RRR presents... FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY KNICKERS by Eliza Watson - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're taking part in a Rachel's Random Resources tour starring a work of Women's Fiction that will have you catching the travel bug.  Don't say I didn't warn you!  Get ready to make your way through places on your bucket list whilst we catch up with Caity Shaw in today's book of choice...

Flying by the Seat of My Knickers

The Travel Mishaps of Caity Shaw, Book 1

by

Eliza Watson

About the book...

Why run from your troubles when you can fly instead?

When Caity Shaw is fired from her first job that doesn’t require an elf uniform, her older sister, Rachel, an event planner, hires her to work a meeting in Dublin. Caity jumps at the opportunity to travel abroad and escape her pathetic life. However, even four thousand miles from home, there’s no avoiding debt collectors, an overbearing mother, and haunting memories of a controlling ex.

While in Dublin, Caity suffers a series of humiliating mishaps, causing her to lose even more faith in herself. Caity struggles to earn Rachel’s respect—and to keep Declan, her hot Irish coworker, at arm’s length. Declan repeatedly saves Caity’s butt and helps boost her self-confidence, making it difficult to keep her distance from the charming womanizer. When Declan helps her research her Irish grandmother, Caity discovers the mysterious past of the courageous woman she barely knew might hold the answers to her future.

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Psst!

This title will be FREE to download WORLDWIDE for the duration of the blog tour!

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Apparently, I've been in a traveling-to-find-yourself-again sort of mood because several of my recent reads have had that in common. This one was a quickie...and while I didn't dislike it, I can't say I fell fully in love. Here's the scoop...

Personally, I think it had SO MANY story lines to explore and frankly not enough pages to conquer them all leaving that is left us with loose ends aplenty...and I'm the sort of gal who likes things all tied up.  Now don't get me wrong, it was humor filled (hello sausage costume!), courage inspiring (tackling a new job is hard as it is, but pin on to that having to live up to family expectations and you've got yourself a mess of stress!), panic inducing (well, things tended to snowball around her unfortunately...not to mention her back history), and swoon inducing (player or not, Declan was a charmer and seemed genuine)...but there was a whole other side of the characters, including our leading lady, that I wish we had a chance to explore.  Perhaps in the installments that followed, those wishes were answered, but at this point in time/reading, I was bitten by the travel bug, yet left wanting more.

Still, it WAS entertaining...and being the start of a series, it does introduce those that seem to be potential key players in said series rather well.  Maybe her next trip abroad will not only have her opening up to her own possibilities, both past and present, but to readers as well.

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About the author...

Eliza Watson is a USA Today Bestselling Author. When Eliza isn't traveling for her job as an event planner, or tracing her ancestry roots through Ireland, she's at home working on her next novel, bouncing ideas off her husband, Mark, and her cats Frankie and Sammy. Learn more about Eliza's books at elizawatson.com.

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Special thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the author for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the series, 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 through to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today!  Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

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



RABT presents... FROM LITTLE HOUSES TO LITTLE WOMEN by Nancy McCabe - EXCERPT!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers. 

Today, we're joining RABT for a spotlight and sample of a Non-Fiction title that dabbles in the Fiction world.  How so?  Well, it takes us along for the ride as the authors travels through some of the real life places her childhood reading adventures took her.  Pretty cool, right?  I thought so, and on that note, let's welcome today's title to the spotlight...

From Little Houses to Little Women
by
Nancy McCabe
Creative Non-Ficion / Memoir / Travel

Date Published: Paperback out this March / eBook November 2014

Publisher: University of Missouri Press

Nancy McCabe, who grew up in Kansas just a few hours from the Ingalls family’s home in Little House on the Prairie, always felt a deep connection with Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House series. McCabe read Little House on the Prairie during her childhood and visited Wilder sites around the Midwest with her aunt when she was thirteen. But then she didn’t read the series again until she decided to revisit in adulthood the books that had so influenced her childhood. It was this decision that ultimately sparked her desire to visit the places that inspired many of her childhood favorites, taking her on a journey that included stops in the Missouri of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Minnesota of Maud Hart Lovelace, the Massachusetts of Louisa May Alcott, and even the Canada of Lucy Maud Montgomery.

From Little Houses to Little Women reveals McCabe’s powerful connection to the characters and authors who inspired many generations of readers. Traveling with McCabe as she rediscovers the books that shaped her and ultimately helped her to forge her own path, readers will enjoy revisiting their own childhood favorites as well.

Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo


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From Chapter 11...

“I can’t even count how many times I’ve read Little Women,” Aunt Shirley had said one day during our Laura Ingalls Wilder tour.  We’d been sitting at a Formica table in a diner in De Smet, SD.  A fan whirred in the window while I ate my usual grilled cheese sandwich and rippled potato chip lunch out of a red basket.

“Me neither,” Jody said, sipping her unsweetened ice tea, smugly, I thought. Jody was special.  She had been named Jo after Jo March, which made me extremely jealous. Not only that, but she was once diagnosed with scarlet fever, such a cool, literary disease, the one that had led to the stroke that blinded Mary Ingalls and triggered the rheumatic fever that resulted in congestive heart failure in the case of Lizzie Alcott, the model for Little Women’s Beth.  Of course, by the late twentieth century, Jody could just feel all literary, take some antibiotics, and be done with it.

. . . .Maybe it was wise that, that day in South Dakota, I kept quiet about my mixed feelings toward Little Women. As Aunt Shirley and Jody talked about it, I became exceptionally absorbed in peeling off the part of my bread that, placed too close to the pickle, was now stained green.

“Have you even read it?” Aunt Shirley turned her attention to me.       

    “Yes,” I answered in the most indignant tone I could muster.

    “You didn’t like it, though.” Aunt Shirley dismissed me.

    “I did, too,” I protested, but she and Jody shook their heads as if they had seen right through me.  

About the Author

Nancy McCabe is the author of four memoirs about travel, books, parenting, and adoption as well as the novel Following Disasters. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Prairie Schooner, Fourth Genre, and many other magazines and anthologies, including In Fact Books’ Oh Baby! True Stories about Conception, Adoption, Surrogacy, Pregnancy, Labor, and Love and McPherson and Company’s Every Father’s Daughter: Twenty-Four Women Writers Remember their Fathers. Her work has received a Pushcart and been recognized on Notable lists in Best American anthologies six times.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Blog  |  Goodreads

Special thanks to Cami at RABT 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.

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

TLC BOOK TOURS presents... The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World by Kristin Rockaway

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining TLC Book Tours for a celebration already in progress starring a work of Women's Fiction that's ready to take you around the world and back again.  Filled with adventure, new places, and new someone's, it's got a lot going for it...and let's not forget the quirky (yet explainable!) title!  So, if you've been trying to ignore your own case of cabin fever, or simply tucked in bed battling an actual fever (so much flu and cold this season!), get ready for a travel expedition you can take right from your living room.  Here comes today's ebook of choice and blog tour guest...

The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World

by

Kristin Rockaway

9781455597543

Center Street

About the book...

Objectively, Sophie is a success: she’s got a coveted job at a top consulting firm, a Manhattan apartment, and a passport full of stamps. It isn’t quite what she dreamed of when she was a teenager dog-earing pages in exotic travel guides, but it’s secure. Then her best friend bails just hours after they arrive in Hong Kong for a girls’ trip, and Sophie meets Carson, a free-spirited, globetrotting American artist. 

In the midst of their whirlwind vacation romance, Carson invites Sophie to join him on his haphazard journey around the world. While the brief international jaunts she sneaks in between business trips don’t feel like enough, Sophie is far too practical to throw away her five-year plan on a whim. Yet Carson’s offer forces her to question whether the reliable life she’s chosen is really what she wants–and she soon discovers that his feelings for her run deeper than she realized.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I gotta say...it's not all sunshine and roses, but I loved it all the more for it.

Picture it...Hong Kong, a girls only trip with your best friend (sorta), a city of new things to try, buy, and explore.  Sounds EXCITING, right?  Well it did...until that bestie decided her on again off again guy back home is on again and ditched her for the states.  (OMG!)  I know...it's okay...I was upset enough for the both of us.  What sort of friend DOES that?  I mean, hello...there's a reason One Tree Hill (dating myself here, I know...but hey, the leading lady is named SOPHIE...ring any fan bells there?) had the whole "hoe's before bro's" thing that has been retagged a hundred times since (sisters before misters, bellas before fellas, hens before mens...geez, I DID NOT realize how many variations there actually were!).  You don't just ditch your gal pal for a fella that may or may not stick (I won't even spoil the "surprise" for you on what the case was here...)...ESPECIALLY in a foreign country!  Okay, done ranting, back to the review....

While we get to explore the great big world with Sophie, it's not the sites that she visits that really hold a candle of memory...it's with WHOM the adventures take place.  That's right.  Our gal doesn't stay solo for long when she makes an unexpected acquaintance, but that's all he is...a fling...right?  Sure...keep telling yourself that...in the mean time, I will say that I like what this new connection does for Sophie.  It grants her permission (in her own mind) to be her WHOLE self.  I don't know about you, but we humans are pretty multifaceted in regards to personality.  It's rare that someone gets to see our entire self, and I'm talking more exposure than simply biblical.  Bodies can be seen, but really getting someone or having someone get you...THAT'S truly scary territory...as Sophie finds out first hand...but once that connection is made and recognized, it's what follows that truly speaks volumes.

In the end, it was a story about traveling this great big world, and not simply uncovering the secrets of the past, but the secrets of our true selves.  It's about unlocking the passions of our hearts, following our dreams, and living in the moment...while still remembering tomorrow will come, it's just how we greet it that counts.  A great tale for those with a travelers soul, as well as fans of Women's Fiction in general.

About the author...

Kristin Rockaway is a native New Yorker with an insatiable case of wanderlust. After working in the IT industry for far too many years, she finally traded the city for the surf and chased her dreams out to Southern California, where she spends her days happily writing stories instead of software. Her debut novel, The Wild Woman’s Guide to Traveling the World, was released from Hachette Book Group in June 2017. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, browsing the aisles of her neighborhood bookstores, and planning her next big vacation.

Find out more about Kristin at her website, and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Special thanks to Trish at TLC Book Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you and to author Kristin Rockaway for the ebook for review.  (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Center Street, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, so click on over to your favorite retailer to snag your copy today.  Don't miss the other AMAZING stops on this tour as it circles the blogosphere for more awesome bookish fun!

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

TLC BOOK TOURS: The Sweet Life by Sharon Struth - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, we're joining a TLC Book Tour already in progress.  It stars a Lyrical Press release that could easily fit into both the Women's Fiction and Romance genres...with a healthy dose of traveling to satisfy any bout of cabin fever you may be experiencing as the hot summer says turn into brisk autumn nights.  So, if you'll kindly grab your carry-ons and follow me, we're about to embark on today's reading escape with our book of choice...

The Sweet Life

A Sweet Life novel

by

Sharon Struth

Lyrical Press

About the book...

In Italy, the best attractions are always off the beaten path . . .
 
Mamie Weber doesn’t know why she survived that terrible car accident five years ago. Physically, she has only a slight reminder—but emotionally, the pain is still fresh. Deep down she knows her husband would have wanted her to embrace life again. Now she has an opportunity to do just that, spending two weeks in Tuscany reviewing a tour company for her employer’s popular travel guide series. The warmth of the sun, the centuries-old art, a villa on the Umbrian border—it could be just the adventure she needs.

But with adventure comes the unexpected . . . like discovering that her entire tour group is made up of aging ex-hippies reminiscing about their Woodstock days. Or finding herself drawn to the guide, Julian, who is secretly haunted by a tragedy of his own, and seems to disapprove any time she tries something remotely risky—like an impromptu scooter ride with a local man.

As they explore the hilltop towns of Tuscany, Mamie knows that when this blissful excursion is over, she’ll have to return to reality. But when you let yourself wander, life can take some interesting detours . . .

Amazon | iBooks | Google | Kobo

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Though I've only seen the films, I liken this read to a cross between Under the Tuscan Sun and My Life in Ruins.  Mamie is reaching for an uncertain future, while Julian is hiding from his past.  Both seem stuck in place due to the pain they are holding so tightly too, but sometimes misery loves company...and in that same vein, company can turn into something more, which can break the shackles of what-once-was-and-can-never-be once and for all.

It was great getting to know Mamie under the guise she originally presented, but more so as the story unfolds.  Hey, a secret identity can be hard to keep (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything), so when the cracks started showing, I couldn't help but feel for her.  She's walked a hard road these last five years and deserved the chance to find her way again.  I was worried she wouldn't get that chance with Julian being so stubborn, but those crazy free-loving-music-loving Wanderers were just the right amount of free spirit to kick things into gear.  As we travel with this wildish and wizened group, we get a history of some of Italy's greatest known landmarks as well as a peek at those places one can only discover by walking off the beaten path...sorta like the way we find OUR true selves and, in the case of our leads, the power of forgiveness.

In the end, the potential love affair was a part of the story, but not the whole shebang.  I actually fancied the other aspects of the tale even more...like taking chances, living for today, sharing our true self with others, and the power of letting go.  Though Mamie and Julian both dwelled a bit much on their own circumstances for my own tastes, they got it together in the end and really, what more can you ask of two characters blown off their charted courses by the winds of fate?

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About the author...

Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, is a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards for Best first Book, and her Blue Moon Lake Novels include the bestseller, Share the Moon.

When she’s not working, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail, travel the world, and enjoy spending time with their precious pets and two grown daughters. She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit www.sharonstruth.com or visit her blog, Musings from the Middle Ages & More.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the team at Lyrical Press for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the series, the author, 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 IN THE TOUR WIDE GIVEAWAY!  YOUR CHANCE TO WIN...

...a $25 AMAZON or B&N Gift Card!

~~~ CLICK HERE TO ENTER ~~~

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