Barest Blush - Barbie Doll Dress Inspired by Sweet Reckoning

Barest Blush

Last you heard I gave into my book cover obsession and created a Barbie doll dress inspired by Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins. 

Well I just couldn't stop there I created a Barbie doll dress inspired by Sweet Reckoning.

I like to call this dress Barest Blush. I am selling this beautiful gown over on my Etsy shop, Miracle of Mine.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

October 14th through October 31st

Thank you for stopping by.

Check out the dresses I made that were inspired by Sweet Evil and Sweet Peril.

US only

Must at least 13 years old
Enter through the rafflecopter below.

I am giving you a choice.

The winner will get to pick one of the following books. Or two if you pick books that are of low value.

Torn
Across the Universe
Shadows Cast by Stars
Turning Pages
Soul Screamers Volume One
Rivals and Retribution
Destiny and Deception 
Vampire's Kiss
Bewitching
Incarnate
Touch of Frost
Angel Fire
Beautiful Chaos
The Revenant
The Reckoning
The Mephisto Covenant
Harbinger
Born Wicked
The Taker

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Born of Deception: Cover Reveal

Today I'm very excited to be a part of the Nerd Blast Born of Deception by Teri Brown Cover Reveal!

So, without further adieu, I give you BORN OF DECEPTION!

Balzer & Bray/Harperteen

2014

Young Adult/ Paranormal /Historical Fiction /Fantasy

Budding illusionist Anna Van Housen is on top of the world: after scoring a spot on a prestigious European vaudeville tour, she has moved to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. Along with her handsome beau, Cole Archer, Anna is prepared to take the city by storm.

But when Anna arrives in London, she finds the group in turmoil. Sensitives are disappearing and, without a suspect, the group’s members are turning on one another. Could the kidnapper be someone within the society itself—or has the nefarious Dr. Boyle followed them to London?

As Cole and Anna begin to unravel the case and secrets about the society are revealed, they find themselves at odds, their plans for romance in London having vanished. Her life in danger and her relationship fizzling, can Anna find a way to track down the killer before he makes her his next victim—or will she have to pay the ultimate price for her powers?

Set in Jazz-Age London, this alluring sequel to Born of Illusion comes alive with sparkling romance, deadly intrigue, and daring magic.

BORN OF DECEPTION links: 

Goodreads

Amazon

Teri Brown

I’m not sure who to tell you about here because I’m actually two people rolled into one. As a responsible mother of teens, I show one persona to the world. That person is driven, conservative and level headed. But the other part of me just never grew up. She is rebellious, impulsive and curious.

It’s hard being both these people. They’re often at odds.

The mother part of me knows I should put a cap on how many animals we take in. The teen part of me wants to save them all. We have five cats and two dogs. Who do you think is winning?

Even now. The mother part wants to make a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a tossed salad. The teen part wants to order a pizza, work on my website and check my Facebook.

Luckily, though my two halves don’t always agree, both of us live happily in Portland, Oregon, with a husband and too many animals. And we both love to write and write and write.

For more information on Teri Brown:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Giveaway

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A Bride for Keeps: Book Review

A Bride for Keeps

Melissa Jagears

Bethany House Publishers

October 1st 2013

Adult | Contemporary | Christian | Romance

Official Blurb - 
A Tender Tale of Love on the Prairie Perfect for CBA Readers
Although Everett Cline can hardly keep up with the demands of his homestead, he won't humiliate himself by looking for a helpmate ever again--not after being jilted by three mail-order brides. When a well-meaning neighbor goes behind his back to bring yet another mail-order bride to town, he has good reason to doubt it will work, especially after getting a glimpse at the woman in question. She's the prettiest woman he's ever seen, and it's just not possible she's there to marry a simple homesteader like him.

Julia Lockwood has never been anything more than a pretty pawn for her father or a business acquisition for her former fiance. Having finally worked up the courage to leave her life in Massachusetts, she's determined to find a place where people will value her for more than her looks. Having run out of all other options, Julia resorts to a mail-order marriage in far-away Kansas.

Everett is skeptical a cultured woman like Julia could be happy in a life on the plains, while Julia, deeply wounded by a past relationship, is skittish at the idea of marriage at all. When, despite their hesitations, they agree to a marriage in name only, neither one is prepared for the feelings that soon arise to complicate their arrangement. Can two people accustomed to keeping their distance let the barricades around their hearts down long enough to fall in love?

This was probably more of a three and a half star book. It was very hard to put down and I easily neglected the house the day I read this. Probably what dropped the rating for me was that at times things felt a bit too dragged out. Sometimes I wished the characters would stop repeating the same thing and get somewhere else in the story. But it was adorable to watch the characters grow and change over the span of their new marriage. Julia was more difficult to like because she was so very set in her opinion of her value and wouldn't see any other possibility. The christian portion of the story went from non-existent to full blown by the end of the book. These characters aren't your perfect strong in the faith sort but eventually they turn in that direction.

Overall it was a cute read.

Content:

Clean

Sincerely Dark - Barbie Doll Dress Inspired by Sweet Peril

Sincerely Dark

Last you heard I gave into my book cover obsession and created a Barbie doll dress inspired by Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. 

Well I just couldn't stop there I created a Barbie doll dress inspired by Sweet Peril.

I like to call this dress Sincerely Dark. I am selling this beautiful gown over on my Etsy shop, Miracle of Mine.

Flare of Desire - Barbie Doll Dress Inspired by Sweet Evil

Flare of Desire

Of late I have been an admirer of all these beautiful book cover dresses. I am sure you know exactly what I mean. Since I dabble in the Barbie doll dress proportions I thought I would combine my tiny skills with my love for books.  

For my first dress inspiration I chose Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. It is such a great book. Here on the right I have included a picture of the cover so you can see what I was working with.

Many creative hours later this tiny little beauty above was born. I like to call this dress Flare of Desire. I am selling this beautiful gown over on my Etsy shop, Miracle of Mine.

Longing for Home: Book Review

Longing for Home: A Proper Romance

Sarah M. Eden

Shadow Mountain

August 6th 2013

Adult | Historical | Romance

Twenty-six-year-old Katie Macauley has placed all her hope in Hope Springs, a small town in the 1870 Wyoming Territory. But if she wants to return home to Ireland to make amends with her estranged family, she'll need to convince the influential Joseph Archer to hold true to his word and keep her on his payroll as his housekeeper despite her Irish roots. The town is caught in an ongoing feud between the Irish and the "Reds" the frontiersmen who would rather see all the Irish run out of town and the Irish immigrants who are fighting to make a home for themselves in the New World. When Joseph agrees to keep Katie on as his housekeeper, the feud erupts anew, and Katie becomes the reluctant figurehead for the Irish townsfolk. As the violence escalates throughout the town, Katie must choose between the two men who have been vying for her love though only one might be able to restore hope to her heart.

I picked this book up simply because it published by Shadow Mountain under the A Proper Romance umbrella. Since Edenbrooke and Blackmoore were good I decided it was worth a try.

Sarah Eden really did her research for this story. It all felt so real I was sure the characters weren't fictional. Surely these exact people suffered some time ago. There is so much detail and background. The entire Irish community and there troubles with the non-Irish locals was at times a bit scary.

Probably one of my biggest problems with the book was that the author did such a spectacular job making cases for both romantic men that I was evenly torn. If only Katie could be duplicated so that they both could be happy. I had a hard time getting to like both but once I did it was hard to know who might be best. I also didn't like that even in the end her choice didn't feel quite solid. Almost as if in the sequel something will happen to sway her to the other man. Maybe it will be a terrible misfortune to the current lucky guy or maybe he will just get lame in future. All this build up about who she will choose but there wasn't a marriage or even a date. Just more of a okay now we can start courting each other. I guess I wasn't expecting that. One way or the other I am sure the next book will prove very hard to read. The war is about to get ugly.

But it was a great read. I was hooked and just wanted to know what would happen next. Didn't take me much time to get through the long book but I am a bit hesitant to read further. I just don't want to see the characters get hurt all over prejudice.

Blackmoore: A Proper Romance: Book Review

Blackmoore

Julianne Donaldson

Shadow Mountain

September 9th 2013

Adult | Historical | Romance

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead—if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kate’s meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured—and rejected—three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a Regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart. It is Wuthering Heights meets Little Women with a delicious must-read twist.

From the description in the synopsis I wasn't quite sure I wanted to read this book. Mostly due to the fact it didn't sound like something I would enjoy. But Edenbrooke was such a delight I felt I just had to see what else Julianne Donaldson could write.

The opening came across very melancholy and left me rather concerned the whole book would be sad and depressing.

Henry is such a sweet character. I absolutely loved the friendship between Kate and Henry. In fact I think Henry really is the best thing about this book and without him it would really be hard to read. He is the ray of sunshine through all the gloom and unhappiness.

It was hard at first to separate Edenbrooke and Blackmoore in my mind. I would just keep comparing everything Kate said or did to Marianne and they sort of blended. But after a bit even if there are similarities, both trapped and very unconventional society wise plus the male leads are both in a tight bind as to expressing their feelings, it was easy to see Blackmoore as its own story and characters.  I think it took longer to get hooked into Blackmoore than Edenbrooke but inevitably I was hooked. A one day 4:30 in the morning read. So lovely! Such a delight. I am definitely picking up a copy for myself and some gifts for others.

A friend of mine shared that the family situation for Kate is very similar to that of Elizabeth from Pride and Predjudice. Ridiculous mother and sister and rather absent father. There were definitely time when Kate annoyed me but thankfully Henry would come around to lighten the mood.

The only reason this did not get five stars in my mind had to do with the ending. It just wasn't quite the traditional happily ever after. More of a semi-realistic vague happily ever after. Meaning it wasn't the one my mind was building up to. Still it was good.

Pile Denial: 30

I am in denial.

It is ugly but it is nevertheless the state of things.

Here I will document my struggle with my book obsession. Behold my denial in all of its glory.

Pile Escalation:

Bought:

Changeling by Phillipa Gregory

Mail:

Extracted by Sherry D. Ficklin

Library:
Lure of the Dead by Joseph Delaney

 

Pile Reduction:

Read:

Fyre by Angie Sage
Auracle by Gina Rosati
Otherkin by Nina Berry
Longing for Home by Sarah M. Eden
Winterveil by Jenna Burtenshaw
Consume by Melissa Darnell
Made to Last by Melissa Tagg
If I Should Die by Amy Plum
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper
Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris
Wolfsbane by Patricia Briggs
Body and Soul by Stacey Kade
Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
First Frost by Jennifer Estep

Torn by Erica O'Rourke
Soulbound by Heather Brewer 
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Angel Fire by L. A. Weatherly
Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Blurred by Tara Fuller
The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta 

DNF:
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

Bottleneck Effect:

Reading:

Lure of the Dead by Joseph Delaney

It has been a long time since I took stock of my pile or really did much of anything. I just thought it would be nice to see if I have made any progress in all these months. Turns out my progress hasn't been all that great.

Until next time. . .

Here are the numbers of books hanging out on my TBR pile.

Pile Truth:

Books:34 (barely a decrease) :) 

eBooks: 16 (decrease) :)

How about you? Are you in denial?

Share in the comments or even in a post, just don't forget to leave a link, and help me feel a little better.