The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

ISBN: 9780310730989

Trade Paperback

Synopsis: Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to Hagenheim Castle, claiming to be an English lord who was attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. And only Margaretha—one of the few who speaks his language—understands the wild story.

Margaretha finds herself unable to pass Colin’s message along to her father, the duke, and convinces herself “Lord Colin” is just an addled stranger. Then Colin retrieves an heirloom she lost in a well, and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. Margaretha knows she could never be a spy—not only is she unable to keep anything secret, she’s sure Colin is completely wrong about her potential betrothed. Though when Margaretha overhears Claybrook one day, she discovers her romantic notions may have been clouding her judgment about not only Colin but Claybrook as well. It is up to her to save her father and Hagenheim itself from Claybrook’s wicked plot.

My review:  This was a good book was every bit as good as Melanie's other books I have read. In this book we have everything a reader could ask for: action, romance, adventure and faith. A good book for readers of all ages. I did not realize this book was a young adult book when I picked it out to read but I have to say that did not stop me from reading it. Melanie did a good job of developing the characters. I felt as if they grew right before our eyes. After you read this book you will find yourself going back to find more books by this author. A fun weekend read. 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

ISBN: 97800615833261

Trade Paperback

Synopsis: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

My review: I started reading this book at the beginning of the year as I thought it would be fun to see what the Happiness Project was all about. The chapters of this book are broke down by months so you can do as I did and read one a month or read it all at once. I have to say that I enjoyed Gretchen's approach to how to find happiness. Each month she tells you what she used for her project. She goes into detail about each step and even shares some of the responses she has received on her blog regarding this. I have made a list of what she used and have tried some of them. She encourages you to make and start your own happiness project and do what makes you happy. There are some really good tips, quotes and references in this book that will help you with your own endeavor. You can also sign up for her newsletter and visit her blog for more tips by visiting her website  Gretchen Rubin's Blog (click here) I plan on next reading her book Happier at Home and am looking forward to her new book Better than Before as well. The way she writes the book just flows and reads very quickly. This is a book I am going read more than once so I can get the most out of it. I recommend this book to everyone. 

Chorus Lines, Caviar and Corpses by Mary McHugh

Chorus Lines, Caviar and Corpses by Mary McHugh

A Happy Hoofer Mystery #1

ISBN: 9781617733598

Mass Market Paperback

Synopsis: There’s no pussy-footing around murder . . .

It’s never too late to kick up your heels. Just ask Tina, Janice, Pat, Mary Louise, and Gini–aka the Happy Hoofers. After posting a video of their tap-dancing routine on the Internet, the leggy ladies find themselves booked to perform on a Russian river cruise up the Volga from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

But when murder cuts in, the five fabulous friends find it’s not so easy to tap their troubles away. A crew member has been killed, and a passenger is missing. With a killer on board, the Hoofers need to watch their step. But with a little fancy footwork, these soft-shoe sleuths may get a leg up on a killer who’s cruising for a bruising. . .

My review: This was a fun new series. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, they were fun. What fun it would be to be a part of a group of friends like this. How exciting for them that they got to go on a cruise to perform but all does not turn out well when a crew member turns up dead and a passenger missing. So leave to the Happy Hoofers to try and solve this mystery. With all the twists and turns this book was fast paced and one you will not want to put down. I like the part that this took place on a cruise ship and not just in town so you got to go on a little adventure. I look forward to the next book in this series to see where the Happy Hoofers are off to next. 

Be sure to check out Escape With Dollycas (click here) to check out the rest of the stops on the tour. 

The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried M.D.

The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried M. D.

ISBN: 9781451666953

Trade Paperback

Synopsis: ALL TOO OFTEN WOMEN ARE TOLD that feeling moody, asexual, tapped out, dried up, stressed out, and sleep deprived is just a part of being female. Or they’re led to believe that the answer can be found only at the bottom of a bottle of prescription pills. Dr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-educated physician and nationally recognized, board-certified gynecologist, refuses to accept that being a woman means feeling overwhelmed or that popping pills is the new normal. In The Hormone Cure, she shares the unique hormone-balancing program that she has used to help thousands of women reclaim wellness, verve, and optimal health. 

Combining natural therapies with rigorous scientific testing and using an informative questionnaire to identify the common causes of hormonal imbalance, Dr. Gottfried provides an individualized plan in nonjudgmental and thoughtful language. Based on ten years’ study of cutting-edge medical research as a specialist in functional and integrative therapies, Dr. Gottfried’s three-tiered treatment strategy includes: •Supplements and targeted lifestyle changes that address underlying deficiencies 

•Herbal therapies that restore balance and optimize your body’s natural function 

• Bioidentical hormones— most available without a prescription 

The Hormone Cure is a groundbreaking book that demonstrates how balancing your hormones can cure underlying health issues and result in restored sleep, greater energy, improved mood, easy weight loss, increased productivity, and many more benefits. Dr. Sara Gottfried’s The Hormone Cure will transform your life.

My review: This book was named one of the best books of 2014 and I can see why after reading it. I happened upon it in the book store one day and after reading the back I though I could use this book. Now I am not normally one to read medical books as they are not up my alley but there was something about this book that had me very intrigued. There are some tests in the front of the book that you take and then Sara will tell you which chapters are beneficial for you to read. I finished the questionnaires and found out which chapters I should read, but this book was so interesting to me that I read the entire book. In my opinion Sara did such a good job at writing this book that I almost felt as if I was reading one of my novels that I enjoy. One thing that I liked was how the author included some of her case files from her patients which to me were interesting. I have approached my doctor about this book and asked him to do the blood work that Sara suggested. His response was that those types of tests are some times hard to read so he is referring me to an OB-GYN and if that does not work I am going to talk to an endocrinologist. I think I do have some hormone issues and I do not want to take the medicines that doctors want to prescribe as the one I did try did not suite me - I want to try the natural way. I strongly recommend this book to women as it is very informative and useful. 

Book Spotlight - Roan Rose, Hand-Me-Down Bride, and Angel's Flight

Roan Rose

Loyalty Binds Her.

More like a gangland war for turf and loot than chivalry, the War of Roses disrupted the life of the English commoners for hundreds of years. Roan Rose is the story of one of them, a girl born on the Yorkshire dales. When the Countess of Warwick decides to take sturdy, gentle Rose to Middleham Castle to be companion and bed-time poppet for her youngest daughter, Anne, her fate is changed forever. Rose bears intimate witness to the passions, betrayals, battles and all the reversals of fortune which will shape her lady’s life—and her own. Anne Neville will briefly become a Queen, and Richard, Rose’s secret love, will become a King, one whose name has become synonymous with evil. When her King is betrayed and slain at Bosworth Field, Rose returns to a peasant’s hard life. She has one final service to perform.

Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Books We Love, Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction

READ AN EXCERPT.

Hand Me Down Bride

To help her impoverished family, Sophie agrees to marry a wealthy older man in far off America. Less than twenty-four hours after she arrives in German’s Mill, Pennsylvania, events have taken a far stranger turn than anything she could have imagined.

Set in Post-Civil War Pennsylvania, this tale of an arranged marriage gone wrong is as much family saga as it is a romance. Sophie is a sensitive young woman trying to make sense of her past and to understand the unfamiliar ways of her new homeland. Karl Joe is not only a veteran of the great war, but scarred by the secret violence of his privileged childhood. How they learn to trust each other and how they discover love is the beating heart of this old time story.

Publication Date: October 26, 2013
Books We Love, Ltd.
eBook; ASIN: B00G8OYHFG

Genre: Historical Romance

Angel's Flight

Angelica is a Patriot heiress, stalked by a brutal, fortune-hunting British officer. Forced to trust Jack, the mystery man who pledges to take her on a dangerous war-time journey to her Albany home, she expects to encounter brigands, Tories and Indians. What she doesn’t expect is to lose her heart along the way.

Publication Date: September 9, 2012
Books We Love, Ltd.
eBook; ASIN: B0098CSH5Q

Genre: Historical Romance

READ AN EXCERPT.

About the Author

“Not all who wander are lost.” Juliet Waldron earned a B. A. in English, but has worked at jobs ranging from artist’s model to brokerage. Thirty years ago, after the boys left home, she dropped out of 9-5 and began to write, hoping to create a genuine time travel experience for herself–and for her readers. She loves her grand-girls and her kitties, likes to take long hikes, and reads historical/archeological non-fiction as well as reviewing for the Historical Novel Society. For summer adventure, she rides behind her husband of 50 years on his “bucket list” (black, and ridiculously fast) Hyabusa motorcycle.

You can find more information at www.julietwaldron.com or connect with Juliet on Facebook.

Be sure to check out Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours (click here) to see all the stops on the tour and to enter a giveaway for a $20 Amazon gift card. 

100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go by Marcia DeSanctis

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go by Marcia DeSanctis

ISBN: 9781609520823

Paperback

Synopsis: Told in a series of stylish, original essays, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is for the serious Francophile, for the woman dreaming of a trip to Paris, and for those who love crisp stories well-told. Like all great travel writing, this volume goes beyond the guidebook and offers insight not only about where to go but why to go there. Combining advice, memoir and meditations on the glories of traveling through France, this book is the must-have in your carry-on when flying to Paris.

Award-winning writer Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of travels and living in France to lead you through vineyards, architectural treasures, fabled gardens and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Deauville, Antibes to the French Alps. These 100 entries capture art, history, food, fresh air and style and along the way, she tells the stories of fascinating women who changed the country’s destiny. Ride a white horse in the Camargue, find Paris’s hidden museums, try tha lasso therapy in St. Malo, and buy raspberries at Nice’s Cour Saleya market. From sexy to literary, spiritual to simply gorgeous, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is an indispensable companion for the smart and curious traveler to France.

My review: I wanted to read this book as I hope to one day travel to France. From the pictures I have seen it is such a beautiful place. The way the author wrote this book makes it easy to read. Another thing that I liked was the way that Marcia made you feel as if you were already in France with her. Her descriptions were very good. She wrote this book as a series of essays so it flows very well. If you are dreaming of going to France one day this would be the book for you. I look forward to more books by this author. 

Entry-Form

Author Marcia DeSanctis

on Tour

October 27-November 5, 2014

with

100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go

[travel essays]

Release date: October 21, 2014 at Travelers' Tales

380 pages

ISBN: 978-1609520823

Goodreads

***

SYNOPSIS

Told in a series of stylish, original essays, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is for the serious Francophile, for the woman dreaming of a trip to Paris, and for those who love crisp stories well-told. Like all great travel writing, this volume goes beyond the guidebook and offers insight not only about where to go but why to go there. Combining advice, memoir and meditations on the glories of traveling through France, this book is the must-have in your carry-on when flying to Paris. Award-winning writer Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of travels and living in France to lead you through vineyards, architectural treasures, fabled gardens and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Deauville, Antibes to the French Alps. These 100 entries capture art, history, food, fresh air and style and along the way, she tells the stories of fascinating women who changed the country’s destiny. Ride a white horse in the Camargue, find Paris’ hidden museums, try thalassotherapy in St. Malo, and buy raspberries at Nice’s Cour Saleya market. From sexy to literary, spiritual to simply gorgeous, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is an indispensable companion for the smart and curious traveler to France. [provided by the author]

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  [caption id="attachment_2221" align="alignleft" width="113"] Photo credit: Ron Haviv[/caption]   Marcia DeSanctis is a former television news producer for Barbara Walters, NBC and CBS News. She has written essays and articles for numerous publications including Vogue, Marie Claire, Town & Country, O the Oprah Magazine, Departures, and The New York Times Magazine. Her essays have been widely anthologized and she is the recipient of three Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism, as well as a Solas Award for best travel writing. She holds a degree from Princeton University in Slavic Languages and Literature and a Masters in Foreign Policy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook, and Twitter Buy the book: Amazon, upcoming on Travelers' Tales.  

***

CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ OTHER REVIEWS, INTERVIEW, EXCERPT

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Enter the giveaway here:

Entry-Form

1 US resident will win a print copy of this book

Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter, they are listed in the entry form below.

Visit each blogger on the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form]

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould - Review, Facebook Party and Kindle Giveaway by Litefuse

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould

The Courtships of Lancaster County #4

ISBN: 9780764210341

Trade Paperback

Synopsis: Can Bea and Ben Turn Rivalry Into Romance?

Beatrice Zook knows God wants her to learn patience toward others. When assisting a family overwhelmed by triplets proves surprisingly successful, her confidence in dealing with others, both young and old, grows.
One person she'll never be able to find peace with though is Ben Rupp. They've known each other forever, and Ben understands precisely how to antagonize her. What neither she nor Ben will admit is that beneath all their bickering, attraction awaits. When friends decide to try and bring the couple together, will the pair be able to find true love? Or will they damage their relationship beyond repair?

My review: This was a good addition to a fun series to read. As with the rest of the series you can tell that the author did her research on the Amish before writing. It was nice to watch Bea and Ben's relationship grow throughout this book. This was a fast read for me as the story just flowed. The few twists in the plot helped make the story what it was an enjoyable weekend book. For me this series has been a fun way to read Shakespeare plays retold in a way that is interesting and enjoyable. Bea is a character that has to grow on you, in the last book I did not care for her but after reading this one I have come to like her. I think this is a fun series that both teens and adults would enjoy. 

About the author: Leslie Gould is the coauthor, with Mindy Starns Clark, of the #1 CBA bestseller The Amish Midwife, a 2012 Christy Award winner; ECPA bestsellerCourting Cate, first in the Courtships of Lancaster County series; and Beyond the Blue, winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice for Best Inspirational Novel, 2006. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Portland State University and has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University as an adjunct professor. She and her familyl live in Portland, Oregon.

Find Leslie online: website, Facebook, Twitter

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/Dcnfl 

Be sure to stop by Litfuse Group (click here) to see all the stops on the tour. 

Leslie Gould is back with the latest book, Becoming Bea, in her Shakespeare-inspired series, The Courtships of Lancaster County. Don't miss the other books in the series, Courting Cate (retelling of The Taming of the Shrew), Adoring Addie (inspired by Romeo and Juliet), and Minding Molly (inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream).

Leslie is celebrating the series with a Kindle giveaway and a Facebook party on November 11th.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• One copy each of the entire The Courtships of Lancaster County series: Courting Cate, Adoring Addie, Minding Molly, and Becoming Bea.

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 11/11. Winner will be announced at Leslie's 11/11 Becoming Bea Facebook author chat party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Leslie and Amish fiction fans, as well as for a chance to win some great prizes!
{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!