Summer Giveaway Hop

As a part of the Summer Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following books:


Since there was so much interest in this book in the last hop, here's a second chance at...

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper is a historical novel. You can read my review.

London, 1501. In a time of political unrest, Varina Westcott, a young widow and candle maker for court and church, agrees to perform a clandestine service for Queen Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII. The queen’s eldest child and heir to the throne, newly married Prince Arthur, has died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Elizabeth wants Varina and royal aid Nicholas Sutton to travel into the Welsh wilderness to investigate the death. But as the couple unearths one unsettling clue after another, they begin to fear that the conspiracy they’re confronting is far more ambitious and treacherous than even the queen imagined.


When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell is a cozy mystery. You can read my review.

Tensions are running high as Chatterley Heights' 250th birthday celebration approaches, and Olivia and Maddie are working feverishly to finish a gingerbread house modeled after the famous Chatterley Mansion. When Paine Chatterley, presumed to be dead, shows up to claim his father's house, the town gossips are driven into a tizzy. Then Paine is found lifeless in the bathtub, his wife hysterical and their precious heirlooms destroyed. The hidden lives of the prestigious Chatterley family members begin to surface, and Olivia must unravel their dark past. As it turns out, the town's history isn't all that sweet...


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for [give the book name and author's name]."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.

This giveaway ends on August 7th, 2012 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on August 8th, 2012 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop:

The Book of the King by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry

The Book of the King by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry ISBN-13: 9781414301556 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: September 24, 2007

Source: Free eBook offer.

Book Description from Goodreads:
When a stranger visits his fathers bookstore, Owen Reeders ordinary life spirals out of control and right into a world he didnt even know existed. Owen believes the only gift he possesses is his ability to devour books, but he is about to be forced into a battle that will affect two worlds: his and the unknown world of the Lowlands.


My Review:
The Book of the King is a middle grade Christian fantasy novel, though it sometimes read like it was for upper-elementary-aged children. The authors would occasionally say things like, "...sulfurous breath--which means..." for words I think most middle schoolers would know, yet they also sometimes used words that some adults might not know with the meaning only implied by context.

The story was also told in an odd way. It's like you and the story teller are hovering above the scene and he points things out in present tense using "you" and "we" as if talking directly to the reader, then it'd slid back into past tense but it's like you're watching a movie. You never get inside the characters' heads, though you're sometimes told what they are thinking or feeling.

This gave the book a somewhat distant feel, but it still came across as an engaging story told by a (hovering) storyteller. There's plenty of fast-paced action and high suspense due to physical danger (though the distant feel made it so the really scary things weren't too scary). I'm not sure this story would really appeal to adults, but I do think kids of the right age would enjoy it. I liked its mood and subtle lessons better than I like a lot of Christian fantasy.

This book was the first in a series and it did end somewhat abruptly, but it's not left at a cliff-hanger. There was no bad language and no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel to children.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Listen by Rene Gutteridge

Listen by Rene Gutteridge ISBN-13: 9781414324333 eBook: 350 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: January 25th 2010

Source: Free ebook promotion.

Book Description from Amazon:
Nothing ever happens in the small town of Marlo . . . until the residents begin seeing their private conversations posted online for everyone to read. Then it's neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, as paranoia and violence escalate. The police scramble to identify the person responsible for the posts and pull the plug on the Website before it destroys the town. But what responsibility do the people of the town have for the words they say when they think no one is listening? Life and death are in the power of the tongue.


My Review:
Listen is a Christian thriller (though the deadly disease is cruel words and the effects are confined to one town). I decided to call this a thriller because it started with a teen girl committing suicide solely because she overheard some friends criticizing her clothing and hair, and then it moved on to a cat being killed by hanging outside a pastor's house (and who did this and why is never explained), and it kept on going from one extremely violent reaction to another. For some reason, most people in this town reacted with criminal behavior when they read a posted conversation that might possibly be about them and they weren't held back by not knowing for sure who said the words.

In thrillers, it's more common for characters to act "larger than life" without their motives really being explored. That was true with this story, though once or twice we got a glimmer of why the characters acted they way they did. This works alright for action stories, but I got the feeling that the author was trying to impress on the readers the danger of hurtful words, even those spoken in private. Yet this "larger than life" style of writing left me feeling like people wouldn't really act that way, which took away from the intended impact.

This was even more so because many of the characters didn't seem very realistic. For example, the pastor is perfect--no matter what wrong was done to him, he acted lovingly and quoted Scripture about the danger of words. And I wasn't comfortable with how the main characters' justified one man stalking his ex-wife as proof of his great love for her and she should stop complaining about such a great guy.

The story did have plenty of action with suspense created from relationship tensions and physical danger. I was pleased that the author took the time to get the jail scenes correct, and she also did a god job of describing the setting in a way that was easy to visualize.

Beyond the repeated Scripture quotes about taming the tongue, you wouldn't know this was a Christian novel until near the end. Then a fellow who was a nominal Christian at best suddenly started thinking profound theological thoughts. His wife's later response to a "let's pray" was a more realistic and interesting "Why would God listen to me? or any of us? Look what this town has become."

There was a minor amount of "he cussed" style language and a very minor amount of explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes (though affairs were referred to).


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell

When the Cookie Crumbles by Virginia Lowell ISBN-13: 9780425251485 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: August 7, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Olivia Greyson is the proud owner of The Gingerbread House--a quaint shop that specializes in all things cookie--and her best friend, Maddie, is her sidekick, baking up scrumptious treats.

Tensions are running high as Chatterley Heights' 250th birthday celebration approaches, and Olivia and Maddie are working feverishly to finish a gingerbread house modeled after the famous Chatterley Mansion. When Paine Chatterley, presumed to be dead, shows up to claim his father's house, the town gossips are driven into a tizzy. And when he refuses to allow visitors to tour the mansion during the celebration, all the preparations seem for naught.

Then Paine is found lifeless in the bathtub, his wife hysterical and their precious heirlooms destroyed. The hidden lives of the prestigious Chatterley family members begin to surface, and Olivia must unravel their dark past. As it turns out, the town's history isn't all that sweet...


My Review:
When the Cookie Crumbles is a cozy mystery that left me craving gingerbread. It's the third novel in the series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

I enjoyed the characters in this cozy. There was a good variety of personality types, and the characters acted in realistic ways to the different situations. Olivia was a sensible gal who handled people well and was likable. The details about cookie decorating and cookie cutters were described well enough to give a feel for what went into the job and and for the reader see the main character's passion for them but without so much detail that it slowed the story.

The suspense was created by relationship tensions and from wondering whodunit. The mystery was interesting and kept me reading to see what the next clue would be. I did finally settle on whodunit shortly before the big reveal, but I couldn't figure out the motive and I'm still not sure I follow whodunit's reasoning (though I don't think whodunit's reasoning was supposed to be logic).

There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes (though plenty of past affairs were mentioned). Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt:
I'll post a link to an excerpt when it becomes available.

A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer

A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer ISBN-13: 9780425251478 Mass Market Paperback: 273 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: August 7, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
When Lucky Jamieson inherits her parents' soup shop, By the Spoonful, she isn't sure she wants to run a restaurant business. But when an unpopular--with the women, at least--female tourist is found frozen to death behind the soup shop, Lucky is bowled over when her soup chef, Sage DuBois, is led out of the kitchen by the police. Lucky decides that the only way to save her employee and her business is to find out herself who killed the tourist and dumped her at their back door.


My Review:
A Spoonful of Murder is a cozy mystery. It started out well, but I stopped enjoying the story once the murder happened.

I did not like spending time with Lucky. She was extremely self-centered. Lucky was upset when people repeated that a murder victim was found in the alley behind her shop because she felt this was ruining her shop's good reputation. Yet basically on the basis of a vague bit of gossip, she accused three men to their face of having an affair with and murdering the victim and also passed her suspicions on to several of their friends--potentially starting rumors that could ruin their careers and marriages. To her, it was wrong for other people to act in certain ways, but it was always fine for her to do so because "she wasn't trying to harm anyone." She lacked the ability to see life from anyone's perspective except her own.

She's also a criminal. She failed to report a breaking and entering in the victim's house that was directly related to the murder and even cleaned up the scene (so the police wouldn't know it happened). She broke into police evidence and looked through it. This is a lot more serious than just snooping around to help the police out, like in most cozy mysteries.

She also kept pushing people to tell her things that they legally shouldn't or which could cause them to lose their jobs if people found out who told her, yet Lucky couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut about these secrets to protect her friends. She seemed to feel that she had more right to investigate than the police, and she never urged people to go to the police with information that she thought was relevant. Yet she thought badly of the police for "not continuing to investigate" (which wasn't true--they did) and not acting on this information that they didn't even know about. They did act on the little she told them.

Lucky was always jumping to conclusions and thought the worst of practically everyone. For example, her parents gave meals on credit to hungry poor people and Lucky critisized this as a bad business habit. And yet, after the business went into debt, Lucky gave away a lot of free food to those ready and willing to pay for it.

Lucky didn't strike me as very bright. She worried that Sage would be instantly convicted, yet the only actual evidence was hardly convicting since a witness to an event before the murder threw reasonable doubt on the DNA evidence. This was hardly a shoe-in case.

At the end, several key characters apologized to her (for not listening--yet he did listen anytime she actually told him something--and for getting angry at being accused of an affair and murder), yet Lucky didn't apologize once for her much worse behavior. And everything turned out just perfect for her in the end. Talk about no consequences for your actions.

The research done for this novel also felt very uneven. The policeman guarding the jail cell could quote the exact rules for why Lucky had to sign in and let him see her driver's licence (and having to submit to those rules angered her), yet--after not searching her--he left her alone where she could have handed anything over to the inmate. He did this several times. This never would have happened, even in a small town. They apparently haven't heard of microwave dinners, either. Also, evidence in an ongoing case was left unsecure and in a public place, which wouldn't happen. The Chief of Police seemed competant and professional, but even he arrested Sage based only on the fact that Sage knew the victim and had reasons not to like her. Um, actual, solid evidence is required prior to arresting someone.

So, basically, I strongly disliked Lucky for how she treated people and how foolishly she acted, and I didn't feel the mystery element was handled realistically. I even had a hard time remembering that I should try to solve the mystery since I was so distracted by Lucky's behavior. I also didn't find the reason for everyone staying away from the soup shop to be realistic. Half the people would have been in there asking for gossip on Sage, yet everyone reacted the same way.

There was a minor amount of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Lucky did pray once, but it was more meditation on the problem with a minor hope her wish might be granted than a genuine prayer. Actually, it seemed like an excuse by the author to get Lucky in a certain place at a certain time. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Hard Country by Michael McGarrity

Hard Country by Michael McGarrity ISBN-13: 9780525952466 Hardcover: 608 pages Publisher: Dutton Released: May 10, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from the Cover:
Spanning the years of 1875 to 1918, Hard Country is a story of one family's struggle to settle and endure in the vast, untamed territory of New Mexico.

In the wake of the death of his wife as she gives birth to his son and the murder of his brother and nephew on the West Texas plains, John Kerney is forced to give up his ranch, leave his son behind, and strike out in search of a place where he can start over. He earns enough to buy a ranch in the New Mexico Territory and passes it on to his son, whom he is finally able to track down and bring home to the ranch. But the boy is emotionally broken due to his previous experiences and struggles to love his father, friends, and then wife and children.


My Review:
Hard Country is a historical novel about the rugged southwest from the years 1875 to 1918. It's a very sad story with broken people struggling to just survive in a harsh yet beautiful land. There's no doubt that a lot of research went into this story. It felt more like a story about the land, the people (in general), and the times than the actual main characters. It had several different point-of-view characters as the years passed and people died or another character's life was better able to illustrate the times.

The details about the time period, cattle ranching, wars, politics, etc., made the story slow-paced in places. There was very little dialogue at the beginning and multiple years would be described in a sentence or two. The closer to the end the story got, the more dialogue and complex human interactions were added. If you're interested in what life was like in the southwest at that time, this story will probably hold your interest throughout. Someone looking for the action of a western genre novel, though, will probably find it very slow going.

There was some explicit bad language. There were no explicitly described sex scenes, but whores, sex, and rape were referred to. Overall, it was an interesting--and very large--novel, but it will probably appeal most to those who love historicals and southwest America.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

A Hearth in Candlewood by Delia Parr

A Hearth in Candlewood by Delia Parr ISBN-13: 97807642008615 Trade Paperback: 317 pages Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Released: August 1, 2006

Source: Free ebook promotion.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Emma Garrett presides over Hill House, a stately boardinghouse in the canal village of Candlewood, New York. She finds her purpose in caring for her guests. But when a "runaway grandma" lands on her doorstep, Emma's need to fix every wrong places her in the midst of a family feud.

Emma's concerns heighten when her attorney, Zachary Breckenwith, delivers life-changing news that her impulsive purchase of Hill House was never legally recorded and she doesn't truly own the house, not to mention that she's lost the money she used to purchase it. With her future suddenly uncertain, Emma longs to restore the peace of Hill House--for her guests and within her own heart.


My Review:
Hearth in Candlewood is a Christian historical novel set in the 1840s in a small canal town in New York. It's the first novel in the series, but while I was reading it I wondered if it was the 9th or 10th in the series since there were so many interesting stories briefly referred to as back story.

I really enjoyed the characters and setting. I found the vivid details about the time and setting to be interesting and they brought the story alive in my imagination. The characters acted in realistic ways, and there was an underlying humor to the book. I liked how Emma would scold someone for how they behaved, then realize she needed to apologize for something she'd done and so have to go back and humble herself. Though she "said a prayer" a few times or would realized her behavior wasn't Christ-like, the novel wasn't preachy. Her faith obviously had an impact on how she acted, though she obviously still had much to learn about faith.

There were two sources of suspense: the conflict about the "grandma's" sons (which Emma was calm about solving, so I assumed it'd work out) and the suspense about her not really owning the house. I would have been okay with the book ending without resolving the house problem if we hadn't been told that the true owner was expected to arrive any minute and make his decision...and then the book ends. I don't like "cliff-hanger" endings. I feel like the author doesn't believe their writing is enough to draw the readers back and so they feel they have to resort to tricks.

The story also lost a bit of charm for me over the whole chicken scenario. I've owned chickens for year. I just can't imagine anyone--even "village folk"--being terrified of a hen calmly sitting on a table. Yet all the characters are! Also, chickens don't ruin everything they look at (like a hat that fell off as a man dashed by) or sit on (like some riding trousers). I took me out of my immersion in the story, though it probably won't be a problem for others.

There was no bad language or sex. Overall, I'd recommend this charming, engaging story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper

Mistress of Mourning by Karen Harper ISBN-13: 978-0451236906 Trade Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: NAL Trade Released: July 3, 20122

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
London, 1501. In a time of political unrest, Varina Westcott, a young widow and candle maker for court and church, agrees to perform a clandestine service for Queen Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII--carve wax figures of four dead children, two of her offspring lost in infancy and her two brothers, the Princes of the Tower, whose mysterious disappearance years ago has never been solved. Having lost a child herself, Varina feels a sympathetic bond with the queen. And as she works under the watchful eye of handsome Nicholas Sutton, an ambitious assistant to the royals, she develops feelings of quite a different nature...

Then news comes from Wales of the unexpected death of newly married Prince Arthur, the queen’s eldest child and heir to the throne. Deeply grieving, Elizabeth suspects that Arthur did not die of a sudden illness, as reported, but was actually murdered by her husband’s enemies. This time her task for Varina and Nicholas is of vital importance--travel into the Welsh wilderness to investigate the prince’s death. But as the couple unearths one unsettling clue after another, they begin to fear that the conspiracy they’re confronting is far more ambitious and treacherous than even the queen imagined. And it aims to utterly destroy the Tudor dynasty.


My Review:
Mistress of Mourning is a historical set in 1501 to 1503 in England and Wales. There was also a romance and a mystery to solve. I think what I liked most about this novel was that I felt like Varina was really a woman of her time rather than a woman with a modern mindset, and I found that an interesting viewpoint. Granted, she pushed the edges of what was acceptable in her time, but I felt like the motive for most of her actions was to help others find peace and safety rather than to try to get her own way.

The setting and characters were vividly described and came alive in my imagination. The characters were interesting and varied, and the main characters reacted in realistic ways to the situations they encountered. The suspense was created by the romantic tension, the danger to Varina and others, and the mystery of who killed the princes in the Tower years in the past.

There were no explicit sex scenes, but there were two intense, vaguely graphic kissing scenes. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and intriguing novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 69 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


Melanie Ski
who won "Grace Among Thieves" by Julie Hyzy


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library. I'll also be offering a second chance on Mistress of Mourning in next month's giveaway hop.

Death in the Air by Agatha Christie

Death in the Air by Agatha Christien ISBN: 0-553-35047-1 Hardcover: 218 pages Publisher: Bantam Book Released: 1935, 1962

Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Book Description from Goodreads:
High-flying mystery and suspense via Christie and Poirot! Aboard a plane, a woman dies in her seat, apparently the victim of a wasp sting. Then, a venom-tipped dart from a South American blowgun is found in the aisle. Everyone is suspect, including Hercule Poirot, who was sitting a mere fifteen feet from the victim. Poirot finds closer ties between some of the passengers on the plane than they would admit, but who could have wanted the woman dead?


My Review:
Death in the Air--also titled "Death in the Clouds"--is a historical mystery set in 1934 in England and France. (Of course, it was a contemporary mystery at the time it was written.)

The mystery was intriguing because it could have gone several ways as to whodunit. I guessed several elements of the "big reveal" about whodunit, and there were enough clues that you could guess whodunit (though I caught them partly because I've read so many Christie mysteries). The characters were interesting as was the unique setting for the murder, but mainly it was the puzzle of whodunit that kept me interested.

There was no sex. There were some explicit bad words and swearing. Overall, I'd recommend this intriguing mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.