Monday, January 17, 2011

Book Giveaway: Arranged by Catherine McKenzie

We have a winner!

CONGRATULATIONS TO NIKKI for winning the copy of ARRANGED! Please stay tuned because next week we will be giving away another great book, The Accidental Adult, by Colin Sokolowski. If you're an adult, this book is for you!
Thanks for reading!




GIVEAWAY!
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

I just finished reading Arranged by Catherine McKenzie and very rarely do I plow through a book like I did with this one! So much so in fact that I dropped what I was doing. I know, I know, you're laughing thinking, "OK, really, what does SHE have to do!?" But seriously, I grabbed a chair, took my butt outside into the 75-degree weather (sorry folks back home), and read, read, read this awesome book!

Here's a quick premise - I don't want to give too much away, because you've GOT to read it:

Anne Blythe has just broken up with another one of her boyfriends and finds a business card in the street promoting what she thinks is a dating company called, ironically, Blythe & Company. Because of the similarity of the company’s name and her last name, she keeps the card and eventually calls this ‘dating’ company only to discover they really arrange marriages. Tired of picking the wrong men, and after deep contemplation, she agrees to be matched for marriage. Soon, Anne is on her way to Mexico to meet, Jack, the man who’s the perfect match for her, sight unseen.

Based solely on personality scores and psychology testing, Anne and Jack meet, and what unfolds from here will have you turning pages so quickly you’ll want to get to the end, yet you’ll also want to prolong your reading enjoyment. Jack and Anne’s relationship from their very first meeting is so real, so sparked with tenderness and that first sexual tension that you’ll have a difficult time putting ARRANGED down.


And lucky for you guys, you'll have a chance to win a copy here! But you have to do a couple things -

1. I would really like it if you aren't doing so already, could you please "FOLLOW" my blog? I think this will mean that when I update my posts, you'll get notices, so that will be good--you won't have to click on every now and then to see when I update - someone who's more familiar with this, can you let me know if this is true? And there's a button over there on the right where it says FOLLOW so it's really easy to do. I think. If not, let me know.

2. Leave me a comment here on some funny story about a blind date, a matched date you had, since the book is about an arranged marriage - tell me something about what you think about blind dates, match.com, anything of that nature. This is your entry to the contest to win the book. Also, you MUST please leave your email. If you don't leave an email address, I can't include you - it's too hard for me to try to track you down. Use the (a) if you're afraid of spammers. Thanks!

3. Head over to Catherine McKenzie's FB page and "LIKE" her. Avid book fans might also enjoy her other FB project: I Bet We Can Make These Books Best Sellers. She is always giving away a ton of books - currently she's giving away 30 books! (She also has another book SPIN that came out before Arranged, which I haven't read yet, but it was a bestseller in Canada. I will be reviewing and giving that one away too!)

I'll draw a winner soon, and there will be lots more giveaways coming your way! Thanks for reading!

PeaCe uP!

25 comments:

Heidi @ Decor & More said...

Yay!! Can't wait to read this one-- I'm a huge fan of Catherine! Here's something funny-- my husband always says "let's just go into match.com and plug in all of our info to see if they match us up." HA! As if! That being said: my ex found his new wife on match.com so time will tell, folks. Thanks, MM, as always for your generosity!
heidimilton at comcast dot net

Kirsten said...

not a "bad" date per se, just weird. Had a date with this guy, we had ice cream and then sat outside on a beautiful summer evening and just talked and talked and talked - for 4 1/2 hours. But we must have discussed everything we had to discuss because I never heard from him again.

Tammy B said...

i've never read any of her work, but am always on the lookout for a new author to fall in love with. i can only remember one blind date, and as many bind dates go, it was a disaster! he was a good 4 inches shorter than i which in itself would not have been a big deal, but along with that came a very large napoleon complex! oh and a gun. he worked for the sheriff's department and felt the need to wear his side arm all the time. needless to say there was no 2nd date with the very angry napoleon!

Kate said...

A blind date said to me: "You read too much." Now, on some levels this might be true, but it was a clear sign that we were NOT made for each other. I do appreciate him saying it up front on our first date rather than having to wait around a while to find out he thought I was weird. Luckily, I went out with my now-husband the next night so no more blind dates. In theory, though, if the people setting you up put some thought into it, a blind date could be a positive thing. In my case, I suspect the only things we have in common were "single" and, hmmm, that's about it. :)

BRN2SHOP9 said...

I follow through GFC. I can't wait to read this book! I have heard so much about it.

I don't have a story. I have never been on a blind date, and I don't believe in online match ups.

~L0SERM0M~ said...

Sounds like a goood book! If I win it I will NOT be taking it outside to sit on the deck and read, unless of course I wait for about 4 months before I start reading. NEVER HAPPEN. I canNOT have a book in my possesion and NOT read it.

Okay, onto my funny story. It is kinda funny, but still rather embarrassing. I have NO clue why. It's not really that bad. My sister was dating a guy, his best friend was home on leave from the army. Double date time with my sister. Dinner and a Movie. We go to Pizza Hut for dinner. Yeah I know big spenders! Hell, at least it wasn't buffet night. They had to order REAL pizza! Are ya ready? Here it goes. Straw in my Pepsi. I go to take a drink. Straw right up my right nostril. I KID YOU NOT!!! I can still, to this day remember the look on my sister's face. PRICELESS. I do have to tell you everytime I was on a date after that I NEVER EVER used a straw.

losermomx3@yahoo.com

Amy R. said...

Hey Stephanie!
This book sounds awesome, thank you for offering the contest!
After a bad breakup, I went on match.com just to browse around at all the other 'fish in the sea'. Having just read Twilight, I was hoping I'd pull a "Bella" and find my own Edward (HA!). I ended up seeing a guy I dated on the website. He was such a player, and I was appalled by some of the things he listed in his profile (made him sound very shallow). I freaked out and logged off, never going back to match.com ever again.

Good news is, I found an amazing guy (from work!), and we have been together for over 2 years now :)

(I follow your blog under amesbunny03.blogspot.com, however I moved my blog to www.thebloggingbunny.com where I've listed you under my blogroll for quite some time now! My email is amy.a.risner@gmail.com)

Terri said...

This book sounds like a good one!! The best story I have is that during the first meeting of a guy we were laughing so hard that I passed gas. This made us laugh even harder, so an endless cycle of embarrassment! Yikes! I ended up being with him for 15 year total, married for 10. We've since divorced, so I guess that opens me up to more funny date stories in my future! :)
tmajor421@gmail.com

Tiffany Drew said...

I have never been on a blind date before, but I did meet my husband via the internet(this was ten years ago when it was not yet acceptable to do so). The funny part about this was a year after we were married, in a random conversation with some of his family members, I found out that a) he didn't tell them we met online and b) he told them we met because I was driving by the house and thought he was "hot" and pulled over to talk to him! I will never let him live that one down lol.

Thanks so much for the giveaway, I have been dying to read Arranged for a while now. I follow Catherine on Facebook, she is wonderful. Thanks for the chance!!

jaidahsmommy AT comcast DOT net

Nancye said...

Sounds like a great book! I would love to win a copy! I am a follower.

I haven't really been on any blind dates. The only funny stories I have are from the books I have read or movies I have seen.

I like Catherine McKenzie's Facebook Page.


nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nikki said...

I've never been much of a blind date person, and the one I let coworkers set me up on, I ended up avoiding the guys for weeks because he wouldn't leave me alone. That said, I met my husband on an online computer game. I'm all for internet dating sites - I figure they are just as effective, if not more so, than meeting people in bars.

nrkoon at gmail dot com

amanda Hugo said...

I have never been on a blind date or to a dating service but a family friend met this guy on match.com and this weekend they got engaged in Las Vegas! I hope all works out for them!! Would love to read this book

Amanda
mandyhugo@aol.com

Unknown said...

Follow -- done.. have for a while now...
FB Page -- done.. have liked for a while now.

STORY: I have only ever been on one blind date and it pretty much stopped me from ever going on another. The guy took me star gazing with telescope and gave a science lesson. We were in the middle of no where and I felt unsafe! He was nice but boring. We had nothing in comment. At the end he made a move which I stopped. It was awkward... I have never had so few words to say to another human.

My hope: I win the book to make up for the bad date! LOL.

Thanks for the chance!
schlarmette [at] gmail[dot]com

Coleen said...

I would love to read this book!!! I have read the reviews and synopsis and it sounds so awesome!!!

The bad date that I had was back in the day. . probably about 10 yrs ago. I met this guy at a bar while having drinks with some college friends. .. he asked me out so we decided to go to the movies and get something to eat!!! So we went to see SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. . .. right before the movie started he told me that he had to go to the bathroom and that he would be back. About half way through the movie he still wasnt back .. started to get worried aobut him. When he finally got back I asked him if he was ok and he said " oh yeah i am ok .. i was sitting in the back watching the movie." So he basically left me at the movies.
I lived on a cul de sac at the time and when he dropped me off he pulled around the circle and kept driving at a slow speed while i got out. Needless to say . .i never heard from him again and we actually never got anything to eat that night. . he told me that he as sick. I was horrified at the time but looking back at it, i laugh now!!!

my email address: cata63@hotmail.com

PoCoKat said...

I follow on GFC.

I've never been a blind date nor have I personally tried an online dating service. Most women I know have not done well but one friend did find her husband through online dating.

littleone AT shaw DOT ca

Anonymous said...

i once went out on a blind date...to the zoo.


karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

i'm a follower :)

thanks for the chance to read this novel...it sounds great!

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Jeryl M. said...

I went on a blind date once where the guy made me pay for my own movie and acted like it was a big deal that he paid for my dinner.

Renee Sun said...

A few of my friends have had arranged marriages (they're family's were from India). I think it works a lot of the time, if your family "knows" you, they can usually "pick" someone that has similiar interests and that your would be compatible (sp) with!

Hally said...

I love Manic Book Giveaways, thanks Steph!

Hmm....I've got a great girlfriend who is superfun, but hasn't met 'THE ONE' yet. When she submitted her online profile, she kept getting matched up with these European men who had 'just' moved to Silicon Valley to work. When we looked at her profile, I was surprised at information she submitted because it was nothing like how she is in real life. But it was how SHE perceived herself. I wonder if the way online dating works these days, takes that into account?

globalfluffybum at gmail dot com

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND A WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN. PLEASE DO NOT ENTER. NEXT WEEK WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER BOOK TO GIVE AWAY!

Anonymous said...

skooogs@gmail.com

AisforRandom said...

O I want this! is this how you enter? I dont understand, I just want books!

Anonymous said...

When my two oldest boys became teenagers...that will do it! :)

Margie said...

Book sounds interesting. THanks for the great giveaway!
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com