**A Month of Giving Thanks ~ #6**

Berls @Fantasy is More Fun and Michelle @Because Reading are hosting A Month of Giving Thanks. I thought it was a great idea as Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday and I'm grateful for so many things. I may not manage a post every day but I wanted to kick off the month right.

***

I'm so very thankful for so many things in my life - my health, my husband, kids, family, and friends. I'm thankful that I can live in my version of paradise here in the Rocky Mountains. I'm grateful for the ability to read! *ha* 

But as this month winds down, I'm taking a page from Berls and Michelle and giving thanks for my blogging friends. I realize the month is almost over so I might have to cram a few together but it's the thought that counts, right?!? :) I'm now down to SEVEN days...

***

I'm very thankful to have found Andrea @The Bookish Babe. Andrea recently 'retired' from blogging but while she was blogging, I adored discussing romances with her. Luckily, I know where to stalk find her, so we can still chat about books. Andrea is warm, funny, and always wrote wonderful reviews, whether they were positive or negative. If you never found Andrea, I'm sorry you missed out. She added sooooo many books to my tbr, and my physical and digital bookshelves. She left a mark and I miss her.

***

I'm also thankful for Naomi @Nomi's Paranormal Palace. I honestly wish I'd found Naomi sooner but I don't think my kindle would have survived. If y'all follow my Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged posts, you see her name often as I'm constantly finger-pointing at her for causing me to one-click books. In fact, I should probably send her my physical therapy bills - that one-clicking takes a toll. ;) Naomi and I obviously have similar reading tastes and we've been known to have lengthy off-line discussions on our theories on what will happen next in a book. And she is a Huss-convert because of me, too. Naomi is also a sweet and genuine person and I'm glad we've become friends. I hope that one day we'll be able to meet in person. :)

**COYER Winter 2014-2015 Sign-up Post**

It's that time again...time to clean out some of those many (many, many) freebies and near-freebies you've been collecting on your ereader. I know this is a challenge I always gladly accept because seriously? I don't even want y'all to know how many books I one-click because they're free. ;) 

The Summer COYER ran for a longer period of time and was a success. Sooo, Berls and Michelle decided to make Winter COYER an extended period of time as well. It'll run from December 20, 2014 - March 6, 2015. Berls and Michelle have lots of fun things planned during the challenge like Twitter parties, mini-challenges, Read-a-thons, etc. It's a lot of fun, so I hope you'll think of participating. For all the official rules and details AND to sign up, click here or on the banner above.

I did a good job with the Summer COYER *pats self on back* and I anticipate Winter COYER will be successful as well. I'm not going to set a specific number for myself - I'm just going to go for it! :) But here's a sampling of books I'd like to get "cleaned" off:




I hope to have some giveaways during COYER - that'll add some fun! 

So, do you have some (many) books you need to "clean" off your ereader? Join me in the COYER Winter 2014-2015 Challenge! Come on, you know you wanna! ;)

**A Month of Giving Thanks ~ #5**

Berls @Fantasy is More Fun and Michelle @Because Reading are hosting A Month of Giving Thanks. I thought it was a great idea as Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday and I'm grateful for so many things. I may not manage a post every day but I wanted to kick off the month right.

***

I'm so very thankful for so many things in my life - my health, my husband, kids, family, and friends. I'm thankful that I can live in my version of paradise here in the Rocky Mountains. I'm grateful for the ability to read! *ha* 

But as this month winds down, I'm taking a page from Berls and Michelle and giving thanks for my blogging friends. I realize the month is almost over so I might have to cram a few together but it's the thought that counts, right?!? :) Let's see, I have EIGHT days left...so........

***

I have to give thanks for my friendship with Lexxie @Unconventional Book Views first. She really is the first person that I began conversing with regularly in the blogosphere. Our friendship started because we read and liked so many of the same books. And then, we talked and talked and realized we have sooo much in common. A beautiful friendship has blossomed. She's very kind and always has something positive to say. My blogging life is just richer because I've gotten to know Lexxie. We talk about everything, really. And that's why I'm so excited about the fact that I'm going to get to meet Lexxie, in person, at RT  next May!! This is a big deal because Lexxie lives in Switzerland! I'm ecstatic that she's coming here. And I'm hoping to travel to see her in 2016. If y'all haven't met Lexxie, go check out her blog! 

***

I'm also thankful to have "met" Jaclyn @JC's Book Haven. I met Jaclyn through Feature & Follow and we've gotten to be good friends. She's from Texas - and so am I. ;) And we have sons around the same age. We also happen to share a love for Harry Potter AND Percy Jackson! Even though Jaclyn and I don't always read the same genres (I branch out more than she does ;) she has introduced me to some books and authors. And I'm grateful for that. Jaclyn is a talented graphic artist (she may be talented non-graphically too but I've only seen her graphic art) and she has some fun features she does ~ Sidekick Showcase and Cover Scramble Sundays. Stop by Jaclyn's sometime!

***

With the last person I'm thankful for today, we're playing a kind of six degrees of separation....

I'm very thankful to have met Robyn Jones. I "met" her through Jaclyn, who was organizing a blog tour for Robyn. See, Robyn isn't only a blogger (@RobGirlBooks), she's also an author. And I'm a huge fan of her books. I think she's a very talented writer! :) So we started chatting online following that blog tour. We talked about kids and family and music and movies. And then I became a fan of Robyn, the girl...she's a fabulous mom, daughter, sister, and friend. One thing led to another, and Robyn invited me to lunch while we (my family and I) were in Washington on vacation. That was all she wrote...we talked for several hours (my family left us in the restaurant) - it was like we'd always known each other. We've visited one another a few times now...her dad happens to live about 30 minutes from me...and I talked Robyn into a crazy weekend where we went to the Emerald City Author Event - where we got a hotel room without screens on the windows AND we MET JA HUSS!!! (Robyn is also a Huss fangirl!) Oh, and we bet on football games, too. That's how our Rock Chick journey began. :) If y'all don't know Robyn, go have a chat. She may be a fan of fangs, but she won't bite. :)

**Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Blood Curse ~ Kat Flannery**

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Kat Flannery's Blood Curse. My stop includes all the information for this book (and series), my review, and a giveaway.

***

Blood Curse

(Branded Trilogy #2)

“Upon mine death for the blood ye have shed, Every daughter born to ye shall die before it draws breath, to which ye will know pain and worse, I cast unto ye mine blood curse.” ~ Vadoma

Four years after the Blood Curse, Pril of the Peddlers vows to protect her child against the evil men who hunt her. With her clan unaware of the branded girl among them, Pril has to keep the identity of her daughter a secret. When her child is kidnapped, she is forced to ask Merchant runner, Kade Walker, for his help.

Kade Walker needs to find the gypsy child. Blackmailed and pushed beyond his own moral code, he is determined to do whatever it takes. When he comes across the Peddler clan, he is sure the girl is there, however all hope is lost when the gypsies capture him. Time is running out—until Pril makes him an offer he cannot refuse.

Amidst greed, lust, revenge and love, Pril will need to trust Kade. But as the evil nears and doubt creeps in, will she discover that the enemy has been standing next to her all along?

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

_________________________

About Lakota Honor (Book #1)

Fate has brought them together, but will a promise tear them apart?

In the small town of Willow Creek, Colorado, Nora Rushton spends most of her days locked up in her home with a father who resents her and fighting off unwanted marriage proposals from the wealthy Elwood Calhoun. Marked as a witch, Nora must hide her healing powers from those who wish to destroy all the witkowin—crazy women. What she doesn’t know is that a bounty hunter is hot on her trail.

Lakota native Otakatay has an obligation to fulfill. He has been hired to kill the witkowin. In a time when race and difference are a threat and innocence holds no ground, courage, love and honor will bring Nora and Otakatay together as they fight for their freedom. Will the desire to fulfill his promise drive Otakatay to kill Nora? Or will the kindness he sees in her blue eyes push him to be the man he once was?

Amazon – Barnes & Noble

Kat Flannery

Kat Flannery

Kat Flannery’s love of history shows in her novels. She is an avid reader of historical, suspense, paranormal, and romance. When not researching for her next book, Kat can be found running her three sons to hockey and lacrosse. She has her Certificate in Freelance and Business Writing. A member of many writing groups, Kat enjoys promoting other authors on her blog. She’s been published in numerous periodicals. Her debut novel CHASING CLOVERS has been on Amazon’s Bestsellers list many times and was #62 over all their titles. LAKOTA HONOR and HAZARDOUS UNIONS are Kat’s other two books and both have made bestseller lists. Kat is currently hard at work on her next book.

Website/Blog – Twitter – Facebook

Blood Curse was a fascinating read. The combination of gypsy culture, magic, and lore with the setting in and around Jamestown made for an interesting story.

Ms. Flannery did well in depicting how people in that time would react to such a thing as a blood curse - how far someone would go to end it, how far someone would go to protect an innocent. And to what limits some would go in order to attain power. She didn't shy away from violence and it too furthered the depth of the story. I liked the story Flannery wove around the the characters - a branded child whom people think is evil and the men hunting her who are far more evil than any child could ever be, and Pril, who'd lay down her life to protect her child.

Pril is a strong and feisty heroine. She is fiercely loyal and protective of those she loves. She understands the fear those have of her little girl but will do what she has to do in order to keep her safe. Kade is headstrong and sees things as black and white. He, too, is loyal. I felt this common attribute was what got them into trouble - led them together. The journey he and Pril embark on does much to change his perspective. He begins to realize things aren't always black and white, right and wrong.

I did think that transitions between scenes could have been a little smoother. And the ending felt rushed - too neat. But overall, I enjoyed Blood Curse and will make time to read Lakota Honor. I'm interested to see how the stories fit together, and how Ms. Flannery will finish up this trilogy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Release Blitz & Giveaway ~ Southern Rocker Series ~ Ginger Voight**

Author Ginger Voight returns her readers to the star-making world of rockers and romance with her SOUTHERN ROCKER series. It's all the angst and the passion you desire, with several familiar faces from the beloved GROUPIE universe along the way! SOUTHERN ROCKER BOY is written from Jonah's point of view and SOUTHERN ROCKER CHICK is from Lacy's point of view.

NOW AVAILABLE

When Jonah Riley’s father dies unexpectedly, he, his grieving mother and ailing sister are forced to move from the country to Austin, Texas. Jonah finds work at an auspicious night spot called Southern Nights, where he earns a few extra bucks as a bouncer-turned-musician.

There he meets fiery songstress Lacy Abernathy, who has no use for him or anyone else in the club when she’s not on stage. This is an entirely new experience for this ladies’ man. The opportunistic club owner latches onto this chemistry to fill her club, playing with their hearts and livelihoods for her own questionable motives.

Enter music executive Graham Baxter, who offers them both a way out…by competing for a recording contract they both need. Now if only they can fight the intense chemistry that keeps them locked in battle, when they're not locked in each other's arms, that is!

Lacy Abernathy has wanted one thing and one thing only since she was twelve years old. She wants to make music. But she quickly learns that as a woman, her sexuality often goes part and parcel with her dream. At first it works in her favor, getting her on stage with a hot rock star on the rise. But after a whirlwind romance to get her into bed, he leaves her stranded at 19, alone with a baby he refuses to acknowledge.

Three years later she is as bitter as she is stuck. She wants nothing to do with the sexy rocker chick image, especially when it seems to attract every guy she would rather avoid. Her bad attitude gets her fired, again. Her mother issues the ultimatum: Make the next gig work, or give up music entirely.

Lacy ends up back at Southern Nights, an Austin hotspot that had been the source of most of her heartache. There a sexy country boy-turned-rock star Jonah Riley is persistent as he tries to woo her, despite all her best efforts to keep him away. Can she really trust another sexy rocker with her heart, especially when there’s so much at stake?

**OTHER BOOKS FROM GINGER**

Ginger Voight is prolific author, freelance writer and optioned screenwriter. Her fiction is diverse, with novels like the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.

Having grown up reading different authors like Danielle Steel and Stephen King, Ginger has always been drawn more to story than to genre. This shows up in her various stories. Titles such as MY IMMORTAL and TASTE OF BLOOD are a delicious, heady mix of horror, suspense, and romance.

Genre romance, however, has held a special place in her heart, ever since she read her first Harlequin novel when she was only eleven. As a result, Ginger is making a name for herself writing romances of her own, starring women who look more like the average American woman rather than those traditionally represented in the size-biased American media. Her Rubenesque romances were created especially for those heroines with fuller figures, who can still get the man of their dreams if only they believe they can. Such titles include UNDER TEXAS SKIES, LOVE PLUS ONE, THE GROUPIE TRILOGY, THE FIERCE TRILOGY, THE FULLERTON FAMILY SAGA, THE LEFTOVER CLUB and PICTURE POSTCARDS.

Ginger was included in the best-selling book by Smith Magazine NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING, featuring her six-word memoir.

Website | Blog| Facebook | Amazon | Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Release Day Blitz, Review, & Giveaway ~ Bulletproof ~ Melissa Pearl**

Happy Release Day, Melissa Pearl!
Bulletproof is now available!

Below you'll find my review of Bulletproof and a giveaway!

Bulletproof
Songbird #2
Release Date: November 20, 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Goodreads

Synopsis
Morgan Pritchett doesn't need anyone. Strong-willed and confident, she's the master of organizing and looking after everyone around her. In her mind, she's bulletproof.

But she has one weakness - men. She can't seem to live without them, yet is unable to find her perfect match. After yet another break up, Morgan promises her sister and best friend that she'll write off men for the rest of the year...but then she meets Sean Jaxon.

Sean Jaxon has worked hard to become a Hollywood actor, scoring minor roles and slowly making a name for himself as an action sidekick. After a chance encounter with the stunning Morgan Pritchett, he decides to take a risk and put his dancing skills to the test by signing on for the lead role in Superstar, a TV musical. He never thought he'd reconnect with the girl who urged him to ignore his manager and be honest with himself, but when Morgan shows up on the set as a production assistant, he realizes he's found his ultimate weakness - her.

Their passion for dance and music will bring them together, but will their relationship be able to withstand the forces determined to pull them apart? As Morgan comes face-to-face with her long-buried demons and Sean decides just how much he's willing to risk for love, these two songbirds discover something...they're not as bulletproof as they thought.

BUY IT AT:

Amazon: http://bit.ly/BulletproofAM

I was very excited to get Morgan's story. I knew from meeting her in Fever that she was a complex character. Getting to know her, what makes her tick, and seeing her in love for real was a pleasure! Bulletproof is told in alternating POV between Morgan and Sean, which I love. 

Morgan was made to grow up way before her time. Her mother walked away from their family when Morgan was 14, leaving her to step into the role of caretaker for her father and younger sister. This is how she began honing her skills in organization and in taking care of everyone around her. Morgan shaped herself into a strong woman - never letting any guy get too close. Oh, she always had a guy around but it was more for the physical release they provided. Then she meets Sean Jaxon. He's different - affects her differently than any guy before him. 

Sean Jaxon is finally making it as an actor. Having suffered a media nightmare with a girlfriend, he's looking to score a role that will polish his image. When he meets Morgan, she convinces him to take a role he's dying to take even though his manager doesn't think it's a good move. Filming begins and he's delighted to see his karaoke girl is working on set. However, dating proves to be difficult as he's always trying to protect her from the media.

One of the things I love most about NA is watching as these new adults figure out the world, their place in it, and what they want from it. Both Morgan and Sean thought they knew what they wanted - particularly when it came to personal relationships. So seeing them realize maybe they'd thought wrong, and try to mold their lives to better fit what they actually wanted was a pleasure. They both have strong family ties - people who could offer the right kind of guidance, so that helped. That the script for Sean's show closely paralleled his life was clever. And watching Morgan realize she wasn't bulletproof but make strides towards being the strong woman she wants to be was a treat. That music and dance were such integral elements to the story added to my enjoyment. Bulletproof was an engaging story. I got a glimpse of Ella and Cole (from Fever), which was nice. And I got to know Morgan's little sister, Jody, better. I'm anxious to get Jody's story next!

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book was released in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books releasing in 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.

"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**That's What HE Said ~ #18 ~ With a GIVEAWAY!**

That's What He Said is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies @Chapter Break. Here's the deal: every Thursday, post a line from your book boyfriend to his heroine. Keep in mind, these are direct quotes from dialog in the books. The quote doesn't have to be romantic - just something our hunky hero said to his lucky lady. Be sure to link up over at Chapter Break as well.

My pick this week for That's What He Said is from:

Irresistible Refrain by Michelle Mankin

from the Tempest Series

***

"Lace Lowell, I love you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known, and I want you to know that I've always had faith in you, even when you lost your way. I know that you're no weak minded princess in needs of a rescue, and that's ok because I'm no prince. It's really me who needs the rescue, from a life that means absolutely nothing to me if you're not in it."

And thanks to Michelle, I have an audio version of 

Irresistible Refrain up for grabs!

a Rafflecopter giveaway