Guest Post and unique 10 copy giveawy: Quinn Barrett, author of Invisible Snow

Today, it is my pleasure to introduce Quinn Barrett, author of Invisible Snow. I asked Quinn to tell us a little bit about her debut novel. At the end of the guest piece you will find numerous links on where to find Quinn and  details on her over-the-top generous giveaway.

Invisible Snow in a Nutshell
by Quinn Barrett

Kate Snow married the wrong man for the wrong reasons. Paul Delacroix was smitten with Kate the first time he laid eyes on her and was willing to do anything to have her. Raised in a large, impoverished family near the slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho, Kate was once a child skiing prodigy with dreams of greatness, but fate derailed her ambition when she least expected it.

Paul was the sole heir to his family’s Los Angeles-based business—an international distributor of premium alcohol. Despite her Mormon heritage, Kate’s family enthusiastically supported their union because Paul was happy to bankroll her family’s future financial security. Kate found it hard to decline his proposal knowing her decision affected her struggling family. She married Paul to lighten everyone’s burden but her own.

After 19 years, Kate has become a beautiful, socialite wife and mother of three, but is finally realizing the gravity of her choice to marry a man she didn’t love. Most thought it was a fairy tale romance, but it wasn’t.

Paul was addicted to power and control. Kate’s survival techniques were denial and compliance. She went along to get along and became invisible in her own life. Their marriage began to unravel when she accidentally discovered a mysterious, private safe room, which harbored her husband’s darkest secrets.

As Kate begins to awaken to the reality of her marriage, she also discovers the paradoxes of her own life choices. She leaves the insulation of her Bel Air estate and returns to her roots in Idaho, a journey that changes her life.

Along the way, she enlists the aid and support of various women who offer wisdom, strength and security—essentially giving her a crash course in awareness. She is a modern day Dorothy on a journey of empowerment. Daring to challenge her husband’s authority, Kate’s life is transformed from obliviousness to understanding.

While skiing in Utah, Kate begins to remember who she is and reconnects to the strength within her. She is ready to take on the secrets controlling her. For the first time in her adult life, she feels powerful. Kate returns home, resolved to reclaim her life from her egomaniac husband. But nothing can prepare her for the labyrinth of deceit that awaits her.

Paul is equally determined to re-establish the boundaries of his strict dominion and is willing to use any means necessary to keep all that he owns. The legacy of the family business is at stake, but power is not always about money. Kate and Paul’s confrontation results in a shocking twist of fate—a destiny Kate never saw coming.

Invisible Snow is a classic family drama about wealth, control, greed, and redemption. Marriage is a delicate dance of power between lovers, but Kate and Paul are strangers caught in a disparate union between betrayal and truth. Facing their true selves for the first time results in an epic clash of wills where only one will prevail.

Quinn Barrett is a native of Southern California, currently residing in the West Los Angeles area. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in English, she worked as a corporate business development strategist specializing in emerging growth technology, software and Internet companies. She is married and raising a teenage son. Her hobbies include reading, walking, golf, cooking, and travel. Invisible Snow is her first novel.

Quinn Barrett can be found on:

 Website & personal webpage

Facebook

Facebook (Invisible Snow)

Twitter



Invisible Snow is available at:

Amazon (kindle)
Barnes & Noble Nook: 
Smashwords
Amazon Print Book:
Create Space: 
PDF eBook, ePub, .Mobi, etc.  

Invisible Snow Giveaway

Connect with me (Quinn) on Facebook, like my Invisible Snow fan page, and follow me on Twitter to become eligible to receive an Invisible Snow eBook. Once you connect with me, email me at info@quinnbarrett.com. My first 10 new friends, fans and followers will receive an Invisible Snow eBook in the digital version of their choice: PDF, .mobi or ePub.

Thank you Quinn for visiting and sharing the details of your new book with us. Wow, Quinn, that is extremely generous to give away 10 copies. Okay, readers, you heard the lady. Go connect on Facebook and twitter and e mail Quinn ASAP!

Spotlight: The More the Terrier by Linda O. Johnston

Paperback 304 pages
Expected publication: October 4th 2011 by Berkley
ISBN: 0425243796 (ISBN13: 9780425243794)
series: Pet Rescue Mystery #2

From the publisher:

Shelter manager Lauren Vancouver, “an ardent advocate for homeless pets,” has taught herself a new trick: sleuthing. Now she has a chance to hone her skills, as animal hoarding leads to one less human life...

When Lauren finds out that her old mentor, Mamie Spelling, is an animal hoarder, no one is more shocked, and she jumps in to help rehome the cramped critters. But Mamie’s troubles don’t end there. She’s accused of murder when the CEO of a pet shelter network is found dead. The aggressive businesswoman was bullying Mamie to join her organization by threatening to expose her hoarding, but that was before Lauren took control of the situation. Now Lauren’s dogged determination to clear her former friend of murder may put a killer on her tail...

Sounds like a fun cozy! Linda, a strong pet rescue advocate,  is also the author of Beaglemania, the first in the Pet Rescue series. She has also written numerous books in the Pet Sitter series. You can check out the list at at  the Berkley Signet  webpage. Linda can be found at her website along with some links to rescue organizations.

Review: A Rather Remarkable Homecoming by C.A. Belmond

Paperback, 416 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by NAL Trade

ISBN0451234618 (ISBN13: 9780451234612)

From Goodreads:

Penny and Jeremy are just returning from their honeymoon, only to be greeted by eccentric friends of Prince Charles bearing a rather royal request: to rescue a historical village on the coast of Cornwall, England. A property developer is bulldozing his way across the countryside to build a monstrous new development, and he's heading straight for Grandmother Beryl's old homestead where the newlyweds first met long ago as kids. Can Penny and Jeremy solve an ancient puzzle in time to save Grandma's house-and the entire village-from total destruction?

On the romantic rocky cliffs of Cornwall, amid Celtic lore and tales of Shakespeare, smugglers, and shipwrecks, Penny and Jeremy must contend with a rakish cast of local characters: a bird-watching earl, a famous TV chef, a vain actor, a New Age farmer, a pair of thuggish real-estate tycoons, a rebel rock-and-roller, and a band of determined "eco-warriors." Following a trail of cryptic clues, Penny and Jeremy's new caper takes them to the lush island of Madeira and the legendary castle of Tintagel, in a race against time to find the astonishing truth... before the wrecking ball strikes.

My thoughts:

 Having never read this author before, I was not sure what to expect but the word "Cornwall" grabbed my attention right away. For some reason, I love stories set there even though I've never seen it. The location conjures up vivid images of rocky cliffs, pounding waves, shipwrecks and smugglers. Heady stuff!

What I found was a most delightfully witty story with a tremendous amount of atmosphere, a fun mystery and fantastic characters. Penny and Jeremy have been likened to Nick and Nora but they reminded me of Christie's Tommy and Tuppence; a delightful pair who sleuth with style and flair complete with vintage auto!

The story was fast paced and the mystery first rate. No lag of interest in this one at all. The pages seemed to turn themselves as I was immersed in the  locations of Cornwall, a short visit to the island of Madeira and the exploits of the newly weds Jeremy and Penny; characters so well fleshed out and likeable they felt like old friends by the time the book ended.

 Although this the fourth book in the series, I had no feeling that I was missing anything. The other three are on my tbr list as I enjoyed this one so much. A 4**** read for sure!

C.A. Belmond's "Rather" series includes her debut novel A Rather Lovely Inheritance and the sequels A Rather Curious Engagement and A Rather Charming Invitation. C.A. Belmond can be found at this website.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Nal Trade in exchange for my honest opinion.

Guest: Liza Gyllenhaal, author of So Near

Today, it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome Liza Gyllenhaal to Pudgy Penguin Perusals. Let's welcome Liza as she tells us a little bit about the story's location in her exciting new book, So Near.

Liza Gyllenhaal author of So Near

I see from Kaye’s biography that she hails from Massachusetts — but that she finally got fed up with shoveling snow and shivering through weeks of zero degree temperatures.  Boy, do I understand! 

            I actually choose to make Massachusetts my second home, commuting from New York City up to the Berkshires for long weekends, throughout the year. With its rolling hills, meadows, and many working farms, the area reminds me a lot of the small town in Pennsylvania where I was raised.  Somehow, I can think more clearly there than in the city, breathe in the air more deeply, and appreciate the unique pleasure of being so close to nature.  Spring, though brief, is lovely.  Summer a dream.  Fall like something off a Norman Rockwell wall calendar. Winter, however, technically three months long, tends to feel more like a whole year.

            Snow begins to fall in early November.  Most of the neighbors on our dirt road close up their homes and disappear until the following Memorial Day.  A frigid silence and sense of isolation descend.  I suppose a normal person would find it depressing. As a fiction writer, however, I see it as a godsend.  No distractions. No excuses.  The garden doesn’t call for me out the studio window.  The phone rarely rings.  From early January, through most of March, I’m able to write almost nonstop.  And, because my novels are set in the Berkshires, I’m able to delve down deep into my sense of what makes the area unique: its natural beauty, its complicated mix of locals and weekenders, its colorful history that reaches back to the pre-colonial days of the Stockbridge Indians. 

            My new novel So Near takes place in a fictional town in the Berkshires at the beginning of the current recession, and the tough stretch the area is still experiencing permeates the story. So Near is about a marriage that is being tested to its limits — and how, in the midst of tragedy — two people struggle to find their way. The novel explores a lot of the things that I hope resonate pretty deeply these days: getting through difficult times, staying true to our best selves, learning to let go of anger and guilt, and trying to find the true meaning of love and forgiveness.  I also hope So Near communicates the love I feel for the Berkshires hills — even in the midst of winter — when the world seems stripped down to its basic components: a snow-covered mountain, a blue jay in the hemlock tree, a cup of coffee, and a keyboard.

                                            .........................................................................

 Thank you so much, Liza, for visiting and sharing your thoughts with us today. Your snow covered landscape with grey skies over head almost made me shiver. I remember those scenes so well. Your winters in the beautiful Berkshires are likely longer than what we were used to. We lived on the South Shore about 45 minutes south of Boston.

Be sure to look for Liza's book, So Near, with it's gorgeous cover. Liza is a Goodreads author and more info can be found on her Goodreads page or on her website. Here's a little info from the publisher about Liza's book:

Paperback, 384 pages
Published September 6th 2011 by NAL Trade
ISBN: 045123457X (ISBN13: 9780451234575)


In the aftermath of a devastating loss, Cal and Jenny Horigan's marriage is unraveling. Both are plagued by guilt, unable to seek comfort from one another. Burdened by remorse, they begin to lose sight of the love that once anchored them-together with their sense of right and wrong.

As the Horigans try different ways to deal with their pain, a new acquaintance seems to offer the support they desperately need-though at times they are unsure whether his guidance is leading them back to each other or further apart...

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme where we showcase the books that have come to our home in the past week. MM is currently on tour and the host for September is  Amused by Books.

Caveat: Mailbox Monday may cause your wish list to explode exponentially!

The Time in Between by Maria Duenas from Atria galley grab

Blinded by the Sight by S.L. Smith won from Marja's Mystery Blog

The Deception at Lyme by Carrie Bebris from Tor/Forge for review

Skeleton Letters by Laura Childs from Berkley for review/giveaway

Cemetery Girl by David Bell from SA/NAL

Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore won from Cheryl at CMash loves to read

Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay from Berkley for review/giveaway

What exciting books found their way to chez-vous this past week?

Winner of Thread Reckoning

Oy! My head is spinning. I thought using google docs. would make things easier but not in this case. That's one of the things about docs that I don't like personally because sometimes it's hard to remember if I entered a contest or not. If the entry is in comment form, I can check to see if I've entered. Besides the print is way too small for these old eyes!

 Obviously, other people have the same problem;  I found people who entered 2 or 3 times. For future contests I will be reverting to comments or e mail for entries.

By the time I went through it again and again to make sure it was right and deleting the duplicate entries a winner was selected and that winner is  . . . . . . . . . . .


Ellie W! Congrats Ellie. Hope you enjoy the book!

Review & Giveaway: Death in a Difficult Position by Diana Killian

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Berkley

more details...

ISBN0425243818 (ISBN13: 9780425243817) primary languageEnglish

In Stillbrook, New Jersey, A. J. Alexander runs a yoga studio, Sacred Balance, that she inherited from her favorite aunt, Diantha. Lily Martin, formerly A.J.'s studio manager is now running a rival studio called Yoga Meridian. Lily gets all fired up when she hears about the new Reverend David Goode in town. Apparently, he thinks yoga is derived from demonic practices and he tries to convince his parishoners that they will go to hell if they practice at any of the yoga studios. The Reverend wants to shut them all down and he is  vehemently vocal about it.

The hot-tempered Lily begs A.J. to try to talk to the fire and brimstone spewing Goode  into thinking differently about yoga but that is like talking to a brick wall. Funny how it turns out the righteous Reverend is not quite so good himself. It seems he has a few skeletons in his closet, so, it's no surprise one morning he is found dead and it's obviously murder.

Since Lily was so vocal about her condemnation of Reverend Goode, the police think she could be the killer. Lily wants A.J. to use her sleuthing skills to try to find the real killer. That sure puts A.J. in a difficult position! She ends up having to do a lot of digging into Goode's past and what she finds is mindblowing! Reverend Goode has been quite the bad boy for some time and not just locally.

Killian presents a great mystery with this one. First, I thought the killer was one person and then another. She had me stumped! A.J.s  mother was a character I really liked. She and her Golden Gumshoe friends added a lot of spice and humor to the book. 4****

Although this is # 4 in the Mantra for Murder series, it can be read as a stand-alone. For more about the author, you can visit her on Goodreads or Facebook.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To celebrate the release of Death in a Difficult Position, Berkley is allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of the book. Open to US only and the deadline to enter is September 30th at 5 PM (est). Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

+1 for posting on your facebook page with link to giveaway
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.

Good luck!

Review: The Craigslist Murders by Brenda Cullerton

ebook, 256 pages

Published May 17th 2011 by Melville House Publishing (first published 2009)

more details...

ISBN

1612190200 (ISBN13: 9781612190204)

Thirty-seven year old interior designer, Charlotte Wolfe liked making money from her clients but she seemed to hate making overly expensive acquisitions for them, especially the ever-so-ridiculously demanding trophy wives with their me-me, more-more attitudes. In fact, over-the-top wealth and possessions angers Charlotte to the point that sometimes she just has to do something about it; something more than therapy and yoga. She's taken up murdering some of the more blatant ones! How does she decide which ones?

What's known as the Upper East Side or UES, the richest 1.8 square miles in the US,  as listed in Craig's list is Charlotte's hunting ground. She not only finds some great bargains on upscale merchandise but that's where she finds her victims! Charlotte finds the women she calls are easily duped and let her into their apartments freely. So far the police have not connected the murders with Craigslist postings. But how long can this go on until something or someone trips Charlotte up?

Charlotte kind of annoyed me with her judgemental attitude and feeling that she could just knock off any uber-wealthy wife she felt needed killing. She thought she was doing them a favor. When the story revealed that Charlotte had grown up in a wealthy family with an emotionally demeaning mother, my sympathy for her started to grow a little. Not that I could condone her actions but the revelations made her more understandable.

Brenda Cullerton writes an entertaining, satirical look at today's wealthy, their entitlement beliefs and how by acquiring more material goods and constantly remodeling their outrageous homes is how they "re-invent" themselves. There is really not much of a mystery to the book; it's more a character study and how, if and when Charlotte will get caught. I really liked the twist at the end that bumped up my rating from 2.5 to 3***.

A review copy of the e-book was provided by NetGalley.

Winner

Yipes!  We almost forgot the contest for The Perfect Suspect ended yesterday. Sorry about that. Brain cramp - you know how that goes.

We know you have been on tenterhooks wondering who the lucky winner is.

A quick trip to Random.org and a number was selected and that number is for the entry from . . .

ta da . . . . . . . 

Suspenseful, huh???? 

Julie at Knitting and Sundries!  Congrats, Julie!


 

Review & Giveaway: Thread Reckoning by Amanda Lee

Paperback, 336 pages
Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Signet
more details...
ISBN0451234553 (ISBN13: 9780451234551)
primary language: English
series: Embroidery Mystery #3

In Tallulah Falls, Oregon, we find Marcy Singer at her embroidery shop, The Seven Year Stitch, making plans to enhance a wedding dress for her latest client, Cassandra Wainwright. Cassandra's fiancé's mother, Francesca, is giving the couple some fancy gems to have sewn on the vintage gown and it will be Marcy's job to come up with a design and implement it all within the space of a few weeks. Cassandra, not exactly the sweetest bride-to-be, insists on a Valentine's Day wedding. Not exactly ideal timing!

When a woman  is found stabbed to death just outside Marcy's shop with an empty jewel pouch similar to the one Cassandra had given Marcy the day before, all hell breaks loose when it turns out to be Francesca, Cassandra's future mother-in-law.  In the woman's pocket is Marcy's name and address.  Now the police think Marcy had something to do with it just because it turns out the gems Cassandra gave her were real. Of course, Marcy has to find the real killer and exonerate herself.

 As if this isn't enough to contend with, Marcy's ex-fiancé, David, has shown up in Tallulah Falls. The last time Marcy saw him was the day before he jilted her back in San Francisco. What on earth is he doing there? And why now?  He insists it's just because he wants Marcy back. No way! She already has two men she is dating and can't decide on. She doesn't need to add another! Besides, during her sleuthing and digging into the victim's past,  Marcy finds out he's been hiding something that could have a connection to the murder.  Hmmmmm....

Lots of fun reading in this one as Marcy juggles her crazy business and personal life along with playing amateur sleuth. 3.5***

Thread Recokoning is the third in the Embroidery Mystery series. I reviewed the second in the series, Stitch Me Deadly. Thread Reckoning can be read as a stand alone but I would recommend you start with the first in the series, The Quick and the Thread, just to get a better feel for the background and the supporting characters.

Amanda Lee is the pen name for Gayle Trent who writes the Daphne Martin cake decorating series. To read more about Gayle/Amanda you can visit her website or find her on FB.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To celebrate the release of Thread Reckoning, Berkley is allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of the book. Open to US only and the deadline to enter is September 23rd at 5 PM (est).   
Good luck!

Although a comment is not required, it is appreciated. (I'm still leery about these forms!)

Review: The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Berkley Trade

ISBN: 042524413X (ISBN13: 9780425244135)

primary language English

Richman begins her story at the end: at his grandson's wedding rehearsal dinner, Josef meets the bride's grandmother for the first time but something in her eyes is so familiar to him he thinks he knows her. But, how can it be? He thought her dead. After he sees the six digit tattoo on her arm, he knows for sure. She is his wife, Lenka, his beloved, never forgotten wife who he thought was lost to him sixty years ago.

Told from alternating points of view in flashbacks, Josef and Lenka tell of their young lives from privileged families in pre-war Prague. Lenka recalls her life as an art student when she met Josef, a young medical student and brother of her best friend. She remembers the turmoil of falling in love and marrying while the Nazi regime was beginning to wreck havoc throughout Europe.

"He laughs. And in his laugh I hear bliss. I hear feet dancing, the rush of skirts twirling. The sound of children.

Is that the first sign of love?

You hear in the person you're destined to love the sound of those yet to be born."

Then, after the war had really escalated, their memories are of heartbreaking separation, longing for each other and their existence during and after the war. Josef's is one of comparative ease as he had escaped Prague while it was still possible to get out.

Lenka, unfortunately was not so lucky. Her love for her parents and sister kept her with them instead of escaping with Josef. Of course she thought at some point she would join him, never dreaming she would have to survive life in a concentration camp. It was her artistic ability that probably saved her from a more horrible fate.

I don't want to give away too many more details of the plot but let it suffice to say this is one that is extremely well done; powerful and heart wrenching.  It's obvious that Richman has done a tremendous amount of research for her book. I had previously heard about the "model" camp, Terezin, before and of resistance fighters but not how artists, at the risk of their own lives, had tried to make the outside world aware of what was really happening in the camps.

The Lost Wife is an absolutely gorgeous story of the undying power of first love, vivid memories so deep that many years cannot dim, love and loss of family, the will to survive and yes, even hope in the most horrifying circumstances. The writing is exquisitely done. Richman's use of contrast  highlights the poignancy in the characters' lives before, during and after the war.

The Lost Wife is one not to be missed. I could not put this one down at all. Even after days, the characters in this story still resonated with me. I felt as if I needed to mourn for some of these characters who had become like family to me during the reading. Yes, they were that well fleshed out!  I loved it! Only 2 other books I've read this year rate a 5*****

Alyson Richman is the author of: The Mask Carver’s Son, Swedish Tango, and The Last Van Gogh. As of next year, her novels will be published in more than ten languages. Her books have received both national and international critical acclaim, having been reviewed favorably in The New York Times Book Review, The Dallas Morning News, The San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Book Review, The Los Angeles Times, and many other national print outlets.The Last Van Gogh was nominated as a Book Sense Notable Pick in 2006. More about Alyson can be found on her website.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Winner, Winner . . .

  "Winner, Winner, chicken dinner!!"


What???  No, silly, we do not give away chickens or dinners or any combinations thereof here at P.P.P.!

We give away books and the latest winner is Zibilee for a copy of Mind Over Murder. 

Now,  put that chicken back in the fridge and go re-read your employee handbook. Sheeesh!

Monday Mailbox

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme where we showcase the books that have come to our home in the past week. MM is currently on tour and the host for September is  Amused by Books.

Caveat: Mailbox Monday may cause your wish list to explode exponentially!



Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: October 4th 2011 by Berkley Trade

more details...

ISBN: 0425243052 (ISBN13: 9780425243053)

primary language: English

Lauren O'Farrell is an "art detective" who made it her mission to retrieve invaluable works stolen by the Nazis during the darkest days of World War II. Her quest leads her to the Manhattan apartment of elderly Isabella Fletcher, a woman who lives in the shadow of a terrible history-years ago her mother was rumored to have collaborated with the Nazis.

But as Isabella reveals the events of her mother's life, Lauren finds herself immersed in an amazing story of courage and secrecy as she discovers the extraordinary truth about a priceless piece of art that may have survived the war and the enduring relationship between a mother and a daughter. Received from Berkley for review.






In haunting and crystalline prose, The Train of Small Mercies follows six characters' intrepid search for hope among the debris of an American tragedy.

Hardcover, 272 pages
Expected publication: October 13th 2011 by Putnam Adult (first published October 2011)

In New York, a young black porter struggles through his first day
on the job-a staggering assignment aboard Robert F. Kennedy's funeral train. In Pennsylvania, a woman creates a tangle of lies to sneak away from her disapproving husband and pay her respects to the slain senator, dragging her child with her. In Maryland, a wounded young soldier awaits a newspaper interview that his parents hope will restore his damaged self-esteem. And in Washington, an Irish nanny in town to interview with the Kennedy family must reconcile the lost opportunity and the chance to start her life anew.

In this stunning debut, David Rowell depicts disparate lives united by an extraordinary commemoration, irrevocably changed as Kennedy's funeral train makes its solemn journey from New York to Washington.

Received from SA/Putnam.

Review: Loyd & Boyd and The Slug Monster of Webster County by R. Lewis McGhee

Kid Konnection is hosted each weekend by Julie at Booking Mama. This meme features anything to do with children's books.


Hardcover, 104 pages
Published August 15th 2011 by Clocktower Hill Research & Publishing Group, LLC (first published July 27th 2011)
ISBN: 0983213003 (ISBN13: 9780983213000)

Set during the depression, this is the adventure story of Loyd and Boyd, twin 12 year olds, who travel from New York back home to Georgia to visit with their Uncle Thurman in his cabin deep in the woods. Uncle Thurman is quite the story teller and he regales the boys with the scary story of the cow-eating slug monster who lived deep in the Kinchafoonee creek. He even provided them with an old map of the area.

The boys are determined to see the monster for themselves and so they set out to camp overnight in the woods near the creek and try to capture the elusive monster. On their way to the creek they meet up with another young boy, Dibbs, and  a local group of girls led by the intrepid Penelope, who form the local chapter of Anti-boils club which is just their humorous name for anti-boy.Even though Loyd and Boyd consider their trip to be top secret, they invite Dibbs to come along. Over the campfire, Loyd and Boyd tell Dibbs about the mighty slug monster.

 Since Uncle Thurman told them the monster is famous for eating a whole cow, Loyd and Boyd get Dibbs to steal a cow from Mr. Brinson to try to lure the monster out of the creek. The boys get to see the monster alright but they created such brouhaha after Mr. Brinson alerted the sheriff to his stolen cow. When the sheriff questions the boys about the monster sighting, he and some of the braver locals form a posse to capture the monster.

Little does the sheriff know the boys have formulated a new plan to set a trap for the monster and that Penelope and the girls have their own agenda. What ensues is a big dose of mayhem and chaos with the girls running around screaming while the adults and the boys run into each other in an unexpected way foiling any capture plans. It doesn't sit well with Loyd and Boyd that it is Penelope who provides a nice twist to the ending!

 I don't think any young readers could relate to the Depression and the fact that Loyd and Boyd traveled by train over 1000 miles by themselves, walked many miles to Uncle Thurman's cabin and went camping in the woods overnight by themselves. There didn't seem to be much adult supervision but I guess for the times this may have been normal. However, this is a cute and humorous story and I would imagine any young child would find it a great adventure and the book would keep their interest.

Pen and ink drawings by Candace Purview enhance the story. Mr. McGhee has two more Loyd and Boyd adventures in the works: Loyd & Boyd and the Chattanooga Vampire along with Loyd & Boyd and the Serpent of Ruby Falls.  R. Lewis McGhee is a Goodreads author and can also be found on his facebook page.

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review & Giveaway: The Perfect Suspect by Margaret Coel

Hardcover, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Berkley Hardcover

more details...

ISBN0425243486 (ISBN13: 9780425243480)

From publisher:

After a candidate for governor is murdered, and his estranged wife is arrested for first-degree homicide, journalist Catherine McLeod receives a call from an anonymous woman claiming she saw the real killer leave the scene of the crime but is afraid to confide in the police. To uncover the truth, Catherine must risk her career-and her life-to find the witness who can identify the candidate's murderer: Detective Ryan Beckman.

My thoughts: Catherine McLeod proved to be a very intrepid journalist. She wasn't just looking for sensational news stories but the truth. She also had a great deal of empathy for the victims. Detective Beckman was a loose cannon. She was insecure about her lowly beginnings yet proud of her police career as she saw it. She's a morally flawed individual though and her emotional makeup got the better of her good sense. The scary part of this made me see how easily someone in law enforcement could frame another person.

 Although billed as a mystery, it has some of the characteristics of a police procedural and all the characteristics of the suspense format. In a procedural or suspense novel, unlike a traditional mystery, the reader knows the victim and the murderer right from the get-go. (One reason I included the publisher's synopsis) The ensuing plot is how the investigation proceeds and how or even if the killer gets caught and what tripped them up.

In a well written one, such as this, the reader is immersed in the mental and emotional cat-and-mouse game being played out between investigator(s) and killer. Coel approached this with the investigator being a civilian, so to speak. We, as readers, don't get too much insight into the actual investigation other than what part Detective Ryan plays in it. It's doubly interesting seeing that she is also the killer! However you want to define it, The Perfect Suspect is the perfect read.

I've never read Coel before but I am so glad I agreed to review this one.  Wow, what a great story this turned out to be.  Excellent plot, superbly paced and with in-depth characterizations. I really liked the way Coel lets the reader into the killer's head and then switches to the action. And non-stop action it is; a thrill ride all the way!   I read it in two sittings and did not want to put it down. TBG liked it as much as I did. For more about the author, please visit her website. 4.5****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was received from Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to the generosity of Berkley, one lucky winner from the US can read this one too. Open to US only and the deadline to enter is September 17th at 5 PM (est). Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

+1 for posting on your facebook page with link to giveaway
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.

Good luck!

Monday Mailbox

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme where we showcase the books that have come to our home in the past week. MM is currently on tour and the host for September is  Amused by Books.

Caveat: Mailbox Monday may cause your wish list to explode exponentially!

I thought my mailbox was going to be empty this week but these two books showed up Saturday.

In her best-selling debut, Commencement, J. Courtney Sullivan explored the complicated and contradictory landscape of female friendship. Now, in her highly anticipated second novel, Sullivan takes us into even richer territory, introducing four unforgettable women who have nothing in common but the fact that, like it or not, they’re family.

For the Kellehers, Maine is a place where children run in packs, showers are taken outdoors, and old Irish songs are sung around a piano. Their beachfront property, won on a barroom bet after the war, sits on three acres of sand and pine nestled between stretches of rocky coast, with one tree bearing the initials “A.H.” At the cottage, built by Kelleher hands, cocktail hour follows morning mass, nosy grandchildren snoop in drawers, and decades-old grudges simmer beneath the surface.

As three generations of Kelleher women descend on the property one summer, each brings her own hopes and fears. Maggie is thirty-two and pregnant, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her imperfect boyfriend the news; Ann Marie, a Kelleher by marriage, is channeling her domestic frustration into a dollhouse obsession and an ill-advised crush; Kathleen, the black sheep, never wanted to set foot in the cottage again; and Alice, the matriarch at the center of it all, would trade every floorboard for a chance to undo the events of one night, long ago.

By turns wickedly funny and achingly sad, Maine unveils the sibling rivalry, alcoholism, social climbing, and Catholic guilt at the center of one family, along with the abiding, often irrational love that keeps them coming back, every summer, to Maine and to each other.

Received from Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. Thanks so much, Diane. I really  appreciate you sending me your copy. I've been looking forward to reading this one!





Ellie Calvin is caught in a dying marriage, and she knows this. With her beloved daughter away at college and a growing gap between her and her husband – between her reality and the woman she wants to be – she doesn’t quite seem to fit into her own life.

But everything changes after her controlling mother, Lillian, passes away. Ellie’s world turns upside down when she sees her ex-boyfriend, Hutch, at her mother’s funeral and learns that he is in charge of a documentary that involved Lillian before her death. He wants answers to questions that Ellie’s not sure she can face, until, in the painful midst of going through her mother’s things, she discovers a hidden diary – and a window onto stories buried long ago.

As Ellie and Hutch start speaking for the first time in years, Ellie’s closed heart slowly begins to open. Fighting their feelings, they set out together to dig into Lillian’s history. Using both the diary and a trip to the Summer House, a mysterious and seductive bayside home, they gamble that they can work together and not fall in love again. But in piecing together a decades-old unrequited-love story, they just might uncover the secrets in their own hearts…

Received from SA/St. Martin's Press

Review & Giveaway: Mind Over Murder by Allison Kingsley

Paperback, 272 pages

Expected publication: September 6th 2011 by Berkley

ISBN042524377X (ISBN13: 9780425243770

In the little town of Finn's Harbor, Maine, Stephanie Quinn Dowd's new bookstore, the Raven's Nest, is doing quite well; so well in fact that she needs additional store help. She begs her cousin Clara to come and work for her even though Clara has no retail experience. What she does have is a degree in literature and the "Quinn Sense":  the inherited ability to see into the future and to read minds; two skills that will come in handy very soon.

At this point in her life, Clara is not too keen on magic or spiritualism but Stephanie's book store is a little heavy on the occult; a fact that annoys Ana Jordan to no end. Ana owns the store next to Raven's Nest and feels it should not sell any books that would poison the minds of the town's youth. She thinks that type of book will turn kids into demons and  wants to see the bookstore shut down for good!

Unfortunately Molly, Stephanie's other employee, has a run-in with Ana about this very issue. Molly foolishly makes some threatening statements to Ana about minding her own business. . . or else. The first day Clara shows up for work is a doozy. She finds Ana in the store's stockroom lying on the floor in a pool of blood amid shattered pieces of Edgar Allen Poe's bust, a statue Molly had made for the store's window display.

Who would want to murder Ana in such a brutal way and how on earth did she get into the stockroom to begin with? Okay, so over the years Ana with her nasty ways has annoyed a lot of people but enough to do this? However it happened, it doesn't take a psychic to see this won't bode well for Raven's Nest, it's owner or it's employees.

What a great way to start a new series! By page 16, the reader has met the main characters, got a good feel for the little town of Finn's Harbor and seen the victim discovered murdered in a dramatic fashion.

Seriously, a cozy set in Maine in a book store? Doesn't get any better than that! I hope Kingsley has a lot more mayhem in store for us cozy fans. With a lot of new cozy series introduced this year, this one will turn out to be on my list of faves.  4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To celebrate the release of Mind Over Murder, Berkley is allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of the book. Open to US only and the deadline to enter is September 12th at 5 PM (est).   Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

+1 for posting on your facebook page with link to giveaway
+2 for being a follower, old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please. 

Good luck!