The Companion of Lady Holmeshire by Debra Brown

Emma Carrington was found in a basket on a Squire's doorstep when she was an infant.  Mrs. Carrington doted on Emma and raised her as her own, even though Mr. Carrington treated her like a servant, unlike his own daughters.  When Mrs. Carrington passed away, Mr. Carrington was through with Emma and tossed her out.

The Lady Holmeshire desired a companion, so she sent Emma off for finishing, determined that she become a lady.  Emma returns and the household is so happy for her return.  When Lady Holmeshire is happy, everyone is happy and Emma's companionship makes her happy.  She begins to slowly introduce Emma to society, and the return of her son Will eases Emma's way into Victorian society.

Emma finds Will very attractive and although he doesn't say, his actions show that he is attracted to her as well.  However, Emma knows she is beneath Will's station and nothing can come of her feelings. Also, Will has been betrothed to another of his own station for years, he just isn't in a hurry to marry.

In the nearby village, a strange man queries about Emma.  Also,  Lady Holmeshire's jewerly  becomes missing.  Emma begins to question where she really comes from.  The suspense builds and the ending will shock you.  Beautifully written with vivid details, the characters clever and well developed and the suspense intricately woven, it's hard to believe this is Ms. Brown's debut novel.  Her attention to detail shows she has definitely done her research on the period.  I really enjoyed this glimpse into the past and look forward to future works of author Debra Brown's.

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Belvedere Designs - Vinyl Wall Quotes Product Review

A few of my friends have vinyl wall quotes in their homes; I've always wanted to try it. Thanks to Belvedere Designs, I recently had the opportunity!! The wall quote was a nice size and I thought a few days before I decided where I wanted the vinyl wall art to go.

Since the majority of my home is panelling, I chose the bathroom.  I realize that the wall decals can adhere to any surface but the vinyl letters were black and I wanted it to be prominent.

I started to apply the whole quote at once, but I immediately realized my error.  Sometimes you don't want to take a shortcut.  I cut the large quote into words and applied them one my one - it ensured I had them straight and no missing letters.  The vinyl letters applied easily and with the handy tool enclosed with the quote, I made sure there were no bubbles and that all of the letters were firmly attached to my wall.

It literally took me only minutes to change the whole look of my room.  These wall quotes are great accents for decor!! They can light up a room or show your trueself through words.  My husband freaked when he saw what I had done - he's so scared they won't come off.  And they won't, unless I take them off.  They peel off easily.  I really love it and can't wait to get more for other rooms in my house!!

Find Belvedere Designs on Facebook, where discount codes and other special offers are posted.

Also, don't forget to send in a photo of your wallart each month for a chance to win $50.00!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels Review & Giveaway

My family loves pretzels! Especially the soft big ones and stuffed? BONUS! I recently had the opportunity to try Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels. I've never heard of them, but I found them in three grocery stores right in town!!  I was excited to try something other than pretzels stuffed with cheese - a mom pretzel!

I picked up a box stuffed with Spinach and Feta. Can you say YUM?  These were delicious!! They have several varieties, from breakfast egg and cheese, to cheese to stuffed with pizza.  Something for everyone.  They are hand-made and twisted from scratch, using only the finest ingredients and all-natural.  They even offer gluten-free. You can pop them in the oven but they taste great microwaved. They even offer stuffed bagels! I've never had those, might have to get some to try. They offer from bite sized pretzels to deluxe and they are good for a snack or a meal.  I'm absolutely delighted with this product and look forward to trying all of the flavors.

I have a free product coupon to giveaway to a lucky reader.  Try it and see for yourself how amazing these taste!!

*Comments are appreciated, but you must fill out the Rafflecopter widget to enter.



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Brightwing by Sullivan Lee

Lucy Brightwing has a dream.  She wants to have enough money - millions- and start her own tribe.  She comes from the ancient Native American tribe, Tequesta.  She's also the last of her people, but she is determined to return to her lands.  In order to achieve this dream, she needs money and lots of it.  Fortunately for her, she listens and does her homework.  She ends up stealing millions of uncut jewels from a jeweler. 

Fresh from her heist, she is annoyed when her break lights stop working on her journey to freedom.  To make matters worse, two well-dressed men stop to aid her, with a gun.  She is sure she can take them, but is worried about the authorities being involved.  If they are, they'll find her ill-gotten gain in the trunk.  But she plays along, there is something about the older one, Edgar, that makes her want to help them.

The Battle brothers, Edgar and Mallory, escaped prison and have left a trail of bodies on their path to freedom.  Edgar is the older brother and just wants to escape from the authorities and live the good life.  Mallory, though, doesn't think before he acts and continues to kill.  Edgar tries to clean up his mess, as a good brother, but knows the authorities are hot on their trail.  With a hostage, they may have a chance, but at what cost?

Brightwing is a stellar novel brimming with criminal activities, action, romance and phenomenal character development.  Mallory really is insane and that shines through in his actions and thought processes.  Lucy and Edgar compliment one another and the choices they make accellerate the novel.  Highly recommend!!

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Best Laid Plans Winners

Winners have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be selected.  Thanks to Harlequin for sponsoring the giveaway!

Emma - CONFIRMED*

Lisa Richards - CONFIRMED*

Congratulations!!

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Countdown to Love by Julie Ford

Kelly Grace Pickens is an up and coming country music star.  Her fiance' Trevor has been helping her lose weight and look and act like the star she is.  To complete her dreams coming true, she is about to marry the love of her life.

But Trevor doesn't show up at the church. Jilted, Kelly isn't sure what to do.  The bank is foreclosing on their loft and the producers chose someone else's work so her dream of becoming a star are diminished.  Thankfully she can immerse herself in eating her wedding cake.

However, her cousin, a producer of a reality show, Count Down to Love, is a girl short.  Kelly believes if she helps out her cousin, she won't be around moping for Trevor and he can find her when he comes to his senses.

One the first day on the set, Kelly is out of her element.  She's just a country girl trying not to make any mistakes in the high- glam set.  But he moment her eyes meet Dillon Black, she is lost. She's supposed to 'lose' on her first night, but after meeting Dillon, she really doesn't want to.  And then as the reality show plays out, Kelly has her share of ups and downs.  But will she stay true to herself without bowing to Hollywood standards? Will she find true love and happiness?

Countdown to Love is part The Bachelor and part pure fun.  It's a good clean romance that kept me thoroughly entertained.  Author Julie Ford wove some twists into the novel that I never saw coming that only enhanced the storyline.  Highly recommend!!

You can purchase the book or ebook HERE.

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Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Willa Coffey is a quiet girl who doesn't expect much. She lives with her mom, step-dad Jack and her two step-sisters, Alyssa and Brooke. Jacks ex-wife Val makes sure that Alyssa and Brooke have everything that money can buy and Willa is usually left on the outskirts looking in. Her mom and Jack cannot afford those things for Willa. She doesn't express her discontent, but instead hides in the basement and cuts herself.

When she receives a phone call from her mom's best friend while she is home alone, her whole world is turned upside down. It seems her dad, her real dad, has killed his new wife and little girls and is on his way to her house. The police get involved and everyone freaks out about how Willa is the daughter of a killer.

Willa decides to put herself first for once and demands that she get to go to Pryor, a small town hundreds of miles away, to attend her sisters' funerals. Even though she has never met them and hasn't seen her dad since she was four, she feels she needs to find out where she came from.

There, she learns more about herself, her mom and what it means to be happy. When she returns to her home, her mom and Jack once again set her world atilt. Because of Brooke and Alyssa's special schools, they must move once again, right before Willa's senior year. She contemplates cutting deeper this time and removing herself from the situation for good.

Blood Wounds is a page-turning read that pauses you to think about what humans to do one another. How one thoughtless action can wound another deeply. The characters are brought to life by the author's creative writing and the turmoil that Willa goes through is still fresh in this reader's mind. Definitely thought-provoking.

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Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding

Evangeline 'Evy' Stone just died. She's had many attempts on her life and also died and came back in a different body. The last attempt has everyone believing she died for real, but she didn't. Only a handful of people know Evy is still alive, and she is laying low and out of sight.

Her partner and lover Wyatt is concerned for Evy. He loves her too much to see her die or be harmed. But when an evil scientist, Walter Thackery, decides he needs Evy for his ultimate, she cannot hide forever. Evy has supernatural abilities and speed healing, and Walter desires her alive, as he needs her blood for the cure he is developing to stop vampirism.

The Triad, a group of supernatural hunters that Evy used to work for, believe her to be a traitor. They've recently raided Thackery's lab and removed various monsters and creatures, but failed to capture Thackery. The heat is on now that they are after Thackery, he is after Evy and the action is non-stop.

Wyatt and Evy have a strong relationship, even though their love is still new and fragile. However, they make a marvelous team, complementing one another perfectly. Thackery is a nasty villain who really gives Evy a run for her life. Urban fantasy readers will enjoy the fantastic world-building and complex characters. ANOTHER KIND OF DEAD is the third book in this series, so make sure you pick up the first two, AS LIE THE DEAD and THREE DAYS TO DEAD.

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RAISE Armpit Stain Remover Review & Giveaway

Have you ever soaked your whites in a bucket with bleach, hoping to get that pesky yellowing under the arms out, or the ring around the collar?  I have, but to no avail.  I don't know how many shirts we have had to throw away because of yellowing.  It's money just thrown away. 

After learning about that, I've shied away from white clothes, but my husband has to wear a white dress shirt to work.  It's not too bad in the winter, but with these hot summer days, he is really leaving some nasty yellow stains - under the arms and around the collar.  I was certain I wouldn't be able to save them and have to purchase new, but I decided to give RAISE Armpit stain remover a try. 

I didnt know that bleach would make the stain permanent, but learned that the hard way.  Raise Armpit stain remover is very easy to use.  I sprayed it on the affected area and let it sit for about 25 minutes, then threw it in the wash.  The yellowing is GONE! This is the first product I have ever used that took away ring around the collar and armpit stains.  I am going to save so much money with this product!!

RAISE Armpit Stain remover is Good Housekeeping Magazines cleaning product of the month! They've also been featured in Shape, SELF, Ladies Home Journal, InStyle and the Wall

Street Journal.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win their own bottle of RAISE Armpit Stain Remover

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Leave a comment with your email

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USA Only.  Contest ends on August 12th.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be selected.  Prize shipped direct from sponsor.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

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Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent Review & Giveaway

I'm a big fan of Tropical Tradition's products! Chemical free, I was really excited to try their luandry detergent.  My daughter breaks out from most laundry soap - I always have to buy the free and clear.  No dyes, no chemicals, no anything!

Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent comes in a powdered for. It comes with it's own scoop, so measuring is a breeze.  When I first opened the container, I was presented with a light coconut scent.  Mind you, I love the smell of coconut, but would it clean well? Would she break out?

I had nothing to worry about! This detergent also comes with the power of oxygen!  I used it on the colors, on the whites, and on the towels.  The items were clean, bright, white and smelled fresh! A big sell for me is if the powder completely dissolves - I hate white residue on my clothing.  However, it did and I am completely satisfied.  No phosphates, environmentally friendly and my daughter is smiling.  No rash, no itch. What is more - powdered detergent is more economical.  It lasts way longer than liquid.  My wallet says thank you.

Thanks to Tropical Traditions, one lucky winner will win their own five pound container of Laundry Detergent!

*you must fill out the rafflecopter widget to enter.

*If you're having problems seeing the widget - go HERE.

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Winners!

Winners has 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be selected.  Thanks to the sponsors!

Redraw - Black Ties & Lullabies - donnas - CONFIRMED*

Fan Giveaway - $10 CVS Card - Robin Blankenship - CONFIRMED*

$100+ Coupon Packet - Mickey Coutts - CONFIRMED*

The Perfect Knot - Sarah Davis - CONFIRMED*

Babyland Package - Carrie Martinet - CONFIRMED*

Congratulations!!

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TOUR: Interview with Gordon Kessler, Author of Brainstorm + Giveaway

I am a former US Marine parachutist, recon scout, and Super Squad team leader, with a bachelor's degree in creative writing.  I have taught novel writing for Butler County Community College, have previously self-published two thriller novels, and I am a founder and former president of the Kansas Writers Association (a fourteen-year-old group of one hundred and fifty writers).  I have published two thriller novels; Jezebel and Dead Reckoning. My unpublished thriller A Culling of Innocents was a finalist for the Rupert Hughes Award at the 2003 Maui Writers Conference.  Two other unpublished thrillers, Jack Knight and The Storegga Effect, won first place consecutively in the KWA's 2003 and 2004 novel-writing competitions.  My nonfiction book specifically targeting beginning novelists, Novel Writing Made Simple, won second place in the Oklahoma Writers Federation's 2004 competition. Brainstorm, my latest thriller manuscript, won first place iconsecutively in the KWA's 2003 and 2004 novel-writing competitions. My nonfiction book specifically targeting beginning novelists, Novel Writing Made Simple, won second place in the Oklahoma Writers Federation's 2004 competition. Brainstorm, my latest thriller manuscript, won first place in the KWA's novel-writing competition in a previous year and is by far my best work.

Hi Gordon, thanks for dropping in at Minding Spot today to talk about your book, Brainstorm.

In fifteen words or less, please tell us about your book, Brainstorm.

Gordon: Seemingly ordinary man must save the Free World; woman risks all to save her man.

Wow! I did it. That was tough.

What inspired you to write Brainstorm?

Gordon:  From the time I first heard about remote viewing years ago, I've been fascinated by it and the secret government projects that involved this psychic talent. The idea of it alone, opens doors to possibilities I could never have imagined, otherwise. Throw in: my interest in the high-tech research into futuristic weapons, nonlethals, and defensive measures; and current international tensions, and you have the physical plot. Bind it all together with the love story that I always wanted to write, and you have Brainstorm.

Is the town of Gold Rush replicated of any specific town in the USA? If so, which one?

Gordon: Great question! Well, in my mind, it's a bit like Crested Butte, Colorado—one of my favorite places to snow ski. Gold Rush is a lot more isolated, but has that same sort of quaintness. About twenty years ago, when I was in Crested Butte skiing, the bank blew up due to a propane gas leak—talk about exciting!

Robert Weller sounds like a fantastic character.  How did you decide which characteristics and flaws he needed to succeed?

Gordon:This was a difficult one for me. I can't go into too much detail, or I'll spoil the book, but he needed to be the average Joe—like you and me. I wanted the reader to come away from the story with just a smidgen of doubt about who they really are, after being inside Weller's head throughout the book.


Robert Weller is very open, honest, and even a little gullible. He wants to believe everything anyone tells him, like most of us do. He grows as the story goes along, due to circumstances that seem too strange for him to believe or comprehend. At first, these situations take control of his life, and they propel him through much of the story. But there is a turning point where he takes charge and confronts these conflicts head on.

What book are you currently reading?

Gordon: I haven't been reading popular fiction nearly enough, lately. But I did just downloaded and started reading Conrad Jestmore's mystery River of Murder. I was hooked within the first couple of pages, and I'm sure it's going to be a real fun read.

Are you currently working on another novel? If so, can you tell us anything about it?

Gordon: Yes, I'm working on The Master Plan, a sequel to Brainstorm. Many of the Brainstorm characters return and, this time, the stakes are even higher. Talk about research—wow! I'm having a blast.  Actually, I'm using The Master Plan to answer and explain many of the basic questions we've all had: What is the meaning of life? Who are we, really, and how did we come to be? Does God really exist—if so, what does she/he look like?

In order to tell this story, I need the Daniel McMaster and his remote viewing abilities. I also use some incredible, little-known facts and odd natural phenomena that science has a hard time explaining (without leaning toward the paranormal) that I think will really make the story interesting and exciting. Like I said—I'm having a great time with the research alone.

Do you have any tips or pointers for aspiring writers?

Gordon: Nothing too much different from what they've probably heard before: read popular fiction in the genre they're writing, go to conferences and workshops, find a writers' org and a good critique group, ensure every scene you write has a purpose and be memorable to the reader, and—if you love writing entertaining stories—don't ever give up.

Thanks so much for your time and dropping into today at Minding Spot!!

What if a small American town is secretly replicated, populated with kidnap-ped scientists and psychically talented civilians, and then used as a proving ground while training psychic assassins? Political and military leaders of the Free World are the targets of these psychic warriors, and Project Brainstorm's goal is world domination. The only person who can stop the unthinkable plot is a seemingly simple man without a clue. In Brainstorm, Gold Rush seems to be just another sleepy little Colorado community full of friendly, caring citizens, quaint cottages, and a sort of quiet peace, held gently by the picturesque mountains that surround it. However, something isn't right in Gold Rush, and early on a Monday morning Robert Weller awakens with a cautioning and insuppressible voice inside his head. He soon finds a secret behind every door, a motive with every glance, and a lie beneath every spoken word. After meeting a strange but beautiful woman named Sunny who insists they were once lovers, people begin dropping dead around him without apparent cause. The world he thought he knew twists upside down as paramilitary teams hunt him, and his own wife and the people he considers friends turn against him. Weller finds himself thrown into the middle of a military mission to rescue thousands of the town's citizens from a plot to destroy the Free World. Time is running out: Weller, Sunny and thousands of innocent citizens are facing nuclear devastation. Major “Jax” Jackson and a U.S. Air Force Para Rescue team are their only hope—but how can Jax and his PJs save them all, armed only with nonlethal weapons?

GIVEAWAY

Gordon is giving away winner's choice of a basic Kindle, Kobo, Sony Reader or Nook to one randomly drawn commentor!!

Follow the tour to increase your chances of winning! The more you comment, the more chances you have to win! Check out each stop on the tour!

 (Only one comment per person on this stop)

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