Book Review, Giveaway & Bonus Scavenger Hunt: Finding Emma by Steena Holmes

Posted on June 28, 2012 · 5 Comments

Finding Emma
by Steena Holmes
Pub. Date: April 8, 2012
Source: Free review copy from WOW (Women on Writing) Book Tours for participation in a blog tour

*****

About the Book

Megan sees her daughter Emma everywhere. She’s the little girl standing in the supermarket, the child waiting for the swings at the playground, the girl with ice cream dripping down her face. But it’s never Emma.

Because Emma’s been missing for two years.

Unable to handle the constant heartache of all the false sightings, Megan’s husband threatens to walk away unless Megan can agree to accept Emma is gone. Megan’s life and marriage is crumbling all around her and she realizes she may have to do the thing she dreads most: move on.

When Megan takes a photo of a little girl with an elderly couple at the town fair, she believes it to be her missing daughter. Unable to let go, she sets in motion a sequence of events that could destroy both families’ lives.

My Thoughts

Megan is battling the worst nightmare of every parent – the disappearance of her 3-year-old daughter, Emma, from outside her home. It happened so fast. Megan had to do something inside her house, another daughter forgot to latch the door, and Emma walked outside and was never seen again. Two long years go by and Megan refuses to stop looking for her daughter. She sees her everywhere; every golden-haired child with curls gives her pause. Many awkward, humiliating, and anguishing moments follow when she confronts the child – and realizes it is not her Emma.  Her relationship with her husband and her other two daughters is almost nonexistent and severely strained. But she cannot stop. What if the one time she does not look is the time she could have saved her daughter?

Parallel to Megan’s story is the story of Jack and Dottie and their granddaughter. I fell in love with the character of Jack. He will do anything for his wife, who is beginning to battle dementia, and his granddaughter, who is the light of his life. But how does this elderly couple connect with Megan and her family?

Finding Emma is a heartwrenching story. Megan’s emotions are transparent on the page. Her fractured familial relationships are agonizing to read. Will this family ever find healing or a sense of closure? At 149 pages (PDF copy on my iPad), this is a very quick read and I guarantee you will not be able to put it down until you know the outcome (I couldn’t!). The only minor quibbles I have with this book are with the editing, especially toward the end. There were some proofing things that must have missed the editing process. As I said, they are minor, but it always bugs me when I see them in books (it is the nature of my day job to proof things, so I think I am over-sensitive to it!). It definitely did not detract from my enjoyment of the book and I would read more from this author in the future. I absolutely recommend this book to others.

Word of the Day: Tilt-a-whirl

*****

About the Author

Author of the new heart wrenching story “Finding Emma“, Steena is a woman who believes that ‘in the end, all things succumb…to the passions of your heart’. Steena’s life revolves around her family, friends and fiction. Add some chocolate into the mix and she’s living the good life. She took those passions and made them a dream come true by pouring her heart into each of her stories.

Proceeds from each book will be donated to The Missing Children’s Society of Canada – an organization dedicated to reuniting families. Visit www.mcsc.ca for more information.

Author’s Website: www.steenaholmes.com

*****

Scavenger Hunt – Hunt for Words and Win Prizes!

Emma has invited all of us to the carnival for a Scavenger Hunt!

We’re on the hunt for all things related to carnivals.

At each stop along our Finding Emma tour there are clues. These might be words hidden in a guest post or a “word for the day” at the bottom of a book review. Each time you find a word submit it on Steena’s Scavenger Hunt page. http://www.steenaholmes.com/wow-scavenger-hunt/

Each entry equals one ticket to win.

Please enter only one “clue” per entry. Each entry earns another chance to win.

Prizes:

First Prize: Work with a Bestselling Author! Our Grand Prize winner will help create a character for Steena Holmes’ next book!

Second and Third Prize Winners will each receive a signed copy of Finding Emma and a journal.

Contest runs June 4 – July 7. Open to U.S. and Canada. In the case of an international winner, the prize will be an eBook copy of Finding Emma. Three winners will be chosen at random. Winners to be announced on July 9th. Winners will be posted on Steena Holmes’ website and notified by Steena Holmes via email.

For even more fun, visit the Carnival Board on Pinterest. Steena (and Emma) love the Carnival. Come see their pictures of favorite memories of summer fun and fairs and pin up some of your own! (Hint…the pics will give you a clue to the word for the day).

Link for Scavenger Hunt on The Muffin
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2012/06/emmas-scavenger-hunt.html?tw_p=twt

Link to Steena’s tour launch on The Muffin
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2012/06/steena-holmes-author-of-finding-emma.html?tw_p=twt

*****

Book Giveaway

Thanks to WOW Tours and the author, I have one (1) PDF or MOBI (Kindle) copy of Finding Emma to give away to a lucky reader!

Rules:

1. Please fill out your name and email address in the contestmachine widget below.
2. The giveaway will end on Thursday July 5 at 11:59pm EST.
3. One winner will be selected and contacted at the e-mail address provided in the contestmachine widget.
4. Failure to respond to my notification e-mail will result in forfeiture of your prize and another winner will be selected.
5. Please ensure that you can read either a PDF or MOBI (Kindle) version of this book before  you enter this giveaway. IT IS NOT FOR A PRINT COPY. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere as long as you can read one of these electronic versions of the book.

 

*****

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Book Review and Giveaway: The Girl Below by Bianca Zander

Posted on June 20, 2012 · 4 Comments


The Girl Below: A Novel
by Bianca Zander
William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: June 19, 2012
Source: Review copy from the publisher

Amazon Synopsis

Suki Piper is a stranger in her hometown. . . .

After ten years in New Zealand, Suki returns to London, to a city that won’t let her in. However, a chance visit with Peggy—an old family friend who still lives in the building where she grew up—convinces Suki that there is a way to reconnect with the life she left behind a decade earlier. But the more involved she becomes with Peggy’s dysfunctional family, including Peggy’s wayward sixteen-year-old grandson, the more Suki finds herself mysteriously slipping back in time—to the night of a party her parents threw in their garden more than twenty years ago, when something happened in an old, long-unused air-raid shelter. . . .

A breathtaking whirlwind of mystery, transgression, and self-discovery, Bianca Zander’s The Girl Below is a haunting tale of secrets, human frailty, and dark memory that heralds the arrival of an extraordinary new literary talent.

My Thoughts

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, the author has a way with words that kept me entranced until the end. However, on the other hand, the book left me wanting. There were things that were never fully resolved and ultimately, I think I am one of the readers who just did not “get” this book.

Suki Piper is 28 years old, but she is very immature for her age. I often felt sorry for her as she never seemed to really grow up. She suffered through her parents divorce at a young age and then the death of her mother as a young adult. She never really recovered. Compounding all of these things are the mysterious occurrences that Suki reflects on from her childhood; specifically, the incident in the air raid shelter, the “hand” in the cabinet, and the issue with the statue called Madeline. As a reader, I kept looking through these supernatural-type experiences to find the real truth hidden in the author’s words. However, upon finishing the book, I never found a real conclusion to any of the events that Suki experienced, which is unfortunate. I drummed up many theories as I was reading the book, but there was no answer that left me wholly satisfied. Perhaps that was the point, but I am a reader who likes to have a definitive answer to the questions and oddities that are raised in the course of the story. I do not like to wonder at the outcome – I want to know the outcome.

The relationships Suki had with those around her were strange at best. She was a caretaker for Peggy, her old neighbor, and became reacquainted with Pippa, who is Peggy’s daughter and Suki’s old babysitter. Pippa’s 15-year-old son, Caleb, is a bit of a delinquent and Pippa thinks that Suki could have a positive influence on him given her life experiences. So, Caleb and Suki begin spending time together, but their relationship is just plain weird, awkward, and uncomfortable. I was left shaking my head on several occasions.

Overall, the author has excellent writing ability and the story kept me intrigued til the end. However, when none of my lingering questions were answered at the end of the book, I was left feeling disappointed and a bit puzzled that I completely missed something. Other readers should note that I do not typically read stories with strong supernatural elements, so this could be part of the reason that this book did not resonate with me. I was very intrigued by the synopsis, which is why I wanted to review the book. Unfortunately, this is one that just did not quite meet my expectations, which does not mean it will not meet yours!

Read 5 star reviews on Goodreads

Giveaway:
Thanks to the publisher, I have 3 copies of THE GIRL BELOW to give away to THREE readers in the USA!

Rules:
1. Enter your name and e-mail address in the ContestMachine widget below.
2. Open to residents of the USA only.
3. Contest will close on June 27 at 11:59pm EST.
4. 3 winners will be selected and contacted upon contest closure. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to notification email or another winner will be selected.
5. Winners must provide their full name and mailing address which I will send to the publisher for fulfillment of the prize.
6. Neither Crazy-for-Books nor the publisher are responsible for lost or misdirected prize shipments. Pleas ensure that you provide the correct mailing information if selected as the winner. Please allow 4-6 weeks for prize delivery.


*****

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Crazy Good Tagged With: , , , , ,

Book Review: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

Posted on June 11, 2012 · 14 Comments

Into the Darkest Corner
by Elizabeth Haynes
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Source: Netgalley for Review

Synopsis from Amazon:

Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell.

But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s impending release. Soon after, Cathy thinks she catches a glimpse of the former best friend who testified against her in the trial; she begins to return home to find objects subtly rearranged in her apartment, one of Lee’s old tricks. Convinced she is back in her former lover’s sights, Cathy prepares to wrestle with the demons of her past for the last time.

My Thoughts:

Intense. Gripping. Suspenseful. Emotional. Terrifying. I could go on, but those are some of the words that quickly come to mind upon finishing Into the Darkest Corner. The story is told side-by-side in two alternating time periods, 2004 and 2008. The Catherine Bailey of the past and the Cathy Bailey of the present. We meet Catherine in 2004, an outgoing party girl who loves to have fun, is carefree, a bit promiscuous, and always looking for a good time. In 2008, we meet a very different Catherine, who now calls herself Cathy. Cathy has OCD and obsessively checks locks on doors and windows, she must make tea at certain times of the day, and she can only eat foods on particular days. The contrast of the personalities is startling and heartbreaking. We are left to wonder – what happened to the vivacious Catherine of 2004?

Turning back to 2004, Catherine meets Lee Brightman at a club and they begin a romantic relationship. Their affair is wild and carefree, but soon turns dark and ominous. Catherine’s friends chide her for her claims that Lee is not what he appears to be. They feel she has found the perfect man, so what is her problem? They do not see behind closed doors – that he breaks into her apartment and moves things around or leaves things behind, that he begins to rape her, or that he follows her wherever she goes.

In 2008, Cathy meets Stuart, a new tenant in her apartment building. Stuart also happens to be a psychologist who begins to help Cathy in very small ways, first by referring her to a doctor to help her with the OCD. Cathy has a difficult time accepting Stuart at first, but they slowly begin a friendship. She has a very hard time trusting people. But then, Cathy begins to notice that things are moved around in her apartment and she is convinced Lee has come back for her.

Switching back and forth, from past to present, we relive Catherine’s relationship with Lee as it turns from newfound love to abusive obsession and we see Cathy in the present as she slowly begins to break free of the emotional barricades that have trapped her for so many years. A rock-solid debut that will keep you turning the pages until long into the night. It is hard to believe that this is the author’s debut novel and that she initially wrote it during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! Very cool.

Caution: This book has strong language and some descriptive sex and abuse scenes.

*****

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