to dance. Grace tries to sit where they won’t interrupt other people and she can allow Millie to dance, but one time at one of those concerts the music really got Millie dancing, got the people around them upset, and Grace couldn’t find Millie for a moment. Next thing she knew was this very handsome man was dancing with Millie bringing her back to Grace. Wa, la! Lost no longer, however, Grace just may have instantly lost her heart to this man named Jack.
This is where this book starts to really hook us into it’s story, and we want to learn more about it now as some strange things start to happen. Also, maybe some of those things in the description start to make a little more sense to you as well. Sometimes we end up reading frantically, as fast as we can because we want to learn more about what this new handsome man is about, and other things. Now the book is slowly starting to let it’s secrets out for us, and this story has gotten into us now, too! This story starts to feel newer, more of a refreshing read, until that stops, and a four letter word called EVIL starts to make it’s magic known. Now we start to stiffen up, hold on stronger to things around us because we know how bad evil is.
Evil does make itself known when it is ready to, and no sooner than when it wants to. Evil has NO boundaries nor limitations, either. Evil does not care if you believe in it or not, evil is just that, evil. Take what is bad, horrid, intentional, or on purpose, and that is evil. You’ll even learn evil has no self conscious. Evil can make itself known in many different ways, and in ways you have NEVER thought it could as well as in ways you are not able to imagine. I have personally lived with evil before, lived with it for a long time, sadly, and this is how I know exactly how the evil in this book was working in all the horrendous ways. With evil, it’s up to the good people to either get away from it themselves, or to force it to go away because evil on it’s own, and/or once it’s found a home, gets comfortable really fast. Evil just does not leave unless it wants to leave. I can also say there are also evils out there that no one even understands. Some types of evil are worse than others as well. Evil can be compared to a worm because they that can get anywhere they want to, inching itself to where it wants to go and they/IT never seem to die off.
Another way to look at evil is that “Evil” can be it’s own character, too. I would HOPE not too many people would like Evil, however, imagine being that person full of evil. It’s frightening! If you know of a person like this, get FAR away from them and FAST! We cannot allow evil to get to the best of us as we can allow it to make us go crazy.
Now we are at a point in this book where the author takes us from being just hooked into this book to us having it sunk it’s claws slowly and deeply into our skin and like the evil, it will literally not allow us out of this story until we read it to the end. This is where we cannot even put this book down, nor is there anything we can do but to finish reading this book. If we don’t finish reading it, it will knaw away at us until we are finally done reading it.
You are probably wondering why I am only referring to the evil in this book and not more. I cannot tell you more about this book or else the more I tell you the more it will ruin this book for you! This book has some amazing things happen, which is what makes this the thriller for this year! It gets a lot darker. I know you are going to be just as surprised as I was while reading this book and learning more as you are going along. You are definitely going to love this! Let loose and go with the flow! If you cannot believe and buy into something that does not seem truly believable, just for the sake of this one book, try to set that feeling aside because in my experience, yes, the most bizarre and unreal things you think could NEVER happen OR be for real, ARE and DO happen!
Now I really want to read this book a second time through for sure! Why? I want to go back over it and see if I can spot where some of the things that happened left a clue that they were coming, as this is that type of book. This is the type of book you want to read a second time after you are done because you think to yourself you never saw this or that coming, or maybe I misunderstood something! This books gets you so engrossed into the story that something will happen that seems like it’s out of the blue, and that is what I want to know if I can spot it again, but this time I want to see if I can see it ahead of time, or if there was any way to see things before they happened.
I would LOVE to, and I WANT to talk more about this book, but I can’t! I can’t tell you anymore about what happened at this or any time! UGH! As I said just above, this book has you in it’s grip and that grip, as I said, gets tighter and tighter as the book goes along. It will never let you go until you read the very last sentence! Truly, this book is an incredible thriller! I hope you enjoy this book as MUCH as I did!
Also, I am NOT going to compare this book with ANY other book out there because it does not even compare with the “story” of any other book, but what they are doing here as they refer to this as being like the next ‘Girl on The Train’ or ‘Ice Twins’ as the large "popularity" of those books, and as those books were "THE" thriller for that time period! (I believe THIS book will be even larger! Just my two cents!)
With that said, remember, keep an open mind as you read this book because what you think might be outlandish or unbelievable may very well BE TRUE! You never know anymore today for what might not sound believable is MORE than true for some people!
Make sure you have plenty of time to read this book, too, because once you start you are not going to want to stop!
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley, in exchange that I read then write a review about this book/what I read. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to just enjoy the sheer pleasure of reading this book and then writing an honest review about what I thought about this book, regardless if my opinion is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.



ebook:        $12.99
Hardcover: $18.44

Saturday, August 6, 2016

#StackingtheShelves #45 blog updates and week's end!


Thanks to our Sponsor, Tynga's Reviews!

First, let's find out HOW Stacking the Shelves works! 

Hello everyone! It's that time of week again, that time to do an awesome "SHOW AND TELL" of the books I have been given, from authors, from publishers, I bought, borrowed, or received somehow, the library, a yard sale, or some way this past week! I LOVE showing books off like this! This is one of MY favorite posts to write!!
I also use THIS POST EACH WEEK to do somewhat of a wrap-up AND to post my NEW REVIEWS, NEW GIVEAWAYS, and whatever else I should bring to your attention!
After you are done reading HERE, click on the Sponsor's name up above and see THEIR post for Stacking the Shelves, too! They have a link-up with OVER 100-200 other blogs that also participate!
I'm also finding OTHER PLACES TO LINK UP TO AS WELL! I'm finding these places from other blogs, and they are GREAT ideas! The following NEW one is Talk of the Town where we can add ALL THINGS BOOKISH! Check it out! I still plan on joining in on other link-ups, too, I just haven't had the chance to do it all yet! I'll get there!!
I will also be linking this post AND my reviews to Saturday Situation as well from now on, too! That is a place to link ALL THINGS BOOKISH! I'm anxious to start posting there!! Check it out, too!

I did NOT accept any books for review this week. Why not? I am overflowing with books! I need time to be able to read them and write the reviews! I hope you understand! It's almost as if every other week I get books now!

Who is watching the Olympics? I AM! I LOVE these games! I can't do what ANY of them can, but WOW!! To watch them compete is amazing! I can't wait for Gymnastics!! I HOPE we can do what we did the last time!!

Reviews last week:
The French War Bride by Robin Wells HERE!
Watching Edie by Camilla Way HERE! AND if you liked Watching Edie, you can ENTER TO WIN THE BOOK ON GOODREADS for another 14 days and almost 14 hours as of the time of this writing! ENTER HERE! And if that link does not work, then go to your Goodreads page, sign in, type in the book name, and when it comes up, scroll down and look on the left side! You'll see the entry form! Good luck!!

GIVEAWAYS - Watch for the $250 Cash Giveaways! There are several I am in, so watch for them!! They ARE coming!! I think the first one is this or next week - watch my posts or my Facebook page!

REVIEWS THIS WEEK:
It's supposed to be:
I Will Send Rain by Rae Meadows - Aug 9th
Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris - Aug 9th to Aug 16th
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner - Aug 11th
Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitt - Aug 12th

. . . but what did I read accidentally? The One Man by Andrew Gross! Releasing on August 23rd. 
I won't be able to fit in one of those listed books, but I can't decide. I can TRY HARD, but I really want to watch Gymnastics on the Olympics tonight. UGH!!! This is the first time I've read the wrong book for it's release date! LOL! Oh well, this book IS GREAT!!! I'll figure this out!

Now, on to link-up to the linky and visit some of you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Laurie