By The Book

Here in my home county, school starts today (August 1st)!  So it is the end of summer for both students and teachers.  It’s awfully early isn’t it?  So to counteract those end of summer blues, I am participating in the Summer Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Bookhounds.  There are hundreds of blogs hosting giveaways, so take some time and find those goodies!  You can find the official Summer Giveaway Hop site by clicking HERE.  

For my giveaway, I am offering 3 end of the summer books.  So 3 books — 3 winners.  I will draw the winners using a random number generator and will assign the books randomly as well!  So if you win, you’ll have a small surprise!

Shadows on The Sand by Gayle Roper — 

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals … although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, leaving only cryptic clues in her Sudoku book, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all too present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.

Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

Watercolor Summer by Nan Corbitt Allen — 

Just thirteen, Kathleen feels isolated and alienated by her family. A victim of her parents’ lack of connection to each other and to her, she is dragged by her mother to another artist colony for the summer. There she meets the annoying Malcolm, a sixteen-year-old, mentally-challenged boy living with his caregiver Jeanette. Malcolm tries to befriend Kat, but his very presence annoys her to her core. Kat overhears Jeanette recounting the circumstances surrounding Malcolm’s arrival and abandonment at the colony, and Kat lets the coolness inside her melt just a little. As her heart figuratively begins to melt, Malcolm’s real congenital heart problems become a concern and finally lead to tragedy.

In Watercolor Summer, Nan Allen tells the story of the difficult summer when Kathleen learned how Malcolm and his colorful guardian were the examples of true and selfless love. She paints a story on the canvas of Kathleen’s life which was transformed by the Master Artist-a life once stained by pain and trial, that became a thing of beauty.

A beach-loving child of the 60’s, Nan Corbitt Allen has written Watercolor Summer for people of all ages, but especially those who were children, teenagers, or young adults during that great decade. The reader will almost be able to smell the salt air, feel sand between his toes, and hear the sounds of Sly and the Family Stone playing in the background as the flashback story unfolds.

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All by Beth Pattillo — 

Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother’s dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Their mother also left them something else: a diary that belonged to Jane’s sister Cassandra. These pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time. They also bring Jane to life in a way that no one has ever seen before: through the eyes of her sister. As the Dodge sisters embark on their walking tour, they too are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra’s diary holds secrets, and someone doesn’t want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they stumble on their way toward love, the women learn how Jane and Cassandra Austen inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and come to realize that despite their very different personalities, they are a vital part of each other’s happy endings.

To enter my giveaway, just leave a comment on this post.  The comment must include your email address. 

The contest is now closed.  Winners will be announced shortly.

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Tags: Beth Pattillo, Gayle Roper, giveaways, Nan Corbitt Allen