Teaser Tuesdays (May 15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My teaser this week comes from the novel I’m currently reading which is Jill Mansell’s newest called Nadia Knows Best.  As usual I’m loving her writing and storytelling.  I’ll have my review up this week!

 

“My sister-in-law pranged her car.  Smashed the front wing, just like you did.  She was putting her lipstick on, looking in the mirror, when some wall spitefully jumped out and ran into her.” (eBook, advance copy, final printed edition may be different)

 

I just love her writing and especially the British words she uses and a lot are new to me in this book.  Words like pranged have definitely made it into my vocabulary now because I just love the word itself and can’t wait to use it.  Front wing is another we don’t use her in Canada.    Let’s not forget the story too – it is really good so far but then I didn’t expect any less.  I can’t wait to get back to it whenever I put it down!

How about you?  Do you have any teaser sentences from the book you’re reading this week?  I’d love to read yours so either share yours in the comments or leave me a link to yours.  Have a great day everyone!

Book Review: Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton & Giveaway

Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton is a novel that is part drama, part thriller, and altogether fantastic! It is full of twists and turns galore and has you guessing until the very end. The novel opens with a catastrophic fire at the private school that Grace’s eight year old son Adam goes to. It happens that the day of the fire is a special sports day so the school is supposed to be empty but it isn’t. Grace’s seventeen year old daughter Jenny, there in her capacity as a nurse for the day, is caught in the building. Grace, not thinking for her own safety, rushes in to find her.

Thus begins the story…Grace awakens to find herself in the hospital but soon learns that she is caught in the in-between world along with her daughter Jenny able to watch and listen in on everything around them. Both are critically hurt and they learn that the fire is being classified as arson. The story is told by Grace as if she’s talking to her husband which at first is hard to follow but after the first few chapters I didn’t have any trouble at all. As her husband Mike sits by her bed talking to Grace she reminisces about the past and about what they need to do for their daughter. Jenny desperately tries to remember what exactly happened in the moments before the fire but her memory is blocked. As the mystery unfolds it becomes more and more clear that someone had been trying to kill Jenny. It’s a race against time to find out who before they strike again!

As the story evolves we put together more and more pieces of the puzzle. Grace’s sister-in-law Sarah is a police officer and while they had never been close in life Grace realizes now that she had been wrong about Sarah. Sarah will do anything to protect her brother Mike’s family, including Grace. What both Grace and Jenny learn is that the very people they had liked and trusted were maybe the ones they should have been watching more closely. It again brings to the forefront that people aren’t always what they seem and what may seem like the perfect family isn’t.

I’ve really seen some mixed reviews on this novel and I guess that’s what makes us all different in our likes and dislikes in reading. For me this was an amazing novel and I loved it. I connected with Grace’s family and the pain that they felt over what was going on. I liked Grace for the fact that she was willing to give up everything for her daughter. Her love for her shone through the pages. I also loved the whole mystery aspect of the story and I think the way Rosamund Lupton tells the story by having it narrated by Grace from the afterward life was very creative and intriguing. At times I was on the edge of my seat waiting for what was next and at others I was shedding a tear or two.

What I ultimately took away from this novel was to cherish each day and appreciate it. What may seem irritating to you now or too much trouble could be something that you would love to have the chance at in the future. We just never know what the future can bring us. Love each day and tell those around you how much they mean to you!

I read Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to check out what opinions of the book are on all the other tour stops. Afterwards is also the feature prize in the TLC Book Club of the Month Contest this month where they will be giving copies to one lucky book club so be sure to check that out on the TLC site. As well Rosamund can be found on her website, Facebook and Twitter. Your own copy of Afterwards can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, May 26/12.  Good luck everyone!

Source:  Review copy provided by TLC Book Tours and Crown Publishing.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Sunday Sammy and Book Winners!

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there whether it be kids or furbabies you have!  It’s been a nice Sunday here with gifts for mom and a lovely warm day as well.  I spent the day reading and chasing Sam around.  My only complaint would be that he doesn’t like to be outside in the heat.  Buddy loved it out there and would sit outside all day if I’d let him but not Sam – he does his business and hightails it in.  I guess I should be grateful as my skin will be happy for it.  lol.  Anyhow I got a couple of pictures this week but not many.  Sam was in his usual uncooperative state.

 

This is one of our neighborhood rabbits just hanging out in our front yard antagonizing Sam. Our grass is just finally starting to turn green.

Sammy laying with his head craned up in his bed.  It always amazes me how he finds this even remotely comfortable.  As you can see half of the living room is devoted to Sammy’s beds and toys.  lol.

 

This week won’t be too busy on the blog.  I think I only have a few reviews coming up and I’m glad of it as I need a bit of a rest.  I do have some book winners for you though from this week so let’s get to that…

 

The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain — Wanda

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh — Carl

Beauty and the Best by Judi Fennell — Pamela J

 

Congrats to you all!  I hope you enjoy your books.  As for everyone else I hope you all have a great week and I’ll be by to visit at some point this week!

Excerpt/Book Spotlight: Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax & Giveaway

I am really excited to feature an excerpt from Wendy Wax’s book Ten Beach Road which released in paperback on May 3 and offer up a copy for giveaway.  I absolutely loved this book (my review) and have to say it was one of my favorites last year.  It’s also that absolute perfect beach read so if you’re planning some time out in the sun make sure this one is in your bag!  Even more exciting is that there is a sequel to Ten Beach Road!  Ocean Beach releases on June 26 and I can’t wait!  So let’s get to it – please enjoy this excerpt from Ten Beach Road!

 

An eternity later, they hobbled out to the backyard just as the sky was beginning to pinken. Bedraggled,
they dropped into the beach chairs with a scrape of aluminum against concrete.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this dirty in my entire life.” Madeline plopped a family-sized container of
hummus and triangles of pita bread on the upside down packing box that their Sam’s purchases had
been carried in.

“Me, neither.” Avery dropped a bag of Cheez Doodles beside it and swiped the back of her forearm
across her forehead, managing to add another streak of dirt to her face.

Nicole set an unopened bottle of Chardonnay on the pool deck next to her bare feet and handed a
plastic cup to each of them. “If there was an inch of water in this pool, I’d be in it.” Nicole slumped in
her chair. “I think we should make it a top priority.”

“We barely have a working bathroom,” Avery pointed out. “It took me forever to clean the shower and
tub up in the hall. There’s pretty much no water pressure. I’d rather have a shower than a swim in a
pool.”

“I want both,” Nicole said, lifting the cup to her lips. “It’s not an either/or sort of thing.”

“Well, it is here.” Avery took a long sip of wine as the sun slipped farther toward the Gulf. “Everything’s
not going to get done at once, but I will talk to Chase about the schedule and how things should be
prioritized.”

Madeline looked ruefully down at herself. Together they could have posed for the illustration
of “something the cat dragged in” – even Nicole in her high-end running clothes and her hair pulled back
in a glittery clasp. This was only day one; she could hardly imagine what they’d look like after the long,
hot summer that lay ahead.

Her arms were so tired that it took real effort to lift even the small plastic cup, but she nonetheless
touched it to the others. “Cheers!” she said, and they nodded and repeated the toast. “Will you be able
to run your business from here?” she asked Nicole as they contemplated the sinking sun.

Nicole’s cup stopped midway to her lips. In the pass, a boat planed off and gathered speed as it entered
the Gulf. “Sure,” she finally said. “Have laptop and cell phone, will match make.” She turned her gaze
from the boat that was now disappearing from view to focus on Madeline. “How about you?” Nicole
asked. “Can you really leave home for the whole summer?”

Madeline finished the last drops of wine and set her glass on the makeshift cocktail table. “You make it
sound like going to camp,” she said in what could only be described as a wistful tone. “I was hoping my
husband, Steve, would come down and help for a while.”

“Oh, is he retired?” Avery asked.

Madeline felt her cheeks flush. Nicole raised an eyebrow and poured them all another glassful.

“Not exactly,” Madeline admitted. “He was a financial planner who made the mistake of putting all his
clients’ money in Malcolm Dyer’s fund. Along with his family’s.”

Her teeth worried at her bottom lip. She hadn’t meant to say so much. Or sound quite so pathetic.

“He stole my father’s entire estate,” Avery said. “Everything he’d built over a lifetime of hard work went
into that thief’s pocket.” She grimaced and shoved her sunglasses back up on top of her head. “I still
can’t believe it. Anything short of being drawn and quartered would be far too good for him.”

Madeline saw Nicole shiver slightly. “Are you cold?” The sun had not yet set, but its warmth had
diminished.

“No.” Nicole turned her attention to the boat traffic in the pass. A Jet Ski swooped close to the seawall,
its plume of seawater peacocking behind it. The rider was big shouldered and solid with jet black hair
and heavily muscled arms. Nicole watched idly at first, presumably because he was male and attractive,
but straightened in surprise as the rider locked gazes and offered a mock salute before revving his
engine and zooming away.

“Do you know that guy?” Madeline asked Nicole, surprised. “He waved at you.”

“No,” Nicole said. “I don’t think he was actually waving at me. He …”

“Yes, he was,” Madeline insisted. “He acted like he knew you.”

“That guy was definitely hunky,” Avery said. “And he was definitely eyeing Nicole.”

“He must have thought I was someone else,” Nicole took a sliver of pita and chewed it intently before
changing the topic. “So, how many kids do you have?” she asked Madeline.

“Two,” Madeline said, unsure how much information to share. “My son’s struggling a bit at school; he’s
in his freshman year at Vanderbilt,” she said. “And my daughter, well, right before I left she lost her job-
she’s a filmmaker- and she came home unexpectedly to live.” She cleared her throat as if that might
somehow stop this bad news dump. “That was right after my mother-in-law moved in.”

“Good Lord,” Nicole said. She lifted the bottle, eyed the little that was left, and poured the remaining
drops into Madeline’s glass. “No wonder you want to go away to camp.” She smiled with what looked
like real sympathy. “Drink up. Girl; I’d run away from home, too, if I had to deal with all that.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their wine, as the sun grew larger and brighter. A warm
breeze blew gently off the Gulf, stirring the palms and riffling their hair.

“Maybe you should get your daughter to come down and shoot some ‘before’ video for us,” Avery
suggested. “That’s actually what led to Hammer and Nail.” She furrowed her brow. “I had no idea what
was coming down the pike when I shot that first ten minutes.”

Madeline considered the small blonde. “My mother-in-law seemed to think it was your husband’s show,
that he got you on it.”

“A lot of people came to believe that,” Avery said, her tone wry. “Including my ex-husband. But the

idea was mine. I’m the one who sold it, and us, to the network.”

They fell silent as the sun burned with a new intensity, shimmering almost white, then turning golden
red that tinged the Gulf as it sank smoothly beneath it.

“God, that was beautiful,” Madeline breathed as they all continued to stare out over the Gulf, unable to
tear their gazes from the sky and the last painted remnants of daylight. “It makes me feel like anything
is possible.”

No one responded, and she supposed she should be grateful that no one trampled on her flight of fancy.
The show was over, but Madeline could still feel its power. It moved her in a way her fear and even
her resolution and Little Red Henness had not. She raised her now-empty glass to Avery and Nicole. “I
propose that we all make a sunset toast. That we each name one good thing that happened today.”

“Good grief,” Nicole said. “Look around you.” She motioned with her empty plastic glass at the
neglected house that hunkered behind them, the cracked and empty pool, the detached garage with its
broken windows and listing door. “Is your middle name Pollyanna?”

Madeline flushed at the comment, but she didn’t retract her suggestion. “I’m not saying we should
pretend everything’s perfect,” she said. “I’m just saying that no matter how bad it is it would be better
to dwell on the even slightly positive than the overwhelming negative.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Avery asked. They all still held their empty glasses aloft. “How good a
thing does it have to be?”

“That’s up to you.” Madeline said. “I’m not interested in judging; there will be no ‘good enough’ police.”

“Well, that’s a good thing,” Nicole snorted.

“All right, hold on a sec,” Madeline said. She went into the kitchen and retrieved a second bottle of
wine from the fridge, grateful that John Franklin had had the power turned on. As she refilled their
glasses, she searched for a positive. Nicole was right, it wasn’t an easy task.

“Okay.” She raised her now-full glass and waited for the others to do the same. “I think it’s good that
three complete strangers were able to reach an agreement and commit to a course of action.”

They touched glasses and took a sip. Madeline nodded at Avery. “Your turn.”

“Hmmmm, let me think.” She looked out over the seawall at the gathering darkness as the three of
them sat in a spill of light from the loggia. A few moments later she raised her glass. “I think it’s good
that this house is not going to be torn down. It deserves a facelift and a new life.”

They clinked and drank and turned their gazes to Nicole. Madeline could hardly wait to hear what she
would say.

Nicole looked back at the house, then at them. A small smile played around her lips, and Madeline
wondered if she was going to tell them to stuff the happy crap or simply refuse to participate. But she
raised her glass in their directions and with only a small sigh of resignation said, “It’s a good thing no one

saw me in that minivan. I can’t imagine how I’d ever live it down.”

©Wendy Wax

 

About Ten Beach Road

When Wendy Wax introduced Madeline Singer, Avery Lawford and Nicole Grant and shared their story of friendship, family and triumph in TEN BEACH ROAD, USA Today cited the book as one of “six that belong in your beach bag.” Now, this highly praised novel, which has already gone back to press seven times since its original trade
paperback publication, is also available as a mass market paperback reprint on sale nationally.

Wax set TEN BEACH ROAD at two of her favorite spots in the world—St. Pete Beach, the city in which she was raised, and the famous Pass-a-Grille beach—where she brings together three women, thrown together by fate, and challenges them with choices that will change their lives.

Madeline, Avery and Nicole are very different from one another. Madeline is a homemaker coping with an empty nest and an unemployed husband. Avery is an architect. At least she was until she ended up as the sidekick on her ex-husband’s television program—the one she created, sold and co-hosted. Nicole, dating guru, matchmaker extraordinaire and founder of Heart, Inc., is living in the shadow of her biggest mistake—trusting her only brother. All are at the end of their financial ropes, the victim’s of a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme. All they have left is shared
ownership of the once-glorious Bella Flora mansion, now a beachfront ruin.

Madeline, Avery and Nikki have to make a choice—cut their losses and sell the historic property for whatever amount of money they can get or trade sweat equity for the backing of a local contractor in order to restore it and
their bank accounts. The women choose to save Bella Flora. There amidst the rubble and former glory, in the midst of a sweltering summer and the backbreaking tasks of renovation, they begin to redefine themselves, and to discover their own strength and the power of friendship. Then, as Bella Flora again stands magnificent and proud, secrets begin to pull them apart and fate steps in once more, ready to destroy everything they’ve built.

Once again, Wendy Wax has imbued the lives and dialogue of her protagonists with energy and insights that immerse readers in their story from the very start.

Buy at: Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, IndieBound, and B&N

 

About Wendy Wax

A St. Pete Beach native and longtime Atlanta resident, Wendy is perhaps best known to readers for her
exploration of women’s friendships and the emotional bonds tying people to their families, friends and work. Her
writing has been called “entertaining and informative” (St. Petersburg Times) and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
praised her “breezy wit and keen insight.”

Ten Beach Road, Wendy’s best selling novel to date, has gone back to press seven times since its first printing
in May 2011, and is now available in a mass market paperback reprint edition, as well as its trade paperback and
electronic formats. It is the first of Wendy’s novels to use her hometown as her primary setting.

Wendy has always been a voracious reader. Her love affairs with language and storytelling paid off beginning
with her first shift at the campus radio station while studying journalism at the University of Georgia.

She returned to her home state, and then studied in Italy before graduating from the University of South
Florida and going to work for the Tampa PBS affiliate, WEDU-TV. She was best-known in the Tampa Bay area as the
host of Desperate & Dateless, a radio matchmaking program that aired on WDAE radio, and nationally as host of The
Home Front, which aired on PBS television affiliates across the country.

The mother of a toddler and an infant when she decided to change careers to write professionally, Wendy has
since written eight novels, including OCEAN BEACH, Ten Beach Road, Magnolia Wednesdays, The Accidental
Bestseller (a Romance Writers of America Rita Award finalist), Leave It to Cleavage, 7 Days and 7Nights, and Single in Suburbia. Her work has been sold to publishers in ten countries and to the Rhapsody Book Club. Her novel, Hostile
Makeover, was excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine.

Wendy’s website
Find Wendy on Facebook
Follow Wendy on Twitter

 

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have one copy of Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax to share with my readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry simply leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do, thank you, and please let me know so I can pass the extra entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway and spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, June 2/12.  Good luck!