The Curse of Van Gogh by Paul Hoppe

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The Curse of Van Gogh
by Paul Hoppe

Visit Paul:
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Twitter @AuthorPaulHoppe

Just released: July 29, 2014
Publisher: SparkPress
Genre: Art, Thriller
Paperback: 344 pages
Rating: 3.5

Series:
The Curse of Van Gogh
Chasing Mona Lisa - tba

Tyler Sears, art thief, just released from a Federal prison, vows never again. He slides into a simple life bartending in NYC until one day an invitation arrives to the hottest art event of the season, where Tyler meets Komate Imasu, famed art collector.

Suddenly Tyler's vows of abstinence slip away as Imasu uses threats against Tyler's family. Tyler quickly learns that gambling against a ruthless billionaire is never a good idea.

Forgetting his own safety, Tyler plunges headfirst into a world of art forgers, hit men, Yakuza, a femme fatale named Chanel N°5, and the hideous curse of van Gogh, in order to pull off...the greatest art heist in history.

Zombie sighting:
"Please understand, the medication was used as a tool to pacify your brother. I know you think we turned him into a zombie, but he already was one when he walked through the doors. Our concern all along has been to keep him from harming himself, and as I said to eliminate the horrible nightmares."
-chapter 26, page 149

My two-bits:

While it was interesting to learn a bit about the art world and art forgery, this book took awhile for me to get into. I felt the story was slow paced until the last quarter of the book. Also although the main characters were likable, they were not very interesting to follow.

It would have been interesting to read more on the doings of Van Gogh's curse besides the one story presented.

However, the book ends with a doozy - in a good way.

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* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Challenge 2014. It's not too late, join the reading challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2014!

Dreaming of France - 7

Dreaming of France
meme created by An Accidental Blog
join this week's round and add your link here
Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to my blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it. Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.

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Today I will feature an article about Aix en Provence I came across on NPR last week which also includes a book recommendation:

Mystery Writer Weaves Intricate Puzzles In Sleepy French Town
by Eleanor Beardsley

Excerpt:

The southern French town of Aix-en-Provence is known more for good living than for murder. But the town's languid beauty is also what makes it a perfect setting for Mary Lou Longworth's Provencal mysteries with Inspector Verlaque. -read complete article here

Death at the Chateau Bremont:
A Verlaque and Bonnet Mystery
by M. L. Longworth
Amazon | Goodreads
Set in charming and historic Aix-en-Provence, France, Death at the Château Bremont introduces readers to Antoine Verlaque, the handsome and seductive chief magistrate of Aix, and his on-again, off- again love interest, law professor Marine Bonnet.

When local nobleman Etienne de Bremont falls to his death from the family château, the town is abuzz with rumors. Verlaque suspects foul play and must turn to Marine for help when he discovers that she had been a close friend of the Bremonts. This is a lively whodunit steeped in the rich, enticing, and romantic atmosphere of southern France.

-----> I had the pleasure of visiting Aix on Provence a couple months ago for one night during the Summer solstice celebration. Lots of people, lots of music and happy vibes all-around.

In general, I found the place to be a small charming town in Southern France that definitely is a place to visit again (at daylight).

Austen in August at The Book Rat

Austen in August
at The Book Rat
schedule of event
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FOR all Jane Austen fans and those mildly interested, check out The Book Rat's fifth annual Austen celebration this month!

You are sure to enjoy Jane Austen related guest posts, vlogs, giveaways, etc.

AND, make sure to visit Book Rat on August 21 to see what Jane Austen themed goodie I will be offering to participants.

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This year's read-along for the event are listed below and details here.

Per The Book Rat: Questions for Northanger and little tidbits on Mr Darcy on Wednesdays throughout the month, with Twitter discussion happening on the last Wednesday, 8/27 at 8:30pm EST (hashtag #WednesdayYA).

I may give these a try despite my already booked up month of reading ;-)

Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen
Amazon | Goodreads
Free downloads:
Guttenberg | Public Bookshelf | Books Should Be Free | Pemberley | audio: Librivox
While enjoying a six weeks' stay in fashionable Bath, the young and callow Catherine Morland is introduced to the delights of high society. Thanks to a new literary diet of the sensational and the macabre, Catherine travels to Northanger Abbey fully expecting to become embroiled in a Gothic adventure of intrigue and suspense and, once there, soon begins to form the most gruesome and improbable theories about the exploits of its occupants. An early work, but published posthumously, Northanger Abbey is a satire on the Gothic mode typified by the novels of Ann Radcliffe, as well as a witty comedy of manners in the style of Jane Austen's later novels and, ultimately, an enchanting love story.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart
by Beth Pattillo
Amazon | Goodreads
Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil -- a nice if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice -- in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy -- leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that love isn't logical and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected of places.

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Save the Date

* HEADS UP: I will be throwing a Pemberley Ball virtual book event in November. It will be my third one since 2011.

Visit Pemberley Balls held in the past 2009, 2010, 2011.

IF you are interested in participating with a guest post, giveaway, etc. feel free to contact me at vvb32 at yahoo.com by the end of October for more details.

AND/OR if you want to be sent a reminder a week before the event starts, let me know in comments along with your email address.

* image source: Austen ball

Until You're Mine by Samantha Hayes (with giveaway)

Until You're Mine: A Novel
by Samantha Hayes

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon
BookExcerpt
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter @samhayes

Published: April 2014
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Women's Fiction
Hardback: 368 pages
Rating: 5

You're alone.

You're vulnerable.

And you have something that someone else wants. At any cost.

Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all. Pregnant with a much-wanted first baby of her own, she has a happily established family of two small step-sons and a loving husband with a great career. But she is also committed to her full-time job as a social worker, and her husband travels often. So when Claudia hires Zoe to help her around the house in anticipation of the baby’s arrival, it seems like the answer to her prayers. But despite Zoe's glowing recommendations and instant rapport with the children, there's something about her that Claudia cannot trust.

Moreover, there has been a series of violent attacks on pregnant women in the area, and Claudia becomes acutely aware of her vulnerability. With her husband out of town for work and her family far away, who will be there to protect her? And why does she feel unsettled about Zoe? Realizing appearances can be deceiving even in her seemingly perfect world, Claudia digs deeper into Zoe’s blurry past and begins to wonder – how far would someone go to have a child of her own?

Riveting from its very first pages, Until You’re Mine is a multilayered masterwork of twisted, psychological suspense. Readers of Before I Go to Sleep and Turn of Mind will be enthralled by this multilayered novel, featuring a twisted plot that ends in a breathtaking and shocking finale.

My two-bits:

Very engaging psychological thriller with an interesting twist!

Each of the main characters held secrets that kept me glued to the end.

This one got me thinking of women and their relationships in regards to motherhood, sisterhood and friendships.

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

Open to all.

Offer ends: August 31, 2014

TO DO: (2-parts)

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

OR

Tweet about this giveaway.

OR

Recommend this on Google using the mini-button at end of this post (g+1).

OR

Facebook or Instagram or Pinterest or Tumblr the Book Cover image.

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Contest has ended - winner is here

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* I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge

Stacking the Shelves - 8.16.14

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!

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Bought:

Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen Marvel Adaptation
by Nancy Butler (Author), Janet Lee (Illustrator)
-graphic novel, jane austen
Amazon | Goodreads

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart
by Beth Pattillo
-chick-lit, jane austen
Amazon | Goodreads
-----> Getting ready for the Book Rat's Austen in August read-along


For Review:

Rock Angel
by Jeanne Bogino
-music, new adult
courtesy of BookSparks
Thanks Janay!
Amazon | Goodreads

Library:

The Winner's Curse
by Marie Rutkoski
-dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

-----> I am listening to the audio version and loving it!


Dreaming about getting soon:

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
by Haruki Murakami
-japanese, contemporary fiction
Amazon | Goodreads
Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine', and Oumi, ‘blue sea', while the girls' names were Shirane, ‘white root', and Kurono, ‘black field'. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it.

One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn’t want to see him, or talk to him, ever again.

Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

-----> Been meaning to read another Murakami (since reading Sputnik Sweetheart -my review) and this looks like a good one.

Also, have been impressed with the Murakami hype and midnight release for this latest novel.

I would love to know if you've read any Murakami and any thoughts on his writing.

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* some of these may 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