Book Review and Cookie Giveaway

07 Sep, 2011 by in minor adjustments, rachael renee anderson 18 comments

Minor Adjustments
by Rachael Renee Anderson
Paperback, 224 pages
Published August 8th 2011
by Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN 1599559137978
book source: publisher

Chicago businessman and bachelor Devon Pierce doesn’t want to be appointed guardian of Australian four-year-old Ryan Caldwell – but Ryan’s solicitor, Stella Walker, won’t take no for an answer. Little does Devon know that this “minor” adjustment will grant him a future he never expected to have. Told in a fast-paced, poignant, and witty style, Minor Adjustments will take you on a journey filled with humor, growth, romance, and love.

If you’ve never picked up a book by Rachael Renee Anderson now it the time to go out and get one. She is one of those authors that can REALLY write chick lit clean romance. In her latest, Minor Adjustments, she once again weaves in characters with values and personalities that will leave you feeling inspired to be a better person. Set in Australia, land of Tim Tam cookies, lollies and kangaroos MA follows the dilemma of Devon Pierce, who is named rightful guardian to a child he’s not met and a girl he was mere acquaintances with years ago. It’s kind of an awkward situation for a high powered career man who never in his wildest dreams thought of becoming a bachelor father. But fireball Stella, the attorney handling the case will not take no for an answer.

There’s plenty of tender hearted laugh out loud toddler parenting moments and unusual twists of plot. In then end you’ll have that warm feeling that sometimes life works out just the way it is supposed to. My only hesitation with the book is in a choice Devon makes that seemed really out of character…and it’s a big one. Without spoiling I can say since I worked adoptions and guardian cases for the State back in the day it was an emotional gulp for me to see the parties trying to work out the best placement.

Overall, I am once again in love with Rachaeal’s writing and slow building romance molded from real life. You will want to read this one so head on over to Goodreads to enter to win your own copy!

About the author: When Rachael first saw The Man from Snowy River (and Crocodile Dundee, although she cringes to admit it), she dreamed of going to Australia. Over ten years later, she finally got the chance and immediately fell in love with the people, the wild birds that eat sugar from your hand, the kangaroos, the beautiful city of Sydney, and the gorgeous place called Byron Bay.

Rachael is the author of two previously published books, Divinely Designed and Luck of the Draw. She lives with her husband and children in Springville, Utah. Rachael would love to hear from you.

And here’s the fun part! Since Tim Tam cookies are such an integral part of the story we are giving away two packs of them to one lucky blog reader. US only (since ya know…chocolate might really melt in international mail) Good luck! Giveaway ends September 21, 2011. Comment below to enter.

Book Review- Pride and Popularity

06 Sep, 2011 by in YA book reviews 4 comments

by Jenni James
Perfect Paperback, 240 pages
Published July 13th 2011
by Brigham Distributing
ISBN 0983829306
4.5 stars

Chloe Elizabeth Hart despises the conceited antics of the popular crowd, or more importantly, one very annoying self-possessed guy, Taylor Anderson, who seems determined to make her the president of his fan club! As if! Every girl in the whole city of Farmington, New Mexico, is in love with him, but he seems to be only interested in Chloe.

This modern high school adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” is a battle of wits as Chloe desperately tries to remain the only girl who can avoid the inevitable—falling for Taylor

With as many young adult books as I read there are very few I would definitely recommend to my daughters and friends as completely worth the time and purchase. But Pride and Popularity is one I can whole heartedly stand behind. Jenni James takes Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice into the 21st century and adapts it to teens. I found myself totally immersed and grinning ear to ear at the end.

Chloe has been burned by the popular crowd at her old school and at age 15 is determined it won’t happen again when she relocates with her family to Farmington. The only problem is that there happens to be an uber popular, stunningly cute and charming boy there. But mark Chloe’s words to her two best friends…Taylor Anderson will NOT win her over. Forget the fact that Taylor has beautiful blue eyes, serves others plus is ever persistent in his attention. (Girls and moms alike will swoon at the fact that Taylor’s middle names is Darcy.)

Pride and Popularity not only won my heart, it also addresses witholding judgement, the risks of online sites for young teens, and the importance of involved parents. The characters are real, the teen perspective spot on. I can not wait to see all of Jenni James re-tellings in her Austen series. She’s a YA author to watch! Thanks so much to Brigham Distributing for sending me such a fun amazing book.

Learn more at author Jenni James blog and enter to win your own copy on Goodreads.

The Last Archangel Book Giveaway

05 Sep, 2011 by in book giveaway 31 comments

The Last Archangel
by Michael D Young
Paperback, 288 pages
Published July 14th 2011
by Bonneville Books
ISBN 1599558947
http://thelastarchangelbook.com/

Xandir has been exiled to earth until the end of time. But when his cherub trainee disappears, Xandir makes a deal with rogue angels and giants that could restore life to the mortal woman he loves and end his assignment as a destroying angel in exchange for helping them bring about the end of the world and all of mankind.

About the Author: Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in German Teaching and a minor in Music. He puts his German to good use by working to build online German courses for High School students. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the hand bell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

He is the author of the novels “The Canticle Kingdom” and “The Last Archangel”. He is also the author of the inspirational pamphlet “Portrait of a Mother”. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Mindflights, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign.

Fire and Ice is giving away a copy of The Last Archangel courtesy of publisher Cedar Fort. To enter to win simply comment below. Open internationally, giveaway ends October 4, 2011. Good Luck!

Photography Friday- Instagram Fun

02 Sep, 2011 by in photography Leave a comment

One of my favorite new features of photography is the ability to take photos wherever I am on the spot with my iphone then change them with vintage filters and frames. Instagram is a great and free application to help get you started. It allows you to share your photos with twitter and facebook friends as well as browse the most popular iphoneography from around the world. I love to make new photo friends, so come find me at fireicephotos. If you are an instagram user, leave your user name below and let’s swap inspiring images! What are some of your favorite photo programs?

Waiting on Wednesday- Goddess Interrupted

31 Aug, 2011 by in wow 1 comment



Our Waiting on Wednesday pick this week is

Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test #2)

by Aimee Carter

Expected publication: January 2012

by Harlequin Teen

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

Here author Aimee Carter answers readers’ questions about Goddess Interrupted. Warning spoilers for book one…

Fall Blog Tour & Giveaway

30 Aug, 2011 by in Uncategorized 2 comments

Fall by Jennifer Hurst
Paperback, 298 pages
Published July 26th 2011
by CreateSpace
ISBN 1463632770

Women and construction shouldn’t mix. At least, that is what the client, Mr. Blackwell, thinks when Twenty-one year old Julia D. Halstead is promoted to project manager to remodel a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast. However, the schoolhouse contains a dark secret that has been hidden for nearly a hundred years. A secret that will unleash the furies of Hell and cause the Angels in Heaven to weep as ethereal brothers, Matthew and Nathan, battle over Julia’s very soul

JD Halstead is a young woman bound and determined to make her way as a woman into an almost all male field of construction. When she lands her first big project in Torrey, Utah things are supposed to run smoothly. But all hell literally breaks loose as a handsome demolition man Matt saunters onto the site and discovers a mysterious box full of secrets inside the building. JD finds herself drawn to the new member of the crew and begins to act impulsively as she become swept up in his allure. What she doesn’t know is that there are consequences far more severe than losing her job wrapped up in the whirlwind attraction. In a full battle between good and evil, the historical town of Torrey is about to be turned upside down.

Jennifer Hurst does a wonderful job of creating memorable characters. My only wish is that each one of the side people would get some what of an introduction and preface before they pop up in the story. There were a few grammatical errors in my ARC which I hope were fixed before final release. But overall, Fall was an engaging paranormal romance that stuck with me and made me want to read the sequel. It has lessons of not acting impulsively, choosing your life path and the redemption of a soul from evil to good. Thanks so much to Jennifer for the book and Tristi Pinkston blog tours for selecting Fire and Ice as a stop on the Fall tour.

Content: one swear word, sex between the main two characters, some violence and dark themes. Recommended for adults.

The Giveaway: In conjunction with this blog tour, Jennifer is holding a contest. It will involve any of the blogs that Jennifer visits or where her book is featured and will close on December 31st, 2011. The entrants have to answer three questions about the book they’ve read (bought, borrowed, or stolen – shame on you) and post a link to Jennifer’s website on their Twitter, Facebook, or blog (need link for verification).

Then the names will be entered in a random name picker generator and announced on Jennifer’s website on January 31st, 2012. The winner will receive a gift certificate for a night’s stay at the actual bed and breakfast where the story takes place.

Other prizes include an autographed copy of FALL, and she will randomly select 3 contestants’ names to use in the sequel to FALL. Plus, they will receive a free copy of that book when it is published.

Each blog that Jennifer Hurst visits will have a different set of questions people can answer, and they may enter as many times as they want – but they can enter once per blog site that they visit. So the more sites you visit, the more you can enter your name, thus increasing your chances of winning the gift certificate, a copy of the book FALL, and your name in the sequel.
Get the book, read the book, and then read over the questions below. Once you have your answers, e-mail them to fall.jenniferhurst@gmail.com

Your privacy is respected and your email address will NOT be used for anything but the contest. Once the contest is over – your email address will be deleted from the database.

Here are the questions for you to answer: What color was the original bell?
What is the number of the highway that runs through Torrey?
What kind of jam did JD buy at the 4th of July fair?

If you would like to visit the other sites, Click here to see all 34 blog stops. Entrants have to include a link to where they placed a link to my blog from their twitter, facebook, blog, etc. Good luck!

Witch Song Blog Tour

29 Aug, 2011 by in witch song 1 comment


Fire and Ice was happy to be selected as stop number two today on the Witch Song blog tour hosted by Mundie Moms.

By Amber Argyle

Published by Rhemalda Publishing

To Be Released September 1st, 2011

The world is changing. For thousands of years, witch song has controlled everything from the winds to the shifting of the seasons. But not anymore. All the Witches are gone, taken captive by the dark Witch, Espen.

As the last echoes of witch song fade, Espen grows stronger as winter and summer come within the space of a day. Now she’s coming for the one she missed—a shy, untrained girl of fifteen named Brusenna. Somehow, Brusenna has to succeed where every other Witch has failed. Find Espen. Fight her. Defeat her. Or there won’t be anything left to save. Amber Argyle’s debut, Witch Song, is a classic fantasy for young adults. It will be released Sept 1st 2011.

The Tour:

8/28th- Page Turners, Witch Song Chapter 1

8/29- Fire & Ice, Witch Song Chapter 2

8/30- Once Upon A Twilight, Witch Song Chapter 3

8/31- We Fancy Books, Witch Song Chapter 4

9/1- Mundie Moms, Witch Song Chapter 5

Click here to read Chapter 2 of Witch Song

Photography Friday- Author Photos for Angela Corbett

26 Aug, 2011 by in Heather Gardner Photography 1 comment

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to meet Angela Corbett ,
author of Eternal Starling, a YA paranormal romance, coming 12-6 from Pendrell Publishing. We made for the mountains to take her author photos and connected with our inner children via the streams. Angela is beautiful and awesome, not to mention the fact that she saved me and my camera from falling into a waterfall during the shoot! I can not wait to read her series. Special thanks to Indelible author Lani Woodland for hooking us up. Lani took the cover photo for Eternal Starling which was revealed last Sunday on Cublicle Blindness. Isn’t it lovely?


Eternal Starling
Emblem of Eternity Book 1
Pendrell Publishing
Release Date: December 6, 2011

Evie Starling doesn’t know it yet, but for the past
two hundred and fifty years her soul has been
tracked through time by Alex Night and Emil Stone.
Both men claim to love her, but one might want
her dead.
Click Eternal Starling to read a summary of the first book
and escape to a world of soul mates, suspense, and
romance.

Read about the book launch party here!

You can now pre-order Eternal Starling at
barnesandnoble.com!

Find Angela Corbett on Facebook and Twitter

To view all of the photos of Angela, visit my SmugMug gallery, facebook page or the official website for Heather Gardner Photography. And if you are an author in need of a new photo, a book cover, swag, custom photos for a book trailer or a blog tour, contact me for more information!

Giveaway Winners

26 Aug, 2011 by in giveaway Leave a comment


Congratulations to Melanie Taylor, Karla Flores and Gayle Gold Humpherys who all won Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie on our facebook page

to Ashley Holt who won an ARC of Between

Nancye who won an ARC of Addie on the Inside

to tanemax who won a hardback copy of Unearthly on twitter

and to LovedayLilies and Rachel Bohlin who both won author signed copies of Watched.

Please email us your mailing address and be sure to check our right sidebar and FB page for more giveaways!

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Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure Blog Tour

25 Aug, 2011 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is happy to announce we are today’s stop on the Huber Hill and The Dead Man’s Treasure blog tour! We have an exclusive interview below with author B. K. Bostick and several giveaways to go along with the tour. Here’s a little about the book…

Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure
by B.K. Bostick
Paperback, 256 pages
Expected publication: October 28th 2011
by Bonneville Books
ISBN 1599559110
When his grandfather dies, Huber Hill is devastated—until he opens Grandpa Nick’s mysterious box. An old gold coin and directions to a hidden Spanish treasure send him and his friends off on an mind-blowing adventure, but he’s not the only one on the hunt. Filled with dangerous animals and cryptic puzzles, this book will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page

Author Interview: Tell us a little book about your book and what inspired it. My own grandpa definitely inspired the story. He would always share tales about Spanish treasure hidden up in the mountains nearby where we lived. I always imagined going on these wild adventures to find treasure. As I grew older, I realized that the real treasures were the stories my grandpa told me. I’ll always remember those days sitting at his side listening as he showed old maps, books, and artifacts. If there’s one theme to the story, it’s that relationships with friends and family are invaluable- of much more worth than any kind of money.

Where is it set? And what kind of research went into it? The story takes place in the mountain community of Carbondale, Colorado. The stories about Spanish gold in the Rockies are mostly folktales and oral histories. I read a couple of books in particular on the subject- Footprints in the Wilderness and Lost Gold of the Uintahs both by Gale Rhoades.

As a child and an adult what were your favorite books? As a child, I loved the Goosebumps series, but my all time favorite was RedWall by Brian Jacques. As an adult, I’ve grown nerdier- I love history books. My favorite for now is Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Who is your personal hero? I truly admire Lincoln. His tenacity, wit, and resilience are inspiring to me.

Any new works in progress? Right now I’m working on Huber Hill and the Brotherhood of Coronado (Oct. 2012). This is the follow up to Dead Man’s Treasure and will take place in Spain.

What has been the most rewarding part about being an author so far? There have been a few kids who have read the book so far and hearing that they enjoyed it makes all of it worthwhile.

Which fictional character do you most Identify with? I see a bit of myself in Huber in terms of the relationship he had with his Grandpa and becoming best friends with someone he never expected.

About the Author:
B.K. Bostick, author of Dead Man’s Treasure, resides among the magnificent Rocky Mountains. In addition to writing, he has spent his career in education. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Utah and his Masters in Psychology from Utah State University. He has worked as a teacher, after school program coordinator, junior high school counselor, and most recently as a teacher mentor for a University. He loves spending time with his lovely wife and two dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys eating cheetos and watching old episodes of the Twilight Zone.

The Fundraiser: Alyssa, my neighbor, was diagnosed with a Meningioma brain tumor on December 5th, 2010. The only way to get it out was through surgery. It took four surgeries to get out as much of the tumor as they could and now she’s almost finished with her radiation treatments. Alyssa is an inspiration to me. Her positive outlook and attitude while facing something so terrible is truly remarkable. Because of the inspiration she’s given me, I am trying to give back. I will be donating 100% of profits from all pre orders of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure along with sales during the first two weeks of launch (Oct. 1-16) to Alyssa and her family. Visit http://www.treasureforalyssa.com/

The Website:
http://www.deadmanstreasure.com/

The Giveaway: Fire and Ice is giving away one ARC of Huber Hill and the Dead Man’s Treasure to our readers. Follow us on twitter @fireicephotos and tweet “I want to win an ARC of Dead Man’s Treasure from Fire and Ice” to enter… hashtag #huberhill. Giveaway ends September 8, 2011 and is open internationally.

Giveaway from the author: I’ll also be giving away a replicated gold coin/bookmark to each reader who goes to my author page on facebook and clicks the “like” button. Go to: http://www.facebook.com/bkbostickauthorpage.


The Trailer: