The 3-Day Cleanse by Zoe Sakoutis and Erica Huss

In this day and age, everyone wants to look healthy, but also feel healthy. The 3-day cleanse can help you move in the right direction in your journey to clean, healthy living. Get hose toxins out of your body!!

The cleanse is said to give you more energy, clearer skin, a more focused mind and make you feel amazing. Amazing eh? By drinking juice.

The 3-Day Cleanse explains why you should cleanse. We eat a lot of junk; junk we can’t even pronounce. Have you read those ingredient labels lately? What goes in our bodies isn’t as simple as it was centuries ago. It’s not just food, but also the air we breathe, and the water we drink.

The cleanse is built around fruit and vegetable juice. They do offer a BluePrintCleanse program all over the country, but by using this book and a juicer, you can do the program at home. The book includes many recipes to cleanse for the long-term, as well as the 3 day cleanse program. You’ll feel better, you’ll look better, and you can do it relatively inexpensively, especially if you grow your own vegetables and fruits. Give it a try - you might be amazed!
 

The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan

This hardcover book is absolutely wonderful! The illustrations by Renee Graef are vibrant and colorful and filled with detail.  At the bottom of each page is a "Faith Imprint"; a sentence or two to cue adults to share the Scripture about Jesus with them, or to help understand the storyline better.  Along with the imprint is a scripture passage from the Bible.

The Flowering Cross has a six year old girl named Katie who is very excited about Easter.  On Easter, she gets to go to her neighbor Papa Jack's house and pick flowers for the Easter Cross.  Papa Jack has never agreed to go to church with Katie before, but she is hoping that this year is different.

Alot of the kids are afraid of Mean Old Jack.  He's grumpy and they even leave their lost balls and stuff in his yard, to scared to get them.  But Jack grows beautiful flowers, and the family next door has carved a place in his heart.

This Easter, Jack surprises Katie with agreeing to accompany her to Church.  Katie explains along the way the meaning of Easter and it brings Jack to tears.  The two of them together place their flowers on the Easter Cross at Church, but before there meal, Jack must make an errant.  He goes to his workshop and creates his own Easter Cross to share with Katie and her family.  The instructions are in the back of the book so you can make your own.

A beautiful, heart-warming story you won't want to miss.  You can share it with your little ones, or enjoy it on your own.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Release Date: December 28, 2010


From Amazon - 


Finn has escaped from the terrible living Prison of Incarceron, but its memory torments him, because his brother Keiro is still inside. Outside, Claudia insists he must be king, but Finn doubts even his own identity. Is he the lost prince Giles? Or are his memories no more than another construct of his imprisonment? And can you be free if your friends are still captive? Can you be free if your world is frozen in time? Can you be free if you don't even know who you are? Inside Incarceron, has the crazy sorcerer Rix really found the Glove of Sapphique, the only man the Prison ever loved. Sapphique, whose image fires Incarceron with the desire to escape its own nature. If Keiro steals the glove, will he bring destruction to the world? Inside. Outside. All seeking freedom. Like Sapphique.


What are you waiting for?

Winners! Without Mercy

Winners will have 48 hours to reply to email, or a new winner will be chosen. Thank you to all who entered. The winners of Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson are:

scottsgal- CONFIRMED

Dan- CONFIRMED

Congratulations!!

Maid of Murder by Amanda Flower

India Hayes is a librarian in a small town.  Single, she lives with her cat, and her elderly landlord neighbor, Ina, born again Irish believer, keeps her on her toes.  Ina keeps leprechauns and pots of gold scattered on her yard, names the statues, and religiously rotates them.

Back in the day when they were younger, India's friend Olivia dated her brother Mark.  Mark is a math geek, but fell in love with Olivia.  Unfortunately for Mark, he was the rebound guy, and Olivia coldly cast him away.  Mark never got over Olivia, and the sad part is that over the years, Olivia would call Mark.  Talk about leading a guy on.

Out of the blue, Olivia calls India to be her bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding.  India agrees but doesn't share the information with her family about Olivia coming back to town, most of all, Mark.  But Mark finds out and crashes a party at Olivia's parents, where the girls are trying on their horrid bridesmaid dresses.  He beseeches Olivia to reconsider and that he just wants to talk.  He urges her to see him at his office the next day.

The next day, India gets a call and rushes over to the College that Mark teaches at.  A woman has been found in the fountain, bleeding profusely, and Mark pulled her out.  The woman is Olivia, and she dies.  Mark is the prime suspect for her murder, but India is confident he is innocent and begins her own investigation to prove it.

Along the way, India's hippie parents create quite a few ruckus's, someone is setting Mark up, or he isn't as innocent as he proclaims, and India finds the detective on the case a bit more handsome then she remembered.

A quirky, entertaining, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery that you won't want to miss.  Ms. Flower has penned a magnificent debut and I can't wait to read the next in the series!  The characters are delightful and charming, the mystery is solid and page-turning, and the humor sometimes dry, ironic, to the point of belly laughing.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Cozy lovers will fall in love with India Hayes -- pick this one up as soon as you can!!

Visit Amanda Flower here.

Into The Dark by Gena Showalter

The worlds of Atlantis and the Underworld come together in this phenomenal anthology by best-selling author Gena Showalter.  Vampires, Gods, Amazons and more are sure to thrill you with their stories.

THE DARKEST FIRE is a LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD prequel.  Geryon sold his soul to Lucifer in exchange for his dying wife's life.  With the loss of his soul, Geryon is transformed into a half beast, a beast his wife wants nothing to do with.  So, Geryon takes a position as a guardian of hell, opening the gate only for the entrance of new souls.  He watches Kadence every day, as she makes her rounds, but they never speak.  Geryon can only dream that such a beauty would want anything from him.

Kadence is the Goddess of Oppression, and she constantly monitors the demon camps in the underworld.  She is also bound to the wall that divides the underworld from humanity.  When it cracks from demon lords trying to escape, Kadence knows she will die if the wall is not repaired quickly.  She barters with Lucifer to return Geryon's soul so that he can leave his gate and help her ensure that the horde of demon lords does not escape.  If they fail, Kadence dies.  LORD OF THE UNDERWORLD fans will enjoy this story, as it reveals the creation of Pandora's Box and what it is made of.

THE AMAZON'S CURSE is a tale of Atlantis.  Zane is a fierce vampire warrior who has been captured by the Amazons.  It is almost mating season, and he will soon become the slave and breeder to an Amazon warrior.  Zane realizes his fate, but he is too weak to put up much of a fight.  All he can think about is his own Amazon woman, Nola.

The Gods have bound Nola, an Amazon, to the Amazon camp, but she is cursed.  She is invisible; no one can see or hear her.  It pains her to see Zane mistreated and given to one of her Amazon sisters.  She wants him for herself, but he cannot see her.  Zane and Nola, both victims in their pasts, will have to come to terms with their feelings for one another if they hope to break their curse.  If they do not, they may not have a future at all.

THE DARKEST PASSION is a LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD story.  Nike is a Greek goddess who once fell in love with one of her slaves, Atlas, God of Strength.  When she disovers that he slept with all of his female guards to try to escape, her heart shatters.  To extract vengeance, she tattoos her name across his chest, a mark he will have to bear for eternity.

When the tides turn centuries later, it is the Greek gods who are captive, not the Titans.  Atlas is now in charge of the prison and, he decides to seek revenge upon Nike.  He has guards hold her down, as he carves his name into her back.  Nike still has feelings for Atlas, but she is afraid to get her heart broken again.  Atlas realizes that he loves Nike and he wants her delete her to free her from her prison, but the God Cronus forbids it.  Now that they have found one another again, they must exist apart, unless they risk everything for one more chance.

INTO THE DARK is a romantic journey filled with passion, despair and love.  It was great re-visiting the world of Atlantis and THE LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD.  The LORDS OF THE UNDERWORLD bonus guide at the rear of the book, as well as, an insightful interview with Gena Showalter is definitely an entertaining read.  If you are not a fan yet, you definitely will be after you read INTO THE DARK.  The stories can stand alone, or if you are a diehard fan, a must have.  Those alpha males are simply hot! hot! hot!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

 

 

I received some excellent books this week that I am really looking forward to reading!!

The Devil's Playground by Jenna Black - For Review

From Amazon - Morgan Kingsley, a kick-ass exorcist, can deal with Lugh, the supersexy demon living inside her, but does he have to moan softly during her intimate moments with her mortal lover? Understandably, Brian is reluctant to share the pleasures of Morgan’s flesh with a gorgeous rogue from the Demon Realm.

But personal matters will have to wait when the opportunistic owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club in Philadelphia enlists Morgan’s help in heading off a crisis: It seems that demons have started showing up at the hot spot in alarming numbers and in the unwilling bodies of rough trade club-goers. Morgan is sure that Dougal, Lugh’s sworn enemy, is behind this, but why? To find out, Morgan must summon every ounce of power at her command—or risk becoming just another casualty in an all-out demon war.

 

Changeless by Gail Carriger - For Review

From Amazon - Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears - leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it. 

 

Don't Kill The Messenger by Eileen Rendahl - For Review

From Amazon - Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle...

When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war.

Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn't even believe in without blowing her cover?

 

The Time Weaver by Shana Abe - For Review

From Amazon - Honor Carlisle may have been born into the drákon clan but she’s always felt like a stranger to her kin. It’s an intuition that proves true when she receives a mysterious letter—a letter sent by her future self. Honor learns she is a Time Weaver: a creature with the extraordinary ability to transport herself into the past or future.

But the letter contains a dire warning. If Honor remains in her home at Darkfrith, she is certain to be killed. Fleeing for sanctuary among old friends in Spain, she practices her Weaving and unknowingly draws closer to an even more immediate danger. For on one of her Weaves into the future, Honor encounters the very man she should most avoid: the prince of a rival tribe of drákon.

Drawn to Prince Alexandru of Zaharen, Honor is unable to resist the temptation of Weaving to him again and again across time. As they surrender to a desire that brings the present and future ever closer, they realize they are true soulmates. But they also risk fulfilling a terrible prophecy—for their union is destined to wreak havoc. Now Honor and Sandu must place their trust—and their lives—in each other’s hands, and their faith in a magical love that could restore order to the drákon universe—or destroy it forever.

 

What did you get this week?

Author Interview: Carol Snow w/ Giveaway (Just Like Me, Only Better)

Ever since Veronica's husband found the love of his life-not her-she's been a walking zombie with runny mascara. It doesn't help that she keeps getting mistaken for Haley Rush-the Hollywood starlet whose dazzling life is plastered on every magazine.

When Haley's manager offers Veronica a job as a celebrity double, it only takes a moment before she says yes. Veronica gets to drive Haley's car, wear her phenomenal clothes-and have fun with her hot celebrity boyfriend, Brady Ellis. Too bad the job's only part-time, and at the end of the day she has to return to her life as a cash-strapped substitute teacher and cub scout mom.

But when real sparks fly with Brady, is it a fantasy come true or a disaster in disguise? 

If your looking for a great chicklit and/or  women's fiction with a spin of humor and  romance, pick up Just Like Me, Only Better!

Hi Carol! Thank you for taking time to answer some questions we would love the answers to!! Thanks for having me.

Can you tell us what inspired you to write Just Like Me, Only Better?
Like many people, I find the Hollywood celebrity culture both fascinating and appalling. A few years ago, I dressed as Britney Spears for Halloween. I went online for research and was astonished at how much web space is devoted to her every outfit, utterance, and (especially) meltdown. I wondered: “What is it like to live with that kind of scrutiny?” I live in a very normal suburban town. I’m only about an hour from L.A., but sometimes it feels like a different planet. So, to highlight the differences between the two worlds, I created a struggling single mother and substitute teacher named Veronica Czaplickli who lives in my town (Fullerton, California) and bears a striking resemblance to a successful but unstable actress and singer named Haley Rush. When Veronica gets hired to be Haley’s double for photo ops, she gets to find out if the grass is really greener (golder?) on the other side.

When did you write the book and how much research went into it?
I wrote the book in late 2008/early 2009. I live outside of L.A. and have had a fair amount of interaction with people in film and television industry. Plus, I read People and Us magazines every time I go to the hairdresser, so I figured I knew what I was talking about. As I got deeper into the story, however, I realized I didn’t know nearly enough. Fortunately, I have a good friend who has lived in West Hollywood for years and understands the ins and outs of the entertainment business. He answered my emergency phone calls and took me on a couple of “location scouting” drives. We ate lunch at Fred Segal, dinner at the Ivy, drove by Britney Spears’s former Beverly Hills housing development, and chose a neighborhood for the book’s resident boy toy. As I usually do, I took a million notes, typed everything up, and then used what I needed.

Which writers have influenced you the most? Elinor Lipman, Susan Isaacs, Cathleen Schine, Sarah Bird, Sue Grafton . . . smart, funny writers who understand that good writing is good writing no matter how “light” a storyline might be.

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Is there anything about Veronica that only you know? (That isn’t discussed in Just Like Me, Only Better?)
Veronica has a weakness for schmaltzy boy bands. Her favorite song is “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden.

Is there anything else you'd like your readers to know?

Um, that I really hope they’ll read my book?

Are you currently working on another novel?

Yes, I’m writing about three women dealing with parenting issues. And I know that sounds really boring, but it’s not. I swear.

Thank you so much for visiting today! I have to say the cover for Just Like Me, Only Better is so eye-catching!!!

It is, isn’t it? The designers at Berkley are so talented. The unifying theme for my book covers seems to be “girls with things on their heads.”

 

Giveaway!

2 Copies - USA/Canada Only

Leave a comment w/ valid email for one entry

Leave a question and/or comment for Ms. Snow for an extra entry.

Winners announced on April 15th.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

Giveaway: This is Why Your Fat by Jackie Warner

"Being fat isn't your fault; staying fat is." That's what Jackie Warner, America's favorite no-nonsense celebrity fitness trainer tells her own clients, and that's why no one delivers better results than Jackie does. Now for the first time, Jackie shares her revolutionary program, showing readers the best ways to drop pounds and inches fast, without grueling workouts or deprivation, and keep them off for good! Her two-tiered approach provides a complete nutritional makeover and a failure-proof condensed workout routine PLUS all the emotional support and encouragement you need to get to the finish line and beyond.

Check out her website JackieWarner.com

Three copies, courtesy of Hatchette Books! Winners announced April 16th.
USA/Canada Only - NO Po Boxes

Book Blogger Hop

ABOUT THE HOP:

This is a weekly event, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read.  It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends!  Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know!  Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added!  And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

I've found a lot of new and fantastic blogs so far and I'm excited about hopping again this week! So hop on over to Crazy for Books and get into the fun!!

First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost

It's hard to remember you despise vampires when only he can save your life.

Denise knows about vampires and other supernatural beings.  Her best friend, Cat Crawfield is half-vampire, and Cat's husband is a vampire.  Also, her husband was killed a year ago in a supernatural event.  Denise still has nightmares of the blood and gore, but they don't occur as often since she removed herself from paranormal society.

Then, Denise's extended family starts dying suddenly.  Heart problems in their early twenties seems unlikely, although that is the cause of death.  When Denise is next, she panics and begs for her life.  It's the demon called Raum who is killing her family, and she will be next unless she can bring him want he wants.  For insurance, he puts his essence in Denise and his brand on her arms.  Now, he can find her whenever he wants, and if she doesn't uphold her part of the bargain in time, her human life will be forfeit.

Denise needs help if she is to find Nathaniel.  He backed out of a bargain with Raum, and now Raum wants payment.  Rarum isn't allowed in the vampire world, which is where he assumes Nathaniel is hiding, but he knows Denise has connections.  Denise doesn't want to involve Cat or Bones, so she calls Spade, Bone's best friend.

Spade has always craved Denise, but swore to Bone's he wouldn't touch her.  Besides, she is too human for him.  But, he agrees to help Denise find Nathaniel, and their journey takes them into many dangerous situations.  The longer they are together, the more Denise lets down her guard and the closer Spade gets.  He doesn't want to break his vow to Bones, but Denise has him feeling things he hasn't felt in many centuries.

Filled with sizzling passion, dangerous interludes, and supernatural tendencies, FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON is a phenomenal work from a master of paranormal romance.  Denise and Spade finally get their own story after playing second characters in Ms. Frost's NIGHT HUNTRESS series, and she does it with elegant flair.  Another sure-fire winner!!