The Sunday Post #56 (1.25.15)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.  Well, winter has finally made it’s appearance around…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in January 23

 #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   So, while the week didn’t start off too great, it sure did end great. I realized that I have only 7 weeks until my 1/2 marathon…EEK!!! Yes, I’ve been walking all along, but I haven’t really done any distance walks and I desperately needed to get a new pairs of kicks! I did my first…

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Review: Perdita by Hilary Scharper

Title: Perdita     Author: Hilary Scharper      Published: January 2015, Sourcebooks Landmark   Format: ARC E-book, 448 pages     Source: Netgalley    In this haunting tale of past and present, Garth uncovers the secret to longevity, and the mystical power of love On assignment to interview the oldest people on the planet, historian Garth Hellyer meets Marged Brice, a spirited woman who claims to be 134 years old.…

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Book Spotlight, Guest Post, & Excerpt: Perdita by Hilary Scharper (with Giveaway!!!)

Perdita By Hilary Scharper Sourcebooks Landmark January 20, 2015 $16.99 Trade Paperback “Stunning… richly complex and unpredictable.” —Historical Novel Review Marged Brice is 134 years old. She’d be ready to go, if it weren’t for Perdita . . . The Georgian Bay lighthouse’s single eye keeps watch over storm and calm, and Marged grew up in its shadow, learning the language of the wind and the trees. There’s blustery beauty…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in January 16

 #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   Another week that didn’t quite go as planned. I started off pretty good. I was babysitting my 2 month old niece over the weekend, so I did pretty well with my steps as she likes to be held and walked around. Then the first half of the week was fine, and I managed to reach…

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Review: The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna van Praag (audio)

Title: The Dress Shop of Dreams    Author: Menna van Praag       Narrator: Jennifer Carr    Published: Recorded Books   Length: 9 hours, 10 minutes   Source: Personal copy via Audible   For fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, and Adriana Trigiani, The Dress Shop of Dreams is a captivating novel of enduring hopes, second chances, and the life-changing magic of true love. Since her parents’ mysterious deaths…

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Review: The Midnight Rose by Lucinda Riley (audio)

  Title: The Midnight Rose     Author: Lucinda Riley     Narrator: Anjana Srinivasan Published: January 2014, Whole Story Audiobooks Length: 16 hours, 48 minutes Source: Personal copy via Audible   Spanning four generations, The Midnight Rose sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a remarkable girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the…

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The Sunday Post #55 (1.11.15) – a day late!

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.  I’m posting this a day late because I…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in January 9

 #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   This week didn’t start off too well as I was sick. I ended up with a nasty cold. I took a few days off and then, since the weather was so cold, decided to just take it easy and stay indoors all week. I really don’t want to be sick all winter, so I figured…

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Book Spotlights: The She Reads ‘Books of Winter’ Selections

On Monday, the gals at She Reads announced the four ‘Books of Winter’ selections. I’m very excited about these picks – 2 I’ve already read/listened to, I’m currently listening to the third and will be picking up the fourth one very shortly. Be sure to visit the She Reads website – they have a great giveaway going on. Five lucky readers will win all four novels!!! (Giveaway is open until…

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Review: House Broken by Sonja Yoerg

Title: House Broken    Author: Sonja Yoerg  Published: January 2015, NAL Trade Format: ARC E-copy, 336 pages    Source: Netgalley via Author    In this compelling and poignant debut novel, a woman skilled at caring for animals must learn to mend the broken relationships in her family.… For veterinarian Geneva Novak, animals can be easier to understand than people. They’re also easier to forgive. But when her mother, Helen, is…

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Review: Vanished by Elizabeth Heiter

Title: Vanished    Author: Elizabeth Heiter     Series: The Profiler, #2       Published: December 2014, MIRA   Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages     Source: Author   Sometimes the past can haunt you… Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine s best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed…

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The Sunday Post #54 (1.4.15)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.  I love the excitement a new year brings…

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#FitReaders: Weekly Check-in January 2

 #FitReaders is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About   This is the first check-in for the new year and I am going to use this post to discuss my goals for the year. This is the second year I am participating in this group (formerly called #BookBlogWalkers) and I am so excited to see that the group is not only back, but even more…

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2015 Audiobook Challenge

  The 2015 Audio Book Challenge is hosted by The Book Nympho & Hot Listens, and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. I love listening to audio books and have been doing this challenge for the past few  years. I’m joining at the Marathoner level, which means I need to listen to 50+  audio books in 2015. I’ll keep track of them here.   ***As of 9/30/15,…

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2015 E-Book Reading Challenge

The 2015 E-Book Challenge is hosted by Annette’s Book Spot  and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. I’ve done this challenge for the past couple years and love seeing just how much I end up reading on the iPad at the end of the year. I’m joining at the Megabytes level, which means I need to read at least 25 e-books in 2015. I’ll keep track…

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2015 First Reads Reading Challenge

The 2015 First Reads Reading Challenge is hosted by b00k r3vi3ws, and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. The goal of this reading challenge is to read new-to-you authors.  I’m joining at the Lover level, which means that I need to read at least 26 books from new-to-me authors. I’ll keep track of them here. I’ll also link my reviews to the list. ***As of 6/30/15,…

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2015 Netgalley Reading Challenge

  The 2015 Netgalley Reading Challenge is hosted by Ariel Avalon, and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. This goal of this challenge is to not only read all those books we’ve requested from Netgalley but to then review them so as to get our feedback ratio up to the recommended 80%. I’m joining at the Hard level, which means I need to read and review…

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2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

  The 2015 Mount TBR Reading Challenge is hosted by My Reader’s Block, and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. I participated in this challenge last year, but didn’t come close to making my goal. I’m hoping to be successful this time around as at last count, I have over 200 books on my shelves that I have not read yet. I’m joining at the Mount…

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2015 Library Challenges (2 different ones!)

There were 2 Library Challenges that I was torn between signing up for so I decided I would sign up and participate in both!!!  The first one, Readers to the Rescue Library Challenge, is being hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey. Not only is she encouraging us to use our library, but she also wants us to get to know our library. What does your library offer besides books.…

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2015 You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge

  The 2015 You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge is hosted by Book Dragon’s Lair, and it goes from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. This is a reading challenge where we are challenged to read, read, read!!! I am going to join this challenge at Level 2, where I hope to read 150 books. The Violets of March by Sarah Jio House Broken by Sonja Yoerg (e-book)…

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2015 Goals for Reading/Blogging/Fitness

I have done this the last 2 years, and it helped me set myself up for the upcoming year. I think this will be a fixed feature on January 1 of each year I blog. One of my resolutions for 2015 is to be more organized – in life and in blogging. I need to get back to using my blogger planner. While this was one of my main goals…

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First Book of the Year 2015

Each year, Sheila over at Book Journey makes a big deal over what the first book she’ll read will be for the new year and once again she’s asked us to join her.  For my first book of the year, I decided to go with a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while – and one that’s been sitting on my shelf for some time as well. I’m…

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Year in Review: 2014

2014 has been another great year and it’s hard to believe that 2015 starts tomorrow!   Some of the highlights of this year include: Attending BEA 2014 – what a great experience!!! Lots of great books, meeting other bloggers in person, networking with publishers/publicists, meeting authors and attending some of the parties! So much fun and I am definitely going again in 2015! I walked my first 1/2 marathon in…

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Month in Review: December 2014

Here are my reading stats for December!  Books read:  11 Books I read:  The Perfect Witness — Iris Johansen (audio book) Leaving Time — Jodi Picoult Hunted — Elizabeth Heiter Some Kind of Wonderful — Beth Ciotta (e-book) The Midnight Rose — Lucinda Riley (audio book) The Lodge on Holly Road — Sheila Roberts (e-book) Bare Bones –Kathy Reichs (audio book) Butternut Lake: Night Before Christmas — Mary McNear (e-book)…

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Review & Giveaway: The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel (GIVEAWAY CLOSED)

Title: The Life Intended    Author: Kristin Harmel           Published: December 2014, Gallery Books   Format: ARC E-book, 368 pages    Source: Netgalley via Publicist   From the author of the international bestseller The Sweetness of Forgetting, named one of the Best Books of Summer 2012 by Marie Claire magazine, comes a captivating novel about the struggle to overcome the past when our memories refuse to be…

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Review: Butternut Lake: The Night Before Christmas by Mary McNear

Title: Butternut Lake: The Night Before Christmas    Author: Mary McNear     Series: The Butternut Lake Trilogy, #2.5       Published: December 2014, William Morrow Impulse   Format: E-book, 112 pages     Source: Publicist  Butternut Lake is so beautiful at Christmas—from the delightfully decorated shops, to the cozy homes with their twinkling lights outside, to the lake itself. And this year so much is happening! A wedding: Caroline meticulously…

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Review: The Cinderella Murder by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke (audio)

Title: The Cinderella Murder     Author: Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke    Series: Under Suspicion, #1    Narrator: Jan Maxwell   Published: November 2014, Simon & Schuster Audio   Length: 8 hours 40 minutes    Source: Personal copy via Audible  Television producer Laurie Moran is delighted when the pilot for her reality drama, Under Suspicion, is a success. Even more, the program – a cold case series that…

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Review: Some Kind of Wonderful by Beth Ciotta

Title: Some Kind of Wonderful     Author: Beth Ciotta     Series: Cupcake Lovers, #3.5      Published: October 2013, St. Martin’s Paperbacks   Format: ARC E-book, 83 pages     Source: Netgalley   Have yourself a scrumptious, small-town Christmas with this special Cupcake Lovers holiday novella, Some Kind of Wonderful! Growing up in Sugar Creek, Maya Templeton and Zachary Cole were best friends. After high school, each went out…

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The Sunday Post #53 (12.28.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.  What a wonderful holiday we had – it’s…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in December 26

  #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog This is the last weekly check-in for 2014. It was a challenging week trying to get everything set for the holidays – we traveled down to Long Island to my in-laws Wednesday -Friday and then hosted some of my family here on Saturday – four siblings and their families, my dad plus my husband and I ended up with 19…

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Review: The Lodge on Holly Road by Sheila Roberts

Title: The Lodge on Holly Road    Author: Sheila Roberts      Series: Life in Icicle Falls, #6      Published: October 2014, Harlequin MIRA   Format:  ARC e-copy, 364 pages   Source:  Netalley  How Santa Gets His Christmas Spirit Back… James Claussen has played Santa for years, but now that he’s a widower, he’s lost interest—in everything. So his daughter, Brooke, kidnaps him from the mall (in his Santa…

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Review: Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter

Title: Hunted    Author: Elizabeth Heiter     Series: The Profiler, #1       Published: December 2013, Harlequin MIRA   Format: Paperback, 368 pages    Source: Library   Terror stalks a small Virginia town. FBI rising star, criminal profiler Evelyn Baine, knows how to think like a serial killer. But she’s never chased anyone like the Bakersville Burier, who hunts young women and displays them, half-buried, deep in the woods.…

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Review: One of Us by Tawni O’Dell (audio)

Title: One of Us    Author: Tawni O’Dell    Narrator: Nick Podehl & Amy McFadden   Published: August 2014, Brilliance Audio   Length: 9 Hours 52 Minutes    Source: Publisher  From the New York Times bestselling author of Back Roads comes a fast-paced literary thriller about a forensic psychologist forced to face his own demons after discovering his small hometown terrorized by a serial killer. Dr. Sheridan Doyle—a fastidiously groomed…

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The Sunday Post #52 (12.21.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.    It’s hard to believe this week is…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in December 19

  #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog Well, this week certainly didn’t go as planned. Work was insanely busy, plus I ended up getting that cold that was brewing last week. Needless to say there wasn’t too much exercising going on here other than the usual dog walks each day. Oh well…at least the dogs get me moving each day!!!   Here’s how my week went:  Dec…

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Review: The Oleander Sisters by Elaine Hussey (audio)

Title: The Oleander Sisters     Author: Elaine Hussey    Narrator: Janet Metzger    Published: July 2014, Brilliance Audio   Length: 10 Hours 22 minutes    Source: Publisher  An emotionally riveting tale of the bonds of family and the power of hope in the sultry Deep South In 1969, the first footsteps on the moon brighten America with possibilities. But along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a category five storm is…

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Book Spotlight & Guest Post: House Broken by Sonja Yoerg

Title: House Broken    Author: Sonja Yoerg     Published: January 2015, NAL Trade    In this compelling and poignant debut novel, a woman skilled at caring for animals must learn to mend the broken relationships in her family.… For veterinarian Geneva Novak, animals can be easier to understand than people. They’re also easier to forgive. But when her mother, Helen, is injured in a vodka-fueled accident, it’s up to…

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The Sunday Post #51 (12.14.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.    At the beginning of last week, I…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in December 12

  #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog All week I’ve been fighting a cold – it never really materialized into anything big, just those annoying sniffles and a scratchy throat. Due to that, I kept things low key – I really don’t want to be sick over the holidays and usually when I get sick, I get really sick.   Here’s how my week went:  Dec  6: …

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Review: Shopaholic to the Stars by Sophie Kinsella (audio)

Title: Shopaholic to the Stars    Author: Sophie Kinsella    Series: Shophaholic, #7     Narrator: Clare Corbett    Published: October 2014, Random House Audio   Length: 12 hours 37 minutes   Source: Personal copy via Audible  Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) has stars in her eyes. She and her daughter, Minnie, have joined husband Luke in LA—city of herbal smoothies, multimillion-dollar yoga retreats, and the lure of celebrity. Luke is…

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Short & Sweet Review: Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Title: Alex Cross, Run    Author: James Patterson     Series: Alex Cross, #20      Published: February 2013, Little, Brown & Company   Format: Hardcover, 407 pages    Source: Personal copy   Detective Alex Cross arrests renowned plastic surgeon Elijah Creem for sleeping with teenage girls. Now, his life ruined, Creem is out of jail, and he’s made sure that no one will recognize him–by giving himself a new…

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Help Suzanne Redfearn Pick the New Title & Cover for her Upcoming Book

Last year, I had the pleasure of reading Suzanne Redfearn’s debut novel, Hush Little Baby, for one of my online book clubs. It was a fantastic read and I have been eagerly awaiting for more from this author. Well, the wait is almost over. But first, Suzanne needs our help… Do you enjoy novels by Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty, JoJo Moyes, or Anita Shreve? Then you are the perfect reader…

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Review: Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman

Title: Ruin Falls     Author: Jenny Milchman     Published: April 2014, Ballantine Books   Format: Hardcover, 352 pages    Source: Library   In a suspenseful follow-up to her critically acclaimed Cover of Snow, Jenny Milchman ratchets up the tension with this edge-of-your-seat story of a mother determined to find her missing children.   Liz Daniels has every reason to be happy about setting off on a rare family…

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The Sunday Post #50 (12.7.14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. I’m also going to link this up with Sheila’s It’s Monday post over at Book Journey.    I started to do some holiday decorating…

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Book Blog Walkers: Weekly Check-in December 5

  #BookBlogWalkers is hosted by Felicia @ The Geeky Bloggers Book Blog This week was much better than last week. I got my walking in every day and even made it to the gym one day. Now I just need to keep this going…so there isn’t any holiday weight gain!!!   Here’s how my week went:  Nov 29:  restNov 30:  rest Dec  1:  70 minutes (on treadmill) Dec  2:  1 hour (indoor…

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Review: Yours for Christmas by Susan Mallery

Title: Yours for Christmas    Author: Susan Mallery     Series: Fool’s Gold, #15.5      Published: October 2014, Harlequin   Format: E-book, 98 pages    Source: Personal copy   Step out of the winter chill and into the warmth of Fool’s Gold, California, the charming small-town setting for a new holiday novella from New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery Famous former NFL stars don’t date single working moms…

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Guest Post: Beth Albright (and a giveaway!!! -CLOSED)

Please join me in welcoming Beth Albright to Always With a Book. Beth’s newest book, Christmas in Dixie, part of her In Dixie series, is now out and she’s been busy promoting it. You can read my review of the book here. I just adored her Sassy Belles trilogy – The Sassy Belles, Wedding Belles, & Sleigh Belles – and was quite bummed when I got to the end, but…

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Review: Christmas in Dixie by Beth Albright

Title: Christmas in Dixie      Author: Beth Albright     Series: In Dixie, #2       Published: November 2014, Beth Albright   Format: ARC e-book, 148 pages    Source: Author  “Christmas gifts aren’t always just a fun surprise. Sometimes they totally take your breath away.” ~ Blake O’Hara Bartholomew From National Bestselling and award winning Author Beth Albright, comes a new, funny, heartwarming southern Christmas tale —told as only…

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Review & Giveaway: Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs (CLOSED)

Title: Scorched Eggs     Author: Laura Childs     Series: Cackleberry Club, #6       Published: December 2014, Berkley Hardcover   Format: ARC Paperback, 320 pages     Source: Author    In Laura Childs’s New York Times bestselling mystery series, Suzanne, Petra, and Toni—co-owners of the Cackleberry Club Café—are equally good at serving up breakfast and serving up justice. This time they turn up the heat on a deadly firebug……

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