Only 25 more days until our big 5th Anniversary Party here at Beyond Her Book. The virtual party will take place March 5-10th covering all genres. We’ll travel the world giving great prizes donated by authors and publishers including Kindle Fires, e-readers, books, gift cards and gift baskets. Something for everyone. If you want to donate something, please email bvey@publishersweekly.com . In the meantime, check out some books that may be given away during the bash.
Sophie
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
Read by Sophie, 16
To everyone else, she’s Liz, and Kate is her best friend, but to Liz, she’s Photogirl, and Kate’s not just her best friend, but her forever-best friend; always has been, always will be. But after one fight and a sour Saturday Night Slumber, Liz feels awful and Kate is avoiding her like the plague. Her old photos are sad reminders of what they used to be, and her new photos show Liz just what she is without her other half—completely lost. But if the terrible rumors that are spreading around Liz and Kate’s high school and hometown of Shoreview are true, Liz can’t blame Kate for not being able to look at her and spend time with Liz and her family the way she used to without recalling what is likely the most horrific and devastating memory Kate will ever have.
Written in a clever and fluent free-verse, Exposed is one story that bares the souls of two very relatable and real teenage girls. A story like few others, Kimberly Marcus has put in fewer than 300 pages a work of art as brilliant and beautiful as the art her intricate and lovable characters create. I found this eye-opening and impossibly enticing; set a couple hours aside for this book—you’ll need it.
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Paula
The Mermaid Garden by Santa Montefiore
Read by Paula
The Tuscan Mermaid Garden is one of wondrous splendor and undeniable allure to the young Floriana, whose own life is bereft of joy or beauty. It is in this wondrous paradise that her star-crossed romance with the well-to-do, handsome Dante flourishes. Several decades later, an equally tragic Marina struggles to save the existence she has built on top of buried secrets. As she explores her options for holding on to her beloved Devonshire hotel and home, she comes face to face with a past she had given up on ever revisiting.
Two stories separated by time and distance come together in this exquisite romance set in Italy and England, both conjured in lush imagery and exquisite detail. I was delighted by the fairy-tale elements of the story, and found all of the main characters realistic and, ultimately likable. This is several love stories and a mystery in one!
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joysann
The Departed by Shiloh Walker
Read by joysann
Desiree “Dez” Lincoln, who can actually communicate with ghosts, is forced to resign and go private when her paranormal unit leader, FBI Special Agent Taylor Jones, decided, for his own secret peace of mind, to transfer her to a “safer” unit. But their paths cross again when Dez is called to Taylor’s midwestern home town by a restless spirit to prevent a murder. But that dangerous investigation gets them tied up together with the heartache and loss in Taylor’s own family history.
An intriguing story from start to finish, Shiloh wraps a rocky romance with its ups and downs in a soft blanket of melancholia that is the hope of an afterlife and communication with lost loved ones. Despite the heartache all around them, the story is not a sad one, and the hope of a happily-as-long-as-they-live ending makes it romantic and gratifying. And who can say about a happily-forever-after?
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Dina
Devil’s Kiss by Zoe Archer
Read by Dina
Hellraisers are a group of five friends. In 1762, Sherbourne, Earl of Whitney (Whit) loves to gamble, not for money, but for the excitement and risk. Zora Grey is a Roman girl in a gypsy camp. Her smoldering voice has captivated Whit’s attention. Zora is unsure about her attraction to Whit and the Hellraisers wicked curse.
The first book in this series was delightful. The chemistry between the two main characters was powerful. I’m looking forward to reading many more books about the Hellraisers.
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joysann
Chicks Kick Butt edited by Rachel Caine and Kerrie L. Hughes
Read by joysann
Thirteen popular Urban Fantasy/Paranormal authors contributed to this short story anthology, giving readers a total smorgasbord of girl-power goodness that can’t be put down. Along with Rachel Caine, CKB includes stories by L.A. Banks, Rachel Vincent, Karen Chance, Lilith Saintcrow, Cheyenne McCray, Jenna Black, Susan Krinard, Jeanne Stein, Elizabeth Vaughan, Carole Nelson Douglas, P.N. Elrod, and Nancy Holder.
I’ve previously read and enjoyed stories by everyone of these terrific authors, and I’m addicted to the series books that most of them have going. I find myself digging out the books I have for a refresher, or marking my calendar with release dates of their next books that I await with anticipation. With this collection, Kerrie Hughes and Rachel Caine bat a thousand as every single story included makes it the best multi-author anthology I’ve read in quite awhile.
Come to Barbara Vey’s first Reader Appreciation Luncheon with 38 top authors! Details here.
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Bottom Line: Just a head’s up…tomorrow is Read a Book in the Bathtub Day and I plan to turn into a prune.
