Blog Tour: The Christmas Sisters

I love Christmas stories with a (heavy) romantic undertone. Just absolutely love them. Curling up by the lit up Christmas tree, fireplace burning, and glass of wine beside me while reading a holiday love story? Sign. Me. Up. I have great news for anyone who feels the same. The Christmas Sisters, Sarah Morgan's latest novel, was holiday perfection in my books.

Here's the synopsis:

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…
Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…
As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?

There are so many things to love about this Christmas story. Honestly. That being said...there was a little something that kept me from giving it 5 stars on Goodreads. (Why haven't they come up with 1/2 stars yet? Or maybe I don't want them too...that'll just give people more to complain about "Why didn't I get that extra half star? They must have hated the book if they only gave it 3 1/2." OK, so that's a rant for another day...) This is such a solid story though that I'm not going to look too closely at why I left off that last star (it's very likely just because I have extremely high standards for 5 stars). I'll just talk about all the lovely things about the book. Sound good? Good.

This book is perfectly Christmassy. It is so rare to read a Christmas story (I'll admit most of my holiday reading are romances because I am a sucker for them) that actually has such a focus on Christmas. There were the traditional and concrete Christmas elements - buying and giving presents, trees and decorations, baking and eating - as well as the feeling and essence of Christmas - family, love, a dash of stress. Those magical Christmas feelings wrapped themselves around me and I almost felt like I was cozied up in front of the fire at Suzanne and Stewart's with the McBride family all around me. Which, I admit, was a really weird feeling to have at the end of September when I read the novel. If I can make one suggestion, it's that you wait until December or, at the very least, after Thanksgiving - Canadian or American, take your pick - to read this one. I think the magic of the season will make the story that much more powerful for you.

I recently read (and reviewed) Sarah Morgan's last book, How to Keep a Secret, which was her first foray into "women's fiction" (instead of true romance). I didn't really think it was too much of a departure from her usual romances because she always has such strong characters and a solid storyline. This one though? Even though there were relationships and lovers all over the place, it felt more contemporary fiction than contemporary romance. (This might be a really hard thing to understand if you're not a romance and contemporary reader but I read a good amount of both so, I guess I'm an expert?) The storyline was a bit heavier (not to say romances must always be light and fluffy) and all the feelings of all the characters were explored, not just the romantic feelings. It was as much a family story as it was a romantic one.

The characters were all, somewhat surprisingly, quite fleshed out. I say surprisingly because there were a lot of them to get to know. The POV cycled through Suzanne, Posy, Beth, and Hannah and Morgan really managed to make each woman shine. Not only that, each of their husbands/love interests (Stewart, Luke, Jason, and Adam, respectively) had strong personalities as well (and I don't necessarily mean Alpha male personalities, just well developed ones). It was so lovely to read such great characters. Even Beth and Jason's daughters were delightful and their little personalities came through the pages as well.

And it takes place in Scotland. I LOVE THAT. I'm a Stewart. Of course I do.

I could likely gush about this heartwarming tale all day so I'll just say this: if you only read one Christmas novel this year, make it Sarah Morgan's The Christmas Sisters. It was such a delight and already has me looking forward to the holiday season.

And good news for any Canadian and American readers out there...if you've finished reading this post and thought, "Boy, I wish I had a copy of this book for myself." you're in luck! The publisher is holding a giveaway, just enter the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just in case you don't win, you can buy the book in all these places:

* Amazon.com * Barnes and Noble * Harlequin * Books-A-Million * 

Indiebound * Kobo * Apple * Google

And check out and follow Sarah Morgan all over the Internet!

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Goodreads * Instagram * Pinterest

*An e-galley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, in exchange for a review for the purposes of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Pumpkins and Pages Hop

Fall is so pretty, but aside from Halloween, there isn't much going on. (Unless you're Canadian like me and are looking forward to Thanksgiving this weekend and all of the food that comes with it.) 

The ladies at Chick Lit Chat HQ decided to create their own Fall fun to tie together all the great elements of the season - the rich colours, the pumpkins (and pumpkin spice lattes for those who indulge), wearing sweaters, walking through crunching leaves, curling up by the fire with a good book. 

Chick Lit Chat HQ is continuing its tradition of hosting killer hops for Chick Lit and Romantic Comedy fans with their PUMPKINS AND PAGES FACEBOOK HOP to get this season started right. 

From October 1st through the 7th, more than 50 Chick Lit and RomCom authors are banding together to bring you their most awesome event yet. Along with individual author prizes, they'll be giving away grand prizes of a beautiful fall wreath by Twoinspireyou valued at $160* and THREE gift bags full of pumpkin-scented goodies from Bath & Body Works. 

PSLs, chunky sweaters, and crunchy leaves ain't got nothing on this week-long party, so don your scarf and mittens and head on over to Facebook and join the CLC HQ events group to hang with authors and readers, find your next great fireside read, and enter to win all sorts of fabulous prizes. 

Hope to see you there!
*The Grand Prize fall wreath giveaway is open to US residents only. (I know, I know...I can't even enter it myself but I know I have some American readers and wanted to share.) However, all of the individual author giveaways and the grab bag giveaways are open internationally.

Blog Tour: Matchmaking for Beginners

You need to suspend your beliefs ever so slightly when reading Maddie Dawson's new novel, Matchmaking for Beginners. If you can do that, accept the magic of matchmaking, and open your heart to some quirky characters...well, you'll probably fall in love with this story or, at the very least, find yourself being charmed and entertained throughout.

Here's the synopsis:

Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.
When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbors running from happiness. Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.
And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most.

This book was, in a word, delightful. It isn't perfect but it still found its way into my heart and my head. I found it hard to put down and would think about it when I was supposed to be busy doing other things. 

I loved Marnie. I felt like I really identified with her, even though I don't think we're that much alike. Maybe she's just one of those people that you can't help but be drawn to and want to be friends with. She's adorably unsure of herself and determined to get the life she thinks she wants. Problem is - that life isn't exactly what she needs. Blix knows what Marnie needs and works her particular brand of magic to make sure it works out - even once Blix is in the after-life. 

The magic I speak of isn't really magic. I wouldn't really call this book magic realism but there's a hint of supernatural in Blix and Marnie's matchmaking capabilities. Blix had a few "spells" she worked on people. It was like she could pass on love and good feelings to anyone she wanted to. Marnie saw sparkles when she was matchmaking and I kind of wished I could see them too. 

This book would not be what it is without the cast of supporting characters. They are the most eclectic bunch of wonderful oddballs and I loved them all. It was no wonder Blix and Marnie did too. Jessica was the perfect best friend for Marnie and I'm so glad they had each other. Sammy, Jessica's son, was too cute and my heart broke for him because he just wanted his parents to get back together. I loved reading as Marnie slowly - and awkwardly - brought Patrick out of his shell. And Lola, Blix's best friend, was a hoot. They really brought so much colour and life to the whole story and I had so much fun meeting all of them.

And that cover! I adored it. Though, if I have to find a fault, I'd say it's with the dog. He just doesn't fit. I was also very concerned there wouldn't even be a dog but, after finishing the book, I can see why he was put on the stoop with the couple. But I just love the colours and the art so much. 

If you're feeling down, Maddie Dawson's Matchmaking for Beginners is sure to bring a smile or three to your face. It was a quick read for me that was perfect for reading on the park bench on my lunch break.

Psst - I have some good news! Thomas Allen & Son is giving away a hardcover copy of Matchmaking for Beginners to a lucky Canadian reader. Fill out the Rafflecopter below and they'll notify the winner via email when the giveaway ends on July 13th at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Maddie Dawson
Maddie Dawson grew up in the South, born into a family of outrageous storytellers. Her various careers as a substitute English teacher, department-store clerk, medical-records typist, waitress, cat sitter, wedding-invitation-company receptionist, nanny, day care worker, electrocardiogram technician, and Taco Bell taco maker were made bearable by thinking up stories as she worked. Today she lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with her husband. She’s the bestselling author of five previous novels: The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness, The Opposite of Maybe, The Stuff That Never Happened, Kissing Games of the World, and A Piece of Normal.

Follow Maddie
Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads  

*A copy of this novel was provided by the distributor, Thomas Allan & Son, in exchange for a review for the purpose of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Blog Tour: My Oxford Year

Sometimes I pick up a book expecting one kind of story and end up with another one entirely. That's not always welcome but, in the case of My Oxford Year, I was happily surprised with the story I finished. I thought Julia Whelan's debut novel would be good and enjoyable but there was a much deeper thread woven through the story than I had anticipated. It broke my heart a little bit but I was glad it was there because it made the book so much better than it otherwise would have been.

Here's the synopsis:

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day. When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret. Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

As you can see from the synopsis, I probably should have picked up on the serious plot line. But how many times have you read the back of a book and been told something major happens and it ends up being nothing at all? (I also blame Chris Harrison and his constant refrain of "the most dramatic season EVER of The Bachelor.") 

Anyway. 

Ella was just as unprepared as I was for the big revelation but she did not back down. She realized what was most important in life and held on tight. 

I read this book in a day. I started it on my lunch break and continued reading it after I got home from work (glass of wine in hand...which I highly recommend). I just didn't want to put it down. The story grabbed me and the characters were so real. It was like I was really there in Oxford with Ella.

Speaking of Ella, I thought she was awesome. She was a hard-worker (probably worked too hard sometimes) but she understood that you cannot sustain an "all work and no play" kind of life. She was a kind friend and wicked smart. She had hopes, dreams, and fears just like the rest of us and I'm glad Whelan allowed Ella to be vulnerable.

And Jamie? I adored him as well. He was also incredibly smart - which made him a perfect match for Ella - and had a dry, witty sense of humour that I loved.

I loved how Whelan was able to find a balance so her novel wasn't too serious or too flippant. It's a coming of age story even though Ella is 24. She had a good life before Oxford - one she has worked hard for - but what happens when she's there made her realize exactly what was missing from her life and what she needed to do moving forward. A lot happens in this book and Ella grows up during it. All the seriousness could have gotten too heavy but there are so many light-hearted moments throughout. The novel is sweet, sad, uplifting, and funny. Just like life.

And that cover? I love it. The colours are lovely and the design really fits with the story.

My Oxford Year will probably be one of my favourite books of the spring. I hope everyone picks up Julia Whelan's novel because they'll find a story that's both uplifting and heartbreaking that reminds us that life is sometimes too short so we should make the most of it while we still can.

Psst...head over to my Instagram and you could win a copy of My Oxford Year for yourself courtesy of the publisher!

About Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, lifelong actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and creative writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. While she was in England, her flirtation with tea blossomed into a full-blown love affair, culminating in her eventual certification as a tea master.

Connect with Julia
* Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Goodreads *

Buy My Oxford Year
* Amazon * IndieBound * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * iBooks * GooglePlay *

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins, in exchange for a review for the purpose of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Blog Tour: Until It Fades

Until It Fades was my first five star, holy-crap-everyone-and-their-sister-needs-to-read-it book of 2017. I shouldn't have been surprised because K.A. Tucker is one of my favourite authors and I'd probably enjoy anything she writes. Until It Fades, though? Hands down my favourite of her novels. It had everything I love in a story and that, paired with Tucker's excellent writing skills, meant I could barely put the book down. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for allowing to be part of the blog tour!

Here's the synopsis (via Goodreads):

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.
For a time.
But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.
Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

I was really looking forward to Until It Fades because Tucker hasn't really written a novel that's so suspense-free. I adore those twisty books, don't get me wrong, but going into a book knowing there aren't any murderers to track down or mysteries to work out was kind of nice. I may read a bit out of my comfort zone every once and awhile but I am a slave to Happily Ever Afters. Of course, Tucker put her own stamp on the story. This book might be lighter than her others but that doesn't mean it's without drama or surprises (if you're like me, you won't have everything figured out, which was a nice change for me, actually), which added so much more to the story. 

I can't resist a good story that involves athletes. It's no surprise that Tucker, a Canadian, would write about an NHL player. (Also, minor spoiler alert if you read between the lines, if I was writing a story about hockey players I would probably give a certain team a fairy tale ending too.) If you're not into the sportsing, don't worry. Madden's identity may be incredibly entwined with his profession - which means a lot of hockey talk from him - but the games and the lingo won't get in the way of your enjoyment of the novel if you don't like hockey. After all, Catherine barely understands the game and she gets along just fine with Brett.

I think I've mentioned before that I read when I'm doing cardio at the gym. Because of a bit of a messed up back, I do most of my cardio workout on the recumbent bike. Bonus: it's a great machine for reading. The day I started this book I went to the gym after work for a 30 minute session and I honestly did not even notice the time passing. I was so incredibly engrossed in this book that I just pushed myself on the bike when the intervals required it and kept reading. I couldn't figure out why I felt so tired after my workout until I realized that I was working myself so hard because I was so into the story and I just didn't even realize it. 

Catherine was a fantastic character to read. She's tough and resilient because of the scandal she was involved in seven years earlier. (The book opens in 2010 and has flashbacks so you really get a sense of what happened and how Catherine was feeling at the time.) All she cares about is making sure her daughter, Brenna, is looked after. It's almost impossible to put yourself in her shoes but somehow Tucker made me feel every single thing Catherine was feeling. 

Speaking of characters...there are so many amazing secondary characters in this novel. Lou and Leroy were lifesavers for Catherine right after she left home (Gilmore Girls fans - think of how Mia stepped up for Lorelai and Rory), as was Keith. An aside: I really want Keith to get his own HEA. And Jack. And Misty. Point is...I loved reading about all of the people in Catherine's life.

And that cover? It's so ridiculously simple and doesn't tell you much of anything but I love it. 

I often find that some of the hardest reviews to write are for the books I love the most. Until It Fades is one of those books. I don't feel I can do it justice so I'm going to end this sort of rambling review quite simply: read K.A. Tucker's latest book (out tomorrow). It really doesn't matter what genre you're into. If you want a good, interesting, well written story, you've got it. And then can we please talk about it because I need to gush about it some more!

Find KA Tucker online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Want a copy? You can buy one at all these locations:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-a-Million * IndieBound * Walmart * Apple * Google * Kobo
Already have a copy and want a little something extra? You're in luck - the publishers are giving away FIVE signed copies of Until It Fades. And great news for my fellow Canadians, you are eligible! Good luck :)

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*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for a review as part of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Book Boyfriend Blog Hop

May is Chick Lit Month so a few of my author friends are taking part in an awesome Book Boyfriend Blog Hop! The rules are pretty simple and you have the chance to win a great grand prize - a Kindle Paperwhite and 30 Chick Lit/RomCom e-books! How can you pass that up?

So what do you need to do to win? Hop to all the stops (links to the authors' pages are below), collect the Book Boyfriend 2017's name at each stop, then submit all 30 names to traciebanister AT gmail DOT com in order to be entered in the Grand Prize giveaway.

As I mentioned, this giveaway includes a Kindle Paperwhite + 30 e-books, one from each of the authors participating in the hop.

Entries for the hop will be accepted until Sunday, May 21st at midnight EDT and a winner will be chosen on Monday, May 22nd.

And the best news? This Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally!

Good luck, friends, and happy hopping!

Review: The Bookshop on the Corner

As soon as I read about Jenny Colgan's latest novel, The Bookshop on the Corner, I knew I had to read it. It's a book about - and for - book lovers. How could I say no?

Here's the synopsis:

Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more. 
Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. 
From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.

What I absolutely loved about this book is that it's a story of following your dreams no matter how crazy they may seem. That's a scary and hard thing to do and I love that Nina did it. She fought against some things (not wanting to stay in the small town with the van at first) but gradually came to realize that things were unfolding in a way that made perfect sense for her new venture and her new life.

The romance in this novel is pretty predictable (at least it was for me) but that's ok. It wasn't really the point of Nina's story. I think everything that happens to her (no spoilers here, folks!) is needed to make her realize that she is worthy of a great love and especially worthy of someone who treats her with respect.

The Bookshop on the Corner is funny with a healthy dash of silliness - in the best possible way. Nina gets herself into a few scrapes but she has so much heart. She's lovable, real, and so much fun to read. Plus, she's such a quiet, almost forgettable character at the beginning of the novel and it's so wonderful to see her changing into a strong woman.

Jenny Colgan is an author who has so many books on my TBR list and after reading The Bookshop on the Corner I'm definitely going to make time to read from her extensive backlist! I also wouldn't mind at all if Colgan decides to visit Nina and her friends again in another novel someday soon. I kind of miss them! PS Keep scrolling for an excerpt from this new book and a giveaway! (The giveaway is US only as per the publisher...sorry!)

About the Author

Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including Little Beach Street Bakery, Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café, all international bestsellers. Jenny is married with three children and lives in London and Scotland.

Connect with Jenny Colgan

Website 

Twitter

Facebook

Excerpt from The Bookshop on the Corner:

The problem with good things that happen is that very often they disguise themselves as awful things. It would be lovely, wouldn’t it, whenever you’re going through something difficult, if someone could just tap you on the shoulder and say, “Don’t worry, it’s completely worth it. It seems like absolutely horrible crap now, but I promise it will all come good in the end,” and you could say, “Thank you, Fairy Godmother.” You might also say, “Will I also lose that seven pounds?” and they would say, “But of course, my child!”

            That would be useful, but it isn’t how it is, which is why we sometimes plow on too long with things that aren’t making us happy, or give up too quickly on something that might yet work itself out, and it is often difficult to tell precisely which is which.

            A life lived forward can be a really irritating thing. So Nina thought, at any rate. Nina Redmond, twenty-nine, was telling herself not to cry in public. If you have ever tried giving yourself a good talking-to, you’ll know it doesn’t work terribly well. She was at work, for goodness’ sake. You weren’t meant to cry at work.

            She wondered if anyone else ever did. Then she wondered if maybe everyone did, even Cathy Neeson, with her stiff too-blond hair, and her thin mouth and her spreadsheets, who was right at this moment standing in a corner, watching the room with folded arms and a grim expression, after delivering to the small team Nina was a member of a speech filled with jargon about how there were cutbacks all over, and Birmingham couldn’t afford to maintain all its libraries, and how austerity was something they just had to get used to.

            Nina reckoned probably not. Some people just didn’t have a tear in them.

            (What Nina didn’t know was that Cathy Neeson cried on the way to work, on the way home from work—after eight o’clock most nights—every time she laid someone off, every time she was asked to shave another few percent off an already skeleton budget, every time she was ordered to produce some new quality relevant paperwork, and every time her boss dumped a load of administrative work on her at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon on his way to a skiing vacation, of which he took many.

            Eventually she ditched the entire thing and went and worked in a National Trust gift shop for a fifth of the salary and half the hours and none of the tears. But this story is not about Cathy Neeson.)

            It was just, Nina thought, trying to squash down the lump in her throat . . . it was just that they had been such a little library.

            Children’s story time Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Early closing Wednesday afternoon. A shabby old-fashioned building with tatty linoleum floors. A little musty sometimes, it was true. The big dripping radiators could take a while to get going of a morning and then would become instantly too warm, with a bit of a fug, particularly off old Charlie Evans, who came in to keep warm and read the Morning Star cover to cover, very slowly. She wondered where the Charlie Evanses of the world would go now.

            Cathy Neeson had explained that they were going to compress the library services into the center of town, where they would become a “hub,” with a “multimedia experience zone” and a coffee shop and an “intersensory experience,” whatever that was, even though town was at least two bus trips too far for most of their elderly or strollered-up clientele.

            Their lovely, tatty, old pitched-roof premises were being sold off to become executive apartments that would be well beyond the reach of a librarian’s salary. And Nina Redmond, twenty-nine, bookworm, with her long tangle of auburn hair, her pale skin with freckles dotted here and there, and a shyness that made her blush—or want to burst into tears—at the most inopportune moments, was, she got the feeling, going to be thrown out into the cold winds of a world that was getting a lot of unemployed librarians on the market at the same time.

            “So,” Cathy Neeson had concluded, “you can pretty much get started on packing up the ‘books’ right away.”

            She said “books” like it was a word she found distasteful in her shiny new vision of Mediatech Services. All those grubby, awkward books.

—

Nina dragged herself into the back room with a heavy heart and a slight redness around her eyes. Fortunately, everyone else looked more or less the same way. Old Rita O’Leary, who should probably have retired about a decade ago but was so kind to their clientele that everyone overlooked the fact that she couldn’t see the numbers on the Dewey Decimal System anymore and filed more or less at random, had burst into floods, and Nina had been able to cover up her own sadness comforting her.

            “You know who else did this?” hissed her colleague Griffin through his straggly beard as she made her way through. Griffin was casting a wary look at Cathy Neeson, still out in the main area as he spoke. “The Nazis. They packed up all the books and threw them onto bonfires.”

            “They’re not throwing them onto bonfires!” said Nina. “They’re not actually Nazis.”

            “That’s what everyone thinks. Then before you know it, you’ve got Nazis.”

—

With breathtaking speed, there’d been a sale, of sorts, with most of their clientele leafing through old familiar favorites in the ten pence box and leaving the shinier, newer stock behind.

            Now, as the days went on, they were meant to be packing up the rest of the books to ship them to the central library, but Griffin’s normally sullen face was looking even darker than usual. He had a long, unpleasantly scrawny beard, and a scornful attitude toward people who didn’t read the books he liked. As the only books he liked were obscure 1950s out-of-print stories about frustrated young men who drank too much in Fitzrovia, that gave him a lot of time to hone his attitude. He was still talking about book burners.

            “They won’t get burned! They’ll go to the big place in town.”

            Nina couldn’t bring herself to even say Mediatech.

            Griffin snorted. “Have you seen the plans? Coffee, computers, DVDs, plants, admin offices, and people doing cost–benefit analysis and harassing the unemployed—sorry, running ‘mindfulness workshops.’ There isn’t room for a book in the whole damn place.” He gestured at the dozens of boxes. “This will be landfill. They’ll use it to make roads.”

            “They won’t!”

            “They will! That’s what they do with dead books, didn’t you know? Turn them into underlay for roads. So great big cars can roll over the top of centuries of thought and ideas and scholarship, metaphorically stamping a love of learning into the dust with their stupid big tires and blustering Top Gear idiots killing

the planet.”

            “You’re not in the best of moods this morning, are you, Griffin?”

            “Could you two hurry it along a bit over there?” said Cathy Neeson, bustling in, sounding anxious. They only had the budget for the collection trucks for one afternoon; if they didn’t manage to load everything up in time, she’d be in serious trouble.

            “Yes, Commandant Über-Führer,” said Griffin under his breath as she bustled out again, her blond bob still rigid. “God, that woman is so evil it’s unbelievable.”

            But Nina wasn’t listening. She was looking instead in despair at the thousands of volumes around her, so hopeful with their beautiful covers and optimistic blurbs. To condemn any of them to waste disposal seemed heartbreaking: these were books! To Nina it was like closing down an animal shelter. And there was no way they were going to get it all done today, no matter what Cathy Neeson thought.

            Which was how, six hours later, when Nina’s Mini Metro pulled up in front of the front door of her tiny shared house, it was completely and utterly stuffed with volumes.

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*An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins, in exchange for a review for a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own*

Blog Tour: Peri in Progress

It's always a good day when I can write about one of the ladies of Marching Ink. Today I'm sharing my review of Peri in Progress, Cat Lavoie's latest novel, as part of a Chick Lit Plus Blog Tour. You should all know by now that I love the books Samantha March publishes and I love Cat. Of course, with that love comes a sense of, "Oh my god, what if I don't like the next book?" Luckily, I've never not liked one of their books :) Peri in Progress was a thoroughly enjoyable novel and Peri was a heroine that everyone will love.

Here's the synopsis:

You know what they say about best-laid plans…
After a disastrous thirty-first birthday party where she gets stood-up by a man she isn’t supposed to be dating, Peri McKenna decides it’s time to change what hasn’t been working—which is pretty much everything. Her love life is going nowhere fast, she’s bored to tears by a job that makes her the office pariah, and the lifelong junk food addiction that used to be somewhat quirky is now positively problematic. To top it all off, her newly-purchased home is falling apart and wishful thinking hasn’t done much to fix the leaky roof.
It’s time be an adult now that she’s officially ‘thirty-something.’ But when the first step of Peri’s self-improvement plan backfires, she starts to wonder if change might be overrated.
Enter Milo Preston, an up-and-coming chef who’s in town to take over a local restaurant. When Peri and Milo begin working together, she finds it hard to ignore his easy charm and captivating emerald-green eyes. Since Milo is her best friend’s estranged brother, Peri has to keep reminding herself that he is completely off-limits. As they grow closer, Milo introduces Peri to new foods, the joy (and pain) of jogging, and makes her think her luck might finally be turning.
But when the past catches up with them, Peri finds herself back at square one. Will she be able to sort herself out—or will the roof cave in on her once and for all?

As I mentioned, Peri was such a lovely main character. She was so real, with understandable and relatable flaws. Too often chick lit novels will have heroines who are annoyingly messed up at the beginning of the story. That drives me bonkers. I don't want an exaggerated character. I want someone real, someone who I can imagine as one of my friends. Because I know no one is perfect, and a novel about a perfect character would be as annoying as one about someone who is really screwed up, I expect some issues and, in a good chick lit book, those issues will be worked on throughout the novel. Cat writes good chick lit so Peri's journey was really great to read. She identifies her issues easily and early on and strives to work on them throughout the course of the novel. I adored that. It also made for a perfect read for early in the new year, with resolutions and all!

Cat has a knack for writing such lovely Happily Ever After chick lit novels that have so much heart. I find that some stories that leave you with the warm and fuzzies tend to lack a really good storyline. That doesn't happen with Cat's books. There's also humour in Cat's novels and I love that the romance isn't the main part of the story. Peri's relationship with her best friend, Elsa, is just as important as Peri's relationship with Milo. And, as I mentioned above, Peri's work on herself is the most important thing in the book and that is why this book rocks so much.

Peri in Progress is the perfect pick me up chick lit read - especially with this wintery weather my part of the world has been having. Cat Lavoie has given readers another fantastic and real heroine you can't help but root for. I loved reading Peri's story and think many others will as well.

Read on for a quick Q&A with Cat (it's short because I've interviewed her in 2012 and 2013!) and a tour-wide giveaway.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Marching Ink, in exchange for a review as part of this blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Author Q&A
Books Etc.: You're not a full time author (yet) so how do you balance the work that pays the bills, your passion, and life?  
Cat Lavoie: It can be a bit tough to balance everything and, sadly, writing time is almost always the first thing to go when life gets hectic. But I try to devote most weekends to my work-in-progress and I also try to get some work done during my lunch breaks. (Working on the dream job can sometimes help brighten up a dreary work day.)

BE: Do you find inspiration for your stories everywhere? How do you decide what  to turn into a novel? 
CL: I find that I need to "live with" an idea for a little while before I commit to it. I ask myself a lot of "what if?" questions (what if this happened? what if that happened?) and if I'm able to come up with interesting answers, chances are I'll be able to develop the idea into a book. Inspiration can indeed come from everywhere—an overheard conversation, a song, something crazy/funny/weird  that happened to me, or my own overactive imagination.

BE: I know you love London and visiting the city. I smiled when Peri peppered Milo  with questions about his life there during some of their "get to know you"  conversations. What is one thing you have to do the next time you visit London?  And do you think you'll set a novel there in the future? 
CL: I've visited London twice, but I've never been on a tour of Buckingham Palace. I'd also love to eat in one of Jamie Oliver's restaurant—both things are on my to-do list for my next visit. I'd love to set a book in London and write about a character  discovering the city and falling in love with it just like I did so many years ago. (But I think I need to go back before I do that… just to make sure I get everything right!)

About Cat
Cat Lavoie lives in Montreal, Canada with her tempestuous cat, Abbie. She is the author of BREAKING THE RULES, ZOEY & THE MOMENT OF ZEN, and PERI IN PROGRESS.
If Cat isn't reading or writing, she's most likely watching too much TV or daydreaming about her next trip to London.

Author Links
Website
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Newsletter

Blog Tour Links
January 4 - Chick Lit Plus - Review
January 6 - Cherllynn Writes - Excerpt
January 8 - The Book Chick - Review & Q&A
January 12 - Chick Lit Goddess - Excerpt & Q&A
January 14 - Books Etc - Review & Q&A
January 14 - Living Life With Joy - Excerpt & Q&A
January 15 - Jersey Girl Book Reviews - Review, Excerpt, &Q&A
January 15 - One Book At A Time - Excerpt
January 18 - Around the World In Books - Excerpt


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Happy Blogaversary to ME!

That's right, my friends. Today is the day Books Etc. turns FIVE! I cannot believe I've been writing this blog for five years now. It seems like just yesterday I put this Blogger blog together. (Yep. Five years in and I'm still using Blogger...once I'm back from vacation I plan on changing that. I hope.)

SO many amazing things have happened over the past five years. I have made new friends (IRL and online), met more authors than I ever imagined possible (including a few of my all time favourites), read way more books than a normal person should (but I'm not normal), interned at Random House of Canada and Project Bookmark Canada, helped plan a chick lit author event, and oh so much more. (You can read about my second blogaversary here, third here, and fourth here.)

This past year was really hard for me, particularly in the career department (which directly relates to how much money I have and therefore determines everything else I can - or, more frequently, can't - do). My blog really took a hit and it's only been in the past few months that I've gotten back into the swing of things. I'm still getting there but one of the things that really helped was finally making it to BEA and the back-from-hiatus Ontario Book Blogger meet up.

I'm still learning as a blogger (and a human!) and I'm hoping for even more change and amazing things over the next year.

Now, a couple of bloggers - Jaime of Two Chicks on Books and Amber of Me, My Shelf, and I - are both celebrating their five year blogaversaries as well and wanted to open up the celebrations to anyone else who is in the five year cllub. The start of the Fantastic Fives celebration starts TODAY and because the start date falls on my actual blogaversary, they granted me the first spot. How sweet is that?

Fantastic Fives Interview Questions

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm a 28 year old, tall (6'), Canadian (I live about 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls) female. I'm obsessed with books (duh), tea (someone may need to stage an intervention and ban me from David's Tea), and my bunny (her name is Tonks…yep, like the Harry Potter character). I've lived in enough places to have collected four different library cards. I have a background in communications, events, and fundraising and I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

How did you get started blogging?

The short answer is I just started because I wanted to talk about books. The longer answer includes a previous knowledge of blogging thanks to my fourth year seminar class in university (my final assignment was writing a blog…it's still live if you want to check it out!) and finding a few blogs online thanks to Twitter (I'm pretty sure Chick Lit Plus was the first blog I fell in love with).

How did you pick the name for your blog?

I hardly remember! I think I settled on it because I knew it wouldn't strictly be about books.

If you could go back in time and tell your newbie blogger self one thing what would it be?

Pick a better url, haha! But also to just do your thing and not worry about what anyone else is reading or how they're blogging. It took  me awhile to learn that.

What have you learned in your five years of blogging?

The book community can be really great and welcoming but there are catty/cliquey moments that make me feel like I'm back in high school. So, I've learned to ignore those moments and focus on the good, which includes the amazing friends I've made and the insane opportunities I've been given. I've also learned way more about the publishing process which has been eye opening and so much fun.

What was the first ARC or book you ever received from a publisher?

It wasn't an ARC but the first book I received was A Scottish Ferry Tale and it was part of a blog tour (review is here if your interest is piqued!). I adored it! It took time though. I didn't get it until almost six months after starting my blog.  

When you’re not reading or blogging, what can we find you doing?

Not reading…I don't understand…Kidding! I'm a pretty average girl. If I don’t have my nose in a book, I'm either hanging out with my boyfriend or friends, likely watching TV shows, movies, baseball or the odd hockey game, or my whackadoodle rabbit act like the crazy nut she is. I could also be at the gym. The whole fitnessing thing is kind of recent (even though I played basketball many moons ago) since I screwed up my back earlier in 2015 and working out and getting stronger has helped immensely.

I couldn't NOT share a pic of Tonks (there are many more
on Instagram and Twitter, promise.)

The Fives

Five Favourite Books

Harry Potter (Ugh. FINE! Prisoner ofAzkaban) (review)
Anne of Green Gables (though I might love Anne of the Island more)
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (review)
Arranged by Catherine McKenzie (review)
Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr (review)

Five Favourite Book Boyfriends

Marcus Flutie from Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series (I think he was my first book boyfriend)
Brook from Laura Chapman's First & Goal
Dex from Sarah Dessen's This Lullaby (review)
Any of the three brothers from Nora Roberts' Inn Boonsboro series (review of book one and book three)
Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables (actually, he may have been my first book boyfriend but I don't think I realized it at the time. I was, like, 10 when I first read it.)

Five Favourite Book Quotes

"'All life's lessons are not learned at college,' she thought. 'Life teaches them everywhere.'" 
Anne of the Island

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly and then all at once."

I may have my issues with John Green but I adore this quote from The Fault in Our Stars.

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." 
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

“I am simply a 'book drunkard.' Books have the same irresistible temptation for me that liquor has for its devotee. I cannot withstand them.”
Lucy Maud Montgomery (I actually have a bracelet with this engraved on it)

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
Jane Austen

Five Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

1. Don't say yes to every review request.

2. Be polite and courteous to authors and publishers. This may be a hobby but you should conduct yourself in a professional manner. They don't have to send you books so make them want to work with you. Review books when you say you will! (I'm still working on this. So many books, so little time.)

3. Interact with other bloggers! It's an amazing community. And we won't bite, promise. (Er…except for the crazy chick I heard about at a past BEA.)

4. Schedule. You don't want to miss reviews/promos/NetGalley archive date because you forgot to write it down. It will also help you decide what to read next.

5. Have fun! Your blog is just that: yours. Give it personality! Write reviews how you want to write them and don't worry if you're doing it "right" because right is the way that makes you happiest.

Five Blogs You Want The World To Know About – Canadian (er...Ontario) Edition!

1. Browsing Bookshelves (Natalie is now one of my closest friends and we met because of blogging!)

2. Just a Lil' Lost

3. Mostly YA Lit

4. Ms Lady Critic (she started blogging and is now focusing on booktubing)

5. Emilie's Book World

Now for even more fun...I've decided I WILL do a giveaway this year. I don't exactly have the money (working part time is such a delight) BUT the book community has done so much for me so I want to give something back. Here's a bit of fine print: I'm away on vacation right now so I have no idea if the Rafflecopter will even decide to work. And because I'm going away well in advance of this post going live and have a ton of other things to think about...it's a bit of a generic giveaway. I'll work out with the winner where the book will come from and, depending on where the winner lives, I might send a few little extra fun things. So make sure you leave a way for me to contact you in the blog post comment. If, for some reason, Rafflecopter doesn't work, leave a comment for me telling me what one of your favourite books is and I'll do a manual giveaway on the 29th. Good luck!

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Don't forget to check out the other blogs that are turning five this year!

November 9 Fiktshun

November 10 Two Chicks On Books

November 11 Me, My Shelf and I
November 12 Bewitched Bookworms
November 13 Novel Novice

November 14 Book Angel Booktopia

November 15 Maer Wilson

November 16 Taking It One Book At A Time

November 17 YA Book Shelf

November 18 Musings of a YA Reader

November 19 Bookish Lifestyle

November 20 Once Upon A Twilight

November 21 Annette's Book Spot

November 22 Bookaholics Anonymous

November 23 Deal Sharing Aunt 

Release Blitz: Surviving Ice

Are you as excited as I am that K.A. Tucker's latest novel is released today? Surviving Ice is the fourth novel in the Burying Water series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. It's suspense, romance, and intrigue all wrapped up in a well written package. Well...to be honest, I can't say that for sure about Surviving Ice as I'm saving this one to read on my upcoming vacation. BUT I've read and loved all of the other books in the Burying Water series so I know what kind of read to expect. This book, like the others, is published by Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Oh, I bet you'd like to see the full cover in all of it's colourful glory right about now, wouldn't you? Ask and ye shall receive.

Here's what this new book is all about:

The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths series and Burying Water—which Kirkus Reviews called “a sexy, romantic, gangster-tinged page-turner”—returns with a new novel packed with romance, plot twists, and psychological suspense.Ivy Lee, a talented tattoo artist who spent the early part of her twenties on the move, is looking for a place to call home. She thinks she might have finally found it working in her uncle’s tattoo shop in San Francisco. But all that changes when a robbery turns deadly, compelling her to pack up her things yet again.
When they need the best, they call him. That’s why Sebastian Riker is back in California, cleaning up the mess made after a tattoo shop owner with a penchant for blackmail got himself shot. But it’s impossible to get the answers he needs from a dead body, leaving him to look elsewhere. Namely, to the twenty-something-year-old niece who believes this was a random attack. Who needs to keep believing that until Sebastian finds what he’s searching for.
Ivy has one foot out of San Francisco when a chance encounter with a stranger stalls her departure. She’s always been drawn to intense men, so it’s no wonder that she now finds a reason to stay after all, quickly intoxicated by his dark smile, his intimidating strength, and his quiet control.
That is, until Ivy discovers that their encounter was no accident—and that their attraction could be her undoing.

Intrigued yet? Good. Here's where you can buy your very own copy:
Amazon.com ** Amazon.ca ** Barnes and Noble  ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound

Here's an excerpt to get you even more excited:

                It’s just a regular ringtone. For me, though, it’s the wail of a war siren, and I’m immediately alert. There is only one person who has this number, and I didn’t expect him to use it again so soon.

                The tile is cool against my bare feet as I roll out of bed. I collect the phone from the nightstand with one fluid movement, unhindered by sheets or the morning sluggishness that an average person might face. Stepping through the propped-open patio doors and onto the balcony, I answer with a low, curt “Yeah.” The sky is just beginning to lighten over the quiet bay. Dozens of boats sit moored below, their passengers lulled into deep sleep by the ocean air and rhythmic waves. I’m high enough up that I’m not likely to offend anyone with my lack of clothing, especially at this hour. Not that I’m truly concerned by it.

                “Ice.”

                The code name is a sharp contrast to the warm breeze skating across my bare skin. My adrenaline begins to spike, all the same. Hearing it means that I will be forced to leave this haven soon. Sooner than I had hoped.

                “How is recovery going?”

                I instinctively peer down at the angry red scar on the outside of my thigh, where a bullet drilled into my flesh and muscle just three weeks ago, outside of Kabul. I nearly bled out before I made it to the doc. He patched me up on a makeshift operating table, buried deep in a maze of rooms, and charged me a hefty price.

                “Like new,” I lie.

                “Good.” Bentley’s voice is rich and smooth, a welcome sound in a sea of strangers. “Where are you now?”

                I peer out over the beautiful vista of crystal blue water and whitewashed stone buildings, the volcanic rock cliffs in the distance, reluctant to divulge my location. I sank a good chunk of my last payout on renting this one-bedroom villa for the month. It’s my private sanctuary, where I can revel in anonymity and peace for a while, before finding somewhere else to drift to.

                Bentley has never asked before.

                But he also has the technical capabilities to trace this call. If he really wants to find out, then he will. In fact, the second I picked up, he probably already had his answer. “Where do I need to be?” I say instead.

                “San Francisco.”

Haven't read the previous titles in the Burying Water Series? Get them here:
Burying Water
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound
Becoming Rain
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound

Chasing River
Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** iBooks ** Kobo ** IndieBound

About K.A. Tucker: Born in small-town Ontario, K.A. Tucker published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Novel Goodreads ** Author Goodreads **
YouTube ** Pinterest ** Instagram

 

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