....And we have a winner!!!

Last week I posted my first giveaway, an autographed copy of The Life O'Reilly by Brian Cohen. The winner is......................

Logan from Rememorandom!!

Logan, I hope you enjoy the book!

Also, I know at the beginning of the month I promised a book review on Mondays and Thursdays. About a week after I posted that promise, I got a really bad eye infection. Come to find out, I have 3 ulcers on my left eye. These ulcers and the eye drops to heal my eye have made me really sensitive to light. I have to stare at a computer monitor at work, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is work on my laptop. As soon as my eye is back to normal, I will post more frequently. I have a bunch of books piling up just waiting to be reviewed!!

Book Giveaway: The Life O’Reilly

Yay! This is my first giveaway! I am giving away an autographed copy of The Life O’Reilly by Brian Cohen.

If you missed my review, check it out here or check out Brian Cohen’s website at http://briancohenbooks.com.

If you want to enter, just leave a comment saying so! This contest is also open to my Facebook friends. Just comment on this post saying you want to be entered into the contest.

Entries will be accepted until 12:00pm PST on Monday, April 26th 2010. A winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on my blog and notified by email.

Good Luck!!!

Review: The Life O’Reilly

The Life O’Reilly

By Brian Cohen

Published by iUniverse

ISBN: 1440150257 (isbn13: 9781440150258)

276 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Received a review copy from Mr. Cohen’s Publicist, Kelley & Hall Book Publicity

Product Description (from the back cover): On the outside, Nick O’Reilly has it all: a high-flying legal career, as a partner of an elite Wall Street law firm, and financial security, with an apartment overlooking Central Park. Having grown up in a working-class family, as far back as Nick can remember this was his dream. But at the age of thirty-six, after several years of sacrificing this personal life for professional gain, Nick has started to ponder his future and consider the mark he wants to leave on society both professionally and personally – his legacy.

After being chastised in the press for turning a cold shoulder to the community, the firm calls upon Nick to help rehabilitate its image by handling its first pro bono case. Nick is asked to represent Dawn Nelson, a domestic violence victim who is fighting for custody of her young son, Jordan. A far cry from Nick’s specialty of defending the misdeeds of Corporate America, it is up to Nick to set Dawn and Jordan on a path to a better life. But Nick gets much more than he signed on for, as Dawn forces him to reassess his life choices and, ultimately, be true to himself. Only when Nick finally realizes what is truly important in life does he face his toughest – and possibly final – challenge: a battle for his own survival.

Exploring the flaws of being human and the importance of controlling one’s own destiny, The Life of O’Reilly reminds us how precious life is and how quickly and tragically it can change. Written with great empathy, The Life O’Reilly is an emotional and unforgettable tale that will challenge one’s expectations of the modern love story and introduces a poignant and sensitive new voice in fiction.

The General Review: The Life O’Reilly is more than a modern day love story. It’s about identifying what you really want out of life and going after it. This book will have you cheering and sympathizing with the protagonist as you turn page after page.

Likes: I really enjoyed the plot. Without giving too much away, there was a twist I did not see coming.

Dislikes: I thought that in the beginning of the novel, the author did an excellent job describing the protagonists feelings and surroundings. I felt the end of the book was not as detailed.

Closing Comments: Overall, I enjoyed The Life O’Reilly. If you’re looking for an inspiring romance novel to read, I suggest you pick this book up.

Review: Sanctuary

Sanctuary

By N.E. Julian

Published by iUniverse

ISBN: 1440133093 (isbn13: 9781440133091)

332 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Received a review copy from the author

Product Description (from the back cover): Nineteen-year-old Lea Kostovic, a cynical and emotionally fragile former university student, has been abandoned by her family at the outset of a Balkan civil war during the late 1990’s.

Major Ed Russell is a gruff yet idealistic divorced American army officer stationed in the former Yugoslavia on a peacekeeping mission. While manning a border checkpoint, Russell learns that Lea intends to head south to find her family and must convey to the young woman that the borders will not reopen until spring. Lea realizes that as a person of Croatian descent, neither the Serbs nor the Muslims will take her in. The thought of roaming the countryside for months – freezing, starving, and alone – prods a wary Lea to accept Russell’s offer not only to work for him as an interpreter, but also to stay with him. There’s just one condition to their simple bargain – Lea must trade sex for protection and survival.

A complex relationship ensues, and as Russell and fledgling artist Lea begin a new life in America, they attempt to build a marriage from a barter that originally had nothing to do with love and respect.

The General Review: Sanctuary is a refreshing and unique modern day love story between two very unlikely people. Historically well-researched and and very engaging, readers of Sanctuary will be thinking about the story-line long after the book is finished.

Likes: I enjoyed how simple this story was. There was no antagonist, no major climax or conflicts. Just a simple love story about overcoming emotional obstacles, circumstances and preconceived notions. The book was written in such a way that kept the reader interested and was in no way boring. I found myself fascinated with how the main characters interacted with each other, especially coming from very different backgrounds.

Dislikes: I was a little disappointed with the ending of the book. I felt like the book flowed beautifully then the author abruptly ended it with a nice bow.

Closing Comments: Sanctuary is a very well written independently published novel. A must read for anyone who is a fan of romance. I look forward to reading more from N.E. Julian in the future.

March is Done!!!

Wow! I totally failed blogging in the month of March. It was a very crazy month for me. Lots of changes…

Like my 29th birthday. It came and went with very little fanfare. Even my own mother forgot! At least my facebook friends love me :)

The day after my birthday I won tickets from a local radio station to see Temper Trap at the Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle. It was a great show. Here are a few pictures I took:

Waiting in line outside before the show

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of winning concert tickets, last week I won tickets to see Angels and Airwaves. The concert is this Wednesday night and I’m looking forward to that show as well. Who doesn’t love a free concert?

The last weekend in March I packed up all my belongings and moved to another town closer to work. Moving is always crazy, but I’m pretty much settled now. I like my shorter commute (4 miles compared to 20 miles), cheaper rent and I really like being in the city where everything you need is close by.

My books reviews are stacking up! This is a book review blog, after all! My goal for April is to post a book review every Monday and Thursday. Now lets see if I can meet that goal.