On My Shelves is a weekly post at The Book Faery Reviews which shares THREE books from our personal collection. These books could be favorites, books to be read as soon as possible for our own enjoyment, as well as books to be read soon for scheduled reviews.

Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own.  ~William Hazlitt

SWAPPING LIVES by Jane Green - Vicky Townsley is single, solvent, and seriously successful. Features director of the hugely successful Poise!magazine, she has an amazing flat, good friends, a fantastic wardrobe . . . in short, everything—except the life she wants: marriage, children, and a house in the country.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Amber Winslow has a stone mansion in Connecticut, two kids (and a full-time nanny), the requisite golden retriever, and a busy charitable commitment for the local Women’s League. But she hasn’t quite found the fulfillment she had expected from being a wife and mother. When she spots an intriguing contest inPoise!, Amber never expects to be picked.

THE BOOK OF AIR AND SHADOWS by Michael Gruber - A fire destroys a New York City rare bookstore—and reveals clues to a treasure worth killing for. . . . A disgraced scholar is found tortured to death. . . . And those pursuing the most valuable literary find in history are about to cross from the harmless mundane into inescapable nightmare.

BETWEEN SISTERS by Kristin Hannah - Years ago, Meghann Dontess made a terrible choice that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a highly successful attorney who doesn’t believe in intimacy–until she meets the one man who can change her mind. Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her strong-willed older sister. Reunited after more than two decades apart, these two women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family.

All book summaries came from Barnes & Noble website.

Lesley Kagen returns with the sequel to her New York Timesbestselling debut, Whistling in the Dark

Lesley’s debut novel, Whistling in the Dark, captivated readers with the story of Sally O’Malley and her sister Troo during Milwaukee’s summer of 1959. A New York Times bestseller and Midwest Honor Award winner, the novel remains a popular selection with book clubs.

In Kagen’s newest, Good Graces, it’s one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than eleven-year-old Sally O’Malley. Deeply traumatized by her daddy’s sudden death, and a near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer, Sally’s confidence, sense of security and much of her faith have been whittled away. But as a series of disquieting disturbances unfold—a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan—Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons when she becomes certain that her wild younger sister, Troo, is in danger. Sally made a promise to her daddy to keep her sister safe. A promise she can’t break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage to make the right choices? Or will she be overwhelmed by a dilemma that no child should have to deal with?

The author’s gift of imbuing her narrators with compelling authenticity shines as never before in Good Graces, an evocative novel told with the sensitivity, wit, and warmth we’ve come to expect from Lesley Kagen. – FROM THE AUTHOR SITE

• Pub. Date: September 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Format: Hardcover , 352pp
• ISBN-13: 9780525952381
• ISBN: 0525952381

ORDER THE BOOK…IndieBound Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-A-Million

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Lesley Kagen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Whistling in the Dark, Land of a Hundred Wonders, andTomorrow River. She lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

FROM THE REVIEWER…Kagen’s novel “Good Graces” gives the reader a front row seat to the life of a young girl and a deathbed promise made to her late father.  Sally takes on the responsibility, making sure of the safety of her big sister, who seems to have no conscience.  Regardless of the trauma suffered at the hands of a molester and a murder Sally kept her father’s dying wish.  Her sister, Troo, short for “Trooper” when she was much younger, seems to deal with her own troubles at the expense of others, yet Sally felt the weight of the world was hers to bear.  This alone forces Sally to do something so unthinkable, yet who does she depend on to help her when she needs rescuing?  And could she be sure of the one person she loves so much…

At first I wasn’t so sure I could understand what I was reading.  Could I be sitting on the shoulder of a young girl with such a responsibility that would test the heart of most adults?  Sadly I was and the proverbial aha moment kept me reading.

MEET THE REVIEWER…Kay Burnett is a wife and mother living in Columbus, Georgia.  Her greatest challenge is raising her six year old son with her husband and best friend, Mike.  Being older parents can be a real eye-opener but she finds that living in the moment makes it much easier.

After a few years in Minneapolis and Chicago, I began to understand.  It wasn’t about ignoring winter, merely escaping it for a week.  I still disagreed, because I relish all four seasons.  Baltimore just had its first snow (a mere smattering) this week, and I’m craving more.  When I celebrated a milestone birthday and took my last cruise (see the pretty ship to the right?  Meet the Celebrity Solstice, which is everything you’d ever want in a cruise ship, and then some), we went in January to avoid hurricane season.  It felt weird to shed my coat and squeeze into a bikini three days into the new year.

But as I read travel spotlights about cruise season in every magazine and newspaper, is it just the promise of warmer climes which lures people on cruises?  Heck, no!  A cruise is an escapist fantasy come to life.  The minute you step foot on board, you leave your troubles, your deadlines, your real life behind, even in today’s uber-connected world (especially when using the ship’s internet costs $1/minute).  It’s sort of like entering a very happy bubble for seven days.

In the middle of the ocean, surrounded by thousands of miles of water and hundreds of people you 1) don’t know and 2) won’t ever see again, you can be anyone.  Cautious people who won’t even take the stairs two at a time find themselves swimming with sting rays.  You don’t have to be the responsible mom, or the multi-tasker extraordinaire.  No expectations, no accountability, and no diet!  The breakfast buffet had 3 different types of eggs benedict every single day.  So yummy.  Above all else – even if you weren’t raised on The Love Boat like me – a cruise is romantic.

Books are every bit as much an escape.  More so, because they don’t cost thousands of dollars and require a passport!  So let me take you on a vicarious trip to the Caribbean.  In my book Cruising Toward Love, being cooped up on a cruise ship (no matter how lavish) for a week forces two people to escape their past and rediscover their love for each other.  Yes, they kiss on deck, and get snuggly in a hot tub and I can’t even mention the things they do on their balcony!  Get your feet wet with this blurb:Warm, salty breezes, twinkling stars, the steady beat of calypso drums and free flowing rum punch all put you in a sexy frame of mind.  Every physicality is sensuous: the silky sand beneath your toes, the warm kiss of the sun sizzling the coconut scented sunscreen on your skin, even the air touching body parts that have been hidden under wool and fleece since Halloween.  Ooh, and they put chocolates on your pillow every night!  Love feels possible, attainable.  You can take a reckless shot, aim Cupid’s arrow at someone out of your league, because you’ve got nothing to lose in this floating fantasy world.

Can an unexplained breakup and ten years of heartache be cured by the romance – and endless buffets – of a tropical cruise?  When her sister is left at the altar, small town librarian Zoe Balis jumps at the chance to take the bride’s unused ticket for the honeymoon cruise.  But she didn’t count on sharing a cabin with the man who broke her heart ten years ago!

Army medic Nate Hyatt never told Zoe goodbye when he enlisted – or the real reason why he dumped her on prom night after a year as high school sweethearts.  And he never stopped dreaming about the girl he left behind.  Could this voyage be his chance to fix the worst mistake he ever made?  After all, a Caribbean cruise should be romantic… if he can convince her to move past ten years of bitterness and hurt.

Once aboard the luxury liner, Zoe befriends a bored Internet mogul with more heart than tact.  Nate vents his problems to a ship’s photographer battling PTSD.  The four team up on an island hopping treasure hunt.  The stakes grow higher with each of Zoe’s mysterious brushes with death.  They race to discover why she’s a target and who’s behind it, while still competing in the treasure hunt. Zoe’s never gotten over her first love, and is tempted to let Nate back into her life.  But she already lost him once.  She’s not willing to risk loving a man whose career keeps him in a combat zone.  Can Nate breach her defenses and suture her broken heart?  Grab a deck chair and see if they survive the stormy relationship seas as they cruise toward love!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Christi Barth spent years performing in musicals, singing about love and giving people a happy ending in every performance.  Then as a wedding planner she spent every day immersed in romance.  Now she writes it!  Cruising Toward Love is her third book.  While the cruise depicted in this book is wholly fictional, she does love to float around the Caribbean, eating and drinking and relaxing…while safely shaded under a huge hat and wearing SPF 50.  Christi lives in Maryland with the absolutely best husband in the world (sorry ladies, but it’s true!).

Mailbox Monday is where other bloggers write about the books they received the previous week. The Mailbox Monday is now going on a blog tour with the host for the month of January being  at At Home With Books. Visit the blog to see what books made it’s way and check out the others who are participating like me in the Monday Mailbox Meme.

Below are some books old and new I either received in the mail or found during the week in various spots.

Cloudburst by V.C. Andrews (Fiction) - OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY . . .Since being taken in by wealthy Mrs. Jordan March and living in her exquisite home like a daughter, Sasha Porter’s traumatic past—destitute on the streets, and the shattering accident that killed her mother—seems like a fading nightmare. Beautiful and sophisticated, as bold and daring as her “sister,” Kiera March, Sasha still keeps her mother’s wise words close to her heart: never fully trust anyone. Inside her privileged new world, it’s advice that will prove more precious than gold.. . .

CAN ANYTHING STOP THE DOWNPOUR?Against the wishes of Jordan’s husband, Donald, Sasha attracts the attention of Duane Banks, a shy, handsome athlete, and maneuvers her way into his heart. But Duane’s hidden torment soon explodes in a horrific tragedy that pulls Sasha into a flood of guilt and despair. And when someone she thought she could trust targets her vulnerability, Sasha recalls her mother’s warnings—and a violent storm of dark deceptions and shocking family secrets is unleashed. Will she sink or swim?

A Celebration of Love for Couples: Everything Romance by Todd Hafer (Relationships / Love & Marriage / Non-Fiction) - Romance is always in season when you’re in love.

Ready to create romantic memories? If you’re looking for new and unique ways to celebrate love, captivate the heart of your true love, or simply enjoy each other’s company, Everything Romanceoffers all of this and much more.

Inside you’ll find…

Ways to engage your loved one with conversation starters for couples; Fun and creative date and gift ideas for any budget; Heartwarming love stories and poems; Love busters and love boosters to add fun, zing, and zest; Trivia about the history of love and romance; Recipes to fan the heartflames.

Why wait for a special occasion to share the joy of being in love? Opening Everything Romance is like opening a door to romantic adventure—any day, any time!

Any moment is the perfect time for you as a couple to celebrate the beauty and wonder of love, especially when you’re equipped with a treasure trove of creative ways to do so. With a rich array of romantic gems, Everything Romance abounds with all you need to show your adoration, revel in your relationship, and create a legacy of romance to last a lifetime.

Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America by Karenna Gore Schiff (Biography / Non-Fiction) - In this highly readable, illuminating narrative that spans the twentieth century, Karenna Gore Schiff tells the remarkable stories of nine influential women who each in her own way tackled inequity and advocated a change. These women recognized our country wasn’t living up to its promise and fought to alter it.

The women she’s selected are as varied as they are inspirational. Ida B. wells-Barnett, who was born a slave and fought against lynching; Mother Jones, an Irish immigrant who organized coal miners and campaigned against child labor; Alice Hamilton, who pushed for regulation of industrial toxins; Frances Perkins, who established our social secruity program; Virginia Durr, a high society Southern belle who fought the poll tax and segregation; Septima Clark, who helped to register black voters; Dolores Huerta, who organized farm workers; Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias, an activist for reproductive rights; and Gretchen Buchenholz, currently one of the nation’s leading child advocates.

On to the interview…

Welcome Cate to The Book Faery Reviews!

CL: Thank you so much!  I’m excited to be today’s guest.

I read that you wrote your first novella at 12 and full manuscript at 16, both of which you still have in the back of your filing cabinet. Have you ever thought about editing/revising them for publishing?

CL: Absolutely.  :-)  I read through part of the full manuscript, a young adult fantasy romance, a couple of years ago, and decided there was a workable story there.  However, the style of novel writing has changed a lot since I was a teenager; books are much faster paced today.  I also approach my writing differently now that I’ve published seven novels, and would need to do extensive revisions on the manuscript.  It’s a project I plan to tackle one day.  Not in the immediate future, though.

In one sentence, how would you summarize your latest romance novel, Lucky Girl?

CL: When American beauty editor Jess Devlin goes to England for a wedding, she meets again sexy marketing exec Nick Mondinello and tries her best not to fall in love with him.

You have several Historical Romance books under the name Catherine Kean, what inspired you to write Lucky  Girl, a contemporary romance, and under the name Cate Lord? Was the book written from the heart or from a life experience?

CL: Lucky Girl was written as a challenge.  My muse snuck the glimmer of an idea into my mind, and I just couldn’t let it go.  Part of me was curious to know whether, after writing dark, angsty, adventurous historicals, I could pen a light-hearted, funny, contemporary romantic comedy.  I think it’s good to stretch creative boundaries sometimes, and writing Lucky Girl was a positive challenge for me.

You asked if the book was written from the heart.  Yes.  All of my novels are, but this was one was especially close to me because it’s loosely based on a year I spent in England.  I lived with my uncle and aunt in Hertfordshire and on weekdays, traveled by train to London to attend classes.  On weekends, I partied with a wonderful bunch of friends I’d met through my English cousins.  I met my charming British husband at one of these parties. J  Jess, the heroine of Lucky Girl, isn’t me, but some of her experiences are based on situations I encountered.

Reading Lucky Girl was certainly refreshing without having to pick thru all of the super model musts and realizing Jess is just like a best friend next door.  What took you in that direction as opposed to the usual beauty queen most women read about in romance novels?

CL: First off, thank you!  I wanted Jess to be like a best friend, and I’m so glad she came across that way.  That’s one of the reasons I wrote the book in first person, and from her viewpoint.  Jess embodies all of the issues that affect most modern women, with her concerns about her weight, physical appearance, finances, dating, workplace politics, job performance, fashion disasters, relationship with her mom, and more.  Jess is definitely a neurotic, quirky gal, but I intended that, because if we can laugh at a character, sometimes that humor encourages us to take a closer look at ourselves. J

I also wanted to show how much Jess changes through the book.  While Lucky Girl is a light read, at heart it’s the story of how she heals emotionally.  In the early pages of the book, she’s got very low self-esteem, thanks to her unfaithful fiancé, and that lack of confidence is reflected in the way she thinks about herself and the world around her.  By the end of the novel, she’s “whole” again.  She’s happy in her own skin, and that’s due in part to the love of the right man: Nick.

In Lucky Girl, where did Plucky Penguin and his sidekick, Chicky Dee, come from?

CL: How I loved these fun characters! J  Plucky Penguin is a James Bondish spy hero extraordinaire (and yes, he’s a penguin), and Chicky Dee is his sassy female sidekick.  Both are products of my wild imagination, as is the cancelled British TV show called The Adventures of Plucky Penguin that’s mentioned in the book.  Jess constantly imagines Nick as Plucky Penguin, and herself as his Chicky Dee.  It was a lot of fun being able to add extra humor into the story through these clever penguins.

And lastly, any sneak peaks into a future novel contemporary or historical?

CL: I’m actually working on two projects right now, both paranormals.  One is contemporary and one is historical.  I’m also mulling over a follow-on book to Lucky Girl.  So, my muse and I have plenty to be working on.  More details, when I can make them available, will be posted on my websites: www.catelord.com and www.catherinekean.com.

Thanks so much Cate for stopping by and answering our questions. We do hope you come back again for your next novel!

CL: Thanks!  I’d love to come back for another interview.  I really enjoyed this one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Cate Lord has always loved to write. She penned her first novella at age twelve and her first full-length manuscript at sixteen.

After completing a B.A., double major (first class), in English and History from the University of Victoria, B.C., Canada, she was accepted into the post-graduate Works of Art Course run by Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, where she studied centuries of history, antiques, and fine art.  She worked in Canada for several years as an antique and fine art appraiser.

Busy working on her next novel, Catherine lives in Central Florida with her husband, daughter, and a very spoiled rescue cat.

Jessica Devlin isn’t looking for love. Heartbroken after being dumped by her unfaithful ex-fiancé, she’s determined to have a fabulous time during her vacation in England where she’ll be maid-of-honor at her cousin’s wedding. After working overtime as beauty editor of Orlando’s O Tart magazine, avoiding dating, and putting on ten pounds, Jess is ready to toss her past like an empty lipstick tube and party like a single gal.

But when she steps into the church on her cousin’s wedding day, she sees the one man who could sabotage her plan—James-Bond-gorgeous Nick Mondinello. She’s never forgotten the London marketing exec who held her in his arms after her beloved grandfather’s funeral two years ago. Ambitious, and lusted after by women everywhere, Nick is completely wrong for guarded, Plain Jane Jess.

Could Spy Man Nick ever fall for her? Nope. Not unless Jess is one lucky girl.

• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Length: 268 pages
• Launch Date: September 2011
• ePub ISBN: 978-1-937044-20-6
• Print ISBN: 978-1-937044-21-3

Riley Bennett takes the spotlight as a reformed street pharmacist turned dogmatic Aryan Super Soldier. He leads an underground organization dubbed The Order whose sole purpose is to stamp out the spread of crime and corruption so glorified throughout the Urban Culture.

His second in command is one Zoey Fontaine. An teenage ex-heroin addict who was rescued and rediscovered herself within The Order. Her meteoric rise through the ranks of the organization is only measured by her inner strife and struggle to cope with the responsibility of holding everyone she love’s lives in her fingertips.

The third star in this contemporary Urban Tragedy is known only as Savage. Based on how his brutal dictatorship in the streets and blood thirsty terror tactics illustrate his rule of inner-city Washington D.C. The Police murdered his family at a young age, so through fear and violence he surgically strikes back at civilized society. All the while building an empire built on stacks and stacks of dirty blood money.

Surprisingly, I seem to fabricate my characters from personality traits I find particularly intriguing. Is it bizarre to base an entire character on one singular emotion? Or even a handful of emotions that seem to guide the character’s reactions in any situation? I found that the emotion seems to float to the surface of a story much better when an emotion portrays a character, instead of a character portraying an emotion.

When planning a Story, I always develop a base set of events, as any other should at the onset of a story. Yet I found that letting the plot guide itself as you write is MUCH easier than trying to connect all the dots at the end of a story. It saves the author the trouble of utilizing lame or unimaginative connective sub-plots to eliminate any holes that might arise in the story.

To be perfectly honest, Real Eyez Realize Real Liez was first written and developed within the ever so luxurious NC-DOC. Where I wasn’t allowed maps, or any sort of research material. So I really had to pick a city out of a hat, and D.C. didn’t work at first, but after swerving and grinding around the curbs of the storyline I started really utilizing the landscape of Washington, D.C. To my advantage. In particularly, the landmarks, waterways and where potential Gang Territory might arise. It all fell into place with a nearly flawless sort of grace. 

One Of My Favorite Excerpts:

A: Emily: “Jimmy, what’s in your hand?”

Jimmy: “The bullet that killed my brother,” he opened his palm to show her the jagged piece of lead with blood and bits of shredded flesh still clinging to it. “I couldn’t let him die with the Other-side’s trash in em.”

Emily: “Fuckin-Aye” Emily mumbled over the steering wheel.

Thank you all for your time and attention, though success wouldn’t feel like much without my readers. Each and every word is for your own interpretation. If I can open JUST ONE pair of eyes through my work, it would prove a complete and utter success… You can find my work on Amazon.com, Createspace.com and Barnes&Noble.com. The second and third installments are en route directly: ) Happy Reading.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR…It took a series of felonious events to get me into the life, and 25 months in the luxurious N.C. department of corrections to get me out. Now I’m breaking off everything I learned on state-sponsored vacation for the World to read.

In 30 days flat I opened my soul and vomited Real Eyez onto paper. Despite death threats from fellow inmates and racially biased C.O.’s trashing my work at every opportunity; I brought the story from Prison to share with you all. I wrote this for all my White Boys on the wrong side of the fence. For everyone outnumbered fifty to one and fighting for everything they own down to the clothes on their backs. Always remember that when you’re all alone and the hour is the darkest; stand tall and tell them that you brought your Pride with you, and it’s going to die with you.

To avoid confusion, the message isn’t about hate, it’s about Pride. Pride and Brotherhood above all else. Celebrating your heritage is not racist. That being said, for all the competition out there… Go ahead and kill yourselves now, because when my pen runs out I’m going to scribble these lines in blood… – FROM AMAZON

FIND THE AUTHOR ON FACEBOOK.

The War for the heart of Urban America won t televise from some foreign shore. It ll be fought in your living room with dope, cash, blood and bullets. The American way of life has strayed into the shadows and one by one we re losing our children to the illusion of Hood Dreams and a Gangsta s Paradise. Only one man stands strong enough to hold back the tide. A renegade Aryan Prodigy and his crew, and an unfathomable amount of guns are all that protects the last shreds of civilization in the streets. The name Riley Bennett will echo through the ages as he who so loved his people that he d rather see the World in flames than see them suffer. The War is coming… Whither we re ready for it or not…

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace.com (May 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1461166438
• ISBN-13: 978-1461166436

BUY THE BOOK…

Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.

But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs.

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402258585
• ISBN-13: 978-1402258589

BUY THE BOOK…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Susanna Kearsley’s writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader’s Digest, and optioned for film. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…Fascinating time-travel book with elements of love, a “magical feeling”, and a twist. The way in which the room or clothes would just change to go from the past to the present was neat. There were times I wondered where I’d end up if that were to ever happen to me and would I stay. A book I’d definitely re-read again because I’m sure there’d be something new I may have missed. Kearsley did a great job telling the story and I look forward to picking up another by her. For those who like time-travel, history, and romance, this is a book you should find.

My Book Rating:

I received a copy for review from Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

FROM THE BOOK FAERY REVIEWS…A novel of family, friendship, and love that tug at the heart throughout. It was funny, happy, and even a tad sad at times. Grab tissues when you pick up this book because you’ll need them I’m sure like I did in the beginning and in the end.

My Book Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

This year, Becca Timm knows the number one item on her Christmas wish list—getting over Denny Cutler. Three years ago, Denny broke her heart before heading off to war. It’s time she got over her silly college relationship and moved on.

So she takes matters into her own hands and heads up to Virgin River, the rugged little mountain town that Denny calls home, as an uninvited guest on her brother’s men-only hunting weekend. But when an accident turns her impromptu visit into an extended stay, Becca finds herself stranded in Virgin River. With Denny. In very close quarters.

As the power of Christmas envelops the little town, Becca discovers that the boy she once loved has become a strong and confident man. And the most delicious Christmas present she can imagine.

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (October 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778312712
• ISBN-13: 978-0778312710

ABOUT THE AUTHOR...After more than 20 years penning screenplays, historical romances and even a psychological thriller, New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr found her genre — some would say her calling — writing a particular kind of women’s fiction.

“I was always meant to write about women,” Robyn says, “women who were tougher than the women of their time, smarter and more courageous … characters who would never trade places with anyone.”

That’s the impetus behind her Virgin River series for MIRA Books. Set in a small town (pop. 600) of retired marines and the independent women they love and against a backdrop of northern California redwoods, the Virgin River books are inspiration for those who, like Robyn, believe in the power of healthy, positive relationships.

“It’s a nice way to live … and love,” she quips.

Industry opinion-makers, readers and Carr’s fellow authors seem to agree. The American Library Association’s Booklist magazine named the series debut book, Virgin River, one of 2007’s Top Ten Romances, and New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler declared it: “A thrilling debut of a series that promises much to come.”

The series has also drawn a community of loyal readers, with Virgin River fans creating a virtual Jack’s Bar (a nod to the family establishment of the same name that doubles as the center of Virgin River’s social scene in the series) at www.RobynCarr.com. There readers swap stories, visit weekly with Robyn and dish about the goings on in Virgin River.

Their favorite topic of conversation?

“Who would play Jack in a movie,” says Robyn, with a laugh, noting all the men in her life think they’re Jack Sheridan, the man behind Jack’s Bar—especially her husband, an Air Force pilot-turned-airline executive.

As for Robyn, writing about women who would marry a marine or veteran comes naturally. She was a military wife herself. In fact, she started reading romances as a young mom-to-be confined to her bed on a Florida air force base. After the children were born, she simply plunked Jamie and Brian in a stroller and headed to the local bookstore. Eventually, she quietly bought a notebook and some pens and sat down at the dining room table and tried to write a book of her own.

“The notebook grew and grew,” she recalls. “Finally, I had to admit what I was doing so Jim would buy me a typewriter.”

By then, six months had passed and Robyn was hooked on the writing process.

Robyn says her first book remains buried—“and will never be seen by human eyes.”

But her third novel, Chelynne, sold, as did eventually her second.

In 2011 Robyn’s publishing schedule includes a new Virgin River trilogy—Promise Canyon (January), Wild Man Creek (February) and Harvest Moon (March), and a Virgin River holiday gift hardcover to be published in October. In January Robyn and her Virgin River series were highlighted in a USA Today feature that explored the popularity of military-themed books and TV series.

Robyn and her husband, Jim, make their home in Las Vegas. She makes the occasional foray into Humboldt County in nearby California, where the Virgin River series is set. She enjoys interacting with her readers via Facebook and her free Robyn Carr mobile phone app.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review from Planned Television Arts.
All opinions stated are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Jay Rankin was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Hollywood, CA. He worked his way through college inside the locked unit of a psychiatric hospital. Rankin was a Los Angeles County Probation Officer and worked at several detention camps. He received his Master’s Degree in clinical psychology. Jay was a bouncer at a country and western nightclub in Los Angeles and also built custom homes in Connecticut and Las Vegas. The author now lives in Los Angeles and raising his nine year old son.

Author’s Website: http://www.JaysLasVegas.com

Under The Neon Sky is a gripping, true story about a Las Vegas Doorman who worked the graveyard shift at one of the major hotels on the Strip. The sights, smells, and page popping characters are unforgettable as we take a journey that will transform how we used to envision the city that never sleeps. We watch as this doorman begins to emotionally break and wonder if he will become broken seeing his friends, his wife, hotel guests, and himself cross too many boundries in this riveting, page turning story.

BUY THE BOOK…Smashwords| Amazon Paperback | Amazon Hardcover | Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble Paperback |Barnes & Noble Hardcover | Barnes & Noble Ebook

• Paperback: ISBN 978-0-9842109-1-6
• Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-9842109-0-9
• E-Book: ISBN 978-0-9842109-2-3

• November 1st – Jaidis S. @ Juniper Grove
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Here’s a list of some great and awful experiences you can live through as a reader of the novel You Never Know:

1. You’re 20 years old and home from college for Christmas vacation when the car you’re driving is smashed by another car, killing your parents and leaving you with a brain-damaged younger brother.
2. You have become father and mother to your teenage brother who’s struggling to overcome brain damage. And you’re only 20, going on 21. How can you cope?
3. You and your best friend have lived parallel lives until this accident, but then he seems to have all the luck, while you just plod along in dead-end jobs. How would that feel?
4. You’re the kind of person who likes to plan ahead, but things that happen to you before you turn 30 control your life. Even your marriage works out that way!
5. Just when you think you have everything under control—not perfect, but manageable, you win a humongous prize in the Mega Millions lottery!
6. How would you deal with relatives, friends, and strangers suddenly becoming very chummy, knocking on your door and calling on the phone, asking and begging for money?
7. How will your family’s equilibrium be affected by your new status as multi-millionaire?
8. What’s it like to walk into a luxury store, point at something unaffordable, and pay for it in cash?
9. How does it feel to be a pampered guest at a six-star resort in Hawaii?
10. And in the end, after all these bad and good experiences, who are you, really? Have you changed?

Read You Never Know for a revealing look into the lives of the newly super-rich, and see if that’s an experience you wish you’d had in real life!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…Lilian Duval lives with her husband George, a native of Singapore, in a small house inNew Jersey overlooking a large county park. They have two sons and a daughter, all independent and ambitious, and several cats. She’s an amateur classical guitarist and enjoys attending concerts and plays in New York City.

But writing has always been her calling. In her own words, “The most enjoyable activity I can imagine is to invent some characters, make them a little larger than life, set them bickering and thrashing against each other and their fates, and enact a fictional resolution that makes more sense than the chaos and unpredictability of our complicated lives.”

You can visit Lilian’s website at www.lilianduval.com. Connect with her on Twitter at @lilianduval and Facebook at Lilian Duval.

What happens when an ordinary person becomes extraordinary?

Tobias starts out in life much the same as any of us—not rich, not poor, with imperfect parents and unlimited ambition. When he’s twenty years old, his future is altered in irreparable ways after a tragic car accident pushes him down a new path. The once-promising anthropology major is forced to abandon his dreams in order to care for his orphaned, brain-damaged younger brother.

In his late thirties, Tobias works in a bookstore, trying desperately to make ends meet to support his family. His daily grind only reinforces the sadness that broken dreams and bad luck bring in their wake.

How many times have you heard someone say, “If only I won the lottery?”

When Tobias finds he has won the Mega Millions lottery, his unimaginable bad luck seems to have changed into unimaginable good luck … or has it?

Over peaks and valleys, this uplifting journey will challenge the limits of luck, life, and what we value most.

Find out more about the complications of Tobias’s friendship and rivalry with his best friend, Martin; the effects of all this bad luck and good luck on his marriage; and the struggles of his brother, Simeon, once a talented cartoonist, in … You Never Know.

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: Wheatmark (March 15, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1604945206
• ISBN-13: 978-1604945201