Blog Tour & #Giveaway: Lucky in Love by @JillShalvis

Mallory Quinn has had enough of playing it safe. As a nurse and devoted daughter, she takes care of everyone but herself. And as the local good girl, she's expected to date Mr. Right. But for once, she'd like to take a risk on Mr. Wrong. And who could be more wrong than Ty Garrison? The mysterious new guy in town has made it clear that he's only passing through, which suits Mallory just fine. Besides, his lean, hard body and sexy smile will give her plenty to remember once he's gone...

For the first time in his life, Ty can't bear to leave. Helping this sexy seductress-in-training walk on the wild side is making him desire things he shouldn't -- including leaving the military for good. As their just-for-fun fling becomes something more, Mallory and Ty wonder if they could really be this lucky in love. After all...anything can happen in a town called Lucky Harbor.

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?

{May 30 - June 13, 2012}

• Only residents of the U.S. are eligible to win
• No P.O. Boxes please
• Giveaway copies will be sent directly to winners from the publisher
• 1 Winner will be randomly selected using random.org and contacted via email
• Please check my Contest Policy before entering

To enter:

1. Please fill out the form below
*Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing the prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In My Mailbox {97}

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mailbox/library/store.

I'll try to post an entry of IMM every Sunday that I receive books by mail/library/store of that week.

Books via Half Price Books

Tough Customer by Sandra Brown

Blog Tour & Guest Post: Diane Chamberlain, author of The Good Father

I needed to make sure she didn't need to go back to the pharmacy any sooner than that. I hoped I'd figured this out right.

"Don't remind me." She rubbed Bella's back. Bella had blueberry stuck in her teeth and I was glad I'd remembered to put her toothbrush in her little pink purse.


http://bit.ly/I56ozq
How did closing your private psychotherapy practice influence your writing? Do you have any regrets or do you still believe in following your dreams?


When I first started writing, I’d hoped to continue my private practice, but as the demands of my writing career grew, it quickly became clear I would have to pick one or the other. I loved them both, but my dream of being a writer went back to my childhood. Plus, I knew how hard I’d worked on my books and how fortunate I was to be published. I couldn’t give that up.

It was very hard to end my practice. I’d published three books by that time, but my identity had still very much been connected to being a clinical social worker. Plus, my practice had been primarily with adolescents and I would miss working with them so much. Many of my clients touched my life as much as I touched theirs. I still hear from a few of them and it’s wonderful to see them grow into a happy adulthood and know I had a small part in that.

Obviously, I believe in following your dreams, but I also believe in making enough money to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. In my case, my husband of twenty years was willing to carry the main financial burden as I built my writing career—or so I thought. The very week that I ended my practice, however, he told me he’d fallen in love with someone else, and just like that my “perfect marriage” was over and with it, my financial support. It was a panicky time in many ways. However, I signed a wonderful new contract and for the first time, I actually could support myself writing. That was sheer luck, though, and I don’t advise quitting your day job without a safety net. The bottom line for me is that I feel very blessed to have had two careers that have allowed me to touch people in a positive way.

Next Stop on the Tour: Broken Teepee

Review: With This Kiss by Bella Riley

With This Kiss
Bella Riley
Series: Emerald Lake #2
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: March 1, 2012
Kindle {p.243}
Source: Publisher/Net Galley
Genre: Contemporary
Rebecca Campbell, Sean Murphy
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Love can find you when you least expect it...

Fireworks. That's what innkeeper Rebecca Campbell wants. And no matter how close their friendship, she and her former fianc never shared that. Now, with a broken engagement behind her and a promise she's vowed to keep, Rebecca is determined to make a new life for herself in Emerald Lake. She just never expected sparks to fly this quickly...

Coming home and falling for his little brother's girl wasn't Sean Murphy's plan. Rebecca's sweet smile and kind heart make Sean feel at home-something he's never felt before. But a secret lingers between them, and no matter how powerful their attraction, Sean can't give his heart to a woman he can't trust. Or can he? As the days pass, Rebecca and Sean find it harder and harder to deny their desire. And they are in beautiful Emerald Lake, the perfect place for falling in love ...

Rebecca at times came across as a little too good to be true, and that made it difficult to relate to her. She was constantly saying whatever came to mind without any thought, and keeping secrets for her friends caused her great pains.

These things about her made it pretty difficult for me to connect with her or care about the outcome of her relationships. The conflict between her and Sean was easily spotted. With his issues with trusting women, due to a secret he's been keeping since childhood, and Rebecca inability to keep a secret, you just knew there would be problems. So of course when Sean finally opens up and learns to trust Rebecca, she spills his secret. I didn't understand why he thought it was a wise idea to trust her with it in the first place.

Of course they managed to work it all out in the end.

In My Mailbox {96}

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mailbox/library/store.

I'll try to post an entry of IMM every Sunday that I receive books by mail/library/store of that week.

Books via Half Price Books

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Oracle's Moon by Thea Harrison

The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

Books via Paperback Swap

Lucifer's Angel by Kaenar Langford

Boss Man by Marie Rochelle

Books via Public Library

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Books via Publisher

Love is Murder by Sandra Brown

Review: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Summer Rental
Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: June 7, 2011
Audio Book {14 hrs 46 mins}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Chick Lit
Ellis, Julia, Dorie, Ty Bazemore
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?

Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

Ellis was a complete delight from the very beginning. Her BFF Julia on the other hand had her moments. I didn’t care for her constant meddling in other people’s business, but other than that she was an okay character. Dorie, Ellis and Julia’s other BFF, was just somewhere in between. She felt like a filler character.

Summer Rental wasn’t as funny as past Andrews books I’ve read, but enjoyable all the same. The relationship between Ty and Ellie was okay, but didn’t seem like a great love affair.

Maryn I liked when she but Julia in her place. But at other times it seemed like she was just to naïve when it came to the men in her life.

Read by Isabel Keating

Duration: 14 hours 46 minutes

Macmillan Audio

Narration: B

These readers did a great job, but there wasn't much of a differnce between the voices of the four ladies.

Review: Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Rainshadow Road
Lisa Kleypas
Series: Friday Harbor #2
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: February 28, 2012
Audio Book {8 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Lucy Marinn, Sam Nolan
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington, with a boyfriend, Kevin, who she believes is her soul mate. She has always had a magical side - a gift that finds its way into the breathtaking glasswork she creates - and she struggles to keep it contained. But when Lucy is blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal, she questions many of her choices. Her boyfriend leaves her and his new lover is none other than Lucy's own sister. Lucy's bitterness over this devastation is multiplied buy the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Meanwhile, facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's family, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on the San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy so that she can more easily move on. But when Sam and Lucy begin to feel real sparks between them, Lucy must ask herself if she can easily risk her heart again.

As Lucy questions her beliefs about love, loyalty, and old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings, she explores the possibility that some things in life - even after are being broken - can be re-made into something beautiful. And that is the only by discovering who you really are that you can find the one who truly deserves you.

The romance in this one was slow to start, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Sam and Lucy were cute together, and didn't really have any conflicts, which in my opinion was good. The only problem they had was Sam's fear of committment, but you have that with most men.

The whole relationship started out as a friendship, which was sweet, that eventually turned into more. The love was more sweet than steamy and took time to grow. Even with that being the case, I enjoyed their journey to happily ever after.

As always, I enjoyed the other residents of Friday Harbor. Well except for Lucy's ex-boyfriend and her sister. I know Sam's brother Alex is the hero of the next book, but I'm unsure how that's going to work since he was a hot mess in this installment. If you read Christmas at Friday Harbor, then you were introduced to the little darling Holly. She had me tearing up in some of her scenes and laughing in others. She's always the bright spot in this series.

Read by Tanya Eby

Duration: 8 hours

Brilliance Audio

Narration: B

Tanya does a nice job of capturing the feel of not only the characters, but of Friday Harbor in general.

Waiting on Wednesday {93}: Big Sky Mountain @lindalaelmiller

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. It is showcases upcoming releases of books that I'm looking forward to. It is somewhat similar to one of my previous posts, Anxiously Awaiting. {Button courtesy of Bewitched Bookworms}

Big Sky Mountain
Linda Lael Miller
July 31, 2012

The "First Lady of the West," #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, brings you to Parable, Montana-where love awaits.

With his rugged good looks, vast wealth and family name, hell-raiser Hutch Carmody is still the golden boy of Parable, Montana. But he's done some growing up-making peace with his illegitimate half brother and inheriting half of Whisper Creek Ranch, which should have been all his. These days, Hutch knows there are some things money can't buy: like the heart of loving, ladylike divorcé e Kendra Shepherd.

Kendra's quiet mansion reminds her of what she wants most-a devoted husband and the pitter-patter of little feet. She can't get Hutch Carmody out of her mind. But a rough-and-tumble cowboy like Hutch, coming home for family dinner? Seems crazy! Then again, crazier dreams have become reality under the vast Montana sky.

And the Winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**New Winner Chosen**

Sary R Shadow K

In My Mailbox {95}

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I'll post what books I've received either by mailbox/library/store.

I'll try to post an entry of IMM every Sunday that I receive books by mail/library/store of that week.

Books via Amazon

The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

Books via Paperback Swap

Love and Learn by Diana Hunter

Books via Publisher

Sunrise Point by Robyn Carr

Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller

The Siren by Tiffany Reisz

Lucky in Love by Jill Shalvis

Books via Reader Service

Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller

Noelle by Diana Palmer

One More Summer by Liz Flaherty

Summer Days by Susan Mallery