Becoming Alice Book Spotlight & $25 Giveaway

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Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Title:  Becoming Alice

Author: Alice Rene

Publisher: iUniverse

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 284

Click here to purchase at iUniverse

 

“Strongly recommended a deftly written memoir that will hold the reader’s rapt attention from beginning to end.”
-Midwest Book Review

“Her ability to authentically capture the bewilderment and pain of dislocation through a child’s eyes – including the disharmony in her immediate family – makes for engaging reading that will resonate with young adults everywhere.”
-Beth B. Cohen, Ph.D., author of Case Closed: Holocaust Survivors in America, 1946-1954

Six-year-old Ilse watches Nazi soldiers march down her street in Vienna, Austria. It is the beginning of an odyssey that will take her to Riga, Latvia, and finally to Portland, Oregon. Becoming Alice chronicles her Jewish family’s harrowing escape and struggle as immigrants to fit into the American landscape. The added problems of growing up within a troubled family cloud her childhood and adolescence.

Ilse changes her name to Alice. Not until she moves into a boarding house in Berkeley, surrounded by girls from a patchwork of cultures, does she make peace with her true identity. Becoming Alice brilliantly showcases Rene’s triumph over adversity, identity crisis, and the sometimes debilitating power of family ties.

 

Enter for your chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.

Two winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.

This giveaway begins November 11 and ends November 29.

Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, December 2, 2013.

Winner has 48 hours to reply.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Feature & Follow Friday #13

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Feature and Follow

This is a blog hop, a way to find and follow new blogs,

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

You can follow me by using any one of the options over on the left sidebar.

This weeks question:  Vlog Feature: Tell us why you would be the best feature ever in a vlog. The best two will get picked for next week’s feature. If you do not want to participate, just tell us why you can’t be caught on video.

P.S. While you’re here check out my GIVEAWAY!  Have a great weekend guys!

Hope Rises from the Ashes Review

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Image from Goodreads

Image from Goodreads

Title:  Hope Rises from the Ashes

Author:  L. F. Falconer

Published:  2013 by Outskirts Press

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Feels like a Historical Romance, Hard to categorize 🙂

Click here to buy Hope Rises from the Ashes from Amazon.com

 

 

 

****This is the second book in a series, so if you like to be totally surprised you might not want to read this review.  ****

 

The story starts out with Collie and a young boy hiding under a wagon while the boy’s father is being devoured by a huge lion with wings.  Collie and the boy, Natt, manage to escape alive.  They soon meet up with two Tillaman warriors who give them a ride to their town.  Since her money is lost in the wagon that the lion attacked, Collie ends up agreeing to allow one of the warriors to pay for her food and her place at the inn as long as she’ll be his mistress.  This goes against Collie’s morals, but she doesn’t want to be put out on the street, and her heart is already broken thinking her first love is dead.  The situation goes from bad to worse though, as the man who is supposed to be protecting her, turns out to be a monster himself.

I should have read the first book, but even though I didn’t I was able to follow the story.  And wow, what a story!  It had me hooked from the first page.  The story is a little dark, so if you only like to read about flowers, unicorns, and rainbows, this probably isn’t the book for you.  Seriously though, this book deals with not only heartache, but physical abuse.  However, Collie is a strong woman and pulls through.

The point of view changes back and forth from Collie to one other.  I’m usually not a fan of the point of view switch-a-roo, but it was done from chapter to chapter and done for a reason which I don’t want to give away if you’ve read the first book.

Also, the genre is a little hard to categorize.  It feels mostly like a historical romance, but there is a little fantasy in there; a dragon, a flying lion.  But even with those aspects of fantasy, the story feels closer to reality than fantasy.  The author even states in the beginning, “Thus, I deliver Hope Rises from the Ashes (again, a story that rides the cusp of genre.  Purists beware.)”

Although this story is pretty dark, it is really good.  I didn’t want to stop reading; I had to find out what happened next.  Pick up a copy and get lost in Collie’s world for a while.  In the end, you’ll be glad you did.

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****   

Into the Crossfire Review

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Image provided by Pump Up Your Book

Image provided by Pump Up Your Book

Title:  Into the Crossfire

Author:  Cindy McDonald

Published:  2013 by Acorn Book Services

Genre:  Suspense, Fiction

Click here to buy Into the Crossfire from Amazon.com

 

 

Jack Haliday is married to the woman of his dreams, has a sweet four year old little girl, and is working as a detective after being retired from the Navy SEALs.  His life is going pretty good.  At least it was until a criminal, Gunner, from a past case that he was working on comes and turns Jack’s world upside down.

Wow, what a page turner; I didn’t want to put it down.  The book starts out with the quote, “In our darkest moments we must focus to see the light,” by Aristotle Onasis.  And boy, does that quote hold true for Jack Haliday, and another character in the story as well, Rayne.  Jack’s life starts out almost perfect and then bam, drastic changes, and not in a good way.

But Jack doesn’t stop and mope in despair.  He heals, and he fights.  And he’s not the only one.  He and his daughter, Lil, make some powerful friends along the way, and these friends help protect Jack’s family and help Jack extract revenge on Gunner.

It sure is hard to review a suspense novel because I don’t want to give anything away!  This story is great though.  The point-of-view changes a few times, but it honestly didn’t bother me because the story was so good.  There are so many twists and turns that will keep you on your toes.  If you’re looking for a quick read that will get your adrenaline pumping, pick up Into the Crossfire.  Let me know what you think!

 

 

My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

 

~Pam

 

*****I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.*****   

 

About the Author:

Image from Pump Up Your Book

Image from Pump Up Your Book

For twenty-six years Cindy’s life whirled around a song and a dance: she was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005. She often notes: Don’t ask me what happened, but suddenly I felt drawn to my computer to write about things I have experienced (greatly exaggerated upon of course—I’ve never been murdered!) with my husband’s Thoroughbreds and happenings at the racetrack. Viola! Cindy’s first book series, Unbridled, was born—there are four books to that series so far.

Cindy is a huge fan of romantic suspense series, and although she isn’t one to make New Year’s resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2013 she made a commitment to write one, Into the Crossfire is the first book for her new series,First Force.

People are always asking Cindy: do you miss dance? With a bitter sweet smile on her lips she tells them: Sometimes I do. I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love my books, and I love sharing them with you.

For more information, book trailers, and excerpts for all of Cindy’s books please visit her website:www.cindymcwriter.com.

Connect & Socialize with Cindy!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK

 

Into the Crossfire banner 7

 

 

Feature & Follow Friday #12

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Feature & Follow

This is a blog hop, a way to find and follow new blogs,

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

You can follow me by using any one of the options over on the left sidebar.

This weeks question:  What book are you embarrassed to admit that you loved?

Okay, well, I still love it.  Here it is:

Image from Amazon

Image from Amazon

But seriously, you can get out a stain on your carpet using shaving cream!  And and you can wash your windows without streaks using newspapers instead of paper towels!  And, wait, did I lose some of you?  lol.  While you’re here, do me a favor and support my friend by checking out his book, Ex Umbris: Step Into the Light, and giveaway on my page?  Thanks guys, and have a great weekend!