A Dream Unfolding by Karen Baney

From Karen Baney's website...
"The promise of a new life and a chance to start over…
Hannah Anderson had the life she always wanted, married to the man of her dreams. When her husband’s brother gets in trouble with the law, the town turns against them, shattering her perfect life. Now they are left with only one choice—to head west to the Arizona Territory in the hopes of creating a new life. Will the journey be worth the cost?
Will Colter, after burying his father, is forced to leave the ranch he has called home for nearly thirty years. The journey is dangerous, challenging him and his men. Will he find the new life he was hoping for?
Or, is there a new dream quietly unfolding before their eyes?"

I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to read and review this book. It is so good!

It was offered to me as a Christian historical romance and, while it is definitely that, I think it is much more than that. It is a story of all that made the journey West something that still intrigues us.

It is not always an easy read. There were some difficult scenes but that was how it was. I would have been disappointed if Ms. Baney "candy-coated" it. She writes characters who were put in situations, not always of their making, and making the best of it. She writes about their relationship with God as "ordinary". I mean that in the best possible way. It's not forced or "thrown in". It's a part of their character just as their ambition, their honor and their determination. That, to me, is the mark of a great writer.

A Dream Unfolding is the first in The Prescott Pioneers series. I am looking forward to reading the second... A Heart Renewed.

~~Thanks to Karen Baney, the author, for sending me a copy of A Dream Unfolding in exchange for an honest and thoughtful revirew.~~

Happy Easter!

May Easter Sunday be peaceful and blessed with a little bit of fun!

Happy Easter!

Twelve Years Ago... Today

Today is the 12th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School. Please pray for the victims and their families.

We live less than five miles from the school and knew people who were there that horrific day.

It has really been on my mind today as my son is now a Freshman in high school. I cannot begin to imagine how those parents felt nor can I imagine my son in that incomprehensibly tragic situation.

Please take a moment and remember...

Read My Review~~British Style!

This is a great meme hosted by Tasha at trillianbooks.blogspot.com.

From her blog... "Read My Review is a chance for book bloggers to share new and old reviews, related to a theme. It is hosted here at A Trillian Books. I've decided to run this feature once a month from now on, partly due to me being really busy and partly to allow more chance for people to link their reviews.
What to do:
- Find one of your reviews that fits the current theme (you can be as creative as you like when choosing what fits). It can be a new or old review, good or bad.
- Leave the link to your review with Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post."Blog Name (Book Title)"
- Visit some of the other reviews and leave a 'quality' comment (a couple of sentences).
- Let people know about Read My Review. Grab the button, tweet it, Facebook it ... shout about it in the street ... whatever lol.

Both St. George's Day and the Royal Wedding are coming up so, the new theme is:

BRITISH

It can be a British author, a story set in Britain or have a British character (or all three!). The theme stays for four weeks so you can leave your link any time and don't forget to pop back and check out some more fab reviews. You can also clink the link at the top to see the previous Read My Reviews. Also, if you have any ideas for future themes you'd like to see leave them in a comment..."

This is the perfect meme for me. I LOVE British mysteries! I have blogged about so many British books lately. The most recent review I've posted... A Graceful Death by Ann Summerville... is a British mystery. Just scroll down and you can read my review as well as an interview with the author.

There are several other reviews of books that definitely fit the "British" category.
You can look around Bags, Books & Bon Jovi for more British themed reviews but here are just a few...

~ A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr... http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/03/trail-of-ink-third-chronicle-of-hugh-de.html
~ Outlander by Diana Gabaldon...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/03/outlander-by-diana-gabaldon.html
~ The Tudor Secret by CW Gortner...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/02/tudor-secret-by-cw-gortner-review.html
~ Guest post by CW Gortner...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/02/tudor-secret-by-c-w-gortner.html
~ India Black, A Madam of Espionage Mystery by Carol Carr...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/02/india-black-madam-of-espionage-mystery.html
~ Interview with Carol Carr...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/02/interview-with-carol-k-carr-author-of.html
~ The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen...
http://bagsbooksandbonjovi.blogspot.com/2011/01/girl-in-gatehouse.html

Wow! I guess I'm a Anglophile at heart! Maybe I should rename my blog... How does Bags, BRITISH Books & Bon Jovi sound?!?

A Graceful Death by Ann Summerville

I hope you enjoyed the interview with Ann Summerville. If you haven't read it, please do. I love author insights. I also hope you read my thoughts on the first line of A Graceful Death as I used it last week when I posted First Line Friday.

As faithful readers of Bags, Books & Bon Jovi know, I LOVE mysteries! They are, truly, my favorite genre. And a "cozy" mystery is right up there as my favorite sub-genre. A Graceful Death is a "cozy" through and through.

Ms. Summerville has created the perfect "cozy" world. The mystery, while intriguing and carefully plotted, is woven through a story that just begs to be read with a cat on my lap and a cup of hot tea by my side. Now, would someone please tell my cats that they not doing their job as I read A Graceful Death sans any lap cats. My tea was good, however :D

I never read a mystery with the intent of solving it. I want to enjoy the story as it unfolds. Ms. Summerville writes for readers like me. The journey to the solution is as important as the solution. The characters, setting and "clues" are written with the understanding that "cozy" readers need to enjoy it all.

I am so happy that this is the first in a series. There are characters that I am excited to meet again. Giovanna (I have always loved that name) is a real woman. She's not perfect and knows that. She becomes involved in something unexpected and deals with it in a realistic fashion. She is confronted with her beloved Aunt's passing and eventually discovers all is not what it seems. She is not Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher... clues do not "fall into her lap". I enjoyed this about Giovanna. She is not even an "amateur" detective, she just does what she need to do. That made A Graceful Death more realistic. Had everything just "happened", it would not have been believable.

Lowenna is the perfect setting for a mystery series. It's a coastal English town and any mystery reader worth their salt... what a FANTASTIC expression, I just had to say it!... knows that the murderous possibilities are almost endless in such a town. Who knows... maybe Ms. Summerville could begin her next book with "It was a dark and stormy night..." We can only hope!

~~Thanks to Ms. Summerville for providing a copy of A Graceful Death in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.~~

A Graceful Death by Ann Summerville~~ Interview with the Author!

I would like to welcome Ann Summerville, author of A Graceful Death to Bags, Books & Bon Jovi. A Graceful Death is the first in her cozy mystery series set in the coastal town of Lowenna.

From Amazon... "Giovanna Matthews has an acceptable life in London with her own flat, a good job, and recent engagement to the son of a Scottish landowner. But not long after her engagement to Alan, news of Aunt Grace's death hits Giovanna like a red double decker bus. Ignoring Alan's pleas to stay, she bundles her dog and suitcase into a rusty Volkswagen and drives to Aunt Grace's cottage on the Cornish coast where Giovanna had spent childhood summers with her cousin. Putting her aunt's affairs in order is further complicated when Giovanna discovers the local constabulary has its own view on Aunt Grace's demise - A view that Giovanna vows to challenge. Unless she can discover how her aunt died and find her missing cousin quickly, she stands to lose both her inheritance and Alan.
Ann Summerville wrote her first short story before her age reached double digits. She was born in England, and in search of a warmer climate, moved to California before settling in Texas. Her short stories and flash fiction have been published in Long Story Short, The Shine Journal, Doorknobs & Bodypaint Anthology, Associated Content, Trinity Writer's Workshop newsletters and also their collection of Christmas stories. A member of Cowtown Crimesolvers, the Fort Worth Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Ann is currently working on her latest cozy mystery set in a Texas town featuring an English protagonist. Ann resides in Fort Worth, near her daughter and son-in-law, with her son, two boisterous dogs and a somewhat elusive cat."

~What was it about Giovanna that made her your main character?
Although Giovanna didn’t realize it, she was searching for a family and in the process was lured into a less than ideal relationship with Alan. I think we’ve all been in a place where we were searching for something and it resulted in a bad decision. For Giovanna, the “family” ended up being a village rather than a conventional family.

~What can you tell us about the future of the series?
High Tide, the second book in the series was published recently. I’m hoping to have the third Lowenna cozy in print by next year.

~What do you read? Fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, romances? Authors and titles, please!
I mostly read mysteries and in particular cozy mysteries. M.C. Beaton is one of my favorite authors. Another recent read that I would recommend is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Annie Barrows. I’m currently reading Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. It is part of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency based in Botswana. The HBO series was delightful too.

~One of the latest "trends" in reading are eReaders. What are your thoughts on this new way to read? Does it bother you that, while someone might be reading and enjoying A Graceful Death on a eReader, it's kind of a private thing? By that I mean, the cover is "hidden". The reader is not "advertising" the book to other nosy (yes, that would be me!) readers who might start a conversation based on seeing the book being read.
Interesting question, I hadn’t thought of that. I do notice what others are reading, but you are right, the book wouldn’t be obvious on an e-Reader. I’m finding that my e-reader sales are much higher at the moment, but that could be because I’ve reduced the price of all three of my books to $2.99 for the month of April. As a reader, I love sharing with others a good book that I’ve read or a new author I’ve “found” so I don’t think the e-Readers will make any difference. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

~What is it like to see to your books in print? Or to "google" the title and see it on an Amazon page?
It’s exciting seeing the final cover. Such a lot of work goes into novel writing that it’s lovely to see all the work tied up neatly in a package.

~What do you think of the book blog "phenomenon" and book bloggers, in general?
What I like about book blogs is that you get to know the reviewer and learn who has similar tastes. I’ve come across some wonderful books that I might not have otherwise read. Giveaways are great too. It’s a wonderful community.

~Because my blog is Bags, Books & Bon Jovi... I have to ask... what bag are you carrying today? What book are you reading today? And, last but, definitely, not least... are you a Bon Jovi fan? :D
I have a hand made bag with a quilted leopard on it. The book I’m reading is Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (I must have a safari thing going on) and I like Bon Jovi, not sure I would be called a fan.

Thank you for inviting me today and being part of the book blog tour for A Graceful Death.
I’m giving away three books on my blog so make sure you leave a comment and become a follower. I’ll pick a winner on April 30.

www.annsummerville.com
www.cozyintexas.blogspot.com
www.cozyintexas@yahoo.com

Thanks again to Ms. Summerville for answering my questions. Make sure you head to her blog to enter her giveaway! And please stop back by here tomorrow as I will be posting my review.

Book Blogger Hop.. on Monday!!

DizzyC at DizzyC's LittleBook Blog...http://dizzycslittlebookblog.blogspot.com... is taking over for Jennifer today! Go to her blog and check out the Hop!
"Jennifer says.....
I had a really busy week last week and was unable to get the Book Blogger Hop post up in time over the weekend. So, I present you with the first ever NON-WEEKEND Book Blogger Hop! This Hop will run through Thursday! Have fun!!

This week's question comes from Aislynn who reviews at Knit, Purl, Stitch...Read and Cook!
"Outside of books, what is your guilty pleasure?"

Are you, at all, surprised? I think not! Look at the title of my blog. I LOVE purses!! Always have, always will! I love expensive bags as much as I love the cute ones I buy at Target. One of my very guilty pleasures is TJ Maxx. I love looking at their selection. There are very high-end designer bags as well as labels that are less expensive! If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I change my bag every day... sometimes more! I think that is the epitome of a guilty pleasure!

This graphic was made for me by Karen. Please check out her blogs... Deep in the Heart (http://karenintx.blogspot.com/) and Grab It Graphics (http://grabitgraphics.blogspot.com/)

Meet Me on Monday!

From Java's blog... Welcome to the 42nd edition of
"Meet Me On Monday!"
Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!
Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!
Java will add a linky so we can follow who participates and get to know them better!! Be sure to link the POST and not just your whole blog!!
If you have a question suggestion please email me at: nevergrowingold@hotmail.com and if I use your question I will give you a shout out!

Questions:
1. Who would be your dream celebrity date?
2. Do you have any food restrictions?
3. How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?
4. Sausage or bacon?
5. Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?

My Answers~~

1. Please see the title of my blog! Jon Bon Jovi... of course!! I've posted this picture before but I just love it. He's a little scruffy and he's wearing his hat shows his love of football! But, my true celebrity dream date would be Cary Grant...swoon!


2. As much as I love onions, they just don't love me. I get really bad heartburn when I eat them. I have discovered if I take a couple of Pepcid tablets, it takes care of it and I'm free to eat onions...yay!


3. It, obviously, depends. If I'm working or meeting someone for coffee and want to look presentable, I usually take about 45 minutes to an hour... from shower to "out the door".


4.

5. Definitely Google. I like how they change their logo to coincide with certain events.

Thanks for stopping by by Bags, Books & Bon Jovi! Please leave a comment so I can Meet You on Monday, too!

A Race to Splendor Giveaway...

Laura at Laura's Review (http://lauragerold.blogspot.com) is hosting a great interview with Ciji Ware as well as a giveaway for the book. Please head over to her blog to read about this fascinating book. From Ciji Ware's website... "Set in the tumultuous aftermath of San Francisco’s devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, and based on the lives of several women apprenticed to famed Julia Morgan, California’s first licensed woman architect, this historical novel tells of the fiercely-fought competition between Nob Hill hotels to re-open their doors by the first anniversary of the disaster–proving to the country and the world that the city would rise from the ashes. Amelia Hunter Bradshaw, fresh from earning her certificate in architecture at the prestigious L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, finds herself, through a series of flukes and mishaps, in the employ of the one man determined to best Miss Morgan, Amelia’s mentoress and friend. Intrigue, political corruption, and an undeniable attraction to the mysterious James Diaz Thayer threaten not only to jeopardize her personal life, but also prove fatal to all she holds dear."

I put up the two different covers of this novel because, really... I love them both. The cover on the left shows a woman who will take it upon herself to rebuild a city that she loves. The gorgeous cover on the right brings the feel of the time period and the glamour that was before the quake and what was so necessary to bring back after. Which one speaks to you?

The giveaway is open until midnight, Friday April 22nd.

Finally... First Line Friday!

I began First Line Friday because first lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny? Join in, if you enjoy first lines as much as I do! Be sure to use my great First Line Friday graphic and leave me a comment so I can read your blog! I'm not the only one with a meme celebrating first lines... Becky at Page Turners at http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/ hosts Book Beginnings... check her blog, too.

"It was probably a heart attack."
A Graceful Death
Ann Summerville


What a fabulous first line! This is a murder mystery, so we all know it wasn't a heart attack! What was it? And who was the victim? Well, I can't tell you that, now, can I? But, I am going to tell you that I will be reviewing this mystery very soon. Okay, so, technically, it's not from my TBR pile. It's my RRN (reading right now) book.

Back to that first line... I was hooked. I love first lines that launch the story. No hemming & hawing... you open the book and are caught up in the mystery.

Wow, it's been a while since I've written a First Line Friday! Every Friday, I have the best of intentions. I plan to write it. I choose the book, even and then... it's Saturday, then Sunday and my great intentions have to wait a little while longer. But, here it is, Thursday and I'm writing it! Yay, me...lol!


It's also been a while since I wrote about my purses. I met two friends for coffee this morning. Our kids went to the same elementary school. But, since J & M don't attend the neighborhood schools any more, we've not gotten together as much as we used to. It was so nice to just hang out with I and K and "catch up". I carried my "Rocker Chick" bag. Its chunky silver hardware coordinated well with the "Pucci-esque" tunic I wore. My friend, I, carried a huge coated canvas tote from a little boutique. K carried a white leather Coach bag... perfect for spring!

Meet Me on Monday!

From Java's blog... Welcome to the 41st edition of
"Meet Me On Monday!"
Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?" I know them...but yet I don't know them! I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!
Every Sunday Never Growing Old will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

Questions:

1. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?
3. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
4. What is your favorite candle scent?
5. Coffee or tea?

My Answers...


1. We have been thinking about this question because the morning show we listen to was discussing this topic. They actually ate just one thing for a week. My answer is kind of cheating but I would choose salads. The reason it's cheating is because there are so many different ways to prepare them that it is almost a different meal every time.

2. I tend to write my posts the day I post them. I only write book reviews in advance. I do this so that my reviews are well thought out. I think that's only fair to the author. They have provided me with a free book. I owe them a thoughtful review... not one that is written without much thought or concern.

3. I rode in an ambulance when I was a child. I was playing "chase" with some friends and fell. I had the wind knocked out of me and couldn't breathe. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but, apparently, it was so my parents called an ambulance.




4. I work, part-time, at Bath & Body Works so I LOVE candles! Right now, my favorite scent is Pink Sangria.It is such an amazing fragrance!! But, my all-time favorite candle fragrance is Winter. It is BEYOND AMAZING!!


5. I LOVE tea! My Mother is from Germany so we grew up drinking tea. My favorite is plain old Lipton hot tea but I do love flavored teas every now and then. I never really drank coffee until a few years ago when I discovered those blended frozen coffee drinks. Starbucks frappucinos are good but I tend to like the ones from small coffee houses better!

Thanks for Meeting Me on Monday... even though it's really Sunday :D Please leave a comment so I can Meet You on Monday!