Happy Friday everyone! Time for another round of…What did Danielle find on Net Galley this week?!

Feel free to share your Friday Finds in the comments.  I’d love to see what all of you found.

Title: If We Lived Here

Author: Lindsey J. Palmer

Publication Date: March 31, 2015

Genre: Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction

“Razor-sharp and thought-provoking, Lindsey J. Palmer’s incisive new novel both celebrates and skewers modern relationships and their milestones, offering a witty and wise look at what it takes to commit—to love, to a home, and to the life that’s right for you.

After three years of dating and trading nights at their respective New York City apartments, Emma Feit and Nick O’Hare are moving in together. Or they will be, as soon as they find the right place. For two happily-in-love professionals—Nick’s a teacher, Emma tutors college-bound teens—with good credit and stellar references, how hard can it be? As it turns out, very—in ways that are completely unexpected.

Suddenly Emma is filled with questions about cohabiting, about giving up her freedom—not to mention about who’s going to clean the toilet. And while her best friend plans a dream wedding to her wealthy fiancé, and her older brother settles into suburban bliss, Emma must figure out what home means to her—and how on earth to get there.” (NetGalley Description)

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Title: Change of Heart

Author: Jeanne Bishop

Publication Date: March 4, 2015

Genre: Biographies & Memoirs

“Change of Heart begins with tragedy: the murder of Jeanne Bishop’s sister Nancy, along with Nancy’s

husband and their unborn child, in their home some twenty-five years ago. In her dying moments, Nancy wrote a message in her own blood at the crime scene: a heart shape and the letter “u,” last words of love.

When the killer, a local teenager, was arrested for the murders, he denied responsibility for the crime and showed no remorse. After the murderer was tried, convicted and sentenced, Bishop determined to forgive and then forget him. Bishop became a public defender, an outspoken opponent of capital punishment, and a supporter of the sentence her sister’s killer received: juvenile life without the possibility of parole. All the while, she never once spoke the name of her sister’s killer aloud, never tried to engage with him.

Then she met a law professor who gave her a book espousing a radical idea: that as Christians, we have an obligation to work to reconcile with those who have harmed us. Bishop challenged the book’s author about that idea, and was challenged in turn to take seriously the prayer of Jesus on the cross and move beyond simple forgiveness to the hard work of personal reconciliation.

Change of Heart is the story of that uneven journey to confronting and reconciling with a murderer. The book takes on the larger issues of restorative justice, life sentences, and incarceration in the criminal justice system. It unflinchingly acknowledges the personal cost of advocating for mercy for people convicted of serious crimes.

In the end, the book is a story of moving beyond mere forgiveness to the deeper waters of redemption and grace.” (NetGalley Description)

Happy Friday everyone!  This week seemed so long even though I had the day off on Monday.  It’s busier than usually on all fronts for me.  Work is busy.  Wedding planning makes me busy and I’m busy working on the social media for the 2015 LA Writer’s Conference.

Even though I have a hectic life right now, I absolutely love everything I’m doing.  I don’t think I can sit around doing nothing.  I get pretty stir-crazy.

Anyway…I went off on a tangent there for a bit.  Back to my Friday Finds.

I’m very excited about this week’s Friday Finds.  I found this great series by Jennifer Gracen.  Here are the books from her Seasons of Love series.

Title: Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love, Book One)

Author: Jennifer Gracen

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

“Author Jennifer Gracen brings together a colorful cast of friends and family in Book One of the Seasons of Love series, Autumn Getaway. Newly divorced mom Lydia is just getting back on her feet. Her college roommate’s wedding promises a much-needed getaway weekend with old friends, at a beautiful manor in Connecticut.

When she meets Sam, a handsome friend of the groom, she’s nearly overwhelmed by a confusing mix of hope and trepidation. Their instant connection feels intensely real, to both of them, but the ink is barely dry on her divorce decree. It takes all her nerve, and more than a little prodding from her girlfriends, to convince Lydia to give her heart — and Sam — a chance. But when the magical weekend comes to a close, Sam must return to Chicago, while Lydia heads back to her complicated life and young son in New York. Can their newfound connection survive the trials of physical distance and years of emotional baggage?

Written with an appreciation for the day-to-day struggles of a newly single mom, Autumn Getaway explores the burdens and blessings of family, revels in the spirit of friendship, and celebrates the power of romance and hope as Lydia and Sam take a second chance at love.” (NetGalley Description)

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Title: Winter Hopes (Seasons of Love, Book Two)

Author: Jennifer Gracen

Publication Date: July 1, 2014

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

“Author Jennifer Gracen reunites sexy, sophisticated Sam and sweet but wounded Lydia in Book Two of the Seasons of Love series, ”Winter Hopes.” Newly divorced mom Lydia is still getting back on her feet, and still reeling from her intense encounter with Sam at a friend’s destination wedding. As they tentatively explore the demands and rewards of long-distance dating, their instant connection evolves against the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Each begins to trust again – opening up is difficult, even painful, but the joy and hope they feel in each other’s arms demands they lay their hearts on the line. Can their love survive the miles that separate them, and the complexities of nurturing a relationship via email, text and phone? And when Sam finally meets Lydia’s family, will old resentments and unspoken biases bring them closer together or drive them apart? Full of the passion and tension any newly-joined couple experiences, this steamy yet hopeful book lays the foundation for Lydia’s budding relationship with Sam, and offers hope for second chances and a deep appreciation for the value of a loyal friend.” (NetGalley Description)

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Title: Spring Shadows (Seasons of Love, Book Three)

Author: Jennifer Gracen

Publication Date: October 1, 2014

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

“Lydia wasn’t looking for love. Having just finalized a difficult divorce, she attended her best friend’s destination wedding with a simple plan: to reconnect with old friends and take a much needed break from the stresses of single parenthood. But life had more in store for her. In AUTUMN GETAWAY, Book One of the Seasons of Love series, Lydia connected with charming, sensitive Sam over that weekend, and took a chance on someone new. Then, in WINTER HOPES, Sam and Lydia explored the excitement of blossoming romance. Even though a long distance relationship isn’t easy, in each other they found renewed hope, both overcoming past losses to learn to trust and love again.

Now, in SPRING SHADOWS, Book Three of the series, author Jennifer Gracen brings Lydia and Sam one step closer to lasting happiness. But it isn’t all romance and roses. The realities of a long distance relationship held between Chicago and New York start to take a toll. Add in the complications posed by Sam’s overprotective brother, Lydia’s difficult ex-husband, and an unexpected tragedy, and it all threatens to tear them apart before they’ve even begun to truly be together.

Lydia and Sam must face their pasts and come to terms with old fears and insecurities. They need to focus on the things that really matter: true love, forgiveness, compassion, and fearless commitment–another leap of faith. Full of the sweetness and heartfelt emotion you’ve come to expect from the Seasons of Love series, SPRING SHADOWS shows us the power of purposeful communication, understanding, and unrelenting self-awareness, proving that true, lasting love is possible when nurtured by healing and hope.” (NetGalley Description)

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Title: Summer Champagne (Seasons of Love, Book Four)

Author: Jennifer Gracen

Publication Date: January 30, 2015

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

“In Autumn Getaway, Book One of the Seasons of Love series, Lydia connected with charming, sensitive Sam, and took a chance on someone new. Then, in Winter Hopes, Book Two of the series, Sam and Lydia explored the excitement of their blossoming romance. Even though their long distance relationship wasn’t easy, in each other they found renewed hope, overcoming past losses to learn to trust and love again. In Spring Shadows, Book Three of the series, author Jennifer Gracen brings Lydia and Sam one step closer to lasting happiness. But then romance and roses turn to tears as unexpected tragedy threatens to tear them apart.

In Summer Champagne, the final book of the Seasons of Love series, Lydia and Sam face their challenges shoulder to shoulder, but the deep commitment they’ve worked so hard to build brings the fear of equally serious loss. Summer Champagne takes the genuine emotions you’ve come to expect from the Seasons of Love and presses them up against the harsh reality of life in a genre-defining tale of love, healing, and hope for the future that will have you toasting the lovely couple with your own glass of champagne.” (Description from Jennifer Gracen’s Website)

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope everyone had a great week.  This week was a little tough for me since it was the first full week back to work after all the holidays.

I wanted to tell you about some exciting news.  I was Auto-Approved for a marketing agency in NetGalley called BookBuzz.net!  Yay!  What this means is that I can request any book they have added and it will be approved automatically for me.  I don’t have to wait to be approved.  It’s quite the honor in the NetGalley world.

So, for this week’s Friday Finds I wanted to share the books from this agency that Auto-Approved me. Feel free to post what you found this week in the comments.

Title: Death of a Diva

Author: Brigitte Goldstein

Publication Date: September 30, 2014

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

“A veteran actress’s brutal murder at a Broadway theater in 1941 sets off a police investigation that reaches back to pre-WWI Vienna and 1920s Berlin in Brigitte Goldstein’s densely plotted noir mystery novel, Death of a Diva.

In 1941 New York, the murder on Broadway of Stella Berger, famed star of screen and stage of Weimar Germany and outspoken critic of the Nazi regime which had forced her into exile, sends shock waves through the American public.

The police act quickly, and the prime suspect, an emigrant street musician, is tried and put on death row. But Misia Safran, a young Jewish refugee from Germany and part-time employee at the theater who becomes inadvertently involved in the investigation, is haunted by the possibility of his innocence and a suspicion that there’s more to the case than meets the eye.

Determined to uncover the truth, Misia delves into Stella’s background. She patches together the life of the revered actress from testimony by those who had been closest to her throughout her rise to stardom. From accounts of her humble origins in a Viennese ghetto to her rise to the pinnacle in the acting world of 1920′s Berlin, to her battle with Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels, emerges the portrait of a woman of great strength of character and resolve, albeit one that conceals a vulnerable side which ultimately may have been the cause of her undoing. As Misia cuts through a bewildering thicket of lies, hidden agendas, and deceptions, she is met with intimations of a deep secret in Stella’s past, evidence of which may be stored in the vault of a Swiss bank. If made public, this secret could provide the clue to the mystery, but could also destroy the star’s carefully guarded public persona.”

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Title: The Experiment of Dreams

Author: Brandon Zenner

Publication Date: January 1, 2015

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

“A machine capable of recording our dreams has been created…

Benjamin Walker’s lifelong career of testing experimental drugs and medicines, as well as participating in fascinating sleep-related studies, has come to an end. A new and lucrative job opportunity is offered to Ben, working on a project named Lucy, a machine capable of reading and recording a person’s dreams in intimate detail. Headed by the genius Dr. Peter Wulfric and privately funded by the elusive millionaire, Mr. Timothy Kalispell (a man with a fascination of the arts that borders on the obsessive) takes Ben all over the world, from the Louvre in Paris to the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  Along his travels, Ben meets a beautiful girl named Sophia, who might just help him overcome his crushing depression over the death of his lost love, his Emily. All is finally going well for Ben . . . until strange dreams of a town named Drapery Falls begin to plague him, and memories once hidden begin to reveal themselves. The doctors and staff onboard team Lucy are not who Ben thinks they are, and Mr. Kalispell will stop at nothing to keep Ben’s emerging memories buried for good. Ben is put on a collision course that will bring him to the brink of total insanity, and perhaps even death. At the heart of it all, Ben’s worst enemy is his own mind, and he must confront his past in order to save his future.”

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Title: After Midnight

Author: Diane Shute

Publication Date: September 16, 2014

Genre: Women’s Ficition

“When horse breeder Alix is forced to temporarily swap places with her estranged twin sister—the wife of an English lord—her forgotten past begins to resurface. A humorous historical fiction mystery with charismatic, realistic characters, After Midnight offers the young adult and woman’s fiction market a fresh, engaging perspective.”

Happy Friday to all my wonderful followers! I hope everyone had an amazing week.  As you know, I’m a NetGalley addict.  I seriously need an intervention considering I have about 50 books on my NetGalley shelf I haven’t read yet.

For this week’s Friday Finds, I wanted to share yet another book I found on NetGalley.

Title: The End of Feeling

Author: Cindy C Bennett

Genre: New Adult

Publication Date: January 27, 2015

“Eighteen-year-old Benjamin Nefer seems to have it all: great looks, incredible football skills, and smooth moves that have won—and broken—the hearts of countless girls at his high school. But his hellish home life has left him feeling empty inside, unable to experience real feelings. He thinks he’s fine being this way forever…until he meets a beautiful and witty seventeen-year-old girl named Charlotte “Charlie” Austin. She may be new in town, but she’s already been warned about Benjamin’s reputation, so it’s easy for her to shoot down his advances. Like him, she’s happier keeping people at a distance, especially since she, too, has secrets she’s not ready to share with anyone. But as the tentative friendship between the charismatic football captain and the new girl grows, Charlie finds herself feeling closer to Benjamin than she’s ever felt with anyone—and he wonders if he’s really capable of loving after all. Can they drop their guard, or is this so-called romance just another game?”

What did you find this week? 

Feel free to post a link to your Friday Finds in the comments.

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope some of you got the day off like I did.  If not, I still hope you’re having a great day.

Well, it’s my last Friday Find of the year 2014 and I just can’t believe that there’s literally 5 days left until we ring in the new year.

For this week’s Friday Finds I wanted to shine the spotlight on a few of the books I recently got approved for on NetGalley.  You know I’m addicted to this site.

“What if you could do it all over again?

Jennifer Wright is pretty sure her husband doesn’t love her anymore. She and Max used to be the perfect couple, but the pressures of work and kids have pulled them in opposite directions. Now , Jen is full of “what if” questions about whether her bland, suburban existence is all she was ever destined for.

When a terrible accident sends Jen into a coma, she is able to see what her life could have been if she had run off to Australia with the handsome, dangerous man she met on vacation, or if she had stayed with her workaholic college boyfriend. Would she ever have loved another child as much as she loves her daughters? Could she have become rich? More than anything, Jen wants to do the right thing for her family. But what she discovers may leave her with even more questions about the choices she made, and no easy answers about what to do next.”

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“Sometimes, the past can haunt you….

Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine’s best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed Evelyn was also an intended victim. Now, after all these years of silence, another girl has gone missing in South Carolina, and the Nursery Rhyme Killer is taking credit. But is Cassie’s abductor really back, or is there a copycat at work?

Sometimes, the past is best forgotten.…

Evelyn has waited eighteen years for a chance to investigate, but when she returns to Rose Bay, she finds a dark side to the seemingly idyllic town. As the place erupts in violence and the kidnapper strikes again, Evelyn knows this is her last chance. If she doesn’t figure out what happened to Cassie eighteen years ago, it may be Evelyn’s turn to vanish without a trace.”

What did you find this week? 

Feel free to post a link to your Friday Finds in the comments.