Readers' Favorite

January 16, 2015

Teaser: The Marriage Match by Tracy March

by Donna Huber


The Marriage Match
She gave him a crooked little whatcha-doing-here smile. “Hey there,” she said.
Man, he acted like he’d never seen a gorgeous girl before. Truth was, he’d seen plenty. Dated them, too. But something about Cyn had him feeling disarmed and a little self-conscious. Maybe because she seemed to really get how much this search for a wife meant to him, and he wasn’t used to having someone relate to him like that. He shrugged and gave her a playful look. “I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by.”
Her smile widened. “Sweet.” She opened the door wider, and gestured for him to come in. “You’re the first happenedto-be-in-the-neighborhood visitor I’ve ever had.”
Considering the huge iron gates and the brick wall and fences surrounding the property, Trent wasn’t surprised. He stepped inside and caught the scent he remembered from when they’d been together on the swing. Citrus and spice… and mischief. He was dead certain this girl could get into some mischief, and he’d do best not to think too long on that. Despite the cool night air, heat danced over his skin. Cyn was totally tempting, but Trent reminded himself to stay within the boundaries. Employees were off-limits. Cyn didn’t seem the litigious type, but Hawthorne Resorts didn’t need to contend with another lawsuit.
from "page 56" on my Nook

I thought I would give you a sneak peek at The Marriage Match by Tracy March. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy, but don't worry you can get your copy on Monday when the book comes out. I really enjoyed March's The Practice Proposal that I read during the Christmas break (read my review) and happy to check out her new release.


Buy The Marriage Match at Amazon


Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the above the link.



January 15, 2015

Expanding beyond the blog

by Donna Huber

I can't believe on Monday I will celebrate 4 years of blogging. It has been a fun 4 years. I feel that I've hit my stride with the blogging and now branching out into book selling. I've recently joined up with BookSurf as an independent consultant. You might have seen some graphics and mentions on my social media channels. I thought I would tell you a little more about it.


BookSurf is a direct sales catalog company. Think Tupperware, Mary Kay, Avon, but for BOOKS! And not just any books. Books from some of the best authors in the indie publishing community. Plus these books are instant collectibles because each paperback is signed by the author. You will recognize some of the names as the authors and their books have been featured on Girl Who Reads before:

Chasing Invisible by Karen Pokras Toz
Sacrifice by Stacey Rourke
The Brown House by Christy Sloat
Erin by Monette Pangan
Destine by Katherine Polillo
Dragon Wars by Emily Fogle
And more!

BookSurf offers really good deals on SIGNED paperbacks. Each are $12 (plus shipping and tax), but the more you buy the more you save.

Books aren't the only things you can get. Looking for some reading accessories (aka swag)? We have several fun items available.


Like Tupperware and Origami Owl Jewelry, PARTIES are the thing. If you are in the North Georgia area and interested in hosting a party in your home, I have samples and games and prizes to make for a fun night talking about books. A party could be a great way to kick-off a new book club or one restarting after the holidays. Live a little further away or not interested in having a party at home? We can do an online party. 

Actually I'm having a Facebook party starting on Sunday to celebrate my birthday. I hope you will come to it. There will be a special guest each day, prizes to be won, and other goodies. Here's the line up:
  • January 18 - Karen Pokras Toz at 3 pm EST
  • January 19 - Emily Fogle at 12 noon EST
  • January 20 - Christy Sloat at 10 am EST
  • January 21 - Elizabeth Kirke at 1 pm EST
  • January 22  - Stacey Rourke at 7 pm EST
  • January 23 - Wendy Nystrom at 1 pm EST


There's a special hostess package for any parties in January:


You don't have to have a party or attend a party to get some really great books for yourself. I can place an order for you or you can order online, please use REP #0015 at check out so I can get credit. Check out the great books here: http://www.booksurfllc.com/#!books/cee5 Take advantage of this month's special offer;




Are you thinking, wow, I would so love to do something like this? It is easy to get started and I would love to add you to my team. Just send an email to me at donna (at) girl-who-reads.com. And I will help you get started. 

If you are an author and want to know about including your book in the next catalog. Send me an email and I'll put you touch with the right person.

If you have any questions or want to know more, I would be happy to talk more about this exciting opportunity. Also please sign up for my mailing list to hear about Flash Sales and other great deals: http://eepurl.com/-8eqj

January 14, 2015

Oscars and Resolutions

by Alison DeLuca


The Miniaturist
It’s January, the month of cold temps here in New Jersey, the time we take down the holiday decorations and start our diets. As a book lover, my resolutions aren’t complete without making a list of novels to read. We’re also approaching Oscar season, so some of those books tie in with films that will probably get nominated.

I already bought a few novels and scheduled them on my Kindle. The Miniaturist: A Novel (by Jessie Burton) looked like a gorgeous historical read with a fun concept. When Nella Oortman marries Johannes, he presents her with a miniature replica of their house. She hires a miniaturist, whose tiny creations begin to mirror her life and marriage in eerie and unexpected ways.

The Awakening, a steampunkish horror film I loved, had one scene centered on a miniature house. Although the movie fell apart at the end, that section made me gasp with its clever and frightening glimpse into miniatures. I hope The Miniaturist is just as clever and creepy.

I also queued up Red Rising by Pierce Brown. The second book just won a rave review from Entertainment Weekly (although the article included a major spoiler with no warnings! Shame on you, EW, for breaking such a basic rule of modern review.) I love the thought of Martian colonization and mining, so I’m all in for this book and its sequel, Golden Son.

Dorianna, a female take on Dorian Grey by Catherine Stine, just won Best Horror book on The Kindle Hub. I already loved the author’s books Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire, so I snapped up her new novel as well. Ditto Karen Pokras’s seasonal book Merry Wishes – I ran out of time to read it over Christmas, so it’s going into the January list. It’s going to help extend my holiday when the air gets cold and there’s nothing to look forward to other than President’s Day.

And as Oscar season approaches, I’m deciding between several of the memoirs that inspired some of the most noteworthy films: Wild by Cheryl Strayed, American Sniper by Chris Kyle, and Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand. The third one is a definite buy, since I loved her Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

I also have to play catch up. The Maze Runner snuck by me before I could read or watch the movie; so did If I Stay. Boyhood is a must-see, and so, strangely, is Horns – the Daniel Radcliffe oddball Fantasy movie about a man who grows devil’s horns.

Reading back over this article, I see I’ve got far more than a month’s worth of reading here. In fact, my lists of movies and books should take us past the worst of snow and ice.

What’s in your Netflix and kindle queues?


Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the above links.

January 13, 2015

Review: Sublime Wreckage by Charlene Zapata (@charlenezap)

by Claire Rees

Sublime Wreckage



Riding in my Daddy's jade green 1969 Mustang is the best feeling in the world. The smell of his colgne tickles my nose as I snuggle up next to him. We have the windows down as the breeze floats through the car and rustles our hair gently. It's coming close to the end of the summer. I can smell the green grass and flowers mixed in with the scent of leather from the seats. This has been the best three weeks of my life. I rest against my Daddy's strong arm and drift off to sleep.







The Review

A heart wrenching story of a teenage girl who suffers terribly from both mental and physical abuse at home. The only comfort she gets is from her best friend Amanda and the knowledge that this is her final year in school and she has worked super hard to keep her grades up to get into college to get away from the awful home life she has.

Insert Vincent Moreno a mysterious dangerous bad boy form across town. Maggie is drawn to him immediately and not just because of his good looks. Soon the two become really good friends and Maggie learns to lean on him when things get too rough at home. She starts to have feelings for him but holds him away as she is determined to go to college and doesn’t want anything to change that.

With the help of Amanda and Vincent, Maggie starts to have more fun at school and afterwards and is able to cope at home much easier with thoughts of her friends and going off to college.

Soon Maggie and Vince are an item and are perfect together and are trying to decide how things will work when Maggie goes off to college.

Sublime Wreckage by Charlene Zapata has some very important issues in it and was handled very well. The emotional side was quite overwhelming in places and I could feel myself tearing up sometimes. The story is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and getting to know the characters better.

I recommend Sublime Wreckage to anyone who loves a conquering your fears book and discovering hidden strengths along with coming of age and all the new problems that brings.


Buy Sublime Wreckage at Amazon


Book Info:
Available formats: ebook and paperback (209 pages)
Published: July 2014
ISBN13: 9781502729927
Genre: contemporary fiction
Target audience: new adult
Source:
Read: January 2015



Girl Who Reads is an Amazon affiliate; a small fee is earned when purchases are made at Amazon through the above link.


January 12, 2015

Review: Chasing Invisible by Karen Pokras Toz (@KarenToz)

Chasing Invisibleby Donna Huber

Chasing Invisible is Karen Pokras Toz's first foray into adult fiction. You may recognize the author's name as she is the award winning children's author of the Nate Rocks series. I'm a bit behind though on Karen's writing as she now has a romance series, Whispered Wishes, under the name of Karen Pokras. But let's get back to Chasing Invisible.

I love Karen's writing style. I would probably read a cereal box, and enjoy it, if she wrote it. It seems simple and straight forward, but then you begin to peel back the layers and discover so much more to her story. I actually wish I was discussing Chasing Invisible instead of reviewing it. I have a number of questions and speculations I wish to voice, but to do so would be too spoilerish for a review. So instead I must encourage you to pick up the book and read it. Then we can discuss it on another forum... perhaps on Twitter or Facebook.

This week one of the photo prompts was current read, so I snapped a shot of Chasing Invisible. So here's a little teaser for you:



Introverted bookworm Julia meets nice guy lead singer Chase in college. At first, she wants nothing to do with him, but his relentless pursuit (and encouragement from her friend Robyn) finally wears her down and she agrees to a date. Chase is smitten and writes a song for her. Julia falls head over heels for Chase and loves the idea of a song of her very own. Unbeknownst to the happy couple, a friend send the song to a producer. And the crazy fame-filled life ensues.

That is an oversimplification of the plot, yet that is basically how I saw the story. Until I got to the end. A HUGE shock. I knew from the rumbles when Chasing Invisible came out that Karen took a risk with the ending. And when I first read it I was totally what the heck, thinking that it was completely out of character, but then I spent the next six hours not able to stop thinking about the entire story and started to see that maybe it wasn't so out of character. Unfortunately, for me, I must leave it there as this a review and I would hate to ruin the story for you.

I would highly recommend Chasing Invisible for book clubs. Karen helpfully includes a discussion guide at the end, but even without it I'm sure a reader would come up with a number of questions on their own. There is so much that could be discussed.

Buy Chasing Invisible at Amazon


If you would like a signed paperback, as an Independent BookSurf Consultant I can assist you in procuring such a treasured item. And right now you can get a signed copy and a tumbler for just $12 (plus shipping and handling). Hurry though, the sale ends 1/14.





Book Info:
Available formats: ebook & print (280 pages)
Published: May 2013 by Anchor Group Publishing ISBN13: 9780989175357
Genre: contemporary fiction
Target audience: adult
Source: author
Read: January 2015

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