It's Summer and I Feel Like Having A Giveaway! ($25 to Book Depository)

I'm Canadian and I'm well aware of the joke that Canadian summers last about a month out of the year. The sad thing is, the joke has some truth to it. While I'm used to the cold and the snow, this past winter was harsher than most and man do I 

absolutely hate shoveling. To make matters worse, the temperature has also been on the cool-side until recently. When it finally hit 25°C the other day, I immediately grabbed a book, slathered on some sunscreen and relaxed on my back porch. There is nothing I love more then reading in the sun!

So in order to celebrate that summer has finally arrived in Canada, I thought I would host a giveaway so some lucky winners have the chance to get out and read in the sun. Just remember the sunscreen ladies!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky commenter will win two books of his/her choosing from Book Depository!

If more than 25 people enter, I will choose a second winner who will win one book of his/her choosing from Book Depository. To enter, simply fill out the entry form below. You don't have to be a follower to enter, but one extra entry will be given to those who are or become a follower of this blog.

RULES

-You must have a valid email address. NOTE: those that enter and do not have a valid email address will be disqualified.
                                                                                                                                              -Contest runs from June 14/2011 to midnight (Mountain Standard Time) June. 28/2011. The winner(s) will be chosen at random on June 29/2011 and contacted later that day. If the winner(s) does not get back to me within 3 business days, I will choose a different winner(s).

-This contest is open internationally, but the winner(s) must live in a country that is eligible for free shipping through the Book Depository. If this qualification is not met, I reserve the right to choose a new winner(s). 

-The first winner's choice of books must not exceed $25 in total (CAN). If a second winner is chosen, his/her limit is a total of $15(CAN).

-You must 18 years or older to enter

-Good Books, Good Coffee, Good Life is not responsible for lost books or unreceived books.

Good Luck! 

New Cover Alert: Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

Although the cover for Meljean Brook's Heart of Steel (The Iron Seas #2) was posted awhile ago, it looks like it has undergone some revisions.While it isn't a huge change, I have to say I like the background a lot more. The image of the clouds and air balloon gives the book more steampunk edge. After absolutely falling in love with the first Iron Seas novel, The Iron Duke, I can't wait to get my hands on this one. Unfortunatly, Heart of Steel isn't scheduled for release until November, 2011. BOO!  If you've never read a steampunk romance before, I definitely recommend you start with The Iron Duke.

Check out Meljean's blog to read the jacket copy for Heart of Steel!
                                                                                                                                          Update: Apparently the 'old cover' wasn't the actual cover but just a picture used in the publisher's catalog. Jeeze, don't they know that once a cover like picture is posted anywhere on the web that the blogosphere will jump all over it? Anywho, the 'new cover' is the real cover for Heart of Steel.

Old Cover                                               New Cover

Chasin' Eight by Lorelei James: Official Jacket Copy

Squeee! Lorelei James finally revealed the jacket copy of Chasin' Eight (Rough Riders #11) yesterday on her blog. All I have to say is it's about flippin' time! Chase already sounds like he'll be just as smokin' hot as the rest of the McKay men. Too bad we still have to wait until June 28th for the book to be released. Sigh. I want my cowboy fix like NOW! Chasin' Eight is available for pre-order through Amazon and Samhain. 

She wants it…he’s got it…and the chase is on…

Bull rider Chase McKay has finally landed in a pile too big to charm his way out of. Caught with his pants down, he finds himself bucked right off the PBR tour until he can get his act together.

Hollywood actress Ava Cooper became the tabloids’ favorite target when her longtime boyfriend was outed as gay. She needs a place to lay low and a chance to prove to herself that she can satisfy a red-blooded man between the sheets. The sexy, rugged cowboy she finds holed up in her Wyoming hideaway seems like the answer to her every fantasy.

But Chase has sworn off women. Forever. Or at least a month. Whichever comes first.

When they take to the road to get Chase more hands-on bull riding experience, they have every intention of keeping their hands off each other. But the two headstrong stars quickly end up riding a hot and heady rodeo circuit all their own—until the press gets wind of their affair. When the dust clears and the lights of the paparazzi fade, are they ready to give up chasing the dream for a chance of finding forever?

Warning: Strap in, another hot McKay is about to bust out of the gate and this bull rider knows a thing or two about riding hard…

Author's website

Review: Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey

Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey
Kowalski Family #3
Contemporary Romance
June 6, 2011
E-book, 448 kb
Carina Press
Favorite quote: "He could do this. He’d survived boot camp. He’d survived combat and the harsh weather of Afghanistan. He could survive broccoli. Probably."
                                                                                                                                          A good contemporary romance is often hard to come by. Much of the time, authors miss the mark on presenting a realistic story that still has all the flare that romance readers expect. Too many times I have read a contemporary romance novel that had me rolling my eyes because key events in the book were just way too over the top to actually be believable. Although the plot of Yours to Keep is high up on the farfetched scale, I believed every word of it. Shannon's Stacey's characters are so down to earth and the romance in the book is so heartfelt, I constantly had a grin on my face. 
                                                                                                                                          Emma Shaw is a landscaper, living in her grandparents old farm house in New Hampshire. Although Emma's grandmother recently moved to Florida, she worries about Emma being all alone so far away.  In order to reassure her grandmother that she is just fine by herself, Emma tells her Gram that she is dating a man named Sean Kowalski, who she randomly chooses after hearing about him from her friend Lisa. Since Sean was serving in Afghanistan at the time, she didn't think her little white lie would have serious consequences. However, the lie quickly snowballs and Emma tells her grandmother that she and Sean are engaged. Now that her grandma is coming for a month long visit and Sean is back home, she has no choice but to fess up to her Gram or ask a man she barley knows to be her fake fiancé.
                                                                                                                                              Back home from his tour in Afghanistan, Sean is unsure what he wants to do with his life now that he doesn't have to report to Uncle Sam. Instead of working in the family run Inn, Sean asks his cousin Kevin if he can live in the empty apartment above Jasper's Bar & Grille until he gets himself established. Shortly after he moves in, however, there is a knock on the door. On the other side is Emma, who Sean is instantly attracted to although he thinks she is "batshit crazy". While Sean turns Emma's offer down, he realizes he has nothing better to do for the next month and agrees to play along. However, both Sean and Emma soon figure out that keeping their feelings for each other in check is a lot harder than they first thought.
                                                                                                                                               Yours to Keep was a really cute and sweet read. Reading this book was like cozying up on on the couch and sipping a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. It just gives you those warm fuzzy feelings. All the characters in the book are likable and easy to relate to. Emma has a lot of qualities I admire in a heroine. She is characterized as being a hardworking woman who isn't afraid to get a little dirt on her nose. While Emma is deceiving her grandmother, she is doing it for the right reasons, only wanting her Gram to enjoy her new life in Florida. And like the other Kowalski men, Sean is just delicious. He was fun, sweat, and a little stubborn at times. When Sean pulls out the post-it notes and starts leaving little messages for Emma, I melted every time. The chemistry between Emma and Sean is also quite yummy. In Yours to Keep, Stacey actually includes a few more love scenes between the main characters then she does in the other Kowalski books. Lucky us!
                                                                                                                                              However, I wish Sean's time in the army would have been elaborated on a little more. All we know is that he was in Afghanistan for an extended period of time and that's pretty much it. I'm not looking for gruesome war stories, but a little bit more background on that part of Sean's life would have been nice. Also, there definitely should have been an epilogue to this book. The ending just felt so rushed that I would have appreciated a look at their life after their world-wind romance. Mostly, I just didn't want this story to end! Hopefully, we will get to see more of Emma and Sean in future Kowalski books.
                                                                                                                                            So if you are a fan of contemporary romance (and even if you are not), I definitely recommend Yours to Keep. Although this book can be read as a stand alone, make sure not to miss the rest of the Kowalski Family series! 

Other opinions:

~Goodreads

~Smexy Book - B+

~Yummy Men Kick Ass Chicks- 4/5

Other books in the series:

Exclusively Yours

Undeniably Yours

Author's website

Mark Your Calendars!

The next installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series has an official release date! Lover Reborn, featuring Tohr, will be available on March 27, 2012. After the snoozefest that was Lover Unleashed, I have high hopes for this book!

New Cover Alert: Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian

I woke up this morning to find this little nugget in my inbox! Darker After Midnight is the long anticipated story of Sterling Chase or Harvard as he is affectionately called by the other members of the Order. There is not a lot of info available about Darker After Midnight just yet, however, the book will be the first Midnight Breed novel to be published in hardcover. After Chase going a little crazy in the last book, I can't wait for him to get his HEA...FINALLY! Darker After Midnight is slated to be released on January 24, 2011. 

In other Lara Adrian news, it looks like the Midnight Breed series won't be ending anytime soon with Lara signing on to write another two Breed books. Also, according to her newsletter, there will be an e-book novella available later this year. However, much to the fans dismay, the novella will not be featuring Gideon and Savannah's story, although Adrian has promised that she will tell there story in the future. Sure Lara, I'll believe it when I read it...

First Photo of Jennifer Lawrence As Katniss

Not going to lie, I was not thrilled when it was announced that Jennifer Lawrence was cast as Katniss Everdeen for The Hunger Games film. To me, she just looks so much older than 20 years old. At first, I thought she was closer to 30! However, seeing Lawrence with the brown hair, the braid, and in the clothes, I have more hope that she will pull off the role of Katniss. However, I think the hair needs to be longer and aren't Katniss's eyes brown? No? 

Can't wait to see what the rest of the cast looks like in character!