Sherry’s Shelves #186 – Family Comes To Town

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Sherry’s Shelves #185 is my weekly update from 3.3.19 – 3.9.19.

LATEST HAPPENINGS

Hello. Welcome to another edition of Sherry’s Shelves. Well…Mardi Gras is over. Some of the family from Connecticut came down for Spring Break. I was happy Mardi Gras was still going on and we made it to New Orleans for a day of parades. We got pelted with beads…and if you know Mardi Gras…there are never enough beads. The weather started out a bit rainy but mild. Unfortunately, it changed to freezing colod for a couple of nights,but came back mild for their last day…at Pensacola Beach. I hope they enjoyed their time here as much as we enjoyed having the.

Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor

We have chosen our spot, scored some loot and are waiting for the next parade to arrive.

Image may contain: 4 people, including Shelby Ann and Eric Fundin, people smiling, people sitting, tree, sky, child and outdoor

My sister in law and niece, Sharon and Shelby look like they are having a great time. Have to remember to duck when those bags of beads are flying.

Image may contain: 3 people, including Shelby Ann, people smiling, crowd and outdoor

Here’s just some of the treasure we scored!

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We had lunch at Peg Leg Pete’s on Pensacola Beach.

Image may contain: 5 people, including Eric Fundin, Sherry Snider Fundin and Shelby Ann, people smiling, people sitting and indoor

And we always take our visitors to meet the resident aliens.

Image may contain: 4 people, including Sherry Snider Fundin and Eric Fundin, people smiling, sky and outdoor

Sooo, do you have any plans for this weekend?

LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

COMING UP ON fundinmental

I will be adding more, so be sure and stop in or follow me to see what comes next.

  • Giveaway – Drop Dead Gorgeous by Donald Allen Kirch
  • A Wonderful Conclusion – The Price of Paradise by C S Johnson
  • Giveaway – Spells Salt & Steel by Gail Z & Larry N Martin
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Twofer One Sentence Reviews – Family Skeleton Mystery Series by Leigh Perry @Family_Skeleton

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I wanted to share the Family Skeleton Mystery Series books I won from Diversion Books in December, but I wasn’t able to get to it. Still…here’s a couple of Leigh Perry’s stories to curl up with on a cold winter’s day.

The covers are amazingly fun and addictive, but I don’t know who created them.

Publisher: Diversion Books

The Skeleton Paints a Picture (Family Skeleton Mystery #4)

Amazon / Audible / Goodreads

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW FOR THE SKELETON PAINTS A PICTURE

OMG I want to have a dance party with Georgia and Sid in this humorous mystery of theft and murder with dialogue and situations that almost had me rolling around on the floor with laughter and amazement.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

 GOODREADS BLURB

Georgia Thackery, adjunct English professor, has a new job teaching at Falstone College of Art and Design, known as FAD to its students and faculty. Living in a borrowed bungalow during winter in the snowiest part of Massachusetts, Georgia feels her isolation weighing as heavily as the weather. Then she receives a package containing her best friend, Sid, a walking, talking skeleton who has lived with the Thackery family since Georgia was six. With Georgia working out of town, Sid was lonely too.

The two of them make plans for a cozy semester together, and it might have worked out that way if Sid hadn’t snuck out in the middle of the night to play in the snow and spotted a crashed car. When he drags Georgia out to investigate, they find the driver behind the wheel, apparently dead from the collision.

Initially, police think it’s an accident, so Georgia and Sid think that’s the end of it―until Georgia finds out the body hits closer to home than she’d realized…

The Skeleton Makes a Friend (Family Skeleton Mystery #5)

Amazon / Audio / Goodreads

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW FOR THE SKELETON MAKES A FRIEND

This creatively written cozy mystery swept me up and carried me away, through lots of danger with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing while I laughed my way through it, step by step, with fabulously funny characters and dialogue.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Georgia Thackery is feeling pretty good about her summer job teaching at prestigious Cattenhall College, and she’s renting a rustic cabin right by a lake for herself, her daughter, Madison, and her best friend, Sid the Skeleton. Together again, the trio are enjoying the quiet when a teenager named Judy shows up looking for her friend. Georgia doesn’t recognize the name, but she learns that the person Judy was looking for is actually Sid.

Sid reveals that he and Judy are part of a regular online gaming group that formed locally, and one of their members has gone missing. Sid admits that he might have bragged about his investigative prowess, enough so that Judy wants him to find their missing player. Given that Sid doesn’t have many friends IRL―none, really, unless you count the Thackery family―Georgia agrees to help him search. They manage to discreetly enlist Judy, who lives in town, and follow the clues to… a dead buddy. Now they’ve got a killer on their hands. Probing the life of Sid’s friend, they realize a lot is wrong both on campus and in the seemingly quaint town, and someone doesn’t want them looking deeper.

ABOUT LEIGH PERRY

Leigh Perry

I was once asked why I’d chosen to write a mystery about an ambulatory skeleton. I replied that it was because of the old adage: Write what you know. After all, we’re all skeletons under the skin. And flesh, and tendons, and all that other messy stuff. After that, the woman decided not to ask me any more questions.

Seriously, I’m not sure why I decided to write about a walking, talking skeleton named Sid. All I remember for sure is that I can track the idea back to May of 2004. I told my husband about Sid–he was always named Sid–then wrote a few pages and sent to my beta-reading pals to see if they thought there was a book in it. All three of them seemed to think it would work, and I did some initial research and planning, but other projects intervened and I didn’t pick it up again until 2011. That’s when I was pitching ideas for a new series to my agent and editor, and I put together a packet of eight. Both the agent and editor them zoomed in on Sid’s story. I guess they’re skeletons under the skin, too.

As you might guess from the idea of a walking, talking skeleton, A Skeleton in the Family is a paranormal mystery. I was inspired by old TV shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir to write about a world that’s pretty much like the real one, with one key difference. In this case: Sid.

Sid has been part of Georgia Thackery’s family since she was a little girl, but only she, her sister Deborah, and their parents know about him. Not even Georgia’s teenaged daughter Madison has met him. But when Georgia and Madison move to the family home so Georgia can take a job at the local university, it’s a whole lot tougher to hide him up in the attic. Then Sid spots a person he recognizes from when he was more traditionally alive, and old memories start to surface. He wants to know where he came from. Georgia agrees to help him solve his own murder, but when they find a much fresher murder victim, it gets a whole lot more complicated. That’s the story of the first book in the series, A Skeleton in the Family.

The Skeleton Makes a Friend, the fifth in the Family Skeleton series, was released in November 2018.

The Family Skeleton series mysteries are my first mysteries, but not really. Under the name Toni L.P. Kelner I’ve published eleven novels and twenty-somthing short stories, and have co-edited six urban fantasy anthologies with New York Times best seller Charlaine Harris. I’ve adopted a pen name because this is a new series, and because paranormal novels are a departure for me. But it’s still me! So if you like Toni L.P. Kelner’s books, you might like the Family Skeleton series, too. If you don’t like Kelner’s books, forget I said anything — I never even heard of that Kelner woman.

Though I was born in Pensacola, FL and raised in Charlotte, NC, I’ve been living north of Boston, MA for 30 years or so and raised both my daughters there. I share the house with my husband, one of the daughters, a guinea pig, and an ever-increasing number of books.

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Grand Finale for An Alaskan Proposal by Beth Carpenter @4BethCarpenter

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for An Alaskan Proposal By Beth Carpenter

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch – Note from the Author

. . . AN ALASKAN PROPOSAL is the fourth story in the Northern Lights series. It’s a classic “fish out of water” romance, set in Alaska. There are dogs, and outdoor scenes, and Leith’s niece Emma, who is a bundle of energy. I think you’ll like it. Thanks to all the bloggers and reviewers on this tour.

And if you’re making any fresh starts this new year, I hope they lead to happily-ever-after.

— Beth

Baroness Book Trove – Review

“An Alaskan Proposal by Beth Carpenter is delightful. I enjoyed visiting the spectacular places in Alaska along with Sabrina. . . . The story was fabulously written, and descriptions of the scenery were superb. It makes me want to visit Alaska even more. The characters all had their quirks and traits. . . . I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great romance.”

It’s All About the Romance – Excerpt

What was she doing here, climbing a mountain, in Alaska, in the rain? Sabrina didn’t hike. She didn’t wear ugly boots and plastic ponchos. At least the old Sabrina didn’t. The new Sabrina—the one she’d pretty much created out of thin air—loved spending time outdoors. At least that was the story she’d sold Orson Outfitters’ management during her job interview, and that was the story she intended to live up to. Today’s team-builder outing was her first test.

You’d think all those hours at the gym would have prepared her for this, but it turned out running on a treadmill and hiking rough trails weren’t quite the same. Her muscles complained, forcefully. Still, she couldn’t quit, or everyone would know she was an impostor.

Reading Is My SuperPower – Review

“Carpenter weaves another compelling story in An Alaskan Proposal – the setting, the characters, the writing style all perfectly on point. I loved the banter between Leith and Sabrina, their developing friendship, and those kisses! Tal & Boomer absolutely delighted me, and I hope we get to spend more time with them (in Volta’s story perhaps?). It’s always great to visit with old friends from previous books in the series, too, but this book works nicely as a standalone if you’re just starting here.”

underneath the covers – Excerpt

Sabrina didn’t even own rainwear. Well, technically there was that vintage Laura Wilkes umbrella she’d gotten at an estate sale, but Sabrina considered that more art than protection. Dealing with rain hadn’t been a big part of her life as a fashion buyer in Scottsdale. But that was then.

Now Sabrina was doing the nature thing in Alaska, and she wasn’t equipped for it. Fortunately, Clara, being the experienced mom she was, carried extra folding ponchos in her glove compartment and had loaned Sabrina one at the beginning of the hike. It had done the job, but Sabrina was glad the rain had finally stopped and she could peel it off.

Book by Book – Review

“Take another trip to Alaska with Beth Carpenter’s latest Northern Lights novel, An Alaskan Proposal. Full of outdoorsy adventure and entertaining banter, it’s a contemporary romance not to be missed. . . . A fun and romantic story, it’s sure to please other lovers of contemporary romance as well (even without reading the rest of the books in the series). Pick it up today!”

The Power of Words – Review

It was the Alaskan setting of this series that initially drew me to it, and it’s Beth Carpenter’s smooth writing, warm characters, and creative storytelling that keep me coming back to her books. . . . This is just a great series that I wish could go on and on, for there’s many more stories to tell. . . . Highly recommended.”

Reading On The Edge – Excerpt

Okay. A tent. Let’s see what she had to work with. Sabrina opened the drawstring at the top of the bag and dumped everything out. Hmm. A bunch of nylon, two short bundles of colored sticks, small metal sticks with hooks on the ends and…oh, instructions. Good. She grabbed the paper and looked at the picture. Step one: spread tent on the ground.

Clear enough. She unrolled the nylon and spread it in a neat rectangle. Presumably the heavier side was the bottom, and the net side went up. So far, so good.

Step two: assemble shock-corded tent poles. Was that stick in the picture the big one or one of the little ones? Another gust sent a shiver up her arms. She stamped her feet. It was hard to concentrate when she was so cold.

“Problems?”

Thoughts of a Blonde – Review

“Beth Carpenter’s descriptively toned voice makes us feel like we’re right there in picturesque Alaska in the latest from her Northern Lights series! The gorgeous setting is divine, the characters nab our attention quickly and their sweet love story warms soul throughout. Lots of heart, riddled with emotion and just an overall fun read. A nice addition to this wonderful series!”

Hearts & Scribbles – Excerpt

Sabrina turned to see Clara and all the other employees gathered behind her staring at the tent and at her. Super. Walter pushed through the crowd.

“What happened here?”

Sabrina swallowed. “It was my fault. I thought it would save some mess and equipment if I heated the beans in the fire.”

Walter narrowed his eyes. “You put the cans in the fire without opening them?”

Sabrina nodded.

“Any casualties?”

“Only the tent.”

E-Romance News – Excerpt

“Like I said, we don’t really teach basic woodcraft. Maybe you could register for a course from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, this fall.”

“Fall is too late. My assignment here ends September first, when the store managers send in their evaluations. Only the top half move on to the next level of training. Besides…” She paused, taking a sudden interest in the worn vinyl floor.

“Besides, what?”

She took a breath and looked up. “After putting down deposits on my apartment and utilities, I’m a little short on cash right now. I thought maybe we could work out some sort of barter arrangement?”

Rockin’ Book Reviews – Review

“The characters are so personable, they feel real: They will truly “win your heart”! . . . The dreamy Alaskan setting is perfect and described well. . . . I offer a Five Stars rating for this incredible, well written novel.”

Kimber Li – Excerpt

Dinner at his sister’s had gone just about the way he’d expected. Volta, with all the subtlety of a locomotive, had seated him next to the new nurse at the table and kept throwing out random pieces of information designed to force them to bond. “Leith, Marley’s blood type is B negative, just like yours and mine. That’s only two percent of the population. Interesting coincidence, huh?”

What did you say to something like that? Marley had seemed like a perfectly nice person, but after going through a divorce three years ago, Leith had decided the safest route was to avoid getting involved with women, period. So, when Volta made a point of asking him if he had a date for the wedding in front of Marley so that he’d almost be forced to invite her, it had given him great satisfaction to assure her that, yes, he did have a date. He’d almost laughed out loud at the expression on his sister’s face when her plot failed.

Heidi Reads… – Review

“Another great book in the Northern Lights series! I really enjoyed the easy friendship that developed between Leith and Sabrina. . . . I loved the Alaskan setting and all the camping and exploring described. . . . A great cast of characters made this a well-rounded story.”

Becky on Books – Review

“Such a sweet romance! . . . I love the Alaskan setting of this series, and the people in it are just wonderful too. I loved Sabrina and Leith, and watching them go from two people who aren’t quite sure what to make of the other to friends to more was just delightful.”

Colorimetry – Excerpt

She pretended to be studying the instructions, hoping he’d walk away, but he remained where he was. “I’m Leith Jordan.”

“Sabrina Bell.”

He nodded. “So, Sabrina. Why are you here?”

“For the team-builder, obviously.”

“No, I mean why are you in Alaska? Why didn’t you stay in Arizona?”

“I came for the job.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You came all the way to Alaska to work at the Orson Outfitters store?”

Remembrancy – Review

“Through Sabrina’s eyes, Beth Carpenter gives readers a taste of the majesty and beauty of Alaska and through Leith and his niece, the readers get to experience some of the many adventures. Oh, and there’s a sweet romance full of mutual attraction and plenty of chemistry brewing in there too.”

Wishful Endings – Excerpt

“Stop!” Leith finally yelled loud enough to get through to her. She turned. The creature at the corner of the parking lot looked toward him as well.

Sabrina scowled at him. “What? I just want to help that dog. He seems shy. I wonder if someone abandoned him.”

“The reason he’s shy around people is because he’s not a dog.” Leith grabbed her elbow and dragged her back toward the safety of the Land Cruiser. “He’s a wolf.”

Locks, Hooks and Books – Review

“I just loved the chemistry between Sabrina and Leith. . . . I could not put it down until I was finished with it a few hours later. . . . I am giving An Alaskan Proposal a very well deserved five plus stars and I highly recommend it. I can not wait to go back to read the previous books in the series and look forward to more by Beth Carpenter in the future.”

EmpowerMoms – Review

“I absolutely loved this book! . . . I loved the imagery of Alaska and the feel of community I got from reading this story. The main characters Sabrina and Leith were great. . . . I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.”

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already…

An Alaskan Proposal (Northern Lights #4) By Beth Carpenter Contemporary Romance Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages January 1st 2010 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Can he teach her survival skills—

without endangering his heart?

When Sabrina Bell taps Leith Jordan for a crash course in conquering the great Alaskan outdoors, he figures he’s on safe ground. They’re polar opposites and his spectacular home state’s just a pit stop for the hotshot fashionista. So no one’s more surprised than Leith when he starts falling for her. Now he’s a man with a plan: get Sabrina to fall in love with Alaska…and, hopefully, with him.

GoodreadsAmazonB&NHarlequinKoboiBooks

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Once upon a time …

when Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on, and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Not a lot has changed. She’s still consuming books like M&Ms, and spends her days creating happily-ever-afters for her imaginary friends.

She lives in Alaska and Arizona with her husband and an aggressively affectionate fifty-pound lap dog. She loves to hear from readers.

WebsiteGoodreadsFacebookTwitterPinterestAn Alaskan Proposal Pinterest Board

Tour Giveaway

1 winner will receive a book tote, a print copy of A GIFT HORSE by Beth Carpenter, and a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Prize open to US continental residents – If winner doesn’t have a US mailing address, the alternate prize is a $25 Amazon card and two e-books (A GIFT HORSE and THE ALASKAN CATCH).

Ends January 30, 2019

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Teaser Tuesday #104 – Camouflaged Encounters by David Englund #David Englund

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

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Camouflaged Encounters by David Englund was added to my Goodreads shelf on 1.24.15. I dusted it off and began reading.

CAMOUFLAGED ENCOUNTERS (The CAMOUFLAGED Series,#1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY TEASE

No, no, no! You can’t just drive away. These are very, very bad people. You can”t trust what they tell you. Bad people lie. They do it for a living. At least search them for more weapons Come onnnn! This can’t be happening.

(38% on Kindle)

GOODREADS BLURB

Forget what you think you know. How well do you really know your neighbors or fellow workers? Do you trust your boss? What about politicians? The fabric of our society is under attack. Our way of life, our livelihood, our very existence is under full assault. No one even realizes that it’s happening. Disguised as horrible natural disasters on the news, the world is caught unsuspecting as events draw us ever nearer to extinction. As “natural disasters” escalate and tensions between nations mount, one man hears a whisper. It has begun . . .

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A Me And You Thing By Taylor Dean@taylordeanbooks

A Me and You Thing by Taylor Dean

THE DEEPEST HEARTACHE IS THE ONE YOU DON’T SEE COMING.

Golden couple, Sawyer and Quinn Denali, have an amazing love story. A match in every way, their happiness is evident to all who spend time with them. The arrival of twin baby girls completes their picture-perfect family.

When Quinn has the opportunity to help others on a two-week volunteer trip, she reluctantly leaves her family, knowing a short break from the demands of motherhood will be good for her.

She doesn’t expect the trip to change her life forever. But it does. It changes everything.

Struggling from day to day, the young family moves forward, finding happiness . . . and love.

But fate isn’t done mixing things up in their lives. When an unexpected event leaves them all reeling, the unspoken question rings loudly and can’t be ignored: “What happens now?”

A Me and You Thing is a novel that explores the strength of enduring love and friendship.

Praise for A Me and You Thing:

Wow! This heart-tugging romance blew me away. It’s an emotional roller-coaster ride of epic proportions…so prepare yourself. My heart soared up into the heavens, then was dragged into the bitter misery of hell, like being dragged behind a pickup truck for a mile or so. Ouch! But I got my happy (actually, glorious!) ending, so I loved it. The ending was so much more fulfilling because of what my heart went through to get there with the characters. This story is unique and refreshing—not your run-of-the-mill predictable romance that doesn’t stick with you when you finish. No! This one is made of super glue, and will be stuck in your heart forevermore. ~Author Charissa Stastny

Here’s my recommendation. Don’t read the summary. Don’t read any more reviews. Order this book now! Clear your calendar and plan to spend the day reading. You’ll be thanking me if you do. ~Kathy Habel

Author Taylor Dean

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of clean romance in her line-up.

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Cover Reveal Giveaway Details

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/28/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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MY REVIEWS FOR TAYLOR DEAN
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