Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 123

Random Randing

Welcome back to my weekly Random Reading!

Some people do Library Loot. Some people do Mailbox Monday. Me, I don't use the library. I have nothing against it; just hate having to read a book in a certain amount of time, and as for Mailbox Monday, I can't say most of my titles come in my mail. I buy them usually or get them via paperback swap.

And I find them the most random ways, these titles. But they all usually have one thing in common: STRONG, SEXY heroines!

I was a wee bit of a freebie whore this week. I couldn't resist the titles popping up on my feed...




Stealing Mercy by Kristy Tate. I can't resist a girl disguised as a boy historical. Those never get old for me. Promises the setting of Seattle before the great fire, murder, a woman on the run, a brothel, and a dude confused that he loves another dude (he thinks). A Kindle freebie I had to nab.







Chasing Rainbows by Victoria Lynne. Woman outlaw. Do I really need to say more? Spotted and nabbed. Seems a handsome dude is having to escort the lady outlaw somewhere and he's trying to find out where this gang is. She swears the gang is no longer, but apparently they are, as someone is out to get her. Can't wait to get to this one.






Dance of Love by Anna Markland. No idea what it's about really, except I follow this author's blog. Her book covers make me drool and I love anything with Spanish dancing so this went on my to read. It's not available yet and I'm not certain when it will be. I think I need to invite this author to do a guest post. :p









Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio. I eyed this and decided not to...then it showed up on my Kindle Paperwhite as an advertisement. It was the Daily Deal. 80% off. And I so I eyed it again. It sounds like your average modern day/past day story, but also hints a bit at that Angelina Jolie movie, Changeling. At least, that's what the past plot reminded me of. I happen to have this author's other book on my shelf waiting my attention. So, what the heck, I bought it. The reviews are very good. Seattle. Two stories. A missing child. Romance.





Menace Under the Mistletoe by Lisa Greer. Look at this cover. And I love spooky reads. I love the unpredictable and gothic books promise the unpredictable. Looking forward to this. Romance, a ghost, and the holiday. I don't think anyone has done a spooky Christmas tale before. Should be different. It came to my attention via the author's FB feed.





Love and War by Lindsay Downs. Spotted on my Facebook Feed and down near started drooling. From the blurb, it seems one story is from WWII, one is from Vietnam war, and one just may be contemporary. Some of the women are military as well as the men. Awesomeness. Coming in December. On my wishlist.




Victory Garden by Meredith Allard. Spotted on the historical freebie list. A romance and the suffrage movement. Heroine even gets jailed and force fed. I really can't discern more at the moment, but I promptly downloaded this. I love those tales.







The Dollhouse by Anya Allyn. I'm not real sure what this about. I was attracted to the cover. The blurb on Amazon told me nothing but all these folks loved it. LOL. I thought at first it was a horror about people turned into dolls and stuck in a dollhouse, which I thought sounded neat as all get out so I downloaded it. (Freebie) But then Goodreads tells me it's a story that takes place in the Australian forest with giant dolls and giant furniture. BUT it promises to terrify me. I'm intrigued enough to read it.





The Ghost and the Graveyard by Genevieve Jack. Spotted on a friend's blog. Just sounds interesting. Woman had a graveyard in her backyard, a sexy caretaker in her life, and a sexy ghost as well. Though I normally don't go for these types of books, the cover and the reviews have me convinced this will be a good read. I bought it. 





Crossing on the Paris by Dana Gynther. Scored on Netgalley. Three women on a ship. Think Titanic. They are traveling from France to the U.S. seeking new lives. I like the idea. They sound very independent. Takes place between the world wars. 





Evie Undercover by Liz Harris. The cover alone promises chick lit with an edge. Published by Choc Lit, I know it will be good. It's a rare day when I pick up a Choc Lit book I don't like. Has a lady reporter undercover and she, I guess, falls for the fella she's supposed to be digging up dirt on. He he. I bought it. Spotted it on the Choc Lit blog, which I follow.

Votes for Vixens Giveaway

This month I'm celebrating the release of Votes for Vixens.
I'm touring with Sizzling PR:


5 – Guest Blog @ Erotica for All6 – Interview @ You Gotta Read7 – Spotlight, Giveaway & Review @ Steamy Reading8 – Guest Blog @ Sizzling Hot Books13 – Interview @ Bonnie Bliss14 – Spotlight & Giveaway @ New Age Mama15 – Guest Blog @ Two Fantasy Floozies19 – Guest Blog @ W. Lynn Chantale28 – Review @ Rosa SophiaAND giving away a lovely handcrafted necklace from Sassy Ginger Creations as well as a replicated Votes for Women postcard, unused. An extra bonus: a $5 Starbucks Gift Card so you can drink your coffee while you read your own ebook copy of Votes for Vixens.
All items will be sent to ONE lucky winner. Must be a follower of Book Babe and a U.S. resident. Thank you and good luck to all! Contest runs through the month of November.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bad Boy Blake by Lorraine Nelson, Review, Interview, & Giveaway

Today I'm featuring Lorraine Nelson's latest release, Bad Boy Blake. I had the honor of receiving a pre review copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

In the beginning I truly felt this was Lorraine's best book yet. The heroine is one tough cookie. She comes to town and opens a dance school, intent on discovering who framed her grandfather for a crime and ran him out of town years before.


Threats, vandalism, cars coming at her, and the death of one of her students isn't even enough to make this gal shut down shop and give up.

There's a mystery and a family scandal at the heart that I really couldn't figure out til it slapped me in the face. That was a nice, unique tough from Ms. Nelson.

The sex is hot and often...with the local sheriff who runs both hot and cold at times because it just so happens she suspects his very own family for her family's downfall.

Extremely well-written and with a few chuckles. I think what really made me smile though was the heroine's enjoyment of teaching her dance class.

My quibbles: There's a twist in their relationship that bothered me and though the ending fixed it, it bothered me how casual the hero and heroine were about it. And I honestly didn't know whether or not to be amused or shake my head when Gina jumps the sheriff's bones right after her attempted kidnapping. Thought it a strange action and a doubly strange time for that. LOL. But to each her own. :)

Four stars.

Blurb:

Blake Bennett is the town bad boy turned Sheriff, elected to keep the peace. When Blake first meets Gina, she's butting heads with the Mayor…over the type of dancing she teaches—pole dancing.
Gina West is a professional dancer, who retired from the stage, and moves to Westonville, NB, to start her own dance studio. But Gina is not who she claims to be, and when strange things start happening…vengeful threats and vandalism…Blake begins digging for the truth. In his role as protector, he begins to fall for Gina, but will her lies and subterfuge destroy any chance for them to be together?

INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY:


What made you put the local sheriff on a vintage Harley? Got a biker in the family?
My brother loves bikes and so does my cousin. Her significant other rides a Harley. Nice bike!
What movie star would you cast in the following roles:
Blake: Pierce Brosnan or Colin FarrellGina: Kristen StewartRoger: Jack NicholsonCynthia: Drew Barrymore
Pretend you, Lorraine Nelson, are in Gina's position. You are butt-naked, and some man just tried to abduct you from your bed, even put a hand on your ass. What would Lorraine Nelson do?
a. scream and cryb. have sex with the sheriff as soon as he shows upc. kick the perp in the nads and then throw a shoe at his retreating back?
Have you ever been a dancer? Done some dirty dancing?
I’ve done my share, but not professionally. J
Part of this story is based on a family dispute and secrets are coming out of closets. Ever been involved in a dispute between families? Saw some surprising things falling out of closets? How did you handle it. Was it resolved?
Every family has secrets and disputes of one kind or another. I think the important thing to remember is to remain objective. I’ve lived my life my way, made my choices, some good, some not so good, but it’s important to be mature. Forgive, forget, and let it go. Nobody’s perfect.
Multiple choice. Like Gina, you don't know who your father is. Upon meeting a man that admits he's not only your father, but provides proof, you:
a. cry and offer him a hugb. demand answers and then give him a hugc. ask him where the hell he's been all this time and slap his face
Gina and her dancing is super fun. She loves her job and it radiates off her in the book. She enjoys hip hopping with the teenagers. She dresses up for the ballroom dancing, helps a young news reporter come out of her shell on the poles.
What kind of dancing do you think you would enjoy the most?
I totally adored Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing. If I could match those moves, wow!
Multiple choice, another Gina situation:Someone kills one of your students. You:
a. shut down the studio and get outta Dodge.b. cry and pull your hair out before collapsing in Blake's armsc. head to the nearest gun shop, buy a shot gun, and take up position
What's next for you? Is there a current project you'd like to share?
I currently have several books on the go…A Christmas short that I intend to self-publish, Thunder Creek Ranch Book 5 (way overdue), 4 projects aimed toward Harlequin, a full to edit and sub to Evernight, and The Hudson Ranch Trilogy, which I hope to release the first book in March, 2013.
Lots of women like those TV shows, like Dancing With the Stars. Did you watch anything like that?
Yes, on occasion. I’m not committed to them or anything. Most of the time I’d rather read…or write.

Bad Boy Blake is vailable at Evernight Publishing , All Romance eBooks , Bookstrand , Amazon , and wherever ebooks are sold.

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM LORRAINE NELSON: To celebrate my first year in publication, I’ll be giving away 3 ebook copies of Bad Boy Blake. Just leave a comment to get your name in the draw. I’d be interested to know which, if any, of my books you’ve read and what your thoughts are on them. If I’m a new to you author, let me know that as well. 9 stops, 9 chances to win! Winners will be announced November 10th.
Blog Tour Schedule for Bad Boy Blake :
Date Host/Hostess Blog url 30 Lorraine Nelson http://lorrainenelson.wordpress.com 31 Lia Davis http://booksamour.blogspot.com/ 1 Cr Moss http://doubledranchtales.blogspot.com/ 2 Tara Chevrestt http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.ca/ 3 Kacey Hammell http://kaceyhammellkreations.blogspot... 4 W Lynn Chantale http://wlynnchantale-decadentdecision... 5 Leslie Stockton http://workout2day4evr.wordpress.com/ 6 London Saint James http://londonsj.blogspot.com/ 7 Doris O’Connor http://thetardisscribbles.blogspot.com/

Free Blogger Event - iPad Mini Giveaway

iPad Mini Holiday Event Hosted by Mom to Bed by 8 Prizes: iPad MiniEvent dates: 11/21 - 12/5Free Blog Event! Sign-up here,  BLOGGERS WANTED

Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week: Ginger Warby

Book: Braving the Blaze
Author: Cindy A. Christiansen
Heroine: Ginger Warby


Ginger Warby's Strong Side:You don’t walk into one of Utah’s biggest wildfire after you’ve failed culinary school because you’re too afraid to set your Crepes Suzette on fire. Ginger is a strong, determined woman who can’t understand why one of her best friends ended up burned to death while changing his irrigation sprinklers on his farm just outside of Beaver, Utah.  She’s willing to put herself in the middle of the fire as a volunteer just to understand why.  She also thinks that “climbing back on the horse”, so to speak, is the best way to get over her pyrophobia.
Ginger Warby's Sexy Side:Being able to hold yourself together in the middle of a raging fire in just a fire shelter makes Ginger pretty damn sexy in my book. Some real trained firefighters are unable to do that, and yet Ginger goes on to make pitch and patch Dean’s burned boots, take care of his burned back, and gather and prepare enough food to keep them fed.  Her concern over Dean’s dog, Dixie, makes Ginger even sexier.
A Scene From Braving the Blaze:The fire ravaged the landscape. Pines and aspens burst into flame, spewing a blizzard of sparks which ignited other innocent trees. The main firestorm whirled rapidly toward them like an uncontrollable orange tornado.Past and present nightmares collided within her. She wanted to collapse, to shut down her brain, to stop the thoughts and images before her. This was what hell was like—hot, ferocious, painful, and terrifying.And the unthinkable. She’d be taking another life in the process. Despite how much she wanted to run to Dean, the smoke and heat kept her chained to the ground. She couldn’t take the unbearable intensity. She wanted the unimaginable to go away.Dean dropped and scooped her into his arms in a crushing embrace. She could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest.“Come on,” he said breathlessly. “Too much vegetation here.”“I don’t have a shelter.”“I know.”“You’ve got to get out of here, Dean.”“Come on, Ginger.”She picked up her pack.Dean grabbed the bag, flung it as far as he could, and then picked up her drip torch and threw it too.“What are you doing?” she yelled at him in shock.“Flammable, remember?”He scrambled across the ground on hands and knees toward a rockslide area, and Ginger followed. She was such an idiot. The fusees and fuel in the drip torch would’ve ignited and killed them. She had to start using her brain.Dean found a place free of most brush and trees and used his pulaski to clear a four-foot by eight-foot area for the fire shelter. The closer he got to bare mineral soil the better. The rocky area would help protect them from the fire but the rocks could easily tear the thin aluminum shelter into pieces.Ginger watched him frantically digging as she made her way across the jagged rocks at a much slower pace. Her gloves and Kevlar pants helped, but her already bruised hands and legs protested at the continued punishment. The circle of fire closed in around them.Dean grabbed his fire shelter, pulled the red ring on the plastic bag down one side and up the other, and removed the shelter. She tried to remember her training. She knew how critical the seconds were, but the back of her head felt like it had been pounded with a metal meat mallet.Grabbing the clearly marked shake handles, Dean unfolded the shelter. “Get in,” he called to her.“It won’t work,” she yelled above the roar.“It has to. Get in.”“You shouldn’t have tried to save me. You use the shelter.”He reached for her chin and tilted her face toward his. “You’re my buddy, right? Crawl in, lie face down, and hook your arms in the hold-down straps. Hurry.”It would never work. The shelter consisted of an outer layer of aluminum foil bonded to woven silica cloth. The foil was supposed to reflect radiant heat, and the silica material would slow the passage of heat to the inside of the shelter. A second layer of aluminum foil laminated to fiberglass should prevent heat from re-radiating to the person inside the shelter. The air space between the two layers offered further insulation from the heat.They’d said in training the shelter would reflect off heat as much as sixteen-hundred degrees and remain only about two-hundred degrees inside, about like a sauna, with the average fire. However, if the temperature reached five-hundred degrees, the glue which bonded the layers together would break down.Ginger looked at the vicious, fiery beast approaching and let out a frightened little laugh. They didn’t stand a chance.“Get in, Ginger. That’s an order.”She reluctantly crawled in and lay down. She gasped when Dean climbed in on top of her and wrapped himself around her. Despite brush coats, gloves and work boots, the contact of him startled her senses. He used his hands and feet to push the surface of the tent as much away from their bodies as he could for more airspace from the heat. Total darkness enveloped them. Luckily she was pyrophobic, not claustrophobic. His lips finally rested near her ear, and his breath aroused and comforted her at the same time. He held and protected her.“Keep your arms in the straps, Ginger. The winds might get up to seventy miles per hour,” he said hoarsely.She could feel the heat coming closer; hear the sizzle of the grass. She could feel…Dean. The shelter burned with heat and so did her body.“Keep your face right to the ground and take short, shallow breaths,” he whispered. “No matter how frightened or in pain you get, you have to stay in the shelter. The conditions will be much worse out there.”His nearness didn’t allow for short, shallow breaths. Blurb:Single-minded Dean Harward is going to become a veterinarian if it kills him.  He’s worked summers as a volunteer wildfire fighter to earn big cash for college.  Just his luck, a pyrophobic woman gets assigned to his team.  He’s certain she’ll get him killed before he can graduate. Ginger Warby is a walking firestorm as accidents continually spark around her.  Or are they accidents?  Can Dean keep the flames of desire he reluctantly feels for her under control long enough to keep them and his Yellow Labrador alive? 
Buy here

Jessica by Laura DeLuca

I can't let Halloween come and go without curling up with a scary short story and this is the one that came to my attention this year. The blurb promised me a mysterious lady in white come back to exact revenge on the male race...or just one man? Hm... I had to read and find out more.
Poor Wilbur. :(

Wilbur is dateless and in college, on his way to a dance. He's shocked when a beautiful girl pays attention to him, dances with him, then asks him to walk with her... As they look over the lake, arms around each other, she begins to tell him a story.

In the 1890s, the college finally accepted women...but the male students weren't pleased to be outshone by females. After all, a woman's place was in the home. Out of three women, two ran away. They couldn't take it, but one woman could. She faced them, did better than them, studied hard, avoided trouble. She was going to be a doctor!

A fantastic feminist. I'd like to say that at this point, usually a character telling another character a story would  bother me, but it was actually done in a showing, not telling way, because I could see that college girl in my mind's eye sitting there studying hard, gazing at the lake...

And what happens next turns into a century of revenge.

Will she take pity on poor Wilbur? After all, he's mistreated to...


A short story with vivid descriptions and a intriguing back story. There was a spot in the beginning that made me laugh out loud and a a couple spots that made my spine tingle. Great combination.

My only quibble: I wish Wilbur had been a jerk instead of a mistreated outcast himself. Would have seemed more fitting to me. Four stars. This was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.[image error]

Please Welcome Lisa Nowak and Alex from Dead Heat

Please welcome Lisa Nowak and her character, Alex from Dead Heat. He's got an intriguing ability. In a world just bursting at the seems with a million books a day, Lisa Nowak has come up with something entirely  unique: a machine whisperer...


Alex is the 17-year-old protagonist of Dead Heat, and he’s got a unique talent. I’m interviewing him today to find out a little more about that. So, Alex, I understand you’re a machine whisperer. Can you explain what that means?
Aw, that’s just what the mechanics at work call me. My friend Tommy started it after I told him the fuel pressure regulator on this car was messed up without even using a meter. I just get this feeling about what’s wrong with broken machines. It’s like I can hear what they’d say if they could talk. ’Specially if it’s something electrical. The guys figured out I got this knack for solving intermittent problems—the kind that come and go so they’re a bitch to track down—and that made me real popular.
How did you find out you’re a machine whisperer?
That happened when I was maybe seven. We had this CD player that didn’t work, and one day I started messing with it. Minute I got my hands on it, I felt this weird pull, like I had to take it apart. When the old man came home, there was pieces everywhere. I held one up—which I didn’t know back then was the motor—and told him, “it needs one a these.” He smacked me across the room for getting into his stuff. But the next day, he brought me a bunch of busted CD players. He’s a scrap guy, so he comes across that kinda thing when he’s doing his rounds. I took ’em apart and found another motor. Fixed his like new. The old man about shit. Ever since, he’s been bringing me stuff and selling it once I patch it up.
Seems like a handy skill. I wish I'd had this skill when I was an aircraft mechanic. Are there any drawbacks to it?
Ha! You mean other than people wanting me to fix stuff all the time? Not really.
With a talent like yours, you must be a real asset at work. I’ll bet you’ve got a full-time position all wrapped up as soon as you graduate from high school.
Nah, it ain’t like that. Matter of fact, the service writer hates me ’cause I don’t read so good and I gotta get Tommy to help me write up the work orders. Ivan—that’s my boss—says I gotta get ASE certified, or he ain’t gonna let me go full time. Sometimes I feel like I’m never gonna get through high school and pass them damn ASE test, but my friend Cole, the guy who got me this job, keeps telling me I can do it. He’s pretty cool that way. I mean, I think he’s a dreamer, but it’s nice when someone’s got your back, y’know?
That I do. Well, thank you for joining me today. If any of my readers would like to know more about Alex and his machine whisperer abilities, you can pick up a copy of his story at one of the retailers listed below.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A man who longs for a son, and a boy who can’t escape his father’s violence. Even death can’t break their bond.
Alex is a machine whisperer. He can tell what’s wrong with a broken-down car with a touch. But his gift can’t save him from the brutality of his meth-addict father. For two years, Alex experienced kindness through Cole, his mentor. Now Cole’s dead, and the violence in Alex’s life is escalating.
When Cole reappears as a ghost, Alex clings to the tenuous link. Then he learns Cole might’ve sacrificed his chance to cross over. Jade, the first girl to look beyond Alex’s past, assures him Cole can reach the Other Side—if Alex escapes from his dad. But a previous terrifying attempt has convinced Alex it’s impossible. Unless he can find the courage to try, his friend may be earthbound forever.
http://bit.ly/DH-Amazon http://bit.ly/DH-BarnesandNoble http://bit.ly/DH-Smashwords

About the Author:
In addition to being a YA author, Lisa is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are.

Website: http://www.lisanowak.net/Blog: http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaNowakAuthorTwitter: http://twitter.com/Lisa_NowakNewsletter: http://bit.ly/LisaNowakNewsletter
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Bare Necessities by Lacey Wolfe

This is a cute novella. The hero is cute with cocky attitude and surprise humor. The heroine is cute with her spunk, her talking back, and her refusal to take crap. The town is cute in their support of each other. What's not cute is the stalker and his nasty shenanigans.


Ava has come to Brookfield to get away from her past. It's not that anyone is following her; she's just tired of  the men she's ended up with. Seems someone is always trying to control her, and she's had enough. She makes this clear to the town sheriff, Seth, when he shows up trying to "run" her and her sex toy shop out of town. What's funny is, the sheriff declares he's protecting his town. After all, they have to walk down the street on the way to church! But, really, nobody but him has a problem. LOL

But then the vandalism starts and it's clear someone DOES want Ava gone, but why?

Their romance is rocky. First he's into her, then he finds out she's that nut job opening a lingerie store and he's cold, then he's telling her to leave, then he's into her again, then he's demanding she change her hours. How is Ava, just out of a controlling relationship, going to handle the sheriff's over-protectiveness?


That kept me in more suspense than the vandalism story. I was actually curious how Ava was going to take it.

The sex was great. Loved Ava taking over, loved that she won't let a man control her. I also loved the way she stuck up for herself and mouthed back in the end of the book. She's tough and determined.

The absolute best thing though is the surprise bits of humor. I wasn't expecting them and they were always little things here and there that just made me chuckle.

"Of all the things Seth had to be out of, toilet paper was something a person had to have. Sure, he was a man, but it was still a necessity, so he took a ride..."

See how something funny just appeared in the middle of nowhere? Made me chuckle, anyway. :)

This is the sequel to Finding Home, Book one of the Brookfield series.

Four stars. I was given this to review by Shades of Rose Marketing.

And now, please welcome Lacey Wolfe herself as she talks about the town of Brookfield.


Where is Brookfield? It’s a made up town that is set in Wyoming. It’s one of those older towns, where there is still a square downtown with places to park and walk. The shops all close early and everyone is home with their families well before nine o’clock at night—unless you’re Ava Miller, from Bare Necessities. She moves into town and changes things. She likes to work at night, which drives the town sheriff, Seth Hampton, crazy. He wants her home like the rest of the folks. And to top it off, someone has been vandalizing her store. Ava definitely turns Brookfield upside down.
The first story in the series, Finding Home, we got to know the towns people some as well as some of the shops. Julie Miller, who happens to be Ava’s cousin, returns home pregnant. She wants her mom’s comfort after her now ex-boyfriend wants her to abort the baby. Only, Julie doesn’t find her mom, she finds a man renting her mom’s house! Mark Thomas has moved to town to escape his past, but when he meets Julie and learns she’s pregnant, that past begins to haunt him.
I plan to write much more about the people of Brookfield. I think this is going to be a fun series, with a mixture of genres. The series will mainly be contemporary romance, but just so you know, Bare Necessities was also a romantic suspense. I’d like to think the stories you will find in this series to be whole-hearted romances. The intimate scenes certainly aren’t erotic, but they give you a bit of an idea what’s going on.I’ve started on the third book, currently it’s titled, Catching Connor. In this one we have Alyssa from The Reading Corner (a book store), who is shy and quiet and the towns playboy. Sounds fun! I can’t wait to get to know these two a little better. And I hope that you enjoy your visits to Brookfield as well. Thank you so much for having me on your blog today!


Lacey Wolfe has always had a passion for words, whether it’s getting lost in a book or writing her own. From the time she was a child she would slip away to write short stories about people she knew and fantasies she wished would happen. It has always been her dream to be a published author and with her two children now of school age, she finally has the time to work on making her dream come true.Lacey lives in Georgia with her husband, son and daughter, their six cats and one black lab who rules the house.
You can find Lacey at the following places:  Her Site     Twitter    Facebook

Random Reading

Welcome to Random Reading!!!

For those just joining us...


Some people do Library Loot. Some people do Mailbox Monday. Me, I don't use the library. I have nothing against it; just hate having to read a book in a certain amount of time, and as for Mailbox Monday, I can't say most of my titles come in my mail. I buy them usually or get them via paperback swap.

And I find them the most random ways, these titles. But they all usually have one thing in common: STRONG, SEXY heroines!




The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin. A Kindle freebie that came to my attention via a friend's FB feed. The words Brokeback Mountain for women caught my eye and attention. It's a historical novel about persecution of lesbians in 1895. Have times really changed? Doubt it. I'm intrigued and promptly downloaded this on my Kindle.






Klondike Winter by Jackie M. Smith. I've got her Forever Yours on my Kindle and when the author posted her YouTube videos in the Secret Cravings Reader group on FB, I watched them. The premise of this sounds so good, I couldn't resist and promptly bought this one too. A woman follows her brother to the Klondike on a quest for gold...  I love those.






The Spanish Pearl by Catherine Friend. Landed in my mailbox via Paperback Swap. Time travel, a woman fleeing harems and getting involved in the war between the Moors and Spanish. Promises some swashbuckling too. It just screams strong n sexy!







Lone Star Joy by Kathleen Ball. I was so impressed with the author's post and excerpt on Strong is Sexy Heroine of the Week, I bought this one. I love the idea of a woman surviving jail, entering a male dominated work program, and showing her scars are sexy. It promises to be a good, emotional read.





Oleanna by Julie K. Rose. Twitter strikes again! Unusual Historicals tweeted a post by the author about women's suffrage in Norway. Naturally I zoomed on that like a radar. So I was on the author site and though it seems the gist of the book is about farming, women making it on their own, loss in 1905, there promises to be some suffrage as one of the heroines goes to Labor Party meetings. Got my interest piqued and this is on my wishlist.





The Movement of Stars by by Amy Brill. A lady astronomist, a whaler. Two people in a Quaker community with ambitions "above their stations." Hints at a forbidden love story and is based on Maria Mitchell. On my wishlist. I believe this releases April 2013.

STRONG IS SEXY Woman of the Past: Bessie Stringfield

I want to introduce you to a woman named Bessie Stringfield. She was an African American motorcycle dispatch rider during World War II, a licensed practical nurse, the founder of Iron Horse Motorcycle Club, and was labeled "Motorcycle Queen of Miami" and "Negro Motorcycle Queen." She was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002. She was the first African American woman to ride across the U.S. solo.

Photo found on AMA Motorycle Hall of Fame.
Please continue there for more information.
Link below.Born in Jamaica, brought to the States, and orphaned at the age of five, she was raised by an Irish lady, name not divulged. I don't really understand that, but that's what miscellaneous articles say. She got her first motorbike at 16, an Indian Scout, and owned at least 27 motorbikes throughout her lifetime.

She was very religious, a very devout Catholic, and felt the "man upstairs" was with her as she rode fearlessly through the Jim Crow south. When she was  19, she began to throw a penny on a map and where it landed, that's where she went. She not only ran into racial tension, but was discriminated against because of her sex, often being denied prizes even though she beat the men riders in whatever competition it was.

Despite having married and divorced six times, she had no children. (She lost three.) She, like me, was a dog mom.

Why I admire her: That's darned brave. Not only did she conquer riding a motorbike (I kept falling over on mine!) but she faced racism AND gender discrimination. I don't think I could have continually entered contests, only to be disqualified for having a pair of breasts. At some point, that would have grown incredibly disheartening to me. Not to mention, losing three children. Many women can't overcome that, let alone become a trailblazer for both their race and gender.

She passed away at the age of 82, riding up till the day she passed.

The AMA created an award in honor of her, for "women who have been instrumental in showing other women they can be active participants in the world of motorcycling."

More references:
http://www.firenationfkmcworld.com/BESSIE-STRINGFIELD.html
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?racerid=277
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/node/877

I hope you enjoyed this first installment of the Strong is Sexy Saturdays. This is a compilation of cool data I found about an extremely strong and sexy woman.

So, 'til next Saturday, strut your stuff, don't take no grief, and remember that STRONG IS SEXY.