Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!!

Welcome to my stop on the "Spooktacular Giveaway Hop"

hosted by Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Rhianna at Diary of a Bookworm.

Here at In the Hammock Blog, I'm giving away an

ARC of "Tempest Rising" by Tracy Deebs!!

I'm passing my copy of the ARC on to one of my readers!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

The winner will receive an ARC of "Tempest Rising" by Tracy Deebs


All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this post with your email address!
Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.
 
There are no extra entries for this one, I know you all are wanting to get to each giveaway quickly! All you have to do is be a GFC follower!

Rules:

US only

Must be a follower to enter

Must be 18 to enter

Leave a comment with your email address

Books will be mailed out by me 

Ends Oct 31 at midnight

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

While you're here, check out my two other contests!

1300 Followers Contest! Win 6 Spooky Books! Ends 11/1

Win "Song of the Nile" Ends 10/28

Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

Giveaway and Review: "Song of the Nile"

"Song of the Nile"
 by Stephanie Dray

Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: Oct 4, 2011 
Source: sent by publicist

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


Summary from goodreads.com:

Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land.
The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor. Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?

My Review:


I love reading about Cleopatra, so I already knew a little about her daughter, Cleopatra Selene. Maybe I had too many preconceived notions to really enjoy this version of the story, plus a lot of the elements really took me out of my comfort zone. I think I would have liked the story more if it had been a YA book or historical romance. The Historical Fiction genre is often too gritty and dark for me, which was true of this book. I just didn't like reading detailed rape scenes or the main character having sex with her twin brother. If you are ok with reading these types of things, this may be the book for you.

I'm not sure about the magic in the book. While I understand that the magic and goddesses theme ties in with the beliefs of that time period, it's hard to read a book based on real people and really believe that they had magical powers.

There was a lot of action and lot of drama here so the book was very fast paced. It's almost like an R-rated soap opera set in ancient times. This book has been getting many amazing reviews, so I encourage you to try it if you think you will be okay with the difficult themes.



Main Characters: 3/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: A fast-paced read, however a lot of the themes were too graphic for my tastes.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Stephanie's publicist has generously offered a copy of "Song of the Nile" to one lucky reader of my blog!

Mandatory entries:
GFC follower of In the Hammock


and by the author's request, do one of the following:

Follow Stephanie Dray's Twitter @stephaniehdray
Facebook fan of Stephanie Dray
Join Stephanie Dray's Newsletter

Leave a comment on this post with your email address and let me know which way you follow Stephanie Dray.
For each additional way you follow Ms. Dray you will receive an additional entry.
Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :)

Extra Entries:
+1 for each additional way you follow Ms. Dray
+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)



Rules:

• US and Canada only
• No PO boxes
• Must be a follower to enter
• Must follow Stephanie Dray in one way
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Books will be mailed out by the publicist, In the Hammock is not responsible for lost or missing books, or the amount of time taken to ship the books
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Fri Oct 28

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

Winner Announced! "Kiss of Night"

Winner Announced!!

 

The winner of Kiss of Night by Debbie Viguie is:

cherry

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I have emailed the winner for her mailing address. Winner has 3 days to respond :) Please allow at least 8 weeks for delivery, delivery time is determined by the publisher. Book is mailed by the publisher, In the Hammock Blog is not responsible for lost or missing books or the length of time that it takes to receive the book. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered and huge thanks to Faithwords for sponsoring the contest!! Congrats!!

Review and Giveaway! "Kiss of Night"

"Kiss of Night"
 by Debbie Viguie

Publisher: Faithwords
Release Date: Oct 7, 2011 
Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Summary from goodreads.com:

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague. For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question, "What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God?" is answered.

My Review:


"Kiss of Night" is a genre-defying, and boundary-pushing story about vampires told form a Christian perspective. This story is not a watered down tale by any means! The action is intense and non-stop. In fact I was pretty scared during a lot of the scenes.


There are two love stories in the book, and even if they do take a backseat to the action, I enjoyed the romances a lot. Susan and Raphael's relationship was much more intense and a little edgier than most Christian fiction romances, in my opinion. I really felt the chemistry between these two characters. David and Wendy's story was a lot sweeter, but sometimes it felt like too much of an add-on for me to really get into. Still, it was nice to see two very different types of romances represented.

Sometimes, I'm disappointed in the quality of storytelling in Christian fiction, but definitely not here. There's a fully drawn out story with tons of intense action. In fact, I was surprised by how scary and intense some of the story was. The flashbacks to Raphael's evil human years were especially brutal.


Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: I admire the author and publisher for being willing to push boundaries and try something so new. The story may have been a bit scary for me personally, but I would definitely recommend it to fans of vampires and urban fantasy action books.

   


GIVEAWAY RULES:

Faithwords has generously provided a finished copy of "Kiss of Night" for one lucky reader of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this post with your email address!Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy

Extra Entries:
+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)



Rules:

• US and Canada only
• No PO boxes
• Must be a follower to enter
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Books will be mailed out by the publisher, In the Hammock is not responsible for lost or missing books, or the amount of time taken to ship the books
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Fri Oct 14

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

Spooky 1300 Followers Giveaway! Win 6 Spooky Books!

To celebrate my blog reaching over 1300 followers, my 2 year blogoversary, AND Halloween, I'm giving away 6 spooky ARCs to one lucky blog follower!!

One winner will win all 6 of these ARCs:

"Queen of the Dead" by Stacey Kade

"After Obsession" by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

"Between" by Jessica Warman

"Dracula in Love" by Karen Essex

"The Near Witch" by Victoria Schwab

"Fallen Grace" by Mary Hooper

Giveaway will run until November 1st!

US only, sorry International followers :(

Add the contest button to your sidebar for five extra entries!!

<a border="0" href="http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/lucky-1300-followers-giveaway-win-6.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjl3umd2TUDb1llzvCGmTgpKAf02UZqwdtFZOdOsWzwO8YEy0oCyMiSNAVs6xgBFioJLs-v4ts3zrEDRy8r6NBTLG6dddMYsYrse8REIvFbF7Fvw2LEi4xkM-J5sbsKCc4t_jkN7Hm3A/" /></a>

 (button graphic courtesy of The Graphics Fairy)

GIVEAWAY RULES:

One winner wins all 6 books! 

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this post with your email address!Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy

Extra Entries:
+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)
+5 blog post (leave link in comment)
+5 add my contest button to your sidebar (regular blog button won't count, only the contest button in the post above)


Rules:

• US only
• Must be a follower to enter
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Books will be mailed out by me
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Nov 1st

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

1972 Romance Comic Book Contest - "The Woman I Want To Be!" from DC's Falling in Love

Not only do I love the stories of the romance comics, I love the stuff in between the stories, including the contests that were held to engage with readers. The following pages are from a contest that was held in Falling in Love called, "The Woman I Want to Be." Readers were encouraged to write in about their future plans, hopes, and dreams for a chance to win $5.00 (equivalent to approximately $25 today).

National Periodical Publications asks:
"Do you look forward to a happy marriage?
Or a successful career?"

Contest announcement from
Falling in Love #133 (June 1972)

The contest's first winner, 15 year old Alice Evans declared to the DC editorial staff and fellow readers, "I really feel that I could manage both a home life and a business career, and I want to grow up to be the kind of woman who does."

First contest winners
Falling in Love #134 (July 1972)

The second first prize winner, Eve Davidson had the greater good in mind when she wrote, "I want to be the kind of woman who extends her love beyond her own home. I hope to have a happy marriage and a family, but I would also like to do something for the world."

Second round of winners
Falling in Love #135 (August 1972)

"The big deal is: girls in various parts of the country,
East or West, North or South, big city or small town, are beginning to feel that being a woman is a wonderful thing in today's world."

The final winner of "The Woman I Want to Be!" contest was a young lady named Frieda Margolin who shared that along with marrying a "fine man," her dreams included "...working hard in school to get good grades, so I can go on to a college with a good veterinary school. That way I'll earn money as a vet so I can get my own farm someday."

Final contest winners
Falling in Love #136 (September 1972)

These letters are quite moving, no?! It is so cool that they are not only pages of text, but documents that give a view into the audience of conscientious young ladies who were reading romance comics in the '70s! Not only do I wonder if these young women achieved their goals, I have to wonder if DC held on to all their letters in their archives or if they were regarded as throw-away pieces of everyday business? Either way, I definitely feel lucky that we have these three responses to treasure!

Winner Announced: Romancing the Countess!

Winner Announced!!

 

The winner of Romancing the Countess by Ashley March is:

cherylc

The winner will also receive another copy of the book for a friend or family member!

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I have emailed the winner for her mailing address. Winner has 3 days to respond :) Please allow 8 weeks for delivery. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered and huge thanks to Ashley March for sponsoring the contest!! Congrats!!

Winner Announced: Becoming Marie Antoinette!

Winner Announced!!

 

The winner of "Becoming Marie Antoinette" is:

 

 

Michele

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I have emailed the winner for her mailing addresses. Winner has 3 days to respond :) Please allow 8 weeks for delivery. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!! Congrats!!

Ashley March Guest Post & Giveaway

Today, I'd like to welcome Ashley March to In the Hammock for a guest post! 

Ashley is the author of the new historical romance "Romancing the Countess," and I'd like to thank her for taking the time out today to visit as part of her blog tour! 

 

Turning a Spark into an Idea…and the Truth about Random Hearts

By Ashley March

Thanks
so much to Carrie for hosting me here at In the Hammock today! I have
to admit that one of my dreams has always been to have a hammock slung
up outside where I could while away the day doing nothing but reading.
Now that I’m a mother with two young daughters, I know that will have to
wait until they go to school. 

    My newest Victorian romance, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, which releases on September 6th,
is about an earl and his best friend’s wife who are drawn together
after their spouses—who were having an affair—die in a carriage
accident. I first had the idea (or, as I like to call it, a spark of the
idea) for this book back in 2006. I was working late one evening at a
part-time job—one of those jobs where you try to think of anything to
amuse yourself to keep from getting bored—when I came up with the idea
of a man and a woman whose spouses had an affair and then died. I must
confess that at the time this spark of an idea was meant to be a dark
comedy. Perhaps neither the hero nor the heroine would have loved their
spouses, and they would have a competition to pretend to Society who
could be the best at acting the proper widow or widower.
   
Thank goodness I left the idea alone for four years. When it came back
in 2010, I decided I really wanted to write the story because I was
still intrigued by the concept of the cheating spouses who died, but
also about how the surviving widow and widower would move on with their
lives. I wanted to see how I would be able to write the challenge of
such a widow and widower falling in love. But it quickly became apparent
that it couldn’t be a dark comedy. Instead, it had to be something
much, much more. It had to become a story of healing, redemption, and of
forgiveness. It had to feature a relationship that goes beyond a
surface attraction or romance to a deep and lasting emotional bond that can only be described as a love story.
    If you have the opportunity to read ROMANCING THE COUNTESS when it comes out next week, I hope you’ll let me know what you think and if I achieved these goals.
   
Before I go, I have to tell you that when I first pitched this concept
to my editor, her initial response was that, although she loved the
idea, it sounded very much like Random Hearts, a movie made in 1999 starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Yes, that movie.  If you were like me, you probably turned if off within the first half hour. It was terrible.
So terrible, in fact, that I thought I had completely blocked it from
memory. But I suppose the idea was still lurking in the back of my mind,
waiting to come out someday in the form of a romance novel. Please
allow me to assure you, though, that the similarity to Random Hearts is nothing more than a…random coincidence. And although Random Hearts was a terrible movie, ROMANCING THE COUNTESS is much, much better. ;)

Did you ever see the movie Random Hearts?
Did you think it was as terrible as I did? Because Harrison Ford is
truly a much better actor than the character he played in that movie,
I’d love to hear what your favorite Harrison Ford movie is!

One
random commenter will be chosen to win a copy of my newest book,
ROMANCING THE COUNTESS, and will get a chance to send a copy of my
debut, SEDUCING THE DUCHESS, to a friend (open internationally)! Also,
find out how to win the ROMANCING THE COUNTESS Book Tour Grand Prize of
50+ romance novels by visiting www.ashleymarch.com!  

 


GIVEAWAY RULES:

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and answer Ashley's questions in the comments section along with your email address!
Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are
following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email
here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with
your email addy

Extra Entries:





+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)


+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)







Rules:

• INTERNATIONAL


• Must be a follower to enter


• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment


• Leave a comment with your email address


• Books will be mailed out by the publisher


• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Mon Sep 12

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

Winner Announced! "The Twelfth Enchantment"

Winner Announced!!

 

The winner of "The Twelfth Enchantment" is:

 

 

Lukey Here

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I
have emailed the winner for her mailing addresses.

Winner has 3 days to respond :) Please allow 8 weeks for
delivery. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!!
Congrats!!

Winners Announced!

Winner Announced!!

 

The winner of "Aphrodite the Diva" Goddess Girls #6 is:

 

 

Carol L.

 

The winners of "Confessions of an Improper Bride" are:

 

Julie

Cialina

Audrey

 

Winners were chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winners!! I
have emailed the winners for their mailing addresses.

Winners have 3 days to respond :) Please allow 8 weeks for
delivery. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!!
Congrats!!

Review and Giveaway! "Becoming Marie Antoinette"

"Becoming Marie Antoinette"

 by Juliet Grey



Publisher: Ballantine Books

Release Date: Aug 9, 2011 

Source: sent by publisher and TLC Book Tours




My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Summary from goodreads.com:

This
enthralling confection of a novel, the first in a new trilogy, follows
the transformation of a coddled Austrian archduchess into the reckless,
powerful, beautiful queen Marie Antoinette.

Why must it be me? I wondered. When I am so clearly inadequate to my destiny?

Raised
alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress
of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence
would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What
she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.

Before
she can journey from sunlit picnics with her sisters in Vienna to the
glitter, glamour, and gossip of Versailles, Antonia must change everything
about herself in order to be accepted as dauphine of France and the
wife of the awkward teenage boy who will one day be Louis XVI. Yet
nothing can prepare her for the ingenuity and influence it will take to
become queen.

Filled with smart history, treacherous rivalries, lavish clothes, and sparkling jewels, Becoming Marie Antoinette will utterly captivate fiction and history lovers alike.

My Review:



I really enjoyed this book, more than most historical fiction. It was such a different view than what we normally see of Marie Antoinette. I feel like the author really searched deeper in her research and actually cared about Marie.




I previously had no idea of all the pains that were taken to make Marie "worthy" of the French crown. The braces that were put on her teeth, with no anesthetic at all, sound like complete torture!



As a lover of romance, of course I was the most interested in Marie's relationship with her husband, Louis Auguste. Their relationship was bittersweet in many ways, but also very sweet and genuine. I was yearning to read more about them both. It's hard to remember sometimes how very young they were when they became King and Queen.



This story was highly readable and written in a very relatable way. Not once did it feel like dry historical facts. There was also a sympathy for the characters that you don't often see in the historical fiction genre. I really liked this writing style so much more than a lot of historical fiction, because it wasn't so harsh.



I did not realize this was the start of a trilogy, so I wasn't prepared for the slightly cliffhanger is ending. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next installment.





Main Characters: 5/5

Supporting Characters: 4/5

Setting: 4/5

Romance: 4/5

Uniqueness: 5/5

Cover: 4/5 (I love that it looks modern)

Writing: 4/5





Bottom Line:A wonderful, heartfelt version of Marie Antoinette's story, and this book is just the beginning.





GIVEAWAY RULES:

Ballantine Books and TLC Book Tours have generously provided a copy of "Becoming Marie Antoinette" for a lucky reader of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!
Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are
following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email
here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with
your email addy

Extra Entries:





+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)


+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)







Rules:

• US and Canada only


• Must be a follower to enter


• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment


• Leave a comment with your email address


• Books will be mailed out by the publisher


• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Mon Aug 29

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

More Tour Stops Here:

Review and Giveaway! "The Twelfth Enchantment"

"The Twelfth Enchantment"

 by David Liss



Publisher: Random House

Release Date: Aug 9, 2011 

Source: sent by publisher and TLC Book Tours




My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars



Summary from goodreads.com:

Lucy Derrick is a young
Regency woman of good breeding and poor finances: after the death of
her father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as an unwanted
boarder with her unpleasant uncle, fending off marriage to the local
mill owner, Mr. Olson. But her prospects of even that unwanted match are
complicated by the appearance of a beautiful stricken man who appears
on the family doorstep begging her not to marry Mr. Olson just as he
collapses. This appearance seems to open the door to a series of
increasingly strange occurrences surrounding Lucy. Soon it becomes clear
that there is more at stake than her own happiness — and that she is
caught between two forces, one ancient and one modern — and that the
soul of her very country is at stake.

My Review:



So, I admit, the reason I wanted to read this book is because I love all things Lord Byron. I assumed he wouldn't really be in the book much, but I was wrong. Byron was actually a pretty central character in the story. The author took a lot of liberties with a real historical figure, some of it worked for me, some of it didn't. It didn't bother me at the beginning, but things got very, very strange at the end and I started to wonder why he didn't just invent a purely fictional character. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about Byron's escapades in the beginning and middle portions of the book.



The writing was very quick and clever, and it will really appeal to a lot of Austen fans. Lucy had some opinions that may have come across as snarky if written in a different way, but with Lucy's manner of speaking, it was all in good fun.



Sometimes, I find that books written by men don't really fully understand the female point of view. However, I was very impressed by how well the author wrote his female lead character. She was very strong in her opinions and values without being a cliched 'kick-ass' female character.



I've seen this book billed as YA crossover, but I'm not sure I completely agree. I don't think there's anything inappropriate, and Lucy is around age 20 or so, but I think it might be a little slow-moving by YA standards.







Main Characters: 4/5

Supporting Characters: 4/5

Setting: 4/5

Romance: 3/5

Uniqueness: 4/5

Cover: 3/5 (I feel like I've seen it before)

Writing: 4/5





Bottom Line: An enjoyable fantasy read with snappy writing and a great heroine.




 
GIVEAWAY RULES:

Putnam Publishing and TLC Book Tours have generously provided a copy of "Reign of Madness" for a lucky reader of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!
Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are
following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email
here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with
your email addy

Extra Entries:





+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)


+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)







Rules:

• US and Canada only


• Must be a follower to enter


• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment


• Leave a comment with your email address


• Books will be mailed out by the publisher


• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Mon Aug 22

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

More Tour Stops Here:

Giveaway and Review: "Aphrodite the Diva" Goddess Girls #6

Authors Joan Holub
and Suzanne Williams have generously provided awesome Aphrodite the Diva swag and an autographed copy of the book for one lucky reader of my blog!
See contest info after the review!

"Aphrodite the Diva" (Goddess Girls #6)



by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Publisher: Aladdin

Release Date: Aug 9, 2010
Source: sent by authors



My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars



Summary from goodreads.com:

In book 6, an exchange
student from Egypt, Isis, is encroaching on Aphrodite's match-making
turf. Will she also edge Aphrodite out of her group of friends?



These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist
that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like
Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy.



Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training: Athena,
Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis and their friends as they navigate
the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where
the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their
mythical skills.

  

My Review:



This was another funny, sweet, and romantic installment of one of my favorite series! In this book, Aphrodite finds out she may not be the only goddess of love when she meets Isis in Egypt. A friendly rivalry results where Aphrodite and Isis compete to be the first to find the perfect love match for Pygmalion.



I love that the girls aren't mean spirited in their competition, even though the mortals are spreading vicious rumors that they are literally fighting. There's a lot to learn about healthy competition, while respecting each other's differences.



Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, gets to play matchmaker a lot in this book. In fact, I would have loved to have seen more of her matchmaking and the results! The couples she chose to put together were just so adorable! It would have been so fun to see more of the love matches sprinkled throughout the book.



I'm glad we got to see some old favorites from "Aphrodite the Beauty", Hephaestus and Ares. It was great to see them back for another story.



As always, with the Goddess Girls series, there's a lot to love about this book, and I would definitely recommend it to all tween girls. While this wasn't the strongest of the series, it was definitely a welcome addition. All of the books are fun with lots of age-appropriate romance, and they also have a great message about friendship, doing the right thing, and girls being strong.





Main Characters: 4/5 


Supporting Characters: 5/5

Setting: 5/5

Romance: 4/5

Uniqueness: 5/5

Cover: 5/5

Writing: 5/5





Bottom Line: Another can't miss installment of the Goddess Girls series, this time with lots of love matches and some friendly rivalry. 

Check out my reviews for the first five books in the series:

"Athena the Brain"

"Persephone the Phony"

"Aphrodite the Beauty"

"Artemis the Brave"

"Athena the Wise"

More info on the series at:

http://www.joanholub.blogspot.com/

http://www.suzanne-williams.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY RULES:


Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are generously providing one lucky reader an autographed copy of Aphrodite the Diva and swag!! The swag was carefully put together by the authors and includes:

* GODDESSGIRLS bead necklaces made by Joan and Suzanne.

Strung on colorful stretchy cord, they can be shortened into bracelets.
(Beads & cord packages purchased at Michaels say they're not for
under age 14. Actual colors will vary.)

* Aphrodite the Diva book signed by Joan and Suzanne

* Bookmark featuring six Goddess Girls books
  

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!Please
follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also,
if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and
leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy.


Extra Entries:

• +1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)


• +1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)

Rules:

• US only


• Must be a follower to enter


• Must be 18 to enter (you can have your parents enter :))


• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment


• Leave a comment with your email address


• Ends Monday August 15

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

Winner Announced! Forever's Historical Romance Blog Tour

Winners Announced!!

 

The winners of Forever's Historical Romance Blog Tour are:

 

 

Ruby95660

Ambur

Audrey

Winners were chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winners!! I have emailed the winners for their mailing addresses. Winners have 3 days to respond :) Please allow 8 weeks for delivery. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!! Congrats!!

Giveaway and Review: "Confessions of an Improper Bride"

"Confessions of an Improper Bride"
by Jennifer Haymore

Publisher: Forever
Release Date: Aug 1, 2011

Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
 

Summary from goodreads.com:

Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.
Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?

My Review:

My favorite thing about Jennifer Haymore is that she really knows how to write about overwhelming, all-consuming love. Her characters are always over the moon for each other, which is exactly what I want in a historical romance. At the same time, her writing is never sappy and the love story always feel real.

The plot was new and different for me. I liked the tangled web created by Serena masquerading as her sister. The almost love triangle or even love square was intriguing.But it was so sad that Serena's sister Meg had been lost at sea which was what set the whole plot in motion. I liked the situation with Meg/Serena's fiance, Will, and I thought it was tied up well in the end without being too easy.

Jonathan did some very bad things but I can honestly say he redeemed himself in my opinion. I don't say that often about romance heroes, I'm not so fast to forgive them But Jonathan really showed Serena he was sorry and that he had changed, instead of just telling her.

I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. I sincerely hope we get to see more of Serena and Jonathan as the older and wiser couple in her sisters' stories. And I hope Meg gets to have her own story somehow.


Main Characters: 5/5 
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line:  Two strong leads, a captivating romance, and a great start to a new series!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Hachette books has generously provided three copies of this historical romance for readers of my blog!

All you have to do is follow my blog publicly and leave a comment on this review with your email address!Please follow publicly or I can't tell that you are following :) Also, if you aren't comfortable leaving your email here, go ahead and leave a comment and then send me an email with your email addy

Extra Entries:
+1 Tweet this contest (leave link in comment)
+1 Post link in sidebar of your blog (leave link in comment)

Rules:

• US and Canada only
• No PO Boxes please
• Must be a follower to enter
• Extra entries are optional and can all be left in the same comment
• Leave a comment with your email address
• Books will be mailed out by Hachette, it is the publisher's responsibility to mail out the prizes. Please allow up to 8 weeks for delivery.
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends Thurs August 18

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!  

Winner Announced! Un-Required Reading Cards

The winner of the Un-Required Reading Playing Cards is

Ashley Suzanne!

Winner was chosen via random.org random number generator. Congrats to the winner!! I have emailed the winner for her mailing address. Winner has 3 days to respond :) A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered!! Congrats!!