Book Giveaway July 10-July 17

CONGRATS TO jennilovevirgo, OUR WINNER OF THIS GIVEAWAY
FACES BY MARTINA COLE

Just before Danny Cadogan's fourteenth birthday, his father leaves. Having drunkenly run up a gambling debt he cannot pay, Big Dan Cadogan takes the wrath of the men sent to collect the debt. Determined to protect his mother, brother and sister, something changes in Danny and, overnight, he turns into a young man set on making his way in a violent and dangerous world. And so, with his childhood friend, Michael Miles, providing the brains behind the operation, Danny Cadogan becomes a Face. Not just a Face, but the most feared Face in the Smoke. Out for all he can get. At any cost. But Danny's ruthlessness on the streets of London doesn't stop at his front door. He rules his wife, Mary, and children with an iron will -- and his fists. But if Mary breaks her silence, it could shake Danny's criminal empire; right to the very core. And for a Face at the top of his game, there's only one way to go. Down. Because, after all, debts can be paid even without money.
　
Thanks to Miriam and Hachette Book Group, I have 1 copy of this book to give away.

Rules:

To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.

Winners will be drawn Saturday, July 18th at Noon Eastern Time and posted July 19th. Winners will be contacted by email and have until Tuesday, July 21st to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.

Alternate winners will be drawn Wednesday at Noon.


Ways to earn extra entries:

+1 for commenting on the giveaway post

+3 for being a follower of my blog
(Please indicate this in your comment)

+2 for comments on my other book reviews
(Please indicate this in your comment)

+2 More Entry: Post this Giveaway on your blog
(Please indicate this in your comment)


*Feel free to contact me via email at barras31063(at)yahoo(dot)com should you have any questions*

Faces by Martina Cole

Just before Danny Cadogan's fourteenth birthday, his father leaves. Having drunkenly run up a gambling debt he cannot pay, Big Dan Cadogan takes the wrath of the men sent to collect the debt. Determined to protect his mother, brother and sister, something changes in Danny and, overnight, he turns into a young man set on making his way in a violent and dangerous world.

And so, with his childhood friend, Michael Miles, providing the brains behind the operation, Danny Cadogan becomes a Face. Not just a Face, but the most feared Face in the Smoke. Out for all he can get. At any cost.

But Danny's ruthlessness on the streets of London doesn't stop at his front door. He rules his wife, Mary, and children with an iron will -- and his fists. But if Mary breaks her silence, it could shake Danny's criminal empire; right to the very core. And for a Face at the top of his game, there's only one way to go. Down. Because, after all, debts can be paid even without money.


Excellent novel. I am fascinated with any books that have to do with the Mafia or Mobsters and this book was a great read for me. This is not an easy read, has lots of violence. I will be looking for more books from this author.


Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: July 21, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780446179973
512pp

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.


Quick and fast read. A great mystery and the ending is so unexpected. I recommend this book as a great beach read.

• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Pub. Date: July 07, 2009
• ISBN-13: 9780316043892

Ravens by George Dawes Green

The Boatwrights just won 318 million dollars in the GeorgiaState lottery. It's going to be the worst day of their lives.

When Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko pull up at a convenience store off I-95 in Georgia, their only thought is to fix a leaky tire and be on their way again to Florida-away from their dull Ohio tech-support jobs. But this happens to be the store from which a 318,000,000 million dollar Jackpot ticket has just been sold -- and when a pretty clerk accidentally reveals to Shaw the identity of the winning family, he hatches a ferociously audacious scheme: He and Romeo will squeeze the family for half their prize.

That night, he visits the Boatwright home and takes the family hostage, while Romeo patrols the streets nearby, prepared to murder the Boatwrights' loved ones at any sign of resistance. At first, the family offers none. But Shaw's plot depends on maintaining constant fear-merciless, unfaltering terror-and soon, under the pressure, everyone's sanity begins to unravel . . .


This is one book I couldn’t put down once I got started reading. This novel is a page turner from start to finish with many twist and turns. I really enjoyed reading this novel and look to read more from this author.

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Pub. Date: July 2009
• ISBN-13: 9780446538961

Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson & Ned Rust

All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems.

A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos--and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home.

Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers.


I am a huge James Patterson Fan but this book kind of disappointed me. I expected more from one of my favorite authors. Maybe it is that I am just not that much of a sci-fi fan. If someone likes sci-fi you may like this book.



• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Pub. Date: July 27, 2009
• ISBN-13: 9780316036184

Hollywood is like High School with Money by Zoey Dean

Twenty-four-year old Taylor Henning has just landed her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio. But when her catty coworkers trick her into almost getting fired, she realizes that the old saying "Hollywood is like school with money" just may be true. The thing is, Taylor wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school-how is she supposed to do any better the second time around?

That's when she meets her boss's popular sixteen-year-old daughter Quinn, and has an epiphany: maybe this teenager can teach her how to use her queen bee tactics to succeed in the Hollywood popularity contest. Quinn comes up with a plan to teach Taylor one lesson a week-everything from "Fake it 'til you make it" to "It's *never* your fault"--and soon Taylor finds herself winning the war against rival assistant Kylie. Until, that is, she's directed to steal Kylie's boyfriend, and something happens that's not in the game plan: Taylor falls for the guy. Now she must do the impossible-- harness her inner mean girl while staying true to herself.

Quick, fun to read novel. I was laughing out a few times when I read this book. This is a good beach read. I am looking forward to read more from this author.



• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Pub. Date: July 23, 2009
• ISBN-13: 9780446697194

I’m so happy for you by Lucinda Rosenfeld

What if your best friend, whom you've always counted on to flounder in life and love (making your own modest accomplishments look not so bad), suddenly starts to surpass you in every way?

Wendy's best friend, Daphne, has always been dependably prone to catastrophe. And Wendy has always been there to help. If Daphne veers from suicidal to madly in love, Wendy offers encouragement. But when Daphne is suddenly engaged, pregnant, and decorating a fabulous town house in no time at all, Wendy is...not so happy for her. Caught between wanting to be the best friend she prides herself on being and crippling jealousy of flighty Daphne, Wendy takes things to the extreme, waging a full-scale attack on her best friend-all the while wearing her best, I'm-so-happy-for-you smile-and ends up in way over her head.

Rosenfeld has a knack for exposing the not-always-pretty side of being best friends--in writing that is glittering and diamond-sharp. I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU is a smart, darkly humorous, and uncannily dead-on novel about female friendship.


This is a fast paced, easy book to read. This is the story about two best friends and what happens when your best friend starts getting everything you desire. I would recommend this book.


Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: July 29, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780316044509
288pages

The Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read

Description:

Juan Uriarte, a handsome and outspoken Spanish ex-priest, seems to be the model of nonviolence and compassion for the poor and downtrodden. So why is he on trial, accused of terrorist activities? His worldwide Catholic charitable outreach program is suspected of being a front for radicals. The trial is covered by Kate Ramsay, a young British reporter, who sets out to uncover the truth about Uriarte and his work. She travels with him to Africa to see his work first hand but soon finds herself attracted to him.
Meanwhile an international conspiracy is growing, one that reaches into the Vatican itself. When the death of Pope John Paul II brings about the conclave that will elect Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, a terrorist plot involving blackmail, subterfuge, and mass murder begins to fall into place... a plot that could spell disaster for the Catholic Church and the world.
Piers Paul Read's powerful tale combines vivid characters, high drama, love, betrayal, faith, and redemption in a story of intrigue, church espionage, and an attempt to destroy the longest continuous government in the world the Papacy. The Death of a Pope races toward an unexpected and unforgettable conclusion.


This is the first time I read a novel by this author. I couldn’t put this book down. This novel is a great page turner and a quick read.Great characters and interesting plot. I would recommend this book.


• Hardcover: 215 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (May 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586172956
• ISBN-13: 978-1586172954

End of Grace by K. Thomas Murphy

Description:

An incident in computer specialist Rick Macey's past has put him on the path of revenge. If his plan is successful, the object of his wrath, the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, could lose millions of dollars and thousands of members. What Rick cannot foresee are the sinister ways this church will react when threatened.
Mormons begin receiving letters that question the validity of their gospel and inform them that loved-ones have been baptized into an alternative faith. It's an assault on the authority of the church,and more importantly, it's beginning to impact church revenues. The Mormon leadership dispatches Kay Summers, a young but capable administrative assistant, to Oregon, where she finds and follows a thread leading to Rick.
Unbeknownst to her, they've also dispatched agents from the church's secret army, the Danite Knights, to follow her to the source of the problem and fix it - permanently.
Initially, Rick and Kay play cat and mouse, each trying to find out what the other knows, while in the shadows the Danites use limitless resources preparing to stop not only the letters, but anybody involved with them. Soon, mysterious deaths and close calls start happening. Rick and Kay, the two erstwhile adversaries become a team; ultimately running for their lives, desperately trying to put the puzzle together as they stay one step ahead of the tempest Rick has awakened.


Another first time author for me which I truly enjoyed reading. What an awesome job this author did with this novel. I learned some things I didn’t know about the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Interesting characters and a captivating plot. I am looking forward to read more by this author. I highly recommend this book.


• Paperback: 383 pages
• Publisher: MC2 Inc.; 1ST edition (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0578020629
• ISBN-13: 978-0578020624

Book Giveaway June 17th - June 24th

Book Giveaway

SWIMSUIT BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MAXINE PAETRO

Synopsis

Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports readers to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors. (barnesandnoble.com)

Thanks to Miriam and Hachette Book Group, I have 1 copy of the soon to be released summer blockbuster SWIMSUIT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.


Rules:

To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.

Winners will be drawn Wednesday, June 24th at Noon Eastern Time and posted June 25th. Winners will be contacted by email and have until Sunday, July 5th to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will be randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.

Alternate winners will be drawn by Monday at Noon.

•Winners will be chosen using random.org!
Ways to earn extra entries:

+1 for commenting on the giveaway post
+3 for being a follower of my blog
(Please indicate this in your comment.)
+2 for comments on my other book reviews
+2 More Entry: Post this Giveaway on your blog


*Feel free to contact me via email at barras31063@yahoo.com should you have any questions*


Winner has been chosen!!

Congrats to bridget3420 for winning Swimsuit

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway!