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Category: Giveaways

Review & Giveaway: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

[ 38 ] April 27, 2012

Reviewed by Jennifer Jensen

In the futuristic ruins of Chicago, vampires have entirely taken over after a plague wiped out most of humanity. Desperate to maintain their food supply, the vampires make the humans register themselves and donate their blood. Allie, an orphan, is an Unregistered who lives on the Fringe and thieves to survive with a small band of friends outside of a vampire city. Allie hits the jackpot when she discovers a deserted house containing cans of food that will feed her “family” for months. When she leads them to the food supply in a dangerous area infested with rabids, she loses her family and her mortality in the same night.

Kanin, a mysterious vampire, gave Allie the choice between a mortal death or eternal life as a vampire, the very creature that Allie loathes. Allie would rather survive as a vampire than succumb to death, so she agrees to let him “turn” her. Kanin teaches Allie what she needs to know to thrive as a vampire, including that she must drink blood within a certain amount of time or she will go mad. Soon Allie and Kanin part ways, and Allie falls in with a band of humans who are searching for Eden, a place with the technology they need to find a cure. Allie must guard her secret carefully or they will destroy her, but only if her Hunger does not get in the way first.

Allie is a strong character; in the beginning she is sort of lifeless and empty, and it’s actually when she becomes a vampire that she begins taking emotional risks and thinking with her heart rather than her survival instinct. Her love interest is Zeke, one of the humans who is part of the group looking for Eden. He especially touches the humanity that still remains in her.

At times The Immortal Rules is really slow; toward the beginning Julie Kagawa tosses out too much information all at once via Kanin, and I’d rather she provided that information in bits throughout the novel and in other ways than pages and pages of back and forth dialogue. I enjoyed the characters and the setting enough that I’ll be continuing this series with a few minor reservations.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Also by Julie Kagawa: The Iron Queen, The Iron Daughter & The Iron King

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Jennifer graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She occasionally dabbles with her own fiction writing, particularly with the Young Adult and Paranormal genres. She currently resides in Utah with her husband and daughter.
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Giveaway: The First Husband by Laura Dave

[ 72 ] April 25, 2012

Enjoyed our review of The First Husband by Laura Dave? It’s newly released in paperback and I have 3 copies to give away!

About the book

The First Husband, from author Laura Dave whose novels have been optioned for film by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, explores how we choose our partners and whether we can trust that choice once we’ve made it. In preparation for writing the book Dave interviewed countless subjects, from psychologists to the people next door, about the new nature of commitment and the best indicators that a marriage is going to work.

Annie Adams finally had her life on track: her blossoming career allowed her to travel the globe, and she had a comfortable home in Los Angeles with her live-in boyfriend, Nick, solid friends, and a great dog. Out of nowhere, Nick takes advice from a life coach and tells Annie he needs a break and moves out. A few days after Nick’s untimely exit, Annie drags herself to a local restaurant where she meets a chef, Griffin, the sort of man she never thought she’d fall for. Three months later, Griffin asks Annie to marry him and start a new life together in rural Massachusetts—forcing Annie to ask the question: can we start our lives again?

With The First Husband, Laura Dave delivers a deeply honest, funny and wise story about a woman torn between her husband and the love of her life.

Check out our review and interview with Laura Dave


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Blog Tour & Giveaway: The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan

[ 46 ] April 15, 2012

Please join D.L. Bogdan, author of The Sumerton Women, as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours!

Enter to win a copy below – open internationally!

Reviewed by Colleen Turner

When Lady Cecily Burkhart’s parents die of the sweating sickness in 1527, the orphaned eight year old is sent as ward to the Pierce family at Castle Sumerton. The Pierce family – Hal Pierce (Lord Sumerton), Grace Pierce (Lady Sumerton) and their children, Mirabella and Brey – are kind and loving to their new addition. Cecily is a girl with a great fortune and they plan to align their families by marrying her to Brey. Even with their exterior happiness, however, there seems to be a secret sadness lurking below the surface at Sumerton, one that innocent Cecily lifts with her joy and affection.

As a child Cecily loves Brey and is happy with her planned future of marrying him and becoming Lady Sumerton. Mirabella is determined to have her own dream of becoming a nun and escaping the world she sees as shallow and corrupt come true. Both of the Sumerton Women are captivated by Father Alec, the family’s tutor and chaplain, and both grow under their special relationships with him. But when the dark secret lurking below the surface of Sumerton is revealed it starts the downward spiral of the family, one that seems to see no shortage of betrayal and vengeance. Will any of them be able to seek forgiveness and make a life for themselves when the many lies are finally revealed?

Set against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s reign, his break from the Roman Catholic Church and the religious reformation that occurred, this was an interesting new angle to a time period I love. Having Mirabella ensconced in a monastery that is brutally ransacked and dissolved around her and seeing her fear for what else she can do with her life and for her God, as well as having Father Alec at the forefront of Archbishop Cranmer’s reformation work, gave insight into a part of Tudor England I knew little about.

That being said, the amount of sadness, death and destruction in The Sumerton Women became almost too much to bear at times. I kept wondering when something good would happen to the family and, when a ray of hope would shine through, it was almost instantly extinguished with another depressing event. Mirabella might be one of the vilest characters I have encountered in a while. She reminds me of the Evil Queen from Snow White, beautiful but bitter and cruel while always finding a way to justify her hatred. Cecily, in contrast, is a wonderful character that at times almost seems too forgiving and kind. The other characters fall somewhere in between, all flawed, relatable and well developed.

It is easy to see the grand message of the book once finished: that forgiveness, both for yourself and for others, is the only way to heal your life, let go of the past and move on. That being said, I just wish The Sumerton Women could have come to the message with less heartache for all the characters. All in all, the book was definitely well written and I would be happy to see what other books the author has to offer.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Colleen lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, son, their dog Oliver and their fish Finn. When not working or taking care of her family she has her nose stuck in a book (and, let’s face it, often when she is working or taking care of her family as well). Nothing excites her more than discovering a new author to obsess over or a hidden jewel of a book to worship.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Kensington. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
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Most Creative/Prolific Contributor Award

[ 6 ] April 13, 2012

As promised, on the 10th of every month, I give away an item of their choice to the most creative/prolific contributor to Luxury Reading! This month, the winner is…

The Unbeatable Carol Wong!

Please post a comment here with your item selection! Remember, you can now pick any item from Amazon!

The contest started over on April 10th. I will be announcing the new winner on May 10th. There is no limit to how many times you can win and remember, you can comment on any post, not just new ones.

Remember, frequency of commenting counts, but so does the quality – a creative and relevant comment will get you more points than something like “sounds great”. Every month, I will pick a winner and post their name, as well as send them an e-mail.

Get commenting!

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Prom Season Giveaway

[ 49 ] April 10, 2012

Ready for an amazing giveaway? To celebrate the prom season, I have 4 fabulous books to give away – for you to enjoy or to gift to your favorite teenager!

One winner will receive the following books:

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

The Fashion Coloring Book by carol + lulu


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Guest Post & Giveaway: Lia Fairchild, author of In Search of Lucy

[ 37 ] April 9, 2012

Please welcome author Lia Fairchild, author of In Search of Lucy - and enter to win a copy of the book below!

by Lia Fairchild

Why did I write a book? There are so many reasons that answer this question, but the big answer is because I wanted to. I’ve taught my children since they were very small that they can do anything if they truly want to accomplish it. These are the types of things good parents tell their children, right? Work hard, try your best, treat people how you want to be treated, reach for the stars. But I didn’t want to just say those things. I meant every word and what better way to show them. Why not take my own advice?

I’d been living for my kids since the day they were born. They were my whole world, and still are. Every choice to be made, every decision for our family, was based on what was best for them. And as time went on I began to wonder if it was enough. Not just for them, but for me. Yes, I wanted to model the behavior of a loving dedicated parent. But at the same time I wanted my kids to see what’s possible. To show them that you can do things some people only dream of. And what I’d dreamt of my whole life was creating something. Something big and lasting, and maybe even something to be remembered for. I really didn’t know what that would be and as life does from time to time, it got in the way. School, jobs and eventually marriage and family took me along for the ride until I found myself looking back asking, “Where’s my big thing?”

When I set my mind to writing a novel, deciding on the story came easily. I’d always had story ideas floating around in my brain but In Search of Lucy just sort of came to life one day asking to be told. I knew I wanted a strong female, caring, confused, living through and fight for a life that wasn’t easy. Lucy is someone that, like myself, wants happiness for those around her but often forgets how to create her own happiness. The story itself is a journey and throughout it Lucy must deal with the demons of her past and come to terms with her feelings. If she can do that, she just might have a chance at building new relationships and creating a new life.

So you may be wondering about other reasons that spur me to write. That’s easy. Writing is fun, exciting, liberating, but most of all, I hope that my stories can provide a little happiness for people. Whether it’s by helping a friend, giving someone a gift, making someone laugh or writing a story that inspires and entertains, making people happy inspires me. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to relieve someone’s pain, or give someone a little joy. And I’ve been that way since as far back as I can remember. So as long as my stories make people feel—happy, sad, silly or inspired—I’ll continue to write them.

About Lia Fairchild

Born and raised in Southern California, Lia Fairchild holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a multiple subject teaching credential. She is also the author of A Hint of Murder: The Writer, A Hint of Murder: The Doctor, and a short story entitled “Special Delivery.” Writing is something Fairchild has thought about all her life, and she found completing In Search of Lucy truly satisfying. Visit her website or follow her on Twitter.
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Giveaway: Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

[ 58 ] April 5, 2012

I have 22 – that’s right, 22 – copies of Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon to give away!

About the book

Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost twenty years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.

But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).

And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.

7. Sometimes I tell him he’s snoring when he’s not snoring so he’ll sleep in the guest room and I can have the bed all to myself.

61. Chet Baker on the tape player. He was cutting peppers for the salad. I looked at those hands and thought, I am going to have this man’s children.

67. To not want what you don’t have. What you can’t have. What you shouldn’t have.

32. That if we weren’t careful, it was possible to forget one another.

Before the study, my life was an endless blur of school lunches and doctor’s appointments, family dinners, budgets, and trying to discern the fastest-moving line at the grocery store. I was Alice Buckle: spouse of William and mother to Zoe and Peter, drama teacher and Facebook chatter, downloader of memories and Googler of solutions.

But these days, I’m also Wife 22. And somehow, my anonymous correspondence with Researcher 101 has taken an unexpectedly personal turn. Soon, I’ll have to make a decision—one that will affect my family, my marriage, my whole life. But at the moment, I’m too busy answering questions.

As it turns out, confession can be a very powerful aphrodisiac.

Take your own marriage survey!


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Giveaway: Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

[ 25 ] April 4, 2012

Enter to win a copy of Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden!

About the book

Escape from Camp 14 tells the unbelievable true story of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only known person born in a North Korean no-exit camp to have escaped and survived. In a starred review, Library Journal describes it as “a book that all adults should read,” Foreign Policy named it one of the 21 books that will matter in 2012, and BBC Radio 4 selected it for their prestigious Book of the Week series.

Although the world pays little attention, North Korea’s political prison camps, which hold between 150,000 and 200,000 prisoners and are clearly visible in satellite photographs, have existed twice as long as Stalin’s Soviet gulags and twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Shin, who was bred by guards to be a slave and a snitch and was expected to work and die anonymously in a camp that the North Korean government says does not exist, escaped when he was twenty-three years old and miraculously found his way to China, South Korea and finally the United States. Through this harrowing narrative of Shin’s life and remarkable escape, Harden offers an unbelievable glimpse into the world’s most repressive, totalitarian state.

This April, North Korea will celebrate its 100th anniversary celebration as a “great and prosperous” country. And with the world’s eyes on the new leader Kim Jong Eun—who happens to be the exact same age as Shin Dong-hyuk—now is as important a time as ever to focus on the truth of what’s happening in these camps.
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