I've Been Tagged! Who Will Be Tagged Next?

I was tagged earlier by Eve from Essence of Eve! Thanks, Eve! :D

Here are the rules:

If you are tagged, post 11 random things about yourself. Answer the questions I (the tagger) asked you, then create 11 new questions for the people you tag, and go to their blog and let them know they've been tagged.

11 Random things about me:

Hmm, I have to think of eleven things?? I'll try...

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1. I love getting packages in the mail! I get the same excited feeling opening them as I did opening presents as a child... alright, as I still get opening presents - who wouldn't get excited about receiving a gift?! :)

2. I prefer glasses over contacts... I very rarely wear contacts (at least recently) because they annoy me. :O

3. I love wearing skirts! Particularly in the summer.

4. I love the look of Victorian houses, I just think they are so pretty! :)

5. I've tried writing novels (and probably will continue to), but I can't seem to write that much. I really admire authors for all the work they put into their writing.


6. I love (vegan) Root Beer Floats! I find them so delicious!

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7. I don't care all that much for fireworks... they're pretty, but SO LOUD! :(

8. I am so looking forward to when watermelons are back in season - I love them! :)


9. I can't believe the NHL playoffs start in a little over a month! :)

10. One of my favorite things about Leap Day this year was Psych's winter premier! :)


11. I will occasionally say "Wait for it..." or some other Psych reference out of the blue. I just LOVE that show! :D

And now for the questions Eve asked:

1. If you could meet with any fictional character ever, who would it be?


I have no idea... I'm not one who wishes to meet someone... maybe Luca, Gabi, Lia, and Marcello from Lisa Bergren's River of Time series?


2. If you were offered a vacation to Middle Earth (or another favourite fictional world/place) in exchange for carrying a whole bag full of all kinds of creepy crawlies, five miles on foot, would you do it? (sorry. I know I'm being mean here ;P)


You know, there really isn't any fictional place I would want to visit... so, no, I wouldn't! :D


3. What's your favourite band and/or favourite musician?


My favorite musician would probably be Brandon Heath - I absolutely love his songs! :)
My favorite band... that is really tough... I LOVE Tenth Avenue North, Thousand Foot Krutch, Addison Road, Anthem Lights, and FM Static... plus many others - I can't just choose one! :)

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4. If you could have anything, ANYTHING, what would it be? (only one thing. wishing for 1000 wishes isn't valid.)


Season Tickets to my favorite hockey team (The Blackhawks)! It's one of my dreams to go to a NHL game and that would be soooooo cool!!!


5. Have you ever dreamed of meeting one or more of your internet friends? If so, who where they, and what did you do when you met (if you remember, of course)?


I think it would be fun to meet some of my blogging friends, but I don't think I've ever dreamt about meeting any of them.

6. What are the top five best books (or book series) you've ever read?


Books:

Corridor by Robin Parrish
Abomination by Colleen Coble
Vigilante by Robin Parrish
BoneMan's Daughter by Ted Dekker
Skin by Ted Dekker

Series:

The River of Time series by Lisa Bergren!
Patrick Bowers Files by Steven James!!
The Kincaid Brides by Mary Connealy
The Million Dollar Mysteries by Mindy Starns Clark
Riley Covington Series by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn (I really shouldn't list this one, because I loved/hated that last book... :( Read it and you'll know why!)


7. Can you do a standing bridge?


I don't know... I'll go see!... Nope. Definitely not.


8. What's your favourite quote (or one of your favourites)?


I don't actually have a favorite quote, but I looked through Goodreads and I love this one:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ― C.S. Lewis


9. How often do you listen to music (i.e. every day, every week, several times a month, etc.)?

Pretty much everyday! I love my iPod! :D


10. What's your favourite song?


There are so many songs that I love... I can't just name one favorite! :) I love Beloved by Tenth Avenue North, You Are More by Tenth Avenue North, Your Love by Brandon Heath, Already Home by Thousand Foot Krutch...I think that's enough to mention.


11. The weirdest, most embarrassing thing you remember doing/thinking/believing as a little kid:


I remember being tricked into thinking Santa Clause was real when I was young! I'm not going to go into the specifics, but it's really silly. :P

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12. Quick! What's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of the colour blue?


A pool! I love summer for that reason. I'm hoping this summer will be warm/hot (but not TOO hot).  :)

Hey, Eve! You asked 12 questions... lol! :D

My questions for you:

1. Are you a night-owl or early-bird?

2. If you were going to go on vacation and could only travel via airplane or ship, which would you choose?

3. Name your favorite holiday? 

4. Do you watch any reality shows? If so, which ones?


5. What is your favorite genre to read and what was the last book in that genre you've read?


6. Which do you prefer - a snowstorm or thunderstorm?


7. If you could travel to any country, which would it be?


8. What are the five songs you listen to the most?


9. Do you have any phobias?


10. Who are your top three favorite authors?


11. If you were stuck on an abandoned island for one year and could take five fiction books with you, what would they be?

Here's who I'm tagging:

Abbi ~ Christian Novels
Amber ~ SEASONS OF HUMILITY
Charity ~ Austenitis
Courtney ~ The Christian Music Junkie
Crystal ~ MY READING ROOM
Kara ~ My Thoughts and Book Reviews
Laura ~ Librarian Laura's Book Reviews
Lisa ~ Lisa Tawn Bergren
Megan ~ Hardcover Feedback
The Book Blogger ~ INSIDE AND IN BETWEEN
Wendy ~ Wall-to-Wall Books

What did you think of this post?

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Review: Heart's Safe Passage by Laurie Alice Eakes

Heart's Safe Passage by Laurie Alice Eakes

The Midwives Series - Book Two

Revell - February, 2012

Amazon / Christianbook / Goodreads

About the book:

One woman takes the treacherous journey toward redemption . . . and love. 

All Phoebe Lee wants out of life is to practice midwifery in Loudon County, Virginia. But when she refuses to accompany her pregnant sister-in-law to help save her husband from an English prison during the War of 1812, Phoebe finds herself pressed aboard a British privateer. 

Captain Rafe Docherty promises to get Phoebe's brother-in-law out of prison in exchange for information Rafe needs to exact revenge on the man who destroyed his family. As he realizes his attraction to Phoebe, she determines to get ashore before her patient goes into labor--and before her own heart is in danger. But an enemy in their midst threatens to end their plans--and their very lives.

My rating:

My thoughts:

Heart's Safe Passage is book two in Laurie Alice Eake's "The Midwives" series, and since I haven't read A Lady in the Mist yet, I hoped this book would be good on it's own - it was!

The story was engaging from the beginning when Phoebe refuses to travel with Belinda (her sister-in-law) on a British privateer during war, but she is then taken against her will to the ship (oh, I mean Brig).

Heart's Safe Passage had a lot of action/danger with ships fighting, attempted murder, and a man seeking justice/revenge for the death of his wife. Include the romance story between Rafe & Phoebe and I don't think there was ever a dull moment.

I'm not great with understanding pirate/sailor talk, so a few times some of the words were confusing, but it did make the story more believable.

Overall, another great read from Laurie Alice Eakes! I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future, because the two that I have read were absolutely wonderful! I recommend Heart's Safe Passage if you enjoy historical romances or books with sailors/ships!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

“Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”


Was my review helpful? If so, please click yes on Amazon. :D

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Weekend Report (19) and Giveaway Winner!

  <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekend%20Report"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa452/Love-Being-Vegan/powerpoint_001-Copy-2.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: center;">

Weekend Report is where I share what I accomplished (book-wise) the previous week! Feel free to join along and post your own Weekend Report on your blog/site. If you do, please leave the URL in a comment below.

What I'm currently reading:

Heart's Safe Passage is so good! I'm loving the story and can hardly wait to finish reading it (I'm about half-way right now). 

I'm 4% done with Bourne and wow is it great! I had to stop, though, because I HAVE to finish Heart's Safe Passage by Saturday and I normally don't read more than one book at a time.

What I've read this week:




I really enjoyed both of these books! Marked for Murder was my "Just for Fun" book in February... :D

What I plan on reading soon:

I think it's funny that these books are next on my list... both titles have "of my heart." Don't know why I find that amusing. :) 

I'm really excited to read both of them! They sound really good and I hope they're enjoyable! :D

Reviews posted this week:

Words Spoken True by Ann H. Gabhart
Ruby Dawn by Raquel Byrnes


Current Giveaways!




Enter to win The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen! U.S. and Canada only. Enter here.



Enter to win Frantic by Mike Dellosso! US and Canada only. Enter here.

Giveaway winner!



The winner of an eBook copy of The Unwilling Bride by Candy Ann Little is...

Merry!


Congrats!

I sent the winner an email and she have 48 hours to respond, otherwise another winner will be chosen.

~

So that's what I accomplished (book-wise) this week, what about you?

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Review: Ruby Dawn by Raquel Byrnes

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Ruby Dawn White Rose Publishing (January 27, 2012) by Raquel Byrnes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Raquel married her college sweetheart seventeen years ago and you can still find them spending time together chatting over a cup of coffee like when they were first dating.

Her husband is her biggest fan and most ardent supporter. He encourages her to take time for writing as often as he can. He regularly gives her gift cards to her favorite coffee house so that she can go there to write and relax.

He has been known to whip up his famous chicken quesadillas complete with guacamole and brownies for dessert.

Raquel has written books for more than a decade. She loves to do research and has taken private detective courses, gun classes, and underground tours to get every detail right for her novels. She writes romantic suspense with an edge-of-your-seat pace. Stories filled with faith, love, and adventure.

In 2009 she signed with agent, Terry Burns, at Hartline Literary. Terry worked to get her Shades of Hope series sold and in 2010, White Rose Publishing purchased the three-book series.


ABOUT THE BOOK

A painful past. A love returns A desperate plan.
Former street kid, Ruby now reaches out to runaways through her medical clinic in the worst part of the city, but her escalating battle with a gang leader puts that in jeopardy.

Cavalier, a risk-taker, charming… Ruby’s first love is now on the right side of the law and the center of a dangerous DEA sting involving her clinic.  Tom’s disappearance ten years ago broke her heart and rattled her faith. As their romance relights, memories of what it costs to love him flood her with fear.

Ruby’s battle with the gang ignites a firestorm of danger, and a pattern of lies from within her own camp emerges. With Tom’s life in the balance and her world cast in shadows, can Ruby trust God as she once did…or has she strayed too far, for too long to ever return?

Watch the book video:

If you would like to read the first chapter of Ruby Dawn, go HERE.

~

My rating:

My thoughts:

Ruby Dawn is the first book I've read by Raquel Byrnes. I've wanted to read her other novel, Purple Knot, for a while... and want to read it even more after finishing this book!

I really enjoyed Ruby Dawn and (aside from some typos) I found the entire book to be enjoyable! The story was gripping and I found myself caring very much about what would happen to Ruby and Tom.

In Ruby Dawn, occasionally the time would switch from present day back to when Ruby and Tom were in the Dresden Heights Detention Center (about thirteen years ago). Surprisingly, I loved this and didn't find it to be confusing at all!

My favorite character would have to be Tom. So many of the things he did I found hilarious (especially when  he was talking to Ben).

From fires to kidnappings, Ruby Dawn is filled with suspense and had some surprises. At times it was very difficult to put down and I very much enjoyed reading it! I recommend Ruby Dawn if you enjoy Romantic Suspense novels!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

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