Blog Hop - Rachel Van Dyken Got the Contract

 

Rachel Van Dyken

Author

USA Today Bestseller

Historical Romance

Starbucks addict

Idaho

..... all that comes to mind, but also: one of the nicest person you could know!

So, it's an absolute delight to bring you this post today, to celebrate her ongoing success including her recent contract with
Grand Central Publishing (Hachette)

Celebrate!


We're giving away our last shirt for her, we're so proud!

Okay, that's exaggerated, but yes, we're giving away prizes.

Lots of prizes!

I'll be choosing two winners who will each receive one ebook (kindle) from any of the Rachel's ebooks!

 

And two follow up winners who receive a pdf version of either  of my books "Innocent Tears" or "Journey to Her Dreams"  

Just leave a comment and tell me which is your favourite book by Rachel! Easy, right? Or, if you haven't read one of her books, yet, which might interest you the most.

 

 

Be sure to check out all the other great blogs on the hop! You can either click here to return to the list of blogs on the hop, or scroll down and click on a link from the list.

Let's give Rachel a big Party!

 

 

1.	Rachel Van Dyken
2.	Kim Bowman
3.	Gunnar Grey
4.	Ruth J. Hartman
5.	Patricia Kiyono
6.	Kay Springsteen
7.	C.S. Moore
8.	Joselyn Vaughn
9.	Lynn Spangler
10.	Jessie Andersen
11.	Calico Daniels
12.	Lisa Orchard
13.	Wendy Knight
14.	Brenda Maxfield
15.	Moriah Densley
16.	Meg Mims
17.	Leah Sanders
18.	Kristin Vayden
19.	Liz Botts
20.	Jennifer Comeaux
21.	Heather Gray
22.	Catherine Bennett
23.	Calle J. Brookes
24.	Elaine Cantrell
25.	Iris Blobel
26.	Jennifer Rae Gravely
27.	Kelly Martin
28.	Jeff Salter
29.	Lindi Peterson
30.	Sherry Gloag
31.	Tifferz And Her Sisterz Book Review
32.	E.A. West

33.	Christina Cole - Historical Romance
34.	Karen King
35.	Vivian Roycroft
36.	Cheryl Kay

 

 

 

Lee Child - One Shot (Reacher #9)

Publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 9780440423010

My rating: 4.5/5


Jack Reacher is working on his tan with a Norwegian blonde on the beach in Miami. The weather is hot and he is so cool you could skate on him. But he doesn’t like to stick around. He likes to be on the move. He was in the machine his whole life. Then the machine coughed and spat him out. Now he takes it easy. He’s not looking for trouble. But sometimes trouble looks for Reacher.
A lone gunman hides in a parking garage and shoots into a crowd in a public plaza in a small Indiana city. Five random people die in a senseless massacre. The shooter leaves a perfect trail behind him and the police quickly track him down. His name is James Barr. It’s a watertight case. After his arrest, James Barr refuses to talk. Then, to his lawyer, he utters a single phrase: “Get Jack Reacher for me.” But Reacher’s already on his way. What could connect this obvious psychopath with our wandering ex-army cop?
By the time Reacher hits town, Barr’s been beaten badly enough to forget everything about the day in question. So Reacher begins to piece together the wealth of evidence; he does the math and comes to a few conclusions of his own. (LeeChild.com)


My thoughts

What can I say .... I admit, I saw the movie on the flight back to Australia. I succumbed. *sigh*

So #9 was on top of my TBR list when I got home and I hesitated not wanting to read it, because the previous story had been confusing and I didn't like the movie at all.

Thank goodness I like routine; I picked up the book on the top and started reading. I struggled through the first few pages, because I couldn't get rid of the image of Tom Cruise's face in my head. Frustrating! But then, it was page after page after page ... and quite a few early mornings.

The story starts when a sniper shoots five random people. With forensic evidence so obvious, it's within a very short time that police arrest James Barr. He's silent only requesting for them to get Jack Reacher.

It's a great book, it's interesting, fast paced and very intricate with all the characters, yet easy to follow. The plot is slightly far fetched, but hey, it's a fiction book! All characters clear and well developed.

Okay - here my two cents about the movie. Having worked in the film industry (though only for a brief period of time) I am aware that a script needs to be cut down, but this one was cut way too much - in the end nothing, or little, made sense. I've heard Tom Cruise took on the role because it was his company producing the movie. Shame on him to be selfish and ruining the movie and any further movies. This movie deserved better! *rant off*

My trip to the US in photos

So the story is ....

Four weeks traveling the USA.

 Brilliant.

 Amazing.

 Mindboggling.

 We loved it.

 Here a few photos to share my newly found love for the US.

This is only a very small fraction of our photos - but I hope you'll enjoy them.
 And by all means, feel free to comment. I always love reading them!

 

 Disney Land - Of course! For the girls.

 

Matt Goss in Las Vegas! 

Grand Canyon - Impressive!

Temple in Salt Lake City.

 



Driving from East to West Oregon. Interesting to say the least.

Bench at a RV Park near Sisters/Bend. Loved that place. Loved the bench.

Information Centre at Crater Lake. And yes, we did have to use the tunnel, due to approx. two meters of snow. Walking through "the tunnel" was eerie. Girls loved the snow fight. Their first time ever to experience snow.

 Fighter Jets at Klamath Falls. Woohoo that was one crazy experience.
 

Snow storm in Oregon on our way to the coast.

Yeah !!!!

Great "zoo" in Oregon.

"Mystery Trails" at the norther Californian Coast. Going up the mountain in a Cable Car. Eeek!

One mysterious Building in Eureka.

Wikipedia:

The Carson Mansion is a large Victorian house located in Old Town, Eureka, California. Regarded as one of the highest executions of American Queen Anne Style architecture, the home is "considered the most grand Victorian home in America." It is one of the most written about and photographed Victorian houses in California, and perhaps, in the United States. Originally the home of one of Northern California's first major lumber barons, it has housed the Ingomar Club, a private members-only club, since 1950. Although the front and south-side elevations may be viewed easily from the public street and sidewalk, the home and grounds are never open to the general public.

Northern California Coast.

The amazing Golden Gate Bridge!

The stunning Yosemite!

 

With little Squirrels everywhere!

Little treat near the caravan park close to Monterey - A car race track! Laguna Seca 

 

 

    

Love the police cars over there :-)

Big Sur.

 

It's so windy at the coast, the trees/bushes have no chance to grow "straight up".

 

According to Hubby - one VERY expensive car.

 

Four Weeks in the US coming to an End.

I loved it.

There are heaps of people to thank and if I started I'd only forget someone

BUT

Thanks to Marisa Babjak, my wonderful friend who was more than generous her time and presents - the girls love you!

Thanks to fellow Astraea Press author, the wonderful Leah Sanders. 

Thanks to all we met during our travels, to those who helped us, talked to us and those who just in a very friendly manner smiled at us.

THANKS AMERICA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cecelia Ahern - The Time of my Life

Publisher: Harper Collins

ISBN: 9780007350445

My rating: 4/5

Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life – and she’s going to have to keep it.
Lying on Lucy Silchester’s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation – to a meeting with Life. Her life. It turns out she's been ignoring it and it needs to meet with her face to face.

It sounds peculiar, but Lucy’s read about this in a magazine. Anyway, she can’t make the date: she’s much too busy despising her job, skipping out on her friends and avoiding her family.

But Lucy’s life isn’t what it seems. Some of the choices she’s made – and stories she’s told – aren’t what they seem either. From the moment she meets the man who introduces himself as her life, her stubborn half-truths are going to be revealed in all their glory – unless Lucy learns to tell the truth about what really matters to her. (CeceliaAhern.ie)

 

 

My thoughts

 

I cannot believe, I'd had the book on my desk for over a year before I started reading, but after the previous Ahern books I'd been a bit hesitant!

Anyway ... beautifully written and thought provoking would be a summary of this review!

 

Lucy, the main character, meets "her life", a grumpy guy who is trying to improve her life. Her life: she's broken up with her partner, lost her job and now lives in a small apartment, growing more and more distant to her family and friends.

 

I didn't really like Lucy that much, although very realistic, I couldn't really warm to her. Yet, I loved "her life". He was funny, witty and had some really good lines.

 

Bottom line, I'd say, this is Cecelia Ahern at her best again. The story makes you think, not only about what you've just read, but your own life, and stays with you well and truly after you've finished the book. I laughed, I blinked away tears - and loved it!

 

 

Lee Child - The Enemy (Reacher #8)

Publisher: Bantam

ISBN: 9780440423003

My rating: 3/5




You’re in the Army now, son…
New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The Cold War is ending. Soon America won’t have any enemies left. The Army won’t have anybody to fight. Things are going to change. Jack Reacher is the Military Police duty officer on a base in North Carolina when he takes a call reporting a dead soldier in a hot-sheets motel. Reacher tells the local cops to handle it—heart attacks happen all the time.
But why is Reacher in North Carolina, instead of Panama, where the action is? Then the dead man turns out to have been a two-star general who should have been in Europe. And when Reacher goes to the general’s house to break the news, he finds another corpse: the general’s wife. What is he dealing with here? The last echoes of the old world… or the first shocks of the new?
Winner of 2005 Nero, Barry and (yes, this is not a typo) Jack Reacher awards. The Nero Award, for literary excellence in the mystery genre, is awarded by The Wolfe Pack. The Barry Award for Best Novel of the Year is awarded by Deadly Pleasures magazine. The Jack Reacher Award win was the first annual award presented by Crime Spree Magazine and it was for the very readable, appealing-to-every-age, Jack Reacher novels! (Lee Child.com)


My thoughts

Say what ?

I do love Reacher and have loved most of his stories, or should I say Lee Child? BTW,  I almost fell of the seat when I saw Lee's cameo in the movie. Too funny.

Anyway - this one wasn't for me. I couldn't follow. I felt lost most of the time and noticed myself putting the book aside more often than usual. I really liked the sub-plot of Reacher's "family affairs". But really, most of the details of the main plot were just beyond me, I'm afraid.

I got the gist of who killed who, but the "real" why is still a mystery.

Any verdicts, yet, on the movie from you? 

Rachel Gibson - Tangled up in You

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN:  9780061178030

My rating: 3/5


Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town's sordid past—her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she's back at the scene of the scandal—a local establishment that's always belonged to the Hennessys—determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.
Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick's managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what-s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.
(rachelgibson.com)


My thoughts

This could have been a really good story, if the focus had been on the plot instead the romance - yet, having said that, in all fairness, romance readers are the target audience.
Maddie Dupree's life is surrounded by serial killers - she interviews them for her books, but this time the background story for her next story is different: her mother's death. The truth about the past and the reason for the death. That takes her to Truly, Idaho.
Mick Hennessy owns a bar in Truly, Maddie's first stop for her research. Needless to say they both find each other and get involved. Until Mick finds out who she really is.

I loved the actual plot, but got bored with the sex scenes. Too many, too detailed.

Jill Shalvis - Instant Gratification (Wilder #2)

Publisher: Brava Kensington

ISBN: 9780758231253

My rating: 3.5/5

In Instant Attraction, Jill Shalvis introduced Cameron, Stone, and T.J.; the sexy, daredevil brothers who run Wilder Adventures. And for Stone Wilder, the thrill of a lifetime is about to arrive in a surprising package. . .

The Doctor Is In Deep
Wishful, California, is 3000 miles from Dr. Emma Sinclair's last job in a New York City ER. It may as well be another galaxy. Here, running her father's clinic for a summer, Emma treats bee stings, stomach flu, and the occasional pet cat. Plus, she has to contend with patients like Stone Wilder: gorgeous, laid-back, and irritating beyond belief. The man laughs at her. A lot. And Emma loathes him. All except that tiny part of her that wants to throw him on her examining table and break every doctor-patient rule in the book. . .
When Stone tries to help Emma learn to loosen up a bit, he pictures white-water rafting or scenic mountain hikes. Not a mind-blowing affair that shakes them both to the core. Emma's sure she has no place in a town like Wishful, but Stone knows different. Emma belongs here - in this town, in his life. And convincing this strong-minded, stubborn, sexy woman of that fact will be a challenge no Wilder man could resist. . .


My thoughts

What d'they say? Don't judge a book by it's cover. I wish I had waited buying the Wilder books, because the newer releases look so much better.

But, anyhow, on with my summer Jill'athon. Yeah. I hope she's sitting down writing more, because I'm running out of books.

Instant Gratification hasn't quite lived up to Instant Attraction. Though Emma and Stone were interesting characters, there wasn't quite the edginess like Katie and Cam. Too smooth I suppose.
Emma's an ER doctor from NY who's come to Wishful to help out her distant father, who suffered a heart attack. Being more or less the opposite to Stone, uptight and holding back, whereas he's out there, helping and doing.

Nice story, but I felt the typical Jill wit and humour was missing somewhat. And a few questions for me personally where never answered.

All in all, a nice story, typical Shalvis plot, must read for any Shalvis fans, if you're a newbie, grab a different one first.