Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

Jill over @ Breaking the Spine hosts a weekly meme that features one book that you can't wait to be released! This week Jill's pick is This is Where We Live by Janelle Brown, click HERE to check it out and to see links to what others are waiting on! Deeanne Gist is one of my favorite author's so I'm always excited to read her books! My pick this week is her next release, Maid to Match due out this summer. Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist Copyright 2010 Bethany House Publishers 368 pages ISBN: 978-0-7642-0408-1 Historical Fiction/Romance From the publisher : Falling in Love Could Cost Her Everything From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled--by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. After all...

MizB @ Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays every week at her blog! This gives everyone the opportunity to share a few lines from a new book they're reading or one of their old favorites. Here are the rules for Teaser Tuesdays! 1. Grab your current read. 2. Let the book fall open to a random page. 3. Share two teaser sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 & 12. 4. Share the title of the book that the “teaser” comes from, so people can find the book if they like the teaser. 5. PLEASE avoid spoilers!!!!! I'm currently reading It's Not About Him , Book 2 in the Second Glances series by Edgy Inspirational author, Michelle Sutton. So far it's really good so I decided to share a random teaser with you! :-) It's Not About Him (Second Glances, Book 2) by Michelle Sutton Copyright 2009 Sheaf House Publishing 319 pages ISBN: 978-0-979-74857-8 Fiction/Romance/Contemporary "An irritated, but very feminine voice greeted his ears...

The Promise of Morning (At Home in Beldon Grove, Book 2) by Ann Shorey Copyright 2010 Revell Publishers 336 pages ISBN: 978-0-8007-3333-9 Historical Fiction From the publisher : Life in Beldon Grove on the Illinois frontier in the 1840s isn't easy. For Ellie Craig, the graves of her three infant children make it unbearably lonely, despite the love of her husband Matthew. When she uncovers a family secret that suggests she may not be as alone as she thought, Ellie is determined to find the truth. Meanwhile, Matthew Craig faces controversy in the church he pastors when a man arrives in town claiming to be both a minister and the son of the town's founder. Will Matthew find the courage to reclaim his church? Or will he return to itinerant preaching, leaving Ellie even more alone than before? Book 2 in the At Home in Beldon Grove series, The Promise of Morning will touch your soul with themes of overcoming tragedy, finding strength to meet daunting challenges, and trusting your h...

Jill over @ Breaking the Spine hosts a weekly meme that features one book that you can't wait to be released! This week Jill's pick is Cars from a Marriage by Debra Galant, click HERE to check it out and to see links to what others are waiting on! This week I chose The Lightkeeper's Bride by Colleen Coble, I think the cover is so beautiful and Colleen's books are always terrific reads! The Lightkeeper's Bride (Mercy Falls, Book 2) by Colleen Coble Copyright 2010 Thomas Nelson Publishers 375 pages ISBN: 978-1-595542663 Historical Fiction/Romance From Goodreads: A thrilling romantic mystery set in the lush Victorian age. Central Operator Katie Russell's inquisitive ways have just uncovered her parents' plan for her marriage to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster. Her heart is unmoved, but she knows the match will bring her family status and respectability. Then Katie overhears a phone conversation that makes her uneasy and asks authorities to investigate....

Today my grandma who is visiting from Florida assisted me in my first venture in bread-making! Under her supervision (yeah I need supervised in the kitchen :-P) I was able to put together the ingredients that turned into the yummy looking (and tasting) loaves of bread pictured below! I was sooo excited that I had to share some pics with you! So here they are! The streaks on top of the bread are from the melting butter and since I don't have matching bread pans one loaf is smaller than the other. Is there anything more delicious than warm bread with a slab of butter on top?

First of all I have to say thank you to all of the wonderful authors who put together these wonderful posts and for their terrific books and generous giveaways! Secondly I want to thank everyone who visited, you are so special I wish I could give you all books but sadly I cannot. :-( Without further ado here are the winners chosen by Random.org! They all have 48 hours to respond to the emails that I am sending or another winner will be chosen! ~Copy of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey and Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand: Destrella ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Signed copy of The Substitute Bride by Janet Dean: Casey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Signed copies of Critical Care and Disaster Status by Candace Calvert: Carmen7351 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Signed copy of Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella D. Sechrist and tin of Hershey Kisses: Amber S. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Copy of Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz: Julia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...

Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer Copyright 2010 Summerside Press 336 pages ISBN: 978-1-935416-68-5 Fiction/Romantic Suspense About the Book: The year is 1945. The war is over, and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first night’s performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in, and the attention of Frank Witt, the U.S. Army Signal Corps Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when her dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Frank’s photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon. My Review: Having really enjoyed the Love Inspired series by Summersid...

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs Copyright 2010 Waterbrook Press 468 pages ISBN: 978-1-4000-7001-5 Fiction/Historical From the publisher : A mother who cannot face her future. A daughter who cannot escape her past. Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her. Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips. His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her. One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown. A timeless st...

Scattered Petals (Texas Dreams, Book 2) by Amanda Cabot Copyright 2010 Revell Publishers 384 pages ISBN: 978-0-8007-3325-4 Fiction/Historical Romance From the publisher : Longing for adventure, Priscilla Morton leaves Boston in 1856 and heads for the Texas Hill Country, never dreaming that the adventure she seeks could have heartbreaking consequences. Although attracted to her, ranch foreman Zachary Webster knows Priscilla deserves a cultured East Coast gentleman, not a cowboy who's haunted by memories of his mistakes. When necessity draws them together, Priscilla and Zach begin to forge a life filled with promise. But then the past intrudes. Book 2 of the Texas Dreams series, Scattered Petals weaves a tale of drama, love, and second chances as beautiful as the Hill Country itself. My Review: Having read the first book in the Texas Dreams series, Paper Roses , and just thinking that it was okay I was a little nervous about reading book 2, Scattered Petals but I ended up really en...

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Kaye Dacus and the book: A Case for Love Barbour Books (February 1, 2010) ***Special thanks to Angie Brillhart, Publicist, of Barbour Publishing for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Author Kaye Dacus enjoyed her visits to a local television station while researching this book. She likes to say she writes “inspirational romance with a sense of humor.” She lives in Nashville and graduated from Seton Hill University’s Master of ...

Wow what a fun week it has been! Not only have I had the privilege of featuring some of my favorite authors and getting to know them better, I've realized how "extra" special my blog readers are! The encouraging and entertaining comments that you've been leaving are really making my week and I'm sure the authors feel the same way! That said I want to thank you for stopping by and I want to thank Janet, Candace, Cerella, Laura and today's guest, Julie for all the hard work they put in this week and everyday writing the stories that we love to read! THANK YOU!!!! Here's Julie! ~~~~~~~~~~~ HAPPY FRIDAY, everybody!!! And SUPER CONGRATS to one of my favorite bloggers on her 1-year Blogaversary!! I am ecstatic to be here to help wrap up what's been a really fun week. Here's to many more years, Renee, of a great blog and wonderful reviews! And now, ooooooooo … I get to talk about one of my favorite things -- love scenes!! Renee asked me what I think mak...

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Ginger Garrett and the book: Chosen David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010) ***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Focusing on ancient women’s history, critically acclaimed author Ginger Garrett creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women. In addition to her writing, Garrett is a frequent radio and ...

Chosen (Lost Loves of the Bible, Book 1) by Ginger Garrett Copyright 2010 David C. Cook Publishers 304 pages ISBN: 978-1-4347-6801-8 Fiction/Historical/Biblical From the publisher : The first in the Lost Loves series, Chosen is the story of Esther—the story of a girl unsparingly plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation ... of Esther, who would be queen. Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him a queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther's mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of a...

I'm always on the lookout for books featuring settings that are a bit different from what I usually read. Laura Frantz's debut novel, The Frontiersman's Daughter is set on the 18th century frontier and includes Native Americans, log cabins, forts, and *sigh* waterfalls! It's a must read and I'm super excited for her next release, Courting Morrow Little , to be released this summer! Here's Laura! What do you think is the most important thing when writing a good historical (doing research, making it authentic, detail, etc.)? Wonderful question, Renee! For me, I would have to say historical detail is so important. But let’s back up a bit. The setting of the novel is supreme for me – the sights, sounds, and tastes of frontier life in the 18th-century – so much so that setting almost becomes another character in the novel - very vivid and rich with a personality of its own. This requires lots of research and visiting the setting or, in my case, living there. Then yo...