Review and Book Giveaway-Twitterpated

19 Mar, 2012 by in book giveaway, melanie jacobson, twitterpated 7 comments

Twitterpated
by Melanie Jacobson
Paperback, 247 pages
Published March 2012
by Covenant Communications
ISBN 139781608610655
Book Source: author
4 stars
Book Summary From Goodreads: Jessie Taylor is furious when her roommate secretly posts her picture on the dating website LDS Lookup — furious, that is, until she spends all night instant messaging Ben Bratton, a man whose wit and warmth just might make Jessie forget the train wreck of her last romantic relationship. Their first date is a smashing success (literally), but Ben’s overall awesomeness can’t save Jessie from having to deal with Craig, her competitive coworker whose baiting behavior sets new standards for obnoxiousness. Determined to beat Craig at his own game, Jessie spends long office hours finishing projects and putting out fires, but while her performance wows her boss, it only makes Ben skittish — after a failed engagement to an up-and-coming lawyer, he’s not about to pair up with someone who’s married to her job. Will Jessie figure out how to be true to herself and take her big chance at love before it’s gone with a click of the mouse?
Heather’s Review: Jessie’s in her mid twenties with a well established career and not much time to spare considering she works 8o hour work weeks.  She believes in doing her best and investing herself in things with measurable results. So, when her roommate Sandy signs her up for an online dating service she is skeptical. Jessie’s love life hasn’t been so hot in the past. With a failed long-term romance and a broken heart under her belt, she’s afraid to take a chance. But Ben Bratton knows just what makes Jessie tick. He is attracted to women with drive. At the same time isn’t willing to commit to someone not committed to carve out the most important hours for him. Can Jessie put aside her over achiever turbo drive and follow her heart and will Ben wait for her to figure out the perfect balance?
Melanie Jacobson once again left me smiling and laughing at the clever dialogue between her characters. I could relate to the storyline since I myself was knee deep in a post degree career and in my late twenties when my mother signed me up for LDS Singles online. On the other end the story was my now husband Todd, whose co-workers signed him up. I had to chuckle at the similarities and am happy to announce ten years later (on the 23rd) I am still happily married to my online set up!
I whole heartedly recommend all of Melanie’s books to readers looking for a light hearted romance. She is so talented at fleshing out real life people and situations that are perfect for our generation. Her first two books The List and Not My Type are currently in the final rounds of the Whitney Awards which means she’s at the top of her game. You will adore getting to know Melanie’s style and following her blog and twitter. She is simpy brilliant!
Content: Clean
Heather
Photo by Heather Zahn Gardner
About the author: 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 second novel, Not My Type, hit shelves in September. Visit Melanie on her website or blog.
The Giveaway: Fire and Ice is giving away one copy of Twitterpated courtesy of author Melanie Jacobson. To enter, choose your own entries in the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only ends April 2, 2012. Good Luck!

Kindle Ebook Review- Eden’s Root

16 Mar, 2012 by in rachel fisher 2 comments

Eden’s Root
by Rachel Fisher
Kindle Edition
Publication Date: March 5th 2012
by CreateSpace (publisher)
ISBN 1469902109
Book Source: Author
3.5 Stars
Summary from Amazon: It is 2033, and the world hovers on the edge of explosion as unexplained crop deaths lead to severe global food shortages. In the United States, the Sickness is taking lives slowly, creeping its way into every family. Thirteen year old Fi Kelly has already faced the Sickness in her own family, toughening her at a young age. But when her dying father makes a shocking confession, Fi realizes that her toughness will be pushed to its absolute limits. Saddled with an impossible secret and the mission of saving her little sister, Fi sets out to transform herself into the warrior that she must become to survive the coming collapse. Along the way, she will discover that evil can be accidental…and that love can be intentional.
Crystal’s Review: I will admit this book was a slow read for me at first. I struggled with the idea that a 13yr old girl managed to perfect her skills in so many different areas in such a short amount of time all while keeping a terrible secret to herself. However, I am glad that I continued reading because as the story and characters developed the premise became more believable and more interesting. The first thing that caught my attention in this book was the reason behind the main problem of the story. Many authors have done the strange virus turns people into zombies thus causing an end of the world story line scenario, this author choose a scenario that hits much closer to home and because of that the story seems more real and intense. The author also managed to seamlessly weave a bittersweet love story into this sad yet empowering story of a young girl forced to grow up not only to protect herself but to save her family. Eden’s Root is a wonderful story and a must read for all.
Content: Violence and graphic descriptions of violent scenes. Mild sexual tension among characters.

Crystal

About the Author: Rachel E. Fisher is a wife and entrepreneur living and working in Florida. Though she grew up in the northeast, she can’t give up the sunshine and beaches of her adoptive home. Her work is fictional and would be classified as science-fiction because it is rooted in science…but it is not the typical with robots, space travel, or aliens. This particular story is focused on realistic worst-case scenarios because those are what she finds most intriguing right now. Favorite pasttimes…mostly outdoorsy things, and overuse of ellipsis.

Get Eden’s Root now for 1.99

Laura Kreitzer’s Massive Giveaway

15 Mar, 2012 by in giveaway, Shadow of the Sun Leave a comment

One of our affiliates, author Laura Kreitzer is hosting a major giveaway! See her post here to see how to enter and help spread the word. Her break down of prizes, as determined by ebooks downloaded between now and April 14th is as follows…

Number of E-Book Downloads: Prize

1,000-7,000- Winner’s Choice: One of my published books (7 winners)

8,000-14,000- First two books in the Summer Chronicles (7 winners)

15,000-20,000 -First three books in the Timeless Series (6 winners)

21,000-24,000- All five of my published books (4 winners)

25,000-27,000 -All five of my published books SIGNED & dedicated to whoever the winner wants (3 winners)

28,000-29,000 -A Kindle (2 winners)

30,000- Winner’s choice: Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet (1 winner)

40,000 -Winner’s choice: If you’re an author, I will thoroughly edit and analyze a 90,000-word manuscript. If you’re a reader, I will give you an advanced reading copy of Fallen Legion and Burning Falls (whenever they are available to me). (1 winner)

60,000 -A Mac mini (1 winner)
100,000 -ME! That’s right, if you live in the U.S. (except Alaska—sorry), I will take you out to eat (my treat) and bring gifts at a date and time we can arrange together! If you win this and do not want to meet, we can talk other options. (1 winner)
200,000- TOP SECRET, but it’ll be good. I promise. (maybe 1 winner, maybe more)

Link to the giveaway: http://bit.ly/z3kVrr

Download her FREE EBOOKS:

Phantom Universe
Kindle: http://amzn.to/zdnogJ
Nook: http://bit.ly/zmMhjR
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/x6EDLn

Shadow of the Sun
Kindle: http://amzn.to/x5gb7A
Nook: http://bit.ly/rV8Bqd
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/p8MqNd

Her other books:
Timeless Series: http://bit.ly/A875V6
Summer Chronicles: http://bit.ly/Al0GRH

Emerald City Blog Tour

15 Mar, 2012 by in book review Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on Alicia Leppert’s Emerald City blog tour.

Emerald City
by Alicia K. Leppert
Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication: April 10th 2012
by Sweetwater Books ISBN1599558645
Book Source: Publisher
3.5 stars 
Book Summary from author’s website: Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet. When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down. A modern-day romance with a twist, Emerald City has a little bit of something for everyone!
Heather’s review: Emerald City is one young woman’s journey from the harrowing feeling of hopelessness to beginning to heal. 20 year old Olivia has suffered far more than most 20 year olds and feels alone in the world, her mother having committed suicide and her father abandoning the family after living a lie. One particularly hard night Olivia reaches her breaking point and in an effort to end the pain ends up in a hospital bed with no knowledge of how she could have possibly been saved. Her front door was locked, she has no real friends or neighbors in her apartment building that would check up on her, yet a mysterious man name Jude is said to have found and rescued her.  Soon Jude has taken Olivia under his wing and shows her what it means to be cared for and looked after. Feelings are growing on both sides and there are so many unanswered questions about Jude.
As a reader I found myself wondering who and what Jude is through out most of the book until we get his back story over 20 chapters in. I really enjoyed learning more and wish we would have been filled in a bit sooner. From there this romance with a twist of Urban fantasy takes off. It’s a darker read until then as Olivia is treading through the absolute hopelessness of clinical depression and suicidal ideation. I like that she addresses her issues through seeing a psychiatrist and going on medication when she so clearly needs it. But I think this is an older read for 17- adults because of the sad tone and traumatic life events Olivia faces. I am curious if there will be more books to come! If you are a fan of the Heavenly series by Jennifer Laurens this has similar character elements. I love love the cover and the chapter headings which highlight Seattle where the book was set, and I am pleased the author shows how one person can change the life course of another.
Content: no swearing or sex, some violence, suicidal and traumatic life events, some kissing and sleep overs.
Heather
Author Bio: I always knew I wanted to be a writer, ever since Career Day in first grade when I walked around carrying a notebook and pencil. Twenty-some odd years later, after a short stint in high school where I dreamed of being an actress, a whirlwind Internet romance including a blind proposal that led to a fairytale wedding and two pretty-near perfect kids, my lifelong dream came to fruition with my first novel, Emerald City. I live with my small brood in my beloved hometown of Pasco, which is located in the only part of Washington state that isn’t green. When I’m not writing, I can be found decorating novelty cakes and taking naps–my other two passions.

Find out more on Goodreads/ author’s website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ The Publisher

 

Cobble Cavern Blog Tour

14 Mar, 2012 by in middle grade books Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on Eric Olsen’s Cobble Cavern Blog Tour. For a full ist of stops click here. Enjoy our review!

Cobble Cavern
by Erik Olsen
Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected Publication Date: April 4, 2012
by Cedar Fort
ISBN: 9781462110094
Book Source: Net Galley
3 Stars


Book Summary: What starts out to be a fun field trip to Ireland for Flin and his school debate team, turns into a life changing adventure. Flin and his teammates get swallowed by an earthquake and become trapped under the ocean inside a clear dome where they discover an unknown civilization. Join Flin and his classmates on a journey of a lifetime in this thrilling adventure story.

Cathy’s Review: Flin is just turning 13 years old as part of his family’s tradition, when they turn 13 they receive a ring made by their great-grandfather. Only you don’t pick your ring, your ring picks you. Flin was very excited to receive his ring, as his family is very poor, it’s his only birthday present. He is also really excited to go on his school field trip the very next day. His school debate team is going to Ireland to watch international debate competitions. It will be Flin’s first flight and the first flight of anyone in his immediate family. The debate team gets more than it had bargained for when their bus is swallowed up by the earth during an earthquake. They must work together to find a way out. The adventure in this story was really fun. I enjoyed the story line quite a bit. I felt like the story was a bit disjointed though. I didn’t feel like it always made a lot of sense. The characters seemed real, and I liked how they were able to deal with the challenges that came their way. I think that the target audience for this book, elementary aged boys, will really love this one!

Content: There’s some moments of peril, and some bullying, but other than that really nothing.

About the author: Jon Erik Olsen lives in Sandy, Utah, where he enjoys the mountains and is surrounded by a great family and friends that have continued to support him throughout his writing quest. After having one of the world’s craziest dreams, he has written a series of five books detailing it called Flins Destiny, which is full of continuous action and adventure deep in the earth and keeps you wanting more.

Find out more about author Erik Olsen Website/ Goodreads/ Book Poster Page/

Caller ID Blog Tour and Prize Pack Giveaway

13 Mar, 2012 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the Cedar Fort Caller ID Blog Tour and along with our review we have an awesome giveaway from the publisher and author to announce! So read on…

Caller ID
By Rachelle J Christensen
Paperback, 272 pages
Published March 6, 2012
by Cedar Fort, Inc
ISBN: 1599559900
Book Source: Netgalley
4 stars

When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham is abducted near her home, the search turns up more than just a kidnapping crime. FBI agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and stumbles upon something he wasn’t meant to find. When Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper’s home, what she sees turns her world upside down.
Courtney is a college co-ed, she’s a cute girl. The kind who always has a boyfriend. Her current boyfriend, Sean, is a football player for the University of Utah. He’s one person that her dad doesn’t have a problem with Courtney running through the mountains with. There was a murder in the mountains that Courtney likes to run in only a year earlier, and her overprotective father still wants her to stay away. The only thing is, the kind of guys that Courtney dates all expect one thing and Courtney’s not willing to go there. She knows that Sean’s getting to that point, so she knows she’ll need to break up with him pretty soon. When her dad takes her mom on a surprise weekend getaway, it’s the perfect time for Courtney to take her horse Titka and her dog Pepper for a ride in the mountains behind her home, after all, what her dad doesn’t know can’t hurt him. What she doesn’t bargain for is to find a field full of marijuana and the men guarding that field to kidnap her, because they know that she’s seen it. Since no one knows where she’s going, or even that she was going, Courtney knows it’s going to be at least a day or two before someone realizes that she’s missing. Can Courtney hold out until someone can find her? I enjoyed this book. It was full of all kinds of plot twists and turns. I loved Courtney’s character, at the beginning she comes across as kind of a spoiled rich girl, but by the end of the book, you and she realize what a strong young woman she really is. I liked the touch of romance that this book contains. You kind of know who the “bad guy” is through the whole book, but I like that there was still enough craziness to be surprised as to how the book was going to end. All in all a good book!


Content: Attempted rape, peril of kidnapping, drug trafficking
Visit all the stops on the Caller ID blog tour by clicking here.


About the author:  I was born and raised in a small farming town in Idaho and I’m a dirt between the toes, irrigation boot-wearing, ponytail flipping in the wind as I drive the 4-wheeler FARM girl all the way! I’m married to my incredible husband, Steve, and we have four wonderful kids–two girls and two boys. I graduated from Utah State University with a bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in music. Go Aggies! I love USU–that’s where I met my husband! I enjoy so much of life–there’s so much to learn and experience. I love reading almost any genre/age group and usually read over 50 books a year from a variety of different authors. I love running, gardening, making cards with rubber stamps, crocheting, playing volleyball, singing, playing the piano, telling felt stories, and cooking. I’ve enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I loved to make up poems and write short stories.


Find out more about author Rachelle Christensen on Goodreads/ Website/ Blog/ Twitter

The Giveaway: To celebrate the release of CALLER ID, Rachelle is hosting a contest for a new Ultra Flip Video Camcorder (4GB memory, Records 120 minutes Value $149.99) and other great prizes. You can enter to win between now and April 14, 2012. Winners will be announced and notified April 16, 2012. Find out how to enter here. Good luck!

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Book Review and Giveaway- Protected

12 Mar, 2012 by in book giveaway, protected 14 comments

Protected
by Cindy M Hogan
Paperback, 350 pages
Expected Publication Date: March 24, 2012
by O’neal Publishing
ISBN: 9780985131807
Book Source: author
5 stars

Book Summary: She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of. She has a shot at becoming popular. 
Life is great! 
Until they find her. 
Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows, including herself.

Cathy’s Review: Christy has returned home to Helena, Montana after her disastrous debate trip to Washington, DC. She had originally thought that kids at her regular school would treat her differently after her trip. They didn’t. They still pick on her just as much as they did before her trip, even though Christy feels so much different about herself, and has proven that she is able to make friends. She’s had an especially bad day one day, when all of a sudden, she spots Alex after school. He walks down the stairs to her, gives her an amazing kiss in front of all the popular kids, and they drive off into the sunset in his rented convertible. Well, that’s how it feels at first. Christy has sworn to give up Alex and choose Rick instead, because she knows that Rick is a better match for her, unfortunately her heart just won’t listen. Alex shows her a wonderful time, even showing up at her house so her parents can question him. Christy knows that there’s now way the terrorists can still be after her, but she starts seeing strange things, cars that don’t belong and disappear quickly, and she still feels as though she’s being watched. She and Alex go on a hike, and they are kidnapped. This is just the beginning of the adventure for Christy, taking her places from being kidnapped, to being dead to her family and in the witness protection program. All of this will change Christy, but will it be for the better. I really enjoyed reading this book! Christy seems like a real person, she thinks and acts how I would. I really liked how she was told to kind of lose herself by one agent, but then another one told her that she needed to be true to herself. I liked the idea of not really losing yourself, even though you may have to do things that kind of take you out of yourself. The book was well written, the characters are amazing! I didn’t want to put it down until the story was over. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. 

Content: Underage drinking, sexual tension

About the Author:  Cindy M Hogan graduated from BYU with a B.A. in education. She is inspired by the unpredictable teenagers she teaches. She loves the outdoors and spending time with her husband and two daughters. Most of all, she loves to laugh.

Find out more about author Cindy M Hogan at Goodreads/ Blog/ facebook
Fire and Ice is giving away a prize pack of the first book Watched, signed by the author and the second book Protected courtesy of author Cindy M Hogan. To enter to win fill out the rafflecopter form.

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Girl Unmoored Guest Post and Giveaway

09 Mar, 2012 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is pleased to have an exclusive excerpt and guest post as part of 
The Girl Unmoored Blog Tour.
Click here to read the excerpt, see our review in the post below and welcome author Jennifer Gooch Hummer for her guest post and prize pack giveaway!

Guest Post
by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Girl Unmoored: What it means to Me

I started writing Girl Unmoored when I was ten years old. I know because I still have the original notebook on which I sketched her face and wrote: A Girl Named Apron. I don’t know where the name, Apron, came from but my mother maintains that her name started out as “April.” It didn’t. But I don’t make a big deal about it; I have the notebook.

I never finished the book. Probably because there was no plot. All Apron did was pack up to go live with her grandmother, with no particular reason as to why. That’s the problem with not having a plot; the characters don’t do much.

It wasn’t until after I met my friend Mike that Apron showed up again. My Mike isn’t the same as the Mike in the book, but he too, was a dead ringer for Jesus. My Mike was an actor, although the closest he got to playing Jesus Christ was Rocky Horror, who also had long blond hair that he whipped around a lot. These hair-whipping days were in the early 80’s. Just when AIDS showed up. I didn’t know Mike then, and I barely knew about AIDS.

Girl Unmoored is the story of a girl lost in a sea of grief after losing her mother. When she meets Mike, she’s met her mooring. Although Mike and his cantankerous boyfriend, Chad, don’t know what to do with her at first-Apron just seems to keep showing up, usually with a fat lip-they eventually offer her a summer job in their flower store. And then it’s smooth sailing for Apron–until she uncovers Chad’s secret. He’s sick and there’s nothing anyone can do to save him. It’s also 1985, when no one really knows how AIDS is transmitted, or who might be at risk.

Suddenly Apron is forced to leave behind the safe harbor of childhood and navigate the stormy seas of a young adult. She knows what her real job is now, and it has nothing to do with flowers. Mike needs her to show him how to let Chad go.

There’s a whole lot of other stuff that happens, with a whole lot of other people—there’s Grandma Bramhall, too busy shopping for the perfect bikini to help Apron; and M, the deluded future stepmother; and Rennie and Mr. Perry, both of whom are about to be exposed for their betrayals—but mostly Girl Unmoored is about friendship. Deep, loyal friendship. The kind that supersedes family. The kind that keeps you anchored when everything else is falling apart. The kind that can save you.

Watching Mike and Chad endure in a world that despises them, Apron begins to understand that sometimes you don’t have to do anything for some people to hate you. Mean is just the way they came out. This is what Apron learns. This is what saves her. I wish my friend Mike was here to read the book. He would have liked it, I think. Especially the part about how well he sang.

About the Author: Jennifer Gooch Hummer has worked as a script analyst for various talent agencies and major film studios. Her short stories have been published in Miranda Magazine, Our Stories and Glimmertain. She has continued graduate studies in the Writer’s Program at UCLA, where she was nominated for the Kirkwood Prize in fiction. Currently, Jennifer lives in Southern California and Maine with her husband and their three daughters. Girl Unmoored is her first novel.

Find out more on her website/ Goodreads/ her blog/ facebook/ twitter/ Google+

Blog Tour Prize Pack Giveaway: Now through April 6th, when you comment about Girl Unmoored on Jennifer’s blog at http://www.jennifergoochhummer.com/, you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to win a tote bag stuffed with gifts that blend the hottest 2012 e-reader with totally rad ’80s memorabilia and more! And if you purchase the book (print or e-book) and forward your receipt confirmation to contests@sparkpointstudio.com, your name will be entered to win 10 TIMES! That’s 11 chances to win the following awesome prizes:

– A Kindle Fire, just in time for spring break lounging!

– DVDs of Best Of 80s movies to celebrate the year of Girl Unmoored, 1985

– Copies of Jennifer’s Top 5 YA books: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson;The Center of Everything  by Laura Moriarty; and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

– A gift card to 1-800 Flowers in honor of Apron’s summer job at Mike and Chad’s flower shop, Scent Appeal

The winner will be notified and announced the week of April 23rd. Good Luck!




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