In My Mailbox

Mailbox Monday

Hosted by The Printed Page

Here's what I got this past week!

Turncoat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher

From PBS

Description: Harry, a warden of the magic-governing White Council, finds himself in an unusual position when Morgan, his fellow warden and frequent antagonist, asks for his help. One of the White Council's leaders has been murdered, and Morgan was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon. If he has been framed, then another senior wizard is behind the killing and may be trying to destroy the council entirely. Aided by werewolf and vampire allies, Dresden investigates with his trademark sardonic noir flair.





The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst

Upcoming Blog Tour

Description: Col. Jean-François Mercier, a military attaché at the French embassy in Warsaw who runs a network of spies, plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with his German adversaries. When one of Mercier's main agents, Edvard Uhl, an engineer at a large Düsseldorf arms manufacturer who's been a valuable source on the Nazis' new weapons, becomes concerned that the Gestapo is on to him, Mercier initially dismisses Uhl's fears. Mercier soon realizes that the risk to his spy is genuine, and he's forced to scramble to save Uhl's life. The colonel himself later takes to the field when he hears reports that the German army is conducting maneuvers in forested terrain. Even readers familiar with the Germans' attack through the Ardennes in 1940 will find the plot suspenseful.

Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, Book 2) by Richelle Mead

Half-human, Half-Fae; two halves of a whole. Two sides that must learn to complement each other or Eugenie Markham won't survive in any world.

Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire who is paid to banish otherworld creatures. In STORM BORN (DARK SWAN, BOOK 1) Eugenie won a battle against a gentry King and became Queen of the Thorn Lands. Eugenie is the daughter of the late Storm King, a King in the world of fairy. She has some accessible magic that she uses in her job as shaman, but she is quickly learning her untapped magic of the elements that she inherited from her father.

When Eugenie became Queen, the land twisted itself to her ideal kingdom, a desert. Now her people are starving and dying of thirst. When the land changed, the crops died and the water dried up. She doesn't want to be Queen in this world, but she cannot live with herself if she lets her subjects die. She sets to task of using her new abilities to search for water, and she uses her connections to the human world to educate them on what can be grown in the new barren landscape.

Eugenie's lover, Kiyo, is expecting his firstborn soon so he spends a lot of his time in the Otherworld. Eugenie knows that he loves her, but she still worries that he won't stay with her for long if she won't bare his children. She is afraid of an ancient prophecy coming true, one that says her firstborn will ruin the world of humankind. So, when a local village brings their troubles to Eugenie, she throws herself into the problem to escape her own.

Gentry girls are coming up missing, and no one can be bothered to find out why. Eugenie's investigation leads her to a couple of shaman on the human side, and Eugenie will have to decide which world she belongs to in order to survive the battle. But another evil force is on the horizon, and Eugenie is soon fighting for her life.

THORN QUEEN (DARK SWAN, BOOK 2) is an amazing paranormal fantasy. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. The pages draw you deep into a world of magic, mystery, and romance. Eugenie is a character that keeps growing and evolving, and I can't wait for the next one!

Winners! My Forbidden Desire

As usual, thanks to Hatchette Books for allowing me to host this great give-away! Winners have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen. The five winners of My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel are:

1. Y. Bressani
2. Ellie
3. Tynga
4. Cherry
5. Pam
6. Miranda
7. Mishel
8. Leslie
   

Congratulations!!

Winners! The Vixen Manual

As usual, thanks to Hatchette Books for allowing me to host this great give-away! Winners have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen. The five winners of The Vixen Manual by Karrine Steffans are:

1. Sue
2. Dottie
3. Lea
4. Samantha
5. Belinda

Congratulations!!

TWO Contests End tomorrow! Get your chance in tonight!

If you haven't entered for a chance to win Forbidden Desire or The Vixen Manual, you still have time. Click the covers on the right, and get your entry in before it's too late!! Winners will be announced tomorrow after randomizer chooses the winners. Good Luck!!

Mortal Friends by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Reven Lynch is a middle-aged divorcee living in Washington D.C. running a small antique shop. When the latest victim of the “Beltway Basher” is found in the park where Reven and best friend Victoria jog, she thinks they may need adjust their route.

Victoria is the wife of prominent banker Grant Bolton. They rub elbows with many ambassadors, senators, and other members of high society. When they can, they include Reven in their plans.

When Detective Gunner approaches Reven in her shop with questions, she wonders if the rumors are true. Someone in high society is killing these girls. When Gunner asks Reven to be his snitch, she uses her place in society to listen and see everything and report anything back to him that seems off.

But when high rolling, trail blazing philanthropic Cynthia Rinehart appears suddenly on the scene, Victoria finds her marriage in deep water. Reven will have to keep her wits about her if she hopes to keep her friendship with Victoria. As secrets from the past are unleashed, the killer moves closer to his next victim.

Mortal Friends is a scandalous juicy mystery that rubs elbows with the rich and sultry. Written in the first person, Hitchcock takes us on a journey though the glitzy parties in Washington, and the dirty little secrets of many members of high society. With a splash of romance, a mystery to solve, and antics worthy of any front page newspaper, Mortal Friends is a gem!

Blog Tour: One Scream Away by Kate Brady

Beth Denison is a divorced antiques dealer living in the suburbs raising her daughter Abby. Beth has a scar on her cheek that she doesn't talk about, and is currently appraising a set of antique dolls. When she starts getting phone calls, she freaks out, but doesn't call the police. Instead, she retrieves her gun from its hiding place and starts brushing up on her aim.

Neil Sheridan gave up his shield with the FBI years ago when his family fell apart. But when his best friend asks Neil to consult on a case, he can't say no. The investigation of a woman murdered leads Neil to believe its the same serial killer from an investigation he led years ago. Neil can't believe he sent the wrong man to jail, and is right by Rick's side in the investigation.

Chevy Bankes is a master of disguise, and recently released from jail. He's coming after the woman who helped send him there. But along the way, he kills and sends a clue to Beth, along with a phonecall directly after the kill. He can't wait to hear her scream, and he's coming for her.

It's not often that you know who is the bad guy right from the start in a suspense, but ONE SCREAM AWAY is the exception; it's all about the chase. The pages fly by with action, drama, a touch of romance, and dark dirty secrets revealed along the way. A top-notch romantic suspense! Kate Brady's debut is just the launching pad for a new suspense writer to be reckoned with.


About Kate:

My writing career began in the closet, where--thankfully--my first several novels remain. As a full-time choral conductor and assistant professor of music education, I didn't consider going public with my fiction. It was strictly clandestine and only a hobby.

Then the needs of small children convinced me to switch to part-time teaching. For the first couple of years as a mostly stay-at-home-mom, it was all I could do to complete the metamorphosis from domestically-challenged career woman to culinary-queen and housework goddess. (Okay...Some transitions are never fully realized.) But later, when the kids got old enough to be in school for six hours a day, the characters in my head found time to come out again. Murderers, cops, victims, lovers. I started writing down everything they did and said, then finally decided to see if anyone but me wanted to read about them.

Now, I lead a double life. Some days are spent in the university classroom or at the rehearsal podium; others spent chasing villains on my laptop.

So what do I do when I'm not creating music teachers or psycho murderers? (Two unrelated populations, I assure you.) With a husband, two children, and way too many furry, feathery, and scaly things, there isn't a lot of time left. It's enough to keep up with the house, the yard, and the family schedule, and hope no one on my laptop gets murdered when I'm not looking.

http://www.katebrady.net/

Hatchette Books is allowing me to give-away 5 copies of ONE SCREAM AWAY! USA & Canada Only - and no PO Boxes.

How to enter:
Comment, along with your email address to enter - easy easy!

Deadline to enter is July 19th - Winners announced July 20th.

Haunting Beauty by Erin Quinn

An ancient evil has taken everyone Danni holds dear to her heart. Can she go back in time and get everyone back without losing herself?

Danni has no memories before she was five years old. When she was five, she was left at her daycare and never picked up. She spent the rest of her childhood in foster care. Now twenty years later, Danni works in an antique shop, lives alone with her dog, and she is having visions. Danni recalls having visions years ago when she was little, but somehow she repressed them until she didn’t have them anymore. Now they are back, and Danni doesn’t understand their meaning. A handsome man guides her though the lush hills of Ireland to a cave where a man is holding his dead son, and a woman with two children is beseeching someone in the shadows.

Sean Ballogh suddenly appears after the visions start and claims he is there to take her back to her family. He states that they have been searching for her for twenty years and thought she may be dead. He inquires where her brother and her mother are, which stun Danni. She had forgotten she had a brother until Sean mentions it. Wondering what else her memory has suppressed, Danni starts to research her past on her computer. When she finds a newspaper clipping of Sean’s death, she is shocked.

Danni doesn’t let on that she knows Sean is a ghost, but she is upset that her attraction to him will come to naught. When he comes to her house again, he brings her a family heirloom, a necklace with silver and gold spirals encrusted with jewels. When he fastens it around her neck though, Danni and Sean suddenly find themselves plummeting down a dark hole. When they awake, they are both naked and in bed, and twenty years into the past. They’ve been given a chance to re-write the past if they can figure out how to before time runs out.

HAUNTING BEAUTY is a superb debut. The writing is seamless and written against a backdrop of Ireland in all its lushness and myths. Danni and Sean are passionate and full of vitality and depth. The mystery is well-turned and builds until the final, shocking climax. If you read one book this summer, don’t miss this one! Fantastic!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
Hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding
Release date: November 24, 2009


She's young, deadly, and hunted—with only three days to solve her own murder…

When Evangeline Stone wakes up naked and bruised on a cold slab at the morgue – in a stranger’s body, with no memory of who she is and how she got there – her troubles are only just beginning. Before that night, she and the other two members of her Triad were star bounty hunters -- mercilessly cleansing the city of the murderous creatures living in the shadows, from vampires to shape-shifters to trolls. Then something terrible happened that not only cost all three of them their lives, but also convinced the city’s other Hunters that Evy was a traitor . . . and she can’t even remember what it was.

Now she’s a fugitive, piecing together her memory, trying to deal some serious justice – and discovering that she has only three days to solve her own murder before the reincarnation spell wears off. Because in three days, Evy will die again – but this time, there’s no second chance…

Winners! How to Score

Big shout out to Hatchette Books for allowing me to host this give-away! As usual, winners have 48 hours to respond to my email or a new winner will be chosen. Congratulations to the following for snagging a copy of How to Score by Robin Wells!!

1. Kammie
2. Sharon
3. Randi
4. KH
5. Cindy
   

Last Chance!!

Today is the last day to enter for your chance to win a copy of HOW TO SCORE by Robin Wells! Don't miss your chance - enter today!! Click the book cover on the right to enter and Good Luck!!

Blog Tour: How Perfect is That by Sarah Bird

Unscrupulously self-aggrandizing, unconscionably self-centered, Blythe Young leaves a toxic wake of debts, doubts, and destruction wherever she goes. Once the trophy wife of the scion of one of Austin’s most socially prominent families, she survived a precipitous fall from grace and now struggles to maintain the kind of Chanel-suited, Cristal-swigging lifestyle to which she had become addictively accustomed. Determined to keep her Jimmy Choo–clad foot in their butler-attended doors, Blythe embarks on a career as a party planner for her erstwhile society pals; but when they discover she’s been palming off Piggly Wiggly liverwurst as Parisian pâté, Blythe quickly becomes persona non grata. When she’s forced to reconnect with her frumpy college roommate, Millie, in a desperate attempt to polish up her tarnished reputation, Blythe discovers that even the oldest friendships come with statutes of limitation. Although Blythe’s shamelessly egotistical behavior can be a bit over the top, Bird nevertheless infuses her riches-to-rags tale with enough smart, sardonic satire and irresistibly irreverent irony to uproariously outweigh any moral misgivings.

HOW PERFECT IS THAT is a witty, almost chick-lit, engaging read. As an event coordinator myself, I was able to connect in that aspect with Blythe. Full of unique characters, their personalities and traits so real you feel for them, Bird had outdone herself with this one. The book remained strong through-out; a testimony to Sarah's writing. This is the first work I have read of Sarah Bird's, but definately will be looking for more of her work. A real page-turner!

About the Author:

"I grew up in a Catholic Air Force family of eight. Went to five different schools in fifth grade. Spent my happiest years in mostly Mexican-American Catholic schools. Lived with my family and on my own in Japan, Okinawa, France, Spain, the Yucatan Peninsula, and most of the western states, though I've lived the longest in Texas and love New Mexico the most. Degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico.

Journalism fellowship at the University of Texas. My thesis was a photojournalism project on the vanishing world of old lady beauty shops.

Married to George Jones (not the dipsomaniacal C&W singer). Have one son, Gabriel. Live in Austin in the great state of Texas, number one in prison population! "

Other Blog Tour Stops

Jenn’s Bookshelf: http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
All About {n}: www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
Booking Mama: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
Bookin’ with “BINGO”: http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
My Guilty Pleasures: http://www.mgpblog.com/
Just Jennifer Reading: http://www.justjenniferreading.blogspot.com/
Wendy’s Minding Spot: http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
Bella’s Novella: http://www.bellasnovella.com/
Living Life and Reading Books: http://ilovelovebooks.blogspot.com/
Book N Around: http://booknaround.blogspot.com/
The Eclectic Book Hoarder: http://eclecticbookhoarder.blogspot.com/
Pick of the Literate: http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
The Epic Rat: http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
A Book Bloggers Diary: http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
Horror and Fantasy Book Review: http://horrorandfantasybookreview.blogspot.com/
Find The Time To Read: http://www.findthetimetoread.blogspot.com/
Gaijin Mama: http://gaijinmama.wordpress.com/
Blog Business World: http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/
Carolina Gal’s Literary Café: http://susansliterarycafe.blogspot.com/
My Book Views: http://my-book-views.blogspot.com/
Me, My Book and the Couch: http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/
Joanne Huspek's Blog: http://joannehuspek.wordpress.com/
Power in the Blog: http://jesharris.wordpress.com/
Marta’s Meanderings: http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/