A Beauty So Rare (Belmont Mansion, #2) by Tamera Alexander

Pink is not what Eleanor Braddock ordered, but maybe it would soften the tempered steel of a woman who came through a war--and still had one to fight.

Plain, practical Eleanor Braddock knows she will never marry, but with a dying soldier's last whisper, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. Impoverished and struggling to care for her ailing father, Eleanor arrives at Belmont Mansion, home of her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America--and possibly the most demanding, as well. Adelicia insists on finding her niece a husband, but a simple act of kindness leads Eleanor down a far different path--building a home for destitute widows and fatherless children from the Civil War. While Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve of this endeavor.

Archduke Marcus Gottfried has come to Nashville from Austria in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Hiding his royal heritage, Marcus longs to combine his passion for nature with his expertise in architecture, but his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widows' and children's home run contrary to Eleanor's wishes. As work on the home draws them closer together, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground--and a love neither of them expects. But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor, and even if he were, someone who knows his secrets is about to reveal them all.


About The Author

Tamera Alexander

Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose works have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the Christy Award, the RITA Award, and the Carol Award. After seventeen years in Colorado, Tamera and her husband have returned to their native South and live in Tennessee, where they enjoy spending time with their two grown children.

Tamera invites you visit her website, her blog, on Twitter, or Facebook.

More Info

Twitter

@tameraalexander

Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/tamera.alexander

Website

http://www.tameraalexander.com 

My Review:

A Beauty So Rare, or a woman that feels she is ugly and out of options as far as marriage goes. How sad, and on top of all her brilliant lawyer father, is suffering from dementia. She is now forced to sell her family home, and place her father in a mental hospital, and this is breaking her heart. She was raised with the proverbial silver spoon, and comes from affluent society, and cultured up bringing. Her Aunt by marriage to a deceased Uncle, is coming to her rescue for a short time, and helping with her father. So we enter and now live in Belmont Mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, and here is splendor that we walk and enjoy with Eleanor Braddock. Through her I could almost smell the beauty of the flowers in the conservatory.
The War Between the States has just ended and people are trying hard to get back to some normalcy of life. We travel the streets here in Nashville, seeing the differences in the people with much and the people with nothing. We also meet Archduke Marcus Gottfried, or Marcus Geoffrey as he is know by all here in the States. He is described as one very handsome, easy on the eyes, fellow. He has a gift in building and designing and working as an architect and on a side note, his passion seems to be botany, which brings him to be working at Belmont.
Of course these two, Eleanor and Marcus are thrown together at various times, and you will love the compassion shown by both to various people, and unknown to one another some of the same people. Come and join them as they bicker and travel through the tunnel under the Conservatory, and although the book is rather long, you will hate for it to end. Not wanting to leave it, for real life, and wanting to know what is going to happen. Enjoy, I did!!

I received this book through the Publisher Bethany House, and was not required to give a positive review.

Pump Up Your Book Presents Hair of the Corn Dog Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you A.K. Turner’s Hair of the Corn Dog virtual book tour April 7-30!

Title: Hair of the Corn Dog
Genre: Humor
Author: A.K. Turner
Publisher: Fever Streak Press
Pages: 220
Format: Hardcover/Kindle
In the latest laugh-out-loud confessional from A.K. Turner’s “Tales of Imperfection” series, the author of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store and Mommy Had a Little Flask relates her adventures on the Jersey Shore, at an Idaho drag show with her in-laws, and surviving the perils of an elementary school ice-cream social with equal parts wit and heart. The laughter pairs well with two parts cocktail.

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

A.K. Turner is the author of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store, Mommy Had a Little Flask, and Hair of the Corn Dog, as well as a coauthor of Drinking with Dead Women Writers and Drinking with Dead Drunks. Her work has been featured in various publications and anthologies, including Folio Literary Magazine, Leave the Lipstick, Take the Iguana, and I Just Want to Be Alone. A former writer-in-residence and creator of “The Writers’ Block” on Radio Boise, she lives in Idaho with her exceedingly tolerant husband and two daughters.
Learn more at AKTurner.com.

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Write Now LIiterary Book Tours Presents: Vanessa Miller, How Sweet The Sound

 Open to US only. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Title: How Sweet the Sound
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (March 4, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1426749287 ISBN-13: 978-1426749285
Genre: Historical Gospel Fiction

About The Book   Shar Gracey wants nothing more than to sing the Lord’s praises, so she jumps at the chance to join a traveling choir led by the father of black gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey. Better yet, the opportunity will give her money to pay for her ailing mother’s medical care. While on tour she falls under the tutelage of gospel great Mahalia Jackson—and falls for the handsome but not-so-great Nicoli James, whose desires for Shar are fueled by his own greed. Shar would do anything for Nicoli—and he knows it—so when his life is threatened after a night of gambling, Shar agrees to help pay Nicoli’s debt, only to have her faith and dreams shattered. Reeling from the betrayal, Shar loses her voice and she believes that she will never sing again. She has no place to run except back home to her seriously ill mother—and the man she left behind, who would move heaven and earth to make Shar’s pain go away. Even if it means he has to let her go . . . again.

About The Author: Vanessa Miller of Dayton, Ohio, is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include: Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying. Vanessa is currently in the process of turning the novels in the Rain Series into stage productions. Vanessa has been writing since she was a young child. When she wasn’t writing poetry, short stories, stage plays and novels, reading great books consumed her free time. However, it wasn’t until she committed her life to the Lord in 1994 that she realized all gifts and anointing come from God. She then set out to write redemption stories that glorify God. To date, Vanessa has completed the Rain and Storm Series. She is currently working on the Forsaken series, Second Chance at Love series and a single title, Long Time Coming. Vanessa believes that each book will touch readers across the country in a special way. It is, after all, her God-given destiny to write and produce plays and novels that bring deliverance to God’s people. These books have received rave reviews, winning Best Christian Fiction Awards and topping numerous Bestseller’s lists.

Social Links: Email: vmiller-01@earthlink.net
Website: http://vanessamiller.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vanessamiller01 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vanessamiller01
Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77899021863/ 
 Buy Links: Amazon paperback: http://www.amazon.com/How-Sweet-Sound-Vanessa-Miller/dp/1426749287/ref=vanessamil-20Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/How-Sweet-Sound-Book-ebook/dp/B00I11W3CS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid= 
Barnes & Nobles: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-sweet-the-sound-vanessa-miller/1118719005?ean=9781426749285&isbn=9781426749285
 Hosted by Write Now Literary www.wnlbooktours.com 
Tour page: http://wnlbooktours.com/vanessa-miller-how-sweet-the-sound/

Pump Up Your Book Presents A Comedy of Erinn Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you Celia Bonaduce’s A Comedy of Erinn virtual book tour April 7-30!

Title: A Comedy of Erinn
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Celia Bonaduce
Publisher: eKensington
Pages: 231
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Erinn Wolf needs to reinvent herself. A once celebrated playwright turned photographer, she’s almost broke, a little lonely, and tired of her sister’s constant worry. When a job on a reality TV show falls into her lap, she’s thrilled to be making a paycheck–and when a hot Italian actor named Massimo rents her guesthouse, she’s certain her life is getting a romantic subplot. But with the director, brash, gorgeous young Jude, dogging her every step, she can’t help but look at herself through his lens–and wonder if she’s been reading the wrong script all along…

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

About The Author
Celia Bonaduce is an award-winning producer whose credits cover a lot of ground – everything from field-producing ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to writing for many of Nickelodeon’s animated series, including Hey, Arnold and Chalkzone. If Celia Bonaduce’s last name is any indication, she is proof that TV talent runs in the family.
An avid reader, entering the world of books has always been a lifelong ambition. The Merchant of Venice Beach is book one of her three-book deal with eKensington, a digital imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. The follow up novel, A Comedy of Erinn, has also been released, and book three, Much Ado About Mother, will be coming out on May 14, 2014.
You can visit Celia Bonaduce’s website at http://celiabonaduce.com/.

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads 

 

A Comedy of Erinn Tour Page:

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2014/04/01/pump-up-your-book-presents-a-comedy-of-erinn-virtual-book-publicity-tour/

Book Spotlight

“You’ve made your point. Now let’s go,” Jude said, trying to take the camera case out of her hands.
“Oh? And exactly what is my point?”
“That you’re the teacher’s pet…the good little camera girl who won’t let a blizzard stop her. Now let’s get out of here!”
The wind picked up and Erinn almost lost her balance. She realized that the ground was starting to freeze underneath them. She admitted to herself that there was no point in being out – she’d never get a shot worth having, even if they didn’t freeze to death.
“When defeat is inevitable, it is wisest to yield,” Erinn yelled to Jude.
“Whatever, dude. Let’s bounce.”
Jude threw the gear in the back and felt his way to the passenger side. They both got in and Erinn started the car. She hoped Jude would stay quiet. She was feeling so shaky.  Not from the cold, but from the realization that she was not being a good producer. To put it in Jude’s vernacular, she sucked!
Erinn tried to pull out onto the road, but the wheels just spun on the ice. Erinn and Jude looked at each other.
“Are we stuck?” Jude asked.
“We can’t be,” Erinn said. “This is an SUV. It must be four wheel drive.”
“Not necessarily,” Jude said. “Do you see any kind of lever or button or anything that would let you switch to four wheel drive?”
“No. There isn’t anything. Are we doomed?”
“Doomed? Jesus, Erinn. You are a glass empty kind of girl, aren’t ya?”
“Actually, I’m a “the glass is the wrong size” kind of girl…woman…but I think that’s beside the point right now. What should I do?”
“Start rocking the car. Put it in first, then reverse, then first, then reverse. Then give it a little gas and see if we can get out of this.”
Erinn started shifting gears and made a mental note. Next time, she wouldn’t settle for anything less than an SUV with four wheel drive.
Miraculously, the car shot forward. Erinn gasped and Jude slapped her on the shoulder approvingly. Erinn turned slightly towards what she hoped was the road…it was so covered in snow that she couldn’t actually see a road, but it must be there. Making sure no one was coming – fat chance, she thought – she started inching the Explorer through the ice and snow. She was creeping forward, when the car became completely unresponsive and started sliding towards the right. Pushing the gas did nothing. Turning the steering wheel did nothing.
“Oh, no,” Erinn said.
“What?”
“The car has lost traction. We’re skating on the ice.”
Erinn frantically turned the wheel to right and then to the left. The car continued to slide.
“Stay cool, Erinn. We’re on flat ground. Nothing can happen. Just chill.”
Erinn tried to relax, but the car kept sliding sideways, the weight of the vehicle causing it to pick up speed. Clearly, they weren’t on completely flat ground or the SUV wouldn’t be hurling itself sideways, but Erinn decided now was not the time to argue this point.
Erinn felt the vehicle tipping. She was jolted violently sideways and caught, suspended, by the seatbelt. She craned her neck to look at Jude, who was looking UP at her from the passenger seat. The SUV was completely on its side, like a gigantic dead beast.
“Now, we’re doomed,” he said.
Erinn tried without success to free herself from the seatbelt. With every gyration, the belt tightened around her neck. She tried to hold still. She craned her neck and watched Jude brace himself against the passenger door with his right arm. This gave his seatbelt some slack and he was able to release the lever. He thudded against the passenger door, but at least he was free. Erinn felt her breastbone pressing into the seatbelt as she hung sideways. She watched as Jude twisted himself around, crablike, and faced her. She looked into his eyes.
“The camera case,” she said.
Jude sat back on his heels.
“Dude,” he said. “Seriously? Forget the gear right now. We’re in deep shit.”
“The camera…” Erinn breathed heavily. “Check the camera…”
“What are you…one of those freaks who needs to record their own death?
“His or her own death,” Erinn corrected, gasping. “ ‘One freak’ is singular.”
“You are so pushing your luck, lady,” Jude said.
Erinn was running out of breath, and she hung limply forward.
“Come on, Tin Lizzy,” Jude said, wedging his back against her.
He must look like Atlas with me on his back instead of the world.
She had her eyes closed, but she vaguely sensed that he must be standing on the passenger window…or the passenger arm rest. What if he broke one of them? Would the rental company charge them? Did she buy the right insurance? Weren’t they in enough trouble having skidded into a ditch?
Erinn heard Jude’s voice through the fog. His back was to her.
“When I lift you up, you need to unhook your seatbelt. Come on, Erinn, you can do this.”
Jude gave the faintest of pushes, but not enough to lift her.
“Crap,” Jude said. “I can’t get enough traction with the console in the way.”
Jude turned around so that he was facing her. Their eyes met.
“The camera case,” she said.
Jude ignored her, and tried to lift her off the seat belt, but there was no way around the console.
“Shit! Crap!” Jude said.
“Jude…there’s a knife…” Erinn croaked.
“…in the camera case!” he said.
Erinn could hear him scramble to the back of the SUV and unlock the camera case. Erinn was reminded of sounds one hears when one is drifting off to sleep. Every noise sounds strangely amplified – and yet the sound is of no interest. She had the vague sensation of falling and when her head cleared, she was laying on Jude, up against the passenger window. Jude was panting for breath, knife held aloft. She could hear the slit seatbelt clanking behind her.
She reached around Jude’s neck. His expression changed, softening. She touched the passenger window behind his head.
“Thank God it’s not broken.”
“Lady, I have a knife.”
Erinn was suddenly very aware that she was pressed up against Jude. She tried to lift herself off him, but each time she thudded back against him.

 

 

4th Annual Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop $10 Amazon Gift Card

4th Annual Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop
April 17th to 24th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Read Now Sleep Later

In Celebration of the Easter Season I want the winner to be able to choose the book of their choice [up to $10] on Amazon. All you need to do is fill out the below Raffelcopter! Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fortune Cookie by Josi Kilpack Blast & Review

Tour Schedule

   

Fortune Cookie Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

 

Author Josi S. Kilpack Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

My Review:

I enjoyed this book, but the theme is so sad, an estranged daughter, sister, and mental illness. Often unrecognized, but dealing with it day in and day out, so very hard, and this is what happened in Sadie’s family. Her sister Wendy, she did things to her family, that still make me cringe, like putting spiders in her sisters mashed potatoes. UGH!
We never really see Wendy in this story; she is already deceased when we meet her. We learn about the highs and lows of her life, and the evil that seemed to consume her. What was really hard to understand was how she treated her child, but winter months were her worst.
We meet so many characters in this read, like the pink lady, the annoyed tenant, the unlikeable daughter-in-law, the loveable Granddaughter, the X-husband, and so on. Sadie has traveled to San Francisco to help the nephew she has never met with her soon to be husband Pete. Can you imagine meeting a nephew for the first time under such circumstances? They think her sister was dead at least a month, and then set on fire…huh?
Now Sadie again cannot accept that this is a natural death, she again has those detective feelings, and with Pete being a retired Police Detective, this pair have there crime ears on. As we travel the streets of San Francisco, you will get the feeling that you are walking these hills, and eating at China Town, don’t try those ribs!
You will make up your mind several times as to who committed the crime, if there was one. I know I was sure that I knew, but then, nope another. This will keep you on the edge of your seat, and believe me you will be shocked at the end. Come along on another great Sadie adventure, a really great, and mysterious read. I really want more, the author did state at the end that it is really getting harder to come up with scenarios, but I think she did a wonderful job!

I received this book through I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and was not required to give a positive review.

Litfuse Publicity Blog Tours Presents: A Sensible Arrangement (Lone Star Brides, #1) by Tracie Peterson

A Lone Star Brides book.


Marty Dandridge Olson is ready to leave behind the pain of the past.
Answering an advertisement for a “Lone Star bride,” she leaves her Texas ranch and heads to Denver to marry a man she doesn’t know.
Jake Wythe is the man waiting for her.
Burned by love, he marries now simply to satisfy the board of Morgan Bank, which believes a man of his standing in society should be wed. Together Jake and Marty agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience.
When missing money and a collapsing economy threaten his job, Jake’s yearning to return to ranching grows ever stronger, much to Marty’s dismay. But a fondness has grown between them, as well, further complicating matters.
What will happen when their relationship shifts in unexpected ways… and dreams and secrets collide?


Purchase a copy and learn more at Tracie’s website.

 About The Author

Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over eighty novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana, and Alaskan Quest series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie's Web site at www.traciepeterson.com.


                  Win & RSVP!
     

 

My Review: 

I had the compelling feeling through out this book to keep turning the pages, find out what is going to happen. Then when I was looking for all the answers, the book ended….what? Well I shouldn’t have feared there is another book coming in June that continues the story. Now that I have reassured you and I and we will find out more. I fully urge you to pick this amazing historical read, I had the feeling that history has repeated itself so many times, with the economy in highs and lows.
We meet the high society of Denver, and never would I want to be one of them. This is also a mail-order bride story, two people who have been hurt in the past by love, and want a rather loveless marriage of convenience. So Marty Dandridge Olson and Banker Jake Wythe get married, so different, but entertaining. What a surprise Marty is in for when she arrives at her new home. She wants to be friends with the servants, and that is totally unacceptable.
Love how she shows her compassion and hires an indigent young woman with no experience. Also how she is rewarded by her actions by God, and this woman has a hand on leading her back to Him. There is some danger that seems to come with Alice, and somehow it all comes back to all involved. You will never know what are going to happen next, and your going to love how Marty speaks her mind at the snob ladies group.
Don’t miss this one, and your going to be putting A Moment in Time on your TBR list for more about Marty and Wayatt and of course Alice.

I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.