Back to School with Mabel's Labels

It's never too early to begin planning for the next school year! Help the little scholars in your life stay organized with Mabel's Labels. Identify your children's belongings when they go off to school with Ultimate Back to School Combo. The set includes laundry-safe tags for clothing, waterproof labels for shoes, dishwasher safe tags for lunch containers, and even metal tags to attach to zippers on jackets and backpacks! 

Save $3 and receive a coupon for $5 off a Laptop Lunches Bento Box (while supplies last) when you purchase the Ultimate Back to School Combo. Hurry, because this early bird pricing expires on 7/31. 

Mabel's Labels now offers free shipping to the US on all orders! No minimum purchase necessary. Save with early bird pricing and take advantage of free shipping by shopping Mabel's Labels! 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with affiliate links.

Sunday Shout Out 37

Recently, I introduced a new feature here at In the Hammock on Sundays. It's called "Sunday Shout Out" and it's a place where I can give a special shout out to those publishers and authors who have sent me books over the week, as well as those bloggers who have hosted contests that I've won! I'll also be giving shout outs to any other cool books, blogs or bookish news that I've spotted during the week.

For Review

"Marilyn's Red Diary" by E.Z. Friedel

  

Contest Wins

"Parlor Games" by Maryka Biaggio

Won from The Book Diva's Reads

Contests

While you're here, check out the contests currently running at In the Hammock!

Win "If the Shoe Fits" 7/05

Win 4 Books by Vicky Dreiling 7/12

Layla Grace Project Nursery Event and Contest!

As part of Project Nursery’s Skip*Hop Nursery Design event, Layla Grayce joined actress Tiffani Thiessen, Joy Cho of Oh Joy! and Joni Lay of Lay Baby Lay in a baby room design contest!  Each participant was challenged to design a beautiful nursery on a budget! Check out what they came up with!

Vote for Layla Grayce as your favorite nursery design and you could win a Skip*Hop Springtime Birds Musical Crib Mobile (pictured below) and $100 Layla Grayce gift card! Not one but THREE winners will win a mobile and a $100 shopping spree towards Layla Grayce! If you don't have little ones, Layla Grace offers beautiful home decor and women's accessories, too! Hurry, because this contest ends on July 10th! Vote Now!


Skip Hop Springtime Birds Musical Crib Mobile


For more information on this contest, visit: http://www.laylagrayce.com/blog/2013/06/20/project-nurserys-skiphop-nursery-design-event/. 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with affiliate links

Reminder: Google Reader is Shutting Down July 1

I have already posted about this, but if you haven't moved your Google Reader info,
now is the time to do it :)

(If you have already read this post, I apologize, I'm just trying to get the word out!)


Google Reader is disappearing next month!!

(image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy)

Instead of panicking, I wanted to give you some other ways to follow In the Hammock :)

Follow by Email:

Subscribe to In the Hammock Book Reviews by Email

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Bloglovin:

You can also import ALL of the blogs you follow with Google into your Bloglovin feed! Go to your Settings and look for Import Blogs!

Feedly:

Feedly is so easy! All you have to do is sign in with your Google account, and it automatically moves your Google Reader settings, including folders, etc!

There is even a page of FAQs about migrating your account to Feedly

Twitter:

Pinterest:

Thanks, everyone!! Let me know in the comments if you are following in any of these new ways and I'll try to follow you back as well, so we can all try to keep up! Also, let me know of any other ways you are trying to stay updated on blogs!

Vicky Dreiling 4 Book Romance Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of her new book, "What a Wicked Earl Wants", the first in the Sinful Scoundrels series, Vicky has generously provided an autographed prize pack of FOUR of her books for a lucky reader of my blog!


"What a Wicked Earl Wants"
 by Vicky Dreiling

Publisher: Forever
Release Date: My 28, 2012
Source: sent by the author

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:

WILL A RAKE'S WICKED WAYS
Andrew Carrington, Earl of Bellingham, believes in being a gentleman, whether it's fishing a soggy stranger out of the Thames or assisting a fetching lady into his bed. If the stranger becomes a friend and the lady a mistress, all the better. He certainly welcomes the opportunity to help Laura Davenport, a dazzling young widow with a rebellious stepson. Her gratitude, he hopes, will take an amorous form. But from the moment he sets foot in her drawing room, he gets far more than he bargained for ...

LEAD THE LADY ASTRAY?

It was a moment of desperation. On the brink of losing her stepson, Laura turned to the notorious Lord Bellingham for help. Suddenly she, a vicar's daughter, is in the precarious position of resisting his tantalizing advances. How Bell earned his wicked reputation is clear; the surprise is how much more there is to him than the gossip sheets could possibly reveal. Now every moment with this dangerously desirable man puts Laura's good name at risk-and promises pleasure unlike any she has ever known ...

My Review:

The aspect that I love most about this author's books are the adorable supporting characters! My favorite scenes always involve the interactions and relationships between the leads and their best friends/families. This one is no different, because I just loved the scenes with Bell and his friends, Colin and Harry. They were so fun and also realistic. It seemed like real conversations between friends. These interactions also gave a feel for the time and place of the novel, what a group of spoiled gentlemen of the ton!

I found myself looking forward to the scenes with Colin and Harry, and the rest of the book was only okay for me. There really wasn't anything that I disliked, I just wasn't drawn in to Laura and Bell's story for some reason. Bell wasn't especially likable to me, and Laura wasn't feisty enough.

Even though the romance was a bit underwhelming for me, the author does a great job of setting up and writing a 'classic' regency romance. I think fans of that style, with the witty banter and 'ton' gossip will be swept away by the story. The writing is so witty and you really get a sense of the world the characters live in.

Main Characters: 3/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Bottom Line: Regency romance fans will love the world built by the author. The supporting characters really made the story come alive.


Read more about Vicky and her books:  
http://vickydreiling.com/
https://twitter.com/vickydreiling
https://www.facebook.com/vickydreilinghistoricalauthor 

Giveaway:

The winner of the contest will receive:

"What a Wicked Earl Wants"
"How to Ravish a Rake" (Read my Review)
"How to Seduce a Scoundrel" (Read my Review) 
"How to Marry a Duke" (Read my Review)

Please leave a comment for Vicky, she will be stopping by to say hi to all of you!

GIVEAWAY RULES

The author has generously provided autographed copies of  her four books to a lucky reader of my blog.

All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

• US only
• Books will be mailed out by the author
• Must be 18 or over 

• Ends July 12

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: "Jack Absolute"

"Jack Absolute"
by C.C. Humphreys
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Source: N/A
Release Date: May 7, 2013

The following description is from goodreads.com:

A new historical adventure series starring the dashing Jack Absolute that has already been called "the finest historical novels since O'Brian." (Good Book Guide UK)

In 1777 Jack Absolute, the charming lover in Sheridan's comedy The Rivals, is famous throughout London. However, this notoriety comes as something of a shock to the real Jack Absolute when he arrives in England after four months at sea. But there's barely time for outrage before he finds himself dueling for his life. Even worse, as soon as he's won the duel he's forced to flee London by the quickest means possible, becoming a spy in America's war of Independence.

Thus we meet Jack Absolute - rogue, duellist, charmer and Captain in the Light Dragoons. From the field of honor in London through the pivotal battle of Saratoga to a hunt for a double agent in wintry Philadelphia, this novel marks the impressive debut of this new series.

Author Bio (from the publisher):

C.C. Humphreys is a novelist, fight choreographer, and actor who played Jack Absolute in The Rivals for a six-month run in London in the mid-1980s. When he became a full-time writer a decade ago, he decided to transform his leading man into a title character. Humphreys has written seven historical fiction novels including The French Executioner, which was runner-up for the CWA Steel Dagger for Thrillers 2002. The Jack Absolute series will feature three books: Jack Absolute, The Blooding of Jack Absolute, and Absolute Honour. 

Waiting on Wednesday 236

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine, and it is a way to show off the books you can't wait to be released!!

This week I chose:

"All that Glows"
by Ryan Graudin
HarperTeen
Release Date: Feb 11, 2014

The following description is from goodreads.com:

Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

Even though there's so long to wait for this one, I just had to post it. The cover is beautiful and I love reading about faeries!

What are you waiting for this week???