Fool for Books Giveaway Hop

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


Veiled Revenge by Ellen Byerrum is a cozy mystery novel. You can read my review. (If you don't, be advised that this novel contains some bad language.)

Washington, D.C., fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian is trying to get her best friend, Stella, ready for her upcoming wedding. At Stella's bachelorette party, a friend and psychic, Marie Largesse, arrives with a stunning Russian shawl. A shawl, Marie warns, that is haunted and can curse those who mock it.

When a party crasher mocks the shawl and is found dead the next day, the other guests blame the shawl and fear a curse has been unleashed against the wedding. But Lacey suspects there's a human behind the murder, and she must employ her Extra-Fashionary Perception to capture the villain before Stella can heroically cancel her wedding to avoid the curse.


City of the Dead by T.L. Higley is a Christian historical suspense novel. You can read my review.

Up from the sands of Egypt rises the Great Pyramid, where Hemiunu, Pharaoh’s Grand Vizier, commands the historic building project as he orders his life—with justice, truth, and precision. But when a series of murders at the site threatens chaos, Hemi turns his attention to hunting down the killer.

Has someone decided to seek justice for or remove all remembrance of a past injustice that Hemi and his closest friends have been ordered to never discuss? The killer's targets are those who know that a past death was not an accident...


This contest is for USA residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.

OR

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


This giveaway ends on April 7, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on April 8, 2013 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 Fool for Books Giveaway Hop:

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen ISBN-13: 9781441214119 ebook: 400 pages Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Released: January 1, 2011

Source: Free ebook (promotional, limited time offer).

Book Description from Goodreads:
Miss Mariah Aubrey, banished after a scandal, hides herself away in a long-abandoned gatehouse on the far edge of a distant relative's estate. There, she supports herself and her loyal servant the only way she knows how--by writing novels in secret.

Captain Matthew Bryant, returning to England successful and wealthy after the Napoleonic wars, leases an impressive estate from a cash-poor nobleman, determined to show the society beauty who once rejected him what a colossal mistake she made. When he discovers an old gatehouse on the property, he is immediately intrigued by its striking young inhabitant. But falling in love with an outcast would ruin his well-laid plans.


My Review:
The Girl in the Gatehouse is a Christian historical romance set in 1813 in England. This novel was a Regency romance, but it came from a slightly different viewpoint than the usual respectable heroes and heroines. The manners and propriety were there, but there were also a few stolen, private kisses. And the heroine is a girl who was tempted and mislead into "giving in" to the man she thought intended to marry her. Now she's now having to deal with the resulting disgrace.

The characters were engaging, varied, and acted in realistic ways. I liked how the ex-naval officers got bored with living like gentlemen and wanted more action. The main suspense was from relationship tensions, uncovering various secrets, and wondering if Mariah's books would do well enough to pay the rent. The end got a little complicated with the number of secrets exposed and righted. But it's a happily-ever-after sort of story even if there were some sad parts for Mariah before getting there.

The Christian element was about forgiveness. Mariah felt unworthy of God (so she didn't go to church) and unworthy of being loved. Bryant was kind toward Mariah and wanted to somehow remove the scandal attached to her name, but when he realized he loved her and that her past would affect him personally, it was a little harder. It was a natural issue for them to struggle with.

There were no graphic sex scenes and no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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.

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop

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


Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell is a Christian Regency romance novel. You can read my review.

Lady Celine Wexham is French by birth but enjoys life in 1813 as a widowed English countess. She is in the unique position of being able to spy for one of the French political groups.

Rees Phillips is asked by the Home Office to pose as the countess's butler and discover where her true loyalties lie. He's been promised a career promotion--perhaps attached to a diplomat as he always wished. The longer he observes her kindness toward all, no matter their social class, the more he hopes Lady Wexham isn't a spy. If she is, she's playing a dangerous game...


Town in a Pumpkin Bash by B.B. Haywood is a cozy mystery. You can read my review.

Preparations for the Pumpkin Bash, Cape Willington’s annual Halloween festival, are well underway. Candy Holliday is helping a friend run a pumpkin stand and a haunted hayride in the hopes of making some extra cash.

But when she discovers a real dead body near some fake tombstones on their hayride route, Candy uses her keen eye for detail to investigate. As her search leads her through old graveyards and a haunted house, Candy will discover that not all of the skeletons hidden in this small town’s closets are Halloween decorations…


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.

OR

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


This giveaway ends on April 5, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on April 6, 2013 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 Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop:

Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer

Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer ISBN-13: 9780525079767 Hardcover: 253 pages Publisher: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc. Released: 1970

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Lord Desford's parents would like to see him married, but he rejected their choice of Miss Henrietta Silverdale many years ago. He is still close to Henrietta, though, since they were childhood playmates and the best of friends.

When Desford helps Charity Steane to travel to her grandfather after she runs away from her horrid aunt's house, he finds himself in a pickle: the grandfather has left London without telling anyone where he was headed. Desford leaves Charity with Henrietta and goes in search of her grandfather, but he's in for a series of surprises.


My Review:
Charity Girl is a historical romance novel set in England during the British Regency period (1811-1820). As usual for Heyer, the story was very funny. There was a nice level of historical detail woven into the story, and the characters were all enjoyable. It was clear which woman was best suited to Desford, and it was fun seeing how they would finally end up together. The only reason this book didn't quite rate among my very favorite Heyer's novels is that a few scenes ran on a little too long, in my opinion.

There was no sex. There was some explicit bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this humorous romance.


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 Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 54 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Darlene (darlenesbooknook)
who won "The Christie Curse"

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.

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen ISBN-13: 9780545284158 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press Released: March 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, my take:
Just weeks after Jaron took the throne, a pirate assassin attacks him in his castle and delivers a message: the pirates demand that Jaron is given to them or they will join with Carthya's enemies. Yet no one else is willing to admit that war is coming even though it's so obvious to Jaron.

When another's political move threatens Jaron's tenuous authority, he decides that the only way to stop the threat is if he goes to confront the pirates by himself. But how can one boy manage to destroy the threat of the pirates, especially when a skilled swordsman--a friend-turned-enemy--is one of them?


My Review:
The Runaway King is a middle grade or young adult fantasy novel. It's the second book in the series, and I'd recommend reading the books in order. This book assumed the reader knew the full reasons behind the strong bonds of friendship between Jason and certain characters. If you read this book before The False Prince, you'll probably wonder why certain characters act the way they do.

As with the first book, the twists in this story won't surprise anyone who reads a lot of traditional fantasy. This book was more focused on the action and danger than on character development. The new characters were interesting and varied, but very few of the characters that I cared about from the first novel played much of a role in this one.

In the first book, Jaron didn't outright think about who really he was, but we got plenty of clues. He also was very clever about spotting intrigues that others didn't see. Yet, in this book, Jaron didn't seem to see an obvious plot going on under his nose. We're also not told Jaron's ultimate motives or intentions until nearly after the fact. He kept wondering how he would "destroy the pirates" when the solution was obvious to me and should have been to him, but he never thought, "I can't do plan A because..." So I was left feeling mildly frustrated with him. It turned out that he did have a good reason--two good reasons--why he didn't immediately do the "obvious solution" and he wasn't as clueless as he sometimes seemed. Yet I would have enjoyed the story more if I'd understood why he was acting in ways that didn't make sense to me.

Despite this frustration, I did enjoy the story and intend to read the final book in the trilogy. This book ended on a cliff-hanger, but part of the cliff-hanger seemed forced. Everyone knows Jaron has a weak spot, he knows that the border area isn't safe, so why...? The same result could have occurred without our clever main characters practically begging the bad guys to do it. Who knows? Maybe it'll turn out that they did do it on purpose.

There was a very minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this fantasy novel to those who liked the first book.


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.

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop

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


The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott is a cozy mystery novel. You can read my review. (If you don't, be advised that this novel contains some explicit bad language.)

Jordan Kelly is living in Harrison Falls, New York, with her not so law-abiding uncles. Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector.

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands.


Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell is a Christian Regency romance novel. You can read my review.

Lady Celine Wexham is French by birth but enjoys life in 1813 as a widowed English countess. She is in the unique position of being able to spy for one of the French political groups.

Rees Phillips is asked by the Home Office to pose as the countess's butler and discover where her true loyalties lie. He's been promised a career promotion--perhaps attached to a diplomat as he always wished. The longer he observes her kindness toward all, no matter their social class, the more he hopes Lady Wexham isn't a spy. If she is, she's playing a dangerous game...


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.

OR

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


This giveaway ends on March 22, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on March 23, 2013 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 Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop:

Do we take reading for granted?

As a book blogger, I take books and the ability to read for granted. Don't you? Yet according to GFA, "In India alone, there are an estimated 242 million women who are unable to read—that's about half the adult women in the country."

But also...

$1 allows one woman to learn to read, write and do basic math.

Just $1 can completely change an illiterate Asian woman's life. That cup of Starbuck's coffee or that Krispy Kreme doughnut might be wonderful for a few minutes, but it sure doesn't last long. How about joining me in sharing the gift of literacy with others?

Even just a $1 makes a huge difference. But I'm hoping that, together, we can share the joy of reading with 1,000 women. Go to myGFA to donate.

(For those who are curious, the GFA Women's Literacy Program provides these classes for free to any woman in their community, including women who are not Christians.)

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott

The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott ISBN-13: 9780425255285 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: March 5, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared—making headlines across the world—only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.

Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls. 

Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?


My Review:
The Christie Curse is a cozy mystery. It was a clue-based, puzzle mystery. There were so many people who acted suspiciously and such a muddle of clues that I never did settle on a suspected whodunit. Yet the whole mystery made sense when it was unraveled.

The heroine is a street-smart gal with family who is a bit shady, but she wants an honest job. She's savvy enough to realize that the play might be more fraud than fact, and she has the connections to check that out. She's one of the few cozy heroines that didn't surprise me when she decided to break into a house (though she did have permission...sort of).

I liked the humor of the situations she found herself in. I also liked that Jordan had a conscience and felt bad when she misjudged someone or she had to ask insensitive questions.

There was suspense from the physical danger and the relationship tensions of the job. And what cozy is complete without pets--in this case, cats and a dog wove their way through the story.

There was some explicit bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, clever 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.

A Fete Worse Than Death by Claudia Bishop

A Fete Worse Than Death by Claudia Bishop ISBN-13: 9780425262795 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Released: March 5, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Disaster strikes a mere week before the annual Spring Fete when the festival’s organizer, Adela Henry, is accused of stealing all of the festival money. She's forced to step down.

Sarah "Quill" Quilliam, who runs an inn at Hemlock Falls, is elected to the position, but she doesn't want it. She's agreed to be on too many festival committees already, and she hates dealing with all the quarreling.

The solution seems to be to hire a professional organizer, Linda Connally. But Connally’s body turns up in the trunk of a used car at Peterson’s Automotive, and her assistant turns up dead in the lake. The only hope for the festival is for Quill to clear Adela's name and track down the killer...


My Review:
A Fete Worse Than Death is a cozy mystery. This book is the eighteenth book in a series, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one. Also, this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

While the story had many twists and turns, the mystery was surprisingly straightforward. It was a clue-based puzzle mystery, but which characters were "good guys" and which were "bad guys" was more the puzzle than figuring out whodunit. In the end, it wasn't even Quill who got proof so the police could arrest whodunit. The suspense was mainly based on what new disaster would strike next and how they'd deal with it.

The characters were interesting, and some readers may find them engaging or humorous. Perhaps if I had read the previous books in the series, the rivalries might have come across as humorous (as I think was intended). Instead, they seemed inconsequential to the mystery and thus slowed the pacing for me.

Anyway, in the first half of the story, Quill complained a lot about the various meetings she agreed to attend or organize or was attending meetings that were full of complaining and quarreling. There was more focus on the mystery in the second half.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend starting with the beginning of this series if it sounds interesting to you.


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.

Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell

Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell ISBN-13: 9780800720896 Trade Paperback: 352 pages Publisher: Revell Released: March 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Lady Celine Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte...or other French political groups.

Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is asked by the Home Office to pose as the countess's butler and discover where her true loyalties lie. If he succeeds, he's been promised a career promotion--perhaps attached to a diplomat as he always wished. A better paying job would also mean he could afford to marry.

But the longer he observes her kindness toward all, no matter their social class, the more he hopes Lady Wexham isn't a spy. If she is, she's playing a dangerous game...


My Review:
Moonlight Masquerade is a Christian historical romance set mainly in 1813 in England. The political and everyday historical details (like manners and dress) were woven naturally into the action and brought the story vividly to life in my imagination. The suspense came mainly from the continual danger of the undercover activities.

The romance was a sweet one with two nice people who come to care about each other, only circumstances stand between them. I wasn't sure how believable I'd find the romance as I'd have a hard time accepting hard-core patriots for opposites sides genuinely falling in love (rather than lust). Luckily, the situation and motives were more complex than that, and I did find the romance believable. I was a bit astonished by how helpful certain people were at the very end, though.

Celine gave up on God when a prayer for protection for someone she loved was not fulfilled as she wished. Rees was a devoted, Bible-reading Christian. The Christian content flowed as a natural part of the characters' behavior and from their circumstances, though it wasn't a major focus of the story.

There was no bad language. The was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable 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.

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley ISBN-13: 9781401686826 Trade Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: March 12, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher provided through BookSneeze.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Daria has come to beautiful Ephesus to serve as a tutor to Lucas, a wealthy merchant. But the darkness she fled has caught up with her.

The high priests of Artemis once controlled the city, but a group of sorcerers are gaining power. And a strange group who call themselves followers of The Way further threaten the equilibrium. As Daria investigates Lucas’s exploits into the darker side of the city, her life is endangered, and she takes refuge in the strange group of believers. She’s drawn to Paul and his friends, even as she wrestles with their teachings. When authorities imprison Lucas for a brutal crime, Daria wonders if even Paul’s God can save him.


My Review:
So Shines the Night is a Christian historical romance set in 57 AD in Rhodes and Ephesus. As usual, Higley expertly wove historical and setting details into the story so that I felt immersed in the story, like I'd been transported to Ephesus in 57 AD.

The romance was a sort of Gothic romance with two hurting people who were trying to fix tragic mistakes they made in their past marriages. But they find that they can't overcome the evil powers that are against them (demons). Yet Paul can cast out demons, so Daria becomes interested in his God. The story was full of action and high suspense as Daria and Lucas went from one dangerous situation into another, and nearly everyone seemed at odds with each other (except the Christians).

I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book, but I had two problems with the last third of the story: it departed from what is actually stated in Acts 19 (by adding significant events, people, and time gaps to the stated events) and her Paul was not the man I know.

The Paul that I know from Acts and his letters is a zealous man who thought he was righteously destroying blasphemers (Christians), but who realized Jesus really was divine when he encountered Him on the road to Damascus. After that, he was zealous for preaching this wonderful, good news--no matter the price--out of gratitude and joy.

The Paul of So Shines the Night says that he was angry that Christians taught that there was no need for sacrifices anymore and that they departed from the Law. Even after he realized that they taught the truth, he wanted them dead out of pride. Then he met Jesus, which somehow made him stop, but now he's a guilt-ridden man. He believes that the suffering he endures in preaching the gospel is God's rightful punishment for his past sins, and that all other Christians are innocents who only suffer as an overflow of God's punishment on him. The only thing Paul seems to learn in this story is that he can't protect others from getting hurt for being Christians, and he shouldn't be surprised by suffering that comes when sharing the gospel. It's like he doesn't understand forgiveness, grace, etc.

Paul gave a number of short sermons in the story, and I generally agreed with what he taught in them. Some were quotes from the Bible. However, I just couldn't get past the wrong theology that Paul preaches about his own situation including how God views sinners and who qualifies as a sinner. And I seem to have missed Daria's acceptance of Jesus (which is not the same as her rejection of the Greek gods). Not to mention that Paul could be a "fortune-teller" himself with how much knowledge God gave him about Daria's future over the course of the story.

Also, I was disturbed by how the baby's mother was killed at the end. The woman finally showed a glimmer of selflessness despite her terror, yet she's brutally killed to get her out of the way, and she probably died unsaved. That rather ruined the "happy ending" for me.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. Overall, I probably would recommend this novel because of its historical immersion aspect, but keep in mind that the ending might leave you disturbed instead of happy.


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.