And the Winner is.....

Unfortunately. no one.

Sad to say but my first giveaway was a bust. People showed up looked around and said "eh" and left. Sigh.
Maybe next time.

review of THRONBROOK PARK by Sherri Browning and giveaway

IN A WORLD POISED FOR EPIC CHANGE...

Disowned for marrying beneath her, Eve Kendal has returned to England destitute after her husband's death and the mysterious disappearance of their savings. She's looking for survival, not romance. But from London to the Yorkshire countryside to the elegant estate of Thronbrook Park, Eve's path seems destined to cross that of the dashing but violent Captain Marcus Thorne.

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

For Marcus, a return home means facing the demons that drove him to war in the first place. As he and Eve begin a steamy affair, tensions that had been simmering just beneath the surface threaten to explode and shake the very foundations of Thornbrook Park.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How we rate for our reviews:

-1 Star - Mom/Daughter forced me to finish this book
0 Stars - Didn't even finish the book
1 Star - So disappointed I have no words!
2 Stars - Don't know how I made it though but I did
3 Stars - It was good, but not extraordinary. I'll keep it for a while, I'll talk about it if asked
4 Stars - I'd keep this book on my shelf until the shelf started to sag and needed to loose some weight
5 Stars - I'd buy this book for someone else to read, my copy will stay with me so I can read it over and over and over again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Review:

This is hands down a 5 star book for me.

The amazing and wonderful storyteller Sherri Browning has done it yet again. Her newest release Thornbrook Park is an Edwardian romance. Can’t picture the Edwardian time? Think Downton Abbey, only better.

Every character that I’ve ever met/read of Mrs. Browning’s has come to life for me and the characters of Thornbrook Park are no exception. This story centers on Eve Kendal who was disowned by her family for marrying beneath her, and Marcus Thorne a Captain in her Majesties army who recently returned from the Second Boer War.

This story had me laughing and crying, wanting to smack people err characters upside the head and at other times wanting to just give them a comforting embrace.

I was/am so in love with this book that I convinced my mom (who NEVER reads romance) to read it. And review it. Her review is below. So with that said I think anyone (who doesn’t expect every book to have tons of action or gore) would enjoy this story. I recommend this book to those who likes romance, a little bit of mystery, some adventure and who loves it when all those come into one story.

Mom's Review:

I wanted to give this book more than 5 stars, however my daughter said 5 was the limit.

Sherri Browning skillfully takes you back to the turn of the century in her romance novel Thornbrook Park.

Two broken people are brought together by fate. Neither looking for romance because their lives are filled with great sorrow.

Eve Kendal’s husband has died in an accident while they were stationed in India.

Marcus Throne had watched his best friend die after being injured in war.

When Eve is invited by a childhood friend to stay at her estate she is very appreciative.

Marcus is encouraged to come home by his sister-in-law in hopes to bring two estranged brothers back together.

You will laugh and cry as these two people on parallel paths cross time and again on their journey to emotional healing.

 I usually do not read or enjoy romance novels but I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed this book. The characters were real and not hopping into bed at every turn of the page. This book will be enjoyed by anyone who likes adventure, mystery and romance all in one story.

Even though I was afforded the opportunity to read an ARC, when this book is released on June 3, 2014 I will be going out and buying a copy to enjoy again and add to my bookshelf. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE GIVE AWAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have never done a give away before...new territory for me :-) 

Answer this question with a comment below and include your email address to win.

Do you like reading historical romances? If so, what time period is your favorite. If not, what do you like to read? Either way please also recommend a book for us to read. 

Leave a comment below with your email address and we will randomly draw 2 people to receive an ebook version of THORNBROOK PARK from either Amazon or B&N.

3 things you need for a valid entry.

Answer to question

Book you recommend

your email address

Winner will be drawn and announced on Monday June 23rd.

OFFICER NEXT DOOR Lock and Key #1 by Ranae Rose ... (1st Daughter/Mom book review)

Well it has taken me a while to post this review not because I didn't have it but because my mom and I are on completely different ends of the spectrum on this one. The first book I asked my mom to review with me was THORNEBROOK PARK by Sherri Browning, and it went well so we decided to do another one and that was this story. Since this story was released first we (Mom and I) decided that it should be the first one posted. Since mom and I disagreed on this book I had many conversations and arguments, with mostly myself on if I should even post the reviews, but since Ranae Rose gave me the opportunity to read her book and I told her I'd do a review on it I knew I needed to post mine. Which brought me to the question should I post my moms. I went back and forth on that one too, but finally decided hey we agreed that we would each give an honest review and they would be posted so I have to post hers as well. So here goes.

How we rate for our reviews:

-1 Star - Mom/Daughter forced me to finish this book
0 Stars - Didn't even finish the book
1 Star - So disappointed I have no words!
2 Stars - Don't know how I made it though but I did
3 Stars - It was good, but not extraordinary. I'll keep it for a while, I'll talk about it if asked
4 Stars - I'd keep this book on my shelf until the shelf started to sag and needed to loose some weight
5 Stars - I'd buy this book for someone else to read, my copy will stay with me so I can read it over and over and over again.

 Synopsis: How can anyone resist temptation when it’s right next door?

Riley County North Carolina has a lot to offer: coastal views as far as the eye can see, and men in uniform who are even more gorgeous. Home to the most notorious prison in the state, Alicia’s new hometown is crawling with men who carry their own handcuffs and know how to use them – like Officer Liam Alexander, her one and only neighbor. After catching him out of uniform, she can’t resist pausing to enjoy the show. When Liam’s Southern charm drives him across the property line, life gets hotter than the Carolina summer could possibly account for. Unfortunately, there’s a dark side to life in the coastal haven, even with an officer next door.

Coordinating special events at a historic – and supposedly haunted – plantation is enough to have Alicia questioning her senses and her sanity, but the spirits of the past take a backseat to a pair of escaped convicts who blaze a trail of mayhem across Riley County. Not even the most intense chemistry can survive the perils that make a sunny seaside town a dangerous place to be after dark … can it?

My Review:

This is a 3 star book for me. 

I think Ranae Rose did a good job in introducing and getting readers interested in the lives of Alicia Dalton and Liam Alexander. She also got me interested in some of the secondary characters which I hope get books of their own because I would love to see how their stories unfold. 

Although Alicia Dalton and Liam Alexander were the main characters my favorite character was Sasha, cook at Wisteria House and friend to Alicia. Sasha is a fun loving spirited woman who can cook and put people in their place when it is needed. LOVE her.

The only things I didn't like and would change about this story is that sometimes it felt stunted. I could see where more story could be flushed out and at times I was expecting it only to be disappointed when it wasn't there.

I would recommend this book to others and already have. I believe readers who like fast paced semi action filled stories with steamy parts would love to dive into this story. (This by the way is not my mom, should have read the book before asking her to.) 

With all that said, I am looking forward to the other books in this series, and I hope that Sasha has one of her own (I think it will be book 2 but I'm not positive on that.)

Mom's Reveiw: 

I rate this book as a negative one.

Ranae Rose needs a story line for Officer Next Door which I think is supposed to be a romance.

The main plot to Officer Next Door is some people will jump into bed because they think someone looks good.

 

I don’t normally read books like this and this book reinforces why I don’t.  Ranae Rose gives a blow by blow description of all the sex scenes.  She gives very little effort in building the main characters, Alicia Dalton and Liam Alexander.  Both twenty-something’s, seem to think of nothing else but the act of sexual activity.  Though both state that they do not have casual sex, that is what 95 percent of the book is about, those two having casual sex. 

From chapter one to eighteen I skimmed over most of the writing, can’t call it a story because I don’t need or want to read about the act of sexual activity.  When a story finally came into view it was about a side character, Thomas Levinson.  This story line was glossed over as much as the sex scenes were written out.  Too bad because these three people could of made a real good story.

I will not nor would not recommend this book to anyone much less friends. 

You can buy this book at these places!

Amazon

B&N

Apple

Kobo

ARe

Please visit Ranae Rose at her website and discover her other works. www.RanaeRose.com

Release Week and a new type of Review

Hello everyone.

This week is extremely busy for me and mine; to top it off two of my authors are releasing their books this week! My original plan was to post reviews on their release days to help launch their books into the wilds and hopefully into your hands. That hasn't happened. In fact I missed both release days! 

Monday June 2nd was release day for Renae Rose and the first book in her Lock and Key Series.

Officer Next Door is a contemporary romance set in the heat of Riley County North Carolina. Dive in to this book and meet Liam Alexander an officer working at the most notorious prison in the state, and  Alicia Dalton the new events coordinator at the haunted Wisteria Plantation House.

Tuesday June 3rd was release day for Sherri Browning and the first book in her new series Thronbrook Park. 

Thornbrook Park  is a historical romance set in the Edwardian-period. Come get lost in the wonderful story of Eve Kendal and Captain Marcus Thorne. Eve Kendal married below her status and then lost her husband to an accident and is now back in England, staying at her childhood friends estate, while she tries to figure out the mysterious disappearance of her and her husbands savings. Captain Marcus Thorne returns home from war only to face the demons that sent him to war in to begin with. 

As for the new type of review. I have teamed up with my mom (who usually doesn't read romance novels) to do a "Mother/Daughter" review on each of these books! I'm so excited. Now I will warn you all ahead of time, my mom doesn't usually like or read romance stories. Okay got that?  So this is new ground for her and I'm not even sure if she will like them, but that means you will get reviews from the two ends of the spectrum. Me, really likes romance stories; Mom, not so much. 

Hopefully I will have those reviews posted by Thursday. Thank you all, and Happy Release Week!

-Dorthy

Review of NIGHT BROKEN by Patricia Briggs

 Patricia Briggs never fails to deliver and her newest release proves that. The eighth book in the Mercy Thompson series NIGHT BROKEN will lull you in with an innocent scene of our heroine washing dishes, then grab you by the shirt collar and whisk you away on an adventure that will have you gripping the book and quickly turning pages so you don’t miss any of the action.

Mercy has dealt with werewolves, battled master vampires, battled with fae, and even battled with an old Indian legend known as the River Devil but none if that holds a candle to her newest challenge…Adam’s ex-wife coming to live with them to escape a stalker. That is just the tip of the iceberg, because it turns out Christy’s stalker isn’t your everyday run of the mill stalker, he turns out to be not quite human. While trying to track down and get rid of the stalker, Mercy also has to deal with Christy trying to steal Adam back.

I give this book 5 stars.

I love visiting Mercy’s world and catching up with old friends. You even get to see Stefan in this book.

I recommend this story to anyone who likes werewolf stories, urban fantasy, strong heroines who don’t back down when those they love are under threat, and fight for what they believe in.

I picked up my copy at Wind City Books (my local Indie book store), but you can pick your copy up at one of the links below.

The cover will take you to Patricia Briggs website, stop in check it out and discover some of her other books and series.

Amazon

Barnes&Noble

Penguin

Books a Million

Powell's

1 TBR, 2 TBR, 3 TBR, 4…..

I have come to the conclusion that I have way too many books still in TBR piles. Or should I say TBR collections. TBR or To Be Read pile number one is of physical books…okay okay book shelf system of physical books. TBR pile 2 is the collection on my Kindle, and TBR 3 is actually To Be REVIEWED, it is quite large as well, but I’m slowly whittling it down.

I also have a TLT or To Listen To collection from Audible. My TLT collection is much smaller than any of my TBR’s; it only has 51 books in it.

The first 3 books on my TBR bookshelf are Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan, Yuletide Protector by Julie Miller, and MacRieve by Kresley Cole.

    

The first 3 books on my Kindle shelf waiting for me to dive into them are...

    

The first 3 books waiting for me on my iPod from Audible are...

    

I'm not going to post those that I have in my To Be REVIEWED pile. 

Each picture should link to buy the book. The ones from my bookshelf and my kindle go to Amazon and the ones from Audible, should go to Audible...

Do you have a large TBR pile? Do you review books? Do you like Audio books?