Thursday, January 29, 2015

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon: Mid-Week Check-In #WintersRespite


I'm making myself stand in the corner for being a bad read-a-thon host. I have decided that I will no longer schedule these read-a-thons for the end of the month. I work from home and end of the month is my most hectic work time. I finally realized the problem! For future reference the Winter, Spring and Summer read-a-thons will be the third week of the month and the FrightFall one will be the first full week in October. I must save my sanity somehow!

So, I'm just now making my way around to your blogs and...guess what? I didn't even post a starting post myself. Doh!

Have you checked out the prize page yet? We have some great prizes from some generous authors...and from me too! You can check it out HERE or by clicking the tab in the menu above.

I've decided to have the Twitter chat on Saturday at 8:30pm CST/9:30pm EST. Remember out hashtag is #WintersRespite Hope to "see" you there!

If you post an update, feel free to share the link in the comments.

Happy Reading!

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Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon - Prize Promotion Page #WintersRespite


This is the prize promotion page for all the prizes being given away for the read-a-thon. We have a several amazing book prizes donated from some very generous authors and bloggers and a couple of prizes from me! At the end of this post, you will find details regarding how the prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the read-a-thon.

Note: These fine authors who so generously donated their books would greatly appreciate a review, if you win, on your blog and/or on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you!

(WINNER - LUCY)
The Goddess Born series, Books 1 and 2 by Kari Edgren (Digital copies, one winner--International)


Goddess Born
2013 RWA Golden Heart© Finalist
2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist

The power to heal is her divine gift, the fear of discovery, her mortal curse.

Selah Kilbrid is caught between two worlds. A direct descendant of the Celtic goddess Brigid, she is bound by Tuatha Dé law to help those in need. Yet as a human, she must keep her unique abilities hidden or risk being charged for a witch. In 1730 Pennsylvania, the Quaker community of Hopewell has become a haven for religious freedom—and fanaticism—and there are those who would see her hanged if the truth were revealed.

For eighteen years, Selah safely navigates the narrow gap between duty and self-preservation, until the day a prominent minister uncovers her secret. Obsessed with her power, Nathan Crowley disregards her betrothal to a distant cousin from Ireland and demands marriage in exchange for his silence. Selah stalls for time, but when news reaches the Colonies of her cousin’s death, time has run out.

Rather than submit to Nathan, Selah coerces a stranger to pose as her husband. It’s a good plan—her only plan—even though Henry Alan harbors his own dark secrets. But when she returns to Hopewell a married woman, the real fight has just begun. As unseen forces move against her, Selah doesn’t know which poses the greater danger—a malignant shadow closing in from outside or the internal fire that threatens to consume her heart.


A Grave Inheritance
Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London’s most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid’s fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.


About the author
Kari Edgren is the author of the Goddess Born series. In 2010 and 2011 she was a semifinalist for the Amazon Break Through Novel Award. In 2013, she was a RWA Golden Heart finalist. Ms. Edgren enjoys writing both historical and contemporary fiction, so long as there’s a spark of paranormal. She resides on a mountain top in the Pacific Northwest where she spends a great deal of time dreaming about the sun and torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts.

For more information please visit Kari Edgren’s website. You can also find her on FacebookTwitter, and Goodreads.

Sign Up for Kari Edgren’s Newsletter.

(WINNER - TARA)
Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen and the Men Who Loved Her by Robert Stephen Parry 
(one copy, Kindle or print -- International)

The Elizabethan golden age was peopled by a court of flamboyant and devoted men - each one unique, ambitious and talented. At its centre was a woman, Elizabeth, the Tudor princess who succeeded to the throne of England in 1558 and who vowed to her Parliament to remain unwed and a Virgin Queen for the rest of her life. How did such a diverse group of red-blooded men view their ?Gloriana?? What were their aims and intentions? What were their dreams? And just how did Elizabeth manage to control and manipulate them? A unique blend of fact and fiction brings the Elizabethan court and its inhabitants to life in an evocative series of biographical sketches that will inform and entertain in equal measure. 


About the author
Robert Stephen Parry is a UK writer of historical fiction with special interests in Tudor, Elizabethan and Georgian England; Victorian Gothic and Pre-Raphaelite art. A fresh and original voice in historical fiction, his work combines reality, mystery and imagination within a well-researched and vivid historical setting. Publications to date include:

2014 'ELIZABETH - The Virgin Queen and the Men who Loved Her.'
2013 'WILDISH - A Story Concerning Different Kinds of Love'
2011 'THE ARROW CHEST - A Victorian Mystery'
2009 'VIRGIN AND THE CRAB - Sketches, Fables and Mysteries from the Early Life of John Dee and Elizabeth Tudor'

https://robertstephenparry.wordpress.com
https://elizabethsmen.wordpress.com

(WINNERS - BRITTANY, JANE, SARAH)
Miss Taken series, Books 1 and 2 by Cleo Scornavacca (3 2 sets, digital--International)



Miss Taken
Love........................The Ultimate Loss of Control

Rain and Raven Medici are identical twins. Although they come from a loving close-knit family their childhoods couldn’t have been more different. Raven went to school and was exposed freely to the outside world. Rain on the other hand was born with a blood disorder and denied many normal childhood experiences.

Once grown, Raven becomes a lawyer at their dad’s firm Kane & Medici in NYC. Rain along with her only childhood friend Tommy Conte, builds a very successful business as professional photographers. Traveling between Europe and Manhattan, and enjoying a world that was kept from her, Rain vows never to be controlled again.

Dominick Kane is a product of his upbringing. He’s powerful, self-assured and knows he can achieve anything he desires. Nothing gets in his way. There is only one thing he has ever failed at. A relationship with his father Vincent Kane. Upon his father’s death, Dominick vows revenge. The events he sets in motion put him on a collision course he himself will be unable to control.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Dominick kidnaps Raven as part of his plan for revenge. Only to discover afterward, he has taken Rain by mistake. Rain knows she can never survive being confined again. So she strikes a bargain with the devil and agrees to help Dominick get back what he feels rightly belongs to him. His father’s share of Kane & Medici.

Dominick decides to use the strong attraction growing between Rain and himself to control her in every way imaginable. Too bad no one ever taught Dominick you can’t control the heart. Nothing could have prepared him for the effect Rain would have on his.

Will this plan of revenge turn into unconditional love? Or will Dominick and Rain’s need for control ultimately destroy them and any possible chance for a real future together…………...



Identity
People aren’t always who you believe them to be.
Dominick Kane and Rain Medici started their relationship with one another in the most unconventional way.

He kidnapped her.

With the kidnapping now behind them, life returns to normal, right?

Not a chance.

The push, the pull and their fights for control that we’ve come to love about Dominick and Rain still exist. And so does their passion.

People aren’t who you think they are. Familiar faces are not so familiar. The past and the present collide, opening up all of those old wounds and struggles once again.

Now, everything you thought you knew, gets blown out of the water.

Can Dominick and Rain finally heal what’s broken? Or will new discoveries push them even further apart.

Will love win out and bring them back together? Or will ghosts of the past ultimately destroy their love once and for all...

About the author
As far back as I can remember, I've loved books. I love reading them and finally, I've admitted to myself that I love to write them.

Since the day I started to write Rain and Dominick's story, I've never looked back, nor do I regret one single moment of it.

When I write, much of the time the story plays in my head as a movie and sometimes even includes background music. We can all use a little background music.

I try to add elements of things I love. And share them with the readers. I'll continue to create characters and stories that you can laugh, cry, love, hate and even become slightly crazy about.

Let's face it, we can all use some crazy every now and then.

Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Website

******************
(WINNER - LAURIE)
From literary publicist extraordinaire, Stephanie Barko 
www.stephaniebarko.com/blog
(One winner, winner's choice from list below--U.S. only)

Up The Hill to Home by Jennifer Bort Yacovissi (historical novel galley)
http://www.jbyacovissi.com/about-the-book

Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller (nonfiction paperback special edition)
http://www.waynemuller.com/books_and_cds

Marilyn & Me: A Timeless Love Story (revised edition) by Jack Underhill (memoir paperback)
www.marilynandme.org

Live at Five by Larry Brill (autographed contemporary novel paperback by former network news anchor)
http://larrybrill.com/books.php

Kid Me Not: An Anthology by Child-free Women of the ‘60s Now in their ‘60s by Aralyn Hughes with foreword by bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert
www.childfreewomen.com

Eulogy by WC Jameson (debut Western novel by movie soundtrack singer/songwriter & nonfiction author of 80 + titles)
http://www.wcjameson.com/books--writing.html

****************

From Jenna at The Girl with Book Lungs
{8 7 5 4 books (8 7 5 4 winners--U.S. only)}

ARC of Death by Blue Water by Kait Carson (WINNER - CAROL)
ARC of Small Town Spin by LynDee Walker - released 2014, gently read (WINNER - LAURIE)
ARC of Bridges Burned by Annette Dashofy - new, TBR 4/7/15 (WINNER - CAROL)
ARC of With Vics You Get Eggroll by Diane Vallere - new, TBR 4/14/15 (WINNER - NAILA)
Night Watch by Linda Hall, new (WINNER - ANNA L.)
ARC of Macdeath by Cindy Brown - gently read, releases 1/20/15 (WINNER - ANNA)
Final Notice by Jennifer L. Hart - released 2014, gently read (WINNER - THE BLUEST BUTTERFLY)
Fraud at Snofields by Daniel Klock (WINNER - SARAH)

**************

(WINNERS - SHARON, TIF)
Two  One winners will each receive a $5 Amazon digital gift from yours truly!

Giveaway Details
This is a read-a-thon participant only giveaway. To be eligible, you must have signed up, participated and completed a wrap-up post at the end and link it here at Seasons of Reading at the official read-a-thon wrap-up post (I will give everyone until Tuesday (2/3) at 11:59pm CST to complete their wrap-up posts). We have a total of 16 prizes. This means there will be 16 winners. I will award prizes on a first come, first servedI will draw the 16 winners with random.org and email all 16 at the same time. The first person who emails me back with their choice gets that prize. I will mark off the prizes as they are taken. All eBook prizes will be sent to winner via email (or will be given a coupon code) so please specify what format you require in your email. Winners will be chosen after the wrap-up post deadline (see above). 

Good luck and thanks for joining me for the read-a-thon!


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Monday, January 26, 2015

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon - Starting Post #WintersRespite


Time to start! I hope everyone is ready to get some relaxing Winter reading in this week. I know I am. Just hoping I can find the time, as always!

I have a few prizes lined up and I'll have the prize page posted by late Tuesday.

If you have any questions about how things work, check out the guidelines tab above or the sign up post, or you can always leave me a comment. The linky below is the same one as the sign up linky. If you do a starting line/goal post, just add your link again, but be sure to put "goal post" beside your name, i.e. Michelle/The True Book Addict (goal post).

Once again, we will only have one Twitter chat. I know that I will have to schedule it at night, probably after 7:00pm central time. Please let me know in the comments what night of the week and time would work for you. I will go with the majority out of who votes in the comments.

Our hashtag for the read-a-thon is #WintersRespite You can use the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook...and even Instagram if you take pictures. 

I think that about covers it. Enjoy the week and Happy Winter Reading!

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Saturday, January 10, 2015

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon: It's Almost Here! Sign Up Now! #WintersRespite


I am SO late with this sign-up post. Sorry all! The holidays were a whirlwind of fun, family and some unfortunate illness on my part so it all went by in a flash...literally. The next thing I knew, we were in a new year and A Winter's Respite is just around the corner. Yikes! I hope you're ready to come in from the cold and curl up with a good book, or two.

So...official dates are January 26 through February 1. Guidelines for the read-a-thon can be found HERE or you can access in the tab at the top of the blog. Any information you need about the read-a-thon can be found there. We will have one Twitter chat. I will announce the date and time in the starting post. Please do be sure to check the guidelines, as it explains all about signing up and starting the read-a-thon. Our Twitter hashtag is #WintersRespite


Sign up in the linky below. Be sure to grab the button at the top of this post (there's also a grab code below the button in the sidebar). 
I am looking for prize donations so if anyone would like to contribute, let me know. Authors, this is a great way to promote your book! Contact me via the contact form link just below the header.

Thanks for signing up!


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