What If Everybody Said That? by Ellen Javernick - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining Blue Slip Media for a stop along their current tour featuring a Storybook release that's not simply about telling a good tale, but about TEACHING something along the way.  It takes a lesson that can be hard learned, turns it into something relatable with a dose of fun, and leaves you with a mission to carry forth from the page into real life.  Sound good?  Alrighty then, let's do this!  Ready or not, today's book of choice is on deck...

What If Everybody Said That?

by

Ellen Javernick

Illustrated by

Colleen Madden

9781503948952

Two Lions

About the book...

What if everybody chose to be kind?

If you tell someone that they can’t play with you, there’s no harm done, right? But what if everybody said that? What if everybody forgot to be kind…and made fun of other kids’ artwork at school, or told a fib, or refused to share with a person in need? The world wouldn’t be a very nice place to live. But what if everybody thought before they spoke, so the world would be a kinder place?

AMAZON  |  B&N  |  INDIEBOUND

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Right from the start, you can't help but be drawn in.  I mean, the title alone would do it with all the ponderings it brings to mind, but combine that with the cover, you just know something is about to go down, and you want to be a part of it...or perhaps not.  You see, our little leading lady is being anything but angelic.  Now don't get me wrong, people should be free to be themselves, but that goes for EVERYONE, and ridiculing, picking on, or name calling is for the birds...well, okay, not even them, but you know what I mean.  No one likes to be on the receiving end of things in that type of situation, and no one should be.  If only we would all take a moment to think about the other person's feelings, consider how our words might be taken...or pose the question, what if everybody said that?

It's a real eye opening story, and the illustrations really give it that 1-2 punch.  You can see the feelings on both their faces when comments are made, almost hearing the judgment being passed, the hearts/dreams being broken.  It really reminds us to CHOOSE KINDNESS in all our daily actions and reactions.  Honestly, you never know how those words said in the heat of the moment, or without a passing thought, are going to impact the person they are being said to.  You might stop the next Picasso from becoming the artist they were meant to be, the next scientist in training from discovering the cure to incurable diseases, or even simply put the extra dose of lighter fluid on someone's already "stellar" day that could have used your moment of kindness, encouragement, or even simply...silence.  Hey, I don't know about you, but I was always told "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all"...certainly can't go wrong there, but reaching out that helping hand, or extending that kind word is definitely a step up too.

Recommended read for kiddos of all ages because really...who couldn't use a reminder to think before we speak...especially in today's world? 

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About the author...

Ellen Javernick is the author of more than twenty books for children, including the Children’s Choice Book Award finalist The Birthday Pet, illustrated by Kevin O’Malley, and the bestselling picture book What If Everybody Did That?, illustrated by Colleen Madden. She has been an elementary school teacher for more than twenty years and currently teaches second grade. She lives in Loveland, Colorado.

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About the illustrator...

Colleen Madden is the illustrator of numerous children’s books, including the picture book adaptation of All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and the bestselling picture book What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons. To see more of her work, visit her online

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Special thanks to Barbara and Sarah at Blue Slip Media for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

BEFORE YOU GO...

DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

UP FOR GRABS...

(1) COPY OF WHAT IF EVERYBOY SAID THAT? by Ellen Javernick


*Open to US/Canada residents; no P.O. Boxes please.
Entries accepted through midnight, August 7th, 2018.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



RRR presents... OH CRUMBS by Kathryn Freeman - SPOTLIGHT + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining a blog tour already in progress via Rachel's Random Resources.  It stars a Contemporary Romance novel that from the sound of things has a bit of snark, a few good laughs, and A LOT of heart.  So, if you're ready to add another title to your reading list, please...KEEP READING...because today's book of choice is on deck...

Oh Crumbs

by

Kathryn Freeman

Choc Lit

About the book...

Sometimes life just takes the biscuit …
Abby Spencer knows she can come across as an airhead – she talks too much and is a bit of a klutz – but there’s more to her than that. Though she sacrificed her career to help raise her sisters, a job interview at biscuit company Crumbs could finally be her chance to shine. That’s until she hurries in late wearing a shirt covered in rusk crumbs, courtesy of her baby nephew, and trips over her handbag.

Managing director Douglas Faulkner isn’t sure what to make of Abby Spencer with her Bambi eyes, tousled hair and ability to say more in the half-hour interview than he manages in a day. All he knows is she’s a breath of fresh air and could bring a new lease of life to the stale corporate world of Crumbs. To his life too, if he’d let her.

But Doug’s harbouring a secret. He’s not the man she thinks he is.

AMAZON  US  |  UK

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Prize...

(1) paperback copy of Too Damn Nice by Kathryn Freeman!

 (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About author Kathryn Freeman...

A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also writes romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero.

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to buy a card (yes, he does), any romance is all in my head. Then again, his unstinting support of my career change proves love isn't always about hearts and flowers - and heroes come in many disguises.

SITE   |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to Amazon to snag your copy today!  Be sure to check out the other stops on this tour as it makes its way through the blogosphere for more bookish fun...

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



PUYB presents... Navy SEAL's Match by Amber Leigh Williams!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining Pump Up Your Book for a stop along their current tour featuring a new Contemporary Romance via Harlequin Books!  It's from their Superromance line toting books with "more story...more romance", and honestly, it lives up to the tagline.  So, if you're ready to discover your next must read, scroll on because today's book of choice and blog tour guest is on deck...

Navy SEAL's Match

Fairhope, Alabama, Book 6

by

Amber Leigh Williams

9781335449221

Harlequin

“I know it’d be better for you if I left.” “You let me be the judge of that,” she advised. “The moment you’re burdened by me,” he said, slowly, “I’m out of here.” She didn’t agree. No. Instead, she raised herself onto her toes. Gavin’s eyes closed and his breath hitched as her kiss washed breathily over his lips and blew him away. Answers cropped up inside him, bright like candles. His hand moved to the back of her head, no more able to snuff them out than he was to convince her to walk away.

About the book...

He believes he can’t be saved—she’ll prove him wrong!

Former SEAL Gavin Savitt always knew who he was—until his last deployment ended tragically. Now he’s home, his mind hijacked by trauma and the shadow of his once-perfect sight. Yet in this new hazy, unclear world, one person stands out—Mavis Bracken.

There are a million reasons why Gavin shouldn’t be with Mavis, including that she’s his best friend’s little sister. Yet he longs for her touch, her freckles and her special way with wild, skittish beasts like him. He just needs the courage to take his life back. And Mavis won’t let him give up without a fight.

HARLEQUIN

AMAZON | BAMM | B&N

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Okay, truth be told, I initially had a hard time getting into this one. I WANTED to fall in love from the start, but I wasn't feeling the connections with the characters, their histories, or the story itself.

Mavis and Gavin felt like a one-off situation, not likely to actually happen. I mean they were both incredible characters, so much stronger than either believed and with so much heart buried beneath the layers, but a relationship? It felt like a shot in the dark...but then things started to change. We were shown the "demons" in both of their closets and how they've struggled against them over the years. We were brought into their circle of friends, and chosen family...because let's face it, some of the blood relatives were SO not worth the space they took up (hello, Tiffany!)...and invited to feel the love that surrounded them, even in their darkest moments. We witnessed the power of love not to heal, but to aid in the process, and the how that love can help move mountains. But wait...if you think they had it easy once they recognized something they might want to pursue, think again. I personally wanted to throttle Kyle for the asinine things he said and did....I don't care if his thought process was protecting his sister; he took it WAY too far! Then we have Tiffany, who I simply wanted to hurl off a cliff...the nerve of that woman, and to even call herself a mother was absolutely ridiculous! Quite literally the whole of their little town was against these two from the word go, but go they did and the miles they covered were well, let's just say they were worth it in the end.

All in all, it was a great story with a man formerly in uniform that's more than a little rough around the edges, learning to take life one moment, one heartbeat at a time. It reminds us to appreciate the little things, never take people for granted, and to let love in! Oh and Prometheus was a TOTAL BONUS! A more loving and supportive dog you couldn't ask for...

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About the author...

Amber Leigh Williams is a romance writer who lives on the US Gulf Coast. She lives for beach days, the smell of real books and spending time with her husband and their two young children. When she’s not keeping up with rambunctious little ones (and two large dogs), she can usually be found reading a good book or indulging her inner foodie. Amber is represented by the D4EO Literary Agency. 

Amber’s latest book is the contemporary romance, Navy SEAL’S Match.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book and to the Harlequin Books team for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the series, the publisher, THIS TOUR, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Booksparks #PopUpBlogTour: UNTAMED COWBOY by Maisey Yates!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Booksparks is at it again with another....

#PopUpBlogTour!

That's right!

It's time for another FABULOUS #PopUpBlogTour thanks to the wonderful folks at Booksparks who are eager to put YOU right there with the best of the best of recently released titles. Take today's for example...it's the latest addition to author Maisey Yates' Gold Valley series, and is heart-meltingly yummy in SO Many ways!  What...what's that face for?  You have your doubts?  Pfft!  You HAVE read her work before, right...because if not that TOTALLY explains it, but I'm not one to really judge in that area seeing as it took me long enough to take the plunge into these rancher ridden tales (still don't care for the gear that goes along with the role, sorry not sorry!), but I CAN say that I've not looked back once!  So, if you're ready to discover your next MUST READ, ladies and gents, cowboys and cowgirls, cozy up in your favorite reading spot as we explore...

Untamed Cowboy

A Gold Valley Novel, Book 2

by

Maisey Yates

9781335900708

HQN

About the book...

In Gold Valley, Oregon, love might be hiding in plain sight…

Some things are too perfect to mess with. Bennett Dodge’s relationship with Kaylee Capshaw is one of them. They work together at their veterinary clinic and have been best friends for years. When Bennett’s world is rocked by the appearance of a son he didn’t know he had, he needs Kaylee more than ever. And he doesn’t want anything else to change. But then Kaylee kisses him, and nothing will ever be the same…

Kaylee’s done her best to keep her feelings for the man she’s loved since high school hidden away, but one unguarded moment changes everything, and now there’s no more denying the chemistry that burns between them. But the explosion of desire changes all the rules, and what’s left could destroy their bond—or bring them to a love that’s deeper than she ever imagined…

HARLEQUIN

AMAZON  |  BAMM  |  B&N

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This one had me from the word go!

Picture it...a girl and guy friendship that's been built from the early teens.  They run in the same social circles, help each other out, bring the other up when they are down and celebrate their wins as much if not more so than anybody else.  Their life paths haven't diverted for nary a second straight through adulthood...but their hearts, now that's a different matter all together.  Kaylee has carried a flame for Bennett from the start, but with her rocky home life, she couldn't bare to lose the one person she felt connected to if those feelings weren't mutual.  Bennett convinced himself from the moment he saw her sad face in childhood that he would be the one to make her smile, but committing in the relationship department is hard for him because he needs order, planning, and love can be so...messy.  Yeah, he has baggage that needs to be unloaded too, but that simply made his decision once upon a time to keep Kaylee as his best friend ever THAT much easier.  Thing is...these two are a match made in heaven if they can ever come together...and it might just take a monkey wrench (hey Dallas!) in the most unexpected form to make that happen...with firework worthy results!

Like I said, SOLD FROM GO!  I adored the characters, the depth the author gave to them, and watching them work through their issues from the past towards a potentially glorious future.  You would have never pegged Bennett for someone with a secret, but the one he kept was a doozy!  Learning of Kaylee's struggles was heartbreaking, but watching her bond with Dallas was smile inducing...as was when he would get the best of her!  The Dodge's are certainly a colorful bunch, but they have the biggest hearts, and anyone would be lucky to know them, let alone be apart of their family, because once you are...they'll never let you go.  

So, if you're in the mood for years of longing coming to the point of no return, a past secret coming to light in a whole new way, and characters you'll love from the big (Bennett...*sigh*) to the small (so many animals to love!), this is definitely a book that should be on your TO READ list.  

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About the author...

USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit.

SITE  |  TWITTER  |  FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to the Booksparks (and the Booksharks!) crew and the Harlequin Books team for the chance to bring this #PopUpBlogTour to you as well as the ARC copy for review.  (THANK YOU!)  for more information on this title, the author, the series, the publisher, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via HQN, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

The Writing on the Wall... Purchase Requirements aka My "I Was an Amazon Policy Victim" Story

Hiya folks!

Welcome back to...yeah, you know where you're at after TWO other posts today, I'm sure, but just in case, it's Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.  Got it?  You meant to be here?  FABULOUS!  YOU ROCK!  Now, let's get to something less than stellar...

It's quite literally been YEARS since I drug this MEME type puppy out of the archives, but time became extremely premium, and reviews took precedence over my own mindful ramblings...but not today.  Today something has moved me so much that I had to speak out about it.  Call it lack of sleep (which is true), call it a result of the uber stress in my work life right now (so true that statement doesn't even BEGIN to cover it!), call it what you will....but those of you in the book bloggy world have seen versions of this story a hundred times over already, and now, I've become a victim too.  Today's topic...

PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS

So, recently I fell victim to changes in Amazon's policies. According to their newish rules, my nine or so odd years of reviews are no longer valid, accurate, "helpful" as rated by other shoppers...because of a very specific rule from a year or two past...

"To write a Customer Review, you must have used your account to make at least $50.00 in purchases in the past 12 months on Amazon.com with a valid credit or debit card. Once your order has shipped, you'll be able to write your first customer review."

Wait...I haven't purchased at least $50 worth of merchandise within the last 12 months with a credit or debit card? *blink blink* Um, okay.  So basically purchases made with all the gift cards I had (mostly from birthday/holiday presents) that ONLY WORK FOR THEIR SITE don't count.  Wow, way to go Amazon.  So, at this point, I have to say I'm sorry to all the authors, publishers, and publicists out there (for those past reviews that no longer exist), but I'm not going to basically pay Amazon for the "privilege" of posting on their site. 

I make purchases for items online quite often, but FROM WHERE I WANT, and it's not always this conglomerate...mea culpa...or not. T-shirts? TeeTurtle is my bag (love those cute and bookish shirts)! Foam soap? Point me to Bath & Body Works (most recent order just arrived last night, so I'm swimming in Fall scents!). Books? Publisher sites directly, BookOutlet, BAMM, and SOMETIMES Amazon, but it depends where I see the title I'm currently looking for and let's face it, where the best pricing/bonus comes from. Just recently I purchased (ironically) over $50 in books when obtaining the Orville Wellington series (AWESOME SERIES, seriously, book one in audio rocked my world!)...and while I priced Amazon, BAMM was a better deal. 

So, longish story short, I can no longer promise an Amazon review... I'm not banned, but I can't promise I'll keep my purchasing in line with their demands. Guess we know what they're really about, huh?  😒 Thanks for listening, sorry if I've offended, and if any of you need to rescind your review requests, feel free. I'll post the heck out of the reviews everywhere else, but the mogul is off my list.