Timeless Desire Shoe Giveaway

Enter to Win a Pair of Sexy, Sky-high Snake Skin Print Kelsi Dagger Pumps (or a Zappos gift card)! $125 Value!

Five easy ways to enter:

1. Forward this email or URL to five friends, copying gwyn@cready.com by September 14, 2012 at midnight EST.

2. Send a picture of you holding Timeless Desire to gwyn@cready.com by September 14, 2012 at midnight EST.

3. Send a copy of a purchase receipt forTimeless Desire to gwyn@cready.com by September 14, 2012 at midnight EST

4. Tweet about Timeless Desire and mention @GwynCready in your tweet by Septemnber 14, 2012 at midnight EST.

5. Click here to go to the "Gwyn Cready, Romance Novelist" Facebook page and share any post on the page with your friends by clicking the "Share" button (not the "Like" button) under the post by September 14, 2012 at midnight EST.

You can enter each way, for up to five entries.

Contest rules: Open only to residents of U.S. and Canada. Void where prohibited. Entering this contest will automatically add you to the Gwyn Cready mailing list. Friends to whom you forward this email will not be added to the Gwyn Cready mailing list unless they, too, enter the contest. Limit of one entry per type per person. No personal information or email addresses will be sold or shared. Entries must be received by midnight EST on September 14, 2012. Winner will be posted at cready.com on September 15, 2012.

Timeless Desire by Gwyn Cready

Praise for Gwyn Cready:

"Cready's writing is romantic and wickedly witty."--NY Times bestselling author Rachel Gibson

"Gwyn Cready is the master of time travel romance."--Royal Reviews

Message from Author Gwyn Cready: 

Librarians are about the most kick-ass people on earth, and I've had some pretty wonderful librarians in my life, from my cousin Donna who keeps the library in South Park, Pennsylvania, humming, to my friend Manuel, a music librarian at UC Berkeley who has saved my sorry writer's butt many times with some handy bit of research, to Mrs. White, my first grade librarian, who read books aloud as if it was the most joy-filled thing on earth and to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me discover the magic of a great story.

My librarian heroine in Timeless Desire, Panna Kennedy, is no exception. Battling budget cuts to distract herself from the grief of losing her husband, Panna discovers a mysterious opening under her library's careworn stairs and finds herself transported to the magnificent, book-filled quarters of the handsome eighteenth century English war hero whose larger-than-life statue looms over her desk. However, Captain Bridgewater is not as she imagined. Under house arrest as a traitor to England, the dashing Bridgewater warms to his beautiful and unexpected visitor despite his belief she's a spy. Bridgewater pulls Panna into his escape, and they share soul-baring secrets as well as a heart-racing kiss. But when he gives her a message that must be delivered to his secret allies and she is swept into the shocking intrigue that takes them from Hadrian's Wall to the forbidding borderland castle of Bridgewater's maternal grandfather, Panna must decide whether her loyalties lay with the memory of her dead husband or with the man whose life and reputation may depend on her.

Timeless Desire is my personal shout-out to all the wonderful librarians who've helped me over the years and to everyone out there who does the thing they're afraid to do. Enjoy!

Best,
Gwyn
www.cready.com

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


My pick this week:


The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

 I need this book now *sob*

Anyhow, what book are you eagerly anticipating?

Blog Tour Book Review: Arise by Amber Garr

On tour with Bookshelf Confessions

Author: Amber Garr
Series: The Syrenka #3
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: July 4th 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

With power comes the responsibility to accept its consequences.

After the betrayal of those closest to her, Eviana Dumahl struggles to cope with her new reality. Kidnapped, broken, and confused, she is forced to engage in a war that will alter merfolk politics forever. With her estranged father leading the charge, Eviana has no choice but to stand by his side. Her continued existence hinges on the acceptance of the power growing inside her, even when that means embracing the family’s dark lineage.

Kain Matthew will sacrifice the world for Eviana. And he is not alone. As time runs out, her friends fight to save her life and theirs. An unlikely alliance gives them the edge they need to take a stand, although it keeps Eviana’s heart trapped in the past. A new discovery explains some of her previous mistakes, but it may not be enough to stop her father’s plans. Merfolk, selkies, and water sprites work together to save their kind, only in this final battle, not everyone will survive.

In the striking series conclusion, Eviana will learn the true meaning of power, sacrifice, and love.

Arise was a book full of surprises. I honestly wasn't expecting half of the things that happened in this book. I liked that. A lot.

Eviana and her friends go through a lot of things into this last part of the trilogy. It seems as though their struggle to end Lucian's scheming and plans aren't going to end too soon. The best part of Arise is that we get to actually understand why Eviana was chosen as leader. She's much more mature than in Promises, much more focused on what she has to do for her clan and for all the creatures in the sea and humans as well. When given the chance, she chooses to face the danger, rather than flee from it. I liked that she was that strong. I also loved Kain.

Arise has everything I had hoped for: great action, suspense, thriller, some heart-breaking scenes, happy endings and tragedy. I was completely sucked in by the book. I was actually half afraid to take a break from reading, not wanting to waste time or lose focus. For me, this was one of those books that keep you so focused on the things that happen, you just can't stop reading.

Trust me when I tell you that this is a trilogy you don't want to miss. The only thing I regret is that the series ended. I truly loved Eviana, Brendan, Kain and all the other characters, as well as the world in this trilogy.

August in Retrospect

Hey everyone! I know I've been a "little" absent with my posts this month. August was a pretty difficult month, what with the heat wave and all that. Plus I had some relatives visiting, so I couldn't spend as much time on my blog as I wanted. But I did manage to read a lot, which was awesome. I finally read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. I won the first book and then after I finished reading it I knew I couldn't wait for the paperbacks to get delivered and so I bought them all in e-books and read the entire series in 3 days. I'm glad I finally read it. I loooooved Rose and I loved Dimitri (how can someone in their right mind not love him though?). And now I'm waiting for the third Bloodlines book to come out in February 2013. It's actually cruel that readers get to read books so fast, but have to wait so damn long for a new book in a series to be released, you know?

Anyway, here are the books I read in August:

1. Broken - Kelley Armstrong
2. No Humans Involved - Kelley Armstrong
3. His Heart For The Trusting - Lisa Mondello
4. The More I See - Lisa Mondello
5. Breaking The Rules - Cat Lavoie
6. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
7. Frostbite - Richelle Mead
8. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead
9. Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
10. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead
11. Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead
12. Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
13. The Golden Lilly - Richelle Mead
14. Differential Equations - Julian Iragorri & Lou Aronica
15. Betrayal - Amber Garr
16. Arise - Amber Garr
17. Soul Weaver - Hailey Edwards

Talk about a reading spree, huh? Anyway, I think I'm not wrong if I say this was the most productive month so far. I'm curious to see if I can beat that, but somehow I doubt it. 

I was missing this month, but I managed to write some reviews:

1. Her Heart For The Asking - Lisa Mondello 
2. His Heart For The Trusting - Lisa Mondello
3. The More I See - Lisa Mondello
4. Breaking the Rules - Cat Lavoie
5. Betrayal - Amber Garr
6. Soul Weaver - Hailey Edwards
7. Differential Equations - Julian Iragorri & Lou Aronica
8. Broken - Kelley Armstrong

I also managed to get a little closer to meeting my reading goals this month, more so than last year:

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge 14/20

New Author Challenge 2012 32/25 - FINISHED - the books I read over 25 don't count towards any goal, because I don't want to make it my goal to read more than 25 new authors this year. I might do it next year, but so far I'm happy I managed to finish one goal and I'll leave it at that. If I manage to read more new authors, then that's fine. If not, it's no big deal :P

100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012 62/100

Chick Lit Challenge 2012 5/12

Women Of The Otherworld Reading Challenge 6/13

I'm pretty proud of myself, let me tell you! Maybe there should be more heat waves in the future, so I can read more? *shakes head* That would be a bad idea though, as this year was awful, let me tell you! The A/C didn't manage to make even a little cold in the house, it was that hot. Some days, it was like it wasn't even on.

Anyway, so this was my month. How did you do last month with your reading?

Cover Love (25)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My picks this week:

As with the first cover in this series, I love the frosty loon of it. And there's this air of mystery that the colors have, one that I love. I also love the way her hair is lifted up by the wind.





A Feast of Souls by Hailey Edwards










Not as pretty as the first cover in the series, but it's still cool :D I'm also waiting to see how the story progresses.


Scarlet by Marissa Meyer













What are your picks this week for Cover Love?

Book Review: Blade Song by J. C. Daniels

Author: J. C. Daniels
Series: Colbana Files #1
Publisher: Shiloh Walker, Inc.
Release Date: August 1st 2012
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Kit Colbana—half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades—has a new job: track down the missing ward of one of the local alpha shapeshifters. It should be a piece of cake.

So why is she so nervous? It probably has something to do with the insanity that happens when you deal with shifters—especially sexy ones who come bearing promises of easy jobs and easier money.

Or maybe it’s all the other missing kids that Kit discovers while working the case, or the way her gut keeps screaming she’s gotten in over her head. Or maybe it’s because if she fails—she’s dead.

If she can stay just one step ahead, she should be okay. Maybe she’ll even live long to collect her fee…

No matter how many books from different genres I love, urban fantasy is still my favorite. Blade Song was an amazing read and I had a blast reading it.

J.C Daniels, also known as Shiloh Walker, managed to build an amazing world with this book. The first thing that stuck with me after I finished reading Blade Song was the fact that for once, vampires (or a certain vampire) weren't among the good guys. That was fresh and new for me. Even though a twisted part of me still thought that the vamp was incredibly hot (what can I say, I have a soft spot for the creatures), I liked the break from the usual image of the good blood-sucking guy. I also liked the fresh take on vampires and how they feed and their powers and the bond between them and their victims.

I enjoyed the fact that there were many creatures (some of them new to me) and the fact that we get to learn about their society and how they interact and the hierarchy and all that. It wasn't too much information, like it sometimes happens with a first book in a new series, but it was enough for me to understand the world in which the plots evolve. There aren't too many descriptions, but I loved that because I could let my imagination run wild and make the world of Blade Song unique for me.

I really liked Kit. She was one of those tough heroines that know when to be soft and compassionate as well. She's impulsive, reckless and has a thing for weapons, which I understood completely and I loved her for it. I also liked to see her interact with Damon (sexy name, by the way). Their relationship started off really wrong, but they managed to get past that.

There were things that I didn't completely understand in Kit's behavior at times, such as the fact that even though she's amazing with her sword, we never actually see her using it in battle. I would've wanted to see that. Also I felt that at times Kit felt the need to repeat herself more times than necessary. I understood her need to always lash out at people when they got too close, though. With her background, it's a wonder she doesn't kick everybody's ass before asking what they want from her and why.

If you love paranormal, urban fantasy and strong heroines, do check this book out. You won't be sorry. No to wait for the second book in the series, Night Blade.