To Whisper Her Name

Friends!

Wow, has it been a while--or has it been a while?! FEW! I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to review again! *sniff*

But, this forced hiatus has been GREAT for my TBR pile! It's only about three stories high now, as opposed to five. That's improvement, right? ;)

If you have followed me for a while you know that this book (TO WHISPER HER NAME) has taken me a looooong time to get excited about. I know, I know--its Tamera Alexander! She's amazing--what's the big deal, Amber?

I LU-HUVED her first books, but these newer ones..... I just can't get excited. Am I the only one that can't do any more post-Civil War stories--from the South?! After this one, I think I am done. At least for like twelve years. OBVIOUSLY, there's a huge market for them and I'm not who they are catering to.... but I digress...

I know this review won't be popular with the masses, but I need to "mine own self be true"...or however that saying goes.... *slanted smile*

Book Rating: Here a little, there a little

First, PLEASE let me say that I know in most circles this book is extremely popular and in truth, there is nothing inherently wrong with this story. It's beautifully written and the hero and heroine are well developed--which for me was the saving grace. Annnnnd there was some great romantic tension in parts, as well as a few FAB-ulous kisses. *wink, wink*

As much as I enjoyed Olivia Aberdeen and the likable hero, Ridley Cooper, I found most of the plot quite slow and in the end--there was nothing to compel me to continue reading. Not a super great sign--I like a book to consume me. If I have to stop reading to change the laundry over or break up a fight, I want to be gagging to get back to the book. It was just too easy for me to put this one down.

I know a lot of my reader friends out there found this one to be fabulous! So, I'd love to hear from you. Please tell me what it was about this story that you enjoyed!

Be looking for more reviews in the coming weeks!!!

HUGS and
HAPPY READING!!
Buy It!

Today is your lucky day!

You're not going to believe what I did.

Allow me to explain....

I've been working hard (as I'm sure you can imagine) to get everything ready for my book's release. A thrilling--albeit overwhelming--experience. My learning curve is straight up and although I'm striving to make it as "smooth sailing" as possible, it's not without mishaps.

Here's where we get to the--eh, hem--embarrassing part.

As I was uploading my book onto the Kindle site and preparing everything to be "just right", I kept waiting for them to ask something like "What day do you want this book to be available on Amazon," or "Enter the date you would like your book to go live". But I never saw anything like that, so I continued filling in blanks and reviewing, etc.

Until finally, they said, (I'm paraphrasing...), "Everything looks great. Wanna publish it?"

So, I thought, "Well, sure I do--and I bet they'll ask me about the date soon--they have to."

Click.

Annnnnnnnnd not too long later I got an emailing saying something like, "Congratulations, your book is now available on Amazon.com".

WHAT?

Yep.

Call it inexperience, call it the-act-of-a-frazzled-mother-trying-to-do-her-best-with-children-screaming-at-the-door, call is fate, call it crazy. But whatever you call it--it won't change the fact that the book that was going to be available May 12 is available NOW for your Kindle.

That's right, my book is FOR SALE!!! CRAZY!!!

The paperbacks are still coming soon and MIGHT even be available a bit sooner than planned, but that remains to be seen.

So, there's the embarrassing story of how one fledgling indie writer unexpectedly released her book a month early. It's ok if you laugh. It won't hurt my feelings. I promise. *wink*

But as one fabulous friend and fellow author said, "Amber, if you think that was an accident you're crazy. God wanted you to put this book out there now--because someone needs to read it." Those words have meant a lot to me and I can't help but wonder if she isn't completely right. (But if I tell her as much, it might give her a big head and we certainly don't want that..... *teehee*)

While we're on the subject of said friend and author, let me take a moment to tell you about her and share her generous review of SO FAIR A LADY.

I was honored to have Jennifer Major, author and Queen of the infamous blog, Tales from the Redhead, read my story and encourage me through these past weeks. Her review really lifted my nervous and apprehensive spirits, and she's been kind enough to allow me to share it with you.

Take it away, Jennifer:

"Eliza and Kitty Campbell are in royal trouble.
Their father is dead, their future is unsure, and they are knee deep in the midst of political turmoil that might tear them apart. But never fear, Samuel Martin is here. And there. And everywhere.
Thomas Watson is in royal trouble too, but the kind that gets you dead. The kind that Samuel Martin seems to have far too much skill at, and far too frightening for a young man alone.
Thomas Watson’s friend and mentor, Robert Campbell, was a spy for the Sons of Liberty, and his secrets have thrown his two daughters into a realm of intrigue, danger and certain death. Thomas must save them, and many others, and yet who can he trust? Where can he hide two women? And how far must he go before his actions are unforgivable?

Amber Perry sent me a copy of So Fair A Lady…and robbed me of sleep!!!
I was stressed, nervous, and had to take frequent chocolate breaks just to cope with Thomas and Eliza’s perils and problems! The story starts at a hard place and just plunges the reader down the waterfall, then out through the rapids, swirls through the white water than BAM, you’re down another chute!
I am a huge fan of Laura Frantz, Lori Benton and Tamara Leigh, and now? Amber Perry! I would HIGHLY recommend So Fair A Lady if you want to squirm, swoon and pray for the characters!
An excellent read, and seriously, you can sleep tomorrow night, right?"

Jennifer, God bless you for such a great review and thank you for your unending support!!!!!

Because of this unexpected release, I have decided to do a GIVEAWAY!!! One lucky winner will receive a copy of SO FAIR A LADY!!! Please leave your email addy in a comment below and I'll be picking said winner on May 2. (Shipping in America and Canada only, sorry. :( ) Please enter and share with your friends!!!!

So, now that my book is available on Kindle AND paperback, let me just say....

Happy Reading--and......
BUY IT!!!

The Pursuit of Tamsen LittleJohn

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!"

Oh, honey, you're gonna inhale this book, believe me.

Book Rating: Best of the Best

Nothing will prepare you for the sheer brilliance of this story. The prose, the visuals, the characters, the setting--you will LIVE this novel (yes, live) and you will LOVE every minute of it!

Here are the top 5 reasons you won't be able to put it down.

5. Location, location, location. I've said it before and I'll said it again: there are typically three main characters in a great story--a hero, a heroine, and a setting. A good setting knows when to ebb and flow--it never out-shines and it never under-plays. It stays strong and steady, anchoring the characters as the story goes along. This book, had a fabulous setting!!

4. "Villain, villain, bo-billain, billain. Banana-fana . . ." ok, you get the point. ;) I really liked this novel's bad guy!!! AND I really liked that the third point of view, was actually NOT from the villain, but gave you a great idea of what the villain was doing, etc. Very unique.

3. Tamsen. *sigh* She was fabulous. I enjoyed her immensely. She was sweet and gentle, but tough and courageous at the same time. Three cheers for Tamsen. (And doesn't she have such a lovely name??)

2. Two words: Jesse Bird. *shudder in delight* Can I get a cool cloth, please? Seriously. Who cannot like a handsome, rugged, mountain-man-type hero? Jesse could do everything awesome and manly, and yet he could be romantic and gentle, too. You know you're swooning right now.

1. Page turning, edge-of-your-seat excitement! This book will keep you up and you won't care that you're exhausted the next day. The story/plot is wonderful and I loved the history that Lori wove-in. She is a master storyteller!! I adored her writing style and I have no doubt you will, too.

And here's the best part!! Lori has graciously offered to GIVE AWAY one copy of this book!!!! So, if you want to be entered, leave your name, email addy and a comment and in two weeks (April 17) I'll draw the name of the lucky winner.

PLEASE let me know when you've read this and what you thought of it!!!!

Happy Reading!
BUY IT!!!

The Soldier's Secrets

The more I read Love Inspired books, the more I like them.

Let's just say this book REALLY made me want to read the first one in the series, Sanctuary for a Lady. It is now on my TBRRN list. (That's "to-be-read-right-now" for those who didn't know. *wink*) And I JUST heard from Naomi that her third book in the series comes out in January of next year!! Yeah!!

Book Rating: Best of the Best

Holy smokes!! This story was excellent. Naomi is a truly gifted writer and she really knows how to hook you into every scene. There's a lot of excellent action, great history (you know I love history!!) and seriously, there's a kiss in this book that is--well, it's perfect.

Bridgett Dubois, the heroine, is very wonderful. Tough, sweet, generous, thoughtful--I really liked her. She is a widow with several children and works hard to make sure they are safe--which isn't an easy task. Her father-in-law is blackmailing her--and what he's forcing her to do could ruin everything. (Don't want to give too much away here, ladies, but it's pretty exciting!!)

Jean Paul (our beloved hero--really, REALLY fabulous) is haunted by his actions during the French Revolution--even though he had acted in the name of liberty. When he meets Bridgett, he finds that perhaps he can open his heart once again, but he fears what she will think of him when she discovers the truth of what he's done.

The emotions that were woven into these characters were very real and at times, extremely touching. One of things that I found especially interesting was the history. The extent of my knowledge about the French Revolution comes from The Scarlett Pimpernel and Les Mis. Not super great. So, this really opened my eyes on some things I had no idea about.

You can't wait to read it, can you?? *teehee*

Congratulations, Naomi, on another wonderful story! I know readers are going to love it, just like I did!!

Happy Reading!
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No Place for a Lady

I was very excited to start this book thanks to a recommendation by my very dear HCR friend, Candy!! Candy has great taste and we have very similar "likes" in books, so I knew I would enjoy this one--and I did!!

Overall, I'm a big Maggie Brendan fan. I've read several of her books, though not all. This particular novel was intriguing enough, but I picked up on a few writerly things that made the story less fabulous than it might have been otherwise . . .

Allow me to explain.

Book Rating: Somewhere between Up All Night'er and Here a little, there a little

Maybe being a writer taints me as a reader, I don't know. But when I started this book I noticed right away a few things that turned me away from the story no matter how engaging it was. I won't spend much time on those things, but let it suffice that I found the actual writing passive and telling a lot of the time which pulled me out of the story.

The basic plot--girl with no family goes to a Colorado ranch and ends up needing to run the place. Honestly, even though there are almost too many of these plots to count, I still like them! There's great conflict, and just so many fabulous opportunities for romance, don't you think? *grin* The premise and setting were intriguing enough to keep me interested, but honestly it was the characters that I found less so . . .

The heroine, Crystal, didn't really come alive to me. I didn't get to know her and "feel" her emotions and struggles as I would have liked, but I think that might have been due to the writing style. Again, this is just my opinion. As for the hero, it's hard not to fall for a cowboy--am I right?! In this case, Luke is pretty great. However, even though their relationship just didn't have to spark I was looking for. But again, that might have been due to the writing style--or maybe it's just an Amber thing.

There were some really great scenes that I don't think I've ever really seen in another book--won't say what they are cuz I don't want to give it away . . . but in that repsect, I found it a very enjoyable read.

Thank you, Cathy for this fabulous recommendation! And please, if any of you ever have a recommendation please let me know--I'm always excited to learn about new books!

Happy Reading!
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The Ransom

Imagine me 13 years younger, in a cute blue and white cheerleader outfit with a smile the size of Montana.... and don't you dare laugh! ....OK, maybe you can laugh a little bit.

Give me an "A": A!
Give me an "L": L!
Give me an "E": E!
Give me an "X": X!

Gooooooooo, ALEX!!! WOOOO!!!!! (Jumping up and down, waving pom-poms kicking--etc, etc.)

Well, I can tell you couldn't imagine such a thing without rolling on the floor, IN TEARS from laughter, but seriously--you will do the same thing when you read MaryLu's new book The Ransom. It is definitely one of THE BEST!

Book Rating: Best of the Best

I knew I was going to love this book. I am a HUGE MaryLu fan--in fact I can't think of a single one of her books that I didn't devour in a matter of days--or hours in some cases! This book was no different.

Juliana Dutton is not unlike many heroine's you have read about--but that doesn't stop her from being fabulous! Stubborn and brave, Juliana is determined to continue her mother's legacy of caring at the orphanage and run her dying father's business no matter what anyone says--or does to stop her! If only she can get that dashing--and frighteningly mysterious--Pirate Earl out of her mind.

Alex Hyde is just about one of the most dashing heroes I have ever read, ladies. (Hence the cheering at the beginning...) The thing I really enjoyed about this hero was his struggle to find himself and his eventual "coming to Christ".  Not only were his good looks (think Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Hunstman...) and charm enough to make any woman stay up until three in the morning, you get to enjoy several FABULOUS rescue scenes, and we KNOW ladies love a damsel in distress, right?! *teehee* At least I do....

There are so many fun twists and mysteries in this book, I don't want to say much more for fear of giving anything away. But I will say this--the setting, Port Royal, Jamaica was enchanting! MaryLu can always make you feel, taste and smell everything around you. Let's just say, as much as I loved it, I wouldn't have wanted to visit there! Yikes! (Read it and you'll know what I mean!)

Thank you so much, MaryLu, for allowing me to read this as an influencer! I loved every word and can't wait for more!!

Here's where the GIVEAWAY comes in! If you are interested in being entered to win, please comment below and tell me which of MaryLu's books is your favorite! Don't forget to leave your email addy. This giveaway will be open for two weeks. Tell your friends! Believe me--you'll want to read this!

Can't wait to hear what you think about this one!

HUGS ALWAYS!


Happy Reading!!
BUY IT! (Just FYI, right now it's only available in ebook, but in a few days it will be available in print as well!!)

With Autumn's Return

It's hard to place a book below my two highest ratings, but sometimes it just has to be done. For the most part I'm a pretty big Amanda Cabot fan. Unfortunately, this novel couldn't keep me interested. Bummer.

Book Rating: Here a little, there a little

When it comes to series books, you like to see the last one go out with a bang, because--heck--its the last one and you expect it to be good, right? Well, for me, this one just didn't have what it takes to keep lil' Miss Amber gagging for more. The first two books in this series were nice--but this one reminds me more of book one (Summer of Promise) which was fairly mild romance-wise. I thought book two (Waiting for Spring) was more exciting in the "lovey dovey" department as well as the excitement/drama department. But you'll just have to read it yourself to make your own decision.

The heroine, Elizabeth Harding, is sweet enough. And the hero, Jason Nordling, is all right . . . but the romance (in my opinion) was flat and there wasn't much of interest to keep me wanting more as far as the plot was concerned. I didn't ever think, "I have to keep reading to know what happens next!"

Annnnnnnnnnd, that's when I start skimming.

Let's talk about skimming for a second. I think we all do it to some degree or another, and with some books it's more tempting to do than others. How often do you skim and are you a page by page skimmer or do you just do paragraphs? Frankly, if I am really bored I'll skip entire pages, scanning for words that seem interesting and if I don't find anything, I usually just skim to the end.

But . . . enough of that. Back to the book. Amanda Cabot typically has a much milder style in both her actual writing and in her plots and characters--and that's a good thing. We need different kinds of authors because there are all kinds of different readers, right? If you are looking for something real sweet, and something you can pick up and put down over time--because you have chores and screaming kids that need you, then this is it. *wink*

If you've read it--let me know what you think!!

~Thank you to Revell for my free copy in exchange for my honest review~

Happy Reading!
Buy it!