Thursday, September 14, 2017

Blog Tour & Giveaway - The Pursuit of Lady Harriet by Rachael Anderson



The Pursuit of Lady Harriett by Rachael Anderson 
When wills clash and hearts collide, who will reign victorious?
Termed an Incomparable during her first London season, Lady Harriett Cavendish is beautiful, spirited, and confident, capturing the attention of a great many suitors. Unfortunately, they all failed to capture her attention, and she concluded the season as unattached as she’d begun it. 
 Only weeks prior to her second season, Harriett encounters Lieutenant Christopher Jamison while visiting Tanglewood Manor. Recently returned from war, the lieutenant is everything that Harriett's previous suitors were not. He’s arrogant, ungentlemanly, irritating, and challenges her at every opportunity. When he goes too far, Harriett decides that it’s time to turn the tables on him. But as she sets out to put the lieutenant in his place once and for all, she discovers there is more to him than meets the eye, and when it comes to matters of the heart, she has no control whatsoever.
 
EXCERPT 
Harriett looked at what remained of the cake. Apparently, he didn’t intend to finish it off after all, so she collected their forks and stood. “Forgive me for saying so, but you look quite done in, Chris. If you do not go up to bed now, you will probably fall asleep here. Only imagine what Mrs. Caddy might say if she discovers you here with the mostly-eaten cake. For your own sake, you ought to retire. I will do my best to tidy things up.” 
Before she could move away from him, he grabbed her hand and guided her to sit back down, keeping hold of her fingers. “Not so fast, my lady. I meant it when I said that I’m in desperate need of the distraction that only you can provide. Thus far, all I have done is burden you with my troubles.” 
“I do not feel at all burdened, sir.” Indeed, Harriett suddenly felt breathless and somewhat giddy. The effect this man had on her was something of a wonder. 
“Sir?” he asked. “I thought we were beyond that.” 
“I thought so as well, but you only just called me ‘my lady.’” 
He frowned and blinked as though he hadn’t realized he had.
“Forgive me, Harry. I fear my exhaustion has muddled my thinking.” This time, she did not let the name slide. She snatched her hand free and frowned at him. “Obviously it has.” 
He laughed—not a tired attempt at a laugh, but a real one filled with the richness that warmed her straight through. Only this time, it did not bother her at all. In fact, it felt wonderful, almost like a compliment. 
“I knew you’d come through for me,” he said, leaning close enough to touch shoulders with her. “You have no idea how much I needed to laugh or how good that felt. I could honestly kiss you right now.” 
Harriett tried her best not to blush or appear astonished by the suggestion—he had obviously made the comment in jest—but when his smile widened into a devilish grin, she knew she’d failed. He leaned in closer, and his gaze wandered briefly to her mouth before returning to her eyes. She could smell vanilla and lemon and a hint of something else—leather perhaps? A delightful pulse whipped down her arm, and she was hard-pressed not to shiver. 
“Admit it,” he said. “You have missed me.”




Author Rachael Anderson 
 A USA Today bestselling author, Rachael Anderson is the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.




$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway 
Ends 10/1/17 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. 
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

Friday, September 8, 2017

Book Review: The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin

Title: The Ice Dragon
Author: George R.R. Martin
Illustrated by: Luis Royo
Publisher: Tor Forge
Publication Date: first published in 1980
Genre: Children's, Fantasy
Length: 121 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased


Synopsis:
Seven-year-old Adara was born during the coldest chill of the coldest year ever, a chill that killed her mother during the girl's birth. Ever since then, she has been a remote and chilly child, living for winter when the ice lizards come out and forming a bond with a mysterious ice dragon. When war comes and dragon-riding invaders threaten her home and family, the ice dragon helps her to thwart them, leading to it's own demise.
Filled with illustrations of swooping dragons and folks in medieval-type garb, this fantasy is a slim but rich introduction to the genre, one that should appeal to both boys and girls. 

My Thoughts:
This book is so gorgeous! The illustrations! Gah!
Ok, so the most disappointing thing about this book is that my Scratch & Dent copy from BookOutlet didn't come with a dust jacket. Supposedly the inside of the dust jacket was a bonus poster so somewhere out there a very lucky wall has a gorgeous Luis Royo artwork on it that I can't enjoy. To be fair, though, I didn't even know that this book was illustrated. It was just super cheap and I love dragons. The illustrations were a most wonderful surprise.

The story was a little bit odd to me. It's about a chil
d born in the winter who has an ice cold heart and cannot accept or return her family's love. She wants nothing more than for winter to arrive and the dreaded ice dragon with it. The ending was a little confusing but I can't really say why without spoiling some things. 

I honestly enjoyed the illustrations more than the story itself. It wasn't a very memorable story, perhaps because it is so short. I also wish I had waited and read it in the winter months. 

I'd still recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy, dragons, or Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire!

My Rating: 3.75 - 4 stars


Thursday, September 7, 2017

The Tiny Tale of Little Pea by Davide Cali & Sebastien Mourrain (Picture Book Review)

I received a free ecopy of this picture book from Netgalley and Kids Can Press in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Tiny Tale of Little Pea
Authors/Illustrators: Davide Cali & Sebastien Mourrain
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Length: 36 pages
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley


Synopsis:
When he was born, Little Pea was tiny. Teeny-tiny. 

His clothes were hand sewn by his mother and his shoes were hand-me-down doll shoes. As he grew older, Little Pea enjoyed climbing tomato plants, driving around in his wind-up car and riding on the backs of grasshoppers. But then Little Pea started school. And he suddenly realized just how small he was. Too small for his chair. Too small to play the flute. Too small for gym class. What would become of wee Little Pea?

My Thoughts: 
Little Pea was born teeny tiny. So tiny he could sleep in a match box. He had grand adventures and never even realized how small he really was until he started school. His desk was too big and he was too small to play with the other children so he spent his recess drawing. His teacher wondered what would become of him. He didn't grow much bigger as he got older, but he did build himself a cozy little home and even found the perfect job! 

The illustrations in this are very cute. I especially loved the full spread pages. There's a good lesson or two as well; that not everyone is the same, and that you can find your place in the purpose in the world no matter who you are, what you look like, or how big (or little) you are. Also that you can find something you love and make a living from it! 



Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Hurricane Irma Hiatus

 (Image by the NOAA)


Hey there, Readers! 

Most of you may know that Hurricane Irma is ripping through the Caribbean right now and headed straight for Florida. It is now a Category 5 with winds up to 180 mph and is being called the the largest Atlantic storm in recorded history. 

This hurricane has me really worried. I'm in Florida on the West coast and will be taking in family members from further south. Water, gas, and other supplies ran out just about everywhere yesterday so evacuating is up in the air at this point. Luckily, we prepared quite a bit for the season beforehand so we are hoping to ride it out. 


There's still a chance that it might veer back to the East but either way, this does not bode well for anyone. This storm is currently over 400 miles wide and will affect all of Florida. We can only hope it loses some of it's strength as it progresses. 

Depending on how long it takes to get the power back on and many other factors, I will be on hiatus here for the next week or so. 

I will try to update you all as soon as possible.


Please keep us all in your thoughts! 

Monday, September 4, 2017

How To Make Friends With A Ghost by Rebecca Green (Picture Book Review)

I received a free ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Tundra Books in exchange for an honest review.

Title: How To Make Friends With A Ghost
Author: Rebecca Green
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Length: 40 pages
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis:
What do you do when you meet a ghost? One: Provide the ghost with some its favorite snacks, like mud tarts and earwax truffles. Two: Tell your ghost bedtime stories (ghosts love to be read to). Three: Make sure no mistakes your ghost for whipped cream or a marshmallow when you aren't looking! If you follow these few simple steps and the rest of the essential tips in How to Make Friends with a Ghost, you'll see how a ghost friend will lovingly grow up and grow old with you. 

A whimsical story about ghost care, Rebecca Green's debut picture book is a perfect combination of offbeat humor, quirky and sweet illustrations, and the timeless theme of friendship. 

My Thoughts: 
Have you ever wanted to make friends with a ghost? If so, this is the perfect book for you! How To Make Friends With A Ghost is an adorable instruction manual that shows you how to befriend a ghost, what to feed them, how to keep them entertained, and more.
Ghosts are forever friends so be prepared to give them a lifetime of love and care! 

This is seriously the cutest book ever! It's silly, fun, and has one of the most adorable ghosts I've ever seen. I want to go out and find a ghost of my own now, except I may have to wait for one to find me first! Definitely give this picture book a chance. You'll love the illustrations and the fun instructions. 

Saturday, September 2, 2017

2017 Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon!!!

The Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon is hosted by Wishful Endings.

This read-a-thon begins Monday, September 11 and ends Sunday, September 24. The wrap up is on the 25th and includes a giveaway! 
You can find out more and sign up HERE!

Anyone can participate in this read-a-thon and there are no restrictions on what you can read! 
Basically, it's a Motivation to Read (a-thon) and that's what I love about these! 

Reminders: 
Must link to sign-up post and post a wrap up to be eligible for the giveaway! (There will also be kick off giveaways!)

Twitter Chat: September 17 at 8-9 PM (EDT)

#TackleTBR
Tag Tressa on Twitter @TresSherm
Tag Tressa on Instagram @WishfulEndings
-----------------------
Goals!
I'm hoping to finish at least 2 books, if not more. Hopefully more but 2 is my usual amount for a week. 
I can't be sure what books I'll be reading for this giveaway but here are a few that I'm hoping to get to in September! 

  
Good luck if you're participating! 

Friday, September 1, 2017

September 2017 TBR


I made some progress with my reading last month but considering that I participated in ARC August, Bout of Books 20, and COYER is almost over, it probably could have been better.
But I did make progress on the blog. This month I am joining in on the Tackle Your TBR challenge so I plan on knocking some more off of my list!
This month I have plenty of review book and library books to get to so hopefully it's a good month for reading! 


For Review:
1.
The Eye of the North by Sinead O'Hart

2. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip
3. Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
4. The Wonderling by Mira Bartok
5. The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen


For Fun:
1. The Ersatz Elevator (#6) by Lemony Snicket
2. The Vile Village (#7) by Lemony Snicket

  

Borrowed/On Hold: (subject to change)
1. Shadows of the Lost Sun
2. The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May
3. Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Hurst


Have you read any of these? What are you planning on reading in September?