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A Beginner’s Guide To Corruption by David Misch

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Killion Group in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

A Beginner’s Guide To Corruption by David Misch was a great book. It is under one hundred pages, and I was able to read in under an hour. I loved this book because it is one hundred percent accurate and the author’s style of writing made me laugh. I loved that he was so candid about what he was talking about. This book has some harsh language in it so if that bothers you then this book isn’t for you but it didn’t bother me in the least. I can’t say much more about this book because it was so short but I enjoyed the book, and I love how honest the author is in this book. If you are looking for a fun short book to read, I would recommend this book to you.

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About The Book

Most people believe that the high-paying world of lying, cheating, stealing, kickbacks, bribes and blackmail is hopelessly out of reach. They’re right… unless they buy this book.

In just 71 fact(ish)-filled pages, comedy writer David Misch shows you dozens of sure-fire, time-tested and only marginally illegal ways to feed at the trough of political, financial and/or romantic depravity. But don’t take our word for it – listen to the master…

“Not everyone can be corrupt; it takes a magical combination of opportunity, moral turpitude and having something to sell: wealth, power, sex. (Got the set? Score!) Or, in lieu of those admirable attributes, a willingness to give up all moral standards and betray anyone who trusts you. Does this sound like you? Then welcome to “A Beginner’s Guide to Corruption”!”

And remember, “A Beginner’s Guide to Corruption” by David Misch has been called “The funniest book ever written about corruption” by corruption expert David Misch!

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About The Author

David Misch has been a comic folksinger, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter; his credits include the multiple-Emmy-nominated “Mork and Mindy”, the Emmy-losing “Duckman”, the Emmy-ignored “Police Squad!”, the Emmy-engorged “Saturday Night Live”, and the Emmy-ineligible “The Muppets Take Manhattan”. David wrote “Funny: The Book” (Applause), blogs for The Huffington Post, and his play “Pretty Naked People” has its world premiere in Los Angeles this winter.

David’s taught comedy at USC, musical satire at UCLA, and lectured at Oxford University, the Smithsonian Institute, and the University of Sydney (Australia); Yale, 92nd St. Y, Actors Studio, New York Public Library; American Film Institute, Burbank Comedy Festival, Grammy Museum (Los Angeles); Lucasfilm; Austin Film Festival, Midwest Popular Culture Association and VIEW Cinema Conference (Torino, Italy). More at davidmisch.com.

Connect with David: Website | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Like A River From Its Course by Kelli Stuart

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Like A River From Its Course by Kelli Stuart was heartbreaking and yet beautiful all at the same time.   I love books like this one because they teach you things, and you get a glimpse into what people went through and experienced during World War II. This book broke my heart and yet I didn’t want to stop reading it because I had to know what happened to everyone. I did have to read this book in smaller amounts because it got overwhelming because of everything that was going on. I love this period that I had a hard time imagining how hard and scary things must have been for them. This is the first book I have read by this author and I liked it. I love books about World War II and most of the times all the books blend but this, book will always stick out because it showed more of a reality of what World War II was like. If you love historical fiction books than I know you will love this book just as much as I do.

Like A River From Its Course by Kelli Stuart

About The Book

Like a River from Its Course (Kregel, June 2016)

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope.

The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the “killing ditch.” He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer’s plans for domination
are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism.

Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Kelli Stuart

About The Author

Kelli Stuart is the coauthor of Dare 2B Wise and has written for several brands including Disney, American Girl, and Short Fiction Break. She has served as editor-in-chief for the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and as a board member for the St. Louis Women in Media. In addition to her writing, Kelli has spent twenty years studying Ukranian culture. Kelli lives in Florida.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Ringmasters Wife by Kristy Cambron was a fun book. I like that this book took place in two different locations up until the characters meet, and then you get to follow them both. I enjoyed this book because I fell in love with the characters right from the start. At times I did get bored, and when that did happen, I just book the down and came back to it later. I liked all the characters in this book and the premise of this book. If you aren’t a huge fan of historical novels than I don’t know that you would like this one but I did enjoy it. I am not a huge fan of the circus, so I didn’t like the book because of that but it was well written, and I am going to check out other books by this author in the future.

The Ringmaster's Wife by Kristy Cambron

About The Book

An ounce of courage. A split-second leap of faith. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.

In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.

A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.

When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.

A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!

Kristy Cambron

About The Author

Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews’ “Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)” for February 2015.

Cambron is an art/design manager at TheGROVEstory.com storytelling ministry. She holds a degree in art history from Indiana University and has nearly 15 years of experience in instructional design and communications for a Fortune-100 company. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good Christian fiction read.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor wasn’t my favorite. I had a hard time getting into the story and staying interested in this book. I don’t usually have problems reading mystery books because they are my favorite type of book to read, but I struggled with this book. There are just times when you don’t like the characters, and this was one of those times for me. It is well written, and the author does a great job of making me feel like I am there with the characters but I didn’t enjoy them and at times I was just bored with this book. I know that this book will be right for some people, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor

About The Book

He is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations, she a headstrong professor of religion, a converted Wiccan. Earlier, they solved a campus murder, but now police say they formed two-thirds of an illicit love triangle with a newly-murdered female colleague and they’re probably guilty of her murder. A leak of the alleged scandal to the college administration threatens their jobs. Their desperate attempt to prove themselves innocent of the triangle and the murder plunges them into a tangle of unsavory corporate relationships among college trustees. And it puts their lives in danger from a mysterious criminal organization that seems to have tentacles everywhere.

Can this ill-matched pair’s stumbling efforts succeed against the entrenched forces of the police, the college’s incompetent administration, and that powerful but unseen criminal organization? If not, they may end up unemployed, in prison, or suffering a fate much worse . . .

Donn Taylor portraits 12/7/07

About The Author

I’m working now as a novelist and poet, also teaching at writers’ groups and conferences. In a prior incarnation I served in two wars with the U.S. Army. Afterwards, I taught English literature at two liberal arts colleges. The World’s Perfect Woman consented to honor me in marriage, and we enjoyed six decades together until the Lord needed another alto for His heavenly choir. I live in the woods near Houston, TX, writing fiction, poetry, and essays on current topics.

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Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley was a great book. This is the second book in the series, but you don’t have to read the first book to understand what is going on in this book. You can click here to check out my review of the first book “Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley.” I enjoy reading books by this author and like I said I enjoyed this book. I love the family that is in this book, and I feel like I can relate to them and the things that they have gone through in their lives. I loved everything about this book, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series because I love catching up with all of the characters in this series. I look at these characters like they are actual people because the author does a great job of making them seem like real people. I think that just about anyone would love this book, and I recommend this book to everyone.

Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley

About The Book

Family Drama, Southern Style.
There’s a stranger in town. And it’s no coincidence when she shows up uninvited at a Sweeney family wedding. All eyes are drawn to this urchin who seems to have washed in with the tide. Before the night is over, the doe-eyed waif charms young and old with her street smarts and spunky personality. For better or worse, Annie Dawn is here to stay.

The memorable Sweeney sisters from Her Sister’s Shoes have returned with more suspense and family drama to hold you spellbound until the dramatic conclusion. As she approaches the next stage of her life as an empty nester, Jackie is torn between expanding her fledgling design business and spending these last precious months with her boys before they fly the coop. Her own worst enemy, Sam is terrified of making a commitment to Eli Marshall, handsome police officer, true love of her life. Her resolve is tested when a ghost from her past shows up after nearly two decades. Faith nurtures her seven-year-old daughter who is recovering from the trauma of her abusive father. Is the threat in the past, or is there more danger on the horizon? The sisters seek guidance from their mother, Lovie, a true Southern matriarch who shows them how to respond to adversity with grace and dignity.

Things are heating up in the Lowcountry. The Sweeney sisters remind us, once again, that being a part of a family is about more than sharing the same DNA.

Ashley Farley

About The Author

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

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Banished Threads by Kaylin McFarren

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from PUYB in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Banished Threads by Kaylin McFarren was an interesting book, to say the least. This is the third book in the series and the first one that I have read. I don’t think you need to read the other books to understand this book, but it may help you understand the back story, but I was able to figure out what was going on without having to read the other two books. I enjoyed this author’s style of writing and how she was able to make me understand what was going on and give just enough of the back story from the other books so that you know what is going on but not so much that people who would have read the other books would have been bored. I enjoyed this author writing, but I don’t think I will pick any of the other books in this series because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the plot of the book. I may check out other books by her though in the future.

Banished Threads

About The Book

Title: Banished Threads (Book 3 – Threads Series)
Author: Kaylin McFarren
Publisher: Creative Edge Publishing LLC
Pages: 258
Genre: Romantic Suspense

A valuable art collection disappears turning a treasure-hunting duo into crime-stopping sleuths committed to vindicating family members in Kaylin McFarren’s action-packed suspense novel, Banished Threads.

While vacationing at the stately Cumberforge Manor in Bellwood, England, Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen attend an elegant dinner party hosted by her uncle, Paul Lyons, and his aristocratic wife, Sara. Before the evening ends, a priceless collection of Morris Graves’s paintings are stolen from her uncle’s popular gallery, throwing all suspicion onto his wife’s missing granddaughter. Determined to clear Sloan Rafferty’s name and, in the process, win Paul’s favor, Chase scours the countryside looking for answers. In his absence, the police accuse Rachel’s uncle of an unsolved murder and secrets surrounding her grandmother’s death and the deaths of Sara’s former husbands turn his wife into the most likely suspect.

With the true villains hell-bent on destroying Paul Lyons and his family, solving both crimes while ensuring her uncle’s freedom not only endangers Rachel’s life but that of her unborn child. Will Chase save them before the kidnappers enact their revenge or will the ultimate price be paid, as predicted by a vagabond fortuneteller?
First place – 2016 Hudson Valley RWA Hook, Line & Sinker Contest

Kaylin McFarren

About The Author

Kaylin McFarren is a California native who has enjoyed traveling around the world. She previously worked as director for a fine art gallery, where she helped foster the careers of various artists before feeling the urge to satisfy her own creative impulses.

Since launching her writing career, McFarren has earned more than a dozen literary awards in addition to a finalist spot in the 2008 RWA Golden Heart Contest. A member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers, and Willamette Writers, she also lends her participation and support to various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

McFarren currently lives with her husband in Oregon and visits her second home in California once a month. They have three grown daughters and two grandchildren, and look forward to having more.

Her latest book is the romantic suspense, Banished Threads.

 

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Gift Basket Giveaway!

Kaylin McFarren is giving away a Gift Basket (Value $135)!

This gift basket includes Collectible English tea cup & saucer set, nautical compass, rare Morris Graves’ artwork catalog, and Cadbury English toffees.

Terms & Conditions:

  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive the gift basket.
  • This giveaway begins May 9 and ends on June 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on June 31.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret