Wicked Wednesday #4

- Ambrosia Leave a comment

Wicked Wednesday a place to be wicked to other book readers and make them get those TBR piles growing. The concept is simple. Pick a book or two and tell s about them. If its one you read tell us what you liked. If its one you found tell us about that to. Than leave a comment to let us know where to find your Wicked Wednesday titles. Make sure to link back in your posts for other people to follow Wicked Wednesday.

Today’s Wicked Wednesday I have selected a book that I am giveing away on this blog, and a book that just arrived in my mail box for reviewing! I am excited to review it, and excited to be giving it away thank you Hatchett.
That book is
Testimony by Anita Shreve

Equestrian Singles

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

Alright, I don’t need this service *laughs* I will admit that I am happily settled and taken. But if I did, this website is very neat. Especially if you’re a horse person. There is no secret that I myself am a bookie and a horse person that is how it is; I have often been caught reading while riding.

I have to say this site is different because it is focused on people who already have one common thread horses. They actually have a topic of “favorite type of riding.” that is fantastic for horses people. Although I firmly believe mixed relationships of English and Western can go together.

But seriously if you’re a horse person and you’re on the singles market think about checking this website out. If I was single I would be checking it out, it’s easy to navigate and friendly place to be. Focused on the wants and thoughts for horse people you really can’t go wrong.

They even boast some other services. Like horse greeting cards, and horse related blogs. You can get all of your horse related needs in one spot. It makes it a lot easier than trolling around on all the miscellaneous (and often not friendly) horse forums and websites. Best of all the sign up is free. So give the following links a little click or two and check it out, You dont wanna miss the FREE sign-up over at equestrian cupid.

Teaser Tuesday #12

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to: Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!Please avoid spoilers!

Rain pelted down, sheets of heavy drops obliterated the landscape. Fate’s message couldn’t have been clearer: Escape was impossible. His features grim, Vane closed the door-and followed the cat. ~Pg 9 A Rake’s Vow by Stephanie Laurens

May Madness Book Giveaway #2: Testimony by Anita Shreve

- Ambrosia 34 Comments


BOOK INFORMATION: Testimony By Anita Shreve

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora’s box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices–those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal–that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellingly explores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

PRAISE FOR TESTIMONY:

“Shreve, consummate craftsman and frequent provocateur, is on fire in her latest novel, a mesmerizing read centering on a sex scandal at a prestigious Vermont prep school….Shreve views all of the characters, even the most flawed, with a good deal of compassion, revealing the heartbreaking consequences of a single reckless act.”— Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist (starred review)

Anita Shreve is the critically acclaimed author of fourteen novels, including Body Surfing, The Pilot’s Wife, which was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club, and The Weight of Water, which was a finalist for England’s Orange Prize. She lives in Massachusetts.

Thanks to Hatchette book Group we have 5, yes 5 copies to giveaway. So we will have 5 winners for this great book! Do not miss out on this one!

*US and CANADA ENTRIES ONLY please*

So here is how to Win this book. The first thing you need to do. And this is required to particpate.Is Comment! This give away will be open til the 22nd of May.

And some other ways to get entries:
Follow this blog (1 entry)
Put our Button on your blog (1 entry)
Put is in your blog roll (1 entry)
Join the feeder service (1 entry)
Follow me on facebook (1 entry follow the FB link on the sidebar)
Follow me on Twitter (1 entry Follow twitter link on sidebar)
Create a post on your blog advertising the contest and linking back to us here at Fire & Ice for the contest. make sure you post the link to your post in the comments. (1 entry)

Book Review: The Perfect Waltz by Anne Gracie

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

Hope Merridew dreamed of dancing the perfect waltz with the perfect man — and he’s not the tough, dark stranger who has come to London to court another woman. Only how can she resist him?
Sebastian has his own demons: a dark past to come to terms with and two desperately needy little sisters to care for. For their sake he must resist Miss Hope Merridew — but can he?

The Perfect Waltz is not a typical romance novel in some ways, and in many ways it is. The difference in this novel and so many others is that it deals with some difficult subjects. Our wonderful hero Sebastian has two sisters; his sisters were kidnapped before he could protect them properly. You see Sebastian didn’t start out as a rich man in ton society, he married into it. Due to what happened to his sisters they are a hard pair to deal with, they run off governesses one straps a knife to her thigh the other doesn’t talk. What is he to do? Find the perfect wife, of course. Ah, yes this is where we find it is a typical romance novel.

But fate and Sebastian will find themselves at odds, he wants a sensible, older, do good wife who will be able to handle his sisters. Fate wants him to have a lively, fun, chipper young woman. Sebastian of course rails against this. He won’t list to his friend who tries to tell him that Miss Hope Merridew is probably the best match he could find because hope has suffered too. Hope suffered under the brutish hand of her grandfather who was abusive. Truly what better woman than that to help care for some battered children?

The story is written well, and over all I enjoyed it better than the first one. It still has a few small moments where it drags, but over all I did enjoy it. I liked the subject matter, and I liked that it was not afraid to go into deeper topics. The nice thing about this book as well is that it is a stand a lone there are some references to The Perfect Rake, but not many. You will still be able to know what’s going on. And enjoy getting to know Hope Merridew. If you’re looking for a historical romance, I recommend this one.

48 Hour Book Challenge

- Ambrosia Leave a comment


I am excited this will be my first read-a-thon type Challenge.I missed the 24 hour one. But I plan on taking part in that the next time is comes around. Til than I have this challenge. And here are the rules. Sign up and take part of you want to. It should be fun.

June 5–7, 2009, with the check-in day on Monday, June 8th.

Here are the basic guidelines:

The weekend is June 5–7, 2009. Read and blog for any 48-hour period within the Friday-to-Monday-morning window. Start no sooner than 7:00 a.m. on Friday the fifth and end no later than 7:00 a.m. Monday. So, go from 7:00 p.m. Friday to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday… or maybe 7:00 a.m. Saturday to 7:00 a.m. Monday works better for you. But the 48 hours do need to be in a row. Edited to add: But during that 48-hour period you may still have gaps of time in which you can’t read, and that’s fine. In the middle of the three different challenge weekends I’ve had to go to work, attend a ballet recital, and drive for a Girl Scout event. You can certainly work around the other events in your weekend.

The books should be about fifth-grade level and up. Adult books are fine, especially if any adult book bloggers want to play. If you are generally a picture book blogger, consider this a good time to get caught up on all those wonderful books you’ve been hearing about. Two graphic novels can be included in the reading. I’m not trying to discriminate, I’m just trying to make sure that the number of books and page counts mean the same thing to everyone.

It’s your call as to how much you want to put into it. If you want to skip sleep and showers to do this, go for it. If you want to be a bit more laid back, fine. But you have to put something into it or it’s not a challenge.

The length of the reviews are not an issue. You can write a sentence, paragraph, or a full-length review. The time spend reviewing counts in your total time.

On your blog, state when you are starting the challenge with a specific entry on that day. This makes it easier to track the participants. Write your final summary on Monday, and for one day, we’ll all be on the same page, so to speak.

Your final summary needs to clearly include the number of books read, the approximate hours you spent reading/reviewing, and any other comments you want to make on the experience. It needs to be posted no later than noon on Monday, June 8th.

Musing Monday #11

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about boys and reading…

Have you ever finished a book, then turned around and immediately re-read it? Why? What book(s)? (question courtesy of MizB)

Yes I have. When I was a teenager I read The Black Stallion by Walter Farley, the problem is I read it very slowly because for some reason I had trouble getting into it. I think it took like 4 months to read. By the end of the book I was completely hooked so I turned right around and re-read it. I don’t think I have done that since however.

Quotable Sunday #8

- Ambrosia 2 Comments
Welcome to Quotable Sunday! I can’t wait to get around and read your quotes today. The rules of course are never changing but in case this is your first time joining in, I would like to welcome you and let you know the basics:~Post one or more of your favorite quotes on your blog in a post.~Come back here and link your post in the mister linky below(on http://www.juststopscreaming.com/ ).~Check back throughout the day and go read some awesome comments and leave some luv!
In honor of today being Mother’s Day I chose some Quote’s for the occasion.

There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness… The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.
– Andrew Jackson, U.S. President

My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.
– George Washington, U.S. President

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.
– Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.
– Aristotle


Book Review: The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

Book Description:
She ran from a brute…
Fleeing the harsh guardianship of her grandfather, Prudence Merridew escapes with her beautiful younger sisters to London. One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters’ chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke… But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster.

…into the arms of a rake
Aristocratic Gideon, handsome, rakish and with a strong frivolous streak, casually hijacks Prudence’s game, awarding himself a stolen kiss or three along the way. Used to managing sisters and elderly men, Prudence is completely out of her depth with a charming, devious and utterly irresistible rake. And her plot goes terribly—if deliciously—awry…

The Perfect Rake started out as a fantastic novel, it is a fun and light hearted romance that fits perfectly in the genre. I don’t mind saying that I am a little bit addicted to your bodice rippers, while I try to go with some that go against the grain lightly I still love the formula and the happily ever after. Which with The Perfect Rake you do get. However, the story ends up being a little lack luster.

About midway through this book it drags, and you will get a little tired of the Hero and Heroine. It becomes a point where the hero is just TO perfect, to sweet. He sets himself up like a martyr and it gets a little bit old. Over all the characters are likeable, and they aren’t absolutely horrible. But I think around page 180 or so I wanted to club our hero Gideon over the head with a cup of raffia. I mean is supposed to be a rake, it would have been a bit nicer if he acted a little bit more like a rake.

But all is not lost, the book may not be perfect but it’s not a failure either. Over all the characters are likeable, and there are some rather amusing moments between Gideon and Prudence. So if you don’t mind a little bit of melodrama, and a slight drag in the center, you will enjoy the book. And for me while it wasn’t perfect, It did make me want to continue on and read the next book in the series.

Friday Finds #10

- Ambrosia 5 Comments

My Friday Find for today is, Made in the U.S.A by Billie Letts. And wonder if all Wonders, I am doing a give away for it if you want to sign up! Just got to the Giveaway Post.

Some info:

The bestselling author of WHERE THE HEART IS returns with a heartrending tale of two children in search of a place to call home.

Lutie McFee’s history has taught her to avoid attachments…to people, to places, and to almost everything. With her mother long dead and her father long gone to find his fortune in Las Vegas, 15-year-old Lutie lives in the god-forsaken town of Spearfish, South Dakota with her twelve-year-old brother, Fate, and Floy Satterfield, the 300-pound ex-girlfriend of her father.

While Lutie shoplifts for kicks, Fate spends most of his time reading, watching weird TV shows and worrying about global warming and the endangerment of pandas. As if their life is not dismal enough, one day, while shopping in their local Wal-Mart, Floy keels over and the two motherless kids are suddenly faced with the choice of becoming wards of the state or hightailing it out of town in Floy’s old Pontiac. Choosing the latter, they head off to Las Vegas in search of a father who has no known address, no phone number and, clearly, no interest in the kids he left behind.

MADE IN THE U.S.A. is the alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming story of two gutsy children who must discover how cruel, unfair and frightening the world is before they come to a place they can finally call home.

* Includes a Reading Group Guide


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