Virtual Book Tour - Carbon Copy by Terri Talley Venters

Welcome to the first stop on Terri Talley Venters Virtual Book Tour for Carbon Copy.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Terri as she will be awarding bookmarks or magnetic bumper stickers to randomly drawn commenters at each stop and a $10 Wild Child Publishing GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour.  You can follow all of her tour stops here.  The more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.  I had planned to have a review of this book for you to read today, however, I have been sick for over 4 days and just didn't get a chance to read anything.  I'll be posting my review for this book later this week.  

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Interview with Terri Talley Venters, author of Carbon Copy

Me:  Carbon Copy is your debut release. Can you tell us what went through your mind when you received your acceptance call/email?

Terri: Thrilled! And a little surprised I found a publisher so quickly.

Me:  Will we see Lilly Allen and Grier Garrison in any future books?  How many books are you planning in your "Elements of Mystery Series".

Terri: Yes. Lilly Allen’s adventures continue in the Carbon Copy Trilogy. The second book, Tin Roof, is coming soon from Wild Child Publishing. And I’m currently writing, Silver Lining, the third book in the trilogy.  I plan to write at least one book a year in my Elements Of Mystery Series. In addition to books, I also write short stories, each titled after an element in the Periodic Table. I plan to write one story for each of the 110 named elements and publish them as a short-story collection. I’ve written 29 short stories, so far.

3. Your bio states you're a licensed CPA and also have a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. Can you tell us what inspired you to become a fiction writer? Did you always know you wanted to write?

Terri: Actually, no. I’m a CPA and I still have my day job. But my mother, Leslie Talley, is a writer. In fact, her debut novel, Make Old Bones, is coming soon from Wild Child Publishing.  When I read her book, I thought, I could do this! But I had no clue what to write about. For years, people would tell me they knew someone who looked exactly like me. I’d respond, “I must’ve been cloned!” Then ideas for my story poured into my head, and Carbon Copy was born.

Me:  Your books are a mixture of mystery, romantic suspense and you even have a paranormal romance set to release this year. Which genre is your favorite to write in or are you the most comfortable in?

Terri: I enjoy writing all of the above genres. But my favorite part is the suspense. I love a great forward pointer to keep the reader turning the pages.

Me:  Who or what has been the greatest influence in your writing career thus far?

Terri: My mother.

Me:  How have your husband and two sons adapted to the idea of you as a published author?

Terri:  My husband, Garrison, surprised me with a 20 x 30 canvas print of each of my 4 book covers. My ten year old thinks it’s “pretty cool”.

Me:  Can you tell us what your plans are for 2013? Providing the Mayan Calendar is wrong and we are all still around....

Terri: Travel to Scandinavia with my husband and sons.

Me:  Can you tell us what you are currently reading?

Terri: I just finished reading Make Old Bones by: Leslie S. Talley. I’ve never enjoyed reading a book more.

Me:  Can you share anything with us from an upcoming release or a WIP? 

Terri: Here’s is the book blurb from my recently finished novella, Copper Cauldron, coming soon from Wild Child Publishing. It’s my most creative/imaginative story so far.

Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives, and shrinks them to the size of a doll--a Nuremberg doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of spells, good battles evil.

Quick Get To Know You Questions:

1. Favorite Beverage? Terri: A full-bodied, red wine
2. Favorite Color? Terri: Blue (Florida Gator blue, that is)
3. Do you prefer print or eBooks? Terri: eBooks
4. If your friends had to describe you in one word, what would it be? Terri: Wonderwoman
5. If aliens took over the planet, what would you want to tell them about Earth?  Terri: I’d fabricate terrible lies about Earth being a doomed planet so they’d go away.
6. If you were stranded on an island with only 3 books - what would they be?  Terri: Gone With The Wind, by: Margaret Mitchell. Make Old Bones, by: Leslie S. Talley. And of course, Carbon Copy.

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Carbon Copy

Terri Talley Venters

Elements of Mystery #1

Wild Child Publishing

Publication Date: 6/19/12

201 Pages 

Romantic Suspense

Amazon

BLURB:

Lilly Allen has brains, beauty, and a trust fund. She's living in New York City and her career as a reporter is taking off. She's hoping the love of her life, Grier, will propose soon. She has it all, or so she thinks.

Grier Garrison, Create Life executive, is running the company while his father, Dr. Michael Garrison, is in the ICU awaiting a heart transplant. Grier knows the truth about Create Life and its shady side business. He fears Lilly and her twin brother, Luke, are in danger.

While working on two unrelated stories, stolen newborns and cloning, Lilly discovers a shocking connection. Horrific things are happening, but who is behind it all?

Excerpt: 

As she opened the door to his apartment, Luke’s cat, Soli, meowed at her. The cat cried as loud as her tiny vocal chords allowed. Lilly never heard such a loud cry. Summer appeared at Soli’s side and began licking her sister’s face to placate her twin.

The cats must have entered Luke’s apartment through the cat door Luke built between the shared walls. The cats liked to be together when the apartments were empty.

Soli’s cries grew louder. Something terrible had happened to Luke! But how much did this ten-pound feline really know? Did Soli see something awful enough to upset her this much? Or did she simply miss her owner?

Soli looked at Lilly and headed towards the hall. It appeared as if she wanted Lilly to follow her down the hall. As she trotted towards Luke’s bedroom, Summer and Lilly followed her.

Lilly paused at the door to Luke’s bedroom, scared to open it, scared of what she might find on the other side. She took a deep breath and opened it. As she entered Luke’s bedroom, she scanned the room. It looked empty.

Soli cried again, even louder than before. Lilly looked over. The cat scratched at Luke’s closet door. She stared at Lilly, scratched the closed door, and cried again. Then Lilly smelled something funny. Her nostrils didn’t recognize the strange odor, but a shiver of foreboding swept over her.

Lilly braced herself, yet again, for another dramatic door opening. Yanking the door open, she stared into Thelma’s face and screamed. Thelma sat upright on the floor of Luke’s closet. Her eyes were closed, and her faded “I’m with stupid” t-shirt showed a bullet-sized hole in it. A circle of coagulated blood surrounded the hole in the middle of her chest. Although Lilly wasn’t an expert in medicine, she knew someone had shot the maid.  

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Terri received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and their two sons.

Carbon Copy is the 1st thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series. The title of each novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of Elements. Terri recently finished writing Tin Roof, the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming soon from Wild Child Publishing. And Terri’s romantic/suspense novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s Bower. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/ Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available from Wild Child Publishing.

On the first of each month, Terri also posts free short stories on her blog. Follow her at http://www.territalleyventers.blogspot.com/as she weaves her way through the Periodic Table of Elements.

Click here to purchase Carbon Copy

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/carbon-copy-terri-talley-venters/1111652834?ean=2940014732345

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/184-4294921-8962344?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carbon+copy+by+terri+talley+venters

Like Facebook Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carbon-Copy-by-Terri-Talley-Venters/167383506064

Follow Terri on Twitter - http://twitter.com/TerriVenters

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Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Terri as she will be awarding bookmarks or magnetic bumper stickers to randomly drawn commenters at each stop and a $10 Wild Child Publishing GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour.  You can follow all of her tour stops here.  The more often you comment, the better your odds of winning. 

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway - Demos City Blues by Jonathan Lister

Welcome to the first stop on Jonathan Lister's Demos City Blues Virtual Book Tour.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Jonathan, as he will be giving away one ebook copy of Demos City Blues to a randomly drawn commenter from each of his stops.  I was intending to have a review of this up today also, but I've been sick so it will be up sometime this week. 

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Writers and Writing: Why We Suck So Much by Jonathan Lister 

Had my landlord not flooded my bathroom in a stunning display of either plumbing prowess or outright buffoonery, this post may have ended up on my own blog. This article landed here because of the book the spate of indoors rain destroyed – Anne Lamott’s “Bird By Bird.” This work is instantly my most reliable resource for writing. I panicked, wheezed, pretended everything was okay, pleaded, passed out, revived myself, soldiered on – all on the inside of course. I attempted to dry its water-soaked pages in my oven (good plan? I thought so). As I did so, my mind went over all the useful chapters I’d leaned on throughout my writing life. 

One chapter jostled to the front of the line:

Shitty First Drafts.

As a writer, you have to accept that you’re never going to get it right the first time. Failure is an important part of the game, as is the ton of crap lines you have to write just to get through to the good stuff. In her book, Lamott calls the image of a great writer sitting down at her desk and penning a bestseller on the first try a “fantasy of the uninitiated.” Writers are like baseball hitters: we fail much more than we succeed and the home runs likely lead to million dollar contracts. Seldom have I ever known what I’m doing as a writer until I’ve finished the work. Despite all my best efforts, I may lay multiple bad eggs before one turns out to be golden. That’s the process, love it or leave it.

When I was writing Welcome to Demos, and its sequel, Demos City Blues, multiple characters ended up differently on the second and third draft. I even wrote an entire different version of the first book with an entirely different storyline! Sometimes, you just have to take the shiny little nuggets of goodness from that first draft, and scrap the rest. As you build the narrative, the shiny bits become larger, and the story becomes leaner on fat. Anne Lamott taught me there are no mistakes in writing, only drafts. She also taught me a few other things:

• Quiet those voices in your head - they'll only censor you and prevent the work from taking shape.  Even if it takes all day, and a few drinks, calm yourself.
• Don't Panic! You never have to get it right on the first try.  Write whatever comes to mind.
• Keep writing no matter what - don't allow the voices in your head to convince you to stop.  The unusable text has to come first before you can harvest all that sweet plot arc goodness.
• You are not perfect, and neither is your writing. 

That’s it! Simple right?

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Demos City Blues
Book Two Demos City Series

Jonathan Lister 

Genre: Urban Fantasy

ASIN: B008J7EYDK

Number of pages: 232 (approx)

Word Count: 83,735

Cover Artist: Nicholas Kay

Purchase Links: Amazon

Book Description:

War is coming to Demos City -- in more ways than one. Leon Gray struggles to balance a new job with helping his daughter Shauna navigate the landmine life of a full werewolf. Further complicating matters, a new Alpha has arrived in Demos, laying claim to the territory as her own -- including Leon. Meanwhile, the political information David Hastings unearthed may reveal a much darker truth than anyone expected. Demos City's corruption has deep roots, older than the bones of the town itself.

Can Gray and Hastings keep the city from tearing itself apart long enough to discover the source? Can it wait until Leon sees Shauna's high school play? As the first snow falls, the flakes may only have bloody footprints to greet them on the earth below.

           

Short Excerpt Demos City Blues

My cab ride home ended with the sight of Brad Morrow tearing ass out of Water Terrace Apartments. He tumbled onto the sidewalk in front of me. If I hadn’t stepped onto the street when I did, the kid would’ve kept on skidding into traffic. The cab driver took the opportunity to speed away without an offer to make change for the fare. I glared after the cab’s bumper, knelt down to check on the curtain rod of a teen. Shauna’s best friend was red in the cheeks and puffy, but otherwise unharmed.

“Hi Mr. Gray,” Brad said lifting his auburn head up. “Shauna’s having one of her episodes again. It really wasn’t my fault this time, I swear.”

“You’re forgetting something,” I said hoisting him up by a freckled arm. “Shauna’s on her way to being a woman now. The days of you being right are long gone.”     

“Better hurry in there,” Brad said as he straightened his hooded sweatshirt. “She was barely keeping it together when I had to run. She might tear the whole apartment down this time.”

“Great,” I broke into a run without another word. The two flights of stairs leading up to my apartment blinked past in the longest seconds ever recorded. Prickly bubbles of nervousness careened through my chest as I reached my apartment door. No sound came from within. That isn’t necessarily a bad sign. Shauna could have herself under control and simply be trying to take a nap or braid her hair or kill a rabbit with her bare hands. Stay calm, Leon. She may need you to help her mind come back. Across the open-air hallway, Cyrus Landry poked his head out from his own apartment. He’s holding a phone in one hand and the doorknob in the other. At least the retired detective didn’t think to grab a pistol.  

“Leon, thank God you’re here,” Cyrus said in a harsh whisper. “The way that boy flew out of your apartment I knew something was wrong. Your girl’s really having a tough time growing into her new self.”

“I’ve got this under control,” I said. “Don’t bother calling an ambulance. If shit really does hit the fan, a hospital won’t do her any good.” It’s damn near impossible to get a werewolf in full bestial form to fit into the back of an emergency vehicle. That’s not factoring in all the violence that would most likely ensue leading up to that. Cyrus disappeared back into his apartment, left his door open as I turned to open mine. The tangy flavors of sweat and an angry kind of hunger raked an elbow across my nose as I entered. I prepared myself for anything: to see my daughter unable to bring her human mind back from her bestial self or enraged into a stalking lust where anything that moved was prey. What caught me by surprise was how normal the apartment looked. All the furniture was in one piece, no claw marks were in the walls and Shauna was sitting as calm as a monk in my recliner. She was even reading some gossip magazine. Yet, the telling scents remained in the air.

“Where’s Hastings?” Shauna asked looking up from her reading. “Aren’t you supposed to babysit him or something?”

“That’s Mister Hastings, babydoll,” I responded with squinted eyes. “Saw Brad downstairs. You want to tell me why he ran out of here like the building was on fire?”

 “Who? Brad? He probably had to meet his Dad for something. You know Brad, always running away from things.” Shauna gave a nervous laugh, turned a page in her magazine. Outwardly she appeared very much her teenage self, dressed in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. Her shirt was hanging a bit loose, and she wasn’t wearing her usual Chuck Taylors. She was going through this size phase – every article of clothing had to be some measure of form fitting. I supposed it was part of a continuing teen aged plan to leave me bald before I turned forty. That gave me an idea.

“Stand up,” I said in my deepest, most commanding voice.

“Dad, stop being weird,” Shauna said. “I’m comfortable right where I am.”

“Shauna…”

 “God!” she exclaimed throwing down her magazine. “Fine, I’m getting up okay?” She stood, keeping her arms close to her sides. Shauna didn’t fold her arms in disgust as she usually does when she disagreed with me.

 “What’s wrong with your shirt?” I asked.

“What? It’s my softball t-shirt,” she responded. “The school gave them all to us when we won remember?” That’s right. Shauna’s softball team won a state championship. I was a solid ray of giddy stupid sunshine watching her on the mound, having idle conversations with college scouts pretending not to be college scouts. I actually had to shake my head to jostle my thoughts back into the present. Shauna thought that little comment would be sufficient to allow her escape. Oh, not this time.  Dad has gotten wise to his daughter’s ninja tactics. Pride cometh before the werewolf teenager freaks out and eats some human’s baby.  

About the Author

Jonathan Lister lives in the Philadelphia area and is a full-time writer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing & Poetics from Naropa University. His work has appeared in outlets of USA Today, The Houston Chronicle, Matter, Square One and Image Magazine among others. He wrote his first two books in 2009 from midnight til 4 a.m. while waiting tables during the daylight hours. DEMOS CITY BLUES is his second urban fantasy novel. Jonathan drinks too much coffee and appreciates your time.

Book Facebook: Welcome to Demos

Good reads: Author Page

Author Blog: Demos City

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Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Jonathan, as he will be giving away one ebook copy of Demos City Blues to a randomly drawn commenter from each of his stops. 

Here are some of Jonathan's additional stops this week:

October 23 guest blog   BelleBooks http://www.bellebooksx.blogspot.com 
October 25 interview and review    Happy Tails & tales http://magluvsya03.wordpress.com  
October 26 promo   Sapphyria's Book Reviews saphsbookblog.blogspot.com
October 27 Promo  Book Dream Land  booktimeforlife.blogspot.com

Review - Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost

Mad World: Epidemic 

Samaire Provost

Mad World, Book 1 

Createspace 

149 Pages

Isbn: 978-1-478317-37-1

Amazon 

Blurb:


The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong?

Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what's happening to their families.

Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death.


My Review :

Teenagers, Deadly Diseases, and Zombies....oh my!  Mad World: Epidemic by Samaire Provost has everything you would expect for a young adult book focusing on the catastrophic re-emergence of the black plague.  With likable characters, decent dialogue and a couple of grotesque scenes, Ms. Provost captured my attention and kept it until the last page.  While the world building is somewhat minimal in this book, Ms. Provost does capture the essence of current day California and the current world we inhabit.

As this story begins we have a group of teenagers from California in New York touring Broadway with their drama teacher, who also happens to be one of their high school's coaches.  When they suddenly have problems trying to reach their families via telephone and see a short post in the news about some kind of situation taking place near home, a vote is taken and they all decide to go home to be with their families.  Ignoring news reports asking people to stay away, the students and their teacher take off on a cross country journey in their van to get home.  What should have been an easy journey becomes a nightmare.

Alyssa and Jake, the two primary characters of this book, and their fellow travelers soon discover via Google, Twitter, and first hand experience, that an experiment at Stanford has unleashed a strain of The Black Plague, unseen in over 7 centuries.  With rapid exponential growth, the new virus is turning everyone exposed into a raging, flesh eating zombie which can only be stopped when they get decapitated.  Unprepared for what's taking place, Allysa and Jake try to defend their classmates and connect with their families.  

Will all who went to New York survive once they are back home?  And what will Alyssa and Jake do when they find themselves back on the road?  You'll have to read Mad World: Epidemic to find out.  I've already started the next book, Mad World: Sanctuary, because I have to know what's going to take place next.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review 

VBRT and Giveaway - Devotion by Marianne Evans

Welcome to the last stop on Marianne Evan's Virtual Book Review Tour for Devotion.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Marianne as she will be awarding 4 autographed print editions of Hearts Crossing, her award-winning novella and book one of her Christian inspirational Woodland Series (US/Canada only) to four commenters from this tour and her blurb blitz tour, and a $25 Amazon gift card as a grand prize to one commentator from both this tour and her blurb blitz tour. You still have time to check out the previous stops on the tour here. You can also check out her blurb blitz tour which will be taking place until October 26, 2012.

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Devotion

by Marianne Evans

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BLURB:

From This Day Forward

Christian Music agent Kellen Rossiter has everything he ever wanted: A-list clients from coast to coast, a loving wife who honors and respects him, and a faith life that’s never wavered—until now.

Juliet Rossiter has the perfect life: a rewarding schedule serving the underprivileged, a husband who loves her as Christ loved the church, and a blessed future as a mother—at least that's what she thinks.

For Better or Worse

But what happens when their rock-solid marriage begins to crumble under the weight of an unexpected and powerful temptation? How does love survive when its foundation is shaken?

'Til Death Do Us Part

When human frailty and the allure of sin deal a harsh blow to their relationship, it will take more than love to mend the shattered trust and heartbreak. It will take a lifetime of devotion.

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Excerpt:

“We’re the sum of our choices, Kellen, and you’ve made yours. That’s not a criticism it’s simply a realization I’ve come to with the past few months as a barometer. I’m married to—” she made a couple of air quotes “—Kellen Rossiter. But the marquee isn’t what I married, and the marquee isn’t what I fell in love with. My biggest fear is that when you take enough time, and focus on me long enough to look deep you’ll find you don’t love me anymore. I guess we changed drastically without even realizing it. Where does that leave us? What does it all mean?”

Her monotone voice undid his control system. He wanted to keep fighting; he wanted her to keep fighting, too but she looked weakened and defeated, as though the ability to do battle just wasn’t in her any more.

“You’re carrying our child. Think about that! God’s plan is for us.” This time, Kellen used the air quotes. Juliet’s chin wavered, her eyes sparkled, but no tears fell. It looked like she had rediscovered the determination to leave him behind, but when he explored the layers of emotion residing just beneath her steel and grit, he found nothing but sorrow.

If she was this sad about the state of their relationship, could there be enough emotion left to build something better?

He battled on. “Juliet, think about something else, too. Do you think it’s mere coincidence that the night I met up against my biggest temptation, God turned me to you, and to us, so irrevocably?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. We should have been irrevocable from the start.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create.

Evans’s novel, Hearts Communion, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors in the Romance category and readers have lauded her work as: ‘Riveting.’ ‘Realistic and true to heart.’ ‘Compelling.’ Evans has also won acclaim in such RWA contests as The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence where she has been a finalist twice, and the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence.

A lifelong resident of Michigan, Evans is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. She’s also active in American Christian Fiction Writers and the Michigan Literary Network.

Connect with Marianne:

Website: www.marianneevans.com

Blog: www.marianneevans.blogspot.com

Facebook Reader Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marianne-Evans/308711716744

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Marmo212

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My Review: 

With a one word, Devotion, Marianne Evans not only gives us the title of her book but also provides readers with one of the most important keys to a lasting marriage.  In today's world where divorce is rampant, fidelity and honesty have become endangered concepts, and marriage is under siege from several sides, Ms. Evan's characters give us a glimpse of what it takes to put a damaged marriage back together.  While a standalone book, we have met the primary characters before, they were secondary characters in Heart's Key, the fourth book in the Woodland's series.  

A successful talent agent, Kellen Rossister, appears to have it all; a beautiful wife, a large home and everything money buys.  Driven by his success, Kellen continues to want more without realizing his faith and his marriage are beginning to pay the price.  When temptation, in the form of a beautiful and talented client, is placed before him, Kellen finds himself tempted and ignoring the warning bells in his mind.  When his mistakes almost cost him his wife, he'll have to prove he's a man worth a lifetime of devotion.  

Julia Rossister knows she has a wonderful life; she's got a loving husband, her Christian faith and the financial resources to help out the underprivileged.  The only thing missing is a child, something she and her husband both want.  Realizing they've both become too involved in their own pursuits, Julia begins to look for a way to bring their relationship back to where it needs to be.  She never planned on having to question her husband's devotion.

The scenes between Kellen and Julia are well written; we get to what takes place in their life from both sides.  We see Kellen's temptation and his failure alongside Julia's growing suspicions and confirmation of her fears.  Ms. Evans did a wonderful job developing both characters and tackled a truly difficult subject, can you and should you forgive someone who's actions led them to betray your trust?  

While there are several well developed secondary characters, I found myself most drawn to Marlene, Julia's older sister whose wisdom and love were something she desperately needed, and Pastor Gene, a powerful influence and gifted Christian counselor, who helped them discover a way to heal their hearts.  His wisdom and words of faith could be an inspiration to all.  

Will Julia ever really be able to forgive her husband?  Will Kellen be able to prove his devotion?  You'll have to read Devotion to find out.  A gifted storyteller, Ms. Evans really captured my attention with this book and I can't wait to read her next book.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns and a Recommended Read!

FTC Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

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Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Marianne as she will be awarding 4 autographed print editions of Hearts Crossing, her award-winning novella and book one of her Christian inspirational Woodland Series (US/Canada only) to four commenters from this tour and her blurb blitz tour, and a $25 Amazon gift card as a grand prize to one commentator from both this tour and her blurb blitz tour. You still have time to check out the previous stops on the tour here. You can also check out her blurb blitz tour which will be taking place until October 26, 2012.

TLC Book Tour Review - My Scandalous Viscount by Gaelen Foley

 

My Scandalous Viscount 

by Gaelen Foley

Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

September 25, 2012

358 Pages

Amazon 

Provided by Publisher 

Meet the courageous men of the Inferno Club as they face their greatest challenge yet: marriage!

 

Sebastian, Viscount Beauchamp, lives by a code of honor, and now honor dictates he must marry Miss Carissa Portland. He has no regrets over stealing a kiss from the adorable little busybody—a fitting punishment for putting her delectable nose where it didn't belong. But now, caught in a compromising situation, he knows he must make her his bride. He's faced danger before—but nothing like this! 

Carissa is not a gossip—she's a "lady of information." And all she was trying to do was warn the rakehell Beauchamp away from an irate husband. But even she can't flaunt Society, and while her head tells her that Beau's a notorious scoundrel, her heart—and her body—are captivated by his dangerous charm. But when Carissa next goes snooping, the secrets she uncovers about the Inferno Club may prove even more hazardous than falling in love with her own husband. 

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Author Bio

Gaelen Foley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of eighteen historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her books are available in fifteen languages and have won numerous genre awards, such as the Bookseller's Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf (three times), the CRW Award of Excellence, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Beacon, and the Holt Medallion.

A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, and a mischievous bichon frise named Bingley (Mr. Darcy's sidekick in Pride & Prejudice). She is hard at work on her next book.

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My Review: 

My Scandalous Viscount, the fifth book in the Inferno Club series by Gaelen Foley, gives us the tale of a notorious rake, who's secretly a spy, who finds himself compromised and "forced"  to marry an incorrigible snoop.  With likable characters, witty dialogue and plenty of romance, Ms. Foley's tale captured my attention from the first page.  While a part of a series, I found that I was able to read and enjoy this book on it's own, though I do recommend you read the books in order if you can.

Well known for his looks and reputation with the ladies, Sebastian Walker, Viscount Beauchamp, is a member of the "The Order", a group of men secretly serving their country as spies.  Temporarily assigned to the home office, due to events which took place in the previous book(My Ruthless Prince), Sebastian is tasked with keeping their secrets safe while their group is being investigated by members of the government.  While it should be an easy assignment, Sebastian finds himself the center of attention of Miss Carissa Portland, the best friend of one of his fellow agent's wife.  Having promised to keep his distance, Sebastian suddenly finds himself fighting his attraction to the aggravating young woman.  He never planned on compromising her reputation or on marrying her to save them both.

Miss Carissa Portland wants to know why her friends have suddenly left town.  Determined to discover what is really going on, Carissa will either discover the truth on her own or get Sebastian to tell her what he knows.  Intelligent, and a keen observer of human nature, Carissa "uncovers" Sebastian's secret dalliance, determined to save him from what she thinks is a trap, she suddenly finds herself involved in a shootout and placed in a compromising position.  While she agrees to marry Sebastian to avoid scandal - she's not sure she trusts him. She also has no plans to obey him.

The scenes between Sebastian and Carissa are well written, funny and highly entertaining.  Ms. Foley did a good job developing them both as individuals and as a couple.  Their romance is sweet, and has just enough spice to keep things interesting.  Both honorable persons, Sebastian and Carissa will need to learn to trust each other and their growing love.  While the focus of this book is their romance, we do get to find out a little bit of what's going on with the other members of the club.

Will Sebastian and Carissa be able to make their marriage work?  And will "The Order" finally put an end to their strongest enemy?  You'll have to read My Scandalous Viscount to find out. I enjoyed this installment and plan to read the previous books.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Crowns 

FTC Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

VBRT and Giveaway - Train Station Bride by Holly Bush

Welcome to my stop on Holly Bush's Virtual Book Review Tour for Train Station Bride.  Please be sure to leave a comment or question below for Holly as she will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.  You can follow all of her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your chances of winning.

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Train Station Bride

by Holly Bush

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BLURB:

1887 ... Julia Crawford, Boston debutante, corresponds with an aging shopkeeper and travels to North Dakota to marry him, hoping to escape the ridicule she endures as the plump, silly daughter of one of Boston’s premiere families. What happens when the train station groom is not who Julia bargained for? Will her secrets keep her from love and acceptance? Or will Julia’s love be strong enough to conquer her past and give her the future she’s always dreamed of?

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Excerpt

Jake stopped dead in his tracks at his screen door. Julia stood in front of the sink, hair pulled up except for a few tendrils stuck wet to her back. Her dress was to her waist and she was running a washrag over her neck. Her skin was as pale as the shiny fabric of her underclothes. Julia tilted her head from side to side and hummed softly. Jake turned quickly when he heard his foreman hollering to him. He slammed the kitchen door open prepared to ask his bride what in the hell she thought she was doing standing near naked within a hundred yards of his randy group of farmhands. She turned as the door swung open. He took one fierce, angry step inside even as the sight of her stirred him.

 “What in the hell . . .”

“Be careful,” Julia shouted.

Jake charged into a bucket of water in front of the door. Water sloshed everywhere and the bucket flew end over end hitting a kitchen chair and knocking it over.

Jake grabbed for the door handle as his feet began to go out from under him. Julia ran to him and kicked an errant potato straight at him. He bent and grabbed his shin where it hit. His muddy boots slipped in the water and sent Jake careening to the floor. He lay still on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

Julia dropped down on her knees beside him.

“Oh, dear. Jake, are you all right?”

It took a moment to get his breath. He could already feel a knot growing on the back of his head. “Julia, everyman jack could a seen you standing at the sink practically naked.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Holly Bush was born in western Pennsylvania to two avid readers. There was not a room in her home that did not hold a full bookcase. She worked in the hospitality industry, owning a restaurant for twenty years and recently worked as the sales and marketing director in the hospitality/tourism industry and is credited with building traffic to capacity for a local farm tour, bringing guests from twenty-two states, booked two years out.  Holly has been a marketing consultant to start-up businesses and has done public speaking on the subject.

Holly has been writing all of her life and is a voracious reader of a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, particularly political and historical works. She has written four romance novels, all set in the U.S. West in the mid 1800’s. She frequently attends writing conferences, and has always been a member of a writer’s group.

Holly is a gardener, a news junkie, and vice-president of her local library board and loves to spend time near the ocean. She is the proud mother of two daughters and the wife of a man more than a few years her junior.

Links:
www.hollybushbooks.com
Twitter - @hollybushbooks
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holly-Bush/247399131941435

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My Review:  

Train Station Bride by Holly Bush is a heartwarming historical romance set at the end of the 19th century.  With a likable characters, witty dialogue and a well paced plot, this book captured my attention from the first page.  Taking place both in Boston and South Dakota, Ms. Bush did an excellent job with the historical portrayal of East versus West during this period in American history.  With a sweet romance, just the right touch of emotional angst, two well developed villains and society's limitations on women, this book packs just the right emotional punch.  


Julia Crawford knows she's always been an embarrassment to her family; after all her mother tells her that as often as she can.  Determined to make a life for herself, even though she's been told she's not as attractive as her sisters, needs to lose weight and is socially awkward, Julia secretly replies to a mail order bride advertisement in the Boston papers.  Claiming to head off to visit her aunt in Delaware, Julia instead boards a train West and heads to South Dakota to marry a middle aged storekeeper.  Only things don't quite go according to plan.  

Jake Shellings has decided it's time to do something for himself.  A self made farmer from the age of 16, he'd raised. his two younger sisters when their parents died, found them husbands and bought out their share of the family farm.  Realizing he's lonely and needs an heir, Jake decides to send off for a mail order bride.  Determined to make a smart match, he sends off a request for a woman he thinks would make an excellent farmers wife.  So what if the day he's supposed to pick up his bride is Founders Day?  The activities in town shouldn't be a problem.  He never expected to accidentally marry the wrong woman.  Instead of marrying the perfect farmer's wife - he finds himself married to a fine bred society lady from Boston.  

The scenes between Julia and Jake are well written, full of witty dialogue and sly humor.  The scene at the train station seriously made me laugh.  Since the town preacher won't undo the "accidental" marriage he's performed, Julia and Jake will have to make the best of things.  Regardless of how he feels about his mistake, Jake has one motto in life, what's mine is mine and he's determined to convince Julia to make their marriage real and forever.  For her part, Julia is determined to start over and finds herself attracted to her new husband, even if she's afraid to tell him all of her secrets.

The secondary characters, especially Flossie and Gloria, are all well developed and make good contributions to both the plot and the emotional conflicts in this story.  The two villains, members of Julia's family, are also well developed and there were several times where I really wished they were real and standing in front of me so I could slap them silly.  While I was a little disappointed Ms. Bush didn't have Julia smack them around some, what happens to them does make sense since their love of money and social standing was no doubt going to be severely affected.

Will Julia and Jake make a complete success of their family?  And will Julia ever really learn to cook and be a farmer's wife.  You'll need to read Train Station Bride to find out.  I enjoyed this book a lot and see myself re-reading this in the future.  I can't wait to see what Ms. Bush pens for us next.

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns

Please don't forget to leave a comment or question below to enter Holly's tour wide giveaway for a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter.  You can follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning. 

FTC Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review