The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden – Countdown to Summer 2011

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer, Special Features
Jun 032011
 

18 days until summer!

Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, which her mother thinks are fabulous and her 10-year-old son thinks are too kissy. A few of these fabulously kissy novels are 2008 Whitney Award finalist Seeking Persephone, 2010 Whitney Award finalist Courting Miss Lancaster and The Kiss of a Stranger, released in 2011. When not researching, writing or talking to the voices in her head, Sarah spends her days avoiding housework, admiring the growing mountain of laundry and pretending she knows what to make for dinner. Visit her at www.SarahMEden.com.

Sarah has written several books. Two are currently available, with 8 out-of-print, and Seeking Persephone is slated for re-release this fall!

Follow Sarah on Facebook: Sarah M. Eden and Twitter: @SarahMEden.

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?

SARAH: Romance. Hello! Preferably Historical Romance, but as long as it’s a love story with a happy ending and a good “clean” read, sign me up!

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

SARAH: I have so many books on my to-be-read pile. Sheesh! I’m particularly excited about Captive Heart by Michele Paige Holmes, The List by Melanie Jacobson and Mark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams

LDSWBR: What is your favorite outdoor cooking recipe? (Can be grill, campfire, Dutch oven, etc.)

SARAH: Outdoor Dinner of Champions

1 super puffy, jumbo-sized marshmallow
1 rectangular graham cracker, broken in half so it’s more like a square (unless you wanna really live it up and make it a super skinny rectangle (let me know how that works out, ’cause I’ve never tried it))
an entire milk chocolate candy bar

Cook the marshmallow over a campfire until it’s a bit swollen and golden. Put a couple pieces of the candy bar on one half of the graham cracker. Put the swollen, golden marshmallow on the chocolate & graham cracker. Put the other half of the graham cracker on top of it all. Eat. Enjoy. Repeat as needed.

What? You have extra chocolate? You’d better eat it, my friend. Can’t let good chocolate go to waste. And no matter what anyone says, this is a meal. An actual, counts as dinner, meal.

LDSWBR: Wonderful, Sarah. Thank you!

The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden (Deseret Book; January 2011) is available for purchase from Deseret Book and Amazon.

What is your best memory associated with S’mores? Have you tried the new square-shaped S’mores marshmallows?

***

***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!

Two great romances & six reasons why you should read them- Courting Miss Lancaster & Cross My Heart

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Jan 172011
 

If you usually shy away from romance, give me a few minutes to change your mind. Or at least tell you why you should give these two books a chance.

In the past week I read two novels that reminded me why I love a good romance story. One is a regency-era romance that is certain to be enjoyed by fans of Jane Austen, the other a contemporary romance that is both fresh and fun.

If that’s not incentive enough for you, let me give you six more reasons to read Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden and Cross My Heart by Julie Wright.

1) The Authors

Having met and spent several hours in the company of both Sarah and Julie, I can say without a doubt that they are two of the sweetest, most intelligent, authentic and witty women I know. I’m not just saying this because I think they might read this (we won’t talk about the $20 Sarah slipped me under the table- uh, I mean, what $20?)

Sarah has thoroughly researched the Regency Era and it shows in how well she writes her characters and setting. Julie embraces who she is, imperfections and all, and it makes her, and her characters, highly relatable. Both of these women do what they do–write what they write–because they must. They love it. The result: enjoyable, unforgettable stories.

2) The Setting

Courting Miss Lancaster takes place in Town during the Little Season. I love that Sarah gives her readers just enough detail to set the mood and lets the imagination do the rest. It keeps the flow of the story practically seamless. What makes the setting feel so authentic? How Sarah uses the words. The characters’ internal dialogue is as authentic-sounding as the conversations. Never once did I feel pulled from the story because of an out-of-time sounding phrase.

The majority of Cross My Heart takes place in Boston, MA, and the surrounding area. The main character’s love for the Boston area is obvious as she is willing to resort to a college-days menu of noodles for a place in the Back Bay and a view of the Charles River. At first she avoids the tourist attractions in and around Boston, which in turn made me even more curious about them.

3) The Heroes

No brooders here. In fact, both heroes are down to earth, sincere, and a bit unsure. Oh, and funny. I love a man with a sense of humor. Both have just the right amount of sweet, as well. What I loved the most about the heroes in both books is that they were good friends to the heroines. Was there chemistry and attraction? Oh yeah. First, though, there was friendship.

4) The Humor

I am glad to know Sarah for many reasons, and one is her sense of humor. Sign up for one of her classes at a writing conference and you will see what I mean. Let me give you an example from Harry’s thoughts in Courting Miss Lancaster:

“He knew Persephone had a good head on her shoulders, and he suspected Athena did as well. One could not, after all, be named for the Greek goddess of divine intelligence and be a complete featherhead.”

As for Julie, this girl is a blast to hang with. I have pictorial proof right here. She keeps the balance between serious and funny in Cross My Heart, and in some cases with Jillian’s mother, shock and laughter. I enjoyed the banter between Jillian and the main love interest.

5) The Heriones

Athena is young and a little naive, but in no way a “featherhead.” In fact, the heroines in both books are very intelligent. Athena had her romantic fantasy of a knight on a white steed, imagining she would know her true love the first time their eyes met from across the ballroom. She realizes rather quickly that she had better learn what she does want as fast as she was learning what she didn’t want after meeting a series of gentlemen with rather undesirable characteristics.

Jillian is in advertising and has a knack for knowing what a client will go for. She watches television for the commercials, reads magazines for the ads (which she then edits), and has survived many company layoffs. When another ad agency starts winning away clients using suspiciously similar ideas, Jillian’s boss sends her back to Boston to save their biggest accounts. She knows her stuff. She’s professional yet feminine, even if she does wear a lot of black. She might not always be the most tolerant person in the world, but she tries. She appreciates her family and friends even when they are embarrassing her, and vice versa.

6) The Romance

What is a romance without chemistry? Not a romance. However, there can be too much of a good thing. Not so in Courting Miss Lancaster or Cross My Heart.

Harry’s interest in Athena is known from the first pages of the book. He does not have a fortune, however, and is therefore ineligible to court Athena. He is asked by his good friend and Athena’s guardian, Adam, Duke of Kielder, to sort through the unsuitable prospects and find an acceptable husband for her. Harry accepts, knowing what torture it will be to spend so much time with Athena, yet wanting to make sure she finds a husband worthy of her. There is one particular scene near the end of the book that tops my chart of most romantic scenes ever. Yep. Ever.

Julie effectively and consistently sprinkles the chemistry-filled moments throughout Cross My Heart. To me, it’s the little things that make all the difference, and all those little things come together for a first kiss that is unforgettably romantic.

Despite all of the romancing going on, neither of these books ever felt unrealistic or over-the-top. Both have earned a spot on my bookshelf, and I look forward to reading them again. Many more times.

My first read for 2011 will be… oh, and winners!

 Posted by  Contests, Special Features
Jan 052011
 
My first read for 2011 will be…
Courting Miss Lancaster!

Now that you’ve seen the five books I was considering, do you understand my dilemma in trying to choose which book to read first? If I could I would read them all at the same time!

However, Courting Miss Lancaster was the overwhelming favorite, and after everyone’s comments about how wonderful it is, I’m going to start reading it immediately after announcing winners of the bookmarks. So, let’s do this thing!

Since we were right at 20 comments (if you count mine, which I will, just not in the drawing) I’m going to give away three bookmarks, because I want to and I can do whatever I want on this blog, ha ha!

Okay, the winners of the amazingly handy stretchy bookmarks that stay in place and don’t fall out are (we’ll pretend my shaking the can of folded papers is a drumroll):

  • Leslie Mackey
  • Natalie Palmer
  • Kimberly

Congratulations! Email me at ldswbr(at)gmail(dot)com with your addresses and I’ll get you set up with your new bookmarks!

Didn’t win this time but still want a bookmark? Keep watching the blog because we’re celebrating FIVE YEARS of LDS Women’s Book Review all month long. And since I’m so in love with these bookmarks I’m looking for opportunities to give them away.

Thanks, everyone! Keep checking back for more chances to win. :)

What should I read next? (And a super easy contest!)

 Posted by  Contests, Special Features
Jan 032011
 

I am in a wonderful (or horrible) place right now – a reader’s heaven (or Hades) – surrounded by so many wonderful books I want to read RIGHT NOW that I have no idea where to start.

So I’m letting all of you decide what my first read in 2011 will be from the choices below.

Also, because I appreciate your thoughts and opinions, everyone who comments will have their name entered into a drawing for a really cool and useful-to-us-readers prize! If I get one vote/comment, lucky you- WINNER! If I get more than ten, I’ll draw two names. More than 20, I’ll draw three. :)

(Only one vote/comment per person counts. Hurry! Contest closes Wednesday at 12:00 noon MST.)

THE PRIZE
(Inspired by whimsy-girl.blogspot.com)

An awesome elastic bookmark!
(See the little heart charms? Cute, huh?)

I made a bunch of these bookmarks (see mass of charms and elastic above) as Christmas gifts for my reader friends because they are so darn cute and handy. Just loop the elastic around the front or back half of the book with one side marking your place inside the book and that baby isn’t going anywhere. Shake the book, drop the book, shove the book in your bag- your place won’t be lost.

Pretty neat, huh?

So tell me, from the list below, what do YOU think I should read next?

  • Cross My Heart by Julie Wright
  • Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden
  • Meg’s Melody by Kaylee Baldwin
  • The Legend of Shannonderry by Carole Warburton
  • Winning Mr. Wrong by Marie Higgins

There are several books I could add to this list but I thought I should keep it at five. Can you tell I’m in the mood for a romance?

Don’t forget to voice your choice in the comments!

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