WEEKEND BLOG HOPS

Welcome to the NEW Book Blogger Hop!
Are you a book blogger? Are you a reader? Then welcome to the place where all of us connect over the weekend and chat about books! Not sure what a book blogger is and if you are one? Do you have a blog? Do you blog about books? Do you write book reviews on your blog? Do you rave about books and authors on your blog? Is your blog content primarily about books? Then you are most likely considered a book blogger!
How it Works
As long as you meet the qualifications of a book blogger, you may add your book blog link into the linky list. But before you do that, there are a few requirements. Read up, to save yourself a headache with the linky!

1. Before you add your link, you must post about the Hop on your blog and link directly back to THIS POST (not just my domain, but the direct post for this Hop). The linky is going to review the link that you enter in your submission, looking for a link to this post on your blog. If it doesn’t find one, your link will not be approved. This is called back linking and I had to institute it because people were taking advantage of the Hop and getting some free advertising without promoting the Hop themselves. You can read more about this here.

2. While you are creating your post, answer the following question (there’s a new prompt each week)!

“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!”



I just received this book for Blog Tour on my Blog and I will do a review also.

KISS OF NIGHT by Debbie Viguie

Centuries ago, Raphael was a blasphemous knight who fought in the Crusades purely for his own mercenary benefit, and to satisfy his taste for killing. Now, condemned for his evil passions and hypocrisy, he wanders the earth a vampire, cursed with first-hand knowledge of the supernatural world he once denied existed. The powerful relic he still possesses from his days as a Crusader has been stolen by a rival vampire who has recruited an army of soulless underlings to aid him in spreading evil. At the time he learns this, Raphael has been hunting this vampire for nearly a century, and it seems the final battle is destined to take place in Prague. For help in this quest, Raphael must enlist the aid of two humans, David and Susan, who suddenly find themselves immersed in a world they never imagined, entangled with supernatural forces they can't control. Susan, in particular, finds herself conflicted as she struggles with her inexplicable attraction to Raphael. In the end, both Susan and Raphael will be called upon to exercise courage and faith, and in the process, the question What would happen if a vampire truly accepted God? is answered.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Viguie is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels for young adults. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Comparative Religion from Bircham International University and is using her studies to research religious themes and historical events. She and her husband recently moved to Florida, where she writes full time (when she's not walking on the beach).

It is Week 18 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug! Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful! We love you tons! Now what are you waiting for? Let's get to hopping! We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you! So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new! Let's continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you - nothing too tough though. So here we go:

1. Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game and The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug. Leave us a comment and we will follow you back! (If you already follow us on GFC, we'd LOVE it if you would follow us on Facebook or Twitter.)
2. Please follow our guest co-host who this week is Meggie from Shoestring Tightrope.
3. You don't have to post our button but we sure would like it if you did. Not only does it help our hop grow so we can all get new followers, but each week we will choose a guest co-host and to be considered you must have our button somewhere on your site! If you post our button and want to be considered for guest co-host, please email me at jmanandmillerbug@gmail.com to express your interest.
4. You can link up blogs, facebook, twitter accounts, whatever - just be sure to specify what each link is.
5. Hop around and find blogs that you enjoy. Be sure to tell them you are following them from Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop so they can follow you back!
6. Have fun!

IN MY MAILBOX

The books below are from my GOODREADS page. They were added to my To Read List. I can't seem to make enough time to read here lately. New goal more time to read.

Cry in the Night (Rock Harbor Series #4)
by Colleen Coble

The highly anticipated novel that delivers what romantic suspense fans have long awaited-the return to Rock Harbor.

A mysterious crying in the night leads search-and-rescue worker Bree Matthews and her dog Samson to an abandoned baby in the woods outside of Rock Harbor, Michigan. Against objections from her husband, Bree takes the baby girl in. Quickly she begins a search for the mother-presumably the woman reported missing just days earlier.

The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser

With the Great Depression swirling all around them, the affluent Singletons remain affluent. The fictional family, last seen in Elizabeth Musser's The Swan House, continues their carefree life with its rounds of dances and socials and afternoons out at the cinema. Into this protected bubble drops Mary "Dobbs" Dillard, a minister's daughter with radical ideas. Her improbable intersection with Perri Singleton at Atlanta's prestigious Washington Seminary changes both their lives and shows that the chemistry of opposites can sometimes cause awe-inspiring results. A faith-based novel with resonance.

Yours To Keep (Kowalski Family #3)
by Shannon Stacey

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs to produce a husband-to-be for her grandmother’s upcoming visit, and, though Sean doesn’t like the deception, he could use the landscaping job Emma’s offering while he decides what to do with his civilian life. And, despite his attraction to Emma, there’s no chance he’ll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home.

Emma’s not interested in a real relationship either; not with a man whose idea of home is wherever he drops his duffel bag. No matter how amazing his “pretend” kisses are…

Milk Maid in Heaven: A Novella
by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

Mitch Rutherford works the graveyard shift at a dairy farm within the prison work-release program. His only focus is on his upcoming release from prison, until he meets Emily Stuart, the farmer’s daughter just weeks before his release. Unwilling to compromise his release date or his friendship with Ethan Stuart; his boss and Emily’s father, Mitch struggles with his growing friendship with her. When tragedy strikes the dairy farm, Mitch must work together with Emily to prevent her father’s business from collapsing. It is then that Mitch feels he cares for Emily more than he is willing to admit. Will Mitch risk everything just to win Emily's heart?

The Apothecary, paranormal romance/urban fantasy/chick lit/paranormal/romance (A Secret in the Attic) by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

When Claire Mayfield suddenly finds herself the new heir of a property that has lain vacant for over one hundred years, she becomes leery of the rumors of the hauntings from the three young children who were said to have been murdered there. With a little encouragement from Ben, the lawyer who breaks the news of the inheritance to her, Claire agrees to explore the manor, but only on the condition that Ben accompanies her. Finding her attractive, he accepts the challenge, and the two embark on an adventure that will forever change their lives.
Despite a few distractions and bumps along the way, Claire discovers her great uncle, Dr. Blackwell's, apothecary and traveling medicine show from the late 1800's, and even stumbles upon clues that could help her solve her ancestor's one hundred-year-old murder-mystery—all with a little help from a mischievous young girl who has been dead for over one hundred years.
Written with the paranormal fiction fan in mind, this book offers a peek into the world of a ghost, and ignites the imagination, allowing the reader to experience paranormal communication within its pages. Because the young ghost’s feelings, emotions and worries are conveyed in a very real light, the reader will be drawn to her story, crying when she cries and smiling when she triumphs.
This book presents a unique twist, as it appeals to a wide audience, offering a murder–mystery, romance, and a paranormal experience all in one book.

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer

A sham betrothal isn-t the only thing that gets Kitty and Freddy into trouble, but it-s definitely the beginning ..

A most unusual hero
Freddy is immensely rich, of course, and not bad-looking, but he-s mild-mannered, a bit hapless-not anything like his virile, handsome, rakish cousin Jack ...

A heroine in a difficult situation
Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from her irascible and eccentric guardian-provided she marries one of his great-nephews ...

A sham betrothal
No sooner does Kitty arrive in London then the race for her hand begins, but between confirmed rakes and bumbling affections, Kitty needs a daring scheme ...

WEEKEND BLOG HOPS

BOOK BLOGGER HOP - JULY

Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop - Week 18

Nancy at StylenDecorDeals Wins Book Giveaway

Nancy from StylenDecorDeals wins the book giveaway.

She has chosen the book SOUVENIR by Therese Fowler

I want to thank all of you who joined the giveaway. I will be having more giveaways so keep checking bac.

Review: TEXAS BLUE by Jodie Thomas

TEXAS BLUE, book five of the WHISPERING MOUNTAIN SERIES by Jodie Thomas did not disappoint me. It held up to my expectations of the authors writings in this western series. The female character in this story reminded me of the Ugly Duckling. I was cheering for her during the whole book. The male main character wanted to know what it felt like to have a loving family. They were an unlikely pair that had a hard time letting go of the past. Pride, though some may call it being hard headed, is a big problem for both of these characters until love over powers their pride. Then of course there is plenty of adventure involving Texas Rangers. If you like humor stirred into your romance novel this is definitely sprinkled with humor.
I hope there will be another book in this series. I highly recommend this book. Way to go Jodi Thomas. You did it again.

BOOK GIVEAWAY - July 12-19 Two Books To Choose From

The book I have chosen is SOUVENIR by Therese Fowler. This book is a large print, hardcover with 656 pages.

One entry is comment on this post that you would like to win this book.
Second entry if you follow me on GFC or already follow and leave a comment about it.

I love comments. That is it good luck to all of you. I will be using the Random Generator to choose the winner.

In this powerful fiction debut, Therese Fowler combines the emotional resonance of Nicholas Sparks with the intense, true-to-life richness of Jodi Picoult to create a stunning and dramatic novel all her own.

Meg Powell and Carson McKay grew were raised side by side on their families' farms, bonded by a love that only deepened.

If the book Souvenir is not your cup of tea and you would prefer something a with a little more punch I am going to give you another choice. The winner can choose from Souvenir or Shifter.

                        A Shapeshifting Paranormal Romance
                                                 SHIFTER
                                                       by
                                           ANGELA KNIGHT
                                              LORA LEIGH
                                              ALYSSA DAY
                                         VIRGINIA KANTRA
Whether transforming under a blue moon or prowling the streets, the shifters come alive to fulfill the wildest of fantasies in this seductive anthology by four masters of paranormal romance.


Four stories by four amazing authors.  This is hardcover book with 320 pages.   
                                                  

Cover Crazy: The Host by Stephanie Meyers

Cover Crazy is a new linky for me hosted by The Book Worms. You choose an amazing book cover and explain what it says to you. I chose The Host cover because you can see right into her eyes. My imagination goes wild with wondering what she is thinking or what will happen in this book.Knowing that it was written by Stephanie Meyers makes it even more intriguing. Then the title give you this weird filling of anticipation. I have read this book. My feelings about the cover is how I felt about it when I purchased the book. I will not tell you about the book other than it is confusing at first but keep reading you won't be sorry.

IT'S MONDAY WHAT ARE YOU READING HOSTED BY BOOK JOURNEY

I am reading TEXAS BLUE BY JODIE THOMAS, the 5th in The Whispering Mountain Series.

Gambling man Lewton Paterson wants to marry into a respectable family. After fleecing a train ticket, Lewt makes his way to Whispering Mountain. But seducing a well-bred woman is hard, and Lewt realizes that to entice a McMurray sister, he'll need to learn a thing or two about ranching-and love.

I plan on reading DAMAGED: NATALIE'S STORY BY TALIA JAGER.

Natalie Jarrett is a seventeen-year-old girl who falls in love with the wrong boy. When she finds herself in the hospital after one of his violent attacks, she can no longer turn a blind eye. Suffering from severe injuries, her doctor tells her she will never be the same again. Although injured and feeling guilty, alone, scared and most of all, damaged, everyone seems to expect her to return quickly to her normal life – but how can she bounce back when she blames herself for all that’s gone wrong?

Q&A with Emily Murray the Owner of Blogaholic Social Network

Emily Murray is the owner and creator of a new community for bloggers: Blogaholic Social Network. The community went live on Monday, May 30th and in just a few short weeks has become an active community for all bloggers! Here is a bit more from Emily about the new network!

Tell us a little bit about Blogaholic Social Network.
BSN is a community where bloggers can get together and pretty much talk about all things blog related. There is a wide variety of groups that you can join from blog niche’s to gaining followers- groups are a lot of fun and members have created quite a few of them so far so there is something for everyone! The site also allows you to post blog posts, list your giveaways, list your blog hops, there is really so much you can do on the site!

How did Blogaholic Social network come to be?
Well long story short it was an idea I had for quite awhile. I also do blog design and my creative mind never seems to stop running, I knew that I loved blogging and I had learned so much about blog design from other bloggers so I wanted to create a community that allowed all these wonderful resources to come together, not just blog design but all bloggers helping each other, getting to know each other, learning from each other about all aspects of blogging. There is so much that even I still want to learn and I know that I can do it here on BSN. So it came down to the push of a button to hit publish live and I paced back and forth until finally my husband said “Listen, do you want to be sitting on the front porch 30 years from now saying, I should of hit that publish button” so off I went and here we are!


What are your future hopes for the site?
Really, I just hope to continue to see so many people enjoying it and getting great use out it. I want the network to be a “go to” for all things that have to do with blogging while still having a close knit community and I also want people to be able to connect, ask their questions and get answers- there is nothing worse than being a new blogger and feeling completely lost. So hopefully the site can help new bloggers and for veteran bloggers they have so much advice that they are willing to share, it’s great how everyone just comes together! The truth of it all is that the community is the foundation of the site and they are the future of the site as well.

I can not begin to tell you how overwhelmed with happiness I was to see it all come together the site itself and the community that has built just in a few short weeks. I just hope the members of BSN know that I appreciate each and every one of them because without them the network is not a community at all.

Feel free to stop by and check us out, we would love to have you as a member!

Emily, I feel so honored that you have done this interview for the viewers of my blog. I know what a wonderful job you have done with Blogaholic it has been a great source of information for me and has a wonderful community of bloggers. Blogaholic has a wide variety of Groups including several Book Groups that I have joined. I hope it continues to grow which I know it will. Thanks again for the interview.

Okay bloggers now is a perfect time to check out Blogaholic Social Network.

Review - Edge of Escape by Debra Chapoton

Edge of Escape kept my attention from the beginning. One of the main characters in this book is a special ed student. He was heartlessly tagged by classmates as Special Eddie. Life can be so cruel for these little ones with special needs. On top of that he had a very unhappy childhood. He dealt with a real lack of love from his mother and the death of his father.
As a child he falls in love with Becky a sweet little girl that gave him a smile that he never forgot.

I have a mentally handicap daughter so this really touched my heart. It is so hard to understand where their actions are coming from and why they do the things they do.
I normally don't like books that jumps back and forth from past to present but the way this was written it made everything clearer. You understood more of why some of certain things were happening.

Who holds responsibility for what happened? Eddie, his mother, classmates, teachers, counselor or was it the death of his father? Maybe all of them.

I highly recommend this book for the young and the old.

Patricia

BOOK BLOGGERS HOP


In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG (FEEL FREE TO GRAB THE LOGO AT THE TOP OF THE POST!)

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE BOOK PARTY! THE MORE THE MERRIER!

IN YOUR BLOG POST, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION (NEW QUESTION EACH WEEK!).


This week’s question isn’t a question at all! I thought I would do things a little differently this week and give all of you a chance to promote a giveaway (or two!) from the blogosphere.

The catch?

IT CAN’T BE YOUR OWN GIVEAWAY!

Gotcha!

You have to find another blogger who is having a giveaway and promote their giveaway for them! If possible, promote a giveaway from a blogger doing the Hop (hey, you are visiting other blogs anyway, right?). Have fun with this one! It’s not an easy task this week!

It's Time To Read Mamaw's answer is:

Jen at Crazy For Books

http://crazy-for-books.com/2011/07/blog-tour-giveaway-storm-at-the-door-by-stefan-merrill-block.html

Texas Blue by Jodie Thomas

I am almost finished reading EDGE OF ESCAPE BY DEBRA CHAPOTON. It is a fantastic book can't wait to do the review in a day or so.

Next I will be reading TEXAS BLUE by JODIE THOMAS. It is the most recent book #5 in the WHISPERING MOUNTAIN SERIES. I loved the other books in this series and have been very anxious to read this newest book. This series is about orphaned McMurray boys caring for their newborn baby sister. Plus trying to defend the family ranch from being taken from them. Can you image young boys defending their land and home without the help of their parents. If you haven't already read any of these books in this series I highly recommend you to buy or borrow the books and enjoy.

I have been very distracted from my reading because of my lab puppies but now that I have found wonderful homes for all eight of them I will be able to relax and read.

Mission to Read: Don't Forget!

Mission to Read: Don't Forget!: "For those of you interested in the iPod nano including a Spellbound playlist, from the Spellbound tour that it has been extended until Wedne..."

Book Blogger Hop: 7/1-7/4 (and a surprise!)

Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This week’s question comes from Sue who blogs at Cookies Book Club! Thanks for submitting a question for our Hoppers, Sue! Be sure to visit her blog and tell her thank you!

“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“

IT'S TIME TO READ MAMAW'S ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION.

I started reading a book the last month and it was suppose to be a very good book. But after giving it a couple of chapters I just couldn’t get into it. I put the book aside to read another day. I don’t like to do that because I feel as if my mind might have had too many distractions and I didn’t give the book a chance. So I always try to wait for another day to give it another go. I have so many other books calling to me from my to-be-read list that it can really be distracting. READ ME! READ ME!
I prefer reading and reviewing Christian Fiction but I do read a varity of other books. I just can’t handle too scary or gory. Suspense and Mysteries I like. No explicit adult books either if I do find one I really want to read I just skip over the x-rated stuff. So what genre do I read?

Sweet Tea Serendipity Guest Host

Hi y'all! My name is Delaney & I'm from Georgia.

My first white Christmas!

I'm a college student, and I'm majoring in magazines (yes, that is a real major) and minoring in sociology.

When I'm not at school, I live with my dad & bird dog both of whom I love dearly.

When I'm not studying, I'm reading, hanging out with friends, playing or watching sports or going on adventures!

I used to work at a dog kennel, but we recently moved, so this summer I'm just volunteering and interning for a magazine publishing company.

A snowy Christmas at the dog kennel

I love to do arts and crafts projects, but I don't have a lot of supplies or money, so I don't get to do too many.  Hopefully one day I'll have an amazing craft room, and maybe my own Etsy shop!  For now though, I'll stick to being inspired by other people's amazing creations & making a few of my own.

I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, and I plan to start posting more of those when I go back to school (because I don't really cook when I'm at home).

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

I also enjoy taking photos of my friends, my life or just about anything that is pretty.

My goal in life is to teach journalism to elementary school students.  Until then, I hope to work for a magazine when I graduate in six months, and then gradually get into teaching.


You can read all about this at my blog: Sweet Tea Serendipity.  I've recently gotten into "personal" blogging, and I'm really enjoying it.  So, feel free to stop by and say "Hi" because I want to get to know you too!



A special thanks to Patricia for letting me guest blog on her wonderful blog today!