My First Giveaway!!!

Ok, here goes.  Be gentle with me!  My first ever giveaway is for one of my favorite books - Jennifer Crusie's Welcome To Temptation.  It's great fun; I love the characters, the setting, and the plot.  I grew up in a town similar to Temptation (without the crazy water tower - we had a water tower, but NOT like Temptation's!).  I didn't know about any of the small town politicians, but I did learn about small town politics later in life when I worked as the City Secretary for 1 year during college.  Holy shmoly.  There is nothing quite like small town politics.  People are crazy!  Anyway...
Back to the giveaway!  Sign up via Rafflecopter.  I will email you on June 16th or 17th if you won!  Be sure to include your email address in your answers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see all of the other great blogs participating in the Shameless Summer Hop, go check out the list on Red Hot Books!

UPDATE:  We have a winner!!! The winner of the Welcome to Temptation giveaway is...infalliblyyours.

Shameless Summer Hop! (Preview)

I'm a bit blog happy today, aren't I?  I'm catching up for lost time!  I will be participating in a blog hop giveaway starting on Friday, the 8th and running through Saturday, the 15th.  This is my first giveaway on my blog so I'm excited and a bit nervous!  Be gentle with me!  I will be giving away one of my favorite books - Jennifer Crusie's Welcome to Temptation.  It's a great, fun summer read.  I will, of course, be out of town during the blog hop and my internet use will be sporadic.  I promise to read, enjoy (as long as you're nice), and respond to all comments by the end of each day.


To see all of the other great blogs participating in the Shameless Summer Hop, go check out the list on Red Hot Books!  

Best of 2012 - Armchair BEA day 2

For the second day of Armchair BEA, my task is to share my favorite book of 2012.  Now, I could probably decide on my favorite book that I've read this year, but I'm not sure about my favorite book published this year.  That requires some research.
The easier question first - my favorite book I've read this year:  any of the Bride Quartet by Nora Roberts.  The four main characters are just fun and lovely and the story is engaging and inspiring.  I loved the four books.  
I relate most to Parker due to my slightly (ok, completely) Type-A personality, but I'd love to be friends with Mac, Laurel, and Emma.  Great series.  I actually got up the nerve to start my cake business while I was reading this series.  I related to the characters and often thought to myself that if they could do it, I could do it.  And, I did!  It's a great book that entertains and inspires you.  I enjoy that about Nora Roberts.  She has a gift.  People may turn up their noses at the Romance genre, but that is because they've never really read it.  They are missing out by being judgmental and closed-minded.  OK, off my soap box.  Sorry.

Now, on to the harder question - my favorite book published this year.  Hmmmm...I'm going to cheat and share books I've enjoyed this year.
1.  The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts (Book 2 in The Inn at BoonsBoro trilogy)
2.  Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
3.  Abandon by Meg Cabot (I love her covers lately, so I have to share)
 The hardback of Abandon originally came out in 2011, but the paperback was published in 2012.
The 2nd book is also out now -- Underworld.  

I will confess that part of the reason I wanted to read Underworld is because of my affinity for the movie "Underworld" starring Kate Beckinsale (and if you know me, you know that I pretend that I look like Kate Beckinsale - she's beautiful!), which, I know, is completely unrelated.  I'm a bit random.  I understand that.  It's a Meg Cabot book, though; I knew I would enjoy it.

I'm drawing a blank on other books published in 2012 that I really enjoyed.  I read all the time, but I can only think of these three.  What am I missing?  Surely I've read more from 2012 that I enjoyed.  Someone chime in and remind me of the greatness that I am missing on my list!