Saturday, March 30, 2013

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

About Unrivaled:  

Lucy Kendall returns from a tour of the Continent, her luggage filled with the latest fashions and a mind fired by inspiration. After tasting Europe's best confections, she's sure she'll come up with a recipe that will save her father's struggling candy business and reverse their fortunes. But she soon discovers that their biggest competitor, the cheat who swindled her father out of his prize recipe, has now hired a promotions manager-a cocky, handsome out-of-towner who gets under Lucy's skin.


Charlie Clarke's new role at Standard Manufacturing is the chance of a lifetime. He can put some rough times behind him and reconnect with the father he's never known. The one thing he never counted on, however, was tenacious Lucy Kendall. She's making his work life miserable...and making herself impossible for him to forget.
Link to buy the book:

Meet Siri:

Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists "Chateau of Echoes" and "The Cubicle Next Door". A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area. 

Visit www.sirimitchell.com


Celebrate Unrivaled with Siri Mitchell by entering to win a Kindle Fire and joining her on April 18th for a Facebook Author Chat Party!

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One "swooning" winner will receive:
  • A Kindle Fire
  • Vintage Candy Kit
  • Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell (one for you and one for a friend!)
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 17th. Winner will be announced at the "Unrivaled" Author Chat Facebook Party on 4/18. Connect with Siri, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books, vintage candy kits, and more!

So grab your copy of Unrivaled and join Siri on the evening of the April 18th for a chance to connect with Siri and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!


My Thoughts:

Lucy Kendall returns from a tour of Europe with her Aunt and Uncle.   She is so excited to share all the wonderful sites she has visited with her parents. But just as they pull up to her house her Aunt informs her that her father has had a spell with his heart and is bedridden.  All the excitement left her now she is left with fear of the possible lose of her father.  The two were more than father and daughter they both had a passion for making candy.  She worried what would happen to the candy factory without her father. When she enters the house crying and greets her mother all was confirmed about her father's health.  Her mother informs her the candy factory must be sold for fear of losing everything.  Luch thought surely there was something she could do to save her beloved candy factory.  

Lucy is obligated to attend a party with her mother and while at the party she overhears several girls commenting on that Lucy was a mean and deceitful person.  After all she had been through since she returned from her tour she left the room and hid while she cried.  Was she really all they said?   The next thing she knew a handsome man she literally ran over while walking down the sidewalk the other day is there trying to comfort her.


Charles Clark witness a murder and is implicated in the crime.  Since he was only an onlooker he was released from jail but not until his face was plaster on the front page of of a Chicago newspaper for everyone to see.  His mother and her future husband, whom is a cop, inform him he is to go live with his father. What can they be thinking?  He has been estranged from for twelve years.  


When Charles arrives at a mansion the driver tells him that this is his father's residence.  Which means his father has done very well for himself while he and his mother and sisters basically did without things such a food and proper shelter. His seems father more than happy to see him and offers him a job at his father's very successful candy factory, as his heir to the business.  The working conditions were horrific and not efficient for the workers and even worse, there were children working there.  One of Charles's first assignments was to help plan the downfall of his father's competitor Mr.Kendall and his candy factory.  As he is in town on errands a beautiful you woman literally runs him over and when she leaves he can't get her off his mind.  


What will happen when Lucy and Charles find out who they have just formed a bond with?  


This book kept my attention to the very end.  I would love for their story to continue! The author wrote of deception, ruthlessness, romance, family ties, second chances, reconciliation and redemption. This is a great lesson in overcoming misconceptions, trials and tribulation.  


The only downside of the book was I kept craving candy for some reason, especially taffy!  


I highly recommend this book. 


I rated this book a 5 out of 5.


Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House/Litfuse Publicity Group for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This is my honest opinion.


If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.




Monday, March 25, 2013

COTT's Five Fab Feb Releases



We have contestants in all five corners of the ring! 

Welcome to another thrilling contest brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Clash of the Titles. This showdown features books released in February 2013. Each is prepared to duke it out for the top spot in this all-out, no-holds-barred, literary sparring match. (Okay, okay, there are a FEW rules. Like no strikes below the belt, no brass knuckles, no slipping poison into the well water. But you get the idea.)

Below are each of the five contenders, listed in no particular order. Please vote for the one most likely to grace your nightstand first. Click on the images to purchase on Amazon:


Good, Clean, Murder: A Plain Jane Mystery by Traci Hilton 


Living on her own for her first time, Bible school student Jane cleans houses to make ends meet. But being independent brings big trials, like falling for a handsome professor, dealing with an obnoxious roommate, and then there's the dead bodies...





Catherine' s Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley

In book three of the McKenna’s Daughters series, Catherine McKenna begins a journey to find her lost sisters that turns into a spiritual journey for the entire McKenna family and leads her to the love of her life.






Wounded Heroes Book Three: Betrayal by Anne Patrick

Army veteran Drew Presley will stop at nothing to find the answers behind his wife's murder. But will those answers destroy the life he's made for him and his son?






Nothing Good is Free by Matthew Horn 

The last thing Jeff Scott wants is to end up like his vigilante predecessor, Jim, by letting a life of violence and evil get the better of him. So, in a pursuit to find the path less traveled, he seeks the truth about Jim and the life he led before the two joined forces.




Love's Journey Home by Kelly Irvin

Love’s Journey Home is the story of how the families of Bliss Creek’s Amish community learn to be still and listen for the Lord’s direction and then act on faith that His plan will lead them to a long awaited new life.






What do you think of this month's selection? 

Have you already gotten your hands on one of these and have something wonderful to share about it? 

Go here to Vote

Leave a comment and let us (and the authors) know! We love interacting with readers. It's what we're all about.

Make it a great day!

Come back next week to find out who will stand victorious. 

For His glory,
Michelle Massaro, COTT Assistant Editor
2012 Genesis Finalist

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 Clash of the Titles


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Love in the Balance by Regina Jennings with Kindle Fire Giveaway

About Love in the Balance

Handsome Cowboy or Debonair Tycoon.

How's a Girl to Choose?

Molly Lovelace dreams of a life without cares in Lockhart, Texas. She also dreams of handsome wrangler Bailey Garner, her ardent but inconsistent beau. The problem is, with Bailey's poor prospects, she just can't fit the two dreams together.
Then mysterious stranger Edward Pierrepont sweeps into town-and her life-and for the first time Molly wonders if she's met the man who can give her everything. But he won't be in Lockhart long and while it certainly seems like he talks about their glorious future together, she can't quite get Bailey out of her mind.

What's a girl to do with all these decisions when love is in the balance? 


Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/iTdiA 
     
About  Regina

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a history minor. She has worked at The Mustang News and First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows. She now lives outside Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.
Find out more about Regina at 


Regina Jennings is celebrating the release of Love in the Balance with a Kindle Fire Giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party on 4/4!

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One "lovely" winner will receive:
  • A Kindle Fire 
  • A copy of Regina's Sixty Acres and a Bride and Love in the Balance
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 3rd. Winner will be announced at the "Love in the Balance" Author Chat Party on April 4th. Connect with Regina, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Love in the Balance and join Regina on the evening of April 4th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 4th!


My Thoughts

Molly Lovelace in her father's eyes is an empty headed female that has no interest other than shopping for frivolous things.  When in fact she has a gift for numbers and mathematical figures.  The only reason she prances around like a her daddy's Princess is because that is what people expect of her.  Her father even feels as if she should not have any say as to whom she marries,
mainly because he wants her and her future husband to be an asset to his pocketbook.  But Molly has very strong feelings for Bailey Garner a young man that has been in her life since she was a little girl. Her father sees Bailey as a waste of time because he is basically penniless   

The golden boy Edward Pierrepont enters her life when he visits her home town to experience a cattle drive.  The minute she sets eyes on him she knows this is the man her father would choose as her future husband. How right she was, her father starts making plans for the dandy and it includes his daughter and his pocketbook.  

It all hits the fan when Bailey finds out about Mr. Lovelace's choice of husband for Molly.  How can Bailey dissuade Molly and her father.  If he were financially stable he would be able to marry Molly but just maybe there is another way.

When Molly's father becomes so ill that he is unable to return to work it pushes Molly to make a decision between the dandy or the country boy from her childhood.  The turn of events are mind boggling. 

This story is a stand alone but I did recognize characters from the author's other book "Sixty Acres and a Bride" such as Rosa, Anne Tillerton, Molly and more.  In "Love In The Balance"  she writes a story of intrigue, humor, romance and on the edge of your seat action.  At first I did not like Molly because she tried so hard to be what her parents expected her to be but then when the pressure was on and she had reconciled her differences with God and by accepting his Grace in forgiveness she stood up to what she believed was right and just and she prevailed.  She was committed to help her parents out of financial debt.  God had truly blessed her!

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House/Litfuse Publicity Group for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.


Landing page: 
Litfuse Publicity Tour Schedule for "Love in the Balance":

3/18/2013
Marianne | Reviewing Novels Online
Holly | 2 Kids and Tired
Mary | Mary's Cup of Tea
Kathleen E. | Lane Hill House
Michelle | Our Little Corner of the World

3/19/2013

Heidi | Buzz4Mommies

Amy | A Nest in the Rocks

Leila | All Meant To Shine
Pam | Southern Gal Loves to Read
Marie | Burton Book Review
Brenda | WV Stitcher

3/20/2013
Patricia | It's Time To Read Mamaw
Sharon | Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews

Alicia | Surrendering All Of Me

Amy | the ramblings of miss aimymichelle

Dawn | A Passion for Pages
TAMMY | THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK
Stacey | WORD Up!

3/21/2013

Julie | More of Him

Megan | Hardcover Feedback

Melanie | Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Tammi | Our Homeschooling Pilgrimage
Mindy | A Room Without Books is Empty

3/22/2013

Lori | Morning Glories and Moonflowers

Diane | That's What I'm Here For...

Danielle | The Happy Wife
Dianna | Savings in Seconds
Victor | Vics Media Room
Marjorie | Manifest Blog

3/23/2013

Athena | Our Crazy Life

Joy | Splashes of Joy

Karla | Quiet Quilter
Heather | Our Advocate
Abbi | Christian Novels
Casey | Writing for Christ

3/25/2013

Laura | Lighthouse Academy

Kristie | Moments

Lisa | Seeking with all yur Heart
Aizess | Christian Book Review Blog
Nancy | sunny island breezes
Linda | Mocha with Linda

3/26/2013

A | Kerrific

Krystal | Live To Read ~Krystal

Cindy | Cindy's Book Reviews
Charity | Giveaway lady
Karen | LyonsLady
Michelle | I Hope You Dance

3/27/2013

Crystal | Cinnamon Hollow

Melina | Melina's Book Blog

Lydia | The Overweight Bookshelf
Lauri | Knits and Reads
Erin | ReviewsByErin
Colletta | Colletta's Kitchen Sink

3/28/2013

Pamela | Daysong Reflections

Kendra | Happily Managing a Household of Boys

Marissa | The Review Stew
Faye | Labor Not in Vain
Jendi | Jendi's Journal
Jalynn | A Simple Life,really?!

3/29/2013

Cara | Law Books & Life

Kemi | Homemaking Organized Blog

Tammy | TammyIsBlessed
Shirley | A Mom After God's Own Heart
Becky | Christian Chick's Thoughts
Renae | Reviews by Renae

3/30/2013

Melanie | A Year of Jubilee Reviews

Erin | Erin's Fiction Tidbits

Lindsey | The IE Mommy
Kelli | The Zen of Motherhood
Kathleen | Reviews From The Heart
Betsy | Betsy Ann, Writer At Large

4/1/2013

Amanda | Books By Amanda

JoJo | JoJo's Corner

Michelle | Healing Hearts book review blog
Megan | When life gets you down...read a book
Margaret | The World As I See It
Tara | Tara Shea

4/2/2013

Hannah E. Trotter

Siobhan | my money dearest

Lenore | Crazed Mind
Suzanne | Cows and Lasers and Everything in Between
Jodie | Digging For Pearls
Patty | Broken Teepee

4/3/2013

Evangeline | Audacious Reader

Sara | Writing His Truth

Beth | For the Love of Books
Paula | The Phantom Paragrapher
Jennifer | Jen's Journey
Megan | Inspired by Fiction