Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson – Countdown to Christmas 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas, Special Features
Dec 112011
 

14 days until Christmas

That’s right – only two weeks left to comment and complete the bonus entries on each Countdown to Christmas post. With so many books and $50 at Amazon up for grabs you won’t want to miss any opportunity to enter!

 

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a popular speaker who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies for Covenant and maintains her humorous slice-of-life blog.

Connect with Melanie: WEBSITE | BLOG | Twitter | Facebook

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LDSWBR: What Christmas-related activity would you like to do this year that you have never done before?

MELANIE: We have a large regional park near us with a Christmas train. At least that’s the rumor. I haven’t seen it myself, but it’s on my list to take the kids to see it.

LDSWBR: If you could find one book under the tree this year, what would it be?

MELANIE: Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos

LDSWBR: What is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?

MELANIE: Back in the olden days when you used to have to rent your videos from a store and not a red box or envelope, on every major holiday my dad would pile us into the car and we’d spend about an hour wandering the aisles and making our selections. My dad always got an MGM musical and my mom always got some kind of shoot-’em-up action or martial arts film with lots of fighting and very little talking. I know, a little bit of role reversal there. Anyway, I asked her about it years later. Why did she always get the action films? My parents were deaf and she said that since they had to watch the movies with closed captioning, the “talking” movies were like reading a book and she did plenty of that already. And here I just thought she was bloodthirsty . . .

LDSWBR: Thanks, Melanie! Have a great Christmas!

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Buy Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson

DESERET BOOK | AMAZON | KINDLE

Do you have a movie-related Christmas tradition?

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To enter the Countdown to Christmas 2011 contest, complete the following and then tell us what you did:

  • **Required entry (+1) – Leave a thoughtful comment on this post. (More than just “Great contest!” please.) You must leave a comment on this post for your other entries to count. If you are reading this post through email or an RSS reader, please click through to leave a comment.
  • Bonus entry (+1 total) – Follow Melanie on her blog, Twitter, or Facebook (or all three). Melanie’s a lot of fun on Twitter, and her blog posts are thoughtful, insightful and often humorous. Either comment or send an email to ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com telling us how you follow Melanie.
  • Additional entries (one time +1 entry each) – 1) Subscribe to LDSWBR through email 2) Follow @LDSWBR on Twitter 3) Like LDS Women’s Book Review on Facebook (all found at the the top of the right sidebar on the LDSWBR blog). NOTE: If you already subscribe through email, follow us on Twitter, or Like us on Facebook you must tell us in a comment for the extra entries to count.
  • By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2011, you agree to the contest information found here.

 

***If you haven’t read the contest rules and info, read them here.***

 

Book prizes donated by their authors:

  • Ribbon of Darkness by Julie Coulter Bellon (new addition to the prize list!)
  • Not My Type by Melanie Jacobson
  • Cinder & Ella by Melissa Lemon (ebook)
  • Pride & Popularity by Jenni James
  • The Kissing Tree by Prudence Bice
  • Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black (paperback or Kindle)
  • The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry
  • Winner’s choice of one of the books in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series by Josi S. Kilpack (including Banana Split which will be released in February 2012)
  • Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
  • Obsession by Traci Hunter Abramson
  • Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little
  • Indelible by Lani Woodland and a swag bag!
  • Identity by Betsy Love
  • The Hainan Incident by D.M. Coffman (autographed copy)
  • Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford
  • Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett
  • The Breakup Artist by Shannen Crane Camp
  • Seers by Heather Frost
Don’t forget to comment! Merry Christmas and happy reading!

To-Read Tuesday 10.25.2011

 Posted by  Special Features, To-Read Tuesday
Oct 252011
 

If you could read only ONE book from your to-read list, what would it be and why?
What are you looking forward to? Is it a sequel? Have all of your friends read it and you’re tired of being the odd one out? Is there a movie being released that is based on the book? Are you in love with the cover? Leave the link to your To-Read Tuesday blog post or just tell us which book you would read and why in the comments below.

 

Shanda

Not My Type: A Single Girl’s Guide to Doing It All Wrong by Melanie Jacobson

I really enjoyed Melanie’s last LDS romance, The List. I’m excited to see if she can win me over again. (I have no doubt she will!)

Sheila

Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys

Just the name of the book, and a line on the back of the book, “Someone is watching…” really make me want to read this book. This book is very different from Stephanie’s other book I read and reviewed.

Mindy

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

I loved the first one, My Fair Godmother, and I bet this one is just as cute.

 

 

What book will you be reading this week?

 

The List by Melanie Jacobson – Countdown to Summer 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer, Special Features
Jun 162011
 

5 days until summer!

Melanie Bennett Jacobson is an avid reader, amateur cook, and champion shopper. She consumes astonishing amounts of chocolate, chick flicks, and romance novels. After meeting her husband online, she is now living happily married in Southern California with her growing family and a series of doomed houseplants. Melanie is a former English teacher and a popular speaker who loves to laugh and make others laugh. In her down time (ha!), she writes romantic comedies for Covenant and maintains her humorous slice-of-life blog. Her first novel, The List, hit shelves in March.

Melanie’s next book, Not My Type: A Single Girl’s Guide to Getting It All Wrong, another romantic comedy, will be released in October.

Visit Melanie on her website: melaniejacobson.net and blog: Write Stuff.

Follow Melanie on Facebook: Melanie Jacobson, Author and Twitter: @Writestuff_Mel.

LDSWBR: If you had an entire day to read (on the beach, at the lake, by the pool, etc.), what book(s) or genre would you reach for first?

MELANIE: Contemporary YA fiction, preferably something with a dose of romance. I just read Anna and the French Kiss and loved it. That’s the genre I’m feeling right now.

LDSWBR: What book(s) do you look forward to reading the most this summer?

MELANIE: I’m looking forward to 10 Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mylnowski. I’m also twitchy to get my hands on Pumpkin Roll from Josi Kilpack. And whatever Sarah Eden puts out next.

LDSWBR: How would you describe the perfect summer day?

MELANIE: I’d get to sleep until 9, browse blogs and news feeds without interruption, eat a delicious sandwich for lunch, and then lounge at the beach for three hours of uninterrupted reading while my husband watched the kids in the water. EXCELLENT.

LDSWBR: Thank you so much, Melanie!

The List by Melanie Jacobson (Covenant; March 2011) is available for purchase in paperback from Deseret Book and for the Kindle from Amazon.

Would sleeping in be a part of your “perfect” summer day?

***

***Countdown to Summer 2011 Contest***

LDSWBR will hold a drawing on June 25, 2011 for a $50 Amazon gift card, as well as a variety of books being offered by some of the LDS authors featured in the Countdown. This will be a raffle-type drawing, so more entries means more chances to win. There are several ways to enter the Countdown to Summer 2011 contest. See details below.

Book prizes generously donated by the authors:

  • The Upside of Down by Rebecca Talley
  • Gifted by Karey White
  • Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey
  • Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes
  • The Perfect Fit by  Michele Ashman Bell
  • River Whispers by Kathi Oram Perterson
  • Hazzardous Universe by Julie Wright & Kevin Wasden
  • Hearts Through Time by Marie Higgins
  • Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys
  • The List by Melanie Jacobson
  • The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
  • The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
  • Blackberry Crumble by Josi S. Kilpack
  • **Bonus Prize** An autographed copy of BLOODBORNE by Gregg Luke (released August 2011)

Do ANY of the following to enter:

  • Post a thoughtful comment on the Countdown to Summer 2011 author posts. Comments can be added on any of the author posts anytime during the contest period (June 1, 2011 through June 24, 2011). Only one comment per person per Countdown to Summer author post will be entered into the drawing. Feel free to comment more than once per post if you’d like, but only one comment will be accepted as an entry.
  • Send LDSWBR an email to ldswbr AT gmail DOT com telling us which of the following you have completed. If you already do these things, email us and let us know. Each item gets you 1 entry.
  1. Follow LDS Women’s Book Review on Facebook
  2. Follow @LDSWBR on Twitter
  3. Subscribe to LDSWBR by email (see top right sidebar on website)
  4. Follow LDSWBR with Google Friend Connect (right sidebar beneath “Follow LDSWBR”)
  • On each Countdown to Summer author post, leave a comment telling us which of the following you completed or already do. Each item gets you 1 entry.
  1. Follow the author’s blog (if they have one)
  2. Follow the author on Twitter (if they tweet)
  3. Follow the author on Facebook (if they have a Facebook page)
  • Tweet this message each day. One entry per day. Just copy and paste into your twitter message window to send it (LDSWBR must be able to see the tweet): LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2011 – Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card & great summer reads! http://bit.ly/kZ5jXw @ldswbr
  • Blog about this contest on your blog then send us the link to your specific blog post. You can find the Countdown graphic badge/button to include in your blog post here. (5 entries)
  • Post the following on your Facebook page (3 entries) then send us an email (ldswbr AT gmail DOT com) telling us that you did: LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2011 – Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card & great summer reads! http://bit.ly/kZ5jXw

Here are the rules:

  • Contest ends at 12:00 Midnight MDT on June 24, 2011.
  • Drawing winners will have until 12:00 Midnight MDT on July 2, 2011 to claim their prize. After that time, another name will be drawn to receive the prize.
  • Book prizes can only be shipped within the contiguous United States.
  • LDSWBR reserves the right to decide what determines a “thoughtful” comment.

Let’s keep counting down to summer with some great reads!

The List by Melanie Jacobson

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
May 302011
 

The List

Author: Melanie Jacobson

Published Date: March 2011

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Softcover: 289 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance

ISBN# 978-1-60861-051-8

FTC FYI: received free review copy that did not affect my review

When Ashley Barrett’s older sisters are both married before the age of 19, she decides not to follow in their footsteps. Instead, she makes a list of 25 things to do before getting married.

While spending the summer in Huntington Beach, Ashley’s determined to cross Learn to surf off her list. To do that she needs Matt Gibson, who is sought after for his surfing expertise as well as his good looks. Ashley may not be blond like most of the girls trailing after Matt, but she’s learned how to make the most of her best features. Despite being desperate for Matt’s surfing knowledge, she plays indifferent and succeeds in getting Matt’s attention.

Ashley realizes that she’s as attracted to Matt as he is to her. They both agree to have a summer fling with no strings attached (number 17 on Ashley’s list). They spend most of their free time with each other and have a great time together. Knowing they will go their separate ways at the end of the summer, Ashley starts working on another item on her list: Try internet dating. That’s where she meets the guy she hopes to hang out with occasionally when she returns to Utah for school in the fall.

There’s only one problem- Matt starts hinting that he doesn’t really want to let her go and Ashley finds herself more attached to Matt than she expected.

I had a lot of fun reading The List. There were several parts that were so laugh-out-loud funny I had to read them to my husband. I’m a big fan of the romance genre, but finding a good, non-cheesy, clean romance feels a little like Mission: Impossible. Thanks to authors like Melanie Jacobson, Sarah M. Eden, Michele Paige Holmes and Becca Wilhite, finding clean, well-written romance novels is getting easier all the time.

The List is a perfect summer read. Taking place on the beach, Matt and Ashley’s story is fitting to read by the pool, the lake, or the central AC vent (assuming it ever gets warm enough to use the AC). I really enjoyed The List and give it a definite 4 stars. If you appreciate a well-written, fun romance I suspect you will, too.

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