SELF HELP SUNDAY!!!

Hi Chicks!!

It's SELF HELP SUNDAY!!

Here's what I've got for you today!!

The G FREE DIET

Elisabeth Hasselbeck

From Amazon.com:

For years, Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn't figure out what was making her sick. She asked doctors and consulted nutritionists, but no one seemed to have any answers. It wasn't until spending time in the Australian Outback, living off the land on the grueling Survivor TV show, that, ironically, her symptoms vanished. Returning home, she pinpointed the food that made her sick -- gluten, the binding element in wheat. By simply eliminating it from her diet, she was able to enjoy a completely normal, healthy life. But that wasn't all. Hasselbeck discovered the myriad benefits that anyone can enjoy from a gluten-free diet: from weight loss and increased energy to even the alleviation of the conditions of autism. In this all-inclusive book, Hasselbeck shares her hard-earned wisdom on living life without gluten and loving it. She gives you everything you need to know to start living a gluten-free life, from defining gluten - where to find it, how to read food labels - to targeting gluten-free products, creating G-Free shopping lists, sharing recipes, and managing G-Free living with family and friends.

About the Author: Hasselbeck was formerly known to television audiences as a participant on the wildly popular second edition of Survivor: The Australian Outback. Since taking her coveted seat on The View in 2003 she has been the focus of major magazine covers and articles including USA Weekend, Curious Parents, People, TV Guide, Fitness, Glamour, Us Weekly, Life, Pregnancy and ePregnancy. She has filled in on the FOX News Channel's Fox and Friends, and has been a guest on Hannity and Colmes, Larry King Live, The Martha Stewart Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This is a really great resource for someone newly diagnosed with Celiac disease, or just for someone who would like to pursue a gluten free diet. There is a lot of valuable information here including, recipies, grocery lists, eating out, and how to travel. Hasselbeck shares her story in a very personal, easy to relate to way.

I have 5 copies to giveaway courtesy of Anna at Hatchette!

US and Canada only Please no PO Boxes!!

Winners will be announced Sunday June 7th!!

To enter please leave a comment with your email!!

THANKS!

READ ON CHICKS!!

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

HI CHICKS!!

IT's FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

Buckle in, I've got a review and then several winners

to announce

SO stick with me!

April and Oliver

by Tess Callahan

I was obviously not meant to get any sleep this week. I've read one amazing book after another!

April and Oliver, best friends since they were kids, but later separated by time and space, find that their paths cross again due to the untimely and tragic death of April's brother Buddy.

Oliver, the overly responsible, engaged law student find himself more and more drawn into April, who needs to be saved most of all from herself and her past. Memories and loss combine, driving their need for each other once again. Sexual tension and yearning builds with a fervor, and more than once I wondered if they would destroy themselves or each other.

There is so much going on in this story that it's nearly impossible to give too much detail without making it seem like it's less than it is. It's the Longing that the author builds here that pulls at you and doesn't let go, not even when it's over. You can't help but to care about these characters when they're written and developed with such compulsion.

What I loved about the way these characters were written, is that even though I don't share their problems, I understood them, empathized with them and felt emotionally invested in their story.

AUTHOR's WEBSITE

TESS CALLAHAN

I have one copy to giveaway courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette. US and Canada only please no PO Boxes.

To enter Please leave me a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL!!

Are you on FACEBOOK?

Did you know you can follow me there?

Just Click on the Networked Blogs Box on the bottom

of the right sidebar!!

Want to join our Discussion group on Goodreads?

Just sign up at Goodreads.com

it's open to everyone and it's FREE!!

then search under groups for

ChicBookChick and click join

IT's THAT EASY!!

See this little chick?

If you grab her (by copying and saving to your computer as a .jpeg) and link her to me on your blog, or myspace, or facebook page AND link me back here. You will have a chance to be a Random Linky Winner!!! Due to the rising cost of postage, I need to spread out random linky winner a little more,so instead of every Friday, I will choose random winners twice a month.

You never know when!!

WINNERS!!

Hint of Wicked Winners ARE

nightdweller

limecello

Anita

SueA

elaing8

Prize Pack Winner is

Navybrat76

Shapeshifter Winner is

Sharon54220

Execution of Justice Winner is

PAM

All winners will recieve an email from me!

Random Linky Winner

Chicks I need help with this one, if you link to me could you email me please with (chicklinky in the subj line)

castellanoamy(at)yahoo(dot)com

I will throw everyone's name in a hat and pick a random winner, plus this will help me to build a list to choose from and to visit!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

READ ON CHICKS!!

Santa Olivia...by Jacqueline Carey

SANTA OLIVIA

by Jacqueline Carey

Once in a while, a book comes along

that leaves me breathless and just blows me away.

I'm still reeling from staying up until 2am

reading a book that I honestly wasn't even

sure I would like in the first 30 or so pages.

Which, completely proves the point, that sometimes

you have to stick and let an author suck you in, in her own way.

In a part of the country that has been forgotten, a de-militarized zone that is not part of Texas or Mexico but is know simply as "Outpost", the military men come and go in the lives of Loup's mother Carmen. But one leaves her with a gift that no one else can, a daughter with his genetically altered offspring.

It doesn't take long for people to notice Loup is different, superhero different. As people around her learn her differences though, they seem to accept them, rather than shun her. Although she is "different" and makes people uncomfortable, she's a part of the community and they take care of their own.

A child who doesn't feel fear, Loup and her friends take it upon themselves to disperse vigilante style justice on the oppressive military presence in their town, blaming it on the patron saint Santa Olivia. For a town that needs some faith, Loup begins to feel her place in the world. As Santa Oliva, she can be herself, she doesn't have to hide her abilities.

This is not a werewolf story as the back of the book seems to suggest.

This is Loup's story. A coming of age story.

This is a story about overcoming impossible obstacles, about love and redemption, and taking a stand against unsurmontable odds.

This book left me on the edge of my seat, my heart beating out of my chest, tears in my eyes and cheering!

AUTHOR's WEBSITE

Jacqueline Carey

I have one copy to give away courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette!!

us and canada only please no po boxes

Winner will be announced on June 3rd

To enter please leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL!!

That's it for today!

READ ON CHICKS!!

Mating Rituals of The North American WASP...

Mating Rituals of the

North American Wasp

by Lauren Lipton

You know with a title like that

you're in for a fun ride.

This is definitely perfect for light summer reading by the pool or at the beach, and with that cute cover...(have I ever mentioned my covetess nature when it comes to cover art?) you can probably even find a swimsuit or beach bag that matches!

In the style of "What Happens in Vegas", Peggy Adams makes a bachlorette party trip to Sin City, and wakes up in a strange room next to a strange man. She hightails it out of there only to be contacted by him after arriving back home in NYC to discover she married him.

Luke Sedgwick is the last of the New Ninevah, Ct Sedgwick's, a family known in New England as WASP royalty. His suggestion to Peggy that they get an immediate annulment is met with wholehearted aggreement, until Luke's slightly cracked Aunt Abigail finds out about the marriage.

Aunt Abby's been bent on finding someone to produce an heir to the Sedgwick line for years and makes Luke and Peggy an offer they can't refuse. She offers them the option of selling the family estate, which is worth millions, is they stay married for one year. Mayhem ensues in the form of Peggy trying to fit in and entertaining New Englands WASPy families on the weekends, while keeping the marriage a secret and running her business in NYC during the week.

It's a fun book, with a lot of laughs and a sweet romantic love story and the wit and characters keep it from being typical.

I will probably pass this one on to the book group at Goodreads.com.

Want to join? Just go to Goodreads.com and search under groups for CHICBOOKCHICK and join!!!

I have one copy to giveaway courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette!

US and CANADA ONLY please no PO BOXES

TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment with your email address PLEASE

Winner of INTO THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH is

SARA RUSH

I'll be emailing you!

That's it for today!

READ ON CHICKS!!!

Cheryl Brooks and her CAT STAR CHRONICLES!!!

Um..Can I get a little bit of him please?






































And add a little of that while you're at it





OK..he's not looking bad either..











BUT..he's the one I'm supposed to be talking about....

CHICKS, Can you say YUM?

OUTCAST..By Cheryl Brooks

Lynx lived a life of slavery for years after being taken prisoner in the war that destroyed his planet. Bought and sold to the highest bidders over and again and used as a slave of slaves. Having finally earned his freedom, but not knowing how to live on his own or what to do with it, he ends up on the planet Terra Minor penniless and with very few posessions.

Bonnie needs a man, her's up and left her pregnant taking with him all of her money and her only working mode of transportation. She's running a farm on her own on a planet far from Earth. Too bad she hates men. She hires Lynx to help her work the land, and surprises herself when she finds her heart starting to open up to this sad, quiet, wounded stranger who will give her anything, anything that is but himself.

Oh my God...this book is sexy

Let's just say my husband has been pretty happy the past few days.

But, it's not all sex...which is why it's the perfect formula...there is such a sweet love story here between Lynx and Bonnie two wounded hearts that finally find love and I swear it's totally not sappy...you know how I am about tough heroines!

This series is also very different from any other romances I've ever read, no vampires or werewolves or the usual paranormal faire...more of a SciFi/Fantasy twist and I really Love it!!

This is Book #4 in the Cat Star Chronicle Series, and it looks like I'll be reading them backwards. If you are a fan of paranormal romance you do not want to miss these books! I don't know how I did all this time!! Book #5 will be out Jan 2010.

Now I just have to get my hands on the first two...

Cheryl Brooks was kind enough to do an interview for me!!

1. Do you listen to music when you're writing? and if so what?

No, I don ' t, though I know of a plenty of writers who do. I am occasionally inspired by a song, but I find it distracting while I ' m actually writing. I tend to toss ideas around in my head while I ' m driving, too, and have been known to turn off the radio so I can focus better.

2. Name a book you ' ve read more than once.

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. In fact, her entire Merlin trilogy is something I used to read once a year. There are places in those books that give me tingles even though I ' ve read them at least a dozen times.

3. If you were doing the casting, who do see as playing Lynx and Bonnie?

Impossible to say. There are many good young actors who could play those roles, but I ' m not familiar with a lot of them. I ' d have to leave that up to the casting director, but it would be nice to be in on the approval process.

4. If you were stranded on a desert island, what book would you want with you? (you can only have one)

The Lord of the Rings. It would keep me endlessly entertained.

5. Have you ever read a book that changed your view on something? if so which book?

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I wouldn ' t say it so much changed my view, but gave me a means to explain certain things. Granted, it is a work of fiction, but it still raised some interesting questions and provided some surprising answers.

6. Describe your favorite place to be.

Out in my yard on a cool, clear morning when the wild roses and honeysuckle are in bloom.

7. Did you have a literary mentor or role model when you began writing, who is it?

I ' d have to say it was Mary Stewart because I ' ve read her novels repeatedly throughout my life. I loved her first person point of view, and wasn ' t comfortable writing any other way when I first began to write. The fact that we all see the world in first person makes it seem more realistic, but I know that many romance readers don ' t care for it.
Outcast marks the first of my published novels to be written in third person, and I ' ve found many differences in writing in that style. It ' s more flexible, but not nearly as personal, though it does allow the reader to see inside the hero ' s head, which is something that romance readers crave.

8. Describe yourself in one word.

Versatile.

9. What are you reading right now?

Nothing at the moment, but I recently finished Too Hot to Handle by Robin Kaye, who is also a Sourcebooks author, and I enjoyed it very much.

10. Three things you ' ve read in the last year.
I read the Harry Potter series from beginning to end, and then I start over again. I normally read it before I go to sleep to help get my mind settled down so I CAN sleep. Other than that, I ' ve read books by my Sourcebooks Casablanca sisters, Kendra Leigh Castle, Marie Force, and Linda Wisdom to name a few!

Thanks for having me here on Chic Book Reviews!

Thank you Cheryl!!!

CHERYL's WEBSITE

CHERYL's BLOG

(be warned...hot naked men abound on the blog)

I HAVE ONE COPY OF OUTCAST To

GIVEAWAY

Courtesy of Danielle

at Sourcebooks!

us and canada only please

no po boxes!!

To Enter:

1. LEAVE A COMMENT with YOUR EMAIL!!

2. Please follow me +1 or already a follower +2!!

3. Please Blog about this author (with a link to her site) or book or contest +3 comment back with a link

Winners of MIXSHAKESTIR

are

Kytaira

Carlene

Mandy

Jay

Beth

You'll be getting an email from me chicks! Please respond with your address!!

That's it for today!!

READ ON CHICKS!!

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

A Hint of Wicked

by Jennifer Haymore

GET READY CHICKS!!

Ahem... this was a HOT one!!

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton's, husband Garrett

died seven years ago at the Battle of Waterloo leaving her alone and with child.

After many long lonely years she has found comfort in the arms of his best friend and cousin Tristan and they are married.

Until one night, when

Garrett returns having suffered all those years from amnesia,

and wants his life AND his wife back.

Now, Sophie must choose between her first love and her new one, knowing that

there is no way to do that without destroying one of the men she loves.

Now in a race to save her family from destruction, Sophie and her husbands

are caught up in a battle to save themselves from a Blackguard

who is bent on destroying them all.

It has been a long time since I've read a historical romance,

I used to eat them like gummi bears (which is a lot by the way).

But I found I got tired of what seemed to be the same formula

over and over again.

THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE!!

I love how the heroine is in love with TWO men and it plays out very believable.

Sophie is also not your typical historical romance woman,

she's very strong, stronger that the male hero's even

and doesn't take any crap when it comes to taking care of her family!

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one...

and um...

you might also want to make sure that there's someone around to um..

help you out with your needs while you're reading it...because it's pretty hot!

shhhhh....

This is the first book in what will be a series, so looking forward to what comes next!!

Author Bio/Photo

Jennifer Haymore

I have 5 copies to giveaway courtesy of Anna at Hatchette!

US and Canada only please no PO boxes!

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment with your email +1

2. Please follow me +1 already a follower +2

3. blog about this contest +1

leave extra comments for your extra entries please

This book is on a blog tour for the next couple weeks!!

For other reviews and chances to win, see the links below!!

http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/ - May 19 review

http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/ - May 19 intro; May 21 review; May 23 Q&A; June 6 announce winners of giveaway

http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/ - May 21 Q&A

http://chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/ - May 22 review and giveaway

http://www.findthetimetoread.blogspot.com/ - May 26 review and giveaway

http://www.readingwithmonie.com/ - May 26 giveaway

http://zensanity.blogspot.com/ - May 26 Q&A

http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/ - May 27 giveaway

http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/ - May 28 giveaway

http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset - May 28 review

http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/ - June 1 to 4 Q&A, review, and giveaway

http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/ - June 1 giveaway

http://www.morbid-romantic.net/ - June 2 review, giveaway, Q&A

http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/ - June 3 review and giveaway

http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/ - June 3 giveaway

http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/ - June 4 review

http://www.thebookgirl.net/ - June 5 review and giveaway

http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/ - June 6 review and giveaway

http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/ - June 8

http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/ - giveaway

http://www.alphaheroes.blogspot.com/ - review

TIME for and EXTRA GIVEAWAY CHICKIES!!

Using the same entry rules above I will choose an extra random winner to recieve another prize package!!

This one will have

a handmade journal, and bookmark by our friend and

fellow book chick

Ky

plus 2 books!!

Winners for both contests will be announced May 29th!!

Winners of TESTIMONY by ANITA SHREVE

are

SHARON

KAYE

TRISHA LYNN

RACHIEG

KATELONG

Random Linky Winner is

JEANNE BAJ

Don't forget to come back for SELF HELP SUNDAY!!

Thanks for stopping by and

READ ON

CHICKS!!!

Shapeshifter...The Demo Tapes Year 1

You CHICKS are awesome!!

My friend Susan at Win-a-book West of Mars helped me so much in getting up and running and helping draw traffic here. I am so excited to be able to review her book here today.

Shapeshifter The Demo Tapes

Year 1

by Susan Helene Gottfried

I'll admit I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Even though I have been to The Meet and Greet, which by the way I promise is a blog like no other you have ever been to. Even though, Susan had kind of explained it to me...I'll admit I can be more than a little slow to catch on.

What this book is essentially, is a collection of short stories that introduce you to Trevor Wolff and Mitchell Voss, (their band Shapeshifter) and a bunch of other really cool characters that will someday become part of Susan's first novel Trevor's Song which is in the works and with our support will be published. These pieces have all been published online between April 2006 and March 2007.....and now you're asking "then why do I need the book?". Well, for lots of reasons the most important of which being that you get the pieces in chronological order and ...I don't know about you, but I have to be able to hold a book in my hands...it's just a weird thing with me...I like the smell of paper.

Here's the thing...I LOVE IT!!...This has been a wonderful book for me to carry around the past few days, pulling it out while I'm waiting for the kids here and there, the short pieces are the perfect length and you get so much insight into the characters in each and every one...Trevor is every girls bad band boy, I swear I felt like I was 17 again and wanting to be a groupie. It really is so much fun! I caught myself laughing out loud in several public places while reading it.

Some of my favorites are: Soy Sauce, The Strand, The Time Before Dinner and Quitting

But my favoritest of the favorites is this one:

Rain

Mitchell nudged Kerri awake. When she tilted her face toward him, he whispered, "Rain".

She listened. Sure enough, even over the rumble of the engine she could hear the rain beating on the bus and the sound of water being pushed aside by large wheels. She couldn't remember ever feeling more safe. "Rain", she whispered back, pressed more firmly against him, and promptly fell back to sleep.-Susan Helene Gottfried

Sigh...I swear I can hear the water too

I'm in love with a rock band

Thanks Susan!!

Susan was kind enough to send me a signed copy

which I am going to pass on to one lucky winner!!

To enter:

1. Please leave a comment with your email!

2. Please blog about or link to Susan's Blog

in a blog post and please leave me another

comment that you did so

Winner will be announced on May 28th!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Don't forget tomorrow is FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

READ ON CHICKS!!

The Execution of Justice...

The Execution of Justice by Michael Phelps

I was so honored when Mr. Phelps asked me personally to review his book.

This is the debut story of Mike Walsh, a patrol officer in the Indianapolic Police Department and it introduces us to what will be a series of Mike Walsh detective novels.

As we follow Officer Walsh through the story he gets promoted to Detective in the Robbery and Homicide division and gets partnered with his former mentor Sergeant Jack Lovell. I really enjoyed learning through Mike Walsh, the steps to solving a crime. Very cool!

This isn't just a Detective Novel..and that's what I really like about it. The author really gives a detailed look at what life is like for those who serve in the Police Department both on and off duty.

As we read, we watch in vivid detail as Walsh's marriage fails and he turns to alcohol and eventually sobers up and leaves his job. The development of Mike Walsh is done very well, and I really appreciated the insight it gave me of day to day life for a police officer.

I really look forward to seeing what happens next in the Mike Walsh story.

Courtesy of the Author Mr. Phelps, I have one SIGNED COPY to give away!!

To enter please leave a comment WITH your email!!

Winner will be chosen May26th!!

Winner of FAULT LINE by BARRY EISLER

is

BETHANY

watch your inbox for an email chickie!

THAT's ALL FOLKS!

READ ON CHICKS!!

SELF HELP SUNDAY!!! with Late Free Book Friday!!!

My apologies CHICKS...I've had a very busy several days

BUT

I'm making it up to you

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION to THE ENTRY RULES TODAY CHICKS!!

I've GOT A COUPLE GIVEAWAYS HERE TODAY!!

FIRST...

THE Free Book Friday GIVEAWAY

TESTIMONY

by Anita Shreve

I haven't had time to read this yet, BUT

it looks really good.

This from Amazon.com

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.Writing with a pace and intensity surpassing even her own greatest work, Anita Shreve delivers in TESTIMONY a gripping emotional drama with the impact of a thriller. No one more compellinglyexplores the dark impulses that sway the lives of seeming innocents, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

I have 5 copies to giveaway courtesy of Valerie at Hatchette Book Group!

US and Canada Only no PO Boxes Please!!

Winners will be announced on Friday May 22nd!!

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL (please put the word Testimony in your comment)

2. Follow me +1...already a follower +2 please leave a separate comment

3. Blog about this giveaway +1 leave another comment with a link

TIME for SELF HELP SUNDAY!

I love to sit and look at recipes...

the beautiful photos of yumminess inspire the crafter in me and with all the bright colors I'm like a kid in a candy store...

This next book is so much fun,

AND will look so pretty on your coffee table!!

MIXSHAKESTIR

Danny Meyer

Don't listen to whatever you may have heard about me..

I'm not a big drinker...:-)

BUT..I do like the occasional yummy cocktail

I almost always have to stop at one though, because the second one never fails to put me on the floor...BUT

I really like to make them when I get the chance...

Maybe I should have been a bartender...

That being said...

THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH FUN!! Filled to the brim with recipies from Danny Meyer's acclaimed NYC restaurants, it takes cocktails to a whole new level. I should also add that the photography in this book is amazing. Everything looks delicious. Danny goes into detail to let you know what basic tools you will need to create these eye catching concoctions and the correct glassware to serve them in. With summer coming quickly, you can spruce up your backyard entertainment by impressing your guests with your bartending skills!

I have 5 copies to giveaway courtesy of Anna at Hatchette! US and Canada Only please No PO Boxes!!

To ENTER:

1. Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL (put COCKTAIL in your comment)

Winners will be announced Sunday May 21st

CHICK LINKY WINNER FOR FREE BOOK FRIDAY IS

ROBYNCGIRL

(COMBATCROPPER)

Winner of STANDING BY by Allison Buckholtz is

FIBREJUNKY

(CAROLE)

Watch your inboxes...you'll be getting an email from me

THAT's it for Today

enjoy the rest of your weekend and

READ ON CHICKS!!

Into The Beautiful North...

Hey Chickadees!

I've got 2 winners to announce today so make sure you scroll down to see if you're one of them!

Into the Beautiful North

by Luis Alberto Urrea

Nayeli is a 19 year old girl working at a small taco shop in her very small town in Mexico. Little by little she has watched her whole life as the men leave the town to go north to American to find work, leaving her home defenseless and vulnerable to banditos.

After watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli hatches a scheme to go north and recruit her own seven men "Seite Magnificos" to protect her home from the drug lords who plan to take it over.

This story is rich with characters you will not forget! I loved Nayeli and her snarky Aunt Irma, who is also running for Mayor. It also has this funny, feel good quality to it that left me happy, and wanting to know more.

I have one copy to give away courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette Books!

To Enter Please Leave a Comment! Winner will be chosen Thursday May 24th!!

Winner of NINE LESSONS by Kevin Milne

is

CHERYL

Winner of THE WAY HOME

by George Pelacanos

is

CHRIS

I'll be sending you an email, please respond with your address!!

That's it for Today!

READ ON CHICKS!!

Fault Line ...

Hi Chicks!!

Hope everyone out there had a wonderful Mother's day!!

Fault Line by Barry Eisler

Attorney Alex Treven has been waiting for his biggest payday ever when he closes a contract worth millions with an inventor of encryption software. But then the inventor is murdered and Alex himself is attacked as well. Alex calls on the help of his estranged brother Ben, an undercover black-ops soldier who flies in to help him and immediately becomes a target.

When Ben arrives, Alex reveals he isn't the only one who knew about the technology. There is someone else; Sarah Hosseini, an Iranian American lawyer that Alex has long desired and Ben does not trust.

The character development in this story is done very well, the relationships are explored deeply and it all blends perfectly with all the action. LOTS of action and suspense here, which make it really hard to put down. I loved it!

About the Author:
After graduating from Cornell Law School, Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA's Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center. Eisler's thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous "Best Of" lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. The first book in Eisler's assassin John Rain series, Rain Fall, has been made into a movie starring Gary Oldman that was released by Sony Pictures in April 2009.
For more information about the author or his work, please visit http://www.barryeisler.com/

This Book is part of a blog tour.

I have one copy to give away!

To enter:

Please leave a comment with your email!!

Winner will be drawn Monday May 18th!

That's it for Today!

READ ON CHICKS!!

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

Hey There CHICKS!!

IT's FRIDAY!!!

Standing By

The Making of a Military Family

in the Time of War

by Alison Buckholtz

Whatever your political affiliations may be, I hope that you support our men and women serving and who have served both here and over seas. As both an Air Force veteran and wife, I have lived the military for my entire adult life. I have no idea what it would be like to not have this family, these friends, this connection to our country that makes my heart swell everytime I listen to the National Anthem.

There are not enough good things for me to say about this book. The author, Alison Buckholtz, married her Navy Pilot husband, shortly after Septemper 11th, 2001. Having never experienced military life first hand, this is the story of her family, and some of the families they have served with. With sensitivity and respect, the author tells the story of the heroes who stay home, the husbands, wives and children who are left behind while their loved ones are serving.

The Author is honest in her views, and does not pull any punches. She describes herself as a "warrior on behalf of her family" which I feel is an incredibly accurate depiction of the family members of todays military.

This is NOT a book about politics, it seeks to show the reader what life is like for military families today. I've never read or seen anything that puts this life into words so well. I kept earmarking passages as I went through, there are just too many to put them all here...but for me in the first few pages Buckholtz is able to sum it up like no one ever has:

" Supporting America as a military family has little to do with who sits in the Oval Office, which political party dominates Congress, or even how we feel about the Global War on Terorism. I feel strongly that terms like "pro-war" and "antiwar" don't apply anymore because the complexity of the situation we find ourselves in as a country transcends past positions. My feelings about service members and their families, however, are not complicated. I have never met people who worked harder, spoke more earnestly, or internalized a stronger sense of responsibility towards their fellow citizens. Marrying into the military granted me a passport to an America I never knew existed, populated by a people whose overwhemling public silence masks lives lived at an intensity that would crush most mortals."

See what I mean?

I am giving away my copy of this book to one lucky reader!

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment WITH your email

and I will also be adding this to our book group at

Goodreads.com

Want to join? Just sign up at Goodreads and look under groups

for ChicBookChick and join us!!

Today's Random Linky winner is:

Mary (meah56)

Every Friday I pick someone who

has put my linky on their sidebar for a

random act of reading happiness

Winner of Joshilyn Jackson's

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

are

Christine (Scullylove)

Nightdweller

Jackie (jacquelinez)

Kristen (whitreidsmama)

Jessica (livingthesilverdream)

Chicks, you'll be getting an email from me!!

that's it for today!!

READ On CHICKS!!

The Way Home...

Hello CHICKLETS!!

I've got a Great one for you today!!

The Way Home by George Pelecanos

I loved this story in a way I didn't expect to at all. This definitely is not my typical faire, it's dark and gritty and at times violent.

Chris Flynn is one of those kids who has a good home, with a solid family and yet still manages to get in trouble time and again. This time, the damage he's caused lands him in a juvenile prison.

He gets out and goes to work for his father, putting the past behind him. One day working a job, he and his partner, (also a friend from his juvie days) come upon a large sum of money which Chris says to leave behind. He's accused of stealing it anyway by two criminals and Chris must face who he once was in order to survive.

As I followed Chris through the story, I couldn't decide if I felt sorry for the boy who lost his way or wanted to smack him. I really like it when an author does this. The character development in this story is done very well. The relationships played out between Chris and his friends and family I felt were well written and explored just enough.

I have one copy to give away courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette. Winner will be chosen on May 14th. Us and Canada only please no p.o.boxes.

To enter just leave a comment with your email! Please do not forget your email!

Come back tomorrow for

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!!

and

READ ON CHICKS!!

The Nine Lessons...

The Nine Lessons by Kevin Milne

If there's a father in your life who enjoys golf this would make a pretty good father's day gift.

Augusta Witte revisits his estranged father one night after he finds out his wife is pregnant. Full of anger and blame he seeks to take out his frustration with impending fatherhood on the only person who he sees at fault for all the wrongs of his life, London Witte. Augusta's mother died when he was very young and he felt overshadowed by his father's love of golf as opposed to him. The night Augusta shows up at his father's door, London makes a deal with him, meet with him every month for nine months to play a round of gold and each month he will give Augusta a piece of the journal he kept of Augusta's mother, kept on gold score cards.

I found this to be sweet, but kind of overly so. The relationships between Augusta and his father and Augusta and his wife are believable. It came off as kind of preachy to me, so it would make a good gift if you or someone you know likes christian fiction.

I have one copy to give away courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment.

I have winners to announce!!

The 5 Winners of Charla Krupps

How Not To Look Old

are

NFMGIRL

CHERI2628

JAMIE

CARI

ROBYN

THE 5 WINNERS of ONE DEADLY SIN by ANNIE SOLOMON

ARE

CHRISTI

EM18966

CHERYL

LUVDAYLILLIES

RACHIE

CHICKS-

I'll be emailing you

please respond with your address!

That's it for today!!

READ ON CHICKS!!