Mailbox Monday

by Carol8 Comments
Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday. Here's what I found in my box this week.     Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex I won this at historical -fiction.com. Thanks, Arleigh! Isabelle d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. Worldly and ambitious, she has never envied her less attractive sister, the spirited but naïve Beatrice, until, by a quirk of fate, Beatrice is betrothed to the future Duke of Milan. Although he is more than twice their age, openly lives with his mistress, and is reputedly trying to eliminate the current duke by nefarious means, Ludovico Sforza is Isabella’s match in intellect and passion for all things of beauty. Only he would allow her to fulfill her destiny: to reign over one of the world’s most powerful and enlightened realms and be immortalized in oil by the genius Leonardo...
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All about my Blog

by Carol5 Comments
Today's meme is a tough one for me. It’s time to show off!  Tell us and this is really important, in 50 words or less what you love best about your blog!  And then in 50 words or less where you want your blog to be by the next BBAW! Honestly, I just love writing about the books I've enjoyed and the few that I haven't. It's just fun, period. I like sharing books; I always have. My blog just gives me more people to share my thoughts with, people who don't look at me like I'm nuts. Well, they might, but I  can't see them so it doesn't matter. One of my goals is to improve my writing and my reviews. Some bloggers are just fantastic at phrasing their thoughts; I'm in awe of them. I'd also like to add some non-review, non-meme posts, still bookish, maybe, but kind of a change from what I usually do....
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Lucan by Susan Kearney – Guest Post and Giveaway

by Carol40 Comments
I want to thank Susan Kearney, author of Lucan, for taking a page in my notebook today to tell us a little about why she loves fantasy and about her Pendragon trilogy. Read on for a chance to win Lucan, the first in the trilogy. I just finished it yesterday and it was great. Why I love Fantasy As a child I grew up reading science fiction.  As an adult I loved romance.  Nothing makes me happier than combining the two genres and writing futuristic romance. Take Lucan, the first book in my Pendragon Legacy trilogy.  The hero is an archeologist who finds a star map that may lead him to the Holy Grail.  I mean that’s cool.  And after he crosses the galaxy, he never expects to find a planet called Pendragon, or to fall for the High Priestess of Avalon.  Of course, she’s special.  And she has a secret.  She’s a dragon shaper.  She can morph into a fire breathing dragon. ...
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Guest post – Teresa Jones, author of Return to Your First Love

by Carol4 Comments
I want to thank Theresa Jones for taking a page in my notebook today to share some thoughts on marriage. Too Old to Get Married? The aforementioned question hardly ever bothers men.  But when women turn 30, and there is no ring to adorn their left hand, some become a little uneasy.  When the biological clock starts ticking and viable prospects start to dwindle, the question of whether or not it will ever happen begins to loom in the mind of some and send them into panic mode.  At the risk of sounding old fashioned, I am going to go against the status quo and suggest that they should be concerned.  I don’t say this because I think that marriage doesn’t occur after age 30.  I just believe that society, as a whole, needs to reassess the “right time” to get married. With every generation, comes an adjustment in beliefs and values.  This all so true with marriage, but have the generational shifts...
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