My 3rd Blogoversary with Multiple Giveaways!

Welcome to my Blogoversary Giveaway in celebration of my third year of blogging!

I feel like I've been blogging forever, but still learning, if that makes sense. I plan on doing it for a long time yet.

I hit a record for traffic on my blog in January and also for entries on my monthly giveaway. It amazes me and humbles me and maybe slightly freaks me out. Lol! It's also totally awesome!! My break over the holidays and having a few lighter weeks where I didn't have to post a bunch of reviews re-energized me. I've been having fun and into blogging again. Not that I wasn't into it before, but the same spark wasn't there and it's back. I've also responded to pretty much all comments and been visiting other blogs. It's the way I've always wanted to blog. I kind of lost that a little last year when things got too crazy. I don't know if me being re-energized has affected the traffic or if it's just the fun giveaways or the new design or just the post content, but either way I have been having fun and am loving it! :)

So, if you're an old follower or a new one, welcome! February is going to be awesome and I hope you always find something you like, a book to add to your tbr, and/or a new author to follow when you stop by. And as a "Thank you!" to all my amazing followers and fellow bloggers I have some awesome book prizes that I've been holding on to, so on to the giveaway...

Make Me a Match by Melinda Curtis, Cari Lynn Webb, & Anna J. Stewart (Blog Tour Launch)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours.

Review & Excerpt Tour Launch for

Make Me a Match

By Melinda Curtis, Cari Lynn Webb, & Anna J. Stewart

Are you ready to meet three childhood friends who are now men and seeking true love? Follow the tour to get know them a little bit and see what reviewers think...

Tour Schedule

February 1st: Heidi Reads... & I Am A Reader

February 2nd: Christian Chick's Thoughts & Colorimetry

February 3rd: Zerina Blossom's Books, deal sharing aunt, & Wishful Endings

February 4th: Getting Your Read On, Mel's Shelves, & Thoughts of a Blonde

February 5th: Underneath the Covers & Katie's Clean Book Collection

February 7th: Grand Finale

Intro to the Compilation

The right friends help you get through life. The right friends offer shoulders to cry on, hands to hold, and reality checks. With the right friends, you always have a place to belong. And don’t forget the laughter-the good kind that rolls from deep inside your stomach and pushes happy tears down your cheeks-the right friends always bring lots of joy and laughter to your life. The right friends are family.

And in Kenkamken Bay, Alaska, childhood friends: Cooper Hamilton, Ty Porter and Gideon Walker are family: they’ve dreamed together, failed together and stalled out in life together. And now they plan to change their futures together as match-makers.

What could be more fun than three bachelors turned matchmakers? That’s what three great friends (and long time writing partners), Melinda Curtis, Anna J, Stewart and Cari Lynn Webb asked themselves one night during their weekly Skype session. And Make Me A Match was born. Unexpected journeys about forgiveness, second chances and love keep these writers reading and writing late into the night. And their three Kenkamken Bay bachelors had these writers eager to pull up a stool at K-Bay’s Bar & Grill, order a round and watch love bloom.

After all, great friendships-and romance-are what life is all about.

Happy Reading!

Melinda, Anna & Cari

Weekly Update #151

Welcome to my Weekly Update where I post my blog's schedule for the week! I'm linking up to The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, as well as to Tynga's Reviews for Stacking the Shelves and Talk Supe for Bought, Borrowed, and Bagged showcasing the books I added to my shelves or Kindle this week.

It was a pretty decent week last week and I'm looking forward to this one as well. We took the four kiddos on a hike on Saturday morning and did some rappelling training with them. We had them try it out over a slight incline so they could get a feel for it and learn the basics. It was a little crazy with a four-year-old, but we all had a fabulous time! The weather has been gorgeous, but is supposed to get cold again on Monday.

February is my blogoversary celebration and there will be a fun giveaway for that, so look for my post on Monday as well as the other fun posts this week. Here's what to expect:

AT Bay by John W. Mefford (Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway)

NEW SERIES....
Alex Troutt Thriller Series #1
AT Bay

Alexandra Giordano never knew she had it so good. Until it was all gone in an instant.

As she begins her daunting quest to uncover the black spots on her memory, what she finds isn’t sweet or charming or even pleasant. And that’s when she begins to question everything, including herself.

Her work as a Special Agent for the FBI is only a distraction, serving as a mental metronome…anything to crank the gears of her feeble mind.

And then it happens—a bizarre, ritualistic murder. She loses herself in her work, fully immersed in the investigation. Unable to recall even her own kids, she’s somehow able to formulate coherent theories on what type of person could pull off such a sickening act.

As her mind slowly plugs a few memory gaps, her emotions are scrambled by the reality of her worlds colliding. And the resulting explosion tears her in two.

Can she pick up all the incendiary fragments to solve the twisted crime while she clings to some semblance of sanity?

One woman can only keep so much…AT Bay.

Available to buy from.....

Amazon Kindle  Amazon Paperback  Barnes and Noble  iBooks  Kobo

Lost King by H.B. Moore (Blog Tour Review & Giveaway)

Welcome to my stop for Lost King by H.B. Moore! You can check out my review of the first book in this series, Finding Sheba, here. Check out the book, my review of book two, and the giveaway below...

Lost King

(An Omar Zagouri Thriller #2)
by H.B. Moore

Adult Contemporary Suspense
Paperback & ebook, 354 Pages

December 1st 2015 by Thomas & Mercer

Summary

Undercover agent Omar Zagouri has been ordered to Giza. A prominent Egyptologist was murdered, and a priceless artifact—the only complete version of the Book of the Dead—is missing. Omar is still reeling from the recent disappearance of his girlfriend, Mia Golding, but he puts his quest to find her on hold to track down the lost piece of history.

Omar’s mission is not just to locate the sacred book; he must also rescue the two archaeologists kidnapped and forced to translate its hieroglyphics under threat of death. Their kidnapper is determined to discover the text’s rumored explosive revelation: that Moses did not receive the Ten Commandments from God but instead copied them from the Egyptians. Though Omar’s need to find Mia grows more urgent, he must focus on finding the enemy who will stop at nothing to ignite a controversy that will change history, and the world, forever.

   

(Affiliate links included.)

Winter by Marissa Meyer (Friday Favorites Review)

Friday Favorites is a meme that spotlights a favorite author, book, series, publisher, cover, blog, etc. Basically whatever bookish thing that I have loved, would recommend, and want to tell others about. You can see all of my Friday Favorites here. You're welcome to join in as well!

It's been ages since I've done a Friday Favorites. It's something I'm hoping to do quite a bit more often this year.

I'm sure those of you who are Lunar Chronicles lovers or who have followed me for a while aren't surprised that I loved Winter. You can see my reviews of the series: Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Fairest. I'm also looking forward to Stars Above coming out in just a few weeks and seeing Marissa at a local bookstore. Check out why I loved Winter below...

Ashes in the Sky by Jennifer M. Eaton (Month9Books Friday Excerpt Reveal & Giveaway)

Today Jennifer M. Eaton and Month9Books are revealing the first chapter for ASHES IN THE SKY, which releases March 15, 2016! Check it all out below and enter to be one of the first readers to receive a eGalley!!

Ashes in the Sky

(Fire in the Woods #2)
by Jennifer M. Eaton

YA SciFi
Paperback & ebook, 331 Pages

March 15th 2016 by Month9Books

Summary

Title: ASHES IN THE SKY

Author: Jennifer M. Eaton

Pub. Date: March 15, 2016

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback & eBook

After inadvertently saving the world, eighteen-year-old Jessica Martinez is ready to put adventure behind her and settle back into the familiar routine of high school.

Though when she's offered an opportunity to photograph the inside of an alien space ship, Jess jumps at the chance. After all, she'd be crazy to turn something like that down, right?

Spending time with David on the ship has definite advantages and the two seem to pick up right where they left off. But when Jess discovers a plot to sabotage David's efforts to establish a new home for his people on another planet, neither David's advanced tech nor Jess's smarts will be able to save them.

ASHES IN THE SKY is an action-packed, romantic Sci Fi adventure that will leave readers screaming for more.

  
(Affiliate links included.)

A Note from the Author...

Hello alien fans!

I have to admit that Fire in the Woods was meant to be a stand-alone. When approached to write a second novel, I really had to scratch my head. I mean, the story was over, right?

Well, apparently I “left them screaming for more” as everyone always says.

I really didn’t want to deal with the direct aftermath of book one, so I decided to fast forward a few months: to a time when things should be settling down for poor, exhausted Jess. All she wants to do is get her life back to normal again, and to do that, she needs to get back to school.

Unfortunately for Jess (and maybe fortunately for us) it will be a little while before our girl has anything close to a normal life again. So enjoy Jess’s first day back at school after saving the world. Here is chapter one of Ashes in the Sky: book two of Fire in the Woods.

Alien Kisses!
Jennifer M. Eaton

Jennifer Brown and the Dagger by Hamish Adourian (Guest Post)

I'd like to welcome Hamish Adourian to my blog today to talk about his book and what inspired it. Check it out below...

Jennifer Brown and the Dagger

(Fairyland #1)
by Hamish Adourian

YA/MG Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 344 Pages

November 30th 2015 by Grosvenor House Publishing Limited

Summary

"Listen to me, Jennifer! The fairies need your help."

Jennifer likes fairies, but not reading, or writing, or telling the time, or finding her way on a map. When she learns she is the only one who can save the fairies - the real fairies - from a cruel sorcerer holding the Fairy Queen prisoner, Jennifer's loves and fears collide with secrets, strangers, and magical letters, on a dangerous journey to find Lilah's Dagger.

 
(Affiliate link included.)

The Fall of Lord Drayson by Rachael Anderson (Cover Reveal & Giveaway)

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Fall of Lord Drayson by Rachael Anderson

Rachael writes fabulous sweet romance, so I'm looking forward to this one coming later this year...

Dante's Gift by Aubrey Wynne & Storm by Kate Palmer (Review Briefs)

Review briefs are short reviews for books I need to review, but are either novellas (you can only say so much about a short book), books I didn't like, or when I don't have time for a longer review but need to get one posted.

Dante's Gift

by Aubrey Wynne

NA/Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 102 Pages
October 6th 2015 by Plato Pubishing

Summary

Kathleen James has put her practical side away for once and looks forward to the perfect romantic evening: an intimate dinner with the man of her dreams—and an engagement ring. She is not prepared to hear that he wants to bring his grandmother back from Italy to live with him.

Dominic Lawrence has planned this marriage proposal for six months. Nothing can go wrong—until his Nonna calls. Now he must interrupt the tenderest night of Katie’s life with the news that another woman will be under their roof.

When Antonia’s sister dies, she finds herself longing to be back in the states. An Italian wartime bride from the ‘40s, she knows how precious love can be. Can her own story of an American soldier and a very special collie once again bring two hearts together at Christmas?

   
(Affiliate links included.)

Shearwater by Derek Murphy (Release Week Blitz)

 

Welcome to the Release Week Blitz for

Shearwater Part One

(Ocean Depths Mermaid Romance #1) by Derek Murphy

Coming January 26, 2016 from Urban Epics. Check out the book and giveaway below...

Heart in a Box by Catherine Stine (Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway) @chapterxchapter @crossoverwriter

Heart in a Box

by Catherine Stine

YA Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 270 Pages

December 20th 2015 by Inkspell Publishing

Summary

Each heartbeat leads Joss closer a shocking truth that will change everything.

Joss Olstad wins the fight to switch from her private school to a public high to “find her pieces” she lost when the Indian artist father she never knew died. There, Joss struggles with a slutty friend, who flirts with her new love; Indian Culture Club girls who press her on her past, as well as her stoner mother’s lies back at home. Armed only with her handmade heart boxes that hold private messages, Joss’s search for identity leads her to a scary industrial section of Queens, and a shocking family secret that changes everything.

      
(Affiliate links included.)

My Top Ten Favorite Books from 2015 (Top Ten Tuesday)

I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday today, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Today is a freebie topic and since I haven't listed my favorite books from last year, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do that. There were some great books and it was kind of hard to narrow it down. I didn't quite get my list down to ten, but I did get close. I included favorites that surprised and stuck with me. All of them I would recommend and re-read. Here they are, in no particular order:

Power of the Matchmaker by Multiple Authors, Breathe In by Jennifer Ellision, & This Quiet Sky by Joanne Bischof (Review Briefs)

Review briefs are short reviews for books I need to review, but are either novellas (you can only say so much about a short book), books I didn't like, or when I don't have time for a longer review but need to get one posted.

This is the prequel for a new line of books where the only thing in common is one character called "The Matchmaker," Pearl. This is Pearl's story. You can see my review of the first book in this series, Broken Things to Mend (which I highly recommend), here. I read this back in December and somehow missed posting a review.

Power of the Matchmaker

(Power of the Matchmaker)
by Karey White, Rachael Anderson, Sheralyn Pratt, Jaima Fixsen, Kelly Oram, Heather B. Moore, Julie Wright, Heidi Ashworth, Taylor Dean, Michele Paige Holmes, Janette Rallison, & Regina Sirois

Adult Historical Romance, Novella
ebook, 60 Pages

November 3rd 2015 by Mirror Press

Summary

A prequel novella to the POWER OF THE MATCHMAKER Series
Mystical . . . Beautiful . . . Romantic . . .
12 novels by 12 bestselling authors
Released once a month in 2016

Read the matchmaker’s story to find out where it all starts . . .

Mae Li has been in love with Chen Zhu for years, and he with her. But when the matchmaker arrives at the Zhu family home, she recommends another village girl for Chen.

Heartbroken, Mae Li watches as Chen does his duty by marrying another. Mae flees her village with the clothes on her back and her only possession—a pearl embedded comb, given to her as a goodbye gift from Chen Zhu.

Upon Mae’s arrival in Shanghai, she quickly learns that she’ll starve within days unless she sells her prized comb or joins a courtesan house. She goes to the Huangpu River and promises the River God that she’ll always be selfless if he will save her from becoming a prostitute . . . Her wish is granted when Ms. Tan, the matchmaker of Shanghai, finds Mae. But Mae must completely change her future and her name if she is to become the next matchmaker.

 

A Winter's Respite Read-a-thon #WintersRespite

This is my sign-up, goals, updates, and (eventually) wrap-up post for A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon hosted by Seasons of Reading. You can find all the details and sign up here.

WRAP-UP

This was a very successful RAT for me! I actually got all the books I listed finished for a total of seven books (one really short) and 1,332 pages. Pretty decent for a week. Four of the books I've already done reviews for and just need to get the other three written up. You can see my updates and the books I read below.

UPDATES

January 18th (Monday)

Read 67 pages of Double Play by Ranee S. Clark

January 19th (Tuesday)

Finished (132 pages) Double Play by Ranee S. Clark and read 78% (~224 pages) of The Isaac Project by Sarah Monzon

January 20th (Wednesday)

Finished (~64 pages) The Isaac Project by Sarah Monzon, read (35 pages) of Breathe In by Jennifer Ellison, and read 71 pages of The Matchup by Laura L. Walker

January 21st (Thursday)

Finished (155 pages) The Matchup by Laura L. Walker

January 22nd (Friday)

Finished (252 pages) Storm by Kate Palmer

January 23rd (Saturday)

Finished (102 pages) Dante's Gift by Aubrey Wynne

January 24th (Sunday)

Finished (230 pages) Roman's Holiday by Susan Aylworth

GOALS

My goals are also fairly laid-back. Although now that I'm counting, this is six books, so maybe not so laid-back. I have a couple of review books to read, then I'd like to read some review books I'm behind on, and maybe another book - whatever I feel like reading. Here they are:

  

   

Let me know how you did, if you participated, or just how your reading is going.