Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Sunday Post/The Sunday Salon - June 30th



If you'd like to participate with The Sunday Salon, just click the button above.


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


I can't believe June is over! I know I am always saying how time flies, but it really does fly! Now, it's July... Here's my wrap up for June, I only read 6 books which I guess is pretty typical for me these days:

Steamed to Death by Peg Cochran
Fatal Descent by Beth Groundwater
Grim by Joseph Spencer
Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews (audio)
Murder of the Cat's Meow by Denise Swanson
A Thyme to Die by Joyce and Jim Lavene

Not a bad book in the bunch! If you want to read my reviews, just click on the titles.


Blog Tours/Spotlights/Reviews/Giveaways 

Blog Tours/Hops Coming Up Next Week

Tuesday: Blog Tour: The Final Sentence by Daryl Gerber (Guest Post)

Saturday: Blog Tour: Restrike by Reba White Williams (Review)


What was your week like?

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Book Giveaway Winner!







The winner of Murder of the Cat's Meow by Denise Swanson is:

Entry #23 Rita W.



Congrats to Rita!  

Thanks to all who participated!

Friday, June 28, 2013

The Friday 56



This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

From 5

It's that simple.

This week I'm reading...


"And you've never dated him since?"

"No, why do you ask?" Coleman said, tapping her foot. She was bored with the subject, and she had work to do.

"I heard he was in love with you, and you were stringing him along," Tammy said.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Follow friday four fill in fun blog hop – week 118

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This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie. Check out her lovely blog, if you'd like to participate.


This week’s statements:

1. If you give me a reason to worry I will continue to worry long after the problem is solved.

2. Sometimes I am very quiet and introverted.

3. I have so many outstanding book reviews that they make me nervous

4. I would love see Ringo Starr in concert because I have already seen all my other favorites.

Promo: Brothers of Rock Series by Karolyn James


***For fans of Nashville the TV show and Bella Andre, the BROTHERS OF ROCK series is dramatic, sexy, romantic,and entertaining. It sizzles!***

__

With ALL ACCESS, a contemporary romance series begins that explores, life, love, and music. Join the five band members of Chasing Cross as they find that there's more to life beyond the stage.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Jess is caught off guard when a sexy stranger buys her a cup of coffee and asks her to sit with him. He's mysterious, nice, and even though he says the right things at the right time, Jess can sense that there's something hidden about him.
*
As Johnnie sits across from the beautiful woman, he can't believe she doesn't recognize him. Everyone does. It comes with the territory when you're the lead singer of one of the hottest bands in the world, Chasing Cross. With one more show to go before taking a small break in touring, it feels like luck is on Johnnie's side. That is, if he can find a way to tell Jess who he is, without scaring her off.
*
After her best friend begs her to come to a concert, Jess finds herself standing in the middle of a crowd. The lights are off, music begins, and the crowd erupts in cheers. She doesn't know much about the band, but that's all about to change. When the lights come on, Jess can't believe her eyes. The lead singer of the band is the man from the café.
*
Plucked from the crowd during the show, Jess makes her way backstage. The encore may have ended on stage, but the real show is just about to begin. Johnnie's passion quickly turns to romance but the more time he and Jess spend together, the more things get complicated. Johnnie has a big decision to make about himself and the band, testing his loyalty and love for the music, and when Jess's dreams start to come true, she starts to realize that true love exists, but it's not always an easy path to take.
_________________________



The second book in the Brothers of Rock series is BROKEN SOUND, where lead guitarist, Davey, is faced with life changing decisions involving love, family, and as always, music.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:


Rockstars expect women to show up at their hotel room, but when a woman shows up with an infant and tells Davey he is the father, his world is turned upside down. 

*

Anna is a teacher and part-time waitress, desperate to make enough to pay off debts left to her by an ex-boyfriend who made her life a living hell. When her boss schedules her for an extra shift, he tells her it's her job to take care of a special guest... lead guitarist of Chasing Cross, Davey. The second Anna meets eyes with Davey, she feels something she's wanted for a long time. But with someone famous? That's impossible. Besides, Davey is there with a date.

*
When Davey returns to the restaurant, sans date, he asks to see Anna. She doesn't understand what he would want with her. He is a man with a big heart, kind eyes, and the true power that only a real rockstar could have. Then Anna learns the truth of Davey's life, from his haunted past to his rocky present. Still, she longs to be part of his future.  But when Anna's own past turns potentially deadly, life and love suddenly collide in a way that could hurt everyone and leave someone dead.



Here’s a chance to ‘meet’ the guys in Chasing Cross, the band from my romance series, Brothers of Rock!

Johnnie – lead singer -  He’s the unclaimed leader and hero of the band.  He’s also in the first book – All Access – where readers get to know him, the band, and get to see Johnnie’s emotions as he has to make some life changing decisions in both love and life.

Danny – guitar - He’s Johnnie’s younger brother.  He’s a little wild, always relying on the protection of his big brother.  He’s the main character in book three (Bitter Farewell – coming June 2013) and for the first time in his life, he must face the world on his own.

Davey – guitar -  In the second book – Broken Sound – Davey must come to grips with something potential in his past.  A woman shows up with a baby and says it’s his.  If that’s not heavy enough to deal with, Davey falls in love with a woman that isn’t the baby’s mother. 

Chris – bass -  Chris will appear in the fourth book and will have to face something similar to Davey.  His life and his decisions are called into question and this normally quiet, partying rockstar has to find a way to grow up and man up fast.

Rick – drummer -  In the fifth book, you get to meet perhaps the most complicated man in the band.  He’s hiding so much emotion and hanging onto so many demons (especially those hiding at the bottom of a bottle), Rick finds himself struggling between trying to deal with his past, capture his present, and not lose his future.  To top that off, he makes a life changing decision… life changing for himself and for the band.

Right now Chasing Cross will be featured in the first five books of the series… from there, perhaps, a new band will come forward and take the reigns of the series!

Here’s an excerpt from All Access (Brothers of Rock #1):

At the counter, Jess slipped her phone into her bag and placed her order.
Before the barista behind the counter could give her the total, a hand appeared at the counter with money.
“Add the same to that order,” a voice said.
Jess looked over her shoulder and saw what could possibly be the sexiest man she had ever seen in her life.  He was tall with a defined chin, piercing eyes, and the scruff of a face in badly need of a shave.  His lips were thin but curvy and as the right side started to move into a little smile, Jess felt her mouth start to open.
“On me,” the man whispered.  “Just do me a favor and bring the coffee to the table in the corner.”
Jess looked back to the money.  The stranger tapped the bill on the counter and then slithered away.
“Is that all?” the barista asked.
Jess eyed the man as he walked away, keeping his head down. 
“I guess so,” she whispered.
Jess carried the two cups of coffee to the back table.  There the stranger sat with his back to Jess, a hand near his face.  He looked like he was trying to disguise himself.  It worried Jess as she grew closer. 
Was something wrong with him?
Was he some kind of crazy man?
Her mind thought of things she’d seen in the news, not to mention the author in her that never stopped working. 
Couldn’t this be a book plot?
Strange guy in a café, eyeing people?
When he turned and Jess saw the outline of his face, she almost dropped the coffee.  He was gorgeous.  From the side, with the light of the sun glistening on his face, he had the look of a statue. 
But he could move.
And talk.
And he did.
“Ah, thank you so much,” he said, reaching for one of the coffees.
“It’s just black,” Jess said.  “Wasn’t sure how you liked it.”
“After last night, black will do the trick.”
He smiled, showing a set of dimples that formed more dimples.  His chin pulled when he smiled, and the power of his eyes starting to burn into Jess’s memory.
She swore to herself that she was memorizing the man’s sexy features for her own work.  She could use a guy like this in one of her novels.  But after a few seconds of gawking, she realized she teetered on the line of being creepy herself.
“Got change for me?” the man asked.
“Oh, change.  No.  I gave it to... the...”
“I’m only kidding,” the man said, smiling.  “Here.  Sit down for a minute.”
“No.  I don’t want to bother you.”
“Sure you do.  Sit down.”
His eyes were dark and deep.  A sense of honesty came through them.  Jess couldn’t believe how suddenly comfortable she felt, considering this was a total stranger.  But even still, she took a step to the small round table and sat down.
Her hands were folded around her coffee.  Her laptop bag still on her shoulder.
“You could put your bag down,” the man said.  “I won’t bite.  I promise.”
“Do you often bite people?” Jess asked.
“Only when tempted.”
He was fast.  He was smooth.
Jess’s mouth ran dry. 
Without breaking her stare from the man’s eyes, she lowered her laptop bag to the floor.
“Working today?” the man asked, pointing to the bag.
“Something like that,” Jess said.  “I’m a writer.”
“A writer?  What do you write?”
Why was this guy asking questions? 
Jess tried to lift her coffee cup but found her hands were shaking.  Shaking from what?  Fear?  Anticipation?  Because the man sitting across from her had a dreamy face?
“I write books,” Jess said.
“Write books or are they published?”
“What does that mean?”
“Okay.  I play guitar...”
Jess felt her heart jump.  Of course a man this sexy would play guitar. 
“... so that makes me a musician, right?”
Jess nodded.
“But am I recording musician?  Do I get to play big shows?  Make lots of money?”
Jess shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t know.  You tell me.”
The man laughed for a few seconds.
“Are you published?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jess said.  “I have a publisher.  I’m not famous but I’ve had to sign a couple autographs.”
“Sign a couple autographs,” the man smiled wide.  He sipped his coffee. 
“You play shows?” Jess asked.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Are you in a band?”
“Yeah.  I’m in a band.  I’m the singer.  Go figure.”
Jess couldn’t believe how turned on she felt.  She fought the images coming to her, but she pictured the man standing on a stage, playing guitar, singing.  Sweating.  Staring at Jess in a crowd.  Controlling her with his eyes.
She had to look away for a second.
“So, let me ask you something,” the man said.
“Sure.”
“You have no idea who I am?”
“Why?  Am I supposed to?”
“Nope,” the man said.  “By the way, my name is Johnnie.”


Karolyn James has been published over 100 times, reached bestseller lists on Amazon, and writes in both romance and erotic romance.  Her two newest series are the romance hit, Brothers of Rock, and the erotic romance series, Rock Her Curves. 
 
Twitter:  @KarolynWrites
Mailing List: 
tinyurl.com/KJSignup



Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Cat Thursday - June 27th



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.



From:  LOL Cats

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Teaser Tuesdays - June 25th



If you'd like to play along on Teaser Tuesdays, just click the button above.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


This week I'm reading...


Nora Timothy sat up, her heart racing.

Something had frightened her. There! Bangs, crashes. A shriek, cut off. That was the sound that had woken her.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Blog Tour: A Thyme to Die by Joyce & Jim Lavene (Review and Guest Post)



About A Thyme to Die

Peggy Lee and her gardening friends have managed to persuade the International Flower Show to move to Charlotte from Atlanta this year. Excited and enthusiastic, Peggy agrees to step into the role as director of the event, but on opening day, a good friend of hers is found dead in the middle of the show.

Dr. Aris Abbuto, an orchid grower from South Africa, has been shot and buried in a makeshift grave covered with pink thyme. Peggy is especially devastated since he came at her personal invitation. The presence of the pink thyme, a plant once used for ancient burial rites, tells her it’s possible one of the show’s growers may be involved in his death.

She plans to work with the Charlotte Police on this one, in her position of contract forensic botanist, and is surprised to learn of the Charlotte FBI’s interest in the case—which means her husband, Steve is involved too.

Peggy is focused on finding her friend’s killer and running the flower show with hundreds of sometimes disgruntled vendors. Her questions will find a devious plot with her friend and his young daughter, unwittingly, at the heart of it.

Asking the wrong questions can be dangerous, however, as Peggy knows so well. If she isn’t careful, finding her friend’s killer might also lead to a flower-covered grave for her.

My Review

This is the sixth book in the Peggy Lee Gardening Mystery series and the first one I ever read.  For someone like me, who is obsessed with reading series in order, I've been reading many out of order because of review requests and blog tours.  I don't want to make this a habit, but so far, it hasn't ruined the reading experience for me.  This is another book that I fell in love with immediately.

First, I love Peggy.  She's the owner of a gardening shop and moonlights as a forensic botanist.  A strong, smart and feisty sleuth.  Her husband, a police officer, was killed many years ago and now she's re-married to an FBI agent, Steve.  Her son and his wife are about to give her a grandchild and life couldn't be better.

When Peggy organizes a local flower show, she has her hands full with more than organizing a show.  A friend of hers is found dead and Peggy is immediately on the case.  She's determined to find out who killed him and why.

It's a roller coaster ride for Peggy, her friends and the FBI as they go through clue after clue to figure this out.  Another fast-paced cozy series to add to my "must read" list.


FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.



For reading challenges:
Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge
2013 E-Book Reading Challenge


Buy Link:  Amazon
Guest Post



1.  Who is your greatest influence in your writing career?

Joyce: Probably my grandfather. He was the first one to take me seriously as a writer. He was also the first person to tell me that I could be a great writer someday, if I worked at it hard enough!
Jim: I would have to say all the great authors whose stories I read growing up in Chicago. I loved Poul Anderson and Andre Norton, H.Beam Piper, E.E. Doc Smith and others. I read everything I could get my hands on. Reading was my salvation and in time, became my inspiration. I wanted to be like those writers who made my world so great.

2.  What made you write cozy mysteries?

Joyce: I have always loved mysteries. Cozy mysteries appeal to me because they are more like real life would be. The nosy snoops and troublemakers, clumsy cops and neighbors that could get angry enough to kill someone. That’s my world.
Jim: I like them because cats have central roles and I love cats!
We enjoy writing the Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries because we are both Master Gardeners and love learning more about plants.

3.  Where do your ideas come from ?

Joyce and Jim: Everywhere – newspaper articles, driving down the back roads, overhearing conversations at restaurants. There are always so many ideas – too many. We have to write them down and work through them, trying to find the diamond in the rough that we can polish and give to our readers.

4.  Are any of your characters based on real-life people?

Joyce and Jim: Definitely! We have killed off all of our daughter’s old boyfriends and some not-so-nice neighbors. We’ve written our friends into better parts as museum curators, gardeners, historians and others. Everyone wants to be the killer, for some reason. That’s why we have to decide what role they will play!



About the Authors





Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, best-selling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 60 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family. Visit them at www.joyceandjimlavene.com
 


It's Monday! What Are You Reading



This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

Summer has begun...I love summer reading...

I finished reading...




I'm about to start reading...


and I'm listening to...



Next up...

I'm not really sure...I have to go through my schedule and see what's coming up, but never fear, I have a ton of books to read! LOL




What was your week like? What are you reading this week?

Sunday, June 23, 2013

The Sunday Post/The Sunday Salon - June 23rd



If you'd like to participate with The Sunday Salon, just click the button above.


The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.


Summer is finally here!  I used to love spending the summer reading "chick lit" type of books, but these days my reading tastes are all over the place.   I like so many different genres, although cozy mysteries and romance are always on the top.  But...I digress :)  I love the bright, sunny weather...as long as it's not too humid.

It's been a busy week at Socrates' Book Reviews...quite a few blog tours.  I don't have too many scheduled for next week.  As I've said before, I'm trying to cut back but I still have a number of them scheduled throughout the summer.

So happy summer everyone!  Hope it started out good for everyone.



Blog Tours/Spotlights/Reviews/Giveaways 
I Hosted 

Monday:  Q&A's with Author Sara Palacios (Love in Translation)

Tuesday:   Blog Tour:  Read and Buried by Erika Chase (Guest Post)

Wednesday:  Promo/Blog Tour:  The Boys of DownCrash Series by London Casey (Guest Post)

Thursday:  Book Blast:  Love Vindicated by Lila Munro (Giveaway!!!!)

Saturday:  Review/Giveaway:  Murder of the Cat’s Meow by Denise Swanson

Posts This Week





Blog Tours/Hops Coming Up Next Week

Monday:  Blog Tour:  A Thyme to Die with Joyce & Jim Lavene (Guest Post/Review)

Thursday:  All Access (Brothers of Rock #1) by Karolyn James (Guest Post)




What was your week like?

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Review/Giveaway: Murder of the Cat’s Meow by Denise Swanson


Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
Paperback

Publisher:
Obsidian Mystery

Release Date:
September 2012



The owner of Scumble River’s bowling alley, Bunny Reid, comes up with the idea of an online dating service called Cupid’s Cat’s Meow. She plans to set her online service to the backdrop of cat show events. She intends for this venture to bring out-of-towners to the small Illinois town, not to mention some extra cash in her pocket. It sounds like a profitable plan and she enlists the help of school psychologist, Skye Denison.

Skye agrees to help, but she has an awful lot going on in her own life. She’s busy planning her wedding to the local police chief, Wally Boyd, and to make matters worse, she has a ghost haunting her house. As soon as she and Wally get intimate, the ghost makes trouble. Skye is determined to exorcise her house before Wally moves in but when a nasty judge at the cat show is murdered with a cat toy, she has to forget about her resident ghost and find a murderer.

I have read the first ten books in this series. This is number fifteen, so I have a few to catch up on but I’m still enjoying this series. It’s as if I am revisiting old friends even though I missed a few years in their lives. Skye is a great character and I enjoyed the plot line. I couldn’t figure out who did it until I got to the end, but it’s making me want to read more. It’s fast-paced, quick read.

This is a fun cozy series. #16 comes out in September and I can’t wait!


FTC Disclosure: The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.



For reading challenges:
Where are you reading? challenge (Illinois)
Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge

BOOK GIVEAWAY !!!!

Now you can win a copy of this book for your very own. Thanks to Obsidian Publishing, I can offer a paperback copy of Murder of the Cat's Meow to one lucky winner.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the form below.

2) US residents only.

3) For an extra entry: Follow this blog

4) For an extra entry: Follow me on Twitter

5) For an extra entry: Follow me on Goodreads

6) For an extra 2 entries: Post this giveaway on your blog.

7) For an extra 2 entries: Tweet about this giveaway.

The giveaway begins on June 22nd (midnight est) and ends on June 29th (midnight est).

The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, June 21, 2013

The Friday 56



This is a fun meme to do hosted by Freda's Voice. If you'd like to join on the fun go to The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

From 5

It's that simple.

This week I'm reading...


"Where's Steve?" Peggy opened both her eyes.

The only thing she could see on the pillow next to her was a large head with a black muzzle, a goofy grin, and floppy, unclipped ears. "I guess that means he's not here, right? If you're on the bed, there's not enough room for anyone else."

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun Blog Hop Week 117

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This is a fun meme and it's hosted by Hilary at Feeling Beachie. Check out her lovely blog, if you'd like to participate.

This week’s statements:

1. How is it the weekends go so fast, but the work week goes so slow?

2. When I exercise I feel better about myself.

3. I am not sure what I like best pizza or lasagna because both are so delicious.

4. I am happiest when I’m home with my hubby and kitties.

Book Blast: Love Vindicated by Lila Munro (Giveaway!!!!)





About the Book


In 1980, Kyle Montgomery’s life was seemingly perfect. Heavily recruited by Force Recon fresh from the Naval Academy, he’d been working black ops for the Marine Corps for six years and was on the cusp of being promoted to Major. He was on the fast track to bigger and better things, had all the right people vetting him, and he'd married the woman of his dreams and was exploring a lifestyle which could have ended his career. With the Iranian embassy under siege and the Middle East in turmoil, Kyle was sent on a mission which would change the course of his life forever.

Returning home after three months of being invisible, Kyle finds his wife has been murdered by the very people he'd been sent to protect. And instead of the government retaliating, they hand him his walking papers with the agreement they’ll never speak of the events again. It's like Kyle never existed. His wife never existed. And the people who maimed and tortured her never existed.

Resigned to never again walk that path, Kyle opens the first Steele Image club with the thought of providing a safe haven for others like him, those who were invisible to the public and most of the government. Those who had eclectic sexual tastes. Those who would later become his allies. And his enemies. And both will drive him back to the place he’d thought he’d let go of forever to vindicate his love…

AMAZON | ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS


 About the Author
  



Lila Munro currently resides on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and their two four-legged kids. She’s a military wife with an empty nest and takes much of her inspiration for her heroes from the marines she’s lived around for the past fifteen years. Coining the term realmantica, she strives to produce quality romance in a realistic setting. Her genre of choice is contemporary romance that spans everything from the sensual softer read to BDSM and mĂ©nage. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, trips to the museum and aquarium, taking field research trips, and soaking up the sun on the nearby beaches. Her works include The Executive Officer’s Wife, Bound By Trust, Three for Keeps, the Force Recon series, the Slower Lower series, the Identity series, and the Private Collection. Currently she is working on two new series set to release summer of 2013, the At Your Service line and the Steele Image line. She’s a member in good standing of RWA. Ms. Munro loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at lilasromance@gmail.com .

Her latest book is the BDSM contemporary romance, Love Vindicated.

Visit he website at www.lilamunro.com.
FACEBOOK | TWITTER

And now for the GIVEAWAY!! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card/Paypal Cash + Gift Basket including her Slower & Lower seies of 3 books plus a copy of Executive Officer’s Wife!!
(Ends June 21, 2013)


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Cat Thursday - June 20th



Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! This fun meme is hosted by The True Book Addict. Go over to her site to join in the fun.



From:  LOL Cats

Promo/Blog Tour: The Boys of DownCrash Series by London Casey (Guest Post)




The Stronger, Safer Kind
(The Boys of DownCrash #1)

All Scarlett wanted to do was thank the sexy stranger who helped her push away a drunk, grabby college boy at a bar. When that stranger identifies himself as Tripp and then takes the stage as the lead singer and guitarist for rock band, DownCrash, everything in Scarlett's life begins to change.

Her best friend, Andy, confesses his love for her and leaves her with what should be an easy decision to make... yet each time she looks in Andy's eyes, she can't help but face her secret, nightmarish past.

The only thing that makes Scarlett feel better is Tripp... but Tripp isn't just a bad boy rockstar, he's hurt. He's in pain. He tries to hide his pain in a bottle, but Scarlett believes that, perhaps, their secrets can help each other.

Friendship and love is suddenly put to the test, and Scarlett is torn... Will she choose an easy, comfortable, happy life or a life clouded with mixed signals, raw emotion, and intense romance?



Torn to Pieces
(The Boys of DownCrash #2)

Trying to forget about the promises she was forced to make as a young, naive eighteen year old, Maggie creates a false persona that paints her as the girl who never says no...

However, once she lays eyes on the drummer of DownCrash, everything clicks. From his sexy lip ring to the way he stares at her from the stage, Tatum becomes everything Maggie has ever fantasized about.

When trouble catches up to her in a parking garage after a DownCrash show, and Tatum shows up out of nowhere to protect her. For the first time in years, she is intimidated by a man's kindness and sexiness, and not by his temper and jealousy. As real feelings begin to grow Maggie is faced with her past and wonders if she'll ever be able to escape the promises she once made to keep the promises she wants to make right now.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=London%20Casey&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank

@london_casey
https://www.facebook.com/LondonCaseyAuthor?ref=hl
www.LondonCasey.com
Sign up for mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/ANeUv


Author Guest Post



When I wanted to write a series, I wanted to create something that was powerful and something that came with a beginning and end right from the go. I wanted a sexy band and something about a trio just worked. And it worked in the sense of the series itself. Three books is perfect.

The band is called DownCrash and the members are Tripp, Tatum, and Logan. Each band member gets their own book, following their lives, the band, and everything happening around them. And that’s the best part of writing this series. I’m not just tapping into each band member… the series follows the band. Readers can enjoy each book as a stand alone but reading it as a series will give them the full picture of DownCrash.
Since I’m here, I want to introduce the band to everyone reading…

Tripp – featured in The Stronger, Safer Kind, Tripp meets Scarlett and it’s instant. They don’t know why at first but as they reveal each other’s pasts, they realize how much they have in common. Beyond the physical attraction. Beyond the feelings of love too. They’re both in pain and they seek each other and music to save themselves.

Tatum – featured in Torn to Pieces, Tatum is rough and tough. He’s tall and strong and isn’t afraid to defend Maggie when something terrible comes close to happening her. He can’t stop thinking about her and Maggie is afraid to open to Tatum. But then something horrifying happens… a person comes back from Maggie’s past and threatens to take everything away from her. Including her life. And it might be something that even Tatum couldn’t handle.

Logan – in the final book of The Boys of DownCrash has Logan and Annie falling in love. It’s almost picture perfect… how they flirt, push each other away, chase each other, and succumb to their feelings. They share personal stories and as DownCrash is growing more and more popular, things are on the rise. Then two devastating pieces of news hit both Logan and Annie, tearing them apart. But there’s something that can never break them apart… and Annie hopes it’s love.

Books 1 and 2 in The Boys of DownCrash series are available. The final book is coming July 2013!







Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Blog Tour: Read and Buried by Erika Chase (Guest Post)


About the Book



Hosting an award-winning novelist is quite a Christmas coup for the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straw Society. But when he’s murdered in Lizzie Turner’s house, she’s got a holiday homicide on her hands …

For their very first guest author event, most of the book club members can’t wait to pull out all the stops in Southern hospitality. But for Lizzie, Derek Alton is nothing but trouble—from his massive ego to his smarmy moves. When he’s found murdered in her living room, it seems someone decided that this womanizing writer would be better off dead than read.

After suspicion falls on Lizzie’s friend, she and her fellow book club members discover that Derek wasn’t who he pretended to be. Cracking this case means going up against Lizzie’s boyfriend, police chief Mark Dreyfus, and unearthing a novel’s worth of nasty secrets. And as they get closer to uncovering Derek’s scandalous final manuscript, someone hiding in plain sight is out to write finis to Lizzie’s sleuthing for good…


Purchase from Amazon.


Author Guest Post



COZY SETTINGS By Erika Chase

What’s not to like about a cozy? They’re so…well, cozy. To me that means a traditional mystery, a puzzle, something on the lighter side, without the excess of violence, sex or language – except where appropriate. If I want any of that I can read the newspapers, watch TV news, or even, most of the mystery/crime series that are on TV.

Don’t get me wrong, I do read other types of crime books, I’m an avid newspaper reader and I do watch some psychological police dramas on TV, because they do have their place and there are times when that’s exactly what I want to see or read.

But for the most part, I want my reading time to be spent in a world where friendships are a primary focus, where there’s a hint of romance, and of course, the world is made right by the capture of the bad guys. I want to work through the crime puzzle along with the main character, be he or she an amateur sleuth or professional. I want to get to know these people as friends so that I enjoy spending time with them catching up, in each new book in the series. And, as importantly, I want justice to be carried out.

So it’s natural that I write cozy mysteries. I try to combine all those factors that I enjoy when reading a mystery in my Ashton Corners Book Club series. I belong to a book club, and although the members are very different from my fictional ones, especially the fact that we don’t solve crimes, the friendships and camaraderie are the aspects I’ve brought to the series.

Each character is unique, someone I’d like to know and learn more about, (I am learning more about them as I write each new book) and to this end, each has her or his own story and reason for belonging to the book club. Together, they compliment and contrast, they cajole and console, they are friends and they are my friends.

To me, a cozy setting means community. From the larger community of Ashton Corners, Alabama (totally fictional but somewhat based on a small town located close to me) to the smaller community of the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society…this is the heart of a cozy mystery. The puzzle and the unraveling of it are layered on to present a reading experience that hopefully will delight the mystery lover.

I enjoy writing cozies and I enjoy reading them. I hope you do, too.



About the Author


Erika writes the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries for Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime. In a parallel life Erika Chase is also known as Linda Wiken. A former mystery bookstore owner (Prime Crime Books in Ottawa, ON, Canada), Linda is also a short story writer. She is a member of those dangerous dames, The Ladies’ Killing Circle.

Her short stories have appeared in the seven Ladies’ Killing Circle anthologies (three of which she co-edited), and in the magazines Mysterious Intent and Over My Dead Body. She has been short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award, Best Short Story, from Crime Writers of Canada.

Before life in the world of mystery, she worked as an advertising copywriter, radio producer, journalist and community education worker. Besides writing and reading mysteries, her other passion is choral singing and she is a member of two choirs.

She shares her house with Keesha and Mojo, her two Siamese cats. Actually, they allow her to live there.

Connect with Erika Chase: Website | Facebook | Twitter


Join Erika Chase On Tour

June 17, 2013 – Omnimystery
June 18, 2013 - Socrates Book Review
June 19, 2013 - Book of Secrets
June 20, 2013 - Books-n-Kisses
June 21, 2013 - Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries & More
June 22, 2013 - Melina’s Book Blog
June 23, 2013 - Cozy Up with Kathy
June 24, 2013 - Book Lady’s Book Notes
June 25, 2013 – Cozy Mystery Book Review
June 26, 2013 - Shelley’s Book Case