#30DayReadingIndie Challenge!


Greetings!

We're so happy to be a sponsor of the Book Enthusiasts' #30DayReadingIndie Challenge, beginning March 1, 2016!

Book lovers are encouraged to join in the fun—request books for review from a wide range of authors, join in the daily activities and more!



For more info:

Check out the YouTube vidhttps://youtu.be/W7Ix8Pv5rGw


✆ THE SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES by Diane Chamberlain ✆ Cove Podcast: Episode 63

Greetings!

This month's episode features Cove members Millenia and Roberta discussing the February 2016 Cove pick, THE SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES by Diane Chamberlain—Pick #183!

Have you read the book? Are you a fan of Diane Chamberlain's? Please comment below and let us know your thoughts!

*Spoilers abound. Podcast for those who've read the book.






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★ Book Review ★ MY SWEET VIDALIA by Deborah Mantella!

About the Book:

by Deborah Mantella

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Turner
• Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Synopsis:

On July 4, 1955, in rural Georgia, an act of violence threatens the life of Vidalia Lee Kandal Jackson’s pre-born daughter. Despite the direst of circumstances, the spirit of the lost child refuses to leave her ill-equipped young mother’s side.

For as long as she is needed–through troubled pregnancies, through poverty, through spousal abuse and agonizing betrayals–Cieli Mae, the determined spirit child, narrates their journey. Serving as a safe place and sounding board for Vidalia’s innermost thoughts and confusions, lending a strength to her momma’s emerging voice, Cieli Mae provides her own special brand of comfort and encouragement, all the while honoring the restrictions imposed by her otherworldly status.

My Sweet Vidalia is a rare, wonderful, and complex look at hope, strength, the unparalleled power of unconditional love, and a young mother’s refusal to give up.

Praise:

“My Sweet Vidalia is a unique, enchanting read. Exquisite language, a cast of robust characters, and a solid and compelling plot keeps readers captivated as Mantella straddles the thin line between poetry and prose, reality and ether, fragility and strength. With a deft and gentle hand, she navigates us through the travails of an impoverished young mother guided by her intrepid spirit child.”– Susan Crawford,  Author of The Pocket Wife


Cove Member Cheryl Reviews—
MY SWEET VIDALIA!


This book was interesting taking place in the late 50s, early 60s in the Deep South. A woman, Vidalia, has a shotgun wedding to JB and her life becomes a mess. JB doesn't want children and he's very abusive. After he beat her, she has a still born child, a baby girl. Vidalia continues to become pregnant and loses her children because of JB's abuse, but eventually she does have two sets of twins, both boys. 
She still has to tolerate JB's drinking problems, his inability to hold a job and his abuse. What makes this story different is it's told by her first still born baby girl, who is with Vidalia in spirit form. 
There are a few turns in the book, which were not foreseen. The book is told through the Old South dialect; it makes the story more folksy and original.  
In the end, the book has a hopeful ending for Vidalia, and her still born daughter eventually goes forward to her rightful place in heaven.




BUY LINKS:




About the Author:

A transplant to the South, Deborah Mantella has lived and taught in various cities in the Northeast and the Midwest. Now a resident of Georgia she lives outside Atlanta with her husband. Mantella is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club, the Authors Guild, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This is her first novel.

Official Website | Twitter | Facebook





★ Book Blitz ★ DESCENDED by Rose Devereaux—Excerpt + $25 Amazon Giveaway!






by Rose Devereux

(The Red Blindfold Series, #1)

Publication Date: February 1, 2016
Genres: Erotica, Romance


Synopsis:

“When he said he wasn’t like other men, I should have believed him…”

It’s Sophie Quinn’s chance to make a name for herself. Her assignment: interview investor Marc Brayden, descendant of the most notorious sadist in history, the Marquis de Sade. Her mistake: falling hopelessly, obsessively in love.

Marc is mind-blowingly sexy, but determined to stay away from Sophie. She brings out powerful dominant urges that are dangerous to them both. But when he loses control, the pleasure is more than either of them can resist.

Sophie shut down her heart after too much betrayal and loss. Now she’s thousands of miles from home and under Marc’s spell. What is he hiding? Why do his desires torment him? Torn between love and the truth, she resolves to learn everything she can about Marc’s cryptic past, even if she risks losing him forever.

Exclusive Excerpt of—DESCENDED!

It was dawn.  The night had passed, and I’d made my decision.  
No more pain.  No more love.  No more Marc Brayden.
But the truth was, Marc had made the decision for me.  He had all the power, and I had none.  He’d obsessed me, addicted me, changed me.  He’d affected me too much, and that was what he couldn’t tolerate. 
I was becoming a creation from his darkest fantasies.  He’d decided to save me by tearing me apart.  
Five hours had passed since I’d left the hotel suite where he’d collared and tamed me.  I’d been his maid, his slave, and his slut.  Now I was his cast-off, all because I’d dared to ask questions.  Because I’d dared to feel something. 
If I’d learned anything from Marc, it was that feeling was weakness.  From now on, I’d be numb and in control, just like he was.  It was a hard lesson, but I’d carry it through the rest of my life. 
Though the sky was growing brighter, I couldn’t sleep.  I took quiet, shallow breaths and listened for footsteps.  Any moment now, the front door would click open and Marc would crawl into bed beside me.  I could feel him.  I could taste his kiss and feel him stretching me open as his dark voice mesmerized me and I gushed with excitement. 
Give up, Sophie.  He’s not coming.  He won’t come until he knows you’re long gone. 
I clenched my fists as my last hope died in the light of morning. 
I’d been burned, but I would not break.  I knew from experience how to walk through hell.  Put one foot in front of the other until it became automatic.  Switch on my primitive brain and move forward.  If I kept it up long enough, I might get lucky and never feel anything again. 
Throwing back the duvet, I went straight to the shower.  By the time I was done, there’d be no trace of Marc but the raw battle scar across my heart. 
As hot water seared my skin, I scoured away his intoxicating scent and washed my hair three times.  Leaning my hands against the marble tile, I dropped my head, shut my eyes, and let the water pour over my back.  
He was gone, and I was glad.  Now there was nothing to be ashamed of, no questions, no fear.  I had my old life back.  I’d be grateful for it even if I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing or the sobs from choking my throat. 
“Glad,” I whispered.  “Glad, glad, glad.”  
I gasped as powerful hands locked around my wrists.  I tried to turn around but I was pinned to the wall.  
Naked.  Helpless.  As furious as I’d ever been.  
He was here.  And I hated him. 
I felt his drenched wool suit against my back as he immobilized me with his powerful body.  His leather wingtips squeaked against the shower floor and his sodden jacket was heavy against my arm. 
“You’re glad,” he said, his voice a low fire in my ear.  “I knew you would be.” 
“You don’t know anything about me,” I snapped, struggling against him.  “If you did, you wouldn’t be here.” 
 “You forget I own this apartment,” he growled. 
“Yes, you do,” I said.  “But you don’t own me.” 
“Bullshit I don’t.” 
Keeping me restrained with his chest, he stripped off his suit jacket and dropped it to the tile.  I jammed an elbow into his ribs but he didn’t move.  He was a concrete wall, and I was stupid to even try.  Not that I was about to give up. 
“Listen to me,” he hissed in my ear.  I heard buttons tinkling to the floor as he tore his shirt open.  His heartbeat thundered into my back as he pressed his hot, hard torso into me. 
“I’m done listening.” 
“Then I’ll make you,” he said, opening his zipper.


BUY:


About the Author:

Rose Devereux writes shamelessly erotic romance, some of it light, some of it dark, all of it sexy. In her other life, she is a traditionally published author whose books have been translated into five languages. Reviews of her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Boston Globe, New York Magazine, and the Associated Press.

She loves animals, sleeping late, champagne, and alpha males. She lives in sin with her boyfriend and two cats in Boston and New Hampshire.

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