Driftwood Lane

Driftwood Lane: A Nantucket Love Story
Author:  Denise Hunter
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson
Publication Date:  July 6, 2010

Donated by: Kendall (Reading, Reading & Life)

Meridith can handle anything: guardianship of three distant siblings, a dilapidated Bed-and-Breakfast, even an ever-present handyman who's dismantling more than her fireplace--or can she?

When the death of Meridith's estranged father leaves her with custody of three siblings she's never met, she reluctantly goes to Nantucket to care for them--but only until their uncle returns from his trip. Little does she know, the uncle is already there under the guise of her friendly handyman, with plans of his own.
Will the love that grows between them be strong enough to overcome the secrets that brought them both to Driftwood Lane?

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

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Kendall mailed 9/20 DC #  0309 2880 0001 3149 0183

Participants:

1. Melissa- done

2. Rebecca - done
3. Joy -

Reviews:

Kendall
Melissa
Rebecca
Joy

Crazy For Love

Crazy for Love (Hqn)
Author: Victoria Dahl
Publisher:  HQN Books
Publication Date:  July 1, 2010


Donated by:  Rebecca (Beck's Book Picks)

Chloe Turner thought she was going to marry the perfect man—until her fiancé's plane crashed. And then she got the really bad news: he'd tried to fake his own death to avoid marrying her. Now America's most famous bridezilla (a tag she most definitely does not deserve), Chloe escapes to a remote island to avoid the paparazzi. And right next door is a man who just might be the cure for Chloe's heartache….

A magnet for wild, complicated women, Max Sullivan is relieved to have finally found someone "normal." Chloe is his girl-next-door fantasy come to life, and best of all, she gets him. With her, he can be himself, a treasure-hunting millionaire who desperately wants out of his sexy but reckless job. But when Chloe's notoriety catches up with them, will their torrid romance make it to the mainland?

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

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Participants ~ 

 

The Wedding Gift

The Wedding Gift

Author:  Kathleen McKenna

Publication Date:  July 12, 2010

Publisher:  CreateSpace

Donated By:  Author

Kathleen McKenna's explosive third novel 'The Wedding Gift' excels in so many categories it defies them all. 

 

It is a spine-electrifying supernatural tale where a huge Southern States mansion contains one of the most terrifying, violent and indeed psychopathic ghosts to haunt any town. 

 

It is also a murder mystery - why did Robina Willets apparently kill all five of her young children, and her husband, before stabbing herself to death? 

 

And, if you are in the camp of believing that 'justice .... just is not', then this will have you frothing at the mouth with righteous social fury. 

 

Add to that the vision of two exceptionally beautiful girls lying on a landing stage in the middle of a secluded lake, sleeping naked in the sun .... 

 

.... and then see if you can find any consecutive ten minutes in this book when you don't at least snicker at the heroine Leeann's sly, caustic, sometimes-knowing sometimes 'too stupid to live' commentary.

TOUR COMPLETE!

Participants:
Natalie - done

Michelle - done 

Stephanie - done

Reviews:
Natalie - Coffee & A Book Chick
Michelle - True Book Addict
Stephanie - StephtheBookworm

The Doctor and the Diva

The Doctor & the Diva
Author:  Adrienne McDonnell
Publication Date:  July 22, 2010
Publisher:  Viking Adult


A breathtaking novel of romantic obsession, longing and one woman's choice between motherhood and her operatic calling 

It is 1903. Dr. Ravell is a young Harvard-educated obstetrician with a growing reputation for helping couples conceive. He has treated women from all walks of Boston society, but when Ravell meets Erika-an opera singer whose beauty is surpassed only by her spellbinding voice-he knows their doctor-patient relationship will be like none he has ever had. 

After struggling for years to become pregnant, Erika believes there is no hope. Her mind is made up: she will leave her prominent Bostonian husband to pursue her career in Italy, a plan both unconventional and risky. But becoming Ravell's patient will change her life in ways she never could have imagined. 

Lush and stunningly realized, The Doctor and the Diva moves from snowy Boston to the jungles of Trinidad to the gilded balconies of Florence. This magnificent debut is a tale of passionate love affairs, dangerous decisions, and a woman's irreconcilable desires as she is forced to choose between the child she has always longed for and the opera career she cannot live without. Inspired by the author's family history, the novel is sensual, sexy, and heart-stopping in its bittersweet beauty.

• TOUR CLOSED!  
• 
  
• Participants:

• 1. Emily - done
• 2. Rebecca  - done
• 3. TIffany - done
• 
  
•  
• Reviews:

1. Emily - Hot Pink Vixen

2. Rebecca - Beck's Book Picks

3. Tiffany - Tiffany's Bookshelf

The Scarlet Contessa

The Scarlet Contessa: A Novel of the Italian RenaissanceThe Scarlet Contessa: A Novel of the Italian Renaissance
Author:  Jeanne Kalogridis
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Publication Date:  July 6, 2010

Donated by:  Lori (Lori's Reading Corner)

This vividly rendered historical takes readers to tempestuous Renaissance Italy, where city-states and noble families battle for supremacy over Italy and, through the papacy, the world. Caterina Sforza comes into power by marrying the illegitimate son of Pope Sixtus, and while her husband is slothful and suspicious, Caterina is clever and ambitious, allying herself with powerful men to ensure her family's success throughout tumultuous times. Always by her side is her confidante, Dea, who has a gift for reading tarot cards, and, as our narrator, relates Caterina's struggles and schemes against a lush backdrop swarming with the most powerful families of the day--the Borgias and the Medicis, though these players, unfortunately, feel mostly like window dressing. Seeing the world through Dea's eyes only makes the reader yearn more to know what Caterina, who remains too much a mystery, is thinking. There's plenty of intrigue and conspiracy in the lusty plot, but the characters don't quite sing.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 14 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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• 
  
• Lori mailed 8/24 - DC # 9102128882300295454142
•  
• Participants
•  
• Katy  - done
  
• Marcie - mailed 9/28 DC # 0308 2040 0000 2743 2274
• Crystal
•  
• Reviews
• Katy
• Marcie

The Bride's Farewell

The Bride's Farewell: A Novel
Author: Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Penguin Plume
Publication date:  July 27, 2010

Pell Ridley is the adventurous heroine in this serviceably told tale, the fourth novel for London-based Rosoff, who has written successfully for the YA market. On her wedding day, Pell leaves town on her faithful horse, Jack, grudgingly bringing along her mute younger brother, Bean. Pell shirks expectations and jilts her childhood beau, Birdie, with an oddly modern defiance of 1850s England convention. No matter that Birdie seems a nice enough man, unlike her abusive preacher father—Pell is stubborn in her desire to flee the domestic life in Nomansland that mires her mother in a sea of children and overwork. Pell arrives at the Salisbury horse fair and her adventures begin. She is separated from Bean and her horse but meets a poacher she dubs Dogman (he travels with a pack of dogs) and together they wander the countryside living on bread crusts and flickering hope. Pell's love and knowledge of horses factors largely in her fight for survival, but it's human love—romantic and familial—that drives plucky Pell and leads us to this simple but satisfying story's happy if unsurprising conclusion

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

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• Participants

The Last Block in Harlem

The Last Block in Harlem
Author:  Christopher Herz
Publication Date:  July 13, 2010
Publisher:  Amazon Encore

Donated By:  Jen (Crazy-for-Books)

Read Jen's review HERE.

All fire escapes lead back to the same block in Sugar Hill, Harlem- where kids run through hydrants and music blares from stereos plugged into lampposts. When a new resident (the story's unnamed narrator) notices the trash polluting the picturesque streets and tainting the block's beauty, he is spurred to action. However, his best intentions go awry when the clean-up brings media coverage that in turn, sets off a rash of evictions and ushers in an influx of new and affluent tenants. In an attempt to preserve his neighborhood, the tenant mobilizes a grassroots effort to improve the neighborhood from the inside out.

Realizing he has yet again polluted his reality with unintended consequences, his fight to clean up the block evolves into a quest to cleanse his soul. The choices he makes cannot change the past and the secrets that haunt him, but will alter the future for himself, his family...and the last block in Harlem.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 14 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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• 
  

PARTICIPANTS:

To Kendall 10/16:  DC# 9102785091401698452511


Kendall  - Review
Tiffany - Review

Still Missing

Still Missing
Author:  Chevy Stevens
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Publication Date:  July , 2010


Donated by:  Crystal Fulcher


On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Still Missing is that rare debut find--a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted debut novel.

Tour Complete!  Thank you for participating!

Tour Participants:


Crystal mailed 8/13 9102 1480 0860 0057 5257 88 


SenoraG - done
Rebecca - mailed 9/2 DC # 03082040000205936341 -- book lost in mail
Kiara - N/A


New copy ordered by Jen (Crazy-for-Books) from PBS: 


Tiffany - rcv'd 11/8, mail by 11/15; mailed 11/12
Susan - rcv'd 11/16 per DC
Heather - mailed 2/17 DC# 03101230000119013342

Reviews

SenoraG - Reading, Reading & Life
Rebecca - Beck's Book Picks
Tiffany - Tiffany's Bookshelf
Heather - Proud Book Nerd

Island

The Island: A Novel
Author:  Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher:  Reagan Arthur Books
Publication Date:  July 6, 2010

Donated by:  Crystal F.

Four women -- a mother, her sister and their two grown daughters head to a tiny island off Nantucket for a retreat, hoping to escape their troubles. Instead, they find only drama, secrets and life-changing revelations.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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Tour Participants


Crystal mailed 8/13 - DC # 9102 1480 0860 0057 5312 22

1 Kiara - BOOK MISSING/LOST

2 Susan

3 Tiffany

4 Cindy

5 JHS

6 Leah
7. Rebecca

Farm Fatale

Farm Fatale: A Comedy of Country Manors
Author:  Wendy Holden
Publisher:  Sourcebooks
Publication date:  July 1, 2010

Donated by:  Crystal Fulcher

As the old caveat goes: be careful what you wish for it might come true. Holden (Bad Heir Day) addresses what can possibly go wrong (and does) when one woman finally gets exactly what she wants in this energetic, witty tale. Rosie, an idealistic freelance illustrator, can hardly wait to leave her dingy London flat for a charming little cottage in the country. Mark, her live-in boyfriend, is less than enthusiastic about exchanging London's hustle and bustle for the bucolic life particularly when his "big break" at his thankless newspaper job seems just around the corner. But Mark's editor assigns him a new column based on the adventures of a "city mouse" in the country, and it looks like Rosie's dream has finally come true. Unfortunately, it's a nightmare. Their tiny cottage is just as "rural" and "historic" as it appears (complete with the attendant plumbing problems); loud hippie neighbors disturb their slumbers; and Rosie and Mark squabble over everything from gardening to the charms of the locals. However, the lovely old couple next door has a farmer nephew they're eager for Rosie to meet, and to her surprise, he turns out to be both young and cute. Toss in a reclusive pop star, a pushy second-rate actress and a gossipy postman, and decibel levels in the sleepy village of Eight Mile Bottom are soon rising to a decidedly unsleepy pitch. With enjoyable if limited characters and a wonderfully awful-to-watch side plot involving the truly horrible "Sasha Villiers" (her "stage" name), this lighthearted romp, surprisingly unpredictable, smart and fun, is refreshing fare readers can turn to when they're tired of lifeless Bridget clones.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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Tour Participants

The Blind Contessa's New Machine

The Blind Contessa's New Machine: A Novel
Author:  Carey Wallace
Publisher:  Pamela Dorman Books (Penguin)
Publication Date:  July 8, 2010

Donated by:  The publisher, Pamela Dorman Books


An iridescent jewel of a novel that proves love is the mother of invention

In the early 1800s, a young Italian contessa, Carolina Fantoni, realizes she is going blind shortly before she marries the town's most sought-after bachelor. Her parents don't believe her, nor does her fiancé. The only one who understands is the eccentric local inventor and her longtime companion, Turri. When her eyesight dims forever, Carolina can no longer see her beloved lake or the rich hues of her own dresses. But as darkness erases her world, she discovers one place she can still see-in her dreams. Carolina creates a vivid dreaming life, in which she can not only see, but also fly, exploring lands she had never known.

Desperate to communicate with Carolina, Turri invents a peculiar machine for her: the world's first typewriter. His gift ignites a passionate love affair that will change both of their lives forever.

Based on the true story of a nineteenth-century inventor and his innovative contraption, The Blind Contessa's New Machine is an enchanting confection of love and the triumph of the imagination.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!  

Tour Participants:

1. Leah  - done

2.Jen G. - done

3. Tiffany - done

4. Kiara - rec'd 8/30 per DC - book lost/missing

5. Margaret 

6. Michelle

Reviews:

1.  Leah - Amused By Books

2.  Jen G. - Introverted Jen

3.  Tiffany - Tiffany's Bookshelf

4.  Kiara - 

5.  Margaret -

6.  Michelle -

Live To Tell

Live to Tell: A Detective D. D. Warren Novel
Author:  Lisa Gardner
Publisher: Bantam
Publication date:  July 13, 2010

Donated by:  Crystal Fulcher


At the heart of Gardner's outstanding fourth novel featuring Boston PD detective Warren (after The Neighbor) are some very sick kids, notably Lucy, a nine-year-old feral girl who self-mutilates when any attention is given to her, and Evan, an eight-year-old boy who during fits threatens to kill his mother. D.D gets involved after two grisly family annihilations lead to the locked-down pediatric psych ward in Cambridge that specializes in Lucy's and Evan's types of hard case. When a child is too sick and the parent can no longer handle care, the child ends up in the acute care facility under the tutelage of pediatric psych nurse Danielle, the lone survivor of her own family bloodbath. Coincidence? That's for D.D. to figure out--in the midst of a budding romance with police academy professor Alex Wilson and infuriating encounters with Andrew Lightfoot, resident "woo-woo expert" (that's cop talk for psychic), who works in tandem with the hospital. Plenty of red herrings keep readers guessing, but Gardner always plays fair in this tight and consistently engaging page-turner.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 14 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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Tour Participants




1.  Rebecca - mailed 9/17  DC # 03082040000205938222
2.  Stephanie

Reviews ~ 

Rebecca

The Breaking of Eggs

The Breaking of Eggs: A Novel
Author:  Jim Powel
Publisher:  Penguin Group
Publication date:  July 27, 2010

Donated by:  Penguin Group

 Dramatic change comes to the rigidly ordered, solitary life of Feliks Zhukovski. A naturalized French citizen living in Paris, the irascible 61-year-old Polish leftist is stunned by the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union. He also gets the flu, and that spurs his first conversation in 36 years with his landlady. Feliks has always valued ideas and ideology over people, but events conspire to reunite him with the brother he hasn't seen for 50 years; take him to the hated U.S. to complete a business deal with capitalists (gasp!); discover the fate of his mother; and offer him a second chance at love. All of these events force Feliks to examine the choices he has made. Powell's delightful debut novel is by turns winsome and moving. Feliks is an indelible character, and the people who enter his life tell remarkable stories of the suffering that fascism and communism visited on Europe. The Breaking of Eggs is a book that thoughtful readers won't soon forget.

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail and STATE abbreviation in the comments.

• 7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON

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Silent Scream

Silent Scream: An Anna Travis Mystery
Author:  Lynda La Plante
Publication Date:  July 6, 2010
Publisher:  Touchstone

Donated by:  Stacey at Simon & Schuster

Film star Amanda Delany has the world at her feet. Never one for the quiet life, she has had a string of affairs with the hottest actors around. Then, coming home late from a night shoot, Amanda puts the key in her front door for the very last time. The next morning, Amanda's body is found, stabbed many times, only her beautiful face left unharmed.

DI Anna Travis is ordered to the team assigned to the Delany murder, headed by Anna's former lover, the demanding DCI James Langton. Anna is shocked by the truth behind Amanda's public image: her addictions to drugs and starvation diets; her cold, unemotional parents; her elusive film agent; and the former lovers so quick to distance themselves. But Anna has challenges of her own to overcome too. Promotion to Chief Inspector is within her grasp, but when the time comes for her to stand before the board, she faces a shocking accusation of personal misconduct.

With insider authenticity derived from La Plante's years in the film world and a heroine worthy of her predecessor, Prime Suspect's Jane Tennison, Silent Scream is La Plante's best yet.

• Signups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation in the comments! 

• ONE WEEK LIMIT SINCE THIS IS AN UPCOMING BOOK, DUE OUT JULY 6th!

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 Lori mailed to Tracee - 8/4 - DC # 9102150134711278467188

 Tour Participants

1.  Tracee - book lost in mail

2.  Heather
3.   Rebecca

Love, Sex & Deception: The Chronicles of Online Dating

Love, Sex & Deception: The Chronicles of Online Dating
Authors:  Claire Hultin, Lisa Hultin
Publication date:  July 13, 2010
Publisher:  Morgan James Publishing

Donated by:  Rebecca at Cadence Marketing Group

  Have you ever had an unforgettable date? Sure you have, but did he arrive dressed as Elvis and it wasn't Halloween? What about the guy who said, "I'm divorced" but failed to mention having since remarried? Learn how to be a savvy shopper of the online menu and gain the important investment anyone makes-your affection, trust and time.
Lisa and Claire Hultin are a mother-daughter team, who date online, compare notes and have collected real life experiences from men and women who are dipping their toes into online dating exposing the real "cyber-scene." They share insight, tips, tricks and entertaining stories that reveal the perils and successes you can encounter while navigating through the Internet jungle.
Learn positive strategies and what to look out for from finding true love and great sex to the deception and outrageous incidents people experience in online "dating limbo." This self-help, high comedy and drama all wrapped up in narratives gives you a titillating bird's eye view of what you can encounter if you take the plunge. Reality is the best education!

• Signups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation in the comments! 

• ONE WEEK LIMIT SINCE THIS IS AN UPCOMING BOOK, DUE OUT JULY 15th!

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!

Free to a Good Home

Free to a Good Home

Author:  Eve Marie Mont

Publication Date:  July 6, 2010

Publisher:  Berkley

292 pages

Donated By:  Jennifer (Crazy-for-Books)

A delightful debut novel about a woman coming to terms with past disappointments and forging a bright new future-man and dog included.

Noelle Ryan works as a veterinary technician at a New England animal shelter, helping pets find homes. If only it were as easy to find one for herself. After discovering she can't have children-and watching her marriage fall apart after a shocking revelation by her husband-she feels as sad and lost as the strays she rescues.

She can't seem to get over her ex, Jay. Unfortunately, all Jay wants from her is a huge favor: serving as caretaker for his elderly mother, who blames Noelle for the breakup. While Jay heads off to Atlanta to live the life of a bachelor, Noelle is left only with her Great Dane, Zeke, to comfort her. But when a carefree musician named Jasper tugs at her heartstrings, giving her a second chance at life- and at love- Noelle comes to realize that home is truly where the heart is. 

• Tour Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation in the comments! 

• UPCOMING RELEASE - 7 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON!   

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!

Tour Participants:
Heather  - done
Laurie  - done
Betty - done
Stephanie - done


Reviews:
Heather
Laurie
Betty - DNF
Stephanie

Thrillers: 100 Must Reads

Thrillers: 100 Must Reads

Edited by David Morrell & Hank Wagner

Publication Date: July 5, 2010

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Donated by: Lori at Lori's Reading Corner

The most riveting reads in history meet today's biggest thriller writers in Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads.

Edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads examines 100 seminal works of suspense through essays contributed by such esteemed modern thriller writers as: David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Sandra Brown, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, John Lescroart, Gayle Lynds, Katherine Neville, Michael Palmer, James Rollins, R. L. Stine, and many more.

Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads features 100 works - from Beowulf to The Bourne Identity, Dracula to Deliverance, Heart of Darkness to The Hunt for Red October - deemed must-reads by the International Thriller Writers organization.

Much more than an anthology, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads goes deep inside the most notable thrillers published over the centuries. Through lively, spirited, and thoughtful essays that examine each work's significance, impact, and influence, Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads provides both historical and personal perspective on those spellbinding works that have kept readers on the edge of their seats for centuries.

• Sign-ups Open to USA Residents; Leave your name, e-mail, and STATE abbreviation in the comments! 

• 10 DAY LIMIT PER PERSON!   

• Make sure to fill out the Blogger Sign-Up Form!