Two Chicks Obsessed with Books & Eye Candy

Sharing our love of M/M Romance

review

Tried & True by Charlie Cochet: New Release Review with Giveaway

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When THIRDS agent Dexter J. Daley met Team Leader Sloane Brodie, he couldn’t have imagined how slamming into his new partner—literally—would shake both their worlds. Now four years later, they’ve faced dangers, fought battles both personal and professional… and fallen deeply in love. Now their big moment is finally in sight, and they’re ready to stand up together and make it official. Unfortunately, as the countdown to their big day begins, an enemy declares war on the THIRDS….

With their family in danger, Dex and Sloane are put to the test on how far into darkness they’ll walk to save those they love. As secrets are unearthed, a deadly betrayal is revealed, and Dex and Sloane must call on their Destructive Delta family for one last hurrah to put an end to the secret organization responsible for so much devastation.

Dex and Sloane will have plenty of bullets to dodge on the way to the altar, but with happiness within their grasp, they are determined to get there come hell or high water….

Title: Tried & True
Series: THIRDS: Book Ten
Author: Charlie Cochet
Release Date: November 24, 2017
Category: Paranormal
Pages: 254

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My reading time lately has been cut severely because…life. So, I am only reading the books that I want to read. And there was absolutely NO CHANCE I wasn’t going to be reading Tried & True (btw, love the color reference on the cover!!!!) by Charlie, the final book in the THIRDS series (but not even close to the last book with Dex and Sloane…I talked to Charlie in October, and she is working on a new series regarding the TIN adventures that Destructive Delta has ahead of them!)

This is the THIRDS book that all THIRDS Nerds have been waiting for, the wedding between these two men who started their working relationship with Dexter Daley hanging upside down, and have spent years learning how to love each other. This was all worth the wait, and honestly made me want to go back and start all over again, from Hell & High Water.

There were a few adventures in this book-how those men didn’t arrive at the altar by wheelchair is beyond me-but in the end, it was about celebrating a love that has grown and changed, been hidden then outed, helped them find a family they never knew, and bring about quite a few sexy times. And donuts, lots of donuts. In other words, what we read in that book was the culmination of 4 years, 10 books and countless tears (at least by me!), although most of the ones from this one were happy.

I won’t tell you about the wedding, because if you are a true THIRDS NERD, you will want to read it all on your own, but it is worth every word, every second, and every happy tear.

Thank you Charlie for an amazing journey with these guys, and I can’t wait to see what their next adventure will bring.

5 pieces of eye candy


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Tied by Kerri Ann: Release Day Blitz, and Review

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Governor Chris Rock is Carli Katana’s boss—well, ex-boss. And now that she’s run off with her man candy, Whiskey Crown, Chris finds himself in trouble. Without her keeping him out of the press, out of trouble and in check, he’s in for a dick of a lifetime. I mean, a trip of a lifetime.

Arriving in New York for a Governor’s something or other, he’s finding himself in a predick-ament. As a prolific public figure and ex-Marine, there’s always been an expectation of who Chris is and should be; strong, dangerous, fearless, and the typical man’s man. But that’s not him. And as he finds himself longingly staring at the speaker, Tyler Marshall, Chris knows he’s in trouble. Tyler is gorgeous, and he’s everything Chris looks for in a man. The real problem is that in this venue, Tyler’s unattainable.

**This novella has characters from both the Crown and Anchor series and the standalone Rushed. It’s sexy hot and full of laughs. Pre-warning you about it won’t do you any good.

Title – Tied: A Crown & Anchor Novella
Author – Kerri Ann
Genre – M/M Romance Novella
Release Date – November 22, 2017

Amazon

 

Having not read anything in this series, or by this author before, I was taking a chance by jumping in here, but what the heck? Why not? And although the novella was written well, with a few plot twists, I did find it somewhat confusing, not having read the previous in the series. Not that it wasn’t a stand alone, it was. However, the interactions with the side characters left me wondering who was related to who, and what they had to do with this person or that.

That being said, those same interactions, the brunches, provided the reader with lots of funny moments, showing that clearly all these characters meant something to each other.

Chris and Tyler definitely connected well, despite the push and pull initially. My heart went out to Chris who was forced out of the closet…not just out, but tied up!…by an unscrupulous reporter. No one should be outed that way. But finding a way to make this work, as the MC’s tried to figure out what they wanted from each other was a good challenge for them.

I did like how the author left the story. Not quite an HEA, but something to work towards.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

With an avaricious appetite for stories, Kerri Ann can be found quite often with her nose in a book or writing it. On many occasion it has been said that she’s in her own world, living in the stories of those she reads about, giving them a life they deserve.

She can easily be found under a tree in the shade, or reclining at Starbucks scribbling notes about new stories and new characters, all while keeping the coffee chain in business.

Whether late at night, at a music festival, or sitting on a ski lift, when the thoughts arise, Kerri Ann will add them to those in progress. So be wary, your antics could be in her next book.

 

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Unlikely Hero by Sean Michael: Exclusive Guest Post, Release Day Review with Giveaway

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When his three-year-old daughter is kidnapped, Eric Wilson doesn’t have many options, and time is running out. With nowhere else to turn, he reaches out to his ex, influential businessman Brock Vencenza, whose money and contacts might be able to save Josie.

Brock never got over Eric’s loss, and he’s more than willing to help when Eric needs him most. Together with law enforcement and private security, they embark on a twisting investigation to find the little girl—and who wants to hurt her and destroy both men in the process. Under the circumstances, confessing he still has feelings for Eric would be inappropriate, but Brock can’t deny what’s in his heart. He doesn’t know if their love can be rekindled or if he can even protect Eric and Josie. But one thing is certain: Brock’s determined to be the hero in reality that he is in Eric’s eyes.

Title: Unlikely Hero
Author: Sean Michael
Release Date: November 20, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 210

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Thank you very much for hosting me today!

With it being Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about how Eric and Brock would celebrate the holiday and I’m pretty sure they would approach things from very different angles.

Eric would plan ahead. He’d make up menus for the day before Thanksgiving, then Thanksgiving itself and he’d even make plans for what to do with the leftovers. He’d find recipes and by the time Thanksgiving week would arrive he’d have everything he could buy ahead bought would be purchased and he’d have all his lists made up – no doubt attached to the fridge with magnets.

Brock on the other hand would want to lavish Eric and Josie with everything possible, but rather than planning out and doing everything himself, he’d order everything to be made and delivered by a private chef.

Both men would consider what they’d done a way to show their love for their family.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US readers, and happy November to everyone else.

Sean Michael

smut fixes everything

Eric’s daughter is kidnapped from her daycare and left a ransom note on his car. Im not sure when the daycare noticed her missing, as Eric just picked her up and noticed she was gone, or what… but instead of calling the police, he calls Brock…his ex from nine years ago. Now, I’m not sure what Brock does, but he seems to have infinite money and “kidnapping” experts on his payroll, so…they jumped in to try to get Eric’s daughter Josie back.

Now, nothing in the beginning of this story goes by protocol at all. It’s hands down ridiculous! The handling of the kidnapping, the police, taking Josie to the hospital, Brock just being the one in charge of Josie, even though he’s not family…him taking her out of her room and out of the hospital and to other buildings…You can’t do that! Even if he was her parent, he still couldn’t do that! You can’t just take an admitted baby out of her room and walk to another building with her lol that’s insane! Then his lawyer just checked her out of the children’s hospital without being seen again or anything with a man that wasn’t her guardian?  I mean… he is her guardian, but nobody knew that yet. And that was another ridiculous thing…he was named guardian of her in case anything were to ever happen to Eric, but he and Brock hadn’t been together for near on a decade…. Could you imagine?? What if something had happened to him after a decade later and then someone showed up on his doorstep with a baby and was like SURRISE! You’re her guardian! …..all that part was just so unbelievable.

Now, if you’re like me though, and don’t care about the randomness and unlikelihood of some plot points…I can overlook a lot. I enjoy the fluffiness and the endearments, although baby and Eric’s constant thinking Brock is his “hero”…But I like a good family book, with hot guys and their baby’s. It made it somewhat redeemable. The dialogue was also kind of cheesy, lots of “lover’s” and again, the repetitive “baby’s”

Now, the people who kidnapped Josie, was…Okay, just know that it isn’t what it seems, because the first reason, the initial thought of why, was so extra, that I was like…seriously??? But putting all the pieces together later, makes more sense. Not a lot of sense, cuz the person behind it is a serious whack job, but I guess it’s more believable than the initial thought.

I also really wish we’d have found out what happened to Gordon’s partner Max. They done so much for them and I hated to think that Max got in any trouble at all for protecting them and doing his job. I know he cant get in that much trouble since he was there at the end, but I wanted to know he was okay.

And if you know me at all, you’ll know that I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and this one of course had that. I loved that they ended up happy and healthy and together. Although the story was at times over the top and a little believable, it was still enjoyable.

3 pieces of eye candy from me.

Best-selling author Sean Michael is a maple leaf–loving Canadian who spends hours hiding out in used book stores. With far more ideas than time, Sean keeps several documents open at all times. From romance to fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi, Sean is limited only by the need for sleep—and the periodic Beaver Tail.

Sean fantasizes about one day retiring on a secluded island populated entirely by horseshoe crabs after inventing a brain-to-computer dictation system. Until then, Sean will continue to write the old-fashioned way.

Sean Michael on the web:

WEBSITE: http://www.seanmichaelwrites.com

BLOG: http://seanmichaelwrites.blogspot.ca

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWrites/

TWITTER: seanmichael09

INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/seanmichaelpics/


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Ice, Snow, and Mistletoe by Jocelynn Drake: Release Day Review

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John Sullivan is escaping to Denver. Even with a massive snow storm on his heels, he plans to hide away in his cabin in the mountains and ignore Christmas. It’ll be just him and a bottle of whiskey until the new year when he must return to Cincinnati for his best friend’s wedding.

At least, that’s the plan until he runs into Oz at the airport.

Oz … the man who should have been just a fling. The man who was fun and laughs but quickly turned into so much more before he completely kicked John out of his life.

Oz who desperately needs his help…

John is ready to leave Oz stranded at the Denver airport in the coming blizzard, but he finds himself possibly staring down at the reason Oz pushed him away, and John can’t say no.

Second chances don’t come around often, but John is willing to fight for one with Oz.

Amazon

 

I loved last year’s Christmas novella by Jocelynn Drake, Walking on Thin Ice, the first in this series (well, I don’t know if its a series or not, but its one of two, so there you go) and was super glad to get to read this one as well. It was awesome to see more than a glimpse at Spenser and Evan’s HEA, as we watched Oz and John try to navigate to their own.

First, I will say, I was not quite sure I fully bought Oz’s reasoning for leaving John, except that when you saw what their relationship had been like, it made it more realistic. They both felt something for each other during their relationship five years prior, but communication (as can often happen with two men) was lacking, so neither felt they could say something. So, when Oz ended it, although it was hard for me to understand why he wouldn’t say a word, I could see how that might have been difficult for him to say to someone who he’d shared a connection with, but not felt close enough to tell the tough stuff to.

Now, you couldn’t help but love Lizzy. She was at that age that made the reader enjoy every second, as John found out so quickly. He just couldn’t turn that sweet girl away, despite the fact that he was still so hurt by Oz’s rejection. Even a temper tantrum (which I love that the author wrote in, because what 5 year old DOESN’T have a temper tantrum, especially at Christmas) wasn’t enough to sway John away from loving and working towards that family he had dreamed of.

John honestly had a heart of gold. To be as hurt as he was, and still take in two people over the holidays, knowing his own secret would likely be outed took a lot of courage. He knew that he would likely be hurt again once the storm ended and life went back to normal, but he still put his heart on the line, and let them both in. Then after being hurt once again, he took another chance. His heart was so big, and he was so ready for love, it had me bawling on the couch more than once!

Jocelynn Drake can write some hot and heavy sex scenes, and wow, she didn’t disappoint! These two men smoked up my kindle, and I was happy to go back and read it again. 😉

Another solid winner by Jocelynn, and I hope that she finds a way to continue this series! Whatever that looks like for her. 🙂

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Okay, so I LOVED the Unbreakable Bonds series and Ward Security spin off, so I just knew I’d love this one. Hot dads with cute kids are my weakness!

In this one, we have Oz, who’d met John on his way out for an obligated date to get his friend off his back but got distracted by the mans laugh after passing him and his friend on the street. He followed him into a bar and that started Oz’s exploration into men….. However, after a few months of “fun” that was more serious than either let on, Oz had a surprise pop up, that left him scrambling and afraid and he hurt John pretty bad in the process. So bad in fact, I was surprised he was so callous, I didn’t think he was like that. I understand where he was coming from but he could’ve handled it a LOT better and I wish he had because John is so great, I hated that he got hurt.

Cut to, five years, at an airport where Oz was flying to pick up his daughter from her terrible mother’s house over the holidays, he runs into John again, catching them both off guard and bringing back old hurts and old feelings. Especially since a snow storm keeps them stranded in Denver, where John is spending the holiday’s alone.

I know how it had to cost John to invite them to spend the holiday’s with him and again, my heart broke for him. He was so patient and understanding and ….sigh…. he was pretty perfect, I wanted to crap slap Oz a few times, even if I did kind of see where his reservations came from…. Not enough to keep hurting John though. I was team John the whole time. Team John and Team Lizzy both.

Over the course of their stay, things so good, but all good things come to an end, right?.. John was constantly fighting for Oz and Lizzy, but Oz needed to be the one to fight for something. So, as hard as it was for John to do, he had to let go….

All’s well that ended well though, with some help from John’s friend Spencer, Oz comes through when he needs to and puts my fragile, broken heart back together again, just like I needed him to.

This was a perfect little Christmas read and now I gotta go back and read Spencer and Evan’s story because how had I missed that??

5 pieces of eye candy from me!

Reservations by Kindle Alexander: Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway

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Title: Reservations
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: October 30, 2017

Wildly successful entrepreneur, Thane Walker is stubbornly set in his ways. Adamantly resistant to the shackles of commitment, he’s seen enough unhappy endings to learn the best way to play is by keeping his men on the payroll.

Levi Silva’s dream of graduating from one of the country’s top medical schools is in his grasp, until news from home changes everything. Now, he’s raising his two teenage brothers and trying to keep everyone’s head above water, emotionally and financially.

When Levi’s new job puts him in Thane’s path, their chemistry explodes, but their fear of being involved in relationships keeps them apart. Unfortunately, despite the intense desire drawing them together, neither man can move forward until they get past their own…Reservations.

Amazon Review – ““Reservations” by Kindle Alexander is a rare gem in the world of M/M Romance, because it is genuinely compelling story telling!”

Amazon Review – “Thane & Levi stole my heart!!”

Amazon Review – “Thane and Levi!! Simply amazing”

Amazon Review – “A beautifully written love story that is guaranteed to melt you heart!”

 

 

I love Kindle Alexander’s books so I was not so patiently waiting for this book to release. I like how past characters always pop up throughout the book and thoroughly enjoy reading about them again.

Levi has had to put his dreams of finishing med school on the back burner and return home to raise his two younger brothers after his father loses his battle with cancer. Levi is working as a physical therapist and a coffee shop but can barely keep them afloat. When Levi gets word that the coffee shop is going out of business he is left scrambling to find another job until one of his past patients makes him an offer that is too good to be true.

Thane is the owner of Reservations, a club for gay men to mingle, dance, eat dinner or find a partner for the night in a safe space. Thane has the whole world in his grasp and has never found someone that couldn’t be bought until he sets his sights on Levi and finds out that not everything has a price.

In order for Thane to get what he wants he will need to stop wielding his money like a sword and trying to slay all of Levi’s dragons for him. Levi is as independent as they come, bordering on control freak so Thane will have to prove he’s serious before Levi will let him in. Just when Thane and Levi begin to figure it all out someone from Levi’s past shows back up to upset the delicate balance that they were just starting to enjoy.

Such a great read, it was a really long book but the story moved along at a decent pace the whole time. There weren’t any parts where I felt like the story dragged along. I think the length helped Levi overcome his fears and put the doubts to rest without it feeling rushed or like he let Thane strong arm him. The execution was well done!

Levi: Such a great character. Nurturing to his brothers, he never makes them feel guilty that he’s put his schooling on hold. Independent and strong, I love that about him. Even though he’s struggling he never takes what Thane is trying to give because he has such strong self worth.

Thane: Billionaire playboy. Jaded by his parents failed relationship he only has time to entertain escorts, never wanting feelings to get involved. Once he finds out that his parents relationship is not what he remembers it causes him to re-think his whole outlook. I love his tenacity, he never stopped pursuing Levi, however whenever Levi said he was uncomfortable with something Thane stopped and reflected and came at him from a different angle.

This story is full of great new characters, Aunt Linda is one of my favorites, but we also get to see old favorites. Tristan and Dylan and Kellus and Arick make a few appearances. I really think it’s time for me to re-read some old favorites.

5 pieces of eye candy

Best Selling Author Kindle Alexander is an innovative writer, and a genre-crosser who writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and erotica in both the male/male and male/female genres. It’s always a surprise to see what’s coming next!

I live in the suburbs of Dallas where it’s true, the only thing bigger than an over active imagination, may be women’s hair!

Usually, I try for funny. Humor is a major part of my life – I love to laugh, and it seems to be the thing I do in most situations – regardless of the situation, but jokes are a tricky deal… I don’t want to offend anyone and jokes tend to offend. So instead I’m going to tell you about Kindle.

I tragically lost my sixteen year old daughter to a drunk driver. She had just been at home, it was early in the night and I heard the accident happen. I’ll never forget that moment. The sirens were immediate and something inside me just knew. I left my house, drove straight to the accident on nothing more than instinct. I got to be there when my little girl died – weirdly, I consider that a true gift from above. She didn’t have to be alone.

That time in my life was terrible. It’s everything you think it would be times about a billion. I love that kid. I loved being her mother and I loved watching her grow into this incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out. She was such a gift to me. To have it all ripped away so suddenly broke me.

Her name was Kindle. Honest to goodness – it was her name and she died a few weeks before Amazon released their brand new Kindle ereader. She had no idea it was coming out and she would have finally gotten her name on something! Try finding a ruler with the name Kindle on it.. It never happened.

Through the course of that crippling event I was lucky enough to begin to write with a dear friend in the fan fiction world of Facebook. She got me through those dark days with her unwavering support and friendship. There wasn’t a time she wasn’t there for me. Sometimes together and sometimes by myself, we built a world where Kindle lives and stands for peace, love and harmony. It’s its own kind of support group. I know without question I wouldn’t be here today without her.

Find out more by visiting www.kindlealexander.com or email me at kindle@kindlealexander.com


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Snowcroft Restoration by Christi Snow: Release Day Review with Giveaway

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Two years ago, Law Wyman went undercover for an FBI investigation that went sideways. It cost him both the love of his life and his sanity. The nightmare still haunts him, and so does some unfinished business…Ian Mayne, the son of the man who ruined his life.

Two years ago, Ian had to face the truth about how his father spent a lifetime torturing and trafficking LGBTQ teens. Ever since, Ian has done everything he can to make up for his dead father’s many sins through his law enforcement job. Too many paid in horrific, horrible ways at his father’s hands while Ian kept the truth about his own sexuality hidden.

Law is doing all he can to save Ian, but Ian doesn’t necessarily want to be saved.

Two men…both horrifically haunted by what happened. Is it possible they can find healing together? Only if they have the courage to face their demons and each other…

Trigger Warning: This is a hot story about two men who have both survived past abuse.

All the details…
Title: Snowcroft Restoration
Series: Book #4 in the Snowcroft Men series
Genre: male/male romantic suspense
Book length: ~94,268 words
Release date: November 15, 2017

1. Snowcroft Lost

2. Snowcroft Safehouse

3. Intertwined Hearts

4. Snowcroft Restoration

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Everywhere else

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I think every reader goes through phases in their reading. You may go through a stretch where all you want are sweet stories, with puppies, ice cream and rainbows. Other times you want some kink, and you read everything you can get your hands on. Lately, I have been on a mystery/suspense kick (Thanks C.S. Poe!), and anything in this sub-genre has been voraciously read by this reviewer. And then you add in that Christi Snow wrote it, well, you didn’t need to ask me twice. This even though I knew at some point I would be curled in a fetal position on the couch, freezing to death cause I didn’t want to leave to get a blanket. (It’s happened more than once…). I snatched up Snowcroft Lost the very first day it came out, and have loved Christi’s stuff ever since. Waiting for Law’s book was a little bit of torture for me.

Law had been through so much, it was tough to read again just how much he had been through. He definitely needed some time to heal, learn to deal with his PTSD and grief, and how to recover mentally and physically from the torture and loss he endured for week’s as a result of his FBI undercover operation. The man he had loved had given his own life to save Law’s. That is a sacrifice that is beyond loving, and yet can leave survivor’s guilt. Taking the time he needed, and not rushing himself back to work, or whatever his next steps would be, allowed him to work through as much as he could with his therapist. However, even from the beginning of the book, you could see that he was ready to come back to the world of the living, to step into what would be his new life.

Ian, meanwhile, had been through many similar situations as Law, from his father’s extreme punishments to finally finding out what his father truly did with the camp that he kept in Snowcroft. He had his own form of PTSD, and had managed to work through most of it on his own. Ian came through the torture and the pain of growing up with his horrific father with such a positive personality. He spent his entire life trying to make up for what his father did, by trying to save his friend, working for the Forestry Service, even his choices with regards to the camp he inherited.

These two men didn’t just work on solving the case that brought them together in the first place, but really tried to connect with each other to find what they needed to make their relationship work. Even when the unthinkable would happen (and it did several times-one of those times ended with me in that fetal position spoken of previously), rather than hiding, or running away, they connected back to their bonds and found what they needed to move forward.

This author knows how to write suspense so well. There were a few times in the book that I swore I knew what was going to happen next…until it happened, and I looked up from kindle wondering where that came from, why didn’t I see it? Then two chapters later, something else happens, and I am shocked once more. She weaves in the mystery, some guns, maybe a bomb or two throughout this series, and you never quite know what to expect. As a reader, that is exactly what I want. I want to walk in knowing I am going to have a great story, and have no freaking idea where it will lead to. Small spoiler...what she did with the house…the visuals I had…that is some fantastic writing to get me there, cause houses are not supposed to do that-ever. (That’s all I’m saying…you will know what I mean when you read this book).

There’s definitely some hotness with these two, although very carefully written considering the traumas Law been through. So well done here, too. The reader got some smoking hot scenes, yet intertwined with the caring and the necessity to acknowledge how difficult this was for Law. It helped to bring Law and Ian closer, even as they had to use some additional therapy options to find a way to not let each other go. Great research on the part of the author.

Few characters deserved a happy ending more than these two men, and I am so glad I finally got to read it. And now…now I am looking forward to seeing what Christi does with _ and _ (I can’t tell you, but when you read it, you will know who…), because how do you redeem a character when you have seen them _ someone’s _ with a _. 😉

Without question another 5 pieces of eye candy read for me, from the amazing Christi Snow. How she has time to write with all her reading, I will never know, but I am thankful she does! Bring on Snowcroft Book 5!!!!

TCO is giving away an ebook of Christi’s (even Snowcroft Restoration), in honor of her release day. Just respond with which of her books is my (Denise’s) favorite. (pppsssstttt…it’s a trick question, because I love all her books and I couldn’t possibly pick one). Anyway, name any one of them, and you’re entered. 🙂