Mailbox Monday

Many thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday every week!

It is so much fun to see what everyone is getting in the mail.

Thanks for taking the time to visit ~ I just love hearing from you! Please let me know if you have read any of these books - I'd love to hear how you liked them!! :)

Here are the books that came into my house last week:

The Art of Meaningful Living by Christopher F. Brown, Art by John Palmer ~ Non-Fiction / Self-Help / Psychology ~ Received from Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for review

From Amazon: "Meaningful living is choosing your passions over your fears. It is accepting what you cannot control and focusing on what is in your power." Too often our meaningful lives and the things we are passionate about are buried under disappointments and lost dreams. Christopher F. Brown, LCSW, MBA, offers a powerful book combining psychological concepts with beautiful, provocative artwork done by John Palmer to help us move beyond the pain in our present lives to something more valuable and joyful. Divided into four stages, Brown has put together this thought-provoking guide to transform a life filled with dissatisfaction to a life filled with true meaning. Open to any page and begin your own journey toward a meaningful life.

Arabella by Georgette Heyer ~ Fiction / Historical Romance ~ Received from the publisher for review

From Amazon: Daughter of a modest country clergyman, Arabella Tallant is on her way to London when her carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy Mr. Robert Beaumaris. Her pride stung when she overhears a remark of her host's, Arabella pretends to be an heiress, a pretense that deeply amuses the jaded Beau. To counter her white lie, Beaumaris launches her into high society and thereby subjects her to all kinds of fortune hunters and other embarrassments.

When compassionate Arabella rescues such unfortunate creatures as a mistreated chimney sweep and a mixed-breed mongrel, she foists them upon Beaumaris, who finds he rather enjoys the role of rescuer and is soon given the opportunity to prove his worth in the person of Arabella's impetuous young brother...

Enjoy Your Money! How to Make it, Save it, Invest it and Give it by J. Steve Miller ~ Non-fiction / Financial / Motivational ~ Received from the author for an upcoming WildCard Review

Most people aren't enjoying their money. Trapped in boring jobs and weighed down with debt, they can't seem to get ahead. Enjoy Your Money can help you

-get out of debt and accumulate wealth
-get ahead, even when the work you love doesn't produce big bucks
-find your strengths and passions and make a living with them
-live a more fulfilled life.

Readers love its combination of solid research with an entertaining story line, making it the ideal financial book for people who don't like financial books. One professor called it "A fast, fun read with practical and often remarkable insights." A CPA observed, "It's rare and refreshing to find a book so enjoyable, so accurate, and so life changing."

It Happened One Night ARC by Lisa Dale ~ Contemporary Romance ~ Received from the publisher for review

Lana Biel has always wanted to shake the dust of Vermont off her feet and see the world, one exotic country after another. But when a lighthearted spring fling changes her life forever, she turns to the one man whose strong shoulders can lighten any burden: her best friend, Eli Ward.

Eli has always been there for Lana--after all, that's what best friends do. But Lana isn't the only one hiding something. Eli is keeping secrets of his own that threaten their relationship. Yet as summer turns to fall, new desires awaken between them, even as old fears tear them apart. Then, when another Vermont winter fills the valleys with snow, Eli and Lana are given the chance for an adventure greater than they ever dreamed possible...and a love that will last for all time.

Knight of Pleasure (All The King's Men, Book 2) ARC by Margaret Mallory ~ Historical Romance ~ Received from the publisher for review

THE GREATEST PASSION
Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.

IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL
Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. So when a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen has a chance to prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure...and that love can conquer all.

Last Breath (The Rayne Tour, Book 2) by Brandilyn Collins and Amberly Collins ~ Fiction / Young Adult / Inspirational ~ Received from the publisher for an upcoming WildCard Tour

From Amazon: The suspenseful and emotion-filled second book in the Rayne series begins where the first book ended…with a dying man whispering four stunning words into Shaley O’Connor’s ear. Should she believe him? After two murders on the Rayne concert tour, Shaley is reeling. But she has no time to rest. If the dying man’s claim is right, the danger is far from over. Shaley’s quest for the truth leads to the mysterious and wrenching past of her mother and father. Could what happened to them so many years ago threaten Shaley’s life now?

Once in a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge ~ Fiction ~ Many thanks to the author and the people at One2One Network for sending me a review copy

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.
Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.

The Source of Miracles by Kathleen McGowan ~ Non-Fiction / Religion / Self-Help ~ Courtesy of the publisher for an upcoming WildCard Tour

From Amazon: The real secret to creating and sustaining an abundant, joyous, and fulfilled life has been hiding in plain sight -- in the power of the prayer that unites two billion Christians worldwide, the prayer that each one of them knows by heart.

True happiness and success can't just be wished for. The real secret to fulfillment lies in using the Lord's Prayer as part of an ongoing spiritual practice that leads to real and lasting change in the soul -- change that will manifest itself in earthly, tangible ways. Each chapter in The Source of Miracles is a guide to one of seven steps in that process, corresponding to a primary teaching of the prayer: faith, surrender, service, abundance, forgiveness, obstacles, and love. Each chapter also includes meditations, affirmations, and other activities designed to help readers work through life's challenges.

Tiding of Great Boys (All About Us, Book 5) by Shelley Adina ~ Fiction / Young Adult / Inspirational ~ Courtesy of the Publisher for an upcoming WildCard Tour

From Amazon: Finals week is approaching and Mac is still undecided on where to spend the holidays. Normally she'd go home to Scotland, but spending two weeks alone in the castle with her dad isn't as appealing as it used to be. So she invites Carly, Lissa, Gillian, and Shani to join her for the holidays!
Mac is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She even decides to organize the traditional Hogmany dance for New Year's Eve. If she can get her mother involved in the dance, maybe her parents will finally get back together.

But when Mac and the girls arrive in Scotland, they are faced with bad news: the castle is falling apart and Mac's parents are struggling financially. Not only that, but Shani is in big trouble with Prince Rashid's royal family. Can the girls find a way to celebrate the holidays, get Mac's parents back together, save the castle, and rescue Shani from her relentless pursuers? There's only one way to find out. . . .

What was in your mailbox last week??

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Review: Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

Knight of Desire (All the King's Men, Book 1) by Margaret Mallory
Forever (July 1, 2009) ~ 384 pages
Fiction / Historical Romance

Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback ~ Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review!

Perfect for : Personal reading, book club read

In a nutshell: I thoroughly enjoyed this book from both the historical as well as the romantic aspect. Knight of Desire is written in a seamless manner, pulling the reader along from start to finish. The main story begins in June of 1405, in England near the Welsh border (the prologue takes place in 1400), at which time the king and prince of England, along with their armies and supporters, were fighting Welsh rebels who were trying to invade England.

Catherine, who grew up as a friend of the prince, has been passing along information to him about the rebels she has overheard during her husbands dealings with them. Her spying and betrayal of her husband ultimately results in a win for England, and the death of her husband (a win for her). Little does she know that the King has forfeited her lands and castle, giving them to William FitzAlan, also giving him the choice to send her to The Tower or marry her.

After marriage to an abusive husband, the last thing Catherine wants is another marriage the same day her husband has been found to be a traitor and is killed in battle. . . but she finds herself married and must find a way to make the best of the situation for her son.

Ultimately, this story is one of trust, something both Catherine and William need in order to make their future a success. Catherine must learn to trust that William will not abuse her in the same manner that her previous husband had. William must learn to trust Catherine, knowing that she betrayed her first husband, causing his death.

One last note. With so many details included about the fighting between the English and the Welsh rebels, I was particularly fascinated by the Welsh nobleman's treatment of Catherine when she is captured. There is a conversation in the book that talks about how she was treated well because they were nobles and they still respected her status, but if she had been captured by commoners, it would have been very different.

Overall, I loved this book. I didn't put it down until I finished it, and I look forward to the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure, which will be the story of William's half brother Stephen (who was charming in this book!).

About the Book: (From the Publisher)

FEARLESS IN BATTLE
His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

Excerpt:

About the Author: (from the Publisher)

MARGARET MALLORY recently surprised her friends and family by abandoning her legal career-and her steady job-to write tales of romance and adventure. At long last, she can satisfy her passion for justice by punishing the bad and rewarding the worthy-in the pages of her novels, of course. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two college-age children. KNIGHT OF DESIRE is her first book so she would dearly love to hear from readers.

If you have reviewed this book and would like me to add a link to your review, please include a link in your comment!

Review: Quilts, Baby! by Linda Kopp

Quilts, BABY! 20 Cuddly Designs to Piece, Patch & Embroider
by Linda Kopp
Lark Books (May 5, 2009) ~ 144 pagesNon-Fiction / Crafting / Quilting / Baby
Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback - many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Perfect for : Personal Use, Gift for the quilter/crafter

In a nutshell: This is not your standard pink or blue fluffy bunnies and lambs baby quilt book. Instead, it has wonderful animals and designs that children (and babies) will love. The technical information contained within Quilts, BABY! was very helpful to me as a beginner in quilting using applique and piecing work. I found the directions to be easy to follow with plenty of helpful tips for saving time and making things easier. The book contains 20 designs with full color photographs, plenty of helpful illustrations and detailed instructions. Plus, the designers worked hard to design quilts that could be completed over the course of a weekend. . . for the seasoned pro and the beginner alike.

Not the biggest fan of the country feel to these quilts, with their earth tones and calico prints? Not a problem! It would be no trouble to use the patterns, making simple changes to the colors/fabric designs to give them a different feel (more modern, make them fit the color scheme of a nursery, etc) while keeping the fun aspect that will be so eye-catching.

Extended Review:
Content: From the table of contents: Introduction, Basics, [Listing of 20 projects], Templates, About the Designers, Index

Format: The Basics section contains explanations on assembling a quilt (quilt top, batting, backing), fabric, batting, thread, scissors or rotary cutting systems, sewing machine, needles for hand sewing, quilting frame, other supplies, and information on applique and embroidery supplies and tools. Next is a section on Getting Started (planning, sizing things up, using quilting charts and templates, cutting), Putting Things Together (sewing, piecing, attaching a border), Applique (fusing fabric, turning the edges, sewing the edges), Embroidery (transferring embroidery patterns, creating the stitches), a Stitch Glossary, Basting, Quilting (straight-stitch quilting, free-motion quilting, tying), and Finishing Up (binding, hanging, cleaning). Interspersed are some really great tips and tricks, as well as some facts and explanations.

Each project has a title, description, list of fabric needed (for the quilt top, appliques, backing, binding), notions and extras, and the finished size. it also has the name of the designer, plenty of pictures and illustrations, and step-by-step instructions.

Readability: The book is written for people with any level of quilting experience, and contains enough basic information to help both the novice and the expert.

Overall: A nice book with a more non-traditional take on baby quilts - with lots of shapes, animals, colors and patterns. With lots of helpful information, it may be geared more toward the beginner, but will surely provide even experts with fun projects and new ideas.

About the Book: (From the publisher's site)

Modern, innovative, and exciting: if you’ve never associated these words with baby quilts before, you will now! Here’s a collection of fresh designs that aren’t fussy, cutesy, or old-fashioned, but that still have that “aww” factor. Best of all, every one is easy to make, and most take only a weekend to complete. Try a round “Peekaboo” blankie with fanciful creatures hidden under fabric flaps, the clever two-in-one “Good Morning/Good Night” quilt, and a funny “Monkey Monkey” block quilt. Plus, there’s helpful information on choosing baby-friendly and safe materials.

If you have reviewed this book and would like me to add a link to your review, please include a link in your comment!

Review: Vickie Howell's Pop Goes Crochet by Vickie Howell

Vickie Howell's Pop Goes Crochet!: 36 Projects Inspired by Icons of Popular Culture
by Vickie Howell
Lark Books (May 5, 2009) ~ 144 pages
Non-Fiction / Crafts / Crochet

Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback - many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

Perfect for : Personal Use, Great gift for the crafty/crochet person in your life

In a nutshell: I've seen a few of Vickie's Knitty Gritty shows and absolutely loved them, so when I received this book, I couldn't wait to dive in and try out a few patterns. I'll start by saying they are fun and trendy, and Vickie has provided a wonderful variety of projects ranging from Beginner to Intermediate. All the designs in this book were inspired by pop culture's celebrities, including such notables as Cher, Bjork, Gwen, Giselle, Dita, Salma, etc. The projects are for all ages, including purses, hats, sweaters (children and adults), scarfs, gloves, a bikini set, poncho (Clint), shoes, belt, a shrug, lacy corset, dresses, etc. There is even a fun wire crocheted pendent with beads.

A nice plus to the book is the cover - it has a folded edge that allows you to "bookmark" the page you are on while working on a project.

The only thing that would really make this book better would be a section actually showing the basic crochet stitches. As a crocheter/knitter/craft person, I generally know what I'm doing, but occasionally have to jump online and "remind" myself how to do a certain stitch. On her website, she does include the basic instructions.

(The picture is of my wonderful niece, wearing the Beret from page 94, which I knitted over the course of two days off-and-on)

Extended Review:
Content: The book includes an Introduction, and the patterns/projects are broken down into five sections, and are followed by a section of helpful tips (yarn weight chart, abbreviations, crochet hook equivalents, etc). The Sections are: Rebels (Dita, Marc, Sean, Bettie, David, Johnny), Icons (Esther, Clint, Serena, Grace, Doris (see example below of green scarf), Shirley), Fashionistas (Anna, Vera, Giselle, Yohji, Betsey, Harlow, Paris, Heidi), Starlets (Angelina, Gwyneth, Mary-Kate, Cameron, Dakota, Drew, Helena, Salma, Sandra, Kate) and Rockers (Cher, Madge, Bjork, Erykah, Selena, Gwen)

Format: Each project includes a little description, the difficulty level, size information, finished measurements, a list of items you will need, the stitches used and the gauge. These lists are followed by the detailed instructions. Each project has at least one full-color photograph, and many include multiple photos.

Readability: The instructions are fairly easy to follow, and seem to be consistent with the difficulty rating. Having plenty of pictures help as you can compare your project to them.

Overall: This is a fun and trendy crochet book that has plenty of projects to choose from. All of these projects could be created for gifts or personal use.

About the Book ~ From the Publisher's Press Website:

(The project shown to the left can be found on pages 50-51, as well as on Vickie's blog)Needlework dynamo Vickie Howell is back with a high-spirited, playful collection of goodies to crochet. Vickie Howell’s Pop Goes Crochet! pays creative tribute to popular culture past and present with 40 projects inspired by celebrities in fashion, music, film, and television. Howell has whipped up a spectacular array of hip clothing, jewelry, and accessories, ranging from an intriguing “Yohji” asymmetrical sweater (in homage to designer Yohji Yamamoto) to a funky striped “Cameron” hoodie with the laid-back California style of actress Cameron Diaz. Everything’s fashionable and as fun to make as it is to wear.

About the Author: (From the Vickie Howell's website)

A self-proclaimed crafty gRRRL, Vickie Howell has been involved in the creative arts for as long as she can remember.

Before becoming the mother of two boys, she worked in the entertainment industry at companies including International Creative Management (ICM) and Alliance Atlantis Entertainment.

Post motherhood, she’s acted as owner, designer, web-mistress and CEO of three craft-based businesses. Mamarama, founded in 2001, offered cool hand-made garb for hip moms and their kids. In 2003, after relocating to Austin, Texas, Vickie co-founded Ruby Goes Retro (RgR) with her sister-in-law. RgR furnished hipsters worldwide with authentic, embellished and inspired by vintage clothing and accessories. In 2005 she founded VickieHowell.com under her company Vickie Howell, Inc., as a homebase for her many crafty endeavors. Networking for her businesses lead her to nine other crafty entrepreneurs and, together, they co-founded Austin Craft Mafia (ACM), an organization whose sole purpose is to promote and support independent, female-run, craft based businesses.

In efforts to do her part in the mobilization of the feminist-based knitting movement, she founded successful chapters of the irreverent but socially conscious knitting group Stitch n’ Bitch, in Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. Vickie’s on a personal quest to assist in breaking the negative social stigma that knitting and crafting have attached to them by bringing more recognition to the hip, creative and edgy sides of these forms of expression.

Currently, Vickie can be seen on the DIY Do-it-Yourself Network as the host of the successful knitting series, Knitty Gritty, which is currently airing all 8 seasons; and on the new Lifetime Television web series, Crafted. Her DIY Network 1-hour special, Knitty Gritty Knitsters, airs in July 2008. In 2006, she and her ACM partners debuted Stylelicious, another series for DIY that focuses on edgy, hand-made fashion.

Vickie, her projects, and her businesses have been featured in such mediums as: The Today Show; USA Today; Tease!: 50 T-shirt Projects from Superstars of Art, Crafts & Design; E! Network's Singled Out; BBC Radio Scotland; TV Guide; Interweave Knits Magazine; Knitty.com; BUST Magazine; DIY Jewelry Making; Weekend Entertaining, Real Simple Magazine; and “Celebrity Scarves II” book. She also writes a regular celebrity column for Vogue Knitting’s Knit.1 Magazine, an Eco-Craft column in the healthy parenting magazine, KIWI, and is the Knitting Editor for CraftGossip.com. In October 2005 her first book, New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Your Kids Really Want, hit shelves and was nominated for a Craft Trends Magazine Award of Excellence. In June 2006 came her second book, Not Another Teen Knitting Book, followed by her 3rd book, Knit Aid: A How-to Helper for the Knitter on the Go, which debuted in May 2008. Coming from Vickie in 2009 and 2010, are three more books: Pop Goes Crochet, Eco-Stitch (co-written with Adrienne Armstrong), and Craft Corps.

If you have reviewed this book and would like me to add a link to your review, please include a link in your comment!

Review: Hip Handbags by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

Hip Handbags: Creating & Embellishing 40 Great-Looking Bags by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader
Lark Books (March 3, 2009) ~ 128 pages
Non-Fiction / Crafts / Sewing / Handbags



Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback - many thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy to review!
Perfect for : Personal Use, Gift for a crafty person

In a nutshell: Hip Handbags is a fun and helpful book that will provide instructions to make 40 handbags, all based on seven basic bag designs (Messenger, Clutch, Tote, Tuck, Flirt, Vessel, Traveler).

The book includes helpful sections designed to give the reader some basic information on fabric, bag style, design, embellishment, preparations, and sewing basics. All of these are helpful in completing the included projects, as well as giving the reader the ability to veer off and start creating their own handbags based on the basic bag styles.

Extended Review:
Content: The book includes an Introduction, Design Your Bag, Handbag Basics, Beautify Your Bag, Embellished Bags, Prepare to Sew, Sewing 101, Project Key, Meet the Hip Handbags (Sections for projects under each of the seven handbag types: Messenger, Clutch, Tote, Tuck, Flirt, Vessel, Traveler), a Gallery of Totally Hip Handbags, Metric Conversion Chart, Meet the Designers, Acknowledgements, Index and Artist Index

Format: The informative sections prior to the actual projects are very helpful, providing some great basic information that I found particularly helpful (I am not a novice to sewing, but I'm close). Each project includes: a title, a Hip Index, the bag pattern the project is based on, a list of special materials or tools, fabric suggestions, a section that tells how the project differs from the basic pattern, hot tips, cool alternatives, and helpful tips for sewing. There are plenty of illustrations and photographs to help in understanding what to do.

Readability: With the included instructions, pictures and illustrations, the projects seem fairly easy to follow, and look like they will have great results.

Overall: This book provides crafty people with some very creative designs for handbags, all based on seven primary designs, and shows how changing small elements like the handle can give the handbag an all-new look. I love the designs in this book and can't wait until I've got the time to sit down and make some of them.

About the Book: (From the publisher)

Now it’s easier than ever to make your totes totally chic! Forty projects offer a wide variety of fabulous choices featuring great fabrics and design options, including novelty threads, raffia ribbon, straps made of jeweled necklaces and bracelets, embroidery, and more. Crafters will find 25 simple sewing projects, all originating from seven basic patterns, ranging from a flat folding purse to a pocketbook made from iridescent ruched silk. Another 15 designs use plain store-bought bags as a canvas for creative embellishments, such as transforming a simple black clutch with elegant silk flowers.

Examples from the Book:
















About the Author: (From Amazon)

Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader works as an editor and is the author of Fun & Fabulous Curtains to Sew 9781579907945, Stylish Skirts 9781579907242 and many other books.

If you have reviewed this book and would like me to add a link to your review, please include a link in your comment!

Review and Tour: Laced With Magic by Barbara Bretton (Excerpt Included)

Laced with Magic by Barbara Bretton
Berkley Trade (August 4, 2009) ~ 352 pages
Fiction / Contemporary Romance / Paranormal Romance

Edition Reviewed / Special Thanks: Paperback ~ Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Dorothy of Pump Up Your Book Promotions for sending me a review copy.

Perfect for : Personal reading, Book club read, Take it on a vacation, Read it during a commute

In a nutshell: Laced with Magic is a fun and entertaining story of half-human, half-sorceress Chloe Hobbs, as told from three viewpoints: Chloe, Luke (her boyfriend) and Karen (Luke's ex-wife). Set in the picturesque town of Sugar Maple, Vermont. The town is full of witches, werewolves, shapeshifters and faeries, among other non-human beings. Thanks to a protection spell cast by one of Chloe's ancestors, the townsfolks differences have been overlooked by the outside world.

Chloe is in love with Luke, the town's sherrif, and the only full human to live in Sugar Maple. Things seem to be going well. . . until Luke's ex-wife shows up in town looking for some help. She is being called on the phone by their daughter. . . who is dead. . . and who's spirit is being held hostage by Isadora, the Fae leader who has been banished (in book one of the series Casting Spells). While still learning about her magic, Chloe must make a risky decision - to help Luke and Karen's daughter by bringing Isadora back, or leaving their daughter's spirit in the hands of the cruel Isadora.

I really enjoyed the gentle romance, humor, and challenges faced by the characters in this story. It was also an interesting twist to read the story from the three different perspectives, each adding bits and pieces to the story overall. One thing to note: this is the second book in the series, and Barbara Bretton has done a wonderful job of filling readers in on what has happened so far, but there is at least one more book following this one. This one has a great ending, but certainly leads up to the next book!

About the Book: (From Pump Up Your Book Promotions)

Knit shop owner and sorcerer’s daughter Chloe Hobbs felt the Fates finally got it right when she met Luke MacKenzie. And no one could have convinced her otherwise—including the trolls, selkies, or spirits who also call Sugar Maple, Vermont, home. But then out of nowhere Luke’s ex-wife suddenly shows up, claiming to see the spirit of their daughter, Steffie—a daughter Chloe knows nothing about.

Steffie’s spirit is being held hostage by a certain Fae leader. And if Chloe weaves a spell to free her spirit, her nemesis will also be free—free to destroy her yarn shop and all of Sugar Maple. But if she doesn’t, Steffie won’t be the only one spending eternity in hell. Chloe’ll be joining her, cursed with a broken heart.

Excerpt: (From Pump Up Your Book Promotions)

Chloe

Did you ever have the feeling that you were exactly where you were meant to be, that the Fates had finally got it right and the rest of your life was going to be clear sailing? That was how I felt the first time Luke MacKenzie and I kissed: like I was seeing the world through new eyes.

The first time our hands touched over a basket of alpaca roving, sparks flew. Bright silver-white sparks that shot from our fingertips and lit up the night. It was every love story I had ever read, every romantic movie I had ever wept over, all of my hopes and dreams wrapped up into one tall, dark, and handsome package. It didn’t even matter that he was one hundred percent human and I was the daughter of a sorceress. I believed that now that I had finally found love, the rest would fall into place like magick.

Crazy? I wouldn’t bet against it. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, I still believed I was on my way to the storybook happy ending none of the women in my family had ever managed to achieve.

I mean, I even made a sweater for him and every knitter on the planet knows you never knit a sweater for the one you love until you had the ring on your finger.

What was I thinking?

I guess the truth is I wasn’t thinking at all. All those romantic movies and novels I had devoured over the years hadn’t prepared me for the real thing. Luke and I had gone from zero to sixty in a nanosecond, from strangers to lovers to living together in less time than it took most people to shake hands.

But then this wasn’t the real world. It just looked like it.

By the way, I’m Chloe Hobbs, knit shop owner and de facto mayor of Sugar Maple, a tiny little town tucked between two mountains in the northwest corner of Vermont. We’re a classic New England hamlet, famous for scenic views and great shopping but, trust me, there’s more going on in Sugar Maple than meets the eye.

Up until Luke, a former police detective from Boston, showed up in early December to investigate the drowning death of his friend Suzanne Marsden, I had been the only resident human. Well, half human to be precise but without magick the sorceress side of my lineage hardly mattered.

Remember the old TV show The Munsters? Marilyn was the all-American blonde who stuck out like a sore thumb in her family of irregulars. I guess you could say that was the part I played here in Sugar Maple. When the real world came calling, I was the one who answered.

And even I had to admit I was the logical choice.

A tenth generation witch owns the Cut & Curl across the street from my knit shop. The hardware store is run by the sweetest family of werewolves you’ll ever meet. The Sugar Maple Arts Playhouse is under the direction of shape shifters who serve as their own repertory company. Faeries keep the Inn’s restaurant fully booked and I guess it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that the town funeral parlor belongs to a happily married couple who happen to be vampire.

And that doesn’t count the trolls, selkies, goblins, sprites, spirits, and mountain giants who call our town home.

The unexpected success of my yarn shop had brought even more attention to Sugar Maple than our white picket fences and picturesque village green. My shop had been rated New England’s number one knitting destination two years running and if the blogosphere had anything to do with it, we were about to make it three for three. A protective spell cast over our town by one of my ancestors made it possible for us to hide in plain sight but when that spell started wearing down last year—well, that was when the troubles really started.

My ancestor Aerynn had fled Salem during the infamous witch hunts and found sanctuary here with other outcasts in search of a home. Aerynn was a sorceress, and she expressed her gratitude by casting a protective charm over Sugar Maple designed to keep the village safe from the sharp eyes of the real world as long as one of her female descendants walked the earth.

I was the last descendant of Aerynn and, in the eyes of almost everyone in town, pretty much of a loser. Oh, they loved me but I don’t think even my closest friends believed I would ever come through for Sugar Maple. I mean, I was almost thirty years old with no husband, no kid, and no magic. Even worse, I had no prospects of any kind. The only thing I had going for me was the ability to knit and spin like my foremothers, but even I didn’t think I could stockinette my way out of the mess the town was in.

And then Luke showed up and everything changed.

Who would have guessed that love would trigger my inner sorceress and awaken powers I didn’t know existed. Suddenly I had everything I had ever dreamed about: magick and love and enough yarn to last ten lifetimes.

And who would have guessed it wouldn’t be close to enough to save us.

About the Author: (From Pump Up Your Book Promotions)

Barbara Bretton is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of more than 40 books. Her most recent title, Laced With Magic, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. She currently has over ten million copies in print around the world and have been translated into twelve languages in over twenty countries.

Barbara has been featured in articles in The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Romantic Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Herald News, Home News, Somerset Gazette,among others, and has been interviewed by Independent Network News Television, appeared on the Susan Stamberg Show on NPR, and been featured in an interview with Charles Osgood of WCBS, among others.

Her awards include both Reviewer’s Choice and Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times; Gold and Silver certificates from Affaire de Coeur; the RWA Region 1 Golden Leaf; and several sales awards from Bookrak. Ms. Bretton was included in a recent edition of Contemporary Authors.

Barbara loves to spend as much time as possible in Maine with her husband, walking the rocky beaches and dreaming up plots for upcoming books.

You can visit Barbara’s website at www.barbarabretton.com, her blog at http://bmafb.blogspot.com or connect with her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/barbarbretton.com.

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