Winners Announced

The winners of Clyde Edgerton's The Night Train are:

Sharon Henning

Donna of My Life in Stories

Melissa of Coffee, Books, and Laundry

Congratulations Ladies! Please email me within 48 hours to claim your book!

Book Tour and Giveaway

As most of you know I am not an avid reader of romance novels and that I recently signed-up for a summer reading romance challenge in order to step outside of my comfort zone.  So when the opportunity arose to participate in the book blog tour for How To Seduce Scoundrel by Vicky Dreiling,I decided to jump in and it's been so much fun!

Product Details: 

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages

• Publisher: Forever; Original edition (June 28, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446565385
• ISBN-13: 978-0446565387

Product Description: (from the publisher)
Miss Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother's best friend-for whom she's long nursed a secret tendre-agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz. But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for Marc Darcett, Earl of Hawkfield, to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any self-respecting, recently discarded young miss with a wicked sense of humor would do. She secretly pens a lady's guide to enticing unrepentant rakes . . . and it becomes the hottest scandal sheet in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends' sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julienne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can't resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of kissing her senseless. He's always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?

About the Author:
Vicky Dreiling is a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her "Trouble."
When she's not writing, Vicky enjoys reading, films, concerts, and most of all, long lunches with friends. She holds degrees in English literature and marketing. A native Texan, she shares her home with her daughter and a spoiled mini-lop rabbit that lives in a slightly gnawed cardboard cottage.

Visit her at: http://www.vickydreiling.com/

My Thoughts: 

Vicky Dreiling has certainly done her homework when it comes to providing historical narrative!  I was quickly swept back in time to the England of 1817 where the women dressed in long, flowing gowns and the men wore top hats and overcoats.  Each character was very well-developed, and I became especially fond of Aunt Hester...what a hoot!  Aunt Hester with her brutal honesty touched by a bit of bawdiness encourages Julianne to write her pamphlet which becomes more of a guide about the art of seduction as a means of obtaining that long-desires marriage proposal. ...perhaps a bit early feminist rights in a  patriarchal society.  I enjoyed this much more than I expected and found it to be quite a fun read.  Yes, there were a few "steamy", and even a bit "naughty" scenes that made a novice romance reader such as myself  blush...just a little.  And a wonderful  plot development that kept me reading 'till the wee hours of the morning!  If your a fan of historical romance novels then your in for a real treat with this one!  I give this novel an overall rating of a 4.

Giveaway:

And now for the giveaway!   I am please to announce that I have been given the opportunity to award three lucky winners with a copy of this novel!  This giveaway is open to resident of the US and Canada, and please, no P.O. Boxes.  To enter, simply be follower of my blog (new followers are always welcome!) and leave a comment on this post.  If you choose to blog about this with a link back here, please leave a separate comment with a link to your blog for 2 additional entries! 

I'll announce the winner here on July 20th!

Winners: The Upright Piano Player...and updates

First, I'm happy to say that my computer is back and all is well.  Not only did I have to get a new motherboard, but also needed a new monitor...nothing can ever be singular in my house...lol. 
Without further delay, I want to thank all you for entering the giveaway for The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott.  The winners of this wonderful book are:

Kara Malinczak and Elizabeth of Silversolara

Congratulations Ladies! Please email me within the next 48 hours to claim your book!  And tomorrow is the last day to enter the giveaway for The Night Train by Clyde Edgarton (just click on the cover in the sidebar!)

The Astral Giveaway Winners

And the winners of The Astral by Kate Christensen are:

Raige Creations and Mamabunny13!


The winners need to email me within 48 hours with shipping information.  Just use the email button here in the sidebar. Congratulations!

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Winner

Wow, what a turnout for the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Event!  I want to thank all of you for entering and although I can only choose one winner, I hope you will continue to stop by and enter my upcoming giveaways!  I currently have three other giveaways listed in the sidebar.

The winner for the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway is:

Tiffany Drew

The winner has 48 hours to email me with shipping details (use the button in the sidebar)

Book Review and Giveaway: The Night Train By Clyde Edgerton

The Night Train By Clyde Edgerton

Product Details:

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (July 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316117595
• ISBN-13: 978-0316117593

Usually, I'll post a description of the book provided from the publisher, but in this case, I think it's truly best if Mr. Edgerton describe his book for you...(or rather ya'll):

The Night Train Book Trailer - Clyde Edgerton from Mark Teachey on Vimeo.

About the Author: (from Goodreads)

Clyde Edgerton is widely considered one of the premier novelists working in the Southern tradition today, often compared with such masters as Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor.

Although most of his books deal with adult concerns--marriage, aging, birth and death--Edgerton's work is most profoundly about family. In books such as Raney, Walking Across Egypt, The Floatplane Notebooks, and Killer Diller, Edgerton explores the dimensions of family life, using an endearing (if eccentric) cast of characters. "Edgerton's characters," writes Mary Lystad in Twentieth-Century Young Adult Writers, "have more faults than most, but they also have considerable virtues, and they are so likable that you want to invite them over for a cup of coffee, a piece of homemade apple pie, and a nice long chat."

Raised in the small towns of the North Carolina Piedmont, Edgerton draws heavily on the storytelling traditions of the rural south in his novels. Without the distractions of big-city life and the communications revolution of the late twentieth century, many rural Americans stayed in close touch with their relatives, and often shared stories about family members with each other for entertainment. He currently teaches creative at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he lives with his wife, Kristina, and their children.

My Thoughts:
The Night Train is southern literature at its finest!  Full of wit and humor as well as that charming regional dialect that only a true southern writer can capture on page, Edgerton has given us a novel that reveals the  prevailing racial prejudices of the early 1960's and the music that crossed both sides of the color line.  During a time when Martin Luther King. Jr was speaking of Civil Rights, a young boy by the name of "Till" goes missing and is found dead,  and the "Greensboro Six" made their infamous lunch counter sit-in, racial tension was at it's peak.  But for Dwayne and Larry Lime, life, as well as their friendship, was all about the music.  I absolutely loved this novel and had many laugh aloud moments as well as moments of reflection.  Edgerton doesn't simply tell us about race relations in the South....he shows us in a way that appears so natural  which is the essence of a truly gifted storyteller.  His characterization is impeccable and I couldn't help but develop a fondness for Aunt Marzie...as well as the chickens!  I easily give this a Five. And as a side note...my sixteen year old son picked this up "just to have a look" and is now half way through the book!

And for the Giveaway.... 

A special thank you to Anna Balasi of Little, Brown, and Co. for giving me this opportunity to offer three copies of this novel. This is open to residents of the US and Canada only, and please, no P.O. Boxes.  To enter, simply follow my blog (new followers are always welcome) and leave a comment on this post.  I'll announce the three lucky winners on Wednesday July 6th

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

STOP #214
Welcome to the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Wrtier!

For this special event I'm offering the following four hard cover books to one lucky winner!
(For book details from Amazon, just click the title below each photo)

Twice A Spy By Keith Thomson

Altar Of Bones By Philip Carter

To Be Sung Underwater By Tom McNeal

The Butterfly's Daughter By Mary Alice Monroe

ENTRY GUIDELINES...VERY EASY!

You must be a follower of this blog (new followers welcomed!)  and leave a comment here on this post.  I'll announce the winner on Saturday June 25th, at which time the winner will have 48 hours to contact me via email with shipping details.

This is open to all....I will ship internationally!

Be sure to check out these other blogs participating in this awesome hop event:

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

We have winners for Prophecy By S.J.Parris!  The two lucky winners who will be receiving a copy of this incredible historical thrillers are:

Jeanna's Bookshelf 
and  
aobibliophile™

Winners need to contact me via email within 48 hours to make arrangements for shipping (just click on the typewriter icon in the right sidebar!)  Otherwise, new winners be chosen.  Thank you so much to all you for entering and there are more giveaways listed in the left sidebar to enter!

Have a great weekend!  

Giveaway: THE UPRIGHT PIANO PLAYER BY David Abbott(Ends 6/30)

We have another Giveaway here at the Cottage Bookshelf!  Thank you once again to Liz at Doubleday for making this opportunity possible!  Available for this giveaway are TWO copies of The Upright Piano Player By David Abbott.



Product Description: (From the Publisher):
An adroit first novel of exceptional grace and emotional power by a legendary British ad executive.

“David Abbott’s The Upright Piano Player is a wise and moving debut, an accomplished novel of quiet depths and resonant shadows.” —John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Commoner and Reservation Road

Henry Cage seems to have it all: a successful career, money, a beautiful home, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel. His ex-wife is ill, his relationship with his son is strained to the point of estrangement, and on the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random violent act which soon escalates into a prolonged harassment.

As his ex-wife's illness becomes grave, it is apparent that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past. But the man stalking Henry remains at large. Who is doing this? And why? David Abbott brilliantly pulls this thread of tension ever tighter until the surprising and emotionally impactful conclusion. The Upright Piano Player is a wise and acutely observed novel about the myriad ways in which life tests us—no matter how carefully we have constructed our own little fortresses.

ENTRY GUIDELINES:
To enter, you must be a follower of The Cottage Bookshelf (new followers are always welcome) and simply, leave a comment on this post to be considered for the drawing.

For an additional entry, post this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Please note this particular giveaway is only being offered to US residents and winning copies will be shipped directly from the publisher.  Winners will be announced here on July 1st at which time the winners will have 48 hours to contact me (just use the "email me" typewriter button located here in the upper right sidebar).

GOOD LUCK!

Book Giveaway: The Astral By Kate Christensen Ends 6/26

Another Giveaway here at The Cottage!  This giveaway is for TWO copies of The Astral By Kate Christensen and the deadline to enter is June 26th.  And I would like once again to thank Liz at Doubleday for making this giveaway possible!

Product Description (From the Publisher)

From the PEN/Faulkner Award–winning author of The Great Man, a scintillating novel of love, loss, and literary rivalry set in rapidly changing Brooklyn.
The Astral is a huge rose-colored old pile of an apart­ment building in the gentrifying neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For decades it was the happy home (or so he thought) of the poet Harry Quirk and his wife, Luz, a nurse, and of their two children: Karina, now a fer­vent freegan, and Hector, now in the clutches of a cultish Christian community. But Luz has found (and destroyed) some poems of Harry’s that ignite her long-simmering sus­picions of infidelity, and he’s been summarily kicked out. He now has to reckon with the consequence of his literary, marital, financial, and parental failures (and perhaps oth­ers) and find his way forward—and back into Luz’s good graces.

Harry Quirk is, in short, a loser, living small and low in the water. But touched by Kate Christensen’s novelistic grace and acute perception, his floundering attempts to reach higher ground and forge a new life for himself become funny, bittersweet, and terrifically moving. She knows what secrets lurk in the hearts of men—and she turns them into literary art of the highest order.

ENTRY GUIDELINES:
To enter, you must be a follower of The Cottage Bookshelf (new followers are always welcome) and simply, leave a comment on this post to be considered for the drawing.

For an additional entry, post this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Please note this particular giveaway is only being offered to US residents and winning copies will be shipped directly from the publisher.  Winners will be announced here on June 27th at which time the winners will have 48 hours to contact me (just use the "email me" button located here in the upper right sidebar).

GOOD LUCK!

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop

Plan to spend the longest day of the year entering giveaways as part of the Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.  This will be a four day hop from June 21st through 24th  with  well over a hundred blogs participating...including yours truly, The Cottage Bookshelf, so be sure to mark your calendar!

Book Giveaway - Ends June 16th

It's time for another giveaway here at The Cottage Bookshelf!  I would first like to thank Liz at Doubleday for making this wonderful offer possible.

Two luck winners will receive a copy of Prochecy by S.J. Parris.  This historical thriller is sure make a great summer read!





PRODUCT DETAILS: (from the Publisher)

S. J. Parris returns with the next Giordano Bruno mystery, set inside Queen Elizabeth’s palace and steeped in period atmospherics and the strange workings of the occult.

It is the year of the Great Conjunction, when the two most powerful planets, Jupiter and Saturn, align—an astrologi­cal phenomenon that occurs once every thousand years and heralds the death of one age and the dawn of another. The streets of London are abuzz with predictions of horrific events to come, possibly even the death of Queen Elizabeth.

When several of the queen’s maids of honor are found dead, rumors of black magic abound. Elizabeth calls upon her personal astrologer, John Dee, and Giordano Bruno to solve the crimes. While Dee turns to a mysterious medium claiming knowledge of the murders, Bruno fears that some­thing far more sinister is at work. But even as the climate of fear at the palace intensifies, the queen refuses to believe that the killer could be someone within her own court.

Bruno must play a dangerous game: can he allow the plot to progress far enough to give the queen the proof she needs without putting her, England, or his own life in danger?

In this utterly gripping and gorgeously written novel, S. J. Parris has proven herself the new master of the historical thriller.

ENTRY GUIDELINES:
To enter, you must be a follower of The Cottage Bookshelf (new followers are always welcome) and simply, leave a comment on this post to be considered for the drawing.

For an additional entry, post this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and leave a comment with a link to your post.

Please note this particular giveaway is only being offered to US residents and winning copies will be shipped directly from the publisher.  Winners will be announced here on June 17th at which time the winners will have 48 hours to contact me (just use the "email me" button located here in the upper right sidebar).

GOOD LUCK!

Valentine Giveaway Winner Announced

I want to give all of you of BIG THANK YOU for entering this Valentine Giveaway!  I wish I could choose more than one but alas, I cannot.  After throwing all the names into a jar, my youngest son was given the honor of drawing the lucky winner:

Congratualtions goes to Ellie!

I have more giveaways scheduled so please check back often. 

As a side note, my computer is currently in the shop for repairs and debugging, so I may not be around on a regular basis for a couple of days.

Valentine's Day Books With Love Giveaway

Good Choice Reading and Once Upon a Twilight are hosting a three-day Valentine's Day Books With Love Giveaway Blog Hop!  This event will take place February 14th-16th with many book bloggers offering a spectacular selection of love-inspired books for you to win!
Now, I have to admit, I don't consider myself an avid "romance" reader. However, I do enjoy reading the Love Inspired series from Harlequin.  They're cozy inspirational romances and I have SIX books to giveaway!

 

This Giveaway includes:

His Forever Love (Love Inspired) 

Baby Makes a Match (Love Inspired) 

Jenna's Cowboy Hero 

Love Finds a Home 

Doctor Right (Love Inspired) 

Shelter of Hope (Love Inspired) 

Simply, follow my blog and leave a comment on this post. I will announce the winner on February 17th. 

Be sure to check out these other participating blogs and Happy Valentine's Day: