Crossing on the Paris

Crossing on the Paris by Dana Gynther

Book Info:

The opulent age of empires is ending, but the great queens of the sea— the magnificent ocean liners—continue to reign supreme. Despite the tragedy of the Titanic, the race to build ever larger and more luxurious floating palaces continues, and passengers still flock to make the Atlantic crossing in style. In 1921,the SS Paris leaves Le Havre on her maiden voyage. Aboard, passengers dine in glittering grandeur on French cuisine, served by hundreds of unnoticed servants and chefs. Below the waterline, the modern oil-fired engines throb day and night. And for three women, this voyage will profoundly change their lives. Traveling first class, elderly Vera Sinclair is reluctantly moving back to Manhattan after thirty wonderful years abroad. In cozy second class, reveling in her brief freedom from family life, Constance Stone is returning after a failed mission to bring her errant sister home from France. And in the stifling servants’ quarters, young Le Havre native Julie Vernet is testing her wings in her first job as she sets out to forge her own future. For all three, in different ways, this transatlantic voyage will be a life-changing journey of the heart.

My review:
This was a good read. I really like the relationships that were developed in this book, the characters were complex not just one dimentional which I enjoyed too.I couldnt pick a favorite character however.  I thought the book was well written.The cover of the book could have been more interesting I think, but it was ok overall. I would reccomend this book. I think its a good and worthwhile read.

I would like to thank the people at Gallery for letting me read and review this novel.

The Other Half of Me

Today I will be reviewing the other half of me by Morgan MaCarthy

Book Info:
What good can the past do the living? What harm?” Growing up in their family’s ancestral home in Wales, Jonathan Anthony and his little sister, Theo, are inseparable. Together they explore the wild acres of Evendon, inventing magical worlds and buttressing each other against the loneliness of life with their alcoholic mother, Alicia, and a shifting cast of gossiping cooks and maids. When a family tragedy brings their glamorous grandmother, Eve, home from America, Jonathan and Theo are initially elated by the attention she lavishes on them. But soon it becomes clear that there is more to the Anthony family history than either Eve or Alicia will acknowledge, trapping Jonathan and Theo in a web of dark secrets that have haunted Evendon for generations. Written in luminous prose, with richly endearing characters and a profound appreciation for the rustic beauty of the Welsh countryside, The Other Half of Me is a darkly wise coming-of-age novel and a masterful portrait of a family and the burdens of the past

My review:
I thought this was a good read overall. The book had an interesting premise and complex characters that made it a worthwhile read. It was also a very well written book. I was also impressed with this book being that it was the authors frist novel. I also thought that it was beautifully written. While I did think the book was good it was not one of my favorites. I would recomend it still because its a worthwhile read as I said before.

I would like to thank the people from Free Press for letting me read and review this novel.

Trouble in Texas Blog Tour

Today im participating in a blog tour for the book Trouble in Texas by Katie Lane. She has also written a guest post so I would like to thank her and welcome her to my blog!

Book Info:
THERE'S A FOX IN THE HENHOUSE
Inheriting the most notorious house of ill repute in Texas can spell trouble for a girl's reputation . . . especially when she's Elizabeth Murphy, Bramble's prim and proper librarian. Yet when she discovers a buck-naked cowboy handcuffed to a four-poster bed, she forgets all about the town gossips. Elizabeth has sworn off men, but the stranger's kisses melt her resolve faster than ice cream on a hot summer day.
Waking up in Miss Hattie's Henhouse isn't how Brant Cates reckoned on getting to the bottom of his great-granddaddy's murder. The plan was to solve the centuries-old crime, then get the heck out of Dodge. But after meeting Elizabeth and discovering that the buttoned-up beauty is a sexy siren in disguise, he just can't pull himself away.
Now Brant needs Elizabeth to finally put his past to rest, but is she willing to risk her future on Bramble's newest bad boy?

Author Info:
Katie Lane started writing in fifth grade when she wrote a fictional story about being a skirt.(yes, you read that correctly. The story was told in first-skirt rather than first-person.) Since then, she's stuck to telling stories about people. Going Cowboy Crazy is her first novel in the Deep in the Heart of Texas series. Katie lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her high school sweetheart and can be contacted through her website www.katielanebooks.com.

Guest Post:
Q: What made you want to write this series?
 
A:  Actually, I didn’t start out wanting to write a series. I started out wanting to write a story about a woman who goes in search of her long-lost twin sister. As fate would have it, I started her search in a little town in west Texas that people ended up loving :o)


My review:
So this has been my favorite out of this authors whole Texas series. The characters were very fun and likeable. The book also had a very likeable and enjoyable plot. I would reccomend this book. It was well written and a nice change of pace for me plot wise because it had a setting you dont usally see anymore. I think lots of people will enjoy this contempary romance.

I would like to thank the people form forever for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Team of Rivals Audio Book Review

Title: Team of Rivals
Author: Doris Kern Goodwin
Narrator: Richard Thomas
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Pub. Date: October 16, 2012
Length: Abridged

Audio Book Info:

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.
Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded was the result of a character that had been forged by life experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because hepossessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.
This capacity enabled President Lincoln to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to preserve the Union and win the war.

Author Info:

Doris Kearns Goodwin won the Pulitzer Prize in history for No Ordinary Time, which was a bestseller in hardcover and trade paper. She is also the author of Wait Till Next Year, The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts, with her husband, Richard Goodwin.

My Review:

I am glad I got to listen to this audio book because I thought this was a very interesting audio book to listen too. Being a lover of history Abe Lincoln is always one of my favorite subjects to study, so this audio book did not dissapoint overall. I thought the perspective of this book that this author uses was interesting and unique, looking at Lincoln through his rivals. My only qualm with this audio book is that it was abridged.

The narration for me was ok, it was not monotone but only somewhat animated. I do not really think an audio book like this should be too animated but I do like to have at least some liveliness in audio book readings because if there is not then for me it feels like it drags a bit. Although like I said overall on this audio book I will say the narration was ok it was not great but it was not horrible and it was better than other narrations I have listened to in this genre.

It was a very factual book and I enjoyed listening to it. This book would be a nice listen for any history buff and I would recomend it.

I would like to thank Susan form Audio Book Jukebox for letting me review this audio book.

Twas the night after Christmas

Today I will be reviewing Twas the Night After Christmas by Sabrina Jefferies.

Book Info:
 Dear Sir, . . . I feel I should inform you that your mother is very ill. If you wish to see her before it is too late, you should come at once. Sincerely, Mrs. Camilla Stuart Pierce Waverly, the Earl of Devonmont, has led an unabashed rogue’s life, letting no woman near his heart. Inexplicably abandoned as a child to be raised by distant relatives, he never forgave his parents, refusing to read any of his mother’s letters after his father’s death. Then came a letter that shook his resolve. A Christmas visit to Montcliff might prove his last chance to discover the truth of his past, and come to terms with the stranger he calls “Mother.” But two surprises await him at Montcliff. His mother is perfectly healthy, nowhere near a deathbed, as her meddling lady’s companion led him to believe. The second is Camilla Stuart herself, a lively vicar’s widow, too bright and beautiful not to arouse the scoundrel in Pierce. Though she alone is reason enough to prolong his stay, he is soon faced with other tantalizing riddles: What secrets lie in his mother’s past to explain his childhood abandonment? Why is the captivating Mrs. Stuart so determined to mend the breach between mother and son? Meanwhile, Camilla herself is caught up in love’s complications since the arrival of the irresistible earl. As his bold flirtation and suggestive whispers draw her dangerously close, can anything protect her vulnerable heart? If they are destined to share real happiness, there must be honesty between them—yet telling him the truth about her own life may shatter that chance. None of them can predict the startling revelations to come. Or the secrets, both heartening and shocking, divulged between a mother and son, and between two lovers haunted by their respective pasts, that will make Christmas night at Montcliff one to remember—and the glorious night after, one to treasure for a lifetime.

My review:
I thought this book was a charming and enjoyable romance, full of wit, enjoyable plot, and characters. I liked the clever title of this novel and it is a nice read for the holidays. This book is a romance novel but it surprised me a bit because some of the story felt a little like something out of Dickens (whom I love), which made the plot even more enjoyable for me. I would highly reccomend this fun, funny and enjoyable romance novel.

I would like to thank the people at Gallery for letting me read and review this novel.

A Higlander for Christmas and Under the Mistletoe Feature and Giveaway

Today I will be feauturing these two books on my blog as part of my giveaway. These 2 books will be given away as ebooks through netgalley (details at the bottom of my blog)

A Higlander for Christmas by Paula Quinn

A SEASON OF MAGICAs the bard of the MacGregor clan, Finlay Grant is a natural-born charmer. He can easily win the heart of any lass . . . but somehow, the right words to express his love for stunning Leslie Harrison have eluded him. Yet as Christmastide approaches, Finn knows he must find a way to propose to the raven-haired beauty who has stolen his heart.

A BATTLE FOR TRUE LOVE

A furious Leslie Harrison could run her brothers through for promising her to another. But she will do anything to save her family from dishonor . . . even though in her heart she knows no other man but Finn will do. When Leslie's betrothed makes a dastardly deal, putting her family and the MacGregor clan in danger, Finn will prove that he's just as fierce in battle as he is sweet in song. Can these two lovers find a Christmas miracle that will grant them a happily-ever-after?

Under the Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis

JUST ONE MORE KISS

There's no place like home for the holidays. And the Lucky Harbor Bed & Breakfast is bursting with festive lights and good cheer. But for Mia, Christmas is turning out to be anything other than merry and bright. Her recent break-up with her boyfriend Nick has made her return bittersweet. But then a surprise arrives, when Nick follows her to town bearing gifts-and asking for forgiveness.

Nick grew up without a family of his own so he's overwhelmed by the love that Mia receives from all her relatives, gathered together to celebrate the season. Under their watchful eyes, Nick finds earning back her trust the hardest thing he's ever had to do. If he succeeds, he will receive the greatest gift of all, Mia's love for a lifetime.

I would like to thank Jessica from Forever for letting me host this giveaway.

Hunk for the Holidays and Last Chance Christmas Review and giveaway

Today I will be reviewing two book Hunk for the Holidays by Katie Lane and Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay. Also I will be holding a giveaway for these two books (as well as two others)

Hunk for the Holidays by Katie Lane

Book Info:
Always putting business before pleasure, Cassie McPherson works hard for her family's construction business. That might explain why she doesn't have a date for the company Christmas party. But it doesn't quite explain why she's crazy enough to hire an escort for the event or - crazier still - why she's dying to unwrap him like a present . . .
With whiskey-colored eyes and a killer smile, James is one gorgeous hunk who really knows how to fill out a tuxedo. He charms everyone, including Cassie. And when the night ends, the party doesn't stop. As Cassie falls, literally, into his bed, James falls head over heels in love. Now he has to figure out a way to tell her the truth: he's not an escort. He's her family's fiercest business rival. But all he wants for Christmas is her . . .

My review:
This was a very nice romance novel to read for the Holidays. I enjoyed it very much, It wasnt too steamy but it wasnt too sappy sweet either which makes it just right. The characters were all good I thought and I loved the ending. I think this is a perfect read for the holidays (or anytime of year) . It was a fun read and I would highly reccomend this contempary romance novel.

Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay

Book Info:

 

Dear Reader,
I've been wishing for a miracle for my oldest boy, Stone, and this Christmas my prayers might just be answered!

Her name is Lark, and she's here in Last Chance, looking into her father's past-and stirring up a whole mess of trouble without meaning to. As the chief of police, Stone sure has his hands full trying to keep up with her. Ever since his wife died, Stone's put everything into raising his daughters and dodging the Christ Church Ladies' Auxiliary matchmakers. And it's clear Lark has been through some trouble and could use a place to finally call home. I only hope Stone can let go of the past soon enough to keep her . . . Goodness, I need to stop talking and finish up Jane's highlights so we can make the town tree-lighting. You come back by because the Cut 'n' Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, fresh-baked Christmas cookies-and the best gossip in town.

See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

 

My review:

So I really enjoy all the Last Chance books. I think its a fun and cute idea for a series. I enjoyed this Christmas Story and thought it was lovely. Its a perfert holiday treat for everyone who reads it. I liked all the characters of course and I really thought some of the names that this author has created for some of her characters in this series are cool and creative. The writting is good and I think many people will enjoy this heart warming novel. I would highly reccomend it.

 

I would like to thank Jessica for letting me review these books and hold a giveaway.