Tree Swing Reading

Winner of "Germ"

Congratulations Jodi! Your name was selected win Germ by Robert Liparullo.

Thanks for entering!

Another Giveaway: Box of Books Giveaway

Hi Friends,

I'm doing some Spring cleaning on my book shelves.  I need to make room for new books and am making myself get rid of some books.  You are the lucky recipients!  Here is a random set of books that I have decided to pass on and share with you!

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. List which books you would like to be entered for.  You can enter for as many of the books as you would like.

b. Enter on or before March 30. Winners will be drawn on March 31. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

The books are:

1. Camy Tang's Single Sashimi

Description:

Venus Chau is a high-powered video game developer. Now she might be working for the man she's always hated . but what if he's no longer the man she thought she knew? The third book in the Sushi series offers romance with the spice of ginger.

2. A Time to Gather by Sally John and Gary Smalley

Description:

After thirty years, Max and Claire are renewing their vows--with changed hearts. But the Beaumont's grown children still grapple with the effects of their formerly broken home.

Daughter Lexi Beaumont garnered local noteriety when she saved her family from wildfire--a fame rivaled only by that of her celebrity newscaster brother, Eric. But the attention sheds light on darker places she'd rather keep hidden. As Lexi tries to settle quietly back into life After the Fire, romantic troubles plague her. Then Eric's always erratic behavior begins to spriral out of control. His drinking has reached a new height--and only a headstrong policewoman seems to make any headway with him. It'll take a miracle of grace to bring these two hurting souls to a place of recovery and healing.

3. Sunset by Karen Kingsbury

Description:

The fourth book in Karen Kingsbury's "Sunrise" series and the fourteenth and final book chronicling the Baxter family is a book of beginnings as well as endings. Woven throughout its pages are the recurring themes of the redeeming love and the unending faithfulness of God. Memories of times gone by meet with the changes of today in a story that proves that only the support of faith and family can take a person into the sunset years of life.

4. Wanted by Shelley Sheperd Gray

Description:

Widower Jonathan Lundy, the man twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has secretly always fancied, asks her to watch his two young girls while his sister pays a visit to Indiana. Katie knows this will be a trying time. Jonathan has made it clear he has no intention of starting a relationship with her. Yet Katie can't pass up the opportunity to get to know him.

Just as she's settling into her new life caring for Jonathan's children, Katie receives a threatening note from her past, someone who befriended Katie during her Rumspringa, her running around years. Those years were a dark time for Katie. She dressed English, lied to her parents, and experimented with many activities forbidden in the Amish way of life. After one tumultuous night, Katie realized how far she'd strayed from her values. Scared by the person she'd become, she ran back home and vowed to cut all ties with the outside world.

5. Coming Unglued by Rebecca Seitz

description:

When an unlikely quartet of adopted siblings turn their individual artistic passions into a family business, it becomes a chance to rediscover personal quirks. Musician Kendra Sinclair's struggles with her self-image turn a new relationship into an emotional "affair"! Can her sisters show Kendra how to safeguard her heart and hold fast to God's grace?

6. Wiser Than Serpents by Susan May Warren

description:

When her sister vanishes in a human slave ring, FSB agent Yanna Andrevka arranges her own kidnapping into Taiwan's sex trafficking trade and finds herself with no way out. Then she discovers an ally deep undercover: Delta Force Captain David Curtiss is after the kingpin of the Twin Serpents, the organized crime syndicate that has Yanna-and hundreds of others-in its clutches. With opposite agendas, David and Yanna must rely on each other to outwit a cold-blooded enemy.

7. Tuesday Night At the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas

Description:

When single mom Marty Winslow discovers that her deceased child was switched at birth, she sues for custody of her orphaned biological daughter. But winning in court is the easy part of the battle! Andie won't fit in, one of her "sisters" hates her, and she's worried about her grandparents. Can anything heal this tattered family

8. The Perfect Match by Susan May Warren

Description:

Ellie Karlson is new to Deep Haven. As the town’s interim fire chief, she is determined to lead the local macho fire crew in spite of their misconceptions about her. But when someone begins setting deadly fires, Ellie faces the biggest challenge of her life. Especially when sparks fly with one of the volunteers on her crew: Pastor Dan Matthews. As Ellie battles to do her job and win the respect of her crew, she finds that there is one fire she can’t fight—the one Dan has set in her heart.

9. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

description:

Come away to a fantastical world where ice prairies sparkle, sea dragons sing by moonlight, and lost legends come to life! Penned and partially illustrated by Peterson, this adventure-filled tale takes you to the land of Skree where the Igiby children are pursued by the evil Gnag after they stumble upon a cache of precious jewels.

10. Dragonlight by Donita K. Paul

Description:

Truth has never been more important, nor so difficult to discern.

As Kale and her father are busy hatching, bonding, and releasing the younger generation of dragons as helpers throughout the kingdom, the light wizard has little time to develop her skills. Her husband, Sir Bardon-despite physical limitations resulting from his bout with the stakes disease-has become a leader, serving on the governing board under Paladin. When Kale and Bardon set aside their daily responsibilities to join meech dragons Regidor and Gilda on a quest to find a hidden meech colony, they encounter sinister forces. Their world is under attack by a secret enemy. can they overcome the ominous peril they can't even see?

11. From the "Soul Tracker series" by Bill Myers: The Presence, The Seeing, Soul Tracker (these go together)

Description:

Soul Tracker: What if you could visit the afterlife . . . without ever dying? That question haunts David Kauffman, who is devastated by the death of his teenage daughter and desperately wants to contact her. When he meets Gita Patekar, who works for a shady organization called "Life After Life," a suspense-filled game of cat and mouse begins---on earth and beyond the grave.

the Presence:

The first subjects exposed to The Presence went insane. Now, a far more terrifying experiment is about to begin...
A diverse group of unusual characters are airlifted to a remote mountain lodge. Here they hope to participate in a seance connecting them to the spirit world. David Kauffman and his teenage son have joined them to debunk a world-class psychic and expose her as a hoax.
But not even David is prepared for what greets them. Still shaken by his daughter's death and his visits to heaven and hell, he's swept into a fantastic journey where the supernatural souls of people are exposed, and unseen thoughts become unimaginable reality.
As the power of The Presence increases, the group must overcome their innermost passions or be destroyed by them. All this as they struggle to break free of their captor--the head of the experiment and murderer of David's daughter.

the Seeing: An evil presence looms over the desert community. Native American legend calls it Tahquitz. The new casino operators call it an opportunity to make money.

Young Luke Kauffmann acquires a pair of strange goggles that gives him glimpses into dimensions around him, where dark, sinister forces exert their powers to influence--and glimmering creatures of light strive to stop them. Thanks to the help of a beautiful but quirky techie, Luke increases the power of the goggles until he is thrust even deeper into the spirit world. With their added strength and the help of others, darker secrets are soon uncovered until Luke himself is seduced by the power and pride that the goggles offer. It isn't until the final showdown at Tahquitz's very lair that Luke and his colleagues learn the deeper truths of spiritual warfare that enable them to destroy the creature's sinister hold upon the valley.

12. The "Trophy Chase Trilogy" by George Bryan Polivka The Legend of the Firefish, The Hand that Bears the Sword, The Battle for Vast Dominion

Book 1: Packer Throme,a failed seminarian turned master swordsman,sets out on a great quest, but not in search of fame. He hopes to honor God by stowing away on (former) pirate Scatter Wilkins's ship Trophy Chase, convincing its captain and crew to seek the legendary firefish—a feat that could raise Packers fishing village from poverty and win the heart of his longtime love, the beautiful Panna Seline.

Book 2: Newlyweds Packer and Panna Throme are once again thrust into high adventure. Pirate Scat Wilkins returns with evil intentions for Packer as the Trophy Chase sets sail for the deep waters once again. A new and surprising Hezzan in the Kingdom of Drammun has diabolical designs on not just Packer but on the entire Kingdom of Nearing Vast. And, at home, Panna must await Packer's hopeful return while imprisoned by the lecherous Prince Mather.Will Packer and Panna escape their separate dangers and find happiness in the Kingdom of Nearing Vast; or will the invading Drammune army steal away their future and that of all the people of Packer and Panna's homeland?

Book 3:

Packer Throme, determined to demonstrate that power comes only from above, leads his people in a war against the dreaded Drammune. The evil Hezzan of Drammun will kill without remorse for the secret of the Firefish...and so will dark forces lurking within Nearing Vast.As army faces army, and navy faces navy, all are drawn inexorably to the source of the epic struggle... the feeding waters of the Firefish within the Achawuk Territory. One final surprise awaits Packer Throme there in the foreboding place where the struggle for the dominion of the world will be settled at last.

13. Sharon Dunn's "Ruby Taylor Mysteries": Romance Rustlers and the Thunderbird Theives, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, Cow Crimes and the Mustang Menace

Book 1: No one makes a fool of Ruby Taylor...or her friends. A tough cookie with an attitude, but also a soft heart, Ruby finds herself in a perilous search for a young man who disapppeared just days before he was to be married. Her sometimes harrowing yet often hilarious quest to right the wrongs of love pit her against helicopters, wild buffalo, and some desperate people who have every reason to want Ruby to fail.

Book 2: Investigating a series of bizarre ranch thefts, dealing with the expectations of a Betty Crocker mom, and entering a recipe in the Potato Festival cook-off, have Ruby Taylor in over her flaming red head. When an outsider turns up dead, it'll take more than a steaming mocha expresso, and her unpredictable yet intriguing Wesley, to save Ruby from the danger.

Book 3: When a professor at a local university dies, Ruby Taylor is hired to fill his shoes. Along with a frozen corpse and midnight intruders, this sassy Cinderella has to deal with lost love and a family that defines the word dysfunctional. Deadly university politics turn personal as Ruby works to straighten out a mystery that has more twists than a silly straw.

And

14. The Sovereign's Daughter by Susan May Warren and Susan K. Downs

Description:

When revolution threatens the lives of the royal Romanov family, Imperial Tsar Nikolai is forced to entrust critical state secrets to a lowly chambermaid and a backward Mennonite merchant. Anton Klassen must protect the woman the tsar has put into his care. But the insecure young man from the steppes of South Russia's Mennonite farmland is no match for enemy forces, who stop at nothing to seek out and destroy Anton's charge. . .and with her, the imperial secrets she carries. Only faith in the promises of God can save the sovereign's daughter and those responsible for her safekeeping.

Good luck! 

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. List which books you would like to be entered for.  You can enter for as many of the books as you would like.

b. Enter on or before March 30. Winners will be drawn on March 31. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

The books are:

1. Camy Tang's Single Sashimi

Description:

Venus Chau is a high-powered video game developer. Now she might be working for the man she's always hated . but what if he's no longer the man she thought she knew? The third book in the Sushi series offers romance with the spice of ginger.

2. A Time to Gather by Sally John and Gary Smalley

Description:

After thirty years, Max and Claire are renewing their vows--with changed hearts. But the Beaumont's grown children still grapple with the effects of their formerly broken home.

3. Sunset by Karen Kingsbury

Description:

The fourth book in Karen Kingsbury's "Sunrise" series and the fourteenth and final book chronicling the Baxter family is a book of beginnings as well as endings. Woven throughout its pages are the recurring themes of the redeeming love and the unending faithfulness of God. Memories of times gone by meet with the changes of today in a story that proves that only the support of faith and family can take a person into the sunset years of life.

4. Wanted by Shelley Sheperd Gray

Description:

Widower Jonathan Lundy, the man twenty-year-old Katie Brenneman has secretly always fancied, asks her to watch his two young girls while his sister pays a visit to Indiana. Katie knows this will be a trying time. Jonathan has made it clear he has no intention of starting a relationship with her. Yet Katie can't pass up the opportunity to get to know him.

5. Coming Unglued by Rebecca Seitz

description:

When an unlikely quartet of adopted siblings turn their individual artistic passions into a family business, it becomes a chance to rediscover personal quirks. Musician Kendra Sinclair's struggles with her self-image turn a new relationship into an emotional "affair"! Can her sisters show Kendra how to safeguard her heart and hold fast to God's grace?

6. Wiser Than Serpents by Susan May Warren

description:

When her sister vanishes in a human slave ring, FSB agent Yanna Andrevka arranges her own kidnapping into Taiwan's sex trafficking trade and finds herself with no way out. Then she discovers an ally deep undercover: Delta Force Captain David Curtiss is after the kingpin of the Twin Serpents, the organized crime syndicate that has Yanna-and hundreds of others-in its clutches. With opposite agendas, David and Yanna must rely on each other to outwit a cold-blooded enemy.

7. Tuesday Night At the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas

Description:

When single mom Marty Winslow discovers that her deceased child was switched at birth, she sues for custody of her orphaned biological daughter. But winning in court is the easy part of the battle! Andie won't fit in, one of her "sisters" hates her, and she's worried about her grandparents. Can anything heal this tattered family

8. The Perfect Match by Susan May Warren

Description:

Ellie Karlson is new to Deep Haven. As the town’s interim fire chief, she is determined to lead the local macho fire crew in spite of their misconceptions about her. But when someone begins setting deadly fires, Ellie faces the biggest challenge of her life. Especially when sparks fly with one of the volunteers on her crew: Pastor Dan Matthews. As Ellie battles to do her job and win the respect of her crew, she finds that there is one fire she can’t fight—the one Dan has set in her heart.

9. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

description:

Come away to a fantastical world where ice prairies sparkle, sea dragons sing by moonlight, and lost legends come to life! Penned and partially illustrated by Peterson, this adventure-filled tale takes you to the land of Skree where the Igiby children are pursued by the evil Gnag after they stumble upon a cache of precious jewels.

10. Dragonlight by Donita K. Paul

Description:

Truth has never been more important, nor so difficult to discern.

11. From the "Soul Tracker series" by Bill Myers: The Presence, The Seeing, Soul Tracker (these go together)

Description:

Soul Tracker: What if you could visit the afterlife . . . without ever dying? That question haunts David Kauffman, who is devastated by the death of his teenage daughter and desperately wants to contact her. When he meets Gita Patekar, who works for a shady organization called "Life After Life," a suspense-filled game of cat and mouse begins---on earth and beyond the grave.

the Presence:

The first subjects exposed to The Presence went insane. Now, a far more terrifying experiment is about to begin...
A diverse group of unusual characters are airlifted to a remote mountain lodge. Here they hope to participate in a seance connecting them to the spirit world. David Kauffman and his teenage son have joined them to debunk a world-class psychic and expose her as a hoax.
But not even David is prepared for what greets them. Still shaken by his daughter's death and his visits to heaven and hell, he's swept into a fantastic journey where the supernatural souls of people are exposed, and unseen thoughts become unimaginable reality.
As the power of The Presence increases, the group must overcome their innermost passions or be destroyed by them. All this as they struggle to break free of their captor--the head of the experiment and murderer of David's daughter.

the Seeing: An evil presence looms over the desert community. Native American legend calls it Tahquitz. The new casino operators call it an opportunity to make money.

12. The "Trophy Chase Trilogy" by George Bryan Polivka The Legend of the Firefish, The Hand that Bears the Sword, The Battle for Vast Dominion

Book 1: Packer Throme,a failed seminarian turned master swordsman,sets out on a great quest, but not in search of fame. He hopes to honor God by stowing away on (former) pirate Scatter Wilkins's ship Trophy Chase, convincing its captain and crew to seek the legendary firefish—a feat that could raise Packers fishing village from poverty and win the heart of his longtime love, the beautiful Panna Seline.

Book 2: Newlyweds Packer and Panna Throme are once again thrust into high adventure. Pirate Scat Wilkins returns with evil intentions for Packer as the Trophy Chase sets sail for the deep waters once again. A new and surprising Hezzan in the Kingdom of Drammun has diabolical designs on not just Packer but on the entire Kingdom of Nearing Vast. And, at home, Panna must await Packer's hopeful return while imprisoned by the lecherous Prince Mather.Will Packer and Panna escape their separate dangers and find happiness in the Kingdom of Nearing Vast; or will the invading Drammune army steal away their future and that of all the people of Packer and Panna's homeland?

Book 3:

13. Sharon Dunn's "Ruby Taylor Mysteries": Romance Rustlers and the Thunderbird Theives, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, Cow Crimes and the Mustang Menace

Book 1: No one makes a fool of Ruby Taylor...or her friends. A tough cookie with an attitude, but also a soft heart, Ruby finds herself in a perilous search for a young man who disapppeared just days before he was to be married. Her sometimes harrowing yet often hilarious quest to right the wrongs of love pit her against helicopters, wild buffalo, and some desperate people who have every reason to want Ruby to fail.

Book 2: Investigating a series of bizarre ranch thefts, dealing with the expectations of a Betty Crocker mom, and entering a recipe in the Potato Festival cook-off, have Ruby Taylor in over her flaming red head. When an outsider turns up dead, it'll take more than a steaming mocha expresso, and her unpredictable yet intriguing Wesley, to save Ruby from the danger.

Book 3: When a professor at a local university dies, Ruby Taylor is hired to fill his shoes. Along with a frozen corpse and midnight intruders, this sassy Cinderella has to deal with lost love and a family that defines the word dysfunctional. Deadly university politics turn personal as Ruby works to straighten out a mystery that has more twists than a silly straw.

And

14. The Sovereign's Daughter by Susan May Warren and Susan K. Downs

Description:

When revolution threatens the lives of the royal Romanov family, Imperial Tsar Nikolai is forced to entrust critical state secrets to a lowly chambermaid and a backward Mennonite merchant. Anton Klassen must protect the woman the tsar has put into his care. But the insecure young man from the steppes of South Russia's Mennonite farmland is no match for enemy forces, who stop at nothing to seek out and destroy Anton's charge. . .and with her, the imperial secrets she carries. Only faith in the promises of God can save the sovereign's daughter and those responsible for her safekeeping.

Good luck! 

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense, Day 7

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: I'm serving a brunch for Easter.  I need ideas on what to serve.  What are some of your favorite "Brunch foods?"

b. Enter on or before March 30 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 31. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's books: The Kanner Lake Series by Brandilyn Collins

Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins (Book 1 in the Kanner Lake Series)

About the book:

As Paige Williams slips into her hot tub in the blackness of night, she feels something wispy brush against her. Suddenly facing death, what wrenching decision must she make about her hidden past?

My Review here.

Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins (Book 2 in the Kanner Lake series)

From the back cover:

BACK COVER COPY

The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath.

Spider-fingers teased the back of her neck.

Leslie’s feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking . . . what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimonies at last month’s trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing.

Leslie Brymes hurries out to her car on a typical work day morning—and discovers a dead body inside.

Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest?

In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible.

Or is it?

My Review here.

Carla stared at the gun and David Thornby—or whatever his name was. Her mind split in two, one side pleading this was some sick joke, the other screaming it was all too real.

“Please. You must have the wrong person. There’s no reason for someone to want me dead. I don’t have any enemies.”

“Then you’d best rethink your friends.”

Realtor Carla Radling shows an “English gentleman” a lakeside estate—and finds herself facing a gun. Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?

Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past. Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people...

My Review here.

The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.

Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.

Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .

The shooter’s teeth clenched. “ Anybody who moves is dead.”

On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die...

My Review here.

Great series!

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: I'm serving a brunch for Easter.  I need ideas on what to serve.  What are some of your favorite "Brunch foods?"

b. Enter on or before March 30 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 31. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's books: The Kanner Lake Series by Brandilyn Collins

Violet Dawn by Brandilyn Collins (Book 1 in the Kanner Lake Series)

About the book:

As Paige Williams slips into her hot tub in the blackness of night, she feels something wispy brush against her. Suddenly facing death, what wrenching decision must she make about her hidden past?

My Review here.

Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins (Book 2 in the Kanner Lake series)

From the back cover:

BACK COVER COPY

The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath.

Spider-fingers teased the back of her neck.

Leslie’s feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking . . . what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimonies at last month’s trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing.

Leslie Brymes hurries out to her car on a typical work day morning—and discovers a dead body inside.

Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest?

In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible.

Or is it?

My Review here.

Carla stared at the gun and David Thornby—or whatever his name was. Her mind split in two, one side pleading this was some sick joke, the other screaming it was all too real.

“Please. You must have the wrong person. There’s no reason for someone to want me dead. I don’t have any enemies.”

“Then you’d best rethink your friends.”

Realtor Carla Radling shows an “English gentleman” a lakeside estate—and finds herself facing a gun. Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?

Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past. Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people...

My Review here.

The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.

Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.

Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .

The shooter’s teeth clenched. “ Anybody who moves is dead.”

On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die...

My Review here.

Great series!

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: I'm serving a brunch for Easter.  I need ideas on what to serve.  What are some of your favorite "Brunch foods?"

b. Enter on or before March 30 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 31. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's books: The Kanner Lake Series by Brandilyn Collins

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense, Day 6

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: What are five movies that you could watch over and over? Here's mine: "Sense and Sensibility" (with Emma Thompson), "The Joy Luck Club," "Singing in the Rain," all the "Lord of the Rings" movies, and "Casablanca."

b. Enter on or before March 29 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 30. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is "Vanish" by Tom Pawlik

Description:

Caught in a mysterious storm, three strangers survive to find everybody else has vanished. When unscrupulous lawyer Connor Hayden, aging model Helen Krause, and enterprising mechanic Mitch Kent meet, they're desperate. And they're being watched---by "observers" who force them to relive their pasts. Does a mute homeless boy hold the key to their future?

My Thoughts:

A fast read that was riveting and unusual. 

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: What are five movies that you could watch over and over? Here's mine: "Sense and Sensibility" (with Emma Thompson), "The Joy Luck Club," "Singing in the Rain," all the "Lord of the Rings" movies, and "Casablanca."

b. Enter on or before March 29 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 30. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is "Vanish" by Tom Pawlik

Description:

Caught in a mysterious storm, three strangers survive to find everybody else has vanished. When unscrupulous lawyer Connor Hayden, aging model Helen Krause, and enterprising mechanic Mitch Kent meet, they're desperate. And they're being watched---by "observers" who force them to relive their pasts. Does a mute homeless boy hold the key to their future?

My Thoughts:

A fast read that was riveting and unusual. 

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense, Day 5

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you have any "action" or "suspense" TV shows that you faithfully watch?  I probably have too many!  I like "Without a Trace," "Law and Order SVU," "Bones," the new "Fringe," and "Criminal Minds."

b. Enter on or before March 28 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 29. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is Plague Maker by Tim Downs.

  New York FBI counterterrorism agent Nathan Donovan receives a phone call from an eighty-year-old man named Li who has a story to tell—a story too fantastic to believe but too terrible for Donovan to ignore. Li tells the story of Sato Matsushita, a brilliant bioweapons scientist, a man waging a personal war against the United States. His mission: to destroy America with bubonic plague—beginning with the city of New York. The old man has tracked Matsushita for six decades and across three continents because he, too, has a mission to fulfill: to stop Matsushita before he can strike—and to settle an old score of his own. Li’s lifelong search has brought him to the most powerful city in the world, a city of eight million souls, a city on the eve of its biggest celebration of the year: the Fourth of July fireworks display. Now Donovan and Li must work together to prevent a modern-day Black Death of global proportions. They must find the Plague Maker before it’s too late—for everyone.

My Thoughts:

Apparently bioterrorism is a hot topic!  Kind of freaky to think about too! There were elements of this book that reminded me of Germ, but it was an excellent book too! I always enjoy Downs' books and this one is no exception.  The characters are complex and developed and the storyline is dramatic and exciting. 

I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you have any "action" or "suspense" TV shows that you faithfully watch?  I probably have too many!  I like "Without a Trace," "Law and Order SVU," "Bones," the new "Fringe," and "Criminal Minds."

b. Enter on or before March 28 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 29. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is Plague Maker by Tim Downs.

  New York FBI counterterrorism agent Nathan Donovan receives a phone call from an eighty-year-old man named Li who has a story to tell—a story too fantastic to believe but too terrible for Donovan to ignore. Li tells the story of Sato Matsushita, a brilliant bioweapons scientist, a man waging a personal war against the United States. His mission: to destroy America with bubonic plague—beginning with the city of New York. The old man has tracked Matsushita for six decades and across three continents because he, too, has a mission to fulfill: to stop Matsushita before he can strike—and to settle an old score of his own. Li’s lifelong search has brought him to the most powerful city in the world, a city of eight million souls, a city on the eve of its biggest celebration of the year: the Fourth of July fireworks display. Now Donovan and Li must work together to prevent a modern-day Black Death of global proportions. They must find the Plague Maker before it’s too late—for everyone.

My Thoughts:

Apparently bioterrorism is a hot topic!  Kind of freaky to think about too! There were elements of this book that reminded me of Germ, but it was an excellent book too! I always enjoy Downs' books and this one is no exception.  The characters are complex and developed and the storyline is dramatic and exciting. 

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense Giveaway, Part 4

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question:  What's your favorite movie snack?  At the theater I love the buttered popcorn! At home I like to eat ice cream!

b. Enter on or before March 26 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 27. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's books are the Beck Easton Series by Tom Morrisey: Dark Fathom and Deep Blue

Description:

Tired of living two lives, as the lead software architect for a software firm who specialize in security software, asn as a member of an ultra-secret para- military wing of the National Security Agency, Beck Easton plans to retire. But an appealing project, and the woman running it, Angela Bower, convince him to stay on. As he works on the project, the NSA assigns him to investigate a possible Al-Queda operative. What he discovers will affect Angela and Beck not just for the rest of their lives but for eternity.

Description:

Former marine diver Beck Easton is anticipating a nice slow summer, running his dive shop. But the pace quickens when graduate student Jennifer Cassidy enlists his help in uncovering a pre-Civil War secret from the bottom of a Florida spring. When Jennifer's life is threatened, Beck wonders if what they've found is worth dying for.

My Thoughts:

I read Deep Blue and enjoyed it very much!  Not too scarey really at all.  More suspenseful.  A bit of overkill in some of the descriptions and history sections, but very interesting.  I especially like Beck's character, values, and skills.  Sounds like my kind of hero!

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question:  What's your favorite movie snack?  At the theater I love the buttered popcorn! At home I like to eat ice cream!

b. Enter on or before March 26 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 27. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's books are the Beck Easton Series by Tom Morrisey: Dark Fathom and Deep Blue

Description:

Tired of living two lives, as the lead software architect for a software firm who specialize in security software, asn as a member of an ultra-secret para- military wing of the National Security Agency, Beck Easton plans to retire. But an appealing project, and the woman running it, Angela Bower, convince him to stay on. As he works on the project, the NSA assigns him to investigate a possible Al-Queda operative. What he discovers will affect Angela and Beck not just for the rest of their lives but for eternity.

Former marine diver Beck Easton is anticipating a nice slow summer, running his dive shop. But the pace quickens when graduate student Jennifer Cassidy enlists his help in uncovering a pre-Civil War secret from the bottom of a Florida spring. When Jennifer's life is threatened, Beck wonders if what they've found is worth dying for.

My Thoughts:

I read Deep Blue and enjoyed it very much!  Not too scarey really at all.  More suspenseful.  A bit of overkill in some of the descriptions and history sections, but very interesting.  I especially like Beck's character, values, and skills.  Sounds like my kind of hero!

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense Giveaway, Day 3

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: (First I forgot to change it from last time, sorry to the first commenters!) Do you have a favorite "suspenseful" author?  I usually like Dekker (there's been a couple that were not my favorite), I love Steven James and James Scott Bell too...so many wonderful authors! 

b. Enter on or before March 24 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 25. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is Sinner by Sharon Carter Rogers

    Description:

A brutal attack at St. Anthony's Cathedral leaves behind a symbol of the mythological Sinner--a phenomenon that's been kept alive in conspiracy circles and urban legend since before the Civil War. The symbol--and the legend attached to it--spark the curiosity of investigative crime writer and amateur detective CK Ivors. But CK and her team soon discover that they aren't the only ones on the case when she meets the strange and mysterious Loftis Johnson, who's also tracking The Sinner for reasons of his own. Are they on a collision course where they'll never be the same?

My Review:

A fast-paced thriller that is not for the squeamish, but is definately one to check out if you like suspense!  As different character's stories are highlighted, the reader gets to see the storylines come together like a puzzle with fascinating twists and turns throughout.  An exciting tale that explores topics of vengence, sin, and redemption.  Reminded me of Dekker's books.

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: (First I forgot to change it from last time, sorry to the first commenters!) Do you have a favorite "suspenseful" author?  I usually like Dekker (there's been a couple that were not my favorite), I love Steven James and James Scott Bell too...so many wonderful authors! 

b. Enter on or before March 24 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 25. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is Sinner by Sharon Carter Rogers

    Description:

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense Giveaway, Day 2

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you ever read the end of the book ahead of time?  I have to admit that I often do.  I like knowing the outcome.  Isn't that terrible?  When I watch reality shows that "eliminate" people, I like knowing who is going out before I watch the show.  It drives my family crazy!

b. Enter on or before March 23 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 24. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is The Hunted by Mike Dellosso

Description:

Named one of the TheSuspenseZone.com's "Reviewers' Choice" top 10 books of 2008!

A town’s deadly secret will drive one man to the edge of his faith…

After learning of the disappearance of his nephew, Joe Saunders returns to his childhood home of Dark Hills. With rumors spreading of a rogue lion roaming the woods, he embarks on a mission to learn the truth. As he peels away the layers of Dark Hills, he discovers a secret that has been shrouded for three generations in a deadly code of silence. Will his young faith be strong enough to battle the demonic forces behind it?

My Thoughts:

Another new favorite suspense author for me! A wonderful combination of "yikes" and "what's going to happen next?"  A nice amount of faith issues explored, including supernatural questions.  Looking forward to reading more by this author.

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you ever read the end of the book ahead of time?  I have to admit that I often do.  I like knowing the outcome.  Isn't that terrible?  When I watch reality shows that "eliminate" people, I like knowing who is going out before I watch the show.  It drives my family crazy!

b. Enter on or before March 23 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 24. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's book is The Hunted by Mike Dellosso

Description:

Scare Your Socks Off Suspense Giveaway, Day 1

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you like scarey movies?  I like scarey books, but NOT scarey movies.  I like a good "adventure movie," like "National Treasure" or the like, but I really don't like the "horror" ones at all.

b. Enter on or before March 22 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 23. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's Suspense book: Germ by Robert Liparulo

Description from robertliparulo.com

Imagine a virus that spreads as a common cold, until it finds a DNA strand that matches the one encoded within it—until it finds the one person it's looking for. Then it turns brutally lethal. No one is safe. If you breathe, it will find you. To prove it, the germ's creator targets ten thousand victims: politicians, housewives, children. Only three people can possibly stop it—if they survive long enough.

My Thoughts:

A gripping suspense that will leave you breathless! Every time you think you can take a breath and relax for a minute, the supsense kicks back up with another twist. A bit of gore in the descriptions of the disease, but more suspenseful in the "get away from the bad guy" adrenaline rush.  High-powered chase scenes and unexpected plot twists abound.  You won't be bored!

New Giveaway starts today! I'm in the mood for some suspense and I hope you are too!  For the next few weeks, I will be featuring suspense books of varying levels of scariness.  I'll try to give you a fair warning of each book's scariness factor.

RULES FOR ENTERING:

a. Post a comment to the posts of the books you'd like to win. Answer the "silly question" that goes with the post.

Today's question: Do you like scarey movies?  I like scarey books, but NOT scarey movies.  I like a good "adventure movie," like "National Treasure" or the like, but I really don't like the "horror" ones at all.

b. Enter on or before March 22 for this book. Winners will be drawn on March 23. Claim your prize, if you win, within 10 days of being notified or I will redraw. (In other words, let me know you want the book and where it should be sent, should you find out your name was drawn.

c. Check back for the next giveaway!

Today's Suspense book: Germ by Robert Liparulo

Description from robertliparulo.com

Imagine a virus that spreads as a common cold, until it finds a DNA strand that matches the one encoded within it—until it finds the one person it's looking for. Then it turns brutally lethal. No one is safe. If you breathe, it will find you. To prove it, the germ's creator targets ten thousand victims: politicians, housewives, children. Only three people can possibly stop it—if they survive long enough.

My Thoughts:

A gripping suspense that will leave you breathless! Every time you think you can take a breath and relax for a minute, the supsense kicks back up with another twist. A bit of gore in the descriptions of the disease, but more suspenseful in the "get away from the bad guy" adrenaline rush.  High-powered chase scenes and unexpected plot twists abound.  You won't be bored!

Review of "Sinner" by Sharon Carter Rogers

  Description:

A brutal attack at St. Anthony's Cathedral leaves behind a symbol of the mythological Sinner--a phenomenon that's been kept alive in conspiracy circles and urban legend since before the Civil War. The symbol--and the legend attached to it--spark the curiosity of investigative crime writer and amateur detective CK Ivors. But CK and her team soon discover that they aren't the only ones on the case when she meets the strange and mysterious Loftis Johnson, who's also tracking The Sinner for reasons of his own. Are they on a collision course where they'll never be the same?

My Review:

A fast-paced thriller that is not for the squeamish, but is definately one to check out if you like suspense!  As different character's stories are highlighted, the reader gets to see the storylines come together like a puzzle with fascinating twists and turns throughout.  An exciting tale that explores topics of vengence, sin, and redemption.