Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Taking Shots by Toni Aleo

Taking Shots by Toni Aleo
Published By: Lulu.com
Release Date: October 10, 2011
Format: Paperback - 478 pages / Kindle - 704 KB / Nook - 379 KB
ISBN: 1105114872
ASIN: B005SMXVRE
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Chick Lit / Women's Fiction

About The Author:

My name is Toni Aleo!

I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.

I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it's because of my intense love for hockey!

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena's glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn't pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son's hockey games, my daughter's dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.

I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

I hope to hear from you on here, my Facebook or Twitter pages!

Thank you very much!

Toni Aleo's Taking Shots Virtual Book Tour Page On Chick Lit Plus

BUY THE BOOK: Taking Shots

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

LULU MARKETPLACE

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Saturday, May 26, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Toni Aleo participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/author-guest-post-toni-aleo-author-of.html

Book Description:

Elli Fisher has never thought she was good enough. Let it be her job, her weight, her love life, nothing, she was convinced she couldn't do anything right. She had walked through life for the past six years in a daze, never thinking that life could be good again after the abuse she endured from her ex boyfriend. She is lonely, sad, and depressed, that is until she meets Shea Adler. After doing a promotional shoot for the NHL team, the Nashville Assassins, she meets the hunky hockey player who shoots a puck, shattering her world.

Shea Adler was tired of the life he was living outside the rink. The girls, the money blowing, the drinking, everything had to stop and it all did when he met Eleanor Fisher. He had never met anyone like her. She is feisty, witty, shy, and simply gorgeous. When he laid eyes on her, it was as if he was taking the hardest hit of his life into the boards, and he had to have her.

Elli is a little skeptical of Shea, but he knows that they were meant to be together, and he needed her in his life. But Elli just doesn't understand what Shea could see in her. She is overweight, loud, and not even that pretty, so why would someone so gorgeous and so amazing want to be with her? It seemed that no matter how hard she tried to shake Shea off, he wasn't going anywhere, and for the first time Elli didn't feel alone.

But could Elli throw her insecurities out the window and love Shea with everything inside of her? Or will she let a past relationship, and her family ruin any chance of her being happy?

Would Elli miss her shot at love?

My Book Review:

Taking Shots is a sassy little romance novel that will keep you thoroughly entertained as you turn the pages. The storyline is realistic and draws the reader in as Elli and Shea's story unfolds before their eyes. With a great hockey theme as the background to the story, the author does a great job describing the sport. If you're not a fan of the sport before you read the book, you will be afterwards! The author provides the reader with characters that are realistic and fun to get to know. Ellie and Shea along with their best friends Harper and Jakob, each have their own idiosyncrasies and issues that they have to deal with, and reading how their relationships unfold in the story kept me interested. I couldn't help but really like each one of these characters and pull for them as they dealt with the ups and downs of their relationships. The characters dealt with some very real issues that the readers can easily identify with: insecurities, self-confidence, trust, illness (hypothyroidism), betrayal, and forgiveness. In true romance novel tradition, this story has a lot of sizzling, smoking hot, passionate sex scenes. I kind of felt myself blush at some of the graphic sex scenes, but it sure was entertaining! Like other reviewers before me have stated, I think the storyline was a bit too lengthy and drawn out, and I could have easily lost my interest in finishing the story if I wasn't so intrigued to see how Elli and Shea's relationship ended up. Nonetheless, I did find this story entertaining, and would recommend this book to fans of chick lit and contemporary romance genres.

RATING: 4 STARS ****

Friday, May 25, 2012

Virtual Book Tour Events: Week of 5/27-6/2/12

Virtual Book Tour Events: Week of 5/27-6/2/12

Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book event:

The Sand Bar by Rebecca Bryan

Sunday, May 27, 2012 ~ Author Interview and Book Review

Book Description: The Sand Bar

With nothing to show for the last eight years but a dusty diploma, a failed marriage, a lot of emotional baggage - Gucci, thank you - and a really great collection of designer shoes, Marlo Leavitt has come home again.

With her marriage annulled and her emotions in tatters, Marlo returns to her hometown of St. Anthony, Idaho, to care for her sick father and get back on her feet. She runs into Brandon, the boyfriend whose heart she broke before she left town, and finds him unhappy in his marriage and his life. Marlo fears she has not only ruined her own chance for happiness, but that of a man she once loved. When she meets an old woman who offers her a chance to make things right by going back in time, Marlo feels she has nothing to lose. She accepts the elixir and soon finds herself not in the past, but two years in the future, married to Brandon and living the life she had always dreaded: stuck in a tiny town with a toddler she doesn't know or love.

Things get more complicated when she begins to suspect that Brandon had a part in his first wife's mysterious death. With the help of handsome Luke Dawson, an old classmate and now a police officer, Marlo must solve the mystery of what really happened the night she took the elixir, and fix her broken relationships before she can return to the present and truly have a second chance at happiness.

******

Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book event:

Flat Spin by David Freed

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 ~ Author Interview and Book Review

Book Description: Flat Spin

Based in sunny Rancho Bonita - "California's Monaco" as the city's moneyed minions like to call it - Cordell Logan is a literate, sardonic flight instructor and aspiring Buddhist with dwindling savings and a shadowy past. When his beautiful ex-wife, Savannah, shows up out of the blue to tell him that her husband has been murdered in Los Angeles, Logan is quietly pleased. Savannah's late husband is, after all, Arlo Echevarria, the man she left Logan for.

Logan and Echevarria were once comrades-in-arms assigned to a top-secret military assassination team known simply as "Alpha." Though Savannah was never privy to the gritty details of their assignment, she suspects that Echevarria's death must be related to the work he did for the government. The only problem is, the LAPD can find no record of Echevarria ever having toiled for Uncle Sam. Savannah wants Logan to tell the police what he knows. At first he refuses, but then, relying on his small, aging airplane, the Ruptured Duck, and on the skills he honed working for the government, Logan doggedly hunts Echevarria's killer.

His trail takes him from the glitzy Las Vegas Strip to the most dangerous ghettos of inner-city Oakland, from darkened, Russian mafia haunts in West Los Angeles to the deserts of Arizona. Along the way, Logan is stalked by a mysterious motorist who repeatedly tried to kill him. But that's the least of his problems. It is his love-hate relationship with Savannah, a woman Logan continues to pine for in spite of himself, that threatens to consume him.

Transcending the worlds of murder, aviation and international counterterrorism, Flat Spin resonates with a veracity that only an author who knows his subject firsthand can deliver.

******

In association with Chick Lit Plus, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book tour event:

A Contented Mind by Samantha Hoffman

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 ~ Author Guest Post and Book Review

Book Description: A Contented Mind

Sometimes it takes seeing the dream before we find the courage to face the nightmare.

When young, our greatest fears are of the shadow figures that live within our sleeping mind. As we age, we discover what's most frightening is a life not fully lived, desires left unfulfilled and a past that keeps us tethered in darkness.

Without realizing it, bestselling author Meg Scott, stepped into the life of her dreams. A new beachfront home on the West Coast; a far cry from her secluded home shared only with her faithful Irish setter on Martha's Vineyard. A gig playing violin with a world renowned rock band about to depart on a European acoustic tour; friends that easily became the family she lost when young. And upon shaking hands with the band's drummer, Jadon Hastings, love and desire she'd never known beyond the stories she wrote.

All too often, shadow figures arrive camouflaged as friends, and those who profess love are worse than those that once haunted our childhood nights.

Under a hazy California sun, Meg's dream sits in clear view. To make it her own, she'll have to confront not only her past, but her future. In doing so, she discovers - those you trust - can't always be trusted.

******

In association with Virtual Book Tour Cafe, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book tour event:

Dancing Naked In Dixie by Lauren Clark

Thursday, May 31, 2012 ~ Author Interview and Book Review

Book Description: Dancing Naked In Dixie

Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.

With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the 'Heart of Dixie' - Eufaula, Alabama - home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.

Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?

******

Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book event:

The Last Degree by Dina Rae

Friday, June 1, 2012 ~ Author Guest Post and Book Review

Book Description: The Last Degree

The Last Degree is a fictional account of how the New World Order plays out in modern day. Freemason Supreme Council members accelerate their plans for a one world government. Rory Schanck, the ultimate insider, sabotages the Supreme Council's progress. Once discovered, he's found dead in an alleyway. He leaves his sister a stolen fortune and book of ancient prophecy. Feeling threatened, she opts for underground living.

Chicago Detective Dan O'Leary almost solves the Schanck homicide, but is forced to resign. Instead of living in a quiet retirement, he begins a new career as a survivalist compound specialist. Like his clients, he prepares for a global takeover.

James Martin, an eccentric hermit, is reluctantly used as God's mouthpiece. He and his compound are trained by Dan to fight off New World Order.

The world is divided into ten regions. A shadow government emerges, dictating new laws and eradicating their opposition.

Headlines such as the Norway massacre, the meltdown of the European Union, unscrupulous media, animal die-offs, Middle Eastern unrest, and the United States' shrinking power make the plot relevant to present day. This book is an ode to Birthers, 2012ers, Truthers, Tribulationists, and other conspiracy junkies who enjoy Dan Brown, Jesse Ventura, Brad Meltzer, Glenn Beck, Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.

******

In association with Tourz de Codex, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the following virtual book tour event:

Familiar Ties by Naya Nikki

Saturday, June 2, 2012 ~ Author Guest Post & Book Review

Book Description: Familiar Ties

Max West is a widower raising Phoebe, his four-year-old daughter. Phoebe has to live with the fact that the day she was born is also the day of her mother's death. As her fifth year without her mother approaches, Phoebe finds solace in her godmother, Amy Riley, and her daughter, Grace Crawford, another single parent family.

Amy Riley is a successful fashion designer who spends most of her days raising her four-year-old daughter, Grace, while her wayward boyfriend is travelling the world making the next best film. As the fifth year without her best friend looms she finds comfort in her ex-boyfriend, Max, and his daughter, Phoebe.

These two "broken" families have a tough week to face as the dreaded day approaches. However through their past, present and debatable future will their choices affect the outcome both parents clearly want and are simply denying? Or will Phoebe and Grace lose the only "whole" family they have ever known?

Author Guest Post: William Bertram MacFarland, Author of Back Channel: The Kennedy Years

In association with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews welcomes William Bertram MacFarland, author of Back Channel: The Kennedy Years!

A White House Grieves

William Bertram MacFarland

I've been asked to describe how I felt and what was going on in the White House the day of President Kennedy's assassination. It's extremely painful for me to re-live that day. The world lost a great leader, our nation lost its last chance of avoiding involvement in a grotesque war in Vietnam and all Americans lost a true visionary who inspired the country and united everyone around him. I lost my best friend. His death was the end of Camelot.

On November 22, 1963 I was sitting in my office in the West Wing working on the troop withdrawal plan for South Vietnam when around 1:45pm I heard somebody running down the corridor yelling, "Everybody drop what you're doing and get to the Staff Dining Room!" There was an unmistakable note of panic in the voice and although I didn't want to interrupt my train of thought on the mathematics of the model construction, I was concerned and figured, "What the hell. My train of thought has already been interrupted." I wrote down some details of the mathematical trail I had been following, out everything in the safe for classified materials, and went out into the corridor. There were an astonishing number of people jogging towards the staff dining room and a palpable sense of fear and panic in the air. I asked someone what was going on and he told me he wasn't sure but he had heard someone say that the President had been shot. To this day I clearly remember the icy knot that instantly formed in my gut and when I stumbled but recovered, my 'jogging companion' glanced at me and told me I should stop for a minute and sit down and put my head between my legs because my face had lost all color and he thought I was going to faint. I assured him that I was OK and that fainting wasn't what I had in mind.

When we got to the dining room, somebody had shoved three or four tables against the far wall, put a chair on each table and a TV on the seat of each chair. We silently watched the unfolding events in Dallas with mounting horror and when it was finally announced that President Kennedy was dead, the room erupted with groans and cries of grief. Some people couldn't move and stood frozen watching the broadcast. Stunned, I went back to my office and spent the next half hour trying to get through to Bobby Kennedy on his personal line. It was swamped and I tried the private line of Angela Novello, his personal secretary, with no more success. Finally, I quit trying and just sat back in my chair to think. It was just so hard to take in. How could President Kennedy be dead? It was incomprehensible, impossible - but deep down, I knew it had to be true and I was completely heartbroken. I wanted to go back to my apartment and try to assimilate things and that's when the realization of how much everything was going to change began to hit me. Did I still have a car and driver? I picked up the phone and got the White House car pool folks on the line and asked them and was told that since my limo privileges had been established by Presidential order, they were going to stand until another Presidential order cancelled them. I asked for a car in fifteen minutes.

I straightened up my office and went outside to meet my car. I'll never forget walking through those White House corridors. They were jammed with people, some by themselves, others in small groups. Some were wandering aimlessly - often weeping inconsolably - others talking softly and urgently to each other but the once constant was the look of horror-stricken despair on their ashen faces. I don't think I looked any better. I know I damned well didn't feel any better.

Most employers had let their people go early and the streets were jammed when we left. Washington traffic is always difficult but I'd never seen it like this. So many drivers were so distracted that twice we came within a hairsbreadth of being run into. Others were not so fortunate and the police were out in droves directing traffic around fender-benders. Later, the police estimated the number of minor accidents that November evening was nearly four times the average. The scene on the sidewalks was bizarre as well. Normally (at rush hour) the sidewalks are jammed with people walking very briskly to get to their bus stop or car pool pick-up point and while there was certainly still a lot of that, there were an amazing number of people who were just ambling aimlessly or even simply standing on the curb, staring blankly out at traffic. It was a huge relief to walk into the quiet of my apartment.

I arrived at the White House the next morning to turn in my letter of resignation. I wasn't about to knock on the door of the Oval Office but I knocked on Evelyn Lincoln's office door and there was no one there. I went by Security and asked if President Johnson (I about choked) was in the building and was told he was not. Determined to wait around until I could find somebody to hand my letter to, I went back to my office to start making plans for my future outside the White House.

About The Author:

William Bertram MacFarland - Bertie Mac - never sought - or even imagined - a role as a Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Even less did he imagine continuing in the role of Special Assistant to the President in eight subsequent administrations. His degrees from Duke University were in Mathematics and Physics (Quantum Mechanics) but fate and the U.S. government extinguished any hope of a career in those fields.

Eager for adventure and travel, immediately after graduation from university he entered the intelligence arm of the government, did extensive military training, became a U.S. Army Ranger, trained in Special Operations, hand to hand combat techniques, did rigorous advanced parachute training, and went through intensive training in Russian language and culture at the language school in Monterrey, California. Subsequently assigned as a "diplomatic courier" to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, he was callously betrayed by his own government - the government of the United States of America - and turned over to the Soviet Union where he was brutally tortured in Lubyanka Prison at KGB Headquarters in Moscow. He was rescued near the point of death in a clandestine operation carried out by two high ranking Soviet Generals and was entrusted by them with information which became vital to the peaceful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. His unique value to both sides was his profound distrust of both governments.

He slowly came to be a friend and confidant of President Kennedy in his (unsought) role as Special Assistant to the President and he tried in vain (and disgust) to resign his position when President Kennedy was assassinated but President Johnson would not accept it. The knowledge and "back channel" contacts that he had accumulated - and continued to accumulate as his career progressed - made him uniquely valuable to a long succession of U.S. Presidents. His 50 year access to the highest levels of nine Administrations and the highly classified materials that they generated make him uniquely qualified to relate these riveting and spellbinding memoirs. His reputation as being totally incorruptible is not necessarily a good thing in the halls of power and the only thing that has saved him from assassination by officials in his own government is a vast collection of documents accumulated over the entirety of his career which resides in a safe deposit box in a western European country - the key to which is held by a well known law firm in that country. Should he die under suspicious circumstances, those documents will be released to the public - at a horrific cost to hundreds of individuals and indeed, to the nation as a whole.

He describes himself as "a patriot, a soldier, a spy, and an assassin." The description does not do him full justice. He was involved in intergovernmental intrigues at the highest levels and as a superbly trained and conditioned special operative he was an amalgam of James Bond, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan. He is surely one of the American "cousins" described by John Le Carre. Bertie never sought glory or recognition for his contributions. He did what he did purely from his love of country. He is a true American hero - who will forever remain anonymous and in the shadows.

William Bertram MacFarland's Back Channel: The Kennedy Years Virtual Book Tour Page On Pump Up Your Book!

BUY THE BOOK: Back Channel: The Kennedy Years

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Book Description: Back Channel: The Kennedy Years

This is the first book of a remarkable memoir of a Special Assistant to President John F. Kennedy. Known familiarly as Bertie Mac, he reported directly to the President and his office was in the West Wing of the White House. Prior to achieving that position, he had been betrayed by his own government - the United States - and handed over to the Soviets. He was tortured in the Lubyanka prison in Moscow before being covertly rescued by two high ranking Soviet Generals who wanted to convey information directly to the White House to try to avert a nuclear confrontation. They believed that he would be a uniquely reliable conduit of information between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as he deeply mistrusted both governments and therefore had absolutely no motivation to "color" any information he might transmit. Bertie Mac coined the term "Back Channel" and served as a direct communication link between the White House and the Kremlin during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Bertie Mac is a patriot, a soldier, a spy and an assassin. He served in all four roles during his time under President Kennedy. You will see the Soviet Union, the White House, Camelot, Vietnam and the assassination of the President in a very new light and watch history as it was being made.

Bertie Mac served under and reported to nine U.S. Presidents. This book is the first in the series. It is heavily documented with photocopies of documents which, though now declassified, originally bore the very highest of security classifications - Top Secret / Sensitive / Eyes Only. The documents are indisputably authentic and reveal the real facts that the American - and world - public never knew. Back Channel recounts the first stage of a totally fascinating journey.

BACK CHANNEL BOOK TRAILER

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years by William Bertram MacFarland

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years by William Bertram MacFarland
Published By: CreateSpace
Release Date: September 8, 2011
Format: Paperback - 298 pages / Kindle - 2697 KB
ISBN: 1463556942
ASIN: B005WJX2WW
Genre: Memoir / US History - Nonfiction

About The Author:

William Bertram MacFarland's Back Channel: The Kennedy Years Virtual Book Tour Page On Pump Up Your Book!

BUY THE BOOK: Back Channel: The Kennedy Years

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Friday, May 25, 2012, in association with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours, author William Bertram MacFarland participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/author-guest-post-william-bertram.html

BACK CHANNEL BOOK TRAILER

Book Description:

My Book Review:

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years is an eye-opening memoir about the Kennedy administration from an insider's view. This fascinating book is the first in a series of nine books documenting the author's position as Special Assistant to nine U.S. Presidents (JFK to George W. Bush), and the events that went on during each of their administrations.

In this first book, Back Channel: The Kennedy Years, Mr. MacFarland documents the beginning of his career in the U.S. government when he was recruited for the CIA in his junior year at Duke University, through the assassination of JFK and the transition to the LBJ administration. Bertie Mac provides the reader with an insider's view into the workings of the highest level of the U.S. government, and backs its up with supporting documentation that is now declassified. This riveting accounting of the Camelot time period in U.S. history is jammed packed with intriguing intelligence stories and accounts like The Bay of Pigs, The Cuban Missile Crisis, Policy Disputes (Domestic and Foreign), Civil Rights legislation, friction with LBJ (as JFK's VP), Vietnam briefings, and JFK's assassination and conspiracy theories.

As a history buff and fan of everything JFK and Camelot, I absolutely loved Bertie Mac's powerful recollections of his position and friendship with JFK and the Kennedy clan. His chapters on Camelot (Chapter 3) and Hyannis Port (Chapter 6) was a fascinating but bittersweet recollection of the best and brightest time period in American history.

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years is a history lesson for the American public that they would have never received if this memoir wasn't written. It is an astonishing look into the "real" inner workings of what goes on in our government behind closed doors and out of the public's eyes. If the reader takes away anything from reading this book, it is that the information that the American public receives from our government is just an optical illusion for what they want us to believe. I look forward to reading the other eight books in this series so I can compare how each Presidential administration was run.

Back Channel: The Kennedy Years is a simply stunning book, one that is a must read for every American citizen.

RATING: 5 STARS *****

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Author Guest Post: Pepper Phillips, Author of The Devil Has Dimples

In association with Chick Lit Plus, Jersey Girl Book Reviews welcomes Pepper Phillips, author of The Devil Has Dimples!

Southern Comfort Means Food

My two daughters and I were talking on the patio one day and the subject of food came up.

We all love to cook ... and eat.

Fast food doesn't do it for us. Prepared frozen food doesn't do it for us. Preparing food is a way to create. All of us can whip up a meal for a crowd or just our family. It isn't unusual for us to create new recipes.

Donna Lee makes a mean white chocolate bread pudding with white chocolate sauce to pour over it. Just writing about it makes me drool. This past weekend, she made her chicken casserole dip, but as she didn't have her usual ingredients, she improvised. It was better than her usual dish! Super good.

Cat is more aggressive in her seasonings. Her dishes have a 'bite' to them. I've been at her house while she's cooking and she doesn't use recipes. I can't do that.

I like recipes and collect cookbooks. I don't know how many I have, but I have managed to collect some that are quite old. I did create a great cornbread dressing recipe that is devoured by my family. I keep telling my husband that I need to make a separate pan so that we can have some for leftovers.

So, we were discussing food and we decided that we use food as an extension of love. By cooking for our families we are showing them that we care by presenting our best efforts to them. When the whole family gathers together, food is part of the event.

But every now and then, I drag out the simple comfort meal that my hubby and I love. Beans and weenies, lettuce and tomato salad with mayo, and bread and butter. That's it. simple. All the elements need to be there or else the meal flops. We ate this meal when we were first married, and maybe twice a year now. But it brings us back to our early days of marriage.

Just thinking of our early days of marriage, young love, hot s... well, you get the picture.

About The Author:

Pepper Phillips wrote her first play in the seventh grade. But before that she read every book in her age group at the small local library. An only child, she entertained herself in the worlds she created in her mind. She's still pretty mindless in some respects, but her writing world is where she is the happiest. She ventures into self-publishing in 2011.

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
Pepper Phillips The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Page On Chick Lit Plus

BUY THE BOOK: The Devil Has Dimples
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS

Book Description: The Devil Has Dimples

Adopted!

In the Deep South, one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new in a small town is, "Who's your daddy?" The answer defines you as a person. Not knowing is disheartening.

Sara McLaughlin never knew she was adopted and is stunned to realize that if she wants to find out the questions burning in her brain as to the 'why' she was given up at birth, and who her father might be, she has to live in her birth mother's apartment for the next six weeks.

Grant St. Romain, attorney, is supposed to be helping, but the hunky dimpled devil is making her mind think of other things.

Can she find the truth? Or will she break her heart trying to find out the answers in Boggy Bayou, where many secrets are hidden?

~ The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway ~

http://www.clpblogtours.com/2012/03/devil-has-dimples-by-pepper-phillips.html

To enter Pepper Phillips The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway, click on the above link and leave a comment on Pepper's The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Page on Chick Lit Plus. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! If you purchase your copy of The Devil Has Dimples before June 11th and send your receipt to Samantha@ChickLitPlus.com, you will get five (5) bonus entries!

The Devil Has Dimples by Pepper Phillips

The Devil Has Dimples by Pepper Phillips
Published By: Lagniappe ePress
Release Date: October 1, 2011
Format: 176 Pages / Kindle - 303 KB / Nook - 500 KB
ASIN: B005RQ26IQ
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women's Fiction / Chick Lit

About The Author:

Pepper Phillips wrote her first play in the seventh grade. But before that she read every book in her age group at the small local library. An only child, she entertained herself in the worlds she created in her mind. She's still pretty mindless in some respects, but her writing world is where she is the happiest. She ventures into self-publishing in 2011.

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
Pepper Phillips The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Page On Chick Lit Plus

BUY THE BOOK: The Devil Has Dimples
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
SMASHWORDS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Pepper Phillips participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews. http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/author-guest-post-pepper-phillips.html

~ The Devil Has Dimples Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway ~

http://www.clpblogtours.com/2012/03/devil-has-dimples-by-pepper-phillips.html

Book Description:

Adopted!

In the Deep South, one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new in a small town is, "Who's your daddy?" The answer defines you as a person. Not knowing is disheartening.

Grant St. Romain, attorney, is supposed to be helping, but the hunky dimpled devil is making her mind think of other things.

Can she find the truth? Or will she break her heart trying to find out the answers in Boggy Bayou, where many secrets are hidden?

My Book Review:

There's nothing better than a small Southern town and its secrets! Welcome to Boggy Bayou, Louisiana!

Sara McLaughlin received a shocking letter from attorney Grant St. Romain stating that she was adopted, and that he represents her late birth mother Maudie Cooper. Sara left her home in Baton Rouge for Boggy Bayou to find out the truth about her birth parents and to get answers to why she was adopted. What she didn't expect was to be the center of attraction from the whole town of Boggy Bayou. Sara and Grant's quest to find out who her birth daddy is whips the town into a frenzy with rumors and secrets. And in the middle of all that fun, Sara and Grant have a mutual attraction for each other that is more sizzling than a 4th of July fireworks display! So come along for the journey, where the details behind small town friendships, relationships and secrets are deeply hidden!

The Devil Has Dimples is a sassy little ol' Southern romance story that is so entertaining, it will put a smile on your face! The author provides the reader with a sweet romantic storyline with a twist of mystery that engages the reader to join in Sara's quest with intriguing clues throughout the story. The story is mainly told in the first person narrative by Sara, but the first and last chapters are narrated by Boggy Bayou's resident newspaper owner/reporter T-Jack Couvillion, and in between are journal entries from Maudie Cooper. The reader is introduced to a lot of eccentric characters from the small Southern town of Boggy Bayou, whose antics will keep you in stitches. Sara's arrival in Boggy Bayou throws the townsfolk into a frenzy, their little ol' way of life is disrupted and all hell breaks loose. This neat little story has it all: a fun puzzle of a mystery to solve, humor to tickle your funny bone, enough sweet romance to make you sigh, and a surprise ending that will leave you satisfied!

As a fan of Southern fiction novels, I was really excited to get the chance to read and review The Devil Has Dimples as a participant in a virtual book tour, and I was left pleasantly satisfied. I absolutely loved the author's writing style: she provides the reader with a story that has a nice balance of romance and mystery; mouth watering Southern food descriptions, rich descriptions of the setting of the classic small Southern town of Boggy Bayou, intricate descriptions of Maudie's antique store and apartment; and the crazy antics and witty interactions between the characters that provides a lot of laughs. I have only one suggestion to the author, if you're going to tease your readers with tantalizing food descriptions, provide recipes!

Contemporary romance, chick lit and Southern fiction fans, if you're looking for a sassy, fun and entertaining story, then The Devil Has Dimples is a must read, you won't be disappointed!

RATING: 4 STARS ****

Monday, May 21, 2012

Author Guest Post & Interview: Paige Dearth, Author of Believe Like A Child

Jersey Girl Book Reviews welcomes Paige Dearth, author of Believe Like A Child!

Since I was young I made up stories in my mind. It was my ultimate escape from my rough upbringing. While most children make up stories that bring them joy, my stories were always dark. These stories, darker than my real-life, helped me to cope.

Believe Like A Child is a graphic novel. It's written in a sexually explicit manner so that readers feel the horror of child abuse, sexual exploitation and rape. There is nothing pretty or light about these subjects. However, while the subject matter is harsh, the novel is written so that readers can enjoy a fast paced suspenseful thriller with a sturdy narrative.

I like reading dark, dramatic fiction novels, stories that makes your guts twist, keeping you on the edge of your seat and making you come back for more. It's like watching a horror movie and putting a hand over your eyes with your fingers spread out like the feathers of a peacock because you don't want to see what will happen next, but you can't stop yourself from looking.

Believe Like A Child was written as a compelling dramatic thriller. However, there is a point to this work of fiction that is worth mentioning. The narrative describes the real horrors of child abuse and how one act of abuse can, and often does, continue throughout a person's life. A young victim becomes vulnerable because of their need to validate themselves as a normal person. It is so easy for the abused to go from one horrible situation to another.

After reading my book, my hope is that readers will better understand that exercising simple kindness, to those in need can be impactful. Kindness doesn't have to cost money rather it's an emotional investment.

Alessa, the protagonist of Believe Like A Child, craves these moments, small acts of kindness. They are integral to the story and how she manages to survive on her own. Like Alessa, we all need and want people to care about us. It takes little effort to reach people in a way that matters. I hope Believe Like A Child leaves my readers with an acute awareness of the power they hold. The next time you are in a store, at work, standing in line at the bank or wherever, and you see someone with that look of sorrow, and we all know that look, just reach out with a pleasant smile or a nice compliment. It's in those moments that we can help people instead of pretending that we don't see them. Remember, that person could easily, so easily, be you.

It is our flaws that make each one of us so perfect!

******

Why did you write this novel?

Believe Like A Child is a graphic novel. However, it is a story filled with twist and turns to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Who is your intended readership?

Adults who enjoy reading gut wrenching, dramatic, fast paced fiction. As I said before, the novel is sexually explicit and intended for the mature reader. The narrative is constructed with gripping and suspenseful moments that are meant to pull the reader along, almost against their will. The novel will appeal to men and women who enjoy a good tale.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was 22 years-old I was with a friend who loved to listen to my stories. She told me I should write a book. While the thought appealed to me, I had no idea how to go about writing a novel. After I finished my college degrees, I had the confidence I needed to write, but was busy earning a living and had little time to invest in writing.

As I got older the desire to write increased. I talked about writing my first novel for many years then I read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (thank you, Rhonda!). I finally sat down and wrote my novel. It took me three months to write the novel and nine months to edit, reedit and edit again.

How did you research your book?

The majority of the novel is based on my imagination, some from my life experiences and where I needed to obtain more detail, I surfed the web, reading random articles on various topics to gain insight and ideas.

What surprised you about the writing process?

The amount of time it took to edit the novel. I've read it at least nine times. I had it professionally edited and a friend read it twice before publishing. The process was very, very long. I've learned a lot from publishing my first novel and have incorporated those lessons into expediting the editing process.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love reading novels in several genres. A few of my favorite authors are: John Saul, James Patterson, Danielle Steel and V.C. Andrews. I also enjoy Stephen King novels and I just loved Misery and Thinner. The first novel I ever read was A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, this is my all time favorite novel ever! I also enjoy Alice Seybold and Patricia Cornwell.

I love to go on vacation, exercise and read novels on the beach. Cooking is one of my passions. I get satisfaction from creating new recipes through trial and error. My husband is the guinea pig for my new creations.

Are you working on another novel?

Yes! I just finished writing my second novel, When Smiles Fade due out in June 2012.

This novel is about a girl named Emma and her first childhood memory of being beaten by her father, Pepper, was when she was just five years old. Resentful that ha had to sacrifice his life for a woman he barely knew and a child he never wanted, Pepper holds Emma responsible for his failure to achieve the life he once imagined for himself. As time passes, his intolerance of Emma grows and his physical and verbal abuse escalates beyond the imaginable. Finally, when Emma is old enough, realizing her mother can't protect them, she decides to take matters into her own hands ...

I have already begun to hatch the idea for my third novel and started to develop an outline for that book. I have several books lined up, just waiting to be written. I'm living my dream.

Thank you Paige for the opportunity to host your virtual book event, and for allowing us to get to know a little bit about yourself and your novels.

About The Author:

Born and raised in Plymouth Meeting, a small town west of Philadelphia, PA, Paige Dearth was a victim of child rape and spent her early years yearning for a better life. To escape the unwanted attentions of her molester, a pedophile uncle who lived with the family, she married at the age of nineteen and moved with her new husband to Chula Vista, California. After two years of marriage during which she struggled to make ends meet, she became pregnant, only to discover that her husband was a heroin addict. Paige waited for the birth of her daughter and when the baby was just eight months old, moved back to Pennsylvania. With no formal education or money to fall back on, she courageously set out to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and make it whole once more.

Living through the fear and isolation of her youth, Paige developed the ability to create stories that would help her cope and finally put them to use by embarking on a series of novels. Believe Like A Child, the author's debut offering, is the darkest version of who she could have become, had fate not intervened in the nick of time. It presents a fine balance between what lives on in her imagination and the evil that lurks in the real world.

BUY THE BOOK: Believe Like A Child

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

Book Description: Believe Like A Child

Alessa is just seven years old when her uncle rapes her for the first time. As the years pass, his sexual appetite becomes more voracious and his perversion more twisted, until the abuse has become almost a daily ritual, with the unspoken involvement of the girl's mother.

At the age of sixteen, after the death of her only friend, Alessa finds herself at the mercy of her real-life monster, with no relief in sight. She flees her home to escape this hell, only to find herself descending into a more dangerous one. Alone and helpless in the streets of North Philadelphia, she encounters more human predators who want to take over her life and devour her. About to hit rock bottom, Alessa manages to break away from her new tormentors and finds refuge in a shelter for homeless and abused women.

Wherever she goes, however, trouble keeps seeking her out, until she meets three people who change the course of her life forever. Though Alessa's bittersweet journey is perpetually fraught with challenges, she does, nevertheless, manage to find fleeting moments of joy along the way. But as she begins to settle down, a ghost from the past comes to haunt her again, threatening to destroy the very foundation of her small world and plunging her back into an abyss of despair, until she makes her final bid for escape.

* Believe Like A Child Book Contest Giveaway *

May 21-31, 2012

Two (2) Copies (Kindle or Paperback)

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/book-contest-giveaway-believe-like.html

To enter the Believe Like A Child Book Contest Giveaway, click on the link above and leave a comment with your name and a valid email address. The two (2) winners will be randomly selected by Random.org number generator at 11pm on May 31st. The winners will be contacted via email by author Paige Dearth. The Contest is open to US and UK residents.