In My Mailbox

 

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren.

In My Mailbox this week for review:

(All summaries are from Goodreads.)

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
(Smashwords/ Barnes & Noble - paperback to be released 11/24/11)

Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

Mad About the Boy by Suzan Battah
(Barnes & Noble/ Smashwords)

Julia Mendoza is driven by the success of her business. Since her husband Carlos passed away at such a young age, her business By Design is her number one priority. In her late twenties she works too hard and doesn’t take time out for fun. Annoyance with a pesky ex-friend has her begging one of the local surfer’s with a cheeky smile in the grocery store to pretend he’s her boyfriend. Suddenly, life takes a sudden detour from her business plan; much to the delight of her boisterous Latin American family. Christophe Augustine is groomed to take over his father’s successful chain of luxurious hotels. With a wealthy French-American background, Chris has been given privileges that not many have. He works hard, plays harder but seeks approval and recognition above all else. Family is a top priority for him as he fights for custody of his young brother. His parent’s divorce has not diminished his faith in romance. When a gorgeous Latino woman changes one boring morning into an interesting game of role play, though reluctant to help at first, he soon realises she’s not like the string of other women he’s known. A romantic first date ending dramatically doesn’t stop Chris from wanting to know Julia more. And for Julia, she’s all for a bit of fun but when things get too serious she’s running the other way. Too alike, in some ways and complete opposites, in others ways, Julia and Chris fumble through fun moments, annoying confrontations, passionate times and heartbreaking revelations. Love has no boundaries when soul-mates meet but when one is ready to love and the other one isn’t….

Black Purse by Stephanie Sellers
(Barnes & Noble/ Smashwords)

As one woman's story of overcoming unfolds, so do the pages of the Underground Railroad. North Carolina's Lumbee Indian heritage is explored and finally examined when a written document is handed to the rightful heir. But not before Exilee Sheffield learns through real life experiences that fate sometimes rides a hot horse.  

OGINALII, is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart by Stephanie Sellers
(Barnes & Noble/ Smashwords)

OGINALII is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart is a Young Adult Short Story that pulls in the heart as you leave the asphalt for dusty rural roads and smelly farm land. Exilee Sheffield is a tomboy who recently lost her mother and deals with loneliness and grieving in a most unique manner. Anyone want to watch a pony-show with a cat on the back and a three-legged buffalo led by a hyper terrier? Exilee doesn't. She wants to do it! And she will. Exilee wants to do anything except learn piano and as Aunt Bell says, "Learn some manners." Until Exilee learns Auntie Bell just might be her new best friend, if she'll let her.


The above links are provided for your convenience. I in no way represent that these locations are the only places to purchase any of these books.

Interview with Patty Apostolides

Patty Apostolides is the author of The Greek Maiden and the English Lord, which I recently had the pleasure of reviewing.

About the author:
Patty Apostolides has a biology degree from Case Western Reserve University with minors in music and theater. She has worked in the health care industry for over a decade and has co-authored medical articles. She has authored the novels Lipsi's Daughter and The Lion and the Nurse as well as the poetry book Candlelit Journey: Poetry from the Heart. She has also played viola in the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in Greece and having traveled there several times, Mrs. Apostolides is in a unique position to write about the Greek culture. She resides in Maryland with her husband and son.

How did you get the idea for The Greek Maiden and the English Lord?

We celebrate Greek Independence Day on March 25th, which marks the day when the Greeks broke away from the Ottoman rule. I began researching the topic a few years ago, which eventually led to my book. Greece had been under the Ottoman rule for hundreds of years, but after the French Revolution, in 1814, a group of students outside of Greece formed the “Filliki Etairia,” or “Friendly Society.” This underground movement formed the groundwork for the 1821 revolt. On March 23, 1821, the town of Patras was set on fire by the Ottomans and several people perished. Many Greek women and children were taken as slaves by the Ottomans. The idea for my novel resulted from the question “What happened to the women and children on that day and beyond?” Also, I am a romantic at heart, and have a soft spot for Cinderella-type stories where the virtuous and good heroine is down on her luck but is loved by a good and gentle prince or nobleman.

Review: The Greek Maiden and the English Lord

The Greek Maiden and the English Lord 
by Patty Apostolides
Publication date: September 2010
Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com
The Book Depository/Barnes & Noble

Summary:
Six year old Lily Montgomery wanders from her home in Patras on that fateful night of 1821 when the Ottomans set fire to the Greek city, and is captured by gypsies. Ten years later, she learns about her true identity from her gypsy grandmother and begins her search for her father, who is an English Lord and her mother, a Greek heiress. Her personal journey leads her to England, where she is informed by her cousin, Mrs. Bennington, that her father is away on a trip to the Indies and her mother presumably dead from the war. Lily is sent away to boarding school by Mrs. Bennington. There, she falls in love with Edward Grant, an English lord, but he is engaged to another. When Lily receives news that her father has died in a shipwreck, her whole world turns upside down. She has no funds and is forced to work as a maid to pay her tuition. Love wins the day, however, and a surprise ending will bring happiness to all.

My thoughts:
You can't always judge a book by its cover, or its title. While this book may not physically be an attention grabber, what is inside the book certainly is. Yes, the underlying story is the basic one we see in most romances. Girl meets guy, girl and guy are in love with each other, something keeps them from realizing that the other loves them too, but all is well in the end. But we do love those romances for a reason. In my opinion, The Greek Maiden and the English Lord stands above many of the typical romance novels that I have read, even if it does have the same basic story line. Mrs. Apostolides has an engaging style of writing that pulls you into the story and into the lives of the characters. You empathize with Lily as she seeks her family and deals with shame over her past. You admire Edward for his strong and caring personality. Also, this story is well written and there are many twists and turns that quickly grab and retain your attention. When reading this novel, I was reminded of the historical romances written by Johanna Lindsey that are set in England, but The Greek Maiden and the English Lord is a "clean" romance. I have no hesitations handing this one over to my book-obsessed teenager. Bottom line is, if you enjoy historical romances, this one is a must read.

You can find Patty Apostolides at her website and on Twitter.

A copy of this book was provided by the author.

Teaser Tuesdays

 

  Teaser Tuesdays was created by MizB of Should Be Reading.

My Teaser: 

Granny stood there holding the invisible reins of an invisible camel and smiled. "Oh, I rather like the rain."

page 28 of my pdf copy, The Traveler's Telescope by Jodie Brownlee

I can just imagine the thoughts you get just from reading these two sentences! So funny!

 Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful to NOT include spoilers! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author.

What do you think about this teaser? Please also share your own.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop Winners

Winners of an eBook copy of Finding Home by Amy O'Neill:

Brenda Jean

Renee B.

Jennifer L.

Winners of an eBook copy of Veiled Innocence by Krystle Jones:

Heather

Holly W.

Donna

Congratulations!

 

All winners will be notified by email. You have 3 days to contact me to find out how to get your copy or a new winner will be selected. Winners were selected using Random.org.

Come back soon to find out about more giveaways!