Sunday, November 30, 2008

Various Reviews and "If the Dress Fits" Giveaway!

As I reach the end of our wonderful Thanksgiving weekend of reviews and giveaways I decided to do short reviews on a
bunch of different books I have read for fun lately - the last one
is a giveaway - but be sure to check them all out!

1) Shade by John Olson - this is an amazingly eerie book that makes you think and keeps your heart pounding through the entire book. What is Hailey experiencing? Is it vampires, hallucinations, mental illness? Who is the homeless giant? "Whom do you trust when you can't tell reality from fantasy?" I loved Hailey and Melchi, but spent the whole book trying to figure out if they were right for each other and who the bad guys were. Intriguing book and highly recommended for readers that love fantasy / sci-fi books. **** (4 stars) for originality


2) Brigid of Ireland by Cindy Thomson - A story set in the 5th century in a time of druids and kings and a land of slavery and poverty. A preacher named Patrick is revolutionizing the way people are thinking and Brigid is one of the people converted. She believes in the reality of God and through simple faith and obedience miracles are performed but will the druids just allow that to happen? A beautiful tale of ancient times and places... **** (4 stars) for transporting me to another time and place



3) Miss Fortune by Sara Mills - What fun - mystery and romance set in 1947. Allie Fortune is the only female (and perhaps the best) private investigator in New York City. One night Mary Gordon stumbles into her office, says she is being followed and hires Allie to figure out who is after her. Soviets, FBI, Helen of Troy's gold, innocence or guilt. It's up to Allie to figure it all out... I had a great time working through the mystery with her. What a fun read! I look forward to the next book in the Allie Fortune Mystery series - Sara Mills has a winner on her hands. **** (4 stars) for sending me into my own film noir mystery!


4) It's Not About Me by Michelle Sutton - I had been wanting to read Michelle Sutton's debut novel and had been hearing really good things about it. Well, it did not disappoint. I actually started it at 12:30 am one night as I went to bed - I put it down at 4:01 am when I finished - it just kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next. It is compelling and very thought provoking with an excellent plot to drive the storyline. The way Michelle works a real attack into the story really made things real to me. My daughter is 12 and too young to read it but I would say that most teens are ready for it, especially if they are in the public school system (we homeschool). I am looking forward to the sequel when it comes out! **** (4 stars) for dealing with real issues in a real way


5) If The Dress Fits by Debby Mayne - What drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. Cindi owns a bridal shop and loves helping brides make their perfect day come true. Sadly, as her own parents are divorcing she grows disillusioned with love and she decides to sell. A prospective customer comes along and is interested, is it really Cindi's high school boyfriend? What exactly is he interested in? Can Cindi trust his motives? ***1/2 (3 1/2 stars) for being a fun romance that makes you sigh...


These are just a few of the books I've read lately that I hadn't reviewed yet. If you would like a chance to win "If The Dress Fits" by Debby Mayne then leave me a comment telling me about your wedding dress (or the dress of your dreams...) be sure to leave your email address and I will draw for a winner on Wednesday!

13 comments:

Theresa N. said...

The dress of my dress would be a very be very feminine in satin. Read Michelle's book and liked it.
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

Lora Lease said...

The dress of my dreams would be made by Judy Spiegel (she makes THE most amazing creations!!). It would be romantic and dreamy, flowing, satin with bead work... very princessy with a train.
asyouwiiiiish@gmail.com

Cynthia said...

My wedding dress was not what I had in mind. I wanted the big tulle skirt with lots of beading. However, my mom, aunt and cousin convinced me to try on another dress and we all fell in love with the satin with pearl beading. We all cried as I twirled in front of the mirror. What a day! Thanks for entering my name!
cgallagher4 AT comcast DOT net

Unknown said...

Hi, Janna,

My dress was sleeveless with a corset back (just gorgeous), and the skirt was several layers of tulle with occasional beadwork with a long train. It was the first dress I tried on in the bridal shop, and I knew it would be the one that I would wear when I walked down the aisle.

Loved reading all the reviews! Thanks for entering my name in the giveaway! :o)

Christy
orca0024 at yahoo dot com

Donna said...

My wedding dress was a simple brocade silk dress and I loved it. What is crazy is it only cost $150. My mother and I had been shopping at the wedding dress shops in Ft. Worth and I just couldn't imagine spending so much on a dress or asking my mom and dad to. I went bargin hunting and found my dress and got it for a steal because it had a ink pen mark on the front which the cleaners did get out.

Please enter me in the drawing.

Gin said...

I loved my wedding dress. I felt so beautiful. Every woman should feel like a princess at least once in her life.

Gin

le15307@msn.com

windycindy said...

I like the name of the main character. It is the same as mine!
I had a "Peaches and Cream" wedding. My dress was antique white in a tea length. I loved it. Please enter me in your book drawing. Thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Jo said...

I didn't have a big wedding so no wedding gown for me. I just bought a very pretty 2 piece outfit that I wore. My granddaughter got married last September and her gown was one that I would have chosen if I had a wedding. Please enter me in the drawing.

Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I really liked the dress that anne hathaway wore in princesses dairies 2
I don't know how to describe

Martha A. said...

I am not sure if I am too late for this one, but my wedding dress was very, very simple and plain. I liked it, but it was probably not the dress of my dreams. I always loved the wedding dress on The sound of Music with the long long train and that was more my dream dress with a sort of scalloped neckline instead of a high one!
martha(at)lclink(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about, rebornbutterfly! That dress was exquisite!

I'm not sure what my ideal wedding dress would look like; something floor-length with a big skirt and lace, probably. I'll just know it when I see it. :)

Thanks!

Anna
writer_weaver at yahoo dot com

Edgy Inspirational Author said...

My dress was strapless and had flowers on it (I love peonies and wanted them in my wedding bouquet but they were out of season so I found a dress with peonies on it!) How is that for an answer. :)

Janna said...

On a redraw the winner is -

Gin

Congratulations!