Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman Copyright 2013 River North Fiction ISBN: 9780802405807 The Story: Lily Winter's wings are folded so tightly around her daughter that when empty nest arrives, she feels she can no longer fly. But Lily's lonely, widowed life changes in a heartbeat when she goes to visit a woman who is almost a stranger to her-a woman who also happens to be her mother. During their fiery reunion, her mother reveals a dark family secret that she'd been hiding for decades-Lily has an identical twin sister who was put up for adoption when they were just babies. Without looking back, Lily-with her fear of flying-boards a jumbo jet and embarks on a quest to find her sister which leads half way around the world to Melbourne, Australia. Befriended by imprudent Ausie, he might prove to be the key to finding her sister. But her journey becomes a circle that leads her back home to attempt a family reunion and to find the one dream she no longer imagined po...

A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard Copyright 2013 Gallery Books ISBN: 9781476710266 The Story: "Nothing ever changes at Wauregan.” That mystique is the tradition of the idyllic island colony off the shore of Long Island, the comforting tradition that its summer dwellers have lived by for over half a century. But in the summer of 1948, after a world war has claimed countless men—even those who came home—the time has come to deal with history’s indelible scars. Helen Wadsworth’s husband, Arthur, was declared missing in action during an OSS operation in France, but the official explanation was mysteriously nebulous. Now raising a teenage son who longs to know the truth about his father, Helen turns to Frank Hartman—her husband’s best friend and his partner on the mission when he disappeared. Frank, however, seems more intent on filling the void in Helen’s life that Arthur’s absence has left. As Helen’s affection for Frank grows, so does her guilt, especially when Peter Gav...

In the blogging world it so often happens that you come across readers with the same tastes as you, but it doesn't often happen that you become friends with said readers and get to follow them on their blogging journey AND their journey to become a published author. I've been lucky enough to meet not one but two up and coming authors -- first, Keli Gwyn , when I first started out blogging who's now author of A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California, and now a second blogger turned writer, Amber Stokes author of Bleeding Heart and it's yet-to-be-released prequel, Forget Me Not ! Please take a few minutes to "meet" Amber below and check out my thoughts on her debut novel too. I'm sure Amber will be stopping by so if you'd like to leave a comment for her, please do! Meet Amber Stokes, Author of Bleeding Heart!  ~ How long did it take you to write Bleeding Heart?  About 2 years – but that’s because I was only working on it off and on durin...

On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin Copyright 2013 Revell Books ISBN: 9780800720827 The Story: Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson. Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they've made? With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin weaves an exciting tale of emotion, action, and romance that will leave you wanting more.  My Thoughts: When it comes to stories set during World War II, there's no other author who...

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: Roseanna M. White and the book: Whispers from the Shadows Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2013) ***Special thanks to Ginger Chen for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Roseanna M. White is the author of several novels, as well as the senior reviewer at the Christian Review of Books, which she and her husband founded, and the senior editor at WhiteFire Publishing. Visit the author's...

I'm sorry if I worried you at all with the title of this post, but I just found a new site that may be as addicting as Etsy ! Have you ever heard of Spoonflower ?  Spoonflower  makes custom print fabric!!!! Hello! Can you say geek girl heaven! I hadn't heard of the site until just today, and I have to say it could be a serious problem for me (and probably my mom too since she's the seamstress I'd hire to make everything). I can imagine wearing a Doctor Who apron with fabric from risarocksit ... or carrying a Sherlock print wallet with this fabric from marchhare ! The possibilities are endless with the huge variety of fabrics available on the site. Have any of you ordered from Spoonflower before? If so, was it a pleasant experience? Were you satisfied with your orders? Please share. :)

The winner of our latest Clash is: A Melody For James by Hallee Bridgeman Congratulations, Hallee! Special thanks to her competitors for their participation: Carla Laureano Michelle Griep Cindy Thomson Miralee Ferrell About A Melody For James : Solitary strangers meet during a stormy stopover. Hours later, their hearts hum a harmonious duet. Melody Mason has the hottest female voice in the country music scene. But the cheers of throngs of adoring fans mean little in the absence of the handsome stranger who rescued her years before. Widower James Montgomery has never forgotten her. He prays God can bring her back. Incredible events finally bring them face to face again. Together at last, they realize the bond between them has miraculously risen to a crescendo, melodiously marrying them like strong symphonic chords. Uncannily, they learn they share more in common than they could have ever imagined. They know God reunited them for ...

If you've been on the Internet at all today I'm sure you probably saw mentioned the latest Doctor Who news -- we have a new Doctor! Usually, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to the actors that the Doctor Who showrunners choose but I kind of saw this one coming! As much as I adore Matt Smith, the eleventh Doctor, I'm so thrilled to see an older, more mature actor fill the beloved role. I LOVED Peter Capaldi in BBC's The Hour (don't get me started on how I feel about THAT series getting cut short) so I really think he has the chops to play Doctor. Even though Capaldi's considerably older than when Smith first appeared on the screen as a Time Lord, I don't think it's going to take much to get used to him. However, it's not going to be pretty at Black 'n Gold Girl's house when the Doctor regenerates, I've become quite attached to the awkward, clumsy, Matt Smith Doctor. I'm just so happy that the stress of not knowing who Twelve was ...

Apparently, I should go on bike rides everyday. The universe is trying to tell me that it's a good thing to try and get healthy and as a reward decided to gift me with this lovely Sherlock , Series 3 teaser trailer. Facebook and other social sites were exploding with posts and messages about the series when I popped online during my cool down session a few minutes ago. So much for cooling down.... I'm going to aim for 30 miles on the trail next instead of 15.5 miles, with hopes I get rewarded with an actual episode! Who am I kidding, the 30 miles on the trail will probably happen waaaay before series 3. What an optimist, eh? Ha ha! Well I hope you all enjoy this little tidbit as much as I did, I think I've watched it 10 times already. I threw in a "bonus" that I found from the Hey, Sherlock... Tumblr page that you might enjoy too. ;-)

Photo from BBCAMERICA.COM BBC's next series, Broadchurch, starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman premieres this weekend and promises to be a good one. Thanks to BBC America, US residents can check out the first episode free for a limited time on their website before it premieres on TV. I'm definitely going to be watching since I have a thing for David Tennant (two words -- The Doctor ) and lately, mysteries! I hope you all enjoy! Watch Broadchurch , Episode One here: http://www.bbcamerica.com/broadchurch/videos/s1-premiere-episode/ Here's a little about the series from the BBC America site ... BBC AMERICA’s “Broadchurch,” which earned critical acclaim, including BAFTA nods, and broken records on Twitter in the UK, centers on the investigation into the murder of a young boy in a British seaside town. Leading the investigation are two detectives – the strong yet compassionate local Detective Sergeant, Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), and the by-the-book Dete...