Austenland (2013)

Austenland (2013)
Directed: Jerusha Hess
Screenplay:
Jerusha Hess
Shannon Hale
Based on book by: Shannon Hale

Starring:
Keri Russell as Jane Hayes
JJ Feild as Mr. Henry Nobley - Mr. Darcy equivalent ;-)

My rating: 5

per imdb:
Obsessed with the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice", a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman.

PeekInside:



My two-bits:
Super cute and super fun Jane Austen themed flick! I found myself giggling and smiling throughout the movie.

READ the book it is based on:

Austenland
by Shannon Hale
Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man—perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

READ the sequel:

Midnight in Austenland
by Shannon Hale
When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?


The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?

Cover reveal: Love at First Sight by J. Marie Croft

Love at First Sight
by J. Marie Croft
Release date: October 1, 2013
Genre: Fiction | Romance | Historical | Regency | Jane Austen Sequel

“It may not be universally acknowledged, but the unvarnished truth is that a young widow in possession of a good fortune is not necessarily in want of another husband.”



In this humorous, topsy-turvy Pride & Prejudice variation, all the gender roles are reversed.

It is Mr. Bennet’s greatest wish to see his five sons advantageously married. When the haughty Miss Elizabeth Darcy comes to Netherfield with the Widow Devonport nee Bingley, speculation—and prejudice—runs rampant.



William Bennet, a reluctant and irreverent future reverend, catches Miss Darcy’s eye even though he is beneath her station. However, his opinion of her was fixed when she slighted him at the Meryton Assembly.

As her ardour grows, so does his disdain, and when she fully expects to receive an offer of marriage, he gives her something else entirely ….

About the Author:

J. Marie Croft, a Nova Scotia resident and avid reader all her life, discovered Jane Austen's works later than others but made up for lost time by devouring the six novels and as many adaptations and sequels as she could find.

In the midst of reading prodigious amounts of Austen-based fan-fiction, she realized, "Hey, I can do that." In her spare time, when not working at a music school or on a wooded trail enjoying her geocaching hobby, she listens to the voices in her head and captures their thoughts and words in writing.

Her stories are light-hearted; and her motto is Miss Austen's own quote, "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."

J. Marie Croft is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America (Canada) and admits to being "excessively attentive" to the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

Visit J. Marie:
Website
Goodreads
jmariecroft@gmail.com

Publisher Website
Publisher Facebook

~*~
* such a sweet cover indeed!

* stay tuned - i will be featuring this latest Jane Austen themed book next month ;-)

The Wilful Eye edited by Isabelle Carmody and Nan McNab

The Wilful Eye
Tales from the Tower
edited by Isabelle Carmody and Nan McNab

Published: April 2013
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Genre: Fairy Tales, Short Stories, YA
Paperback: 306 pages
Rating: 4

Amazon | BarnesNoble | Goodreads

Margo Lanagan (Tender Morsels), Rosie Borella, Isobelle Carmody, Richard Harland (Worldshaker), Margaret Mahy (The Seven Chinese Brothers), and Martine Murray (Henrietta There's No One Better) have taken inspiration from stories that have shaped us all, tales like "Beauty and the Beast," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," and "The Snow Queen."

This collection carries universal themes of envy and desire, deception and abandonment, courage and sacrifice.

Characters are enchanted, they transgress, they yearn, they hunger, they hate, and, sometimes, they kill.

Some of the stories inhabit a traditional fairytale world, while others are set in the distant future.

Some are set in the present and some in an alternative present. The stories offer no prescription for living or moral advice and none belong in a nursery.

Tales from the Tower series:
The Wilful Eye
The Wicked Wood - just released August 2013

Quote to note:
Hyacinth roamed to and fro, addressing her unseen audience. 'Will the apple be sweet or rotten inside? The point is, darling, you have to bite it before you find out!' She turned abruptly and twinkled at Gerda. 'You need a kind of openness to really live life!'
-Eternity by Rosie Borella, page 122

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): bewitching
It was such a treat to read these modern day made fairy tales. Some tales got dark - but not too.

Even more special were the afterward sections after each tale. It comprised of comments by the author about their individual piece and the original fairy tale it is based on.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
signup to win this book
~*~
* review copy courtesy of publisher

* part of event: Fairy Tales in Bruges iv

Vampires

Elsie Clarke and the Vampire Hairdresser
by Ged Adamson
Release date: September 3, 2013
For this month's Vamps vs. Zombies event at My Shelf Confessions, I wanted to feature this super cute book vampire book...

PeekAbook:

Elsie Clarke And The Vampire Hairdresser from Gerard on Vimeo.

What will help Elsie overcome hear fear of haircuts? Why a vampire hairdresser, of course!

Elsie hates getting her haircut. There's absolutely nothing more terrifying for her. "They squirt you and they pull and they snip!" she cries in her most horribly loud voice. "I'm never going again. EVER!"

But after some coercion from her parents, Elsie reluctantly tries a new hairdresser named Boris Lazzario. Almost immediately, Boris is eager to cut her hair, but then learns of her fear. Reassuringly, Boris explains that his father, Count Lazzario, also dreads haircuts and is unhappy by Boris's profession Boris. When confronted with the mean Count Lazzario, Elsie learns that she must be brave, in the end, both she and the count learn that haircuts are not so scary after al.

With playful text and distinct illustrations, this story will surely improve any child's perception on those dreaded haircuts!
16 color illustrations

~*~
* spotted this via Shelf Awareness newsletter

Watch out: Zombie book and Zombie film

WANT to read this:

Monsters
by Ilsa J. Bick
Release date: September 10, 2013

The Changed are on the move.

The Spared are out of time.

The End . . . is now.

When her parents died, Alex thought things couldn’t get much worse — until the doctors found the monster in her head. She headed into the wilderness as a good-bye, to leave everything behind. But then the end of the world happened, and Alex took the first step down a treacherous road of betrayal and terror and death.

Now, with no hope of rescue — on the brink of starvation in a winter that just won’t quit — she discovers a new and horrifying truth.

The Change isn’t over.

The Changed are still evolving.

And . . . they’ve had help.

With this final volume, Monster, of The Ashes Trilogy, Ilsa J. Bick delivers a riveting, blockbuster finish, returning listeners to a brutal, post-apocalyptic world where no one is safe and hope is in short supply.

A world where, from these ashes, the monsters may rise.

~*~
WATCH this:



Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)
A gang of bank robbers fight their way out of a zombie-infested London.
-per imdb

This is will be available on Netflix next month which is one I plan to see. Watch the trailer above and see if the you get drawn in with the introduction of zombie slayers amongst the elderly.

~*~
* thanks to Sasha Soren for sending the Cockney vs. Zombies trailer my way ;-)

* if you are itching for more zombies head over to the Vamps vs. Zombies event at My Shelf Confessions

Vamps vs. Zombies challenge

Vamps vs. Zombies
a zombies challenge
As part of Vamps vs. Zombies week sponsored by My Shelf Confessions I present a zombie challenge.

Show your affection towards zombies on the social network. (details below)

If you take it, you can win this...

Unfed
by Kirsty McKay
Fresh meat! From a hospital of horrors to a runaway zombie train, it's an all-new onslaught of the slavering undead in the sequel to Kirsty McKay's killer debut!

Just when you think you're out...it's the morning after the night of the return of the living dead. Or something like that. After running/bus-driving/snowboarding for her life alongside rebel Smitty, geeky Pete, and popular Alice, Bobby thought she'd found the antidote to the Carrot Man Veggie Juice that had turned the rest of their classmates into zombies. When Smitty (mmm...nom, nom) got chomped, Bobby pumped a syringe full of it into him herself.

But now Bobby's a prisoner in some hospital of horrors, with no clue how she got there. And Smitty is missing. What if he isn't cured after all? Bobby knows she's got to find him, even if it means facing Scotland's hungry hordes -- plus Alice's buckets of snark -- again. And this time, zombies aren't the only evil stressing her out. The brain-dead are bad enough, but how can Bobby stop the big pharma business behind the epidemic? Especially when her own mom works for the company?

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
WIN a copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: 2-parts

1. Do ONE of the following:

TWEET
OR
CREATE a blog post
OR
FACEBOOK
OR
PINTEREST
the word "BRAINS" or some variation of it (i.e. brainssssss, braaaaains, etc.)

AND include a link to this giveaway

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~*~
* if you haven't already you can signup to win the first book in Kirsty McKay's series, Undead here

Academy of Love by Kate Deveaux

Academy of Love
by Kate Deveaux

Visit Kate:
BookExcerpt
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Pinterest
Twitter

Just released: July 2013
Publisher: Red Sage Publishing
Genre: Romance
Paperback: 183 pages
Rating: 3

Amazon | BarnesNoble

Cassianna Baxter leaves behind a glamorous teaching career in Italy to return to her alma mater in the majestic Virginia countryside, The Lewiston Academy for Girls. But this time she returns to her old boarding school not as a student, but as the Deputy Headmistress.

No sooner does she arrive at the Academy than she walks smack into sexy Lawrence Taylor, her first love and ex lover. Now he’s the Director of the Equestrian Center and Chairman of the Board and they will be working side by side. Their attraction is intense and undeniable, sparks fly when they succumb to torrid temptation.

Twelve years prior, Cassianna had stayed on at the Academy after graduation to pursue her dream of making the Equestrian Olympic Team with Lawrence as her trainer, but he was much more than that. Their love sizzled until he broke her heart when he left her with no explanation. She abandoned her riding dreams and left the Academy with no plans to ever return.

When the two lovers are reunited at the Academy, they discover their attraction is unrelenting and sex even hotter than before. Conflicted by her deep sexual desire for him burned by their painful past, Cassianna convinces herself to give into their passion. Just once. No strings attached. But the sex is way too good to walk away from but she cannot get over the fact that Lawrence left her years ago and she struggles to protect her heart at all costs.

He’s been looking for her ever since he was forced to leave her and now that she is back at the Academy--- he must win her back. And not just in his bed.

Zombie sighting:
Cassianna followed her like a zombie.
-chapter 29, page 166

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): sensuous green eyes
Love triangles, jealousies and misunderstandings block the path for this couple that eventually work themselves out in this romance read (with hot scenes).

~*~
* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Road Trip 2013 the Summer Reading Reading Challenge sponsored by BookSparksPR

Stacking the Shelves - 8.24.13

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~
Bought:

Cinnamon and Gunpowder
by Eli Brown
-adventure, pirates

September Girls
by Bennett Madison
-mermaids, YA
For Review:

Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #4:
Substitute Creature
by Charles Gilman
-fantasy, paranormal
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Eric!
~*~
* most of these will be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers

Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle

Queen's Gambit
by Elizabeth Fremantle

Visit Elizabeth:
BookExcerpt
Blog
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Pinterest
Twitter

Just released: August 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Historical
Hardback: 432 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | BarnesNoble

Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and become his sixth queen.

Katherine has to employ all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her, including her stepdaughter, Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. With the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position, Katherine’s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.

PeekAbook: view more here





My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): shards of her heart in his pocket -chapter 4, page 121
Enjoyable read despite a depiction of King Henry viii in an unglamorous mode during his marriage with his sixth and final wife who is one of those calm, cool and collected types.

I liked reading the perspective of the loyal servant, Dot. Her character gives a more complete view of the times and people.

After reading this book, I got the urge to continue watching The Tudors tv series which I had abandoned a couple years ago. With such an introduction and tale about Queen Katherine, I am curious to see how she was presented in the show.

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of tour ~--
signup to win this book
~*~
* review copy courtesy and giveaway courtesy of Queen's Gambit tour - check out the other stops for more details on this book and goodies sponsored by Historical Virtual Book Tours

Less Stuff, More Books

YAY for more books!

What do you think?



Spotted the below book in the video which I plan on adding to my tbr pile.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder
by Eli Brown
just released: June 2013
A gripping adventure, a seaborne romance, and a twist on the tale of Scheherazade—with the best food ever served aboard a pirate’s ship


The year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail.

To appease the red-haired captain, Wedgwood gets cracking with the meager supplies on board. His first triumph at sea is actual bread, made from a sourdough starter that he leavens in a tin under his shirt throughout a roaring battle, as men are cutlassed all around him. Soon he’s making tea-smoked eel and brewing pineapple-banana cider.

But Mabbot—who exerts a curious draw on the chef—is under siege. Hunted by a deadly privateer and plagued by a saboteur hidden on her ship, she pushes her crew past exhaustion in her search for the notorious Brass Fox. As Wedgwood begins to sense a method to Mabbot’s madness, he must rely on the bizarre crewmembers he once feared: Mr. Apples, the fearsome giant who loves to knit; Feng and Bai, martial arts masters sworn to defend their captain; and Joshua, the deaf cabin boy who becomes the son Wedgwood never had.

Cinnamon and Gunpowder is a swashbuckling epicure’s adventure simmered over a surprisingly touching love story—with a dash of the strangest, most delightful cookbook never written. Eli Brown has crafted a uniquely entertaining novel full of adventure: the Scheherazade story turned on its head, at sea, with food.


It would be a good read for the upcoming Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19, which I will be participating in next month.

Talk Like a Pirate
September 15-21, 2013
sponsored by AimeeKay
Want to join in this event?
details here

Winners for August pt2

Here are the winners for giveaways that
ended August 11, 2013

Thanks to all contestants!
~*~

All My Restless Life to Live by Dee DeTarsio
Winner: Denise

The Age of Desire by Jennie Fields
Winner: (ARC copy) Gina D
Winner: Angela Holland

~*~
* to see the original giveaway offer, click on the prize title links

* I will email winners for mailing addresses within two weeks.
Winners, feel free to contact me with your info if you don't get my email
or if you are just too darn excited and want to let me know -- like NOW ;-D

* contest policy

* keep in touch with my giveaways and learn about other book giveaways by subscribing via email on my sidebar (you may want to go digest mode)

* if not this time, maybe next time

--> check out the current giveaways and upcoming events on my sidebar

Vamps vs Zombies HOP

Vamps vs Zombies HOP
August 17-31, 2013
sponsored by My Shelf Confessions
~*~
Here's a zombie pick for a lucky winner...

Undead
by Kirsty McKay
When the rest of the class goes all brain-dead on new girl Bobby, it's a school-trip splatter-fest and completely not cool!

On the way home from the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. And to stress a bit, too. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

Combining the chill of THE SHINING, the thrill ride of SPEED, the humor of SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and the angst of THE BREAKFAST CLUB, Kirsty McKay's UNDEAD is a bloody mad mash-up, a school-trip splatter-fest, a funny, gory, frighteningly good debut!

WIN a copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2 parts)

1. Do at least ONE of the following...

FOLLOW me (on sidebar).

SUBSCRIBE via email to my blog (on sidebar).

TWEET about this giveaway.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.

AND, leave your email.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~*~
NOW, hop along and check out more goodies...

Stacking the Shelves - 8.17.13

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~
For Review:

Bellman & Black
by Diane Setterfield
-historical
ARC courtesy of publisher and Shelf Awareness
Thanks!

The Panopticon
by Jenni Fagan
-thriller
ARC courtesy of publisher
Thanks Kayleigh!

The Silver Sickle
by Ellie Ann
-scifi, steampunk
courtesy of author
Thanks Ellie!
~*~
* most of these will be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers

Fairy Tales in Bruges iv: end credits

Fairy Tales
in bruges iv
a virtual book event
August 10-16, 2013

It is a nice town, Harry.
I'm glad I got to see it...
It is a fairy tale place.
It really is.
-Ken from film In Bruges
~*~
Masks have been removed and the party has come to a close.

Queen Maerie thanks you dear readers for attending this virtual book event. She has one last treat for you below for bedside reading.

~*~
THANKS TO: Authors, Publicists and Publishers for Book Giveaways

Giveaway links for these books are listed on the sidebar.
Please note all giveaways end August 31, 2013 unless specified otherwise.

Chasing Memories by Tia Silverthorne Bach

Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa

The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison

Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C. W. Gortner

The Silent Deal by Levi Stack

The Wilful Eye edited by Isabelle Carmody and Nan McNab


--~ LAST event Book Giveaway ~--

The Wilful Eye
Tales from the Tower
edited by Isabelle Carmody and Nan McNab
Margo Lanagan (Tender Morsels), Rosie Borella, Isobelle Carmody, Richard Harland (Worldshaker), Margaret Mahy (The Seven Chinese Brothers), and Martine Murray (Henrietta There's No One Better) have taken inspiration from stories that have shaped us all, tales like "Beauty and the Beast," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," and "The Snow Queen."

This collection carries universal themes of envy and desire, deception and abandonment, courage and sacrifice.

Characters are enchanted, they transgress, they yearn, they hunger, they hate, and, sometimes, they kill.
Some of the stories inhabit a traditional fairytale world, while others are set in the distant future.

Some are set in the present and some in an alternative present. The stories offer no prescription for living or moral advice and none belong in a nursery.

WIN my review copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD this book to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~


~*~
* Queen Maerie is a fictional vvb32 reads character

* badge image source

* PicMonkey was used for some graphics creations for this event.

***~*~* Fairy Tales in Bruges iv schedule *~*~***

Behind the Mask: Queens

~*~
Queen Maerie converses with queens from other realms.

I shall introduce you to them...

~*~
Meet a queen from Spain...

The Queen's Vow:
A Novel of Isabella of Castile
C. W. Gortner
my review
No one believed I was destined for greatness.

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragon.

As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.

~*~
Meet a queen from England...

Queen's Gambit
by Elizabeth Fremantle
Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry and become his sixth queen.

Katherine has to employ all her instincts to navigate the treachery of the court, drawing a tight circle of women around her, including her stepdaughter, Meg, traumatized by events from their past that are shrouded in secrecy, and their loyal servant Dot, who knows and sees more than she understands. With the Catholic faction on the rise once more, reformers being burned for heresy, and those close to the king vying for position, Katherine’s survival seems unlikely. Yet as she treads the razor’s edge of court intrigue, she never quite gives up on love.>

~*~
Meet a queen from Scotland...

The Wild Queen:
The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots
by Carolyn Meyer
Mary Stuart was just five years old when she was sent to France to be raised alongside her future husband. But when the frail young king dies, eighteen-year-old Mary is stripped of her title as Queen of France and set adrift in the harsh world, alone.Determined to reign over what is rightfully hers, Mary returns to Scotland. Hoping that a husband will help her secure the coveted English throne, she marries again, but the love and security she longs for elude her. Instead, the fiery young queen finds herself embroiled in a murder scandal that could cost her the crown. And her attempts to bargain with her formidable “sister queen,” Elizabeth I of England, could cost her her very life.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
WIN a copy of one of these books!
- for 3 winners

Open to US only.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD one of these books to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

2. TELL me which book you would like to read.

AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~*~
* image source: mask

***~*~* Fairy Tales in Bruges iv schedule *~*~***

Knights from the Pages

~*~
Knights of the realm make an appearance...

--~ eBook Giveaway courtesy of publisher ~--

Gisborne:
Book of Knights
by Prue Batten
Just released: July 2013
Once Lady Ysabel Ce Courcey had thought that if she had been a trobairitz, she might have written a song about herself – her courage in the face of adversity that would have had the men and women in any noble hall sighing as they listened.

Now, on the eve of the Third Crusade, the denouement of the ballad is beginning…

Ysabel races across the waters of the Middle Sea to seek out Sir Guy of Gisborne because she has vital information that could save a king.

But above all, she longs to tell the wronged knight she values him and will stand back to back with him in a vengeful battle that could threaten all their lives.

WIN a kindle copy of this ebook!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD this book to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* image source: knights

***~*~* Fairy Tales in Bruges iv schedule *~*~***

The Silent Deal by Levi Stack

The Silent Deal
by Levi Stack

Visit Levi:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads

Published: 2013
Publisher: self
Genre: Historical, Mystery, YA
Paperback: 358 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | BarnesNoble

When Viktor and Romulus, two peasant boys, dig too deep into their town’s strange past, they awaken the wrath of a mysterious overlord. As the blood brothers struggle to survive, their search for answers takes them through gambling parlors, bare-knuckle boxing matches, and dark forests full of wild animals and men alike. But even with the help of their friends, can they escape the deathly experiments their foe is creating in Staryi Castle?

Enter the bold world of the Russian Empire, where the colorful characters of The Card Game dwell, from the fortune-tellers and fire-jugglers of the Romani Gypsies, to the dangerous criminals that make up the organized Vorovskoy Mir, the Thieves World.

Series:
The Card Game, Book 1
The Magic Trick, Book 2 - to be released December 2013

Amusing quote:
"Every vegetable has its time," grunted Grandpap.
-chapter 12, page 127

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): king of spades
Entertaining read with adventure and mystery that keeps you on your toes.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
WIN my ARC copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD this book to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

***~*~* Fairy Tales in Bruges iv schedule *~*~***

Behind the Mask: Levi Stack

When you enter the game room, you find that it bustles with as much activity as the ballroom. This masked character invites you to try your hand at cards...

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About Levi Stack

Somewhere in the depths of a business class at the University of San Diego, I decided to become a writer. Now deciding to flip your career plan on its head during a single moment of epiphany isn’t exactly stable ground, yet in a way, the decision was a long time coming. I’d spent much of my childhood digging into stories, and in my teen years, I became even more fanatical over my favorite books. Maybe growing up in the mountains outside San Diego contributed to this passion: A dial-up internet connection and nine acres of raw land left great room for imagination.

When I did decide to try my hand at storytelling, I didn’t know where to start. As a child, I wrote short stories that ran into brick walls. You probably did too. Then I turned back to the works of the authors I admired and came to another realization: All my favorite series were planned out in detail before they were written. That’s when the light bulb flicked on.

I spent my last year at USD plotting a large-scale story—and had a great time doing it. The Card Game series emerged, the four-part tale I’m working to complete. Now more than ever, I appreciate the way characters are propelled through journeys, the way new places and situations can be explored. Even my hobbies reflect that appreciation: Writing a story is a lot like juggling—keeping tension in play up to the very climax—or chess—developing the your pieces in the opening, fighting for position in the middle game, and in the endgame, searching for a solution to checkmate.

I can happily say I have no intention of laying the pen down. Hopefully I’ll be crafting stories for decades to come. My goal is to give readers back the some of the enjoyment books gave me. And if I can do that to any extent, I’ll be content.

~*~
Levi's latest creation is...

The Silent Deal:
The Card Game, Book 1
by Levi Stack
signup for giveaway here
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* image source: mask

***~*~* Fairy Tales in Bruges iv schedule *~*~***

Playing Tyler by T.L. Costa

Playing Tyler
by T.L. Costa

Visit TL:
Website
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Just released: July 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Genre: Thriller, YA
Paperback: 304 pages
Rating: 4

Amazon | BarnesNoble

Ani is a geek girl, a legendary gamer and a 16-year-old Yale computer programming prodigy—basically she’s an outcast in her own right.

17-year-old Tyler can’t focus, even when he takes his ADHD medication. Tyler’s dad is dead, his mom has mentally checked out and his brother is in rehab again.

Just when it seems Tyler’s life is on a collision course with a life sentence at McDonald’s, an exciting opportunity to test a flight simulator designed by Ani makes Tyler think his life might be turning around.

Together, Tyler and Ani team up and discover that the simulator is being used for darker purposes than either originally realized.

This is a fast-paced YA thrill ride about teen love, deception and answers the question, when is a game not a game?

Zombie sighting:
Three months ago I would have rather chewed off my own leg rather than miss the release of Zombie Ninja Dojo 2, but now, well, I don't care.
-chapter 23, page 201

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): drones
This riveting story presents elements of geeks, games and moral issues. Kept me guessing through the end.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
WIN my ARC copy of this book!

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2013

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD this book to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Contest has ended - winner is here

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

~*~
* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Road Trip 2013 the Summer Reading Reading Challenge sponsored by BookSparksPR