Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

Last of the Gaderene (Book 3) by Mark Gatiss Copyright 2000, 2013) ISBN: 9781849905978 I'm a little bit crazy when it comes to Doctor Who . Chances are, if it involves the Doctor, I want in on it -- I want to see it, I want to read it, Pin it, and/or I want to collect it. I pretty much begged the tour coordinator (thank you, Lisa!) at TLC Book Tours to get on the tour for at least one of the books in this 11 book, 50th Anniversary Collection. I must have convinced her that I was a Whovian since I ended up with two books from the series PLUS the new Who-ology Doctor Who book. I have to say that after reading just this one book, Last of the Gaderene , I'm probably going to have to make sure I get the rest of the books in the series. What, you may be wondering is this book about and why is it worth reading? Well, for starters it's written by Mark Gatiss who isn't just an author of books, he's a multi-talented guy. He's written a few episodes for the ac...

Since yesterday was the unofficial start of summer, I thought it was appropriate to post a little bit about something that we all love about the season -- the flowers! I just love all the colorful posies that appear in spring and early summer. Irises, cosmos, and impatiens are some of my favorite blooms but I have a soft spot for roses, especially the roses at my house. I have seen them bloom almost every year for as long as I can remember. My great-grandmother passed before I was born but she had these roses in her flower garden, my grandmother had them in hers, and my mother has them planted outside our house. Hopefully, when I have a home of my own, I'll have a space for these.   I don't have a clue as to what these roses are called, all I know is that they are very fragrant and very hardy and apparently disease resistant. These past few years the plant was brown with no leaves but this year it's back with green leaves and beautiful, baby pink double roses. I lo...

The Remedy  Eyes of E'veria, Book 2 by Serena Chase Ebook The story: PURPOSED by birth. DESTINED by prophecy. REVEALED by Truth. Now, her time has come.  Having come to terms with her long-hidden identity, Princess Rynnaia E’veri is ready to take her rightful place. But before she can join her father at Castle Rynwyk, she must endeavor to fulfill a 200-year-old prophecy and defeat the Kingdom’s ancient enemy, the Cobelds. Joined by her faithful knight, Sir Julien de Gladiel, and a gifted group of friends, Rynnaia must trek a dangerous path through canyons, forests, and into the very depths of a mountain where, if the prophetic scrolls prove correct, she will face an unknown foe, alone. Treacheries will be discovered, sacrifices will be made, friends will be lost, and love will be tested, but if even one line of the riddled prophecy is misinterpreted, Rynnaia will fail . . . and the Kingdom will fall. Beginning at the point THE RYN ended, THE REMEDY concludes an epic r...

Love's Miracles by Sandra Leesmith Copyright 2013 e-book  The Story: Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli's mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle – and a man whose eyes flashed with violence and pain when he told her to leave and never come back. Yet Margo did come back, slowly gain his trust, and awaken the sleeping needs of his heart. Only by reliving her own wounded past and helping Zane confront a terrible memory from the war could she set them both free – and save their last chance for love. My Thoughts:  It's not often that I come across books quite like this one. Sure, it's a romance and sure by the end of the story you're left with that warm, fuzzy feeling but what happens in the pages in be...

The Ryn (Eyes of E'veria, Bk. 1) by Serena Chase Copyright 2013 E-book The Story: DESTINED by prophecy. GUARDED by deception. PURSUED by Love. Centuries ago, an oracle foretold of the young woman who would defeat E’veria’s most ancient enemy, the Cobelds. But after two centuries of relative peace, both the prophecy and the Cobelds have been relegated to lore—and only a few remain watchful for the promised Ryn. Finally, a child is born who matches the oracle’s description, but a Cobeld curse accompanies her birth. Led to believe they succeeded in killing the prophesied child, the Cobelds emerge from hiding with plans to overtake the Kingdom. But the child survived. Secreted away and called “Rose” for the first nineteen years of her life, Rynnaia E'veri has no idea of her true identity until a chance meeting with an injured knight reveals not only her parentage and true name, but the task assigned her by the oracle: discover the Remedy that will destroy the Cobel...

Photo from Facebook, Doctor Who and the TARDIS Who-ology Doctor Who: The Official Miscellany by Cavan Scott & Mark Wright Copyright 2013 BBC Books ISBN: 9781849906197 If there's one thing in the entertainment world I love more than Doctor Who I've yet to find it. I would have never have guessed that a boring night of channel surfing nine years ago would have led to the love affair that I have with the Doctor Who series . Since discovering the series in 2005, I haven't missed watching an episode and have even went back in the archives to watch the Classic Doctor Who that originally aired in 1963. With 50 years of rich history it's easy to find something Who related even if you aren't near a TV. There are board games, video games, action figures, t-shirts -- and books! Yes! I mentioned the 'B' word! There are tons of books to keep a Whovian entertained for ages. With the 50th anniversary coming in November the BBC is re-releasing a set o...

Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade Copyright 2013 Bethany House Publishers ISBN: 9780764209758 The story: When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of his empire. The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's Thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down. Bo knows he ought to resent the woman who's determined to take from him the only job he ever wanted. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them and earn her love. Just when Meg realizes she can no longer deny the depth of her feelings for Bo, their fragile bond is broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their relationship--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive? My thoughts: L...

CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT Prisoners to their own broken dreams... After a daring rescue goes awry, the parched north of India grows too hot for nurse Laine Harkness and her friend Eshana. The women flee to the tropical south…and run headlong into their respective pasts. Laine takes a new nursing position at a plantation in the jungle, only to discover that her former fiancé is the owner…and that Adam has no more to say to her now than he did when he crushed her years ago. Eshana, captured by her traditional uncle and forced once more into the harsh Hindu customs of mourning, doubts whether freedom will ever again be in her future, much less the forbidden love that had begun to whisper to her. Is faith enough to live on? Or is her Savior calling her home? Amid cyclones and epidemics, clashing faiths and consequences of the war, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts? PURCHASE ON: AMAZON B&N KOBO * Review by Top Amazon Reviewer,...

I've become something of a TV addict. It just seems that the networks are picking up some really awesome and original series's than in past years and I spend most of my nights planted on the couch. This year's Elementary (a modern take on Sherlock Holmes) and Beauty and the Beast (a twist on the hit series from the 80s) are two of my freshman favorites, luckily BOTH were picked up for second seasons. This fall looks even more promising for series debuts. Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human (both on Fox) and ABC's Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. definitely have some potential. Hopefully, they are good enough to keep viewers coming back each week. I love Karl Urban ( Star Trek ) and Tom Mison ( Lost in Austen ) so it will be nice to see them each week on the small screen. If you haven't seen the trailers I encourage you to check them out! I'd love to hear your thoughts about these trailers or any that interested you this w...

Waiting by the sink for dish duty. At my house we have one dishwasher, your's truly, and I get a workout when it comes to keeping up with the dishes in our household of five humans, not to mention cleaning our furry friend's food bowls! Anything that makes the nasty task of dishwashing easier is a great product in my opinion. As the main dishwasher my hands have a tendency to crack and split which is as painful as it sounds. Palmolive's new Soft Touch ultra concentrated dish liquid not only gets the dishes clean but it smells awesome (like springtime!) and nourishes skin. Palmolive is "Tough on Grease, Soft on Hands." Two bottles were sent to me to try out -- one Aloe and one Vitamin E. The bottle of Vitamin E busted during shipment so unfortunately this review is just of the Aloe. Prior to even knowing about this opportunity from Influenster, I had already purchased 2 bottles of the Aloe formula for myself from my local grocery store. I'll ad...

Is anybody planning to see the latest version of The Great Gatsby ? I have to admit that I've only seen the 70s version starring Robert Redford but I really enjoyed it. I'm a little afraid that this movie might be all flash with no substance. The trailers on TV make it seem like a modern day costume party, especially the soundtrack featuring artists like Will.I.Am and Florence and the Machine. That said, I have loved Carey Mulligan ever since Bleak House and Doctor Who and Leo is looking rather dashing -- and the costumes? STUNNING! ;-)  In case you haven't seen it, here's the trailer from Youtube. There are so many movies that are coming out this summer that I really have to be picky about what I see or otherwise I won't be able to eat for the rest of the year! I love movies as much as the next girl but food's pretty important. If you decide to give The Great Gatsby a try, leave a comment and let me know what you think and whether or not it's wort...

It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist Copyright 2013 Howard Books ISBN: 9781451692372 The story: Gambling everything—including the family farm—Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with his most recent invention. But the noise in the fair’s Machinery Hall makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers. In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading. The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips. Like the newly invented Ferris wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground, or will he be carried away? My Thoughts: What can I say other than I love Deeanne Gist, one of the original edgy inspirational romance writers. It Happened at the Fair has everything I love in a book...

Follow the Heart by Kaye Dacus B&H Publishers Copyright 2013 ISBN: 9781433677205 About the book: Set during the Industrial Revolution and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Follow the Heart is a “sitting-room romance” with the feel of a Regency-era novel but the fashions and technological advances of the mid-Victorian age. Kate and Christopher Dearing’s lives turn upside down when their father loses everything in a railroad land speculation. The siblings are shipped off to their mother’s brother in England with one edict: marry money. At twenty-seven years old, Kate has the stigma of being passed over by eligible men many times—and that was before she had no dowry. Christopher would like nothing better than to make his own way in the world; and with a law degree and expertise in the burgeoning railroad industry, he was primed to do just that—in America. Though their uncle tries to ensure Kate and Christopher find matrimonial prospects only among the highest echelon of Bri...

I'm so excited to be a part of the official cover reveal of author Sandra Leesmith' s latest novel, Love's Miracles . For me, visually appealing covers are what pull me in and make me want to learn more about a book. I'm sure that's the case for a lot of you readers out there too. Sandra's cover, (designed by Lena Goldfinch ) has that promise of romance and a beautiful setting that grabs me...check it out below and see what you think! I've also included the cover blurb to hopefully intrigue you further. ;-) The book will be available in e-book form in late May. ******************************** About the book: Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli's mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle...