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Synopsis:
Lillian is only 13 when her parents marry her to a middle-aged Bishop of a fundamentalist sect who practices polygamy. She is forced to live with her new husband’s many wives and children on his compound tucked away in the Canadian wilderness.
The hardships of poverty and isolation have crushed the will of just about everybody in his flock. They suffer in silent submissiveness, trying to please their despotic leader. He justifies the humiliating treatment of his dependents by citing ‘Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenants’ of his fundamentalist religion.
Until, one day, Lillian had enough. But it is dangerous to try and escape the Bishop’s iron rule. He practices blood-atonement, which is quietly sanctioned by the ‘Gatekeepers’, an American secret society within the Fundamentalist Mormon Church.
Lillian must find out-side help if she ever wants to leave the Bishop’s compound – but how can she do this if she is locked up without any means of communication?
Lillian doesn’t know how life outside a compound functions. She only knows that she can not live like this much longer. Many questions plaque her troubled mind.
Why do her sister-wives put up with this hardship, knowing only a bleak future lies ahead of them? Where do the child-brides come from, the Bishop keeps adding to his family? Where do some of his daughters disappear to, once they come of age? Lillian’s defiance grows with every injustice she witnesses – until she can’t hide her rebellion any longer.
Her desperate struggle to escape draws the reader into a very dark, very dangerous place. But not all is hopeless. When land developer Richard Bergman buys the neighboring property, Lillian’s luck seems to be changing …

My Thoughts and Opinion: Since I believe in honest reviews, I feel that I need to start this critique with some caveats as to how I came to read this book, what happened in the interim and how my personality/thought process played a role in the review.

First, author and friend, Melissa Foster (Megan’s Way, Chasing Amanda, Come Back To Me and Traces of Kara) contacted me, which she has done on several occasions, to recommend and ask if I would read, review and host an author showcase for one of her peers. I, in return, emailed Ms. Zeiner and offered a spotlight on my blog but was honest and stated that I didn’t know exactly when I would be able to read and review her book due to back log. She accepted and we agreed upon a date, May 29th that she would be featured. With emails back and forth to gather information for the spotlight, Helga asked about Partners In Crime Tours since her book is categorized as suspense. She decide to book a tour through Partners In Crime Tours, and at that time, I still hadn’t started reading her book. I am sure that some people will think that I give books high ratings because they decide to tour with our company (my partner being Molly from Reviews By Molly). That is not the case. I believe in honesty and integrity and will judge and write a review accordingly, no matter what.

Second, how my personality had a bearing on this book. I have always had a hunger for knowledge to learn about different cultures, religions, and life styles other than what I know and practice. Not to judge, condemn or condone but to learn and understand. Even though this was a fictional story, the details of a different religion and culture, was an eye opening education for me. With all that being said, now to my review.

My first thought when I started reading this book was “oh no…480 pages”. I admit, I am one of those readers, who prefer books that are approximately 300 pages. It is definitely a mind over matter issue thinking it will take me many days and/or weeks to read. However, once I finished reading the Prologue, I was hooked. Ms. Zeiner’s writing style was impeccable. It flowed smoothly even with the vast amount of minute details. Even with the minuscule depictions, it didn’t get boring or preachy whereas you wanted to just skim over certain parts. Those tiny descriptions allowed this reader to be transported into the plot and vividly create the imagery of the story. The characters were brought to life due to the specific graphic depiction. Believable and explicit. As I stated earlier, it was classified as a “suspense”, however, it wasn’t a typical standard “suspense” as one would think of like a “who done it”. It was more of a suspense whereas there was page turning apprehension as the chilling predicaments, compelling incidents, staggering events and outcome of the theme. What I thought would take me above average time to read because of the length of the book, took me days because I couldn’t put it down. One of my thoughts while reading this novel, was that with the definitive, distinct, precise and tenacious facts of this particular topic, that the author had put in years of research, was an embedded covert individual or had lived the lifestyle, because of it’s convincing nature. These 480 pages impacted and will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommend! Extraordinary!! Powerful!!

(2012 Challenges: EBooks, FreeReads, Where Are You, A-Z, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

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Hello Sunday Saloners!!!  Another week has flown by and am very disappointed in my reading, or I should say lack of.  But the big news is the new look, which was unveiled yesterday.  So, what do you think?  Like, dislike, like the old look better, any suggestions, etc., etc.  Would love to know your thoughts.  And now to my week.

Reading:  This is awful, and I’m quite embarrassed to say, that another week has gone by and I still haven’t finished my current read.  Not because it’s not keeping my interest and/or is an awful read.  Quite the opposite.  It’s because I haven’t had the time to really sit and read, for a few reasons.  I have spent a lot of time in front of the computer, busy with blog to-dos and organizing tours.  Plus my DH, took some time off this past this week and since he isn’t a reader, doesn’t understand the concept when one has a book in hand, it means conversation can’t take place lol.  It was like he had a GPS implanted for when I would pick up my book lol.  Plus I haven’t rectified or found the solution to be able to read while wearing my CPAP mask (for sleep apnea).  

Blogging:  I did have a productive week computer wise.  Drafted up a lot of future posts for showcases, giveaways and work for Partners In Crime Tours.  I also spent a wee, some, more time than I should have, on shopping.  If only my favorite sites didn’t send me emails with great bargains, I might have had more time for reading lol.

Real Life:  Exciting week for deliveries.  Haven’t had one of these weeks in a while.  Between the mail and UPS, I received some great books, which I will share tomorrow.  I think it is so funny how excited I get when I see that big brown truck stop in front of my house.  It’s like Christmas morning lol.  The holiday was a quiet day.  I was hoping to spend the day reading on my reading float with a frozen mudslide but my DH wasn’t able to vacuum the pool due to a broken hose so I spent a couple of hours reading in my ac’d reading room, the only day this week while the hubby was out.  And I did have that planned frozen mudslide lol!!!!

So how was your week?  How was your holiday?  Did you get a lot of reading done?

…..of Clean Break by David Klein

35 Karen Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

For a while, well quite a while, Gina, from Hott Books and Hott Designs, has been itching to give me a new look.  And lately I have been thinking that since I am coming up on my 3 year Blogiversary, I also wanted a change, for a  modern, book themed looking blog.   And that’s exactly what I told Gina, along with some color choices, and voila!!!…my new blog.  I saw the final look at the same time you did!!  So…be honest….what do you think?  I know I love it but there will be some tweaking along the way, so would really love your input for ideas.

I think she did an extraordinary job!!!!!  Knowing her work, she does the graphics for my Partners In Crime Tours tour banners, I knew that she was going to do a fantastic job, and she did!!!  She also asked for your input, since it really is for you, how you feel when you visit, what you like or don’t like when looking at it, because as you know, as editors of a blog, we work behind the scenes.  It’s  our followers that see the actual blog look so I want you to like what you see when you visit.  So let us know what you think!!

Gina:  Fantastic job, Thank you so much for all the work you put into designing the new look.  I truly do love it!!  Your work is amazing!!  And if anyone is thinking of changes for your own blog,  click on her design button on the left sidebar.

P.S.  If by chance you have my old blog button on your blog, don’t forget to grab the new one.  Would greatly appreciate it!!!!!

Happy Saturday!

It’s taken me years, but I’ve finally gotten CMash to commit to a new blog design. So, now the poor girl must bow to my every whim while I completely take over.

So, don’t freak if, for a few hours the site looks a bit messy… I’m sure even Monet’s works looked a bit odd before they were done.

If you have any questions or something looks truly disastrous, please, let me know: gina at hottbooks.com

Question for you!!  What’s better than a good mystery?  Well, if you are like me, then it would be a good mystery and chocolate!!  And those were the 2 words I saw when Carissa contacted me about today’s author.  Plus there will be two (2) separate giveaways, a Grand Prize, which the publisher, Attica Books is sponsoring and a giveaway here!!!  Make sure to follow all directions for both!!  So have a seat, grab your box of chocolates and please help me give a warm welcome to author,  Luba Lesychyn!

LUBA LESYCHYN

Soon after finishing her graduate studies in history, Luba landed on the doorstep of Canada’s largest museum, the Royal Ontario Museum where she worked for more than 20 years. Moving from positions in the education and programs departments to the museum’s consulting branch, she concluded her career in the office that managed the museum’s recent controversial architectural renovation. After leaving the museum, Luba worked for several years in an administrative and research capacity for a private museum consulting firm with offices in Toronto and London. She currently works in the educational sector and teaches yoga in her home town of Toronto.

Theft by Chocolate is Luba’s debut novel though she has been amusing people with her writing since the age of eight. Her love of chocolate precedes this age and she has been in and out of chocolate rehab for most of her adult life. When not writing or looking for her next chocolate fix, Luba can be found in dance classes, trekking to remote waterfalls in the mountain rain forest in Puerto Rico, running through the streets of Paris or any other number of calorie-burning activities that help offset her chocolate intake.

GUEST POST

Inspired by True Events – Really!

            I had long completed the first draft of Theft By Chocolate when I had a chance encounter with an individual that would send me back to my computer to completely reconfigure the plot of my sassy museum mystery about a capricious woman of a certain age looking for chocolate, love and an international art thief in all the wrong places. While working as an executive assistant at a city college in an office that was managing the construction of a new campus, I happened to mention my writing to a security consultant working on our project.

In particular, I brought up the fact that I had worked for the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto for the greater part of my career and that I had drawn on my experiences at the museum for inspiration for the story that revolved around a heist. The consultant’s eyes widened almost to the size of saucers and he whispered to me, “We need to have a chat about this.” Somewhat taken aback, but intrigued to the max, I suggested we get together sooner than later to have our “chat.” I was already a third of the way into a major rewrite of the novel and I did not want to delay our discussion.

Within a week we sat down at a table of a retro diner where “my informant” proceeded to tell me his family had worked in the security industry for decades and that he had insider information about the infamous opal collection theft that had taken place at the Royal Ontario Museum in the late 1980s (my employment at ROM started after the theft had taken place). It was common knowledge that the thief was never identified nor apprehended and that the jewels had eventually turned up in a black market in Hong Kong.

What was not common knowledge, as the security consultant continued to share with me, was that the thief had used an ingenious technique that stunned the security industry around the world. The culprit managed to circumvent what was considered state-of-the art technology in its day, a technology that was being used universally, not just in museums and art galleries, but in banks and businesses. International law keepers realized it wouldn’t be long before thieves around the world heard about the daring robbery and how it was executed. Basically, the planet’s riches, both great and small were suddenly at risk.

It was this piece of information and some additional material gleaned from rare newspaper articles about the theft that formed the crux of the final version of Theft By Chocolate. My work is fiction and includes characters derived from my imagination, but the real events provided a strong backbone upon which I was able to add imagined flesh. Still, the mysterious and unique real-life theft continues to haunt me. I may just have to put on an investigative journalist’s hat some day to determine whether, after more than three decades, some new information might be uncovered which could shed new light upon the events that shaped Theft By Chocolate.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mystery, Mayans and Mayhem: looking for chocolate, love and an international art thief in all the wrong places.

Chocolate addict Kalena Boyko wasn’t prepared for this. Heading to work at Canada’s largest museum as an administrator, she hoped for quiet and uninterrupted access to her secret chocolate stash. Instead she’s assigned to manage the high-profile Treasures of the Maya exhibition with her loathed former boss Richard Pritchard.

With no warning, her life is turned inside out and propelled into warp speed as she stumbles across an insider plot that could jeopardize the exhibit and the reputation of the museum.

After hearing about a recent botched theft at the museum and an unsolved jewel heist in the past from security guard and amateur sleuth Marco Zeffirelli, Kalena becomes suspicious of Richard and is convinced he’s planning to sabotage the Treasures of the Maya exhibition. Her suspicions, and the appearance of the mysterious but charming Geoffrey Ogden from the London office, don’t help her concentration. The Treasures of the Maya seem cursed as problem after problem arises, including the disappearance of a key artifact – the world’s oldest piece of chocolate…

THANKS TO AUTHOR, LUBA LESYCHYN, I HAVE ONE (1)
EBOOK EDITION TO GIVE AWAY. OPEN TO ALL.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO THE
CMASH BLOG GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY SPONSORED BY ATTICA BOOKS:

Theft By Chocolate Giveaway at Every Blog Stop

Please leave a comment below and your email address to be entered to win an ebook copy of Theft By Chocolate, the new release by Luba Lesychyn. In five days, a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Available in any ebook format. Remember to write your email address in the comments so that you can be contacted if you win!

$150 Gift Certificate Giveaway of Grand Prize on July 31st

Do you love chocolate as much as Kelana, the heroine in Theft By Chocolate? Here’s your chance to indulge in $150 US worth! The Giveaway Grand Prize is a gift certificate to a delectable chocolate online retailer. Winner chooses from one of three sites: http://www.chocosphere.com/, http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/ , or http://www.dlea.com.au/. To be eligible for the Grand Prize, enter the Rafflecopter below. Remember to sign up for Luba’s email announcements (worth five entries). On occasion she’ll send out exclusive announcements for special events, blog posts, giveaways and free swag! On July 31^st, the winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.
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DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: ARE YOU A CHOCOHOLIC?
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE?*

*EBOOK EDITION–OPEN TO ALL*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway