Whatever Wednesday (2)

On Whatever Wednesday, I just post whatever strikes my fancy. It might be a review, a challenge update, or even some really good cover art.

Today I'm going to post five covers. They may not be what everyone would find beautiful, but to my eclectic tastes they are interesting.

Alice I Have Been

Mistress Shakespeare

A Reliable Wife

The Piano Teacher

Van Alen Legacy

Review: Sleepwalking in Daylight

My Synopsis:

Sleepwalking in Daylight is the story of a mother and a daughter. Samantha Friedman wonders on a daily basis if this is all there is? carpools and soccer games, errands and book club meetings. Is there more to life than living with a husband who is depressed and feels absolutely nothing and a Goth daughter who can't stand her? Sam, uses her relationship with a stranger to help her escape her everyday life. Clandestine meetings at a local coffee house and secret e-mails fill her days and her mind.

Cammy Friedman feels like an outcast. Since finding out she was adopted Cammy has gotten into wearing all black clothing and white make-up. Drawing black teardrops on her jaw and messing around with a disreputable crowd. Is there more to life than this? Being an outcast who doesn't belong at school or at home? Cammy escapes by thinking and searching for her birth mother and by smoking reefer and popping pills.

Until one day there isn't any escape for either of them.

My Thoughts:

This book caused me to shed a tear or two, which means it accomplished it's purpose. If a book can make you feel something, if it can move you in some way. Isn't that what it's all about? When I write I want to make a difference. I want to show someone something to inform them to make them think and Elizabeth Flock certainly did that for me.

I find myself identifying with Samantha. There was a time in my life that I just felt like I was going through the motions, that life was just a succession of bad days and worse nights. My children were small and I just wanted more. I wasn't the person I always dreamed I'd be. I'm glad it didn't take a drastic situation to make me see that I had to change. But, I can see how in some people's lives that defining moment happens that way.

Cammy is such a scared little girl in a teenagers body. She just wants to be loved for who she is. I wonder what my daughter thinks about. I wonder if she'll be faced with some of the hardships Cammy had to go through. I wonder if I'm doing enough? Am I asking the right questions? How well do I know her friends? Am I really aware of what's going on in her life?

This book will make you think. It make you feel something. Whether it is desperation, sadness, even a kinship with Samantha or Cammy. You won't put this one down feeling the same way you did when you picked it up.

(This book was provided by Goldberg McDuffie for review)

I give this one 4 out 5 apples from my book bag.

Review: 12 Stocking Stuffers

I'm going to do this review just a little bit differently, since this Harlequin Christmas Anthology has 12 different books included in it and over 1467 pages. First I will give a run down on the titles and authors and then give my thoughts about the stories I liked best and the stories I didn't.

1.) Faith, Hope and Love by Beverly Barton

2.) The Christmas Bride by Heather Graham Pozzessere

3.) Christmas Passions by Catherine Spencer

4.) A Seasonal Secret by Dianna Hamilton

5.) Return of the Light by Maggie Shayne

6.) Star Light, Star Bright by Anne Stuart

7.) Naughty or Nice? by Stephanie Bond

8.) Christmas Fantasy by Janelle Dennison

9.) A Christmas Marriage Ultimatum by Helen Bianchin

10.) A Prince for Christmas by Rebecca Winters

11.) The Millionaire's Christmas Wish by Lucy Gordon

12.) Merry Christmas, Baby by Monica Jackson

My Thoughts:

Out of all 12 stories I can definitely pick the ones I liked best and let you know why.

Faith, Hope and Love starts off the anthology and lets the reader kind of get a feel for how all the stories are going to be. Faith Sheridan and Worth Cordell have a date to keep, in the town square on Christmas Eve. When Worth doesn't show up Faith has to figure out where her life goes from here, now that she's pregnant and alone. A year later Faith is kidnapped and Worth reenters her life and meets his daughter, Hope.

I liked this one. A good love story about what happens when people miscommunicate and try to assume what the other is thinking.

Return of the Light by Maggie Shayne was definitely an interesting one. Dori left home to seek her fortune in the big city and found a whole lot more. When everything she's worked for goes down the tubes and she returns home, she finds Jason her old beau still waiting. He and the whole town have a lot to absorb when they find out that Dori is a Wiccan, a priestess even, who has helped the police in several missing person's cases.

I wasn't sure how to take this one, when I first started out. But, it ended up being one of my favorites in this anthology. I am very open minded and I found this one very interesting.

I liked Christmas Fantasy a lot. Teddy Spencer has a problem. Her boss is after her and her family wants to see her settle down, when all she wants is her independence and her career. When her best friends get her, her own private fantasy for her birthday, Teddy meets Austin McBride. Austin could be the answer to all her problems, but he definitely creates a few of his own.

This was the most erotic of the stories in this anthology and let me tell you, it packed the heat LOL. It also had a lot of humor and some real emotion thrown in the mix.

A Prince for Christmas was my favorite story in the whole anthology. Kristen Remmen and her beautiful niece Sonia travel across the ocean to meet a prince. Eric Thorvaldsen is fifth in line for the Frijian throne and takes his responsibilities seriously. When he discovers that Sonia is blind he goes out of his way to make her visit and that of her Aunt Kristen one of enchantment.

Not a single sex scene in this one and it's still my favorite, LOL. Just an all around feel good love story. Love at first site and a prince to boot.

There were not too many stories in this one that I didn't like. Though only those few did stick out. There was only one that I didn't care for and that was the last story, Merry Christmas, Baby. I'm not really sure why I didn't care for it, but it just didn't strike a romantic cord I guess.

Overall this was a huge book at 1467 pages, but each story can be taken separately and read accordingly. I liked almost all the stories and it didn't seem taxing to read them all.

I give this one 3 out 5 apples from my book bag. It was good, but it was not the stuff of greatness!

Review:Gabriel's Ghost

My Synopsis:

Chasidah Bergren, Captain in the Sixth Fleet was framed for a crime she didn't commit and sentenced to a prison planet from which no one escapes. To her surprise a ghost from her past offers her freedom for a price. Gabriel Sullivan, pirate, mercenary, poet was presumed dead until he saved her life.

But, there's a lot more to Sully than meets the eye. He is bent on destroying a gen lab that is breeding uncontrollable animals that will cost the lives of hundreds of innocent people unless he can stop them. Chaz is the only person who can help him.

Their attraction to each other is palpable. Good girl, meets bad boy! How will they find the time to explore their feelings with so much at stake? Is Sully what he seems or is there something lurking in his past that he doesn't want Chaz to know about? You really should read and find out!

My Thoughts:

Where can I start with this book. I knew before hand that Linnea Sinclair was considered one of the best in the paranormal romance genre. Having won many awards and selling outrageous numbers of books. So I was prepared to be impressed. This was my first foray into the genre and I was excited to read this one. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

From the first page to the last this was a great book! Not only a love story but one of learning about tolerance and finding out the ideas you've always held about people are not always correct. It's a story about prejudice and acceptance.

The storytelling itself was very well crafted. These are characters that the writer has to dream up from scratch. The reader has no previous knowledge of what a 'stolorth' or a 'Taka' is, so description is key. Making the reader visualize in their minds what these characters not only look like but what they are all about. Very well done.

The main characters Chasidah and Gabriel are so different that the adage 'opposites attract' is very apt. She is the pride of the Empire, a Captain, used to following rules and regulations while he is reckless and daring, a pirate she has chased herself more than once. Their love story shows a depth of understanding that most people never reach. Can you accept someone even though it goes against everything you've been taught to believe? Can you love someone who capable of changing how you look at the world?

This one is definitely gets 5 out 5 apples from my book bag! I highly recommend it, if paranormal romance is your thing and even if it's not.

Teaser Tuesday (5)

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play! Just do the following:

Grab your current read.

Go to a random page.

Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure what you share doesn't give away too much! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and the author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from Sleepwalking in Daylight, by Elizabeth Flock, pages, 179 & 204.

CAMMY- It's everywhere I look. Even my mom gets more calls than I do. How pathetic is that?

SAMANTHA- I'm frozen, searching her face- did she see me with Craig? Oh my God, he'll be back any second...

Simply Marvelous Monday (5)

J. Kaye's Book Blog gets all the credit for this one...

On Simply Marvelous Monday's here at Debbie's Book Bag, we want to know what you're reading???

FINISHED LAST WEEK:

This week was a wee bit slower because I was tackling a very big book, 1467 pages to be exact, LOL.

Gabriel's Ghost (Book 1- Dock 5 Series) by Linnea Sinclair

12 Stocking Stuffers (A Harlequin Christmas Anthology) This one had 12 complete books in it and was 1467 pages... Phew!

READING OR LISTENING TO THIS WEEK:

Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock (For review from Goldberg McDuffie Communications)

Vision In White by Nora Roberts (Book 1- Bride Quartet) (audio from the library)

Usually I am reading a print book, an e-book and listening to an audio book each week. I haven't picked an e-book for this week. I will put one up on this post if I decide to.

UP NEXT:

Songs of Deliverance by Marilynn Griffith (for review from Revell Publishing)

I only choose one up next selection at a time, because I'm never really sure what I'm going to read next.

So what are you reading?

Giveaway Saturday (3)

Today is Giveaway Saturday! I will be going through some of the blogs that I follow and finding 10 giveaways to share with you. Enjoy!

Top Ten Of The Week:

1.) Drey's Library is giving away the three books in the "Lucky" series by Carolyn Brown. The deadline is January 17th. U.S. & Canada only!

2.) Erotic Romantic Crush Junkies is giving away three Ellora Cave releases by Katie Reus. The deadline is January 31st. This is an International Giveaway!

3.) All Things Urban Fantasy is giving away Kelly Gay's The Better Part of Darkness. The deadline is January 16th. This is for U.S. residents only!

4.) Peeking Between The Pages is giving away a signed advance release of Michael Baron's new book, The Journey Home, in stores May of 2010. The deadline is January 31st. U.S. & Canada Only!

5.) Bookworming In The 21st Century is having a 600+ follower giveaway. The deadline is January 15th and the giveaway is open Internationally!

6.) Confessions And Ramblings Of A Muse In The Fog is giving away a copy of Liszt's Kiss by Susanne Dunlap. This is her first giveaway, so show some blog love LOL! The deadline is January 25th and the giveaway is for U.S. residents only!

7.) SciFiGuy.ca is giving away 2 copies of Smolder by Melina Morel! Paranormal Romance... one of my favs! The deadline is January 13th and the giveaway is open to any destination with The Book Depository's area.

8.) Seductive Musings is having a Sexy New Year Celebration with several giveaways! Remember that this blog does have a content warning, because some of the books are quite erotic LOL...

9.) Simply Stacie has tons of interesting giveaways on a daily basis. This giveaway is for 5 copies of the book, Drood by Dan Simmons. The deadline is January 29 and is open to U.S. and Canadian residents.

10.) The Cajun Book Lady also has several giveaways going on. Check out her blog for more details. The giveaways are on the sidebar!