Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz Copyright 2013 Revell Books ISBN: 9780800720421 The Story: The path to true love lies somewhere between two feuding families  In the spring of 1822, Ellie Ballantyne leaves finishing school and returns to the family home in Pittsburgh only to find that her parents are away on a long journey and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. Determined to stand her ground and find her place in the world, Ellie fills her time by opening a day school for young ladies. But when one of her students turns out to be an incorrigible young member of the Turlock family, Ellie knows she must walk a fine line. Slaveholders and whiskey magnates, the Turlocks are envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly entangled with the rival clan--particularly the handsome Jack Turlock--she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future. Will she betray her family and side with the ...

Authors, take note! In SIX WEEKS, Clash of the Titles opens its doors for submissions to the 2014 Olympia . The Olympia is COTT's yearly contest for unpublished writers. The submissions are judged by their audience—readers well-versed in Christian fiction yet not associated with the CBA industry. Authors write for readers, so why not have readers be the judges? Finalists in the contest will also have their work read and judged by three industry professionals!

Thank you to everyone who made the Time Lord Party last week such a success. I'm thinking about making it an annual event, it was that fun. I loved chatting about the Doctor and his adventures with you all and I love giving out prizes! The four lucky winners have all been contacted and are listed below! Even if you didn't win this time, I encourage you to keep trying your luck. I have some great new giveaways coming up that you won't want to miss.

The Invention of Sarah Cummings by Olivia Newport The Story: In a world where everyone is putting on a show, there is a love that is genuine. Sarah Cummings has one goal in life--to break into Chicago's high society. Desperate to stop serving dinner to members of the wealthy Banning family and to start eating at society tables, Sarah spends her meager free time altering cast-off gowns to create the perfect wardrobe for her future life. When opportunity knocks at a chance meeting, she presents herself as Serena Cuthbert, weaving a fictitious past to go with her fictitious name. But as she gets closer to her goal--and closer to Simon Tewell, director of St. Andrew's Orphanage--Sarah finds that she must choose between the life she has and the life she dreams of. Can she piece together the perfect life from scraps? Or will it all come unraveled in the face of true love? My Thoughts: The Invention of Sarah Cummings is by far the best book in the Avenue of Dreams serie...

I don't know about you but I love a good book cover, unfortunately this year I haven't been impressed with what I've seen for upcoming releases. The cover for Love's Refuge , however, is totally gorgeous! I think I love it even more than the first book. The yellow title really pops on the mostly blue cover and really, who doesn't love the beach scene and a sweet kiss on the forehead? :-) I can't wait to read this one and hope you enjoy it too!  “ Love’s Refuge will be released November 2013. Visit Seasons of Humility that month for more information about the book’s release and the blog tour.” The Story:  Skye Larsen loves her peaceful life on Leeza Island in Puget Sound – the tranquility, the friendly neighbors, and especially the safety from big-city dangers. So when cruel pranks start to escalate and changes threaten to overtake the island, Skye is determined to fight for her haven. The presence of a handsome vacationer and the unexpected feel...

Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka Feature: Approx. 78 mins Bonus Features: Approx. 60 mins Color DVD Overview: The TARDIS lands in a small English village in 2003, where the population is living in fear from a malevolent alien force. With the help of UNIT and his new friend Alison, the Doctor discovers that a race called the Shalka are residing underground, preparing to strip away the earth’s ozone layer and embark on a full-scale invasion of the planet. Voice talents include Richard E. Grant as the Doctor and Derek Jacobi as the Master. My Thoughts: Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka is one of my all-time favorite Doctor Who episodes and that's saying a lot because I'm not normally a fan of animated features unless they're from Disney! I was more than a bit skeptical going into this. A few of the reasons that I enjoy the live action series so much is the little nuances and amusing facial expressions of the actors on the screen. It's impossible to catc...

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: Sandra Robbins and the book: Beyond These Hills Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2013) ***Special thanks to Ginger Chen for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: In the romantic conclusion to the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, Sandra Robbins tells a story of love and loss. The government is purchasing property to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Laurel Jackson fears s...

Photo from www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/icewarriors/06.shtml DVD Overview Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors   (Story 39) In the distant future, Earth faces a new Ice Age. While a dedicated team of scientists battle to hold the approaching glaciers at bay, a startling discovery is made deep within the ice … an alien warrior, frozen for millennia. When the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie and Victoria arrive they soon discover Earth is under threat from the Ice Warriors – fearsome Martians intent on conquering our planet for themselves. My Thoughts: If you're a fan of the Doctor Who series, chances are you've come across the Ice Warriors. Most recently, we met Ice Warrior Skaldak in the series 7 episode, " Cold War ." As intimidating as a trapped Ice Warrior in an immobilized submarine may be, the Ice Warriors first appeared in the earliest years of the classic Doctor Who series, a whole bunch of them stuck on earth during a new Ice Age is...

Thank you so much for hanging out here these past few days! If today is your first day here don't forget to stop by and enter Monday's giveaway , Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss and Tuesday's giveaway , Dark Horizons by Jenny T. Colgan! And now for today's giveaway... I thought I'd switch things up a bit. I know not everyone likes to read (REALLY?), but pretty much everyone likes fun, colorful things to brighten up their home or dorm room walls. In my opinion, there's no better way to do that than with a Doctor Who poster! Since we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the series this week on my blog, I thought this huuuuuge (36" x 24"!) Doctors Collage poster featuring all of the Doctors would make a fun giveaway. Doctors Collage Poster All you have to do to enter, is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Depending on what browser you use, the form may take a while to load. If you have any questions, please feel free to emai...

First off, let me apologize for the lateness of today's post. My desktop computer decided it was going to take the day off and crash. As much as I myself like to take the day off sometimes, I don't appreciate it when my PC decides to do it with absolutely no warning. Thankfully, my brother is generously lending me his laptop for the duration of the party if need be! Three cheers for little brothers, eh? Hopefully nothing more goes wrong this week and I'll be able to publish the party posts in a more timely manner. Now that I got that out of the way, let the partying begin! Today I'm giving away from my personal library a book that I absolutely adore -- Dark Horizons by Jenny T. Colgan. It's one of the latest books in the Doctor Who collection that is supposedly geared at young adults, but I think is perfect for anyone!  If you would like to enter this giveaway just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.  Give the form a bit of time to load, sometimes thes...

  Hello to all you Whovians! It's day one of what I hope is going to be a fun week of talking Doctor Who (the last of the Time Lords) and anything that you might enjoy. Even if you've never seen the show, I encourage you to stop by everyday to learn more about the series and to enter the giveaways. For more information check out my earlier pre-party post HERE . If you are already a fan of the show, I'd love for you to share your Doctor moments in the comment section below. Each comment that you make will count as one entry into today's giveaway... a paperback copy of Doctor Who: Last of the Gaderene  by Mark Gatiss! About the book: The aerodrome in Culverton has new owners, and they promise an era of prosperity for the idyllic village. But former Spitfire pilot Alex Whistler is suspicious - when black shirted troops appear on the streets, he contacts his old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart at U.N.I.T. The Third Doctor is sent to investigate - and s...

  Pardon the grammar, but there ain't no party like a Time Lord party as we Whovians (I promise, that's a word, we're in the dictionary !) have learned this over the years. With the 50th anniversary coming soon (for a crash course on Doctor Who go HERE ), I thought to incorporate the Doctor into my birthday week festivities even if it's a bit early! Really though, what do dates and times, and for that matter locales, really matter when the Doctor travels through all of space and time in his TARDIS, right? Unless he decides to drop in, we mere humans are stuck setting dates and times and making plans for our special events here on earth. So, even if you aren't a Whovian, I invite you to mark your calendars for September 16 - 20th, and plan on having a great time! There will be reviews of Doctor Who books, DVDs, and some really awesome giveaways you won't want to miss. *Hint hint* giftcard. I would love for you to stop by with any questions or comments all ...

For a very limited time (Sept. 9 - 12), Bleeding Heart by my good friend Amber Stokes is available FREE for Kindle! I encourage you to check out this great book on Amazon and if you love it, leave a review! If e-books aren't your thing, you can purchase a paperback copy for just $9.49 (price subject to change). Either way, Bleeding Heart is a lovely debut Christian novel that's worth a read! Remember, to double check prices before you buy! Bleeding Heart  by Amber Stokes Copyright 2013 CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR KINDLE E-BOOK COPY To learn more about Bleeding Heart or the author go HERE . If you want to check it out, my review of Bleeding Heart is located HERE . Happy Reading!

Announcing the  FALL INTO LOVE  ultim ate giveaway! Join us as award-winning authors Tracie Peterson, Jody Hedlund, Nancy Mehl, Melissa Tagg, and Jen Turano take us on a journey for love in their upcoming novels. To celebrate the September/October book releases, we're hosting FIVE incredible giveaways with ONE fantastic grand prize drawing.  Enter all five contests and receive FIVE entries into the grand prize drawing with additional chances to enter the FALL INTO LOVE ultimate giveaway throughout the month of September! The Prizes: ONE GRAND PRIZE  winner will receive the FALL INTO LOVE prize package - a $500 value! - containing everything you need to snuggle up with a great book... • A 16GB Kindle Fire HD for all the books you want, right at your fingertips • Fall into love as you fall into this beautiful free-standing wooden hammock • A Sherpa & Micromink cream throw to keep you warm as the weather t...