OXBLOOD by Annalisa Grant

September 20, 2016August 16, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Description via Net Galley —

How far would you go to save the only family you have left?

Victoria “Vic” Asher is finally finding some balance in her life. Though she’s still reeling from her parents’ death in a plane crash, she’s content with waiting tables at the Clock; window shopping with her best friend, Tiffany; and hanging out with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Chad. But when she receives a mysterious package in the mail from her brother, Gil—a law student doing research in Italy—she knows immediately that he’s in danger. Vic isn’t about to risk losing her only brother, so she sets off for Italy to find him. But when she runs into Ian, the gorgeous leader of Interpol’s secret Rogue division, who’s also searching for Gil, she quickly realizes that her brother is in much deeper trouble than she ever could have imagined. Vic will stop at nothing to locate Gil, but doing so could cost her her life—and her heart.

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So I grabbed this story off of Net Galley. This is a fast-paced new adult read about a girl searching for her brother in Europe after he gets tangled up in some serious business. It appears to be the first in a series. Yes, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit for the storyline, but it was a fun read. I would have loved it when I was in high school/college. It reminded me a tad of a movie with Matt Dillon called “Target” (if I am remembering correctly) that came out in the 1980’s about a boy searching for his mother in Europe after she’s gone missing and there’s all this CIA stuff going on (I used to love that movie!).

This was a great beach read this summer!

Thank you for my review e-copy!

ONCE IN A TOWN CALLED MOTH by Trilby Kent

September 10, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

If you know me, you know that Trilby Kent once, many years ago, was a student at the school in which I taught. She has grown into a gifted and versatile writer and I love every novel she crafts. You can imagine my joy when I found “Once in a Town Called Moth” on Net Galley.

I never know what theme or topic Trilby may choose to address, but I always know that I will be drawn in by it. Here’s the overview from NG:

Description

Ana is not your typical teenager. She grew up in a tiny Mennonite colony in Bolivia, and her mother fled the colony when Ana was a young girl. Now Ana and her father have also fled, and Ana doesn’t know why. She only knows that something was amiss in their tight-knit community. Arriving in Toronto, Ana has to fend for herself in this alien environment, completely isolated in a big city with no help and no idea where to even begin. But begin she does: she makes a friend, then two. She goes to school and tries to understand the myriad unspoken codes and rules. She is befriended by a teacher. She goes to the library, the mall, parties. And all the while, she searches for the mother who left so long ago, and tries to understand her father — also a stranger in a strange land, with secrets of his own.
This is a beautifully told story that will resonate with readers who have struggled with being new and unsure in a strange place, even if that place is in a classroom full of people they know. Ana’s story is unique but universal; strange but familiar; extraordinary but ordinary: a fish out of water tale that speaks to us all

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Once again Trilby has created an unforgettable set of characters and told their story to us with her lyrical prose. Trilby is able to convey mood and emotion through the smallest of details, painting a picture for the reader that stays indelibly in mind.

I only wished that this story did not have to end!

Pick up a copy of ONCE IN TOWN CALLED MOTH – you won’t be disappointed.

For my ears: ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell

July 18, 2016July 15, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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So I’m totally late to the party on this one. I found it on sale on Audible and remembered that I had always meant to read it.

What a great book! I know it’s about teens, but I know that adults would love and appreciate it, too. I look forward to my daughter reading this book so we can discuss it together.

Here’s the overview from Amazon:

Audie Award Finalist, Teens, 2014

Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.

So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.

I’m not kidding, he says.

You should be, she says, we’re 16.

What about Romeo and Juliet?

Shallow, confused, then dead.

I love you, Park says.

Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.

I’m not kidding, he says.

You should be.

Set over the course of one school year, in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

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This is a sensitively written, multi-layered, insightful story that is not to be missed. I listened to mine as I commuted, and it was ably done in two voices:Rebecca Loman and Sunhil Malhotra.

If you missed this when it came out in 2013, don’t miss it any longer! Look for it at a bookstore or library near you – or online!

BETWEEN US GIRLS by Trish Donohue – a Litfuse Book Tour

July 3, 2016July 1, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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Today I’m part of the Litfuse tour for BETWEEN US GIRLS – Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters. If you know me at all, you know I have a pre-teen daughter. This Christian book focuses on sharing and guiding your daughter through some tough discussions of adolescence.

Here’s the overview:

You feel more than mommy guilt. You feel a deep and growing conviction that you must do something to disciple your daughter. But what? How can a busy mom make sure that her daughter learns about the most important things in life: what Jesus did for her on the cross and how to be faithful to him in this broken world?

Author Trish Donohue has been there, and that’s why she wrote Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters. These twenty-six gospel-driven talks are a fun and easy guide for mothers who want to disciple their daughters but don’t know where to start. In each short chapter, moms and daughters read God’s Word, ask one another questions about their thoughts and experiences, get honest about their struggles with sin, brainstorm ways to live out their faith, and build genuine fellowship into their relationship.

Between Us Girls is more than a devotional; it’s a conversation guide, and the twenty-six “chats” are just the beginning. Ultimately, Donohue’s book teaches mothers and daughters a new way to communicate and starts them on a wonderful, lifelong journey of getting to know one another better and learning to love their Savior more.

Between Us Girls was written by a busy mom for busy moms, so no prep time is needed! Just schedule some time with your daughter, grab this book, head to your destination of choice, and cherish every moment you share with your girl.

Here’s a bit about Trish:

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Trish Donohue is a wife and mom who writes from her kitchen table in West Chester, PA. With twenty years experience as a pastor’s wife involved in women’s ministry, Trish has spoken to women in a variety of settings. A desire to disciple her own daughters combined with a love for writing inspired her first book, Between Us Girls: Walks and Talks for Moms and Daughters. Trish and her husband, Jim, are the happy parents of two sons and two daughters.

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This is a lovely little book that you can do as much of as you like at a time. There are sharing questions, ice breakers, suggested scripture to read together, and things to talk about with your daughter, all focused on helping her to understand and talk about challenges in life and making good decisions. There is an emphasis on the mother’s discipleship, so this is a perfect choice for a Christian household.

Thank you for my review copy and for making me part of the tour!

You can find this book online (e.g. Amazon) or at a library or bookstore near you.

PASTEL ORPHANS by Gemma Liviero

June 29, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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In 1930s Berlin, young Henrik, the son of a Jewish father and Aryan mother, watches the world around him crumbling: people are rioting in the streets, a strange yellow star begins appearing in shop windows, and friends are forced to move–or they simply disappear.

After his father becomes gravely ill, Henrik and his little sister, Greta, are taken by their mother to Poland for safety. However, not even the pastoral surroundings of their new home can protect them from the terrors of war. When the Nazis invade and Greta is kidnapped, Henrik must shed his youthful innocence and search for his lost sister, a quest that will further reveal a harrowing landscape of violence and struggle but also unexpected connections.

Uniquely told from the perspective of youth plunged into adult chaos, Pastel Orphans is a coming-of-age story that explores profound lessons in self-belief, kindness, and human endurance. (from Amazon)

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A long time ago my sister recommended this book to me, and so I was thrilled when it popped up as a kindle deal a few months ago. If you read me you know I LOVE WWII fiction. This was one of those books that I could not put down. I had never come across a storyline that involved this horrible bit of history – the kidnapping of Polish children to bring them into Aryan families and raise them as German, “Germanization”.

This was a heartfelt story, told from Henrik’s point of view, and one that you won’t soon forget.

As of this writing (June, 2016), PASTEL ORPHANS is $3.99 for kindle and only $1.99 for audio through Amazon.

THE GIRLS by Emma Kline

June 14, 2016 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

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Publishing today is one of the most talked about books of the summer: The Girls by Emma Cline. I found this on Net Galley several months ago and it was one of those books that I could NOT put down. Here’s the description:

Girls—their vulnerability, strength, and passion to belong—are at the heart of this stunning first novel for readers of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides and Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. Soon, Evie is in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. Hidden in the hills, their sprawling ranch is eerie and run down, but to Evie, it is exotic, thrilling, charged—a place where she feels desperate to be accepted. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence, and to that moment in a girl’s life when everything can go horribly wrong.

Emma Cline’s remarkable debut novel is gorgeously written and spellbinding, with razor-sharp precision and startling psychological insight. The Girls is a brilliant work of fiction—and an indelible portrait of girls, and of the women they become.

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First I have to say that Evie is an unforgettable character – so real and so well-portrayed in this novel, that it almost reads like a memoir. Evie is on the brink of adulthood and her sexuality, and her relationship – almost an obsession actually – with the group of girls surrounding a Mason-like character forms the backbone of this novel. It is disturbing, yet fascinating.

Ms. Cline’s writing is truly superb. This book almost dripped with the perspiration of the summer portrayed within its pages. You could feel the weightiness of the heat and the boredom portrayed within. Everything is so languid that you can hardly believe that it is hurtling towards the climax that is coming.

An amazing debut novel that you will not soon forget, THE GIRLS will continue to be talked about long after this summer is over!

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House, for my e-ARC.

Teen Reading: GOLDFISH by Nat Luurtsema

May 29, 2016May 28, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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I have come across the perfect summer read for the middle schooler in your life (high schooler, too)!

I started GOLDFISH two days ago, not knowing what to expect.The description on Net Galley was fun but a tad vague:

Description

I am Lou Brown:

Social outcast, precocious failure, 5’10” and still growing.

I was on the fast track to the Olympic superstardom.

Now, I’m training boys too cool to talk to me. In a sport I just made up. In a fish tank.

My life has quickly become very weird.

Nat Luurtsema’s YA debut is side-splittingly funny and painfully true to anyone who’s just trying to figure out how they fit into the world.

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I can’t express how much I loved this book. Lou (Louise) is a character that any reader can’t help but love. She is a bit of a misfit and definitely awkward with the hyper self-consciousness that only comes with adolescence, but SO funny that I laughed until I cried in parts of this book. Seriously!

Poor Lou doesn’t make the cut to go to a special training camp for the Olympics so she must reinvent herself, so to speak. No more swimming and training every day. No more being part of the team. Unfortunately for her, her best friend DOES make it, so she is floundering a bit at high school without her BFF anchor and her swim star identity. One thing leads to another and Lou ends up helping to choreograph a swim routine for a group of boys determined to get on “Britain’s Hidden Talent”. What ensues is hilarious yet serious, ridiculous yet touching.

Love, love, love.

I’m buying my almost 13 year old a copy for her birthday this summer. Can’t wait to share this story with her.

It releases on June 7.

Thank you for my review copy!

Review of THE DROWNING GIRLS by Paula Treick DeBoard

April 30, 2016April 30, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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Let’s chat about this amazing book that I got a while ago from Net Galley and it just came out last Tuesday. THE DROWNING GIRLS was a suspenseful read, similar to the feel of A GIRL ON THE TRAIN or THE GUEST ROOM.

Here’s the info from Net Galley:

Description

Critically acclaimed author of The Mourning Hours and The Fragile World, Paula Treick DeBoard returns with a tale of dark secrets, shocking lies and a dangerous obsession that will change one neighborhood forever

Liz McGinnis never imagined herself living in a luxurious gated community like The Palms. Ever since she and her family moved in, she’s felt like an outsider amongst the Stepford-like wives and their obnoxiously spoiled children. Still, she’s determined to make it work—if not for herself, then for her husband, Phil, who landed them this lavish home in the first place, and for her daughter, Danielle, who’s about to enter high school.

Yet underneath the glossy veneer of The Palms, life is far from idyllic. In a place where reputation is everything, Liz soon discovers that even the friendliest residents can’t be trusted. So when the gorgeous girl next door befriends Danielle, Liz can’t help but find sophisticated Kelsey’s interest in her shy and slightly nerdy daughter a bit suspicious.

But while Kelsey quickly becomes a fixture in the McGinnis home, Liz’s relationships with both Danielle and Phil grow strained. Now even her own family seems to be hiding things, and it’s not long before their dream of living the high life quickly spirals out of control…

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Me again —

I could not stop reading this book. I had never read a book by Ms. DeBoard before, but her writing draws you in and you can’t leave. The characters were so real, the setting so vivid, it made a great yet suspenseful read.

Totally unforgettable and one of those “oh my gosh I hope something like this never happens to anyone I know”, this book is one you can’t put down!

Thank you, Net Galley and Harlequin, for my review e-copy!

Spotlight on the SPIRIT WARRIORS Series by D.E.L. Connor

April 27, 2016April 26, 2016 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

I’m blasting it up today for the YA series: SPIRIT WARRIORS!

My daughter is a big fan of these books — teens join with their spirit animals to do good in the world.

Here’s the info – look for it at a bookstore/online/library near you!

Spirit Warriors Series #3: The Burning

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About the Book

“Do you want to spend your life like Golden Flower pining away for the love you lost? Can you imagine how hard it is to be left behind when everything you loved has left?”

In the third book of D.E.L. Connor’s magical coming of age Spirit Warriors series, Emmeline and her friends find themselves still reeling from the loss and pain caused by the evil spirit, machayiwiw- but the danger is far from over. As Emme, Charlie, Bets, Ollie, Jack and their beloved Spirit Animals prepare for the final battle against the machayiwiw, Emme struggles with a battle within her own heart. She longs for the beauty and softness she feels around Charlie, but she can’t deny the burning passion that consumes her with Jack. Will she finally let Charlie go and give her heart to Jack?
Enthralling and passionate, Spirit Warriors brings the vibrant American West to life once again and whispers its ancient secrets of love and friendship.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1O4jREK

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/22FRwyi

Apple: http://apple.co/1OthM8R

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Tyey4b

Book Links

Other books in this series include:

Spirit Warriors Book #1: The Concealing

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mYCHq4

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1YZ7sqJ

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1YZ7Fue

Spirit Warriors Book #2: The Scarring

Amazon: http://amzn.to/22FUumB

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1mYDbfT

Apple: http://apple.co/1MOs91C

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1PG7seA

The Spirit Warriors Series is also available internationally.

Please contact us directly if you do not see it on your preferred book purchase website!

About the Author

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Della Connor (D.E.L. Connor) was born in South Dakota and raised in Southeastern Montana where she acquired a keen appreciation for Western and Native American culture. She moved to Texas as a young adult and acquired her honorary Texan status. She became a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner and eventually earned her PhD in nursing. She still works as a nurse educator and as a nurse practitioner. Her nights and weekends, however, are filled with her stories and books. Her first book, “Spirit Warriors:The Concealing,” was published by Booktrope Publishing in November of 2014. The second book in the series “Spirit Warriors: The Scarring” published on July 21, 2014 and “Spirit Warriors: The Burning” rolled out on September 21, 2015. The Spirit Warriors series will consist of five books and a prequel.

The Spirit Warriors story evolved from a short story she wrote for a college English class in the early 1990’s. The professor read it, loved it and asked her to stay after class and discuss it. During this discussion, he told her that a “dark” story like hers, which was written for older children, would be unmarketable and unsaleable. The story kept floating around in her mind. Finally, J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyers and others stepped forward with amazing “dark” stories to create a new genre called Young Adult. The time was finally right for her book. She wrote book 1 in two weeks. It took another year and a half and about a 150 queries all with a “not interested” for her to find a publisher. She found Booktrope and as they say, it’s all history.

Contact Information

Website: http://dellaconnor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DelconnorSpiritwarriors

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/D.E.L.-Connor/e/B00HVRGF4A

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7460124h

Twitter: https://twitter.com/del_connor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/delconnor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/delconnorspirit/

Email: delconnorspiritwarriors@gmail.com

Publishing/Marketing Contact

Lauren Jones
Book Marketing Manager
Booktrope Publishing
lauren.jones@booktrope.com

About Booktrope

Booktrope is a new type of publishing company, founded in 2011 in Seattle, WA. Committed to the creation of quality books and to our unique marketing methods, we’re pioneering a book development process called team publishing. Learn more at www.booktrope.com.

HFVBook Blast for WAR AND ME by M. A. Wood

February 17, 2016 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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Hello, Readers!

Today I’m blasting it up for the YA historical fiction novel WAR AND ME by M.A. Wood. I haven’t read it yet but it is definitely on my TBR list!

Here’s what HFVBT has to say:

War and Me by M.A. Wood

Publication Date: September 26, 2013
eBook; 200 Pages
ASIN: B00FGJLG08

Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Romance

Flying model airplanes isn’t cool, not for fifteen-year-old girls in the 1940’s. No one understands Julianna’s love of flying model airplanes but her dad. When he leaves to fly bomber planes in Europe forcing Julianna to deal with her mother’s growing depression alone, she feels abandoned until she meets Ben, the new boy in town. But when he signs up for the war, too, she has to consider whether letting her first love drift away would be far easier than waiting for the next casualties.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the Author

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Marcy Blesy is the author of several middle grade, young adult, and new adult novels and short stories. Her picture book, Am I Like My Daddy?, helps children who experienced the loss of a parent when they were much younger. She has also been published in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books as well as various newspapers and magazines. By day she runs an elementary school library and enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys.

Marcy is a believer in love and enjoys nothing more than making her readers feel a book more than simply reading it. She likes to connect with her readers via twitter (@marcyblesy), email (mablesy(at)yahoo.com), or her blog(www.marcyblesy.com).

Book Blast Schedule

02_War and Me

Monday, February 15
A Chick Who Reads
Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 16
A Holland Reads
CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, February 17
Beth’s Book Nook Blog
The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, February 18
A Book Geek
What Is That Book About

Friday, February 19
So Many Books, So Little Time

Monday, February 22
#redhead.with.book
Queen of All She Reads

Tuesday, February 23
Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, February 24
The Reading Queen

Thursday, February 25
Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, February 26
Eclectic Ramblings of Author Heather Osborne

But wait == there’s more!

You can win a $10 Amazon gift card through a giveaway (and maybe even use it to get the book!). Here is the information:

Giveaway

To win a $10 Amazon Gift Card please enter the giveaway via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 26th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Giveaway Direct Link: https://gleam.io/ng84w/war-and-me