THE DAUGHTER OF HIGHLAND HALL by Carrie Turansky

Katherine is preparing for her debut to society with the help of her aunt when the scandal of a family secret hampers her hopes of finding a proper husband to secure her future. Katherine decides afterward to perform volunteer work in the poor neighborhood of London’s East End beginning a friendship with Jonathan while strengthening her relationship with God. A new man of less social standing appears in Katherine’s life causing important decisions that she must make between the two men, her own social status, and whether to continue helping those who are less disadvantaged.

The theme of this novel is familiar with hard choices and decisions tearing into the heart of a young woman who has the family pressure of being a lady of society without regard to her own feelings. The novel is satisfactory but moved rather slowly reaching a conclusion with its many sub-plots causing me to occasionally put the book down and pick it up again. Nonetheless, this is a good story for historical romance, drama, and family relationship themed book lovers to read over a nice and cozy weekend day.


I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

  

LITFUSE PUBLICITY GROUP presents NLB Horton's THE BROTHER' KEEPERS' Blog Tour

Brussels, archaeologist Grace Madison learns that her daughter has disappeared in France, and daughter-in-law has been attacked in Switzerland. But before the Madisons can save themselves, they must rescue an old friend---if he'll let them. Navigating a deadly, four-thousand-year-old artifact trail that crosses three continents, they jeopardize hearts and lives against a foe as old as time---as time runs out.

Because choosing what's right is all that's left.

Purchase a copy:

About the author

 After an award-winning detour through journalism and marketing and a graduate degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, NLB Horton returned to writing fiction. 

She has surveyed Israeli and Jordanian archaeological digs accompanied (twice!) by heavy artillery rounds from Syria and machine gun fire from Lebanon. Calmly tossed a tarantula from her skiff into the Amazon after training with an Incan shaman. Driven uneventfully through Rome. And consumed gallons of afternoon tea across five continents. 

Her first novel, When Camels Fly, was released in May, 2014.The Brothers' Keepersher second in the Parched series, will be released November 17, 2014. The third in the series will release in the fall of 2015.

Find NLB online: website, Facebook

MASQUERADE BOOK TOURS presents The Rebel Series Book Blast #RebelBlast @lanceerlick.

As a pawn in a bigger game, who and what can Annabelle trust?

Publication Date: October 1, 2014

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Voices in 16-year-old Annabelle Scott’s head aren’t God or signs she’s going mad—yet. Despite being a Mech Warrior recruit, she rebels against her post-Second Civil War society by not only refusing to kill Morgan, a boy she’s attracted to, but also helping him to escape. After officially kicking her out of the program, Commander Samantha Hernandez gives Annabelle auditory implants and contact cams for an undercover assignment to investigate her corrupt police captain. Morgan hacks the implants to plead for her help in freeing his brother from a heavily guarded geek institute.

Unable to get either her commander or Morgan out of her head, Annabelle can’t confide in her adoptive mom, her beloved sister, or anyone else. While this rift tears at her bond to her sister, circumstance prevents her from searching for her birth mother or who tried to assassinate her adoptive mom.

As a pawn in a bigger game, who and what can Annabelle trust, including whether her mission is the commander’s vendetta? Can she find a way to help Morgan and discover the link between the attempted assassination, the geek institute, and her corrupt police captain without leading Morgan into a trap, being exiled and separated from her family, or getting herself and those she cares about killed?

The Rebel Trap was written as a standalone story, but also follows Annabelle’s adventures from The Rebel Within.

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Publication Date: March 25, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Scott lives under the iron rule of a female-dominated régime that forces males to fight to the death to train the military elite. When pressed into service as a mechanized warrior to capture escaped boys, Annabelle stays true to herself by helping some escape. Her defiance endangers everyone she loves and thrusts her to a place of impossible life and death decisions.

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Publication Date: June 12, 2013

Geo Shaw is a young Outlands frontiersman and a sworn enemy of the female-dominated Federal Union. Nineteen-year-old Annabelle Scott is a Union Mechanized Warrior charged with killing Outland rebels. During a skirmish, she should kill Geo but instead lets him escape, which mystifies them both. In a political power play, Annabelle is given to the Outland Warlord as a bride. She has no other choice than to get Geo’s help—but now there’s a bounty on him and his father. Betrayed by their own people, Annabelle and Geo have to overcome mutual distrust to rely on each other in order to survive.

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Tell us a little about yourself and the story you're in. What should we know about you?

Annabelle: That’s a bit tricky, you see, because everything I say and do is being watched and overheard, as you will learn in The Rebel Trap. Here, let me mask the connection. There.

I didn’t ask for any of this, really. I’m sixteen, forced to be a cop intern, recently arrested for fighting, actually protecting my younger sister Janine from a bully. For that, they kicked me out of high school, and coerced me into trying out for the elite Mechanized Warriors.

I guess it all began when that same Mech outfit took me from my birth mother when I was three. That pain still gnaws at me every night. It’s an ache I can’t share with my sisters, even Janine, with whom I share most things, well, before I got these tracking devices implanted. See, she doesn’t know we’re not biological sisters. When her mom adopted me after my mother was taken away, she made me promise to keep my adoption secret. We have entirely too many secrets to keep, which is hard now that my Mech commander can see and hear everything I do.

To add to the secrets, my commander officially kicked me out of the Mechs and kept me on as a spy to ferret out secrets within a corrupt police department run by my captain during my cop intern days. Did I mention that males have either fled to the Outlands or wound up in prison or as targets to train Mech warriors in the arena? Well, boys are outcasts and I’d never seen one until six weeks ago. When he was caught, I couldn’t kill him in the arena, which was the official reason for kicking me out of the Mechs. Now he has hacked into my implants to pester me to help his younger brother.

I just want to scream, but that bring two voices. My commander would tell me to suck it up. Morgan would be more consoling while adding pressure to help.

What do you think of the author? Be honest. We won't tell.

Annabelle: It was a bit strange at first climbing into a guy’s head, but I found him quite open to listening to my tale, most of the time. Whenever he trotted off, letting his imagination take hold, I had to reel him back in to telling the story as it happened. You know how guys like to embellish?

One of the hardest parts for him to get was how I could remember events when I was three. He kept telling me no one remembers back that far. Well, one night, I decided to roll the tape of that day long ago, over and over. Let’s just say he looked horrible in the mirror the next morning. After that, he became a better listener.

Do you like being a character in the book?

Annabelle: I like that the author wrote down my story. After being unable to share even my thoughts while my commander was monitoring me, it’s a relief to finally talk about what happened. It was important to get it down before I began to doubt the mess I’d gotten myself into. I also needed to let others know in the hope they could prevent what I had to go through.

How do you see your future? Without giving anything away about the story, naturally.

Annabelle: I am reminded of something I once heard, something like this: “All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to stand back and let it.” Yes there are problems and perhaps more than we deserve, but my adoptive mom taught me to never give in. I try to live up to her spirit as a leader of the opposition in a society that ostracizes those who don’t toe the line.

What do you know about your author's plans? Can we expect to see you in any future stories?

Annabelle: I was glad the author told my stories in The Rebel Within and The Rebel Trap. I appear as co-protagonist in Rebels Divided. I have other stories to tell, but I can see the author has taken to writing a new series. These stories take place in a world faced with abrupt climate change, with an interesting girl protagonist I’d like to get to know. Perhaps after that I’ll bug him to tell more of my stories.

Lance Erlick grew up in various parts of the United States and Europe. He took to stories as his anchor and was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future. He studied creative writing at Northwestern University and University of Iowa.


He writes science fiction, dystopian and young adult stories and likes to explore the future implications of social and technological trends. He’s the author of The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap, and Rebels Divided, three books in the Rebel series. In those stories, he flips traditional exploitation to explore the effects of a world that discriminates against males and the consequences of following conscience for those coming of age.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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THE SKINNYTASTE COOKBOOK by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones R.D.

“Once I was in my twenties, those days of eating whatever I wanted without worrying about weight gain soon came to an end, as pregnancy, children, a slower metabolism, and a love for eating out led to weight gain.”

Gina Homolka says “I uncovered the secret formula to kitchen and waistline success” in the introduction of her cookbook filled with recipes that “you skinny-fy on dishes you already love.” She has teamed with Heather K. Jones, Registered Dietician for a collection of 150 fantastic ‘skinny-fied’ dishes sure to please any palate.

There are good tips included in each recipe for freezer friendly storage, if feasible and recipe key symbol denoting vegetarian, gluten-free, slow cooker, or quick cooking (30 minutes or less). In addition, a nutritional value key guide is listed for those counting calories, watching cholesterol levels, sugar intake and sodium consumption. The many familiar recipe instructions are easy to follow and prepare with adjustments to ‘skinny-fy’ for a healthy version of your favorites.

Some of my favorites I will prepare are:

Sunny Mornings: Make-Ahead Western Omelet “Muffins”

Skinny-licious Soups & Chilis: Slow-Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Sandwiches on the Lighter Side: Greek Salad Pita Pizza

Skinny-Bites: Loaded Nacho Potato Skins

There are numerous recipes I will try from this great cookbook but are too many to list here.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook is full of great recipes and according to the ingredients is flavorful, easy in preparation, and recommended for everyone who want or need everyday healthy recipe suggestions without sacrificing taste or time in the kitchen. The Skinnytaste Cookbook is worth every penny of purchase price and receives a 5-star rating in my cooking kitchen!

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

THE RIGHT DECISION by Isabella Louise Anderson

Carrie and Roger’s sixth anniversary starts with a little box that Carrie things is an engagement ring but to her dismay holds diamond earrings. Carrie surprises Roger with the gift of dressing in a negligee and trench coat the he longs for only to be shocked when she arrives at home and finds him in a compromising position with another woman. Carrie breaks up with Roger, resigns from her job, and moves to Florida for a fresh start after her heartbreaking drama in Texas.

In Florida Carrie lands the interior designer position her ex-boss Renee recommended her for and begins a new adventure in life meeting her first client Brad Larson. As Carrie and Brad become good friends, her ex-boyfriend Roger arrives in Florida begging for Carrie’s forgiveness and a second chance at their relationship.

The Right Decision is a chick-lit romance novel every chick-lit romance book lover should read and be able to identify with Carrie’s romance dilemma. This novel for me is a much waited for book with a twist I have long been seeking to read for a long time. I loved the main characters Carrie, Roger, and Brad and the relationships between them and recommend to love-story, romance, and chick-lit book lovers for a fast, easy, and enjoyable read in a few hours time. Thanks and kudos to Isabella Louise Anderson for writing this love story for me as I have waited a long time for a tale like this one to be written.

I received this book free from CLP Blog Tours in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

POUND FOOLISH by Dave & Neta Jackson

Nicole and Greg Singer are married with two children whom Nicole homeschools when Greg decides in an abrupt manner to plan a three day vacation for the family. While at Deep Lake,    Greg receives a call from his boss regarding an upcoming vendor show and must end the family vacation early. Before Greg is laid off his job he suggest to Nicole to begin a home based business that could enhance the children’s homeschooling experience learning how to start and run  a self owned business but is met with apprehension from Nicole.

Greg and Nicole both begin to think how things have changed between them since the early days of their marriage and wonder how to get the fire rekindled. After attending church service Greg and Nicole have different understandings of the Pastor’s sermon with Greg believing he received a message from God to go forth to create an opportunity resulting in an inheritance from while Nicole believes the Pastor is focusing on self centeredness and “What’s in it for me?” message. Will Greg and Nicole find the missing piece of the puzzle to their happiness in marriage and business before it is too late?

Pound Foolish is book four in the Windy City Neighbors Series by husband and wife writing team Dave and Neta Jackson. The novel is definitely titled perfectly with its main character fitting the top billing in this financial rollercoaster themed book. Nicole is truly a wife who handles her husband’s terrible decisions regarding finances a lot better than most women would tolerate. The differences in receiving ‘the message’ from the Pastor’s sermons made me lean toward Nicole’s thinking more than Greg’s understanding although the scriptures Greg referred to were right on point but he failed to include his wife in decision making regarding their finances. I recommend this novel to readers of marriage, family relationships, and Christian reading for an enjoyable and easy read on a lazy weekend.

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

About the book: Pound Foolish | Book Four in the Windy City Neighbors series (Castle Rock Creative, October 2014)

Greg Singer coordinates consumer sports shows for powerboats, four wheelers, snowmobiles, and jet skis---macho toys for outdoor men like himself. But the job puts tremendous stress on his marriage with Nicole, who for the first time notices the handsome lawyer at the end of the block. "Greener pastures?" When the recession hits Greg's industry, he thinks the crisis is merely an opportunity for God to bless him with unmatched prosperity, a promise he hears preached each Sunday, and he steps out in bold faith . . . But is he being "pound foolish"?

The fourth in the Windy City Neighbors series, Pound Foolishexplores the economic upheaval and uncertainties challenging every family. Intersecting with Penny Wise (book three), the Jacksons employ the innovating storytelling technique of "parallel novels." Though each book follows its own drama and story arc, the characters' lives become intertwined and affect one another. Pound Foolish returns us to Beecham Street---a typical American neighborhood . . . where a growing friendship brings new meaning to prosperity.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/DYPC6

About the authors: Dave and Neta Jackson are award-winning authors living in the Chicago area where their parallel novels from the Yada Yada House of Hope and Harry Bentley series are set. As a husband/wife writing team, Dave and Neta Jackson are enthusiastic about books, kids, walking with God, gospel music, and each other! Together they are the authors or coauthors of over 100 books.

Find the Jacksons online: website, Facebook, Twitter

VACATION by JC Miller

Doctor William Koval is a workaholic who is reminded by human resources to take his vacation days that have accumulated or lose them before the year ends. William stays busy with work since his wife Katherine was killed at a 7-11 convenience store incident deciding to make England his vacation getaway hoping to bring some hint of socialization back in his self-induced reclusive lifestyle.

William likes England and the beautiful countryside scenery with its very peaceful tranquility along with the cozy inn that he is staying at and the guests he has met while there. William begins discovering what needs to take place in order to return to a life of normalcy and forgiveness after a shocking surprise is revealed while in England.

Vacation is a story of one man’s journey to live a normal life again after grievance, the true meaning of friendship, and learning how to love again. The novel began slowly but picked up in true fashion with a surprise for everyone involved. I could not connect with the book’s love pairings of several couples, as the characters seemed as though something was missing however, it was an enjoyable easy read and recommended to drama, romance, and family relationship book lovers.

I received this book free from CLP Blog Tours in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

TRIPPING THROUGH by Michelle Lara Morgan

“We first meet our 29-year-old accountant in her loud (the fire alarm is going off) and smoky (she’s trying to bake) kitchen. During the chaos, Karly is dumped because of misunderstandings over a divorce lawyer she didn’t hire and an affair she didn’t have. This comes just weeks after performing a very efficient audit on a company…that wasn’t actually a client.”

Karly is clumsy and gets into unfortunate situations constantly but always sees a silver lining for the mishaps that happen upon her. Her friend, Nik, plays a joke on Karly signing her up for a research study for clumsy people that Karly actually attends hoping to find reasons why she ends up in the middle of embarrassing circumstances. Will attending the group study help Karly find what she is looking for or will she find an equally clumsy friend to share friendship and love?

Tripping Through is a novel about good people who just happen to fall into not so good situations. All the time. Michelle Morgan writes her novel with plenty of humor and tackles the accident-prone syndrome some people deal with in their lives. The book will make you chuckle throughout and on occasion laugh out loud (pun intended). This novel is an easy read and enjoyable for a change of pace between drama and heavy issue themed books that you can read within two hours. I recommend to all genre readers if no more than to smile and laugh for a few hours out of the day.

I received this book free from CLP Blog Tours in exchange for an honest opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines.

CLP BLOG TOURS presents Michelle Lara Morgan Guest Post

I want to share a story that didn’t make it into Tripping Through. My editor insisted I cut out a particular chapter because it portrayed the main character in an unrealistically stupid light. I had real problems cutting it out because it was based on something I'd actually done!

So I’m in my early twenties and this SUPER fit guy (and at the time I’m the OPPOSITE of super fit) asks me out.  Because he bikes, I give the impression that I enjoy it as well. He invites me on a five hour bike ride and I think "oh how romantic."  I picture us on a tandem bike carrying a baguette and bottle of wine in our straw basket. Just in case it’s a little more physically challenging, I hang out on the stationary bike a couple times with a good magazine. 

I'm ready.

We bike for ten minutes before I figure out that there is no way I’ll last for five hours through rough trails with this guy. But of course when he asks if I’m okay, I nod yes. (I can’t actually get any words out.)

We approach the steepest, longest hill in the world and he says,

“That’s probably enough of a warm up, let’s get going,” before he zooms off at the speed of light.

I stop.

I see a beer bottle on the ground.

I smash it into pieces.

I run over it several times with both tires.

He returns and I explain my bad luck. We go for a nice lunch and lovely stroll in the village. 

“Oh how romantic.”

I end it the next week when he suggests we climb up the side of a mountain.

CLP BLOG TOURS presents TRIPPING THROUGH by Michelle Lara Morgan Excerpt

A tall man walked in and was standing there, watching me talk to the receptionist. He wasn’t model, chiselled face, fantasy cabana boy gorgeous, but the quiet kind of attractive you’d notice if you took the time to look past the somewhat old fashioned blue sweater and grandfather type reading glasses on a mid thirties face. The fact that I could make out at least three pens stuck in his chest pocket underneath his sweater made him more endearing. It sounds corny but I honestly thought we had one of those movie of the week, boy sees girl for the first time and birds chirp in the background moments. I got the most incredible feeling from him, like he was totally mesmerized and wanted to know all about me. It took my breath away. Until I noticed the receptionist staring down at my messenger bag. I looked down at it. No, there wasn’t anything unusual about my satchel. Oh. Well, except for the fact that the left side of my skirt had ridden up in between it and my hip and half my underwear was on display. Oh God. I quickly rearranged my clothing back to where it was supposed to be.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Weiss,” the man said once I’d sorted myself out.

I felt like such an idiot as he led me to a small office while making small talk. Sure I’d gotten the feeling that he was looking at me. Half my skirt had been hiked up the side of my body. And of course I’d gotten the feeling he was interested in me. He was, but just as a subject for his klutziness study.

“So, Karly, I’m doing a study on how certain people attract particular situations with the overall goal being to determine any common denominators. It’s my theory that certain people have a higher statistical average of physical disaster.”

“Well, I’m definitely your girl. I mean, I’m not your girl. Not that I wouldn’t want to be. I’m sure you’d be an amazing boyfriend. Not that I really know you. Yet. I mean, not that I’m looking. But if I was, I’m sure you’d be-” God, what was wrong with me? I remembered Nik’s advice when I started to babble: take a deep breath and get to the point. “I fall down a lot.”

“Uh, okay. Well, that’s great. I mean, that’s not great for you, but for me. I mean, it’s not great for me because I want you to fall down, but if you have to anyway, I’m glad that you’re here. I mean-”

He stopped talking, looking confused at what was coming out of his own mouth, as I had been earlier. We looked at each other, shocked, for a second. And then cracked up.

“Why don’t we rewind that bit,” he said with a smile on his face. Oh my God. He did the rewind thing. Just like I did.      

“So,” he continued, “as part of the study I’d ask you to keep a journal and submit it for my review. I have a sample that you can pick up from the receptionist on the way out, if you’re still interested.” He smiled his dazzling smile that would have had me donating my organs if he’d asked, even the ones I was still using.

“We’ll also meet every two weeks as a group,” he went on. “I’m hoping to provide some insight on why these things happen more frequently to certain people and maybe even discover how to minimize accidents.”

He continued and I nodded my understanding while subtly checking out his athletic build underneath his loose fitting sweater and well-ironed khakis. He had long legs. They looked strong. I wondered if they were hairy. Gosh, what was wrong with me? I wasn’t normally like this. Less than a month of single-dom and here I was practically undressing this stranger with my eyes. Or at least picturing him in shorts. In his cramped office, our chairs were only two feet away from each other. We were so close. I could reach right out and touch his thigh if I wanted to. Hold on, was that a stain on the knee of his pants? And in his, uh, winkle zone? Could he also be a Strangeness Attracter? He stopped mid sentence and gave me an alarmed look when he caught me staring at his crotch.

“Oh. Um. Your knee?” I stuttered. “I was looking at your knee. I mean, not your actual knee because it’s hidden under your pants. Not hidden. I just mean your pants are there. As they should be. I mean…there’s a stain. That I was looking at. On er…your knee and maybe other places?”