Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

How Sweet It Is by Sophie Gunn Copyright 2011 Forever 416 pages ISBN: 9780446561990 Contemporary Romance From Goodreads : Single mom Lizzie Bea Carpenter learned long ago that no white knight was coming to save her. A hardworking waitress at the local diner, she's raising her daughter to be like the independent women in her "Enemy Club"—high school rivals turned best friends, promising to always tell each other the whole truth and nothing but! Yet part of Lizzie wishes she did have a man's help, just for small stuff, like fixing up the house. Her fairy godmother must have been listening, because Dante "Tay" Giovanni soon appears. He's sexy, kind, and offering assistance—no strings attached. Slowly, steadily, Lizzie's heart opens. But the grip of the past is fierce, and nothing in life is ever really free. Tay has his own tragedies to overcome, but if he can, he'll fix more than Lizzie's home. He'll show her just how sweet...

Stars Collide (Backstage Pass, Book 1) by Janice Thompson Copyright 2011 Revell Books 336 pages ISBN: 978-0-8007-3345-2 Fiction/Contemporary Romance From the publisher : Her future's so bright, she's gotta wear shades Kat Jennings and Scott Murphy don't just play two people who are secretly in love on a television sitcom--they are actually head over heels for each other in real life. When the lines between reality and TV land blur, they hope they can keep their relationship under wraps. But when Kat's grandmother, an eccentric star from Hollywood's golden age, mistakes their on-screen wedding proposal for the real deal, things begin to spiral out of control. Will their secret be front-page news in the tabloids? And can their budding romance survive the onslaught of paparazzi, wedding preparations, and misinformed family members? My Review: When you think of Hollywood glitz, glamour and scandal, not necessarily faith and love come to mind. Stars Collide just may ch...

Hot Off The Presses! A new Clash of the Titles (COTT) winner has been revealed! (Drum roll, please)........... And the winner is........... Tina Pinson! Woo Hoo! Yeah! Way to go! Tina's excerpt from her book In the Manor of the Ghost , beat out her competitor (DeAnna Julie Dodson's In Honor Bound) with a 56% to 44% vote. Such close results tell us ya can't go wrong with either title, but Tina's did indeed "take the cake". Congratulations are in order to the newest Conqueror at Clash of the Titles. Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray! Tina competed in the category of Most Gut-Wrenching Scene with a heart-twisting look at a woman watching her husband and baby trapped in a burning building: Jean Marc stood in the upstairs window holding a bundle. Kaitlin knew, with another slice to her soul, the bundle was Simone. Jean Marc, so quiet, protective, so uneasily riled, yelled. Tormented wails for help rose along with tears of anguish and fear as angry flames licked ...

As you may know from previous posts I hate winter and all the cold and biting winds and snow that come with it so I'm always looking to escape. Since I can't go anywhere tropical right this minute I try to keep in good spirits by picking up a good book. This winter I've read a ton of great books that are set in warm places like the beach, California and other beautiful (and warm) locales. I thought it would be fun to feature them to help you decide what to read to beat those winter blues and fight off the chill. Here are two of my favorites. Hatteras Girl by Alice J. Wisler From the publisher : Fall in love with Alice J. Wisler's charming characters in this delightful story set in the beach communities of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Jackie Donovan prays for two things: an honest, wonderful man to marry and to own a bed-and-breakfast on the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina. In the meantime, she works for Lighthouse Views, writing articles about local busines...

Finally that pricey new stadium in Dallas will see a winning team play under it's roof...the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!! Woot Woot!!!!! Time to plan a great Super Bowl party, any suggestions for the food menu?

Fatal Judgment (Guardians of Justice, Book 1) by Irene Hannon Revell Books Copyright 2011 336 pages ISBN: 978-0-8007-3456-5 Christian Fiction/Suspense From the publisher : U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide. As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger. My Review: Once again I have found a suspense book that I really enjoyed. Fatal Judgment is the first in a new series from author, Irene Hannon who is definitely making a ...

Hey Guys! Renee here with some great news from Amber @ Seasons of Humility...she's throwing a party to celebrate Valentine's Day with a Season of Love party February 7-14th! Check out the info below and go HERE to check out Amber's Season of Love page and to grab the "official" button to decorate your blog's sidebar and help spread the word! Here are all the details taken from Amber's blog...if you look closely a certain someone will be hosting the party on the 13th with a special guest and quite possibly will be offering a superb giveaway!! ;-) Who: Everyone is invited! What: A progressive blog party When: February 7th through the 14th Where: Various blogs Why: To celebrate the wonderful gift called love! And here's a peek at the tentative schedule, with links to the blogs that will be featured each day: --Monday, February 7th: Amber at Seasons of Humility --Interview with MaryLu Tyndall and a giveaway --Tuesday, February 8th: Renee Ann at Doork...

It's that time of year again, NFL playoff season and once again my Pittsburgh Steelers are in it to win it! This Sunday the Steelers will battle the Jets in a bid for the AFC Championship trophy and a spot in the Super Bowl! If you know anything about football you know that the Super Bowl is a pretty big game and often the best part about it are the commercials ( check out some of my faves from last year ). While the commercials are fun, in the Pittsburgh area they play some great Steelers fight songs on the radio. Let me tell you, Steelers Nation consists of some pretty talented folks and once of my favorite songs is Here We Go by Roger Wood!! If you click the link below you can give a listen to some of my favorite songs including HERE WE GO and another fave Kardaz's , GO STEELERS ! Just scroll down the list, click the songs and turn up those speakers!!! Pittsburgh Steelers Fight Songs! Don't forget to wear your black 'n gold this Sunday! Let's hope the...

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: April W. Gardner and the book: Wounded Spirits Vinspire Publishing (November 1, 2010) ***Special thanks to April Gardner for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: April W Gardner is a military wife who has practiced the art of homemaking all over the world. She spends her mornings homeschooling her two darling children, and her afternoons inside the minds of he...

Ahh yes for me there's nothing better than a new Masterpiece film to watch especially since all that seems to be on TV are winter reruns. Last week I posted about Downton Abbey , Episode 1 , of course I loved it. This week I felt as if I needed to dedicate more of the post to the servants of Downton and their roles in the household. Right away I could tell that I was going to like certain folks and I was not going to like others and judging by this week's episode I was correct. I don't like O'Brien, lady's maid to Cora, or Thomas, they always seem to be in cahoots trying to undermine Mr. Bates, Robert's valet, or talking about this one or that one. On the other end of the spectrum Anna and Gwen are two of my favorites! Anna always defends Mr. Bates and Gwen especially when Gwen's "secret" is discovered. We don't see a whole lot of Gwen but I think she's a perfect example of the 20th century working class girl. It's hard to think of...

The Search (Lancaster County Secrets, Book 3) by Suzanne Woods Fisher Copyright 2011 Revell 304 pages ISBN: 978-0-8007-3387-2 Contemporary Fiction From the publisher: When worlds collide, can the truth set two young women free? As a child caught up in a crisis, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision with far-reaching effects. Fifteen years later, when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge--the very town in which that decision was made--she is forced to face the past and discover how her decision has impacted so many. Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm helping her intimidating grandmother Bertha recover from surgery. It doesn't take long for Bess to realize that her grandmother coaxed her to Stoney Ridge for an entirely different reason. But once Bess meets hired hand Billy Lapp, the summer starts to hold some promise. Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both. My ...

I'm SUCH a fan of historical fiction that I blew this challenge out of the water last year, so I would like to try it again and hopefully read as many or more books in this genre as I read in 2010! I love the blogger who is hosting this challenge and her dedication to the CHF site. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for challenges to sign up for this year, Margaret the hostess is sure to help with any questions that you may have. Here are the rules as taken from the Christian Historical Fiction site : 1. The goal is to read and promote Christian Historical Fiction by reading at least 24 titles. That is two per month, but anyone who wants to commit to more or less is welcome to join in on the fun. Anyone can join. You do not need a blog to participate (for more details on how to participate without a blog just ask…). Now we have http://chf.creativemadnessmama.com/ to promote discussion. 2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, and other formats are all allowed. As long as the book can by p...

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: Martha Rogers and the book: Caroline’s Choice Realms (January 4, 2011) ***Special thanks to Anna Coelho Silva Publicity Coordinator, Book Group Strang Communications for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Martha Rogers is a former schoolteacher and English instructor whose first book in the Winds Across the Prairie series, Becoming Lucy, became an immediate best seller. Morning for Dove (May 2010) is the second book in this ser...