THE END OF EVERYTHING by MEGAN ABBOTT

The winner of The End of Everything is:
ludy2288
Congratulations!

Please email me your full name and address at stephanieelliot@gmail.com so I can send you your book!

The End of Everything
By Megan Abbott

The End of Everything is another one of those books that I read about and I KNEW in my gut I just had to read ASAP. There are very few books like this that I just feel in my soul when I read about it that I just KNOW I have to get my hands on it or I will die won't be able to stop thinking about it. (Bed, by David Whitehouse, is another one and that’s coming up in this giveaway too).

Needing to get my hands on a book like this is like a force beyond control. So, here’s what I did. I found Megan Abbott online and I asked her if I could review her book. Without knowing anything else but what a beautiful cover the book had and what I had heard about the book.

And I loved it.

Oh my gosh. Just wow.

Thank you so much Megan, for sharing your book with me, and for allowing me to share it with everyone here.

The End of Everything is about two 13-year-old best friends, Evie and Lizzie, who live next door to one another, and just before summer, Evie is kidnapped. It’s been a while since I read it, but after I read a book, I try to get to the computer and write down what I felt immediately, while it’s still fresh in my mind, so I don’t lose the thoughts that I have when I’ve been affected by such a book.

Here’s what I wrote then about The End of Everything:

I could see 13-year-old girls feel the way Evie and Lizzie might feel... to imagine and dream of knights in shining armor, and a love so powerful and strong, and the girls having power over men who cannot control themselves they would do anything for them.


The End of Everything is so real and raw -- it's about two young teen best friends and one of them suddenly is gone. Her best friend is left behind and doesn't know what has happened. Or does she? Had Evie left clues? Evie's older sister, Dusty, is lost and rampant it seems, in her own world, and is she mourning the fact that her sister is gone, or mourning secrets she has hidden from her family as to why her sister has disappeared?


And Lizzie is suddenly the center of attention, where before, was she nothing? Just Evie's best friend. Lizzie's got no father figure, and now Evie's father is paying her loads of attention, doting on her almost to the point of obsession in Lizzie's mind, and she's eating it up. She's giving away secrets, but only enough to keep the attention where she wants it, so they have to ask for more. Will these secrets be enough to find Evie, and does Evie want to be found, or did Evie go away to find a love so strong that it couldn't be contained?


The End of Everything is the story told in the mind of a 13-year old, and how a young girl might hold thoughts of a massive love, how she might think that a man might believe a girl could have the power to love, when really, the only power a 13 year old girl has is to dream and imagine, and often those dreams could turn into nightmares.

So wow. RIGHT? Reading what I wrote back then after I read The End of Everything makes me want to read it all over again. Such a powerful book. It makes me think back to when I was thirteen. Because when you’re thirteen, and you’re suddenly maybe discovering you can be a sexual person, or maybe you can learn to flirt, don’t you discover you might have some sort of magical power over the opposite sex? Either way, at thirteen, you are definitely learning about many things in life. And this scares me because my own daughter will soon be thirteen. And really, at thirteen, you don’t know squat, even though you think you own the world, and you think you KNOW the world.

What did you learn or discover about yourself when you were thirteen? Here’s something about me when I was about thirteen years old:

When I was twelve or thirteen, and now this is becoming hazy and vague as I try to remember, we were visiting my grandparents in Ohio and I wore this Adidas t-shirt the whole summer. So all the boys called me Adidas. And I loved having that nickname. Can you say major tomboy?

There was this boy named Scott Lupi (Am pretty sure that was his name). Everyone told me he liked me. I wanted him to kiss me but I was scared to be kissed. So I avoided him. My younger sister was a big flirt so she would hang out with the boys. I think I was moody. OF COURSE I was moody. One of the star-filled nights I was sitting on a fold-up chair, and my sister was hanging with the boys, NOT being shy at all. She came over to me and planted a kiss right smack on my lips and said, “That’s from Scott.”
I missed out on what could have been my first perfect kiss because I had been to shy and scared.

Tell me something about YOU from when you were thirteen years old and you will be entered to win The End of Everything!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got more books coming your way through October. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

Sit-Down Dinners? What Are Those?

Our family does not do a lot of sit-down dinners. It’s impossible, for these reasons: 

~My husband travels a lot for work. 

~The kids have after-school activities. 

~I hate to cook. 

So maybe, MAYBE on a good week we’ll get two sit-down dinners a week. And I’m not talking extravagant sit-downs. Last week I made canned spaghetti sauce and frozen meatballs, bagged lettuce and a fresh loaf of bread from the grocery store. And before that, another night, I did two pizza crusts and topped one with cheese and sauce and the other one with fresh tomatoes and the good buffalo mozzarella. 

Those are just the kinds of dinners I make. I’m not snazzy.

Ooh, but I like that word. S N A Z Z Y. 

Here’s the thing though. Even though we don’t have a lot of family sit-down dinners, when we do have them, we’ve got our traditions. I ALWAYS have to sit in the same seat, and you moms out there probably do this too. It’s the seat closest to where the kitchen is located, right. So when everyone says, “MOM, can you get me the so-and-so…” you don’t have to dodge four other chairs to get up and get the so-and-so, right?

Another tradition we have at our rare occasion dinners is that my youngest, Luke ALWAYS says our family prayer. He’s been saying it since he could talk, and he’s ten now. It’s so freakin’ cute that he’s gonna be saying it til he’s 18 I’m sure, and I don’t even know if he knows he’s got it wrong, but it’s the God is Great prayer. However, he says it wrong.

He says it the opposite way so it does not rhyme. Like this:

“God is good, God is great, let us thank him for our food.”

Does not rhyme! But we all hold hands around the table and close our eyes. Well, some of us do. I think I keep mine open to watch how cute everyone is. And he says this prayer. And then everyone starts to eat, but then we do our OTHER dinner tradition, which is BEST PART/WORST PART.

We go around the table sharing our best part and worst part of the day. And NO ONE is allowed to say that the moment we are sharing right then and there is the BEST PART because that is the automatic given. Because we are all together as a family, and we all already know that’s the absolute best part of our day. It gives us all a chance to discuss our day and sometimes what’s neat about it is that the best/worst part of our day is the same thing. For instance, last week, my best/worst was I was happy that I was going to be able to go to Starbucks to write (BEST), but then when I got there, I wasn’t having very much luck thinking of what I wanted to write about (WORST). 

So, even though our dinners together are rare, we make sure to make the most of them when we do have a chance for all of us to be together. We make them as memorable as we can. What do you and your family do together to make your dinners special? Sometimes we do AM for PM and they LOVE getting pancakes and bacon for dinner. That’s ALWAYS a fun night. 

This family sometimes does dessert first. I know my kids would freak for that. Ice cream for dinner! (Actually, the other night the whole family was gone and I went to the store and got myself one of those big sugar smiley face cookies and ate that for my dinner! Shhh! They don’t know I did that!) 

If you would like to share your family traditions at the Fresh Takes site, you could be entered to win a $50 gift card through Subway and have the chance to be picked to be a “family of the month” on their website! Feel free to share your stories over there! 

Don’t forget to make your family a priority! They’re the most important people in your life.

I’ll be back later this week with another blast of books for you as well! Thanks for reading. You guys rock!

THE FIRST HUSBAND by LAURA DAVE

The winner of The First Husband is:
MamamicheleTN
Congratulations!

Please email me your full name and address at stephanieelliot@gmail.com so I can send you your book!

The First Husband
By Laura Dave

*this is #4 of four books in a row I'm blasting to you this week in the Fall Fab Book Giveaway- 

be sure to enter them all!

This one is a repeat, but it's sooo worth it to have Laura Dave back in the line-up with her fabulous novel, The First Husband! I absolutely love Laura, and when I do meet her in real life someday, I'm going to give her the biggest hug in the world. She has been so helpful to me in my own efforts to get published and I can't tell you all how wonderful of a person she is aside from being an incredible author. Truly one of my faves!

So, here is the review I shared with readers back in March for her third novel, The First Husband, offering it here again for you guys.

Laura Dave has done it again with her third novel, The First Husband. Readers will fall in love with travel writer, Annie Adams, who is unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend Nick of five years and now doesn’t quite know where to call home.

Her rebound guy quickly becomes the real deal, and Annie’s First Husband. Griffin is caring, selfless, compassionate, and only wants practically everything good for Annie. She follows him to rural Massachusetts to open his restaurant where she is thrown into a world she is completely unfamiliar with. Griffin’s brother Jesse, his ex-girlfriend Gia, and his overbearing mother all play intricate parts in making Annie wonder if her very real love for Griffin is enough to make her marriage work.

When Nick comes back into Annie’s life, realizing he has always loved Annie, and a new job offer surfaces, she’s even more confused. How can Annie figure out where home is for her, and what will she do to find the comfort she so desperately needs?

Laura’s writing is so genuine and rich; her characters are real and sweet. The men – I’ve always loved the men in her stories! And what I love about The First Husband is that I found myself wondering all through the book, “Who is Annie going to end up with?” And I think whoever she chose, I would have been happy with her decision, because first and foremost, I knew that whatever Annie was going to do, she was going to take care of her own happiness before choosing to be with the absolute perfect man for her.

Here's my question for you to enter to win Laura's The First Husband: What celebrity do you think makes a great first husband? I'm going to say Ben Affleck or Vince Vaughn. And I know some of you are going to have your own answers and I'm going to be like, "Oh YEAH! That guy too!" So go ahead, and tell me who you think and you'll be entered to win Laura Dave's The First Husband!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

IN MALICE QUITE CLOSE by BRANDI LYNN RYDER

Winner of In Malice Quite Close is:

Beth C.

Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com with your full name and address so I can get you your book! Thanks! Congrats!

In Malice Quite Close


By Brandi Lynn Ryder

*this is #3 of four books in a row I'm blasting to you this week in the Fall Fab Book Giveaway- 

be sure to enter them all!

When I was first asked to review In Malice Quite Close, I have to admit, I almost turned it down. The title didn’t quite appeal to me (later I discover it’s part of a poem), and then at first, the description didn’t really grab me. But something, somehow pulled at me, and I told the publicist to go ahead and send it to me.

This is one of those really cool times I am so glad I didn’t make a mistake. It is an incredible read. It’s definitely not one of my normal chicky books, and definitely don’t get me wrong when I refer to my normal books as “chicky” books, but by now, you all know the types of books I love to read. Women’s fiction.

This one is more of a mysterious thrilling page-turner where I had no clue where it was going or what was happening or who might be a bad guy or if the main character was whacky or not. Do you know what I mean? See … Not my normal read!

I also loved this book because it starts out with a young girl being kidnapped and morphs into her turning into the kidnapper’s lover. There’s also a strong element of the art world as well, and I was an art history major, so that aspect appealed to me.

I started reading it when we got home from Chicago this summer. It was one of those things where I said, “Hmmm, I’ll read the first couple of pages and see where it takes me.” I had piles of mail surrounding me and a bunch of books to sort through, and tons of laundry to do, but I ended up on the couch where I read through the first 43 pages like THAT!

That’s a sign of a really good book. I knew I had to finish this book and then share it with you guys.

Here’s the book blurb:

When Tristan Mourault—expatriate aesthete, and heir to a world-renowned collection of Impressionist masterpieces—catches sight of young Karen Miller during a trip to San Francisco, he knows he must have her. Convincing himself that she deserves more than the frayed, middle-brow life she was born into, he sets in motion a calculated campaign of enchantment and romance that sweeps Karen off her feet. First, he stages her disappearance. Then, her transformation. Karen, the ordinary fifteen-year-old girl, becomes Gisèle—Tristan's daughter by day, his lover by night, and the crowning achievement of his lifelong quest for beauty and perfection.

Fifteen years later, Devon, Washington. Framed by glacial lakes and snow-capped mountains, Devon is a picturesque bohemia with a prospering art scene. Tristan and Gisèle are the center of this elite, eccentric, and capricious world, and Gisèle herself has matured into a sophisticated young woman. The desired object of many admirers, she is also now a devoted mother to her daughter Nicola and a distant wife to Luke, the man she married to keep up appearances. But the secrets that hold their life together are as ornate as the town's legendary architecture. When Nicola uncovers a cache of unsigned nude portraits—all of Gisèle —Tristan's carefully curated world erupts, and tragedy unfolds.

An exploration into the origins of obsession and the beguiling power of art, In Malice, Quite Close tells a story of perilous greed and manipulation, drawing readers into a byzantine drama that keeps its darkest secrets until the very last page.

You can download the first 20 pages of the book on Brandi’s website here: EXCERPT.

To enter to win In Malice Quite Close tell me if you’ve ever picked up a book you weren’t sure about but then were later really surprised by it, either positively or negatively. If you can’t think of one, that’s OK too, just leave a comment, and you’ll be entered. Cuz I’m nice like that!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER by KARYN BOSNAK

Winner of What's Your Number is:
AC MORRIS

Please email me your full name and address at stephanieelliot@gmail.com so I can send you your book!

What’s Your Number?


By Karyn Bosnak

*this is #2 of four books in a row I'm blasting to you this week in the Fall Fab Book Giveaway- 

be sure to enter them all!

I KNOW many of you are already excited about seeing the movie What’s Your Number, but I’m not sure if many of you are aware that it first was a book called Twenty Times a Lady written by Karen Bosnak, famous author of Save Karyn, same famous person who started the blog, SaveKaryn.com who was way in debt and thought of a brilliant way to get out of debt by being funny online and asking complete strangers to give her money on her website.

And yes, Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I wrote that whole above sentence and I didn’t get a huge red squiggly line underneath it.

So anyway, Karyn was like the first person ever to come up with the concept of blogging for bucks! And because she was so savvy, she got herself out of $20,000 of debt!

Her first book, Save Karyn is AWESOME.

And now her second, also awesome book, What’s Your Number (previously called Twenty Times a Lady) is coming out THIS weekend on THE BIG SCREEN!

Here’s the movie trailer: What’s Your Number movie trailer.

I am so flippin’ happy for her you have NO IDEA! I would say Karyn and I became pretty good internet friends once I stalked we started chattin’ it up online. Then I won her Love, Sex, & My Ex contest and if you want a good laugh, you MUST go here and read my entry. It’s about how I gave a boy my underwear one night, and what happened a few years later. I was a naughty girl in my younger days. Just a bit. Here is the story:

I won Karyn's Love, Sex & My Ex Contest Because I Wrote About THIS incident!

But OK, back to Karyn and What’s Your Number. You can win the book HERE. You don’t have to tell me your number and I won’t tell you mine. All I want to know is if your first time was worth it or not with a YES or a NO in the comment section. If you FEEL you must offer more details, then I’m ALL about hearing them!

I will tell you that my first time was a big fat NOT WORTH IT and on my parent’s bedroom floor while they were out of town. But I will also tell you I was 18 and the last virgin left on the face of the planet and about to go away to college and I needed to get rid of it like it was A POISON.

What had to be done had to be done. I know. Horrible, horrible.

So, yep, the next book up for grabs, What’s Your Number. Win the book here by telling me if your first was a YES or a NO. And get out there and see this movie! I can’t wait to!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

THE WHOLE PACKAGE by CYNTHIA ELLINGSEN

The winner of The Whole Package is:
Lynnbelo
Congrats!
Please email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com so I can send you your book!

  
The Whole Package
 By Cynthia Ellingsen

Today, I’m excited to bring you a fun romp of a book and a guest author blogger to tell you about it! Author Cynthia Ellingsen is guest blogging about her book, so I’m going to turn it over to her and she’s going to fill you in on her novel, The Whole Package!

Hi Manic Mommy. Thanks so much for hosting me - your blog is hilarious, you crack me up. I hope you enjoyed The Whole Package!

The Whole Package is about three best friends who lose everything. One loses her job, one loses her fortune and one loses her husband. Together, they decide to open the world’s first restaurant exclusively staffed by scantily clad men.

Even though I wanted the book to be a hilarious romp centered around a restaurant with half-dressed waiters, it’s not. The Whole Package is a story about friendships, relationships and starting over.

The character in The Whole Package that needs a fresh start the most is Doris. She’s a reluctant mother, reluctant wife and requires copious amounts of chocolate and Xanax just to make it through. Everyone in her life takes her for granted, including her husband, Doug. Here’s a scene from their anniversary dinner that just makes me cringe:


“Try an oyster,” Doug said. “They’re an aphrodisiac...”


Doug passed fed her a forkful of steaming oyster. It was slimy and tasted like rotten fish, but Doris swallowed it whole and gave a big smile. “Doug, I think it’s already doing something.”

He grinned. “Really?”

Taking a deep breath, Doris slid her shoe off in an attempt to rub her foot against Doug’s leg. After a moment, Doris realized the hard thing she was stroking was actually part of the table. Doris adjusted her position and thrust her foot out again. This time, it made contact with something soft.

“Ouch,” Doug said, jumping. “Did you just kick me?”

“Sorry,” Doris said, immediately drawing her foot back. “I was... my shoe fell off.” 

“Better put it back on,” Doug said, plugging his nose and waving a hand. “You don’t want to scare away the other tables with those stinky feet.”

“Ha ha,” Doris said, fumbling for her shoe. 

Every time I read this, I can’t help but shriek: Whaaaaaaaaat?! He said whaaaaaaaaaat?! Doris seriously needs a change.


Look, men love to joke-flirt. It’s their MO. But there’s a difference between flirtatious fun and blatant disrespect. And I have to say, the stinky feet comment... on an anniversary dinner? Over oysters? Not okay.

Yes, yes, Doris and Doug had been together since they were sixteen, so it’s not farfetched that Doug still thinks he can flirt with his wife the same way he would have back then but come on. She’s a woman.

Stinky feet jokes simply don’t fly.

And even worse - at this point in her life, Doris lets it happen. That is... until she finds out Doug is having an affair. Then, Doris realizes how far the disrespect in her life has gone. She gets a backbone. She takes a look at her role as a wife, mother and friend. And makes some sweeping changes.

Today, I urge you to take a look at your life and decide where you would like greater respect. Look, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut in our lives and just accept the same old, same old because we’re used to them or because they’re easy. But as the women in The Whole Package prove, you don’t have to accept how things are. It’s okay to say, “No, this is how I want my life to be,” and start taking the steps to get there.

You’re fabulous. So go out there and make it happen! You deserve to live The Whole Package.

Come say hi at www.cynthiaellingsen.com.

Thanks for the guest post Cynthia!

To enter to win The Whole Package, tell me what your idea is of The Whole Package? And I'm thinking in terms of a mate. For me, when I found Mr. MaNiC, it was finding a caring guy with an awesome sense of humor who I knew would be a great father someday. He is someone who is smart and trustworthy, and I knew he would always take care of me and our family. In the looks department, The Whole Package included a great butt, beautiful eyes, dark hair and a strong, big, tall build! That’s MY whole package, what’s your WHOLE PACKAGE!?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

Family Bonding & A Subway Sandwich FOR YOU!

 Nicole aka CANative, 

you must be hungry cuz you're getting a sandwich! Send me your mailing address and full name and I'm sending you to Subway! Thanks everyone, and look out for more entertaining info from Subway coming soon with your chance to win $50 and also YOU and your family can be featured on the site when you share your OWN family tradition videos and stories! More soon!

In between my book giveaways I like to share a bit about my life, and as you may know from reading me, I’ve been blogging since 2004, when my kids were just 3, 5 and 7 years old. I’ve never had ads on here and never push products on you guys. My passion is always books, sharing great authors with you, and writing about my life. I also LOVE hearing about what you guys are up to as well. I feel that lately with the book giveaways you guys have shared a bunch in the comment section and I really love getting to know you all!

I now have the opportunity to partner with Subway a couple of times a month, and I’m really excited to do so for a couple of reasons. One is because as a busy mom who tries to feed her kids healthy, Subway is a great quick alternative to the fast food options when we’re running to basketball and art and afterschool activities. And two, Subway is now focusing their efforts on family and tradition. And I’m big on that and happy to share some of this with you in between all of the fabulous books I’m still giving away.

One of the things I’m big on with my kids is bonding at bedtime, and my oldest son AJ is 13. He still loves to be tucked in. He’s six-foot, two-inches and still wants a tuck-in every night. One night, Mr. MaNiC and I went out on a date. We can FINALLY go out and leave the kids alone without worrying they will kill each other. AJ tucked in Luke and texted me. 

“When are you going to be home?” 

“In a little bit.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Because, I can’t go to sleep without my tuck-in.”

We stayed out a while longer, and when I finally got home, I went upstairs to tuck him in, and he was still awake. It was like 11:30 p.m. I said, “Why are you still up?”

He said he couldn’t fall asleep without his tuck-in. And then he said, “Mom. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you when I go to college. How am I going to go to bed every night without my tuck-in from you?”

It broke my heart but it reminded me how very important our nightly traditions are. I need to hold them close and cherish them, because before too long, he’s going to be gone, and I’ll wish for those tuck-ins!

 * * *

Since you guys are so awesome about always coming here to read what I have to say, I’m NOT gonna leave you hanging – I wanna give you a SUB! How about if you please go over to read another great article about Bedtime Bonding and leave a quick comment there, I'll enter you to win Five Bucks for a Footlong! (I will check to see if you leave a comment, so please do!) There are some inspiring articles on family bonding and some really cute family videos as well, and you’re encouraged to leave your own suggestions too! THEN come back here and tell me YOUR favorite Subway sub! I will choose one winner randomly and send you Five Bucks so you can get a sub from Subway!

My sub: Italian bread, turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, lotsa lotsa parmesan, black pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Yum, I am craving one right now!

So, tell me your fave and you’re entered to win five bucks to go get one! But please, take the time to stop on over at Fresh Takes to leave a comment.

And if you feel like it, go ahead and friend Subway on FB. 

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new book and I’ll also draw the winners of the previous two books so if you haven't entered for The Winters in Bloom or It's Hard Not to Hate You, there's still time! Thanks guys! 

THE WINTERS IN BLOOM by LISA TUCKER

Winner of The Winters In Bloom is:
Lesley Davis, ESQ

Please email me your full name and address so I can get you your book! Thanks! Congrats!

The Winters In Bloom

By Lisa Tucker

I absolutely love it when I discover a new author by hosting these book promotions and I’m thrilled to have found Lisa Tucker! I’m sure many of you have already read one of her five books, which include Shout Down the Moon, The Song Reader and Once Upon a Day, which are now all on MY TBR list. I’m still shaking my head at how I have missed this talented author.

But no more! Now I’m excited to bring to you her sixth and latest novel, The Winters In Bloom, which I read in record time! I would describe it as part mystery, part family drama, and part love story.

The Winters in Bloom is about David & Kyra Winter, two very loving but extremely overprotective parents of a darling little boy who is kidnapped in his own backyard. Both parents blame themselves for his disappearance and suspect their pasts have finally caught up with them.

Tucker takes the reader through the now as we watch as David and Kyra wait to see if Michael will return home safely. We also see how David and Kyra’s lives unfolded before the two of them met – to discover the secrets they kept from one another, to make them think they deserve this new fate of unhappiness that has been bestowed upon them by the kidnapping of their child.

Lisa writes with passion and her characters are bold and real. This is one book that I tore through, and couldn't wait to get to the end. She kept up the mystery part - I had my guesses but Tucker wrote a surprising thriller which was also heartfelt and beautiful!

Back of the Book Blurb:

Together for over a decade, Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be.  They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, whom they adore.  Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that this domestic bliss couldn’t last - that the life they created was destined to be disrupted.  And on one perfectly ordinary summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard.  The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them. David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden.  But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

Read the First Chapter HERE: The Winters In Bloom

Lisa also wrote an amazing novella called Agoraphobics in Love which you can buy for your e-readers for just 99 cents!

To enter to win The Winters In Bloom, since the title has the word BlOOm in it and I can’t think of a clever question to ask, I’m going to ask you this: Tell me a word that comes to mind that has a double O in it.

I’m currently thinking of the word: mOOdy!

If you have not had a chance to enter this week's earlier book It’s Hard Not to HateYou there is still time! Click on the highlighted link and it'll take you to that post.

Good luck and happy Friday!

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For future posts, just so you all know, you can always go back to previous book features to check to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

IT'S HARD NOT TO HATE YOU by VALERIE FRANKEL

Winner of It's Hard Not to Hate You is:
Logan Collins

Please email me your full name and address so I can get you your book! Thanks! Congrats!

It’s Hard Not to Hate You

By Valerie Frankel



From the author of THIN IS THE NEW HAPPY comes a hilarious new memoir about embracing your Inner Hater. In the midst of a health and career crisis, Valerie uncorks years of pent up rage, and discovers you don't have to be happy to be happy. You don’t have to love everyone else to like yourself. And that your Bitchy Twin might just be your funniest, most valuable and honest ally.
I fell in love with the memoir, It’s Hard Not to Hate You, by description and cover alone. And then when I got into the very first few pages and I realized it begins with the trauma of bitchy friends in junior high, well, author Valerie Frankel won me over.

I give her a ton of credit for being so brave to write this book. It’s kind about letting go of the hate WE ALL HAVE INSIDE but in a different way. Expulsing yourself from all the hate from within. But with humor that will have you busting out laughing because you sooo know these types of people. You’ll be laughing like crazy and saying, “YES! That’s so true!”

In the book, Valerie was advised by a doctor to reduce stress. To do so, she discovered that the hate had to come out. She goes on a mission of “emotional honesty, vowing to let herself feel and express all the toxic emotions she’d long suppressed or denied: jealousy, rage, greed, envy, impatience, regret.”

In her personal History of Hate, Valerie covers everything from mean girls in junior high, selfish boyfriends in her twenties and old professional rivals. In her current life, she deals with things many of us combat daily: snobby neighbors, rude cell phone talkers, scary doctors and helicopter moms (ugh, my favorites). You’ll have to read It’s Hard Not to Hate You to see if you’re as brave as Valerie is when it comes to confronting these spiteful people in your own life!

She even counts the ways she hates her husband in the book, but fortunately, there are only three!

In the end, Frankel discovers that her trip down Hate Lane proved to be an authentic emotional experience for her and there are “no wrong emotions, only wrong ways of dealing with them.”

To enter to win Valerie Frankel’s It’s Hard Not To Hate You, share with me one or two things you really, really hate. Here are a couple of things I really hate:

When people write: NOM NOM when they are saying something tastes good instead of like yum yum or yummy.

When people in the grocery line are talking on the cell phone instead of being polite to the person checking them out. HOW RUDE IS THAT? Get off your effing cell phone and say hello to the person checking you out! Ask them how their day is! They are doing you a service for crying out loud!

Also, I haven’t gotten to the part of the book where Valerie reveals the three hates about her husband but I’ll tell you one of mine: I hate when my husband walks around the kitchen without his shirt on. GROSS!

Two more books up for grabs this week if my internet doesn't die on me again!:

Lisa Tucker’s The Winter’s In Bloom

Karyn Bosnak’s What’s Your Number

Check previous posts for winners - they have been announced!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For future posts, just so you all know, you can always go back to previous book features to check to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

Why We Remember, Not Of Sadness

September 11, 2001 my third child was just nine days old. I remember very clearly thinking, "Why on earth was I having babies, bringing children into a world like this? How could I have a baby around all this horrible danger and pain and hurt?"

Last night, that 10-year, nine-day-old child and I snuggled up on the couches outside and the two of us slept under the stars, together, cuddled up, just the two of us, and talked til midnight. We snuggled and cuddled and I never EVER sleep outdoors, I am not an outdoorsy person, and the idea struck us last night, "Hey, why don't you and I sleep out here tonight, just us!"

It was a gorgeous night, around 75 degrees, and it's a gorgeous day today, we woke to a beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds, and we saw each other this morning and smiled. My son, who was nine days old, ten years ago on the anniversary of 9/11, when I thought the world was collapsing and wondered how on earth I could bring children into this horrible place.

I know now why. There is good. There is good.

Wishing you all peace and hope with your families.

Here's an excerpt of what I wrote on 9/11 in my hand-written journal, before there was such things as blogs: September 11, 2001

Another book giveaway on Tuesday and I'll have the names of the first two books chosen by then too! If you haven't yet entered to win the books, go back to the past two posts and enter to win while there is still time! You've got until TUESDAY! You can also find the original post on all the books being given away here. Good luck to you all!

THE VIOLETS OF MARCH by SARAH JIO

Winner of The Violets of March is:

Ncsuloges

Please email me your full name and address so I can get you your book! Thanks! Congrats!

The Violets of March


By Sarah Jio

Our next featured book in the Fall Fab Book Giveaway is Sarah Jio’s The Violets of March. I’ve not had a chance to finish this one (am close, but can you IMAGINE my TBR pile??), but there has been much buzz all over the 'net about Violets since its debut in April, and Sarah’s already got another book, The Bungalow, which is slated for publication in December! Talk about ‘gettin’ it done!

Sarah was a 2011 Debutante Ball participant, which is a major literary honor, and The Violets of March has just gone into its fourth printing. Congratulations to Sarah, who’s also a busy mom to three little boys. And I call MYSELF MaNiC MoMMy!??

Jodi Picoult says this about Violets: "Mix a love story, history, and a mystery and what takes root? The Violets of March, a novel that reminds us how the past comes back to haunt us, and packs great surprises along the way.”

Here is the back-of-the-book blurb:

In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.

You can view the BOOK TRAILER HERE


SNEAK PEEK!

And because I want to share Sarah’s next book with you too, here’s the blurb for The Bungalow, and perhaps later this year, I’ll have the opportunity to offer you guys a copy of that too? So, let’s just put a teaser in here, shall we?

Here’s what The Bungalow is about:

A sweeping saga of thwarted love, murder, and a long-lost painting… In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiance, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world–until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne’s determination to discover the truth about the twin losses–of life and, and of love–that have haunted her for seventy years.

If you just can’t wait for The Bungalow, you can always just preorder it now, and wait to see if you win The Violets of March HERE!

I love how Sarah’s incorporating history in both of her books, and exotic, unique places that are just as much like a character in her book. Her covers are gorgeous, and her writing is exquisite. You’re not going to want to miss out on either of her books.

However, we’re only offering The Violets of March for the Fall Fab Giveaway so answer this very easy question to qualify:

Tell me your favorite flower and your favorite month and WHY. Also, the month CANNOT be your birthday month. Mine is gardenias because I love the smell although they turn brown very quickly, and I remember being a kid in Tampa running up and down the streets, picking gardenias from the neighbors bushes and sticking them in our hair while we ran barefoot through the neighborhood. But I also love carnations because they smell clean and fresh and last forever. And favorite month … hmmm… wow, I just asked myself a hard question … I now live in Scottsdale and late summer months suck, like August and September. I may have to say February or March are pretty nice months here weather-wise!

Your turn to answer the question. Favorite flower, favorite month. Hey Sarah, how about YOU? What's your favorite month and your favorite flower, and WHY?

Also, if you haven’t had the chance yet, you may still enter to win Definitely Not Mr. Darcy, the first book in the Giveaway (if there is not a winner’s name highlighted above the post)! For future posts, just so you all know, you can always go back to previous book features to check to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!

Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got TONS more books coming your way through mid-October and then. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.

If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!

Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.

DEFINITELY NOT MR. DARCY by KAREN DOORNEBOS

Winner of Definitely Not Mr. Darcy is:

Jenn3128 

To receive your book, please email me your full name and address to stephanieelliot@gmail.com. Thanks, and I loved everyone's answers! Remember, every time you leave a comment for each book, you're all entered to win the grand prize at the end of the giveaway to win the prize package of ALL OF THE BOOKS! So keep coming back to try your luck and find out about great new authors and books! Thanks everyone! Love your comments! There are a ton more books to read about!

For rules on the giveaway, please see this post: Fall Fab Book Giveaway Details

 Am so very excited to announce the FIRST of 25 books being given away in the Fall Fab Book Giveaway, where you can win each book or the Grand Prize of ALL 25 at the end of the promotion! Details can be found in the previous post (or by clicking the link above the book cover)! ...

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy


By Karen Doornebos


Read the First Chapter Here


Author Events HERE

Let’s get this party started Regency style shall we? First on the list of awesome features for the Fall Fab Giveaway I’m beyond thrilled to introduce a debut author and close friend of mine: Karen Doornebos, and her book, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.

Karen and I met through a friend I connected with at Romance Writers of America and we formed a small critique group. She was in the midst of writing her novel when we met and we spent about a year working and writing together … and here it is, DEBUT TIME!

I am so thrilled for her and her successes!

I’ve told her from the very beginning that I KNOW NOTHING about Jane Austen, that Darcy dude, the charm of hiding in hedges and drinking tea with your pinky up or feigning to be demure and unaware of one’s sexual prowess.

I have no idea what any of that stuff is all about, I never read Pride and Prenup … haha. I know nothing about Regency times except everyone looks a bit uncomfortable in their clothes, and the women have really prominent boobs, they faint quite a bit, and the men gallop on horses a lot.

Yet, when I read Karen's first pages, I knew I would love what she had written! Definitely Not Mr. Darcy is about divorced mother Chloe who goes to England thinking she will be participating in a documentary in the Regency times only to discover she’s actually going to be a contestant on a Regency Reality Show. Chloe must woo the ‘bachelor’ to win the $100,000 prize, which she needs to be able to afford her failing business and keep custody of her daughter.

The premise was attractive because not only is Bachelor Mr. Wrightman a hottie, his younger brother is thrown into the mix and he is a quite gallant chap himself! (ooh, that sounds like such a regal regency phrase, does it not? The book rubbed off on me!)

I loved learning about the quirkiness of the times, like how the women wore their gowns, how they didn’t bathe but once a week, what they used for deodorant, what they DIDN’T use for underwear, how they tied up their busts, what "fanology" was, and the hobbies they participated in. It has all made me very thankful for the comforts of our times!

I loved Karen’s quick-witted writing, and found myself longing to jump back into the book many times. You’ll find that after you read Definitely Not Mr. Darcy, you’ll look around at the men in your life and think, “Seriously, chivalry IS TOTALLY DEAD!”

And on THAT note, in order to be entered to win DEFINITELY NOT MR. DARCY, tell me something kind or sweet that a man (ANY MAN) in your life does or has done for you that’s unusual or unexpected. Here’s a couple from me. My husband ALWAYS kisses me on an escalator. He also always “butters” my toothbrush for me before we go to bed (or if I go to bed first, I do it for him). Also, not to be forgotten, my son, AJ, is fast becoming a chivalrous young man, and I noticed this just today. He ALWAYS holds the door open for me.

So tell me about your chivalrous guy, and remember to use an IDENTIFYING username throughout the whole Fall Fab giveaway so I will know who you are throughout the promotion!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.