Happy birthday, #BSMPhotoADay!

Hard to believe but March marks the one-year anniversary of our #BSMPhotoADay bookish photo-challenge. Crazy, right?

To celebrate, we wanted to do something extra special so we decided to host a special Scavenger Hunt complete with prizes for both our U.S. and our international followers.

To enter, leave a comment here or on the Rules & Prizes photo on IG with a way for us to contact you (via email or twitter handle) and what state/country you are located in. We will choose TWO winners (one each for the prizes shown) at the beginning of April :)

Thank you for making our monthly photo-a-day challenge such a success and happy hunting!

 

Reminders

• This challenge is conducted on Instagram, but you're welcome to join via Twitter or Facebook.
• Please tag all photos with #BSMPhotoADay.
• The Book Soulmates account on Instagram (http://instagram.com/booksoulmates) is run and accessed by all of us at Booksoulmates.  Each photo will be tagged with the name of the person who uploaded.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions on any of our daily prompts!

We are very thankful that everyone's support has helped make this feature so popular.  We understand that we're not the first and won't be the last to come up with a #photoaday challenge.  We do not have a copyright on this idea.  We do, however, have copyrights to the content of OUR monthly challenges.  We work very hard to come up with a completely original list every month and we ask that anyone who decides to host their own PLEASE not use any of our content in any way, shape, or form.  It's already happened more than once and it was NOT cool!
Thank you!

If you decide to join us, which we sincerely hope you do, please don't forget to tag us so we can see all the awesome pictures and follow you back (if we don't already)!

Have fun and see you on Instagram...or Twitter!

Review: Mercy

Title: Mercy 
Author:  Pam Dingée
Publication: Sept 24, 2013 by Amazon
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 3 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Eden has had a tough year and is trying to bounce back from the tragedy of her father passing recently, and she’s also hoping to learn to love and trust again all while going through a sticky divorce with the Dick.

Dom is Eden’s BFF’s brother, he’s also a bit of a player and a sexy distraction for Eden. He wants to earn Eden's trust, but she's been burned before and is skeptical. Can Dom help by being a good friend to Eden and steer her in the right direction?

Eden is 22 years old and has recently lost her father. She’s also going through a messy divorce with Richard, aka Dick. They’ve been married for 3 years, but Eden recently discovered Dick was being unfaithful. For the past month, Eden has been staying in her best friend Aly’s guest house as she saves money to get back on her feet. Eden and Aly work side-by-side at the same beauty salon, and they’ve been close ever since they met while earning their cosmetology degrees at the Las Vegas School of Beauty. Aly’s husband, Sloane, and her older brother, Dominic, work with Dick at Vegas Builds.

Eden can’t help but be attracted to Dom even though she is pretty sure he’s a big player. Soon she finds out that Dom’s feelings for her run much deeper than friendship, but Eden’s not sure if she’s quite ready to cross that friendship line into something more. She’s still nursing a broken heart and doesn’t want to get hurt again.

I’ve always enjoyed reading stories about people who were friends first before they fell in love. And Dom was definitely a swoonworthy love interest -- he was hardworking, loyal, protective, funny, cheesy at times...and of course, hot!

Mercy was a quick and easy read, but the conversational writing style took a little getting used to. It was very informal, almost like sitting down to have coffee or a cocktail with a friend and discussing the ups and downs of her love life. There were a few flashbacks which provided a peek into how Dom and Eden’s friendship and attraction grew over the years, and I wish there were more of these. A couple of times the point of view abruptly switched to Dom’s, and that was a bit jarring. Maybe if there had been more chapters included from his point of view it would have been a smoother transition for the reader. At times I felt annoyed with Eden’s immaturity, but then again, 22 is still pretty young and the characters’ actions seemed realistic for someone that age.

Despite these small issues, I found Mercy to be an entertaining read and would recommend it to fans of new adult romance.

 

Review: Lady Thief (Scarlet #2)

Title: Lady Thief (Scarlet #2)
Author:  A.C. Gaughen
Publication: February 11, 2014 by Walker Childrens
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 5 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.

Lady Thief is the second book in a trilogy that is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. Scarlet was an unputdownable read that I raced through in just one day (although I’m sure I’ll go back and reread it again more slowly to savor it!). Lady Thief picks up soon after the events of Scarlet. Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed and she has been forced to marry Gisbourne. Her husband is returning to Nottinghamshire, though no one knows why since there is no sheriff to hire him as a thief taker. They soon find out that when he married Scarlet, he assumed her father’s land and title (Lord Leaford), and the contract also gave him the right to petition the prince for the sheriff position. He makes Scarlet a deal--if she agrees to live with him while the prince is there and try to dress, speak, and act like a lady, he’ll grant her an annulment.

Considering that the only reason she married him was to save Robin Hood’s life, Scarlet decides to comply with Gisbourne’s wishes. But she can’t help but wonder, What’s the catch? Can she really trust that he will be true to his word? And will Gisbourne be named sheriff, or will the people wishes to see Robin Hood made sheriff come true?

Wow, what an intense and emotional read! My heart just ached for Scarlet and Rob and all the suffering they had to endure. The love and longing between the two of them felt so real and it almost took my breath away. And those kissing scenes! Let’s just say I had to fan myself a little while reading. I never thought I’d find myself swooning over Robin Hood, but I stand corrected.

I really admired Scarlet as a heroine. She was stubborn and flawed, but she was also incredibly strong, brave, and devoted to those she loved. When Gisbourne abused her both physically and emotionally, she stood up for herself time and time again like a true fighter.

So often I am disappointed in sequels or second books in trilogies, but I am happy to say that I loved Lady Thief even more than the first book. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series (which is as yet untitled). Give this series a try if you like action, adventure, and swoonworthy romance.

Review: Curl Up and Dye

Title: Curl Up and Dye
Author: Sharon Sala
Publication: February 4, 2014 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

A brand new Southern women's fiction from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sharon Sala who has 1.5 million books sold.

Wally Lamb meets Steel Magnolias in this story of LilyAnn Bronte, the Peachy-Keen Queen, which in Blessings, Georgia, was the epitome of success. After losing her fiance in the war in Iraq, her zest for life went into decline while added weight crept on. When a new guy arrives in town, LilyAnn embarks on a quest to remake herself from start to finish only to discover that love was always just right next-door.

Back in high school, LilyAnn Bronte was the head cheerleader, the homecoming queen, and the valedictorian. She dated the star quarterback, Randy Joe, and was named the Peachy Keen Queen. She seemed to have everything going for her and her future was bright until Randy Joe joined the Army and went off to war, never to return. Not only did LilyAnn lose her first love, she also lost her way in life. Years later, she is still grieving Randy Joe, and she has let herself go in many ways. She’s stayed out of the dating pool but has only recently started to feel as if she might want to jump back in. When a handsome new man comes to town, it motivates her to start taking better care of herself with a major lifestyle overhaul. She believes that she needs to get her act together and work on her appearance if she wants to attract and impress this newcomer.

What LilyAnn doesn’t know, however, is that there already is a man who loves her just the way she is. Mike Dalton, her neighbor and childhood friend, has never mustered up the courage to tell LilyAnn how he feels. So he continues to pine for her secretly and give her the space she needs to grieve her loss. He can’t help but wonder, what will it take for LilyAnn to notice him as more than a friend? Or is it too late--will she end up falling for another man instead?

I enjoyed this sweet love story set in the charming town of Blessings, Georgia. The tone is lighthearted for most of the story (except for a few intense scenes). The secondary characters were all interesting in their own right, especially Ruby Dye, beautician and owner of The Curl Up and Dye hair salon. It was fun to see just how much Ruby knew about everyone’s business since her salon functioned as a sort of town confessional. Gossip moved pretty quickly through this small town, and Ruby always had the scoop. She also helped people work through their problems. My mom is a hairdresser, and I think she’d really like this character, too!

I’m interested in seeing where this series goes and which characters are featured in the next book. If you like The Curl Up and Dye, you can also check out Color Me Bad, a novella also set in Blessings, Georgia.

#BSMPhotoADay in February 2014

Christmas was so crazy busy that we lost track of time and didn't get to work on a new list for January's #BSMPhotoADay. Now it's February (whoa!) and it's back with all new, fun prompts dedicated to our favorite book boyfriends/girlfriends.

Book Boyfriend (or Girlfriend) Superlatives

Reminders

• This challenge is conducted on Instagram, but you're welcome to join via Twitter or Facebook.
• Please tag all photos with #BSMPhotoADay.
• The Book Soulmates account on Instagram (http://instagram.com/booksoulmates) is run and accessed by all of us at Booksoulmates.  Each photo will be tagged with the name of the person who uploaded.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions on any of our daily prompts!

We are very thankful that everyone's support has helped make this feature so popular.  We understand that we're not the first and won't be the last to come up with a #photoaday challenge.  We do not have a copyright on this idea.  We do, however, have copyrights to the content of OUR monthly challenges.  We work very hard to come up with a completely original list every month and we ask that anyone who decides to host their own PLEASE not use any of our content in any way, shape, or form.  It's already happened more than once and it was NOT cool!
Thank you!

If you decide to join us, which we sincerely hope you do, please don't forget to tag us so we can see all the awesome pictures and follow you back (if we don't already)!

Have fun and see you on Instagram...or Twitter!