Thank you to everyone who entered these giveaways!
A copy of Drifting House is going to:
#13 Lori Thomas
A copy of A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar is going to:
#65 Leah
2 copies of The Golden Hour are going to:
#168 Angela Mitchell
#81 Andalene
All winners have been contacted and have 48 hours to respond before a substitute winner is selected.
Enter to win a copy of Christina Alger’s debut novel, The Darlings!
About the book
The Darlings is a sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences.
Now that he’s married to Merrill Darling, daughter of billionaire financier Carter Darling, attorney Paul Ross has grown accustomed to New York society and all of its luxuries: a Park Avenue apartment, weekends in the Hamptons, bespoke suits. When Paul loses his job, Carter offers him the chance to head the legal team at his hedge fund. Thrilled with his good fortune in the midst of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression, Paul accepts the position.
But Paul’s luck is about to shift: a tragic event catapults the Darling family into the media spotlight, a regulatory investigation, and a red-hot scandal with enormous implications for everyone involved. Suddenly, Paul must decide where his loyalties lie—will he save himself while betraying his wife and in-laws or protect the family business at all costs?
Visit Cristina Alger’s website to learn more
Giveaway copy was provided free of any obligation by Pamela Dorman Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
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, our winner – once again – is…
Carol Wong!
Colleen Turner, Marcus H. and Techeditor – you were very close!
Please post a comment here with your item selection! Remember, you can now pick any item from Amazon!
The contest is starting over today. I will be announcing the new winner on March 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!
Please join Christine Blevins, author of The Turning of Anne Merrick, as she tours the blogosphere with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours!
Reviewed by Colleen Turner
In 1777 America is embroiled in the Revolutionary War, seeking its independence from Britain. General Washington, Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army, employs a network of rebels and spies to combat the Loyalists and to gather the intelligence needed to outwit this enormous, powerful foe. As part of this brave network, Anne Merrick and her friend Sally infiltrate the British Army on its campaign down the Hudson and work to pass information they acquire in the Loyalist camp to Anne’s beloved Jack Hampton and his brothers in arms.
While Anne is solid in her beliefs that she and her friends are fighting for the right cause she cannot help feeling guilt and confusion at using these people for her own gains; some of these people are kind and could easily be her friends if only they fought on the same side. The threat of being discovered and the chance of being shot or hung as a traitor always looms close by. On top of all this, the isolation from those she loves, especially Jack, weighs heavy on her heart and causes her determination to waver if never falter. She sets her sights on a safe and happy future with Jack and does her best to ensure that future can come to fruition as soon as possible.
As Anne and Jack come together and drift apart on their various assignments for the Patriot cause, their love for each other, their close circle of friends and their belief in their right to freedom keeps them strong. But just as they catch a glimpse of what their life can be when the war finally ends, an unwelcome and dangerous person from their past emerges to put a kink in their envisioned happy ending and to put their lives in jeopardy.
The Turning of Anne Merrick is action packed. From the first page to the last the reader has a behind the scenes view of the inner workings of both sides of the Revolutionary War as Anne, Jack, Sally and many more fight for independence while enmeshing themselves into the very bowels of the enemy. We see the inhumanity and desperation of war while also seeing how much these freedom fighters had to sacrifice for the greater good of the cause.
While Jack and Anne didn’t spend enough time together for me to really become invested in their relationship, I enjoyed following both of these characters and watching their relationships with their comrades deepen. The heavy topics of war, slavery, treachery and death are punctuated with moments of humor and happiness, giving a well rounded picture of these characters’ difficult yet ultimately fulfilling lives.
Beginning this book I was not aware that The Turning of Anne Merrick is the second book in a series, with The Tory Widow actually introducing us to this exciting cast of characters. This book definitely picks up in the middle of their story and while the author does a good job of recapping important aspects of the first book, I would suggest reading The Tory Widow first to get a better feel for the characters. The Turning of Anne Merrick also ends in an open manner that suggests more books following this group are to come. I will definitely be reading the first book in the series and will keep a look out for the next chapter to come.
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 and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Berkley Trade and Christine Blevins. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway!
The 3 books from the Closet Cleaning Giveaway are going to:
#31 Debp
All winners have been contacted and have 48 hours to respond before a substitute winner is selected.
Thank you to everyone who entered these giveaways!
A copy of The Way We Fall and a minimergency kit are going to:
#44 Teresa Warner
All winners have been contacted and have 48 hours to respond before a substitute winner is selected.
Please welcome Margaret Wurtele, author of the new historical novel, The Golden Hour!
by Margaret Wurtele
When I tell people I have written a historical novel that is set in Italy during World War II, I often get a confused (or bemused) look in return. “Italy?” they say. “Why Italy? Have you spent a lot of time there?”
Write what you know. That is one of the first pieces of advice one gets in a writing class. But it’s also true that the author doesn’t always get to choose the subject. In my case, a little fragment of story I heard on a visit to Tuscany insinuated itself into my brain and would not let go. I left there knowing I had to write about it, but I also knew it would be a bit of a leap: World War II; Italian life in 1944; the vineyards of Tuscany? But I was burning to write, and I knew I could wait a long, long time before another subject captured my creative attention with enough strength to carry me through the daunting process of writing a first novel.
As it turns out, there were aspects of my subject that were not so random. A young woman’s coming-of-age? A love story? Those things were not beyond my experience. Moreover, I felt at home in the Tuscan landscape. Here’s why:
I was born and raised in Minnesota, as was my husband Angus. When we got married 34 years ago, he told me he wanted to own a vineyard in California. I thought that was a bit odd, and I assumed the urge would go away. He began taking me to the Napa Valley any time we had a chance, and soon I fell in love with it too.
The urge did not go away, so in 1995 – after ten years of looking at real estate and dreaming – we purchased a piece of property near St Helena, California with mature cabernet vineyards on it. We built a house there and began spending about four months a year in Napa. A couple of years later, we bought an old winery nearby so we could harvest our grapes and make our own estate wine. That is how Terra Valentine was born, and we now have more than fifteen vintages of cabernet under our belt. We also grow and buy other varieties of grapes and make pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, Riesling, and – guess what – even a Tuscan blend we call Amore.
The Golden Hour is set on an estate near Lucca, Italy that cultivates vineyards and olive groves. My heroine Giovanna’s family produces olive oil and wine. Even though the war is on, the novel moves through the rhythm of the agricultural year and reflects seasonal changes in the landscape that is so like our own. I couldn’t resist making frequent references to both food and wine.
So…write what you know. Sometimes it’s possible to make a leap in time and place and still manage to do that.
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Margaret Wurtele is the author of two memoirs. She and her husband split their time between Minnesota and Napa Valley, where they are owners of Terra Valentine Winery. Visit her online at www.margaretwurtele.com.
Enter to win a copy of A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar by Daniel Pyne!
About the book
Lee, a high school shop teacher in Evergreen, Colorado, managed to survive his messy divorce only to hurtle into what some might call a full-on midlife crisis. Looking for a way to spend his weekends and the now painfully long summer vacation, Lee buys a gold mine off the internet—a real, honest-to-God mine, complete with tall tales of riches, a history of disappointment, and a couple of Pakistani-by-the-way-of-Jackson-Hole prospectors willing to kill for its contents.
With the frequently unwanted help of a band of locals, Lee becomes a weekend warrior, attempting to work the mine and keep himself distracted from his other midlife disturbances. There are the Pakistanis, of course, along with his mercurial brother Grant, just released from prison, who is trying in his typically perilous way to pull Lee from his midlife funk. There is his ex-wife Lorraine and her slick boyfriend, Stan Beachum, and the lovely yet mysterious Rayna, the first woman Lee’s wanted to date since his divorce.
In Daniel Pyne’s sharp, fun, and raucous style, A Hole in the Ground Owned by a Liar is part mystery and part gold-infused tall tale with a cast of refreshingly quirky characters and one highly unexpected payout.
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This giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is midnight on February 20, 2012.
Giveaway copy was provided free of any obligation by Julia Drake PR. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
